WO1997018017A1

WO1997018017A1 - Flexible frame skate construction

Info

Publication number: WO1997018017A1
Application number: PCT/US1996/016265
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tomas Leszczynski
Original assignee: Tomas Leszczynski
Priority date: 1995-11-13
Filing date: 1996-10-10
Publication date: 1997-05-22

Abstract

A flex-skate construction employs a skate boot (10), a pair of edge members (14a, 14b) mounted on respective sides of the centerline of the boot, and a flexible frame (28, 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b) mounting the edge members to the boot for flexible shifting with respect to each other, maintaining contact on a surface when the boot is inclined during a turn. The frame construction has front (18) and rear (19) posts secured to the boot bottom, each having a plurality of arms (28) pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends extending on respective sides of its centerline. For roller skating, front (24a, b) and rear (25a, b) roller wheels carried on wheel plates (26a, b; 27a, b) are pivotably mounted on distal ends of the arms. The frame can be used for ice skating by mounting a pair of blades (55a, 55b) to the arms. A turning stability control member (41, 43, 44, 48, 50) may be provided for controlling the flexibility of the arms during turning, as well as a damping member for shock absorption. A flex-blade construction may be used having front (60a, 60b) and rear (61a, 61b) wheels carried on front and rear pivotable arms (62a, b; 63a, b) pivotably mounted in in-line configuration to the boot bottom.

Description

FLEXIBLE FRAME SKATE CONSTRUCTION

This patent application is based on and claims the priority filing date of U S Provisional Patent Application 60/006,595 filed on November 13, 1995

Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to a skate construction, and particularly to skates having a flexible frame construction to improve their stability in turns and at high speeds and create a smoother ride over uneven terrain

Background Art

A popular form of skating called "roller blading" or "in-line skating" uses skates having four or five wheels mounted in-line to the bottom of a skate boot Such in-line skates resemble ice skates which have a single blade mounted in the center ofthe skate boot

As illustrated in Figs I A and I C ofthe drawings, turns for in-line skates are executed similar to ice skates in that the skater turns by leaning and angling the blade of the skate in the direction ofthe turn The curved sides ofthe wheels of in-line skates, or the curvature of the blades of ice skates, cause the skate to carve a turn on the skating surface This type of edge-controlled turn requires precise control ofthe skater's vertical balance as well as the knees and ankles to maintain the correct inclination angle ofthe skates The skater must exert a high degree of control effort continuously while applying only a light force to execute the turn Even a small bump or nick in the skating surface can cause the skate's edge to be deflected from the desired curvature ofthe turn and veer off or lose contact with the skating surface The skater can overcome the skate's tendency to veer by applying somewhat greater force to bear down on a turn. Applying greater turning force on the relatively small edge area ofthe skate can cause it to push our sidewards, so that turns carved with greater force are executed with a certain amount of side slip If excessive force is applied, the skate's edge may be pushed too far to the outside and cause the skater to slide or fall For high speed skating as well, the need for precise control of the blades to maintain the direction of the skates causes them to become increasingly more unstable as speed is increased

Summary ofthe Invention

It is therefore a principal object ofthe present invention to provide a new kind of skate construction that would allow a skater to apply greater force with less control effort in carving stable turns, as well as maintain stability even at high skating speeds

Specific objectives include providing the new skate construction with means for controlling the degree of stability in turning movements, and also interchangeability of parts for different types of skating

In accordance with the present invention, an improved sate construction comprises of skate boot normally oriented in a vertical direction and having a bottom of a given width with a centerline thereof, a pair of skate edge members mounted side-by-side in parallel with each other to the bottom ofthe skate boot on respective sides ofthe centerline, and flexible frame means for mounting said pair of skate edge members to the bottom such that the skate edge members can shift flexibly with respect to each other to maintain contact on a skating surface when the skate boot is inclined at the inclination angle to the vertical direction during a turn

There are two basic ways of using a flexible frame construction for mounting roller wheels to a skate boot In the first one, pivotable arms are mounted perpendicular to and on opposite sides ofthe centerline ofthe bottom of the skate boot (referred to as a "flex-skate" construction) In the second way, pivotable arms mounting roller wheels are mounted in in-line configuration parallel to the centerline ofthe boot (referred to as a "flex-blade" construction)

