WO1997009100A1

WO1997009100A1 - Braking system for in-line skates

Info

Publication number: WO1997009100A1
Application number: PCT/CA1996/000597
Authority: WO
Inventors: Stephan P. Georgiev; François Guay
Original assignee: Bauer Inc.
Priority date: 1995-09-08
Filing date: 1996-09-06
Publication date: 1997-03-13
Also published as: CA2240389A1; AU6784296A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a brake system for use on roller skates. The brake system is mounted at the rear of the skate and activated by movement of the cuff. In contrast to traditional designs, where the ground engaging brake pad is pivotally connected to the frame of the skate, the brake pad is designed to slidingly move in an extension at the rear of the frame. Thus, when the cuff of the skate is pivoted rearwardly, the brake pad is moved by translation in the frame extension to engage the ground surface. The invention also extends to an improved brake pad assembly for use with a roller skate.

Description

TITLE; BRAKING SYSTEM FOR IN-LINE SKATES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a brake system for use on an in-line roller skate. The brake system is activated by a pivotal movement and it includes a ground engaging brake pad which moves by translation in a supporting element to engage the ground surface. The invention also extends to an improved brake pad assembly for use with a roller skate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Brake systems for use with roller-skates, particularly the in-line category of skates fall in two different classes. The first class relates to static pads that are mounted either at the front or at the rear of the skate. To reduce his speed of travel or stop altogether, the user is required to incline the skate for engaging the brake pad with the ground surface. This approach to brake design has several drawbacks. Perhaps, the most serious disadvantage is the requirement for the user to orient the skate at an angle with relation to the ground plane to provide breaking action. At low speeds, this manoeuvre can be executed easily and well even by novice users. At high speeds, however, precisely where braking authority is critical, this manoeuvre can induce a loss of balance with the potential of serious falls.

Another disadvantage of static brake pads is the poor efficiency in terms of energy dissipation. For instance, when the skate is angled to produce engagement between the brake and the ground surface only a small fraction of the body weight rests over the interface brake pad/ground. As a result, the rate of speed reduction is often inadequate.

The second class of brake systems covers structures that produce braking action as a result of movement of body parts, such as the leg or a hand, while maintaining all the skate wheels firmly on the ground surface. There is generally a consensus in the industry that such brake systems are easier to operate, particularly for novice users, and are also safer.

An example of a brake system using the movement of the leg to operate the brake is disclosed in the U.S. patent 5,465,984. The roller-skate described in this reference includes a boot mounted on a frame that supports four wheels arranged in a common plane. The boot includes a lower section, commonly called "shell" that receives the foot of the user. The lower portion of the user's leg is supported by an encircling cuff, that is pivotally connected to the shell about a generally horizontal axis. This pivotal connection enables the cuff to follow the movement of the leg when the leg is inclined forwardly or rearwardly during the skating movement. The brake system is operated by a movement of the cuff. When the cuff is tilted back, which occurs when the user brings forward one foot (the one equipped with the brake) with relation to the other foot, a brake pad is caused to engage the ground surface.

The linkage that enables the transmission of the braking movement from the cuff to the brake pad includes two components. The first component is an arm pivotally connected to a rear portion of the skate frame. The extremity of the arm that is remote from the pivot axis carries the brake pad. The second component is a rod-like actuator that connects the pivotal arm to the cuff. The connections between the rod-like actuator, the brake arm and the cuff are pivot joints as well. In essence, the assembly behaves as a four-link structure that causes the brake arm to move down as the cuff is tilted back and to move up when the cuff is tilted forward.

One major drawback of this brake system is its complexity and high cost of manufacture. This is due primarily to the requirement of using four pivot joints to operate the brake. Every such joint in the final product increases significantly the cost of manufacture because more complex components are necessary and the assembly of such components requires more time on the production line, more sophisticated automated assembly equipment and better trained operators. In addition to those factors, other expenditures must also be taken in consideration such as longer development times and prototype testing to ensure that all pivot points are structurally sound and will perform adequately over the life of the product.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a brake system for a roller skate that contain a reduced number of pivot joints comparatively to prior art designs, yet being efficient for rapidly slowing or stopping the motion of the skater.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved brake pad assembly for use with a roller skate.

