WO2008111694A1

WO2008111694A1 - A lateral skate

Info

Publication number: WO2008111694A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/001235
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jin-Gieong Go
Original assignee: Tasem Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-03-13
Filing date: 2007-03-13
Publication date: 2008-09-18

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a lateral skate. The skate comprises a pair of footboards, each having plural driving members secured to a lower surface to allow a skater to stand on the footboards for skating in a lateral direction, and a connection member detachably connected between the footboards. The skate further comprises wheel casters in a transverse direction to the foot and separated a predetermined distance from each other for stability, so that even beginners can ride on the skate. Some or all of the casters are provided as directional wheel casters, making it easy for the skater to turn direction. Further, the footboards can be pushed by centrifugal force, providing an exciting pleasure to the skater as in a snowboard. Moreover, the lateral skate may be prepared as a blade skate by replacing the wheel casters with rounded iron blades, providing the same effects as those of the roller skate.

Description

Description A LATERAL SKATE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to lateral skates, and more particularly to a lateral skate that comprises a pair of footboards, each having a plurality of driving members secured to a lower surface to allow a skater to stand on the footboards for skating in a lateral direction, and a connection member detachably connected between the pair of footboards. Background Art

[2] Conventional skates include a roller skate that has wheels attached to the bottom of a boot so as to be propelled on the ground when skating, and a blade skate that has an iron blade attached to the bottom of the boot so as to be propelled on ice surfaces.

[3] Although only one type of blade skate has been developed until now, the roller skate can be classified into two types. That is, one type is double-line roller skates known as roller skates, and the other is single-line roller skate known as inline skates. Both types of roller skates have wheels secured to a lower surface thereof so as not to be changed in an aligned direction.

[4] Any kinds of conventional skates are designed to allow a skater to skate in a direction parallel to the foot of the skater, that is, in a forward or backward direction of the skater, and to prevent skating in a different direction from that of the foot.

[5] On the other hand, snowboards or skateboards provide very exciting pleasures to a user by allowing the user to travel laterally rather than forwardly. However, the conventional skates requiring the skater to move each foot separately for skating are not designed to allow the skater to travel in the lateral direction and make it difficult for the skater to change the direction of the foot without raising the foot when skating. Further, since the foot is parallel to the wheels, it is necessary to very rigidly manufacture the skate to ensure that the foot, ankle and the boot of the skate are integrally maintained while preventing separation between the wheels and the boot and between the boot and the foot when the foot is tilted.

[6] The conventional skate has problems in that the boot of the skate must be very rigidly made from material to surround the ankle, in that the skater experiences inconvenience of taking off his or her shoes to wear the skate for skating, in that the skater wearing the boots of the skate is severely restricted in movement of the feet, in that the skater suffers from severe strain on the ankle and foot when standing in the skate, in that beginners have difficulty to stand when wearing the skate, and in that, since the skate is bound to the feet, the beginners suffer from numerous falls until they become accustomed to the skate. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[7] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a skate having a characteristic of allowing a skater to directly ride on the skate for skating without taking off shoes and to directly get off the skate at any time, a characteristic of lateral traveling, a characteristic of allowing beginners to ride on the skate without falling therefrom, a characteristic of allowing the skater to change the direction without raising the foot, a characteristic of a connection member detachable from the skate, if necessary. Technical Solution

[8] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lateral skate, comprising: a pair of footboards, each supporting one foot of a skater; a connection member to connect the pair of footboards, if necessary, to allow the footboards connected by the connection member to make an independent free movement within a predetermined distance; a driving member secured to a lower surface of each footboard to move transverse to the feet of the skater; and joints provided to an end of each footboard and opposite ends of the connection member to detachably connect the connection member to the pair of footboards.

[9] To permit detachable connection between the footboards and the connection member, the joints may comprise female joints (or male joints) fixed to the end of each footboard and males joints (or female joints) fixed to the opposite ends of the connection member such that the opposite ends of the connection member can be easily fitted or separated from the corresponding ends of the footboards facing each other. In addition, the connection member may be stretched or contracted by application or release of force so as not to be dragged on the ground, and may further comprise a length adjustor to suitably adjust a length of the connection member.

[10] The driving member for a roller skate according to the present invention may comprise: at least two wheels secured to a rear side of the lower surface of each footboard and at least one directional caster secured to a front side of the lower surface of each footboard to maintain the footboard so as to prevent falling. Alternatively, the at least one directional caster may be secured to the rear side of the lower surface and the at least two wheels may be secured to the front side of the lower surface thereof.

[11] Further, the driving member for a blade skate according to the present invention may comprise rounded iron blades in place of all the wheels.