In a preferred embodiment of a flex-skate system for roller skating, the skate edge members consist of paired sets of front and rear roller wheels carried on respective wheel plates mounted on respective sides ofthe centerline ofthe boot The flexible frame is formed by front and rear posts secured to the bottom each having a plurality of arms pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends extending on respective sides of the centerline of the skate boot The wheel plates for the roller wheels are pivotably mounted to the distal ends ofthe arms

A turning stability control member can be provided for controlling the flexible response ofthe arms during a turn in a flex-skate system The control member may take the form of an elastic block, elastic bands, friction member, dampening member, or a torsion spring controlling the pivoting movement ofthe flexible arms

In another preferred embodiment of flex-skates for ice skating, the skate edge members consist of a pair of blades pivotably mounted to the distal ends ofthe arms The pair of blades can be interchangeable with the paired sets of wheel plates and roller wheels to allow conversion of the skates between ice skating and roller skating

The invention encompasses the flexible frame structure itself which may be used in other types of skating apparatus as well

In another preferred embodiment of a flex-skate system for skate boarding, the flexible frame construction with roller wheels is attached to a skate board

In another preferred embodiment of a flex-blade system for roller skating, the skate edge members consist of paired sets of front and rear roller wheels carried on pivotable arms mounted in-line in parallel with the centerline ofthe boot The flexible frame is formed by front and rear posts secured to the bottom of the skate boot having the arms pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends coupled to the axles for the roller wheels In a flex-blade system for ice skating, the skate edge members consist of a pair of blades attached to the distal ends of the arms of the flexible frame construction The pair of blades can be interchanged with the paired sets of wheels for roller skating

Other objects, features and advantages ofthe present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings, as follows

Brief Description ofthe Drawings

Figs IA - ID illustrate the dynamics of flex-skate turning in sharp edge skating as compared to flat surface skating, and Figs 1 E - IF illustrate the dynamics of skating over an obstacle with in-line and flex-blade system

Fig 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a flex-skate roller skate having a flexible frame skate construction in accordance with the invention

Fig 3 A is a schematic view of a flex-skate four-arm flexible frame skate construction in accordance with the invention. Fig 3B is a detailed view ofthe post and arm construction for the skate, Fig. 3C - 3D illustrates a preferred embodiment of a flex-blade roller skate having a flexible frame construction in accordance with the invention, Fig. 3E illustrates the braking action of a flex-blade skate, and Fig 3G illustrates an arm with openings for the spring

Fig 4 illustrates the dynamics of turning using a flex-skate flexible frame skate construction in accordance with the invention

Fig 5 A is a schematic view of a flex-skate three-arm flexible frame skate construction in accordance with the invention, and Fig 5B is a detailed view ofthe post and arm construction for the skate

Fig 6 shows the construction of an embodiment ofthe arm used in the flex-skate flexible frame construction

Fig 7 shows the construction of another embodiment of the arm used in the flex-skate flexible frame construction

Figs 8A - 8C (and 10B) show alternative structures for a stability control member for controlling the flexible response ofthe arms in the flex-skate flexible frame construction, and Fig 8D shows a dampening element which can be used with a stability control member

Figs 9A - 9C show four-arm and three-arm wheel plate structures for the flex-skate flexible frame construction

Figs 10A - 10B illustrate another embodiment of a stability control member for controlling the flexible response ofthe arms in the flex-skate flexible frame construction

Fig 1 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a flex-skate flexible frame construction having paired sets of blades for an ice skate which is interchangeable with the construction having paired sets of roller wheels for a roller skate

Fig 12 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a flex-blade flexible frame construction having paired sets of wheels

Detailed Description ofthe Invention

Referring to Fig 2, an improved flex-skate construction in accordance with the present invention includes a skate boot 10 normally oriented in a vertical direction having a substantially rigid bottom 12 defined by a given width and a centerline CL along the middle ofthe boot width A pair of skate edge members 14a, 14b are mounted side-by-side in parallel with each other to the bottom of the skate boot spaced symmetrically on respective sides ofthe centerline CL A flexible frame structure, described in further detail below, is used to mount the pair of skate edge members 14a, 14b to the bottom 12 ofthe skate boot 10 such that the skate edge members 14a, 14b can shift flexibly with respect to each other to maintain contact on a skating surface when the skate boot is inclined at an inclination angle to the vertical direction during a turn The paired edge members and flexible frame mounting of the skates allow the skater to maintain stable contact on the skating surface by the skater's weight, applied downwardly through the skate boots, being distributed across the supporting edges in tandem This allows the skater to apply more dynamic weight force through the boot while needing a smaller amount of control effort to execute a turn Also, the two edge members provide twice the frictional resistance as compared to conventional in-line skates, so that tighter and faster turns can be performed safely