As embodied and broadly described herein the invention provides a brake system for a roller skate, the roller skate having a boot for receiving the foot of the skater and a cuff for encircling the lower leg portion of the skater, the cuff being pivotally connected to the boot about an axis substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the boot, the roller skate also including a frame carrying at least two wheels rotatable in a common plane, said brake system including:

- a brake support arm for attachment to the roller skate such that said brake support arm extends generally rearwardly of the skate;

- a brake pad assembly mounted to said brake support arm, said brake pad assembly including a brake pad made of high friction material and a rod-like member projecting from said brake pad, said rod like member being movable in translation in said brake support arm for allowing displacement of said brake pad between an operative position and an inoperative position, in said operative position said brake pad being capable of engaging a ground surface on which the wheels of the roller skate roll, in said inoperative position said brake pad being at a certain distance from the ground engaging surface;

- a brake actuator for operative connection between said rod-like member and the cuff of the roller skate, whereby rearward pivotal movement of the cuff causes displacement of said brake pad toward the ground surface and forward pivotal movement of the cuff causes displacement of said brake pad away from said ground surface.

In a most preferred embodiment of the invention the rod-like member is slidingly mounted in the brake support arm. Braking movement is delivered to the brake pad assembly by the intermediary of an actuator that is an elongated member having an upper end pivotally connected to the cuff of the skate and a lower end pivotally connected to the rod-like member. Thus, when the cuff is tilted rearwardly, the rod-like member is caused to slide down in the brake support arm which bring the brake pad in engagement with the ground surface. To release the brake the cuff is pivoted forwardly which causes the rod-like member to move up and raise the brake pad above the ground surface.

As embodied and broadly described herein the invention also provides a roller skate comprising:

- a boot for receiving the foot of the skater; - a cuff for encircling the lower leg portion of the skater, said cuff being pivotally connected to said boot about an axis substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of said boot;

- a frame mounted to said boot; - at least two wheels rotatable in a common plane, said wheels being mounted to said frame;

- a brake system including:

- a brake support arm mounted to said roller skate such that said brake support arm extends generally rearwardly of the skate;

- a brake pad assembly mounted to said brake support arm, said brake pad assembly including a brake pad made of high friction material and a rod-like member projecting from said brake pad, said rod like member being slidingly movable in said brake support arm for allowing displacement of said brake pad between an operative position and an inoperative position, in said operative position said brake pad being capable of engaging a ground surface on which the wheels of the roller skate roll, in said inoperative position said brake pad being at a certain distance from the ground engaging surface; - a brake actuator operatively connected between said rod-like member and said cuff, whereby rearward pivotal movement of the cuff causes displacement of said brake pad toward the ground surface and forward pivotal movement of the cuff causes displacement of said brake pad away from said ground surface.

As embodied and broadly described herein the invention further provides a brake pad assembly for use with a roller skate having a brake support arm, said brake pad assembly including : - a brake pad including high friction material capable of generating a braking action upon engagement of a ground surface; - a rod-like member projecting from said brake pad, said rod¬ like member including: - a body portion capable of sliding movement in the brake support arm of the roller skate, whereby allowing to move said brake pad in and out of engagement with the ground surface; and

- connector means mounted to said body portion for operative connection with an actuator for selectively causing displacement of said brake pad in and out of engagement with the groung surface.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view from the rear of an in-line roller skate with a brake system constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the roller skate of figure 1, showing the ground engaging brake pad in the inoperative position, i.e., above the ground surface; and Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the roller skate of figure 1, showing the ground engaging brake pad in the operative position, i.e., in contact with the ground surface.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the annexed drawings, more particularly to figure 1, the present invention provides an improved brake system for use with in-line roller skates. The roller skate designated comprehensively by the reference numeral 10 includes a boot 12 mounted on a frame 14 that carries a plurality of wheels 16 arranged in a common vertical plane that contains the center line of the skate. The boot 12 includes a shell 17 that encloses the foot of the user. A cuff 18 encircles the lower leg to provide lateral stability. The cuff is pivotally connected to the shell 18 at two sites located on either side of the skate. Only one such site is shown in the drawings and it is identified by the reference numeral 22. This structure allows the cuff to pivot forwardly or rearwardly, thus accommodating the movements of the lower leg during skating, while maintaining the leg in the plane that contains the frame 14 and the wheels 16.

The shell 18 and the cuff 20 are made of plastic material by injection molding. The material used should be sufficiently flexible to provide good comfort potential while being abrasion and impact resistant to protect the foot.