[12] The skate may further comprise a foot lock disposed on an upper surface of each footboard to prevent the foot of the skater from being separated from the footboard. Brief Description of the Drawings

[13] Fig. 1 is a plan view of a skate according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[14] Fig. 2 is side views of driving members of the skate according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[15] Fig. 3 is side views of other driving members of the skate according to other embodiments of the present invention;

[16] Fig. 4 is perspective views of roller skates according to yet other embodiment of the present invention; and

[17] Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of blade skates according to yet other embodiments of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[18] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[19] Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a skate 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 1, the lateral skate 10 of the invention comprises two footboards 20, each supporting a foot of a skater, and a soft and tough connection member 30 to connect the footboards 20. Here, the connection member 30 can be connected to or detached from a joint part 31 of each footboard, if necessary. Specifically, the connection member 30 can be connected to or detached from the joint part of the footboard 20 by fitting or releasing a male joint 32 at either end of the connection member 30 with respect to a female joint 33 secured to a lower surface of each footboard 20. With this configuration, both footboards 20 are connected via the connection member 30 to prevent an excessive increase in distance therebetween. If the skater wants to enjoy more exciting and powerful disengaged skating, the connection member 30 is detached from the footboards 20 by releasing the male joints of the opposite ends of the connection member 30 from the female joints 33 of the footboards.

[20] Preferably, the connection member 30 is soft and tough so as to freely move within a predetermined distance even in a state of connecting the footboards 20. In addition, preferably, the connection member 30 is somewhat stretchable in preparation of an increase in distance between the footboards to make the connection member 30 tight, and is contractible in preparation of a decrease in distance therebetween to prevent the connection member from contacting the ground. For example, the connection member is a string made by winding a tough cloth around a rubber string. Further, the connection member 30 may comprise a length adjustor (not shown) to suitably adjust the length of the connection member 30, if necessary. [21] Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of driving members according to embodiments of the present invention.

[22] Fig. 2 (a) shows a stationary caster to which a supporting leg of a wheel shaft is secured, and Fig. 2 (b) shows a directional caster that can be arbitrarily changed in direction by application of a small force and is prepared by tilting the stationary caster to make a directional movement.

[23] Fig. 3 (a) shows a stationary iron blade of a blade skate for skating on ice surfaces, and Fig. 3 (b) shows a directional skate blade of the blade skate prepared only by replacing the wheel of the directional caster (Fig. 2 (b)) with an iron blade. When the direction of the wheel is different from a tilted direction of the directional caster, the directional caster is subjected to torque at a contact point with the ground, and forces the wheel to be directed to the direction of the directional caster, that is, the direction to which the directional caster is tilted. As in the directional caster, when the direction of the directional skate blade is different from that of the stationary iron blade, the directional skate blade is subjected to torque at a contact point with the ground and forces the stationary iron blade to be directed to the direction of the directional skate blade. As such, although there is a difference of the wheel and the iron blade, the directional caster is operated by the same principle as that of the directional skate blade.

[24] Figs. 4 to 6 are perspective views of roller skates having the driving members described above according to embodiments of the present invention.

[25] Figs. 4(a) and 4(b) show one embodiment wherein the driving members of Fig. 2 are disposed in a triangular arrangement under each footboard. With this configuration, since each of the footboards does not fall or slant even in the case where the skater presses at any location on the footboard by the foot, it is possible to prepare a roller skate that enables any person to easily ride on the skate for skating.

[26] In the triangular configuration shown in Fig. 4 (a), when only the driving member located at the front side of a lower surface of each footboard in a traveling direction is the directional caster 52, the skater can easily turn direction using the directional caster 52. Other two stationary casters 51 cannot change the direction with respect to each footboard. Therefore, even when the skater alternately pushes the footboards for skating, since the footboards are not pushed back as in the case of skating with a conventional single-line blade roller skate (in-line skate), the footboards are subjected to a large advancing force so that the skater can travel at a very fast speed. Obviously, since the footboards are not pushed back, it is necessary to turn the direction of the footboards whenever alternately pushing the footboards.

[27] On the other hand, when all the driving members are the directional casters 52 as shown in Fig. 4 (b), there is no need of turning the direction of the footboards for skating when alternately pushing the footboards. Because, the directional wheel is gradually turned in a direction to which force is exerted. Therefore, although the roller skate of this configuration cannot experience the large advancing force which can be applied to the skate having the stationary wheel, it can provide a more exciting pleasure to the skater since the roller skate is somewhat forcibly pushed like the snowboard due to a centrifugal force when turning around after running straightly. Needless to say, it is necessary to turn the direction of the footboards to change the advancing direction.