The physical feeling the skater experiences with this "flex-skate" construction is similar to turning with skis, as illustrated in Figs IB and ID, where the skater's full weight can be applied downwardly through the boots to carve sharp and precise turns The skater consequently can use the top part ofthe body dynamically, even taking extreme athletic positions, as a counterweight against turning forces In contrast, with conventional in-line skates, the skater must keep the upper body relatively still, as the margin of error is much smaller before resulting in loss of balance and control over turning forces Flex-skating thus allows a new type of skating technique in which skaters can execute turns with aggressive and dynamic movements Also, because the skate construction with paired edge members is inherently more stable, it is easier for beginners to master the basic movements of starting, turning, and stopping

In Figs 3 A and 3B, a preferred embodiment of the flex-skate adapted for roller skating is shown The flex-skate has the aforementioned skate boot 10 and rigid bottom 12, and the skate edge members are paired sets (left and right sides) of front and rear roller wheels 24a, 24b, 25a, 25b carried on respective wheel plates 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b The roller wheels and wheel plates are mounted by the flexible frame symmetrically about the centerline CL ofthe boot The flexible frame is formed by front and rear posts 18, 19, respectively, which are fixed to and extend from the bottom 12 of the skate boot 10 A plurality of arms 28 are pivotably mounted to each post with distal ends extending symmetrically on respective sides of the centerline CL. The wheel plates 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b are pivotably mounted to the distal ends of the arms on respective (left and right) sides of the front and rear posts 18, 19 In the embodiment shown in Figs 3 A and 3B, four arms are mounted to each of the front and rear posts For example, two ofthe arms are mounted in upper and lower positions on a front part ofthe front post 18, and the other two arms are mounted in corresponding upper and lower positions on a rear part ofthe post As shown in Fig 6, the arm is formed as an elongated, rigid plate having a central journal opening 20 through which a pin 21 is inserted to secure the arm pivotably to the post so that its distal ends can shift up and down The distal ends are provided with journal openings 32 for attachment to the respective wheel plates

As depicted in Fig 9A, each wheel plate 26 (27) for the four-arm flexible frame construction has four brackets 30 which are pivotally attached via bushings 3 1 provided through the journal openings 32 in the distal ends of the four arms 28 Each roller wheel is rotatably mounted on an axle 33 fixed to the corresponding wheel plate A brake 22 is provided at the toe of each skate boot with a friction surface made of a durable material protruding toward the ground A brake 22 can also be mounted to the rear ofthe back post similar to systems used with in-line skating today

In Figs 3C - 3G, a preferred embodiment of a flex-blade system using a flexible frame construction is shown The skate boot 10 has a rigid bottom 12, and the skate edge members are paired sets (front and back pairs) of front roller wheels 60a, 60b and rear roller wheels 61a, 61b attached to respective sets of arms 62a, 62b and 63 a, 63b The roller wheels are mounted by the flexible arms symmetrically with respect to the centerline CL ofthe boot. The flexible frame is formed by front and rear posts 64 and 65 joined by a middle part 66 The paired sets or arms 62a, 62b and 63a, 63b are pivotably mounted to axles 68 through the respective posts and have distal ends attached to the roller wheel axles The flex-blade system allows the roller wheels to flex their positions when encountering obstacles, thereby improving the smoothness ofthe ride

In the embodiment shown in Fig 3E, a rear brake pad 65a is installed at the back ofthe boot with braking parts positioned proximate the wheels 61a, 61 b A braking action can take place when a critical angle a of backward rotation of the skate boot is achieved Various other brake pad designs may be used, such as one which brakes against only one wheel 61b

Fig 3F shows a detail ofthe post 64 or 65 with a spring 67 mounted on one side around the axle mount 68 with ends attached to a respective one ofthe arms 62 or 63

When the arms are rotated from their horizontal position, the spring is flexed open The action ofthe spring biases the wheels to stay in the horizontal position when they are lifted from the ground