Most preferably, a liner is mounted in the boot 12 to provide a high degree of comfort while maintaining the foot stable in the shell 18 and the cuff 20. The liner can be made from a variety of different materials. The material of choice should be soft and highly resilient to conform to the surface of the foot, thus avoid pressure points that could result in discomfort. Normally, the liner would extend from the toe portion of the shell 18 up to the upper end of the cuff 20. The liner can be made as a single piece, or as two or more separate elements joined in the ankle region of the foot. The roller skate 10 features a novel brake system designated by the reference numeral 24. The brake system is mounted at the rear of the skate and includes three main components namely, an actuation lever 26, a brake support arm 28 and a brake pad assembly 30. The actuation lever 26 is designed to interact with the cuff 18 to urge the brake arm 28 down when the cuff 18 is pivoted rearwardly for, in turn, bringing the brake pad assembly 30 against the ground surface. The actuation lever 26 includes an upper extremity 32 pivotally connected to a yoke that is integrally formed with the cuff 18 and rearwardly project therefrom. The yoke includes a pair of planar segments 34 that are parallel to one another. The distance separating the segments 34 should be sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the actuation lever 26 and thus allow the actuation lever to freely pivot. Excessive clearance, at the pivot joint is not desirable because it may generate rattling noises particularly when the skate is used on somewhat uneven terrain. A pivot pin 36 links the segments 34 and the actuation lever 32. The pivot pin may be a rivet or any other suitable fastener.

The lower extremity 38 of the actuation lever is connected to the brake pad assembly 30 through a similar pivot joint. More specifically, the brake pad assembly 30 includes a brake pad component 40 made of rubber or any other type of high friction material from which projects a rod 42 having a square cross- sectional shape. The preferred mode of connection between the brake pad 40 and the rod 42 is by means of a fastener, such as a screw passing through the brake pad 40 and engaging the rod 42. This can be accomplished by providing in the rod 42 a vertically extending bore which is threaded to engage the fastener. A hole registering with the bore in the rod 42 is then formed on the brake pad 40. The shank of the fastener is inserted through the hole of the brake pad 40 and tightened in the rod 42. To prevent the head of the fastener from bearing against the ground surface a countersink hole should be provided in the brake pad 40 so the head of the faster rests above the surface of the pad that engages the ground. The rod 42 is made of rigid plastic material and includes a lower body segment 44 that slides in a brake support arm 28. Above the body section 44 is provided the yoke including a pair of parallel upwardly projecting segments 46 spaced from one another to accommodate the thickness of the actuation lever 26. A pivot joint, such as a rivet 48 links the yoke to the actuation lever 26.

The brake support arm 28 is integrally formed with the frame 14 and includes a bore 50 in which the rod 42 is received. The bore 50 conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the rod 42 so as to allow the rod to move therein and be guided therein without undue friction. In the example of the invention depicted in the drawings the bore 50 has a square shape. This, however, is not a critical element of the invention as the shape of the bore and the cross-sectional shape of the rod 42 can vary. For instance, the rod/bore assembly can be made circular or rectangular if desired. In addition, it can be envisaged to place in the bore a sleeve of low friction material to facilitate the sliding movement of the rod 42. As an example, a sleeve made of Teflon (trade mark) could be placed in the bore 50, the internal dimensions of the slave configured to accept the rod 42. Most preferably, the fit between the rod 42 and the bore 50 or low friction material sleeve, should be tight to avoid rattling noises. On the other hand the fit should be sufficiently loose to avoid undue friction.

The brake system 24 operates as follows. To activate the system the user is required to effect a rearward rotation of the cuff. In practice, this can be accomplished by bringing forward the foot equipped with the brake for causing the leg and the cuff 18 to tilt back. The rearward pivoting of the cuff 18 causes the actuation lever 26 to press down on the rod 42. The rod 42 thus slides in the bore 50 and causes the entire brake pad assembly to move down by translation until it engages the ground surface. To disengage the brake pad assembly 30 from the ground surface the user must pivot forwardly the cuff 18. The actuation lever is thus pulled up causing the brake pad assembly 30 to slide in the brake support arm 28 so the brake pad 40 is no longer in contact with the ground surface. This brake system is particularly advantageous over the prior art designs in terms of simplicity, durability, ease of assembly and cost of manufacture. Indeed, the brake system uses a lesser number of pivot joints by comparison to prior art designs. The structure is thus more robust and unlikely to fail even after years of service.

In most applications it is desirable to allow the length of the actuation rod 26 to be adjusted so as to vary the annular position of the cuff at which brake engagement will occur and also to compensate for wear of the brake pad 40. The actuation lever 26 can be made adjustable by forming it as a pair of two telescopically engaged sections 26A and 26B. A series of equidistant apertures 52 vertically spaced on section 26A are designed to individually register with an aperture 54 on section 26B. A pin, not shown in the drawings allows to secure the sections of the actuation rod at the desired length. This adjustment system is simple and effective. Other possibilities exist, however. One could envisage to provide a screw-type adjustment mechanism where the sections of the actuation rod are threadedly received in a common nut, located at mid-point on the actuation lever. By rotating the nut the length of the actuation rod can be extended or reduced, as desired.

