CA2650051A1

CA2650051A1 - Ice skate blade

Info

Publication number: CA2650051A1
Application number: CA 2650051
Authority: CA
Inventors: Jason Swist
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-01-12
Filing date: 2009-01-12
Publication date: 2010-07-12

Abstract

An ice skate blade utilising a minimum of two hollows per skate blade.

Description

ICE SKATE BLADE

Description FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001 ] The present invention relates to ice skates BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Current ice skates utilize a boot, a blade holder and a single blade for skating on ice. This design is limiting as the single blade provides for only one hollow with a very small surface area for gliding. Speed skates as an example have much longer blades and hollows for the express purpose of increasing the surface area in contact with the ice. The proposed invention also increases the blade and hollow surface area in contact with the ice, but instead of lengthening the skate blade which makes the skate unwieldy, the proposed invention places two identical hollows either on the on the same blade, or by way of locating two identical blades in the same skate blade holder.

[0003] The proposed invention provides for increased skate performance by reducing drag and contact friction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The proposed invention provides for a wider skate blade with a minimum of two hollows per skate blade per skate boot instead of the current standard, which is one hollow per blade per boot. The wider skate blade with two hollows effectively doubles the contact surface area of the skate blade. As an option you can also mount two identical regular skate blades next to each `~_1 other in a single skate blade holder and with each blade having a standard hollow with two edges which are produced as per current blade sharpening techniques.

[0005] The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a regular industry standard skate boot and holder with a wider blade that can accommodate at least two hollows instead of one. A
second embodiment provides for the locating of twin blades in a single skate blade holder instead of one. The blades are located in the holder using existing blade attaching mechanisms and are secured to each other with a mechanical means such as a nut and bolt. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:

[0007] FIG. 1 Shows a blade with two identical hollows.

[0008] FIG. 2 Shows a blade with two distinct hollows.

[0009] FIG. 3 Shows the second embodiment with two single blades joined together providing two hollows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0010] The preferred embodiment, a wider blade skate with twin hollows is generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3.

[0011] Review of the Prior Art [0012] Ice skates have been around for many years and have progressed in performance due to small changes in the materials being used in construction, these changes have been incremental over the years and have allowed the skate to evolve to its current design and construction, however the original design, a skate boot, a single skate blade holder and a single skate blade with a single hollow are still in widespread use today.

Canadian Patent #1323048 describes the following;
"An ice hockey skate blade has a top edge, a skating edge, and a toe portion.
The skating edge has a gliding portion behind the toe portion. The gliding portion width is less than the top edge of the blade and the toe portion of the blade. The front toe portion of the blade allows contact with the ice and has a width equivalent to standard hockey ice skate widths, while the gliding portion of the blade behind the toe section has a width corresponding to ice skate racing blades" This invention relates to a single blade with a differing width with one hollow.

US Patent #5,826,890 describes the following;
"An ice-skate blade includes a central main runner and side-runners positioned on opposite sides of the main runner. The blade includes three zones separated in the longitudinal direction of the blade, namely an essentially central glide zone having one or more runners located on the same level, and a rear zone and a front zone having side-runners which extend on respective sides of the main runner and which are located at a higher level than the main runner, so as to grip the ice only when the blade is tilted. The side-runners extend along the full length of the main runner."
This invention relates to a multiple blade arrangement with multiple hollows on different planes.
US Patent #5,570,893 describes the following "An ice-skate blade construction comprising a central runner (5) and at least one side-runner (4) on each side of the main runner. The side runners are arranged so as to make engagement with the ice solely when the blade (2) is inclined so that the angle defined by the blade with the ice is less than 90 degrees by a predetermined value. In order to improve the gliding and manoeuvering properties of the skate blade, the main runner (5) has a discontinuous glide surface which includes at least one part (7) which is not intended to make contact with the ice and which is delimited by two parts that are." This invention relates to a multiple blade arrangement, with hollows that are on differing planes with each to make contact at different times.

US Patent #4,392,658 describes the following "An elongated skate blade for an ice skate, the blade including first and second acute-angled cutting edges formed longitudinally on opposed sides of the blade for cutting engagement with an ice surface, and a generally downwardly facing longitudinally extending bottom surface extending transversely from the first cutting edge to the second cutting edge.
The bottom surface includes first and second longitudinally extending edge faces rising upwardly and inwardly from the first and second cutting edges respectively, and a longitudinally extending middle face centrally disposed between the first and second edge faces. The middle face has a substantially flat or downwardly convex profile in transverse cross-section for at least one-third of the distance from the transverse center of the blade to each side of the blade. Where the middle face is downwardly convex, the radius of curvature exceeds the width of the blade for at least one-third of the distance from the transverse center of the blade to each side of the blade." This invention relates a multiple hollow configuration, bisected by a flat central portion.

WO Patent #1995015199 19950608 This invention relates to an ice-skate blade which includes a central main runner and side-runners positioned on respective sides of the main runner. This invention relates to a multiple blade arrangement, with hollows that are each to make contact at different times.

None of the prior art addresses the fact that the current blade and hollow configuration was designed specifically to create a turning and gliding surface with specific properties. It has been determined that the current skate blade configuration generates friction between the blade and the ice, which creates a film of water between the blade and the ice, the film provides for the gliding properties of the blade. The proposed invention, by utilizing at least two such hollows, will create twice the blade friction creating property and twice the water film for gliding and will therefore increase the gliding performance of the blade without compromising the turning capability which has already been designed into the current blade configuration.

[0013] Structure and Relationship of Parts [0014] Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided a skate blade 10 twin identical hollows 24.

[0015] Referring to FIG. 2 there is provided a skate blade 10 with two distinct hollows 22.

[016] Referring to FIG. 3 there is provided twin skate blades comprising two single blades 12 creating twin hollows 24..

[017] It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined in the claims.

Claims

1. An elongated skate blade for an ice skate, said blade comprising:
(a) a first hollow formed longitudinally on one side of said blade for providing for edging and gliding with an ice surface;
(b) a second hollow formed longitudinally on the opposite side of said blade for edging and gliding with an ice surface; and, (c) said hollows sharing a middle or central edge.

2. An elongated skate blade for an ice skate, said blade comprising of at least two edging/gliding hollows in the same plane.

3. An elongated skate blade assembly for an ice skate, said blade assembly comprising of two identical blades mated together in a single skate blade holder, said assembly creating a blade ice contacting surface with two identical hollows.

4. An elongated skate blade assembly for an ice skate, said blade assembly comprising of two different blades mated together in a single skate blade holder, said assembly creating a blade ice contacting surface with two distinct hollows.