Fig 4 illustrates the dynamics ofthe flexible frame construction for flex-skating turns (viewed from the rear). In the figure at the left hand side ofthe drawing, the skate is oriented in the vertical direction for going in a straight line The skater's weight applied through the boot 10 is distributed via rear post 19, arms 28, and wheel plates 27 over both roller wheels 25a, 25b As the skater executes a turn, the flexible frame construction operates to shift the relative positions ofthe roller wheels 25a, 25b so that the skater's boot can be inclined at the turning angle while both wheels stay in contact with the ground In the center figure, the frame has reached the maximum extent of flexing where the wheel plate on the inner side reaches the limit of the post For extreme slants, such as where the skater leans far over with one leg in outboard style, the skater can incline the skate past the maximum extent of flex and maintain the inside wheel in contact with the ground The point of contact of the inside wheel is inside of the turning arc, as compared to in-line skates, resulting in a more controlled turn with reduced tendency to slide

In Figs 5A and 5B, another embodiment ofthe flex-skate for roller skating is shown having a three-arm flexible frame construction Three arms 28 are mounted to each of the front and rear posts 38, 39 One arm is mounted in an upper position through a slot 35 formed in the post, and the other two arms are mounted in lower positions on the front and rear parts of the post In Fig 9B, the wheel plate for the three-arm version has three brackets 30 for attachment to the corresponding distal ends ofthe three arms Due to the enhanced stability and control ofthe flex-skate construction, the height ofthe boot can be reduced as compared to conventional in-line skate boots, and the boot sole mounting to the frame for the wheels need not be as rigid as in conventional skating boots For example, the skater can even wear ordinary shoes such as sneakers which can re removably attached to the frame be step-in clamps or even Velcro™ fasteners This is depicted in Fig 5 A by the frame having platforms 12a and 12b for the toe and heel ofthe skater's shoe, respectively, and a pair or rails 13 fixed in parallel between the front and rear posts for longitudinal and torsional rigidity

The flexible frame mounting can also employ two arms for each post instead of three or four as previously described At each post, the two arms are mounted in upper and lower positions through a lateral opening in the post The arm for the two-arm version may be formed, as shown in Fig 7, for example, with a double-wall, box-like structure 28', for the requisite strength and torsional rigidity The wheel plate correspondingly has upper and lower brackets for the distal ends ofthe two arms

The flexible frame skate construction can also include a turning stability control member for controlling the flexible response ofthe arms for shifting the relative positions of the inside versus outside roller wheels during a turn One embodiment shown in Fig 8 A can consist simply of a block 40 secured to each post 18 ( 19) proximate to and in the same plane as the plane of movement of one or more arms mounted to the post The block has a surface 41 made of a shock absorbing material such as rubber against which the sides ofthe arm can butt against during an upward vertical movement, corresponding to the shifting of the inside wheel in a turn This acts to dampen the shift forces on the flexible frame during a turn

In Fig 8B, another embodiment ofthe turning stability control member is in the form of elastic bands 43 linked between opposite distal ends of arms in upper and lower positions This also has the effect of dampening the shift forces loaded on the arms during a turn

In Fig 8C, a third example ofthe control member has a frictional clip member 44 which applies a friction resistance against a bearing member 45 secured to one of the pins 21 for the arms The bearing member 45 can have a conical shape for progressively increased frictional resistance, and a screw rod 46 and control knob 47 can be used to shift the position of the clip member 44 along the length ofthe bearing member 45

In Fig 8D, a dampening element 48 is provided for absorbing shock to the wheels duπng a turn The dampening element is in the form of a triangular shape interposed between the inner ends ofthe halves 28a, 28b forming the arm 28 Forces applied on the arm, particularly by the inside wheel during a turn, cause the two arm halves to assume a straight, extended position in which the inner ends ofthe two halves compress the dampening element for shock absorption This version is readily adapted to the box-like configuration for the arm shown in Fig 7, wherein the dampening element can be positioned in the lateral side joining the parallel arm walls

