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Description  |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a guard for the wheels of an in-line
roller skate. In particular, the invention is a removable guard designed
to fit over the wheels of an in-line skate in such a manner as to
facilitate walking.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent times, in-line type roller skates have become extremely popular.
This type roller skate is most often identified as a ROLLERBLADE
(ROLLERBLADE being the trademark of Rollerblade Inc.) and is distinguished
from other roller skates by having three or more linearly aligned wheels.
In-line skates suffer from a problem that has plagued roller skates from
their beginning. All forms of roller skates are unstable when the wearer
has to walk on an uneven surface while wearing the skates. Stairs, sand,
gravel and wet surfaces are examples of surfaces which are difficult to
traverse while wearing in-line skates. Other problems include the wheels
marking surfaces and surface damage from the high forces exerted by the
wheels due to their small contact area. Many businesses currently outlaw
in-line skates thus skaters must remove their skates before entering the
premises which often requires that the skater carry an additional pair of
shoes. Besides damage to property most buildings prohibit in-line skaters
for the safety of persons walking in the building and for the skaters
safety as well.
In the prior art, a number of skate accessories have been developed in an
attempt to overcome the above noted problems. For example skate guards
such as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 30,627 to Gibbs, 1,174,601 to Nathan, and
3,583,720 to Fowlkes address the problem of protecting the blades of
ice-skates and do not address the problem of immobilizing the wheels on
in-line skates. Wheel covers for roller skates have been addressed by Grim
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,474), Dolce (U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,697), Loredo (U.S.
Pat. No. 4,413,842), and Melendez (U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,187) but all are
designed for roller skates that have tandem wheels. Zurnamer, U.S. Pat.
No. 5,303,955, describes a roller skate wheel guard made of cloth which
protects the wheel but does not provide stability for walking. Kassel in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,290,065, describes a flexible rollerblade guard which is
designed to prevent wheel rotation. However the design is cumbersome to
attach and not practical for most styles of in-line skate which have a
rearward extension to receive a rubber brake. Anderson et. al. in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,236,224 teaches a in-line skate accessory which facilitates
walking. This design covers only the front and rear wheels and relies on a
rubber-like material to attach the cover and prevent wheel rotation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a unique guard designed to cover and immobilize
the wheels of an in-line skate. The guard receives the linearly aligned
wheels of an in-line skate and prevents rotation of the wheels by
attachment of the guard to the skate by a bridle. The body of the guard
forms a wheel retaining channel which extends forward to form an upwardly
curved portion to receive the front wheel of the in-line skate. A bridle
is connected to the wheel retaining channel in the rear third of the
length of the guard. The bridle extends upwardly over the in-line skate in
the area below the boot heel and above the rear wheel over the rear brake
assembly. The bridle can be made of either a flexible but non-elastic
material or an elastic material such that when attached to the skate it
can be adjusted to fit the unique length and shape of each brand of skate.
The non-elastic bridle can be changed in size by the adjustment of a
buckle.
The wheel retaining channel has inside wall to wall dimensions which
approach the thickness of the skate wheels. The channel receives, covers
and retains the lower portion of the wheels. The lateral walls of the
channel prevent the wheels from separating from the guard while the base
provides support for the wheels on the inner surface and support for the
person wearing the skates on the outer surface.
When the front wheel of the in-line skate is engaged in the front wheel
reciever, with a substantial portion of the circumference of the front
wheel being covered by the guard, the remaining wheels are in the wheel
retaining channel and the bridle is firmly attached below the boot heel
and above the rear wheel over the rear brake assembly, the guard
effectively prevents rotation of all the wheels. The in-line skate guard
provides a stable platform on which the skate wearer can safely walk
without fear of the wheels rotating.
Additionally the guard is designed for use on any in-line skate
irregardless of brand or design. Each size and brand of in-line skates
have different sized wheels, length of the linearly aligned wheels and
configuration of the rear brake assembly. To permit the in-line skate
guard to fit all styles of skate the guard is constructed of a resilient
material such as but not limited to plastic or rubber allowing the guard
to be adapted to varying sizes by cutting off any excessive length. Also
the size of the bridle can be altered in length either by inherent
elasticity of the material or by changing the length of non-elastic
material to fit over all types of rear brake and wheel assemblies.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
To provide a light weight and easy attachable skate guard allowing persons
to safely wear in-line skates while walking.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a representation of the invention used on a in-line skate;
FIG. 2 is a representation, in top plan view, of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a representation, in side view, of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a representation of an end view of the wheel retaining channel of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In reference to FIG. 1, an in-line roller skate 10, is represented with a
boot 11. The boot 11, is attached to the upper portion of the in-line
skate wheel assembly 12. The wheel assembly extends from the upper
assembly to support each axle 13a,13b,13c,13d, on which the front wheel
14, rear wheel 15, and a variable number (ranging from 1 to 3) of
intermediate wheels 16, are mounted.
The novel in-line skate guard includes a wheel retaining channel 17, which
receives the wheels of the in-line skate. At the front most portion of the
wheel retaining channel the side walls 22,23, are upwardly curved to form
the front wheel receiver 18. Coupled to the wheel retaining channel via a
bridle opening 25, is a rearwardly angled adjustable bridle 19. The
adjustable bridle 19, may be of two types--elastic or nonelastic. The
elastic type could be made of but not limited to a metal spring, rubber
bungee cord or a type of plastic such as polyurethane, ABS, PVC, or
polyethylene. The non-elastic type could be constructed of but not limited
to a strap made of nylon, leather or cotton webbing with an adjustable
quick release buckle 26. When the wheels of the in-line skate 10, are in
the wheel retaining channel 17, and the front wheel 14, is in the front
wheel receiver 18, the bridle 19, in the case of the non-elastic type, has
one half of its length passed over the wheel assembly 12, below the boot
heel 21, and above the rear brake assembly 20. The two ends of the buckle
26, are then connected. The bridle 19, can be adjusted for a tight fit by
shortening the length of the webbing 27 where it passes through the
buckle. In the case of an elastic bridle 19, the bridle 19 is constructed
of a single piece of material. In this type to attach the wheel retaining
channel 17 to the in-line roller skate 10 the elastic bridle is first
placed over the rear brake assembly 20 and then the wheel retaining
channel 17, is pulled forward against the tension of the elastic material
until the front wheel 14, can be engaged in the front wheel receiver 18.
The force of the elastic material holds the wheels 14, 15, 16, in the
wheel retaining channel 17. In the event the wheel retaining channel 17,
is longer than the wheel assembly 12, and rear brake assembly 20, it may
be desirable to cut off the open end 28, of the wheel retaining channel as
required to render the length of the channel more compatible with the
length of the blade.
FIG. 2 is a top view depicting the relationship of the wheel retaining
channel 17, to the side walls 22, 23, and front wheel receiver 18. The
bridle 19, is depicted as a non-elastic type and is shown passing through
the bridle opening 25. At each end of the bridle is one half of a quick
release buckle system 26.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the invention depicting the wheel retaining
channel 17, front wheel receiver 18, one side wall 22 and bridle opening
25.
FIG. 4 is an end view of the wheel retaining channel 17 depicting the side
walls 22, 23, and base 24.
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