SKATE-TIGHTENING APPARATUS

Abstract

A skate-used skate-tightening apparatus includes a plate, a buckle, a belt and two pivots. The plate includes a lug and two forks. The buckle includes a middle section formed between front and rear sections. A first pivot pivotally connects the rear section of the buckle to the lug. The belt includes a front section. A second pivot pivotally connects the front section of the belt to the middle section of the buckle. The buckle is in a tightening position when the second pivot is engaged with the forks.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a skate and, more particularly, to a skate-tightening apparatus.

2. Related Prior Art

A first conventional skate includes an outsole-like platform, a skate-tightening apparatus connected to an upper face of the outsole-like platform, and a blade of rollers connected to a lower face of the outsole-like platform. A user has to wear a shoe, boot or sneaker before wearing the first conventional skate.

A second conventional skate includes a boot supported on a blade or rollers. A user wears the second conventional skate without having to wear a shoe, boot or sneaker. The boot is equipped with a shoe lace that is pretty long. It is troublesome and difficult to tightly tie the shoe lace to firmly wrap a foot in the boot.

The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a skate-tightening apparatus.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the skate-used skate-tightening apparatus includes a plate, a buckle, a belt and two pivots. The plate includes a lug and two forks. The buckle includes a middle section formed between front and rear sections. A first pivot pivotally connects the rear section of the buckle to the lug. The belt includes a front section. A second pivot pivotally connects the front section of the belt to the middle section of the buckle. The buckle is in a tightening position when the second pivot is engaged with the forks.

Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skate equipped with a skate-tightening apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the skate-tightening apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the skate-tightening apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is another exploded view of the skate-tightening apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the skate-tightening apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the skate-tightening apparatus in another position than shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the skate-tightening apparatus taken along a line VII-VII shown in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial view of the skate shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a skate 100 includes a boot 101, rollers or a blade connected to a lower face of the boot 101, and a skate-tightening apparatus 1 located on a shaft 102 of the boot 101.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, the skate-tightening apparatus 1 includes a plate 10, a buckle 20, a belt 30 and a pawl 40 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The plate 10 includes two countersink holes 13, a lug 14, and two forks 15. Two rivets 12 are inserted in the countersink holes 13 to connect the plate 10 to a side 103 of the shaft 102. The lug 14 is formed on a front face 11 of the plate 10, and so are the forks 15. Each of the forks 15 includes a recess 16 pointed at the buckle 20.

The buckle 20 includes a middle section 21 between a front section 23 and a rear section 24. The middle section 21 is formed with two cutouts 22. The rear section 24 includes two lugs 25.

The lug 14 is located between the lugs 25 before a pivot 51 is inserted in the lug 14 and the lugs 25 so that the buckle 20 is pivotally connected to the plate 10. To receive the pivot 51, each of the lugs 25 includes an aperture 61, and the lug 14 includes an aperture 62.

The belt 30 includes a front section 31, a rear section 32, and two lugs 33 extending from the front section 31. The middle section 21 of the buckle 20 is located between the lugs 33 of the belt 30 before a pin 52 is inserted in them both. To receive the pin 52, the middle section 21 of the buckle 20 includes an aperture 64, and each of the lugs 33 of the belt 30 includes an aperture 65. A free end of each of the lugs 33 is located in a corresponding one of the recess 22.

Referring to 5, the skate-tightening apparatus 1 is in a slack position. The buckle 20 is pivotable about the pivot 51 relative to the plate 10. The belt 30 is pivotable about the pivot 52 relative to the buckle 20.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the skate-tightening apparatus 1 is in a tightening position. A force is exerted on the front section 23 of the buckle 20 to pivot the buckle 20 to the plate 10. The forks 15 of the plate 10 are inserted in the cutouts 22 of the buckle 20. Two sections of the pivot 52 are located in the recesses 16 of the forks 15. The buckle 20 is kept in position on the plate 10.

An opposite force is exerted on the front section 23 of the buckle 20 to pivot the buckle 20 from the plate 10. Accordingly, the pivot 52 is moved from the recesses 16. That is, the skate-tightening apparatus 1 is returned to the slack position.

The switching of the skate-tightening apparatus 1 between the unlocking and tightening positions is easy and quick.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 8, a pawl 40 is attached to a side 104 of the shaft 102. The belt 30 includes teeth (not numbered) for engagement with the pawl 40. As mentioned above, the plate 10 of the skate-tightening apparatus 1 is attached to the side 103 of the shaft 102. The rear section 32 of the belt 30 is inserted in and engaged with the pawl 40 when the buckle 20 is in the slack position. Then, the buckle 20 is pivoted to the tightening position, thereby pulling the sides 103 and 104 of the shaft 102 toward each other. That is, the sides 103 and 104 of the shaft 102 and a tongue 106 of the boot 101 are tightened.

The rear section 32 of the belt 30 is movable between various positions relative to the pawl 40. Thus, the stress in the belt 30 or the tightness of the tongue 106 is adjustable when the buckle 20 is in the tightening position. The pawl 40 is operable to release the rear section 32 of the belt 30.

Referring to FIG. 1, the boot 101 includes a shoe lace 107 inserted in eyelets made in the shaft 102 and a vamp 105 of the boot 101. The shoe lace 107 can be tied to tighten the boot 101.

However, in another embodiment, several skate-tightening apparatuses are used, without having to use any shoe lace.

The present invention has been described via the illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A skate-used skate-tightening apparatus comprising:

a plate (10) comprising a lug (14) and two forks (15);

a buckle (20) comprising a front section (23), a rear section (24) and a middle section (21) formed between the front and rear sections (23, 24);

a first pivot (51) for pivotally connecting the rear section (24) of the buckle (20) to the lug (14);

a belt (30) comprising a front section (31); and

a second pivot (52) for pivotally connecting the front section (31) of the belt (30) to the middle section (21) of the buckle (20); wherein the buckle (20) is in a tightening position when the second pivot (52) is engaged with the forks (15).

2. The skate-tightening apparatus according to claim 1, comprising two rivets (12) for connecting the plate (10) to a boot (101) of a skate (100).

3. The skate-tightening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rear section (24) of the buckle (20) comprises two lugs (25) on two opposite sides of the lug (14) of the plate (10), wherein the first pivot (51) is inserted in the lugs (25, 14).

4. The skate-tightening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the front section (31) of the belt (30) comprises two lugs (33) on two opposite sides of the middle section (21) of the buckle (20), wherein the second pivot (52) is inserted in the lugs (33) of the belt (30) and the middle section (21) of the buckle (20).

5. The skate-tightening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the forks (15) comprises a recess (16) for receiving the second pivot (52).

6. The skate-tightening apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the middle section (21) of the buckle (20) comprises two cutouts (22) for receiving the forks (15) when the buckle (20) is in the tightening position.

7. The skate-tightening apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plate (10) comprises two countersink holes (13) for receiving the rivets (12).