In Figs 10A and 10B, a further example ofthe turning stability control member is shown in the form of a torsion spπng 50 coupled to one side of an arm (for the inside wheel) to provide a spπng resistance to the shift forces duπng a turn This version is suitable for the three-arm frame structure, as shown in Fig 5 A, since the spring can be housed within the post 38 (39) The spring 50 is retained by a block 49 in the post housing, and the tension in the spring can be adjusted by a screw rod 5 l which is threaded for progressively pulling the end ofthe spring to wind it or unwind it as desired

In Fig 12, a further example of the turning stability control member is shown in the form of an extension spring 80 coupled to one side of wheel plate 81 to provide a spring resistance to the shift forces duπng a turn This version is suitable for the three-arm frame structure, as shown in Fig 5A, as the spring can be housed within the post 38 (39)

The flex-skate flexible frame construction can be adapted to interchange skate edge elements for different kinds of skating Fig 1 1 depicts how the flexible frame construction of the two-arm type can be used to mount paired sets of roller wheels for roller skating Each blade 55 is formed with front and rear mounting plates 58, 59 provided with brackets or other fixtures for attachment to the distal ends of the arms 28 Thus, the same frame structure can be interchangeably used for different types of skating simply by changing the edge members attached to the arms The posts can be fixed to the bottom of a skate boot, as in Fig 3 A, which is used for both types of skating, or they can be secured to toe and heel platforms onto which the skater s own shoe for that type of skating is clamped

The flex-skate flexible frame construction can also be adapted to other types of sports apparatus in which it is desired to maintain paired edge elements in contact with the ground for turns For example, a conventional skateboard usually has paired sets of front and rear wheels mounted on fixed axles and the board is pivotably mounted to a central part ofthe axle structure In accordance with the present invention, a new type of skateboard can be formed having fixed posts secured to the bottom ofthe board and provided with the above-described pivotable arms mounting wheel plates and wheels As contrasted with the conventional skateboard which is turned by shifting weight to the sides ofthe board, the flex-skateboard ofthe invention would be controlled by applying the skater's weight downwardly to carve turns by flexing the wheels on one side relative to the other, thereby resulting in a feeling more akin to snowboarding As described previously, a flex-blade system can also improve the smoothness of in-line skating systems in encountering obstacles

Although the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many other variations and modifications thereof may be devised in accordance with the principles disclosed herein The invention, including the described embodiments and all variations and modifications thereof within the scope and spirit ofthe invention, is defined in the following claims

Claims

1 An improved flex-skate construction comprising. a skate boot normally oriented in a vertical direction and having a bottom of a given width with a centerline thereof, a pair of skate edge members mounted side-by-side in parallel with each other to the bottom ofthe skate boot on respective sides ofthe centerline, and flexible frame means for mounting said pair of skate edge members to the bottom ofthe skate boot such that the skate edge members can shift flexibly with respect to each other to maintain contact on a skating surface when the skate boot is inclined at an inclination angle to the vertical direction during a turn

2. An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 1 adapted for roller skating, wherein said pair of skate edge members comprises paired sets of front and rear roller wheels carried on respective wheel plates mounted on respective sides of the centerline ofthe boot.

3. An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 2, wherein said flexible frame means is formed by front and rear posts secured to the bottom of the skate boot each having a plurality of arms pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends extending on respective sides ofthe centerline of the boot, and wherein the paired sets of front and rear roller wheels on their wheel plates are pivotably mounted to the distal ends of the arms

4. An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein four arms are mounted to each of said front and rear posts, two of said arms being mounted in upper and lower positions on a front part ofthe post and the other two of said arms being mounted in corresponding upper and lower positions on a rear part of the post, and each wheel plate has four pivotal attachment points for the corresponding distal ends of the four arms

5. An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein three arms are mounted to each of said front and rear posts, one of said arms being mounted in an upper position through the post and the other two of .said arms being mounted in lower positions on a front part and rear part ofthe post, and each wheel plate has three pivotal attachment points for the corresponding distal ends ofthe three arms

6 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein two arms are mounted in upper and lower positions on each of said front and rear posts, and each wheel plate has two pivotal attachment points for the corresponding distal ends of the two arms

7 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 1, wherein said flexible frame means includes a stability control member for controlling the flexible shifting ofthe skate edge members with respect to each other during a turn

8 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein said flexible frame means includes a stability control member in the form of an elastic block disposed proximate to at least one arm for controlling the flexible response of the shifting ofthe roller wheels during a turn