As mentioned previously and as illustrated in the drawings the brake support arm 28 is integrally formed with the frame 14. It may, however, be envisaged to design the brake support are 28 differently. One possibility is to form the brake support arm 28 as a discrete component which is releasably attached to the frame. More specifically, the brake support arm could be provided with a pair of projections that are secured to on either side of the frame 14 by means of the screw holding the rearmost wheel to the frame 14. A different possibility is to secure the brake support arm 28 to boot 17, such as the heel portion of the boot rather than to the frame 17.

The above description of the invention should not be interpreted in any limiting manner since variations and refinements of the preferred embodiment are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents .

Claims

We claim:

1. A brake system for a roller skate, the roller skate having a boot for receiving the foot of the skater and a cuff for encircling the lower leg portion of the skater, the cuff being pivotally connected to the boot about an axis substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of the boot, the roller skate also including a frame carrying at least two wheels rotatable in a common plane, said brake system including: - a brake support arm for attachment to the roller skate such that said brake support arm extends generally rearwardly of the skate;

2. A brake system for a roller skate as defined in claim 1, wherein said rod-like member is slidingly mounted in said brake arm.

3. A brake system for a roller skate as defined in claim 2, wherein said brake actuator includes an elongated member having an upper extremity for pivotal connection to a rear portion of the cuff of the roller skate and a lower extremity pivotally connected to said rod-like member.

4. A brake system for a roller skate as defined in claim 3, wherein said brake support arm includes a bore slidingly receiving said rod-like member, said bore having a cross- sectional shape that corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of said rod-like member.

5. A brake system for a roller skate as defined in claim 4, wherein said bore and said rod-like member have a generally square cross-sectional shape.

6. A brake system for a roller skate as defined in claim 3, wherein said elongated member is adjustable to vary a length thereof.

7. A brake system for a roller skate as defined in claim 6, wherein said elongated member includes a pair of telescoping sections and locking means for securing said sections at a desired position one with relation to the other in order to adjust a length of said elongated member.

8. A roller skate comprising:

- a boot for receiving the foot of the skater;

- a cuff for encircling the lower leg portion of the skater, said cuff being pivotally connected to said boot about an axis substantially transverse to a longitudinal axis of said boot; - a frame mounted to said boot;

- at least two wheels rotatable in a common plane, said wheels being mounted to said frame;

- a brake system including:

- a brake pad assembly mounted to said brake support arm, said brake pad assembly including a brake pad made of high friction material and a rod-like member projecting from said brake pad, said rod like member being slidingly movable in said brake support arm for allowing displacement of said brake pad between an operative position and an inoperative position, in said operative position said brake pad being capable of engaging a ground surface on which the wheels of the roller skate roll, in said inoperative position said brake pad being at a certain distance from the ground engaging surface;

- a brake actuator operatively connected between said rod-like member and said cuff, whereby rearward pivotal movement of the cuff causes displacement of said brake pad toward the ground surface and forward pivotal movement of the cuff causes displacement of said brake pad away from said ground surface.

9. A roller skate as defined in claim 8, wherein said brake actuator includes an elongated member having an upper extremity pivotally connected to a rear portion of said cuff and a lower extremity pivotally connected to said rod-like member.

10. A roller skate as defined in claim 9, wherein said brake support arm includes a bore slidingly receiving said rod-like member, said bore having a cross-sectional shape that corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of said rod-like member.

11. A roller skate as defined in claim 10, wherein said bore and said rod-like member have a generally square cross-sectional shape.

12. A roller skate as defined in claim 9, wherein said elongated member is adjustable to vary a length thereof.

13. A roller skate as defined in claim 12, wherein said elongated member includes a pair of telescoping sections and locking means for securing said sections at a desired position one with relation to the other in order to adjust a length of said elongated member.

14. A roller skate aε defined in claim 8, wherein said brake arm is integrally formed with said frame.

15. A brake pad assembly for use with a roller skate having a brake support arm, said brake pad assembly including :

- a brake pad including high friction material capable of generating a braking action upon engagement of a ground surface;

- a rod-like member projecting from said brake pad, said rod¬ like member including:

- a body portion capable of sliding movement in the brake support arm of the roller skate, whereby allowing to move said brake pad in and out of engagement with the ground surface; and