Braking Mechanism for in-Line Skate

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to an in-line skate, and more particularly, to a braking device for an in-line skate, such brake as will closely simulate the sideways braking action of a hockey skate or snow ski. The brake system can be for new in-line skates or retrofitted to an existing in-line skate.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In-line skating has become a popular form of exercise and sport worldwide, to the extent that there now exist indoor hockey rinks built solely for the use of roller hockey. In-line skaters, especially those playing roller hockey, often resort to the same type of braking action used by ice skaters, commonly referred to as a "hockey stop." This is not always effective because the skaters are not always able to stop their motion, or, at best, are able to stop their motion only within the wide arc created by the lead skate in said braking motion. In fact, almost all of the braking occurs, not by turning the skate, but by dragging the rear skate along the ground. One problem is that currently available in-line skates are ill-equipped for turning, the wheels being fixed in a straight-line orientation.

At present, the most widely used braking mechanism available for in-line skates is one which is secured to the rear portion of the boot and which comprises a flat fixed brake pad intended to abrade the skating surface. The skater applies the brake by extending the skate slightly forward and lifting the front wheels off the ground, thereby applying the rear brake pad to the skating surface and frictionally stopping the forward motion of the skater. This mechanism is undesirable in that it requires the user to thrust his foot forward of his body, thus putting him in an awkward and out-of-balance position. Said motion becomes even more difficult on uneven or pitched terrain. U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,058 typifies this type of brake on currently available in-line skates, and similar mechanisms can be found described in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,067,736; 5,183,275; 5,192,088; and 5,197,572.

Two other patents circumvent this foot-tilting problem through the use of a mechanically-operated rear pad (U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,409) and a hand-held lever-and-cable caliper system (U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,941). In both cases, the skater squeezes hand levers connected to cables running out his arms and down his sides and legs to the skate. In the former case, the cable connects to a rocker arm which pivots a rear brake pad to the ground. In the latter case, the cable connects to caliper-type brake pads, mounted to the sides of the wheel(s). By squeezing the hand lever, the user forces the brake pads into the sides of the wheel(s), thus forcing the skate to stop. These two systems are ineffective because they are both cumbersome and dangerous, dangerous because the skater's hands are never free of the levers in case he needs them to break a fall or regain his balance by grabbing onto something.

A brake system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,438 calls for a toe-mounted brake. In use, the skater extends his foot rearwardly to position a rotatable cylinder, mounted on the toe of the boot, onto the skating surface, thereby creating enough friction between the cylinder and the ground to slow the forward motion of the skate. This system is undesirable because it places the skater in an awkward, unbalanced position, the rear skate being too difficult to control as one rolls along.

In view of the foregoing problems and disadvantages associated with the prior art, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a braking mechanism for in-line skates which is capable of applying large magnitude braking forces to the skate in a controlled, sideways motion, similar to that typically used by ice skaters and snow skiers.

Another object of this invention is to ensure that the skate retains adequate forward bias and lateral resistance within the wheel supports themselves to allow the skater to easily propel the skate forward when not braking.

A further object is to allow the skate wheel to pivot about a vertical axis so that when the skater turns his foot sideways, the wheel of the skate is pressed against a brake surface located inside the side plate provided with the new braking system.

An additional object of this invention is to allow a quicker, more controlled stopping motion than is currently available with in-line skates.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a brake that reduces vibrations transmitted to the skates on uneven or sloped surfaces, thereby making skating safer on all non-slip surfaces of any reasonable pitch.

The foregoing objects and advantages are provided by the present invention which includes an elongate base plate having a longitudinal axis, a top and an underside having a boot secured thereto, and the underside having a plurality of wheel assemblies attached thereto, the forwardmost of the wheel assemblies having a fixed straight-ahead orientation, and more than one of the remaining wheel assemblies including the rearwardmost assembly, having a caster-like construction allowing it to pivot about a vertical axis. There is spring means for biasing the wheel of each caster-like assembly in a straight-ahead position; however, each wheel can be pivoted substantially in one direction to a first inclined position and in the opposite direction to a second inclined position. The invention also features a pair of brake surfaces spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of the wheel on at least the rearward-most assembly. These brake surfaces are so disposed such that when the wheel is in its first inclined position it will make frictional engagement with one of the brake surfaces, and when the wheel is in its other inclined position it will frictionally engage the other brake surface. In one of the preferred embodiments there are four wheel assemblies, the forwardmost being fixedly oriented and the remainder being pivotable, and the brake means being used in association with the rearwardmost wheel assembly. In another variant there is a side plate that extends downwardly from each of the opposite sides of the base plate, each side plate having a lower edge portion to which is secured an auxiliary brake member, said brake member adapted to engage the ground when said skate is suitably canted about its longitudinal axis.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly understood upon consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the brake system of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom plan view of this invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear elevational view of this invention in a straight-ahead configuration;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged rear elevational view of this invention in a braking configuration.

Refer now to FIGS. 1 and 2. The skate boot 11 in FIG. 1 is secured to base plate 13 in the rear at points 37a and b. (Assume that all surfaces requiring securing have been drilled and tapped.) Base plate 13 is also secured at the front end of the boot with two additional fasteners. Next, side plate 15 is secured to base plate 13 at the front and rear with fasteners at points 27. Auxiliary brake member 31 is then attached to the side plate with spring-loaded fasteners 33. An oblong hole 25 is cut into the side plate, and retractable pins 21a and b are set into holes drilled and tapped into the top of said side plate. Elastic members 23a and b are then fastened to the pins.

Refer now to FIG. 2. Caster-like wheel support 19a is secured to base plate 13 at point 35 with a fastener that allows the wheel mount to swivel freely about a vertical axis even though it is securely fastened to the base plate. Next, retractable pins 41a and b are set into said wheel support, said wheel support having a notched-out area such that the pins are exposed (see FIG. 4). Finally, brake surface 29 is secured to base plate 13 with fastener 39, also shown in FIG. 4.

Refer now to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 illustrates skate wheel 17 positioned along the longitudinal axis, while FIG. 4 illustrates skate wheel 17 abrading against brake surface 29 at point 29a after having been pivoted during braking. (Note: skate wheel 17 may also be pivoted in the opposite direction, causing it to abrade against brake surface 29 at point 29b.)

As described above, the invention is to be used as follows: The skater propels himself in the normal manner of in-line skating. In order to brake, the skater turns one or both skates sideways, causing the wheels to pivot and engage the brake surface, thereby causing the wheel to stop its forward motion. Additional braking capability can be achieved using the variant employing an auxiliary brake pad located along the lower edge of each side plate. To engage the auxiliary brake pad, the skater cants his foot during the braking procedure described above, thereby causing the auxiliary brake pad to abrade against the skating surface, thereby stopping the forward motion of the skater.

It is intended that the invention be given the full scope and breadth as defined in the claims which follow.