9 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein said flexible frame means includes a stability control member in the form of elastic bands linked between opposite distal ends of arms in upper and lower positions for controlling the flexible response ofthe shifting ofthe roller wheels during a turn

10 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein said flexible frame means includes a stability control member in the form of a friction member applying a friction resistance to at least one arm for controlling the flexible response ofthe shifting ofthe roller wheels during a turn

1 1 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein said flexible frame means includes a dampening member interposed between inner parts of at least one arm for absorbing shock to the roller wheels during a turn 12 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 3, wherein said flexible frame means includes a stability control member in the form of a torsion spring coupled to at least one arm for controlling the flexible response ofthe shifting ofthe roller wheels during a turn

13 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 1 adapted for ice skating, wherein said pair of skate edge members comprises a pair of blades mounted on respective sides ofthe centerline of the boot

14 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 13, wherein said flexible frame means is formed by front and rear posts secured to the bottom ofthe skate boot each having a plurality of arms pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends extending on respective sides ofthe centerline ofthe boot, and wherein each of said pair of blades has mounting means for pivotably mounting the blade to the distal ends ofthe arms on respective sides of the front and rear posts

15 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 1 interchangeably adaptable for ice skating and roller skating, wherein said flexible frame means is formed by front and rear posts secured to the bottom ofthe skate boot each having a plurality of arms pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends extending on respective sides ofthe centerline ofthe boot, and wherein for ice skating said pair of skate edge members comprises a pair of blades pivotably mounted to the distal ends ofthe arms, and wherein for roller skating said pair of skate edge members comprises paired sets of front and rear roller wheels carried on respective wheel plates pivotably mounted to the distal ends ofthe arms

16 An improved flex-skate construction according to Claim 1 , wherein said flexible frame means incorporates toe and heel platforms, and means for securing the bottom of the skate boot to said toe and heel platforms

17 A flexible frame construction for a skate apparatus oriented in a vertical direction and having a bottom of a given width with a centerline thereof and a pair of edge members mounted side-by-side in parallel with each other to the bottom of he skate apparatus on respective sides of the centerline, said frame construction comprising flexible frame means for mounting said pair of edge members to the bottom ofthe skate apparatus such that the edge members can shift flexibly with respect to each other to maintain contact on a surface when the skate apparatus is inclined at an inclination angle to the vertical direction during a turn

18 A flexible frame construction according to Claim 17, wherein said flexible frame means is formed by front and rear posts secured to the bottom ofthe skate apparatus each having a plurality of arms pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends extending on respective sides of the centerline

19 A flexible frame construction according to Claim 18, wherein said pair of edge members comprises paired sets of front and rear roller wheels carried on respective wheel plates pivotably mounted to the distal ends ofthe arms

20 A flexible frame construction according to Claim 18, wherein said pair of edge members comprises a pair of blades each having means for pivotably mounting to the distal ends of the arms

21 An improved flex-blade construction comprising a skate boot normally oriented in a vertical direction and having a bottom of a given width with a centerline thereof, a front skate edge member and rear skate edge member mounted to the bottom of the skate boot in horizontal positions in parallel with the centerline thereof, and flexible frame means for mounting said front and rear skate edge members to the bottom of the skate boot such that the skate edge members can shift flexibly with respect to their horizontal positions when encountering obstacles on a skating surface in order to improved the smoothness ofthe ride

22 An improved flex-blade construction according to Claim 21 , wherein the skate edge members consist of a front pair of roller wheels and a rear pair of roller wheels mounted on respective ones of front and rear pivotable arms mounted in in-line configuration to the bottom ofthe skate boot

23 An improved flex-blade construction according to Claim 22, wherein said flexible frame means includes front and rear posts secured to the bottom ofthe skate boot having the front and rear pivotable arms pivotably mounted thereon with distal ends coupled to axles for the roller wheels

24 An improved flex -blade construction according to Claim 23, wherein said flexible frame means includes a spring member mounted on a front or rear post with distal ends thereof coupled to a respective one ofthe pivotable arms for biasing the roller wheels carried by said arm in the horizontal position when the skate is lifted from the ground.

25 An improved flex-blade construction according to Claim 23, further comprising a rear brake pad installed on the bottom of the skate boot proximate at least one of the rear roller wheels for providing a braking action when a critical angle of backward rotation ofthe skate boot is obtained