[28] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, all the driving members of the front and rear footboards may be provided as the stationary casters which do not have directionality. In this case, changing direction can be achieved by a behavior of widening a separation between the legs on the footboards after turning by tilting the footboards or tilting the rear footboard with the front footboard maintained in a horizontal state during a linear traveling.

[29] Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, lateral skates for skating on ice surfaces according to other exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown. In Fig. 5, both lateral skates comprise footboards, each having three skate blades, wherein Fig. 5 (a) shows the footboards of one lateral skate, each having only the directional skate blades, and Fig. 5 (b) shows the other lateral skate with only the driving member at the front side provided as the directional skate blade. In this case, the lateral skates of these embodiments also have the effects as those of the lateral skates shown in Fig. 4.

[30] In Fig. 6, both lateral skates comprise footboards, each having two skate blades attached in a line, wherein Fig. 6 (a) shows the footboards of one lateral skate, each having only the directional skate blades, and Fig. 6 (b) shows the other lateral skate with only the driving member of the front side provided as the directional skate blade. The lateral skates of these embodiments have a different feature from the lateral skates described above. Since the single-line blade skates of these embodiments have the footboards tending to fall in a stopped state, a skater can enjoy these kinds of lateral skates only after becoming accustomed to them.

[31] The lateral skates shown from Figs. 1 to 5 require the skater to turn the footboards in a desired direction if the skater wants to change the advancing direction. However, the single-line blade skates shown in Fig. 6 permit the skater to tilt the footboards, so that the skater can change the advancing direction only by changing the direction of the driving members. Obviously, it is possible for the single-line blade skate to change the advancing direction by turning any of the footboards. Therefore, with the single-line blade skates shown in Fig. 6, the skater can enjoy more pleasures by actively manipulating the footboards in a more wide directional range than the skates shown in Fig. 5.

[32] According to the present invention, the skate may further comprise a foot lock (not shown) disposed on each footboard to be bound to the foot of the skater such that the skater can exhibit difficult skating techniques, such as jumping, with the foot lock bound to the foot of the skater.

[33] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. Industrial Applicability

[34] As apparent from the above description, the lateral skate of the present invention allows a skater to directly ride on the footboard for skating without taking off shoes and to directly get off the skate at any time, travels in a lateral direction like snowboards, and can be somewhat forcibly pushed like the snowboards by a centrifugal force when turning around after running straightly, thereby providing a more exciting pleasure to the skater. In addition, except the single-line blade skate (see Fig. 6), the lateral skate of the invention has the footboards which are unlikely to fall even when the skater rides and stops skating, making it easy for anyone to learn how to skate with the skate of the invention. Further, even when both feet are put on the footboards, the skate of the invention enables the skater to freely change an advancing direction. Moreover, the skate comprises a connection member detachably connected to the footboards, so that the skate employs the connection member not only as a connection string for skating, but also as a handle for carrying the footboards.

Claims

[1] A lateral skate, comprising: a pair of footboards 20a and 20b, each supporting one foot of a skater; a driving member secured to a lower surface of each footboard; an elastically restorable connection member 30 to connect the pair of footboards; a female or male joint 33 provided to one end of each footboard to detachably connect the footboard to one end of the connection member; a second male or female joint 32 provided to either end of the connection member such that the female or male joints of the footboards can be detachably connected to the male or female joints of the connection member; and foot locks respectively located on the footboards to secure feet of the skater.

[2] The lateral skate according to claim 1, further comprising: a length adjustor to adjust a length of the connection member.

[3] The lateral skate according to claim 1, wherein the driving member of each footboard comprises a plurality of non-directional stationary casters 51 to stably maintain the footboards and prevent the footboards from being pushed outward even when a centrifugal force is applied to the footboards.

[4] The lateral skate according to claim 1, wherein the driving member of each footboard comprises at least two stationary casters 51 disposed in a line and at least one directional caster 52 disposed in front of the stationary casters to stably maintain the footboards and prevent the footboards from being pushed outward even when a centrifugal force is applied to the footboards,.

[5] The lateral skate according to claim 1, wherein the driving member of each footboard comprises at least three directional casters 52 to prevent the footboards from falling while allowing the footboards to be alternately pushed without raising the foot and to be pushed when a centrifugal force is applied to the footboards.

[6] The lateral skate according to claim 1, wherein the driving member of each footboard comprises at least two stationary skate blades 53 disposed in a line and at least one directional skate blade disposed in front of the stationary skate blades to stably maintain the footboards and prevent the footboards from being pushed outward even when a centrifugal force is applied to the footboards.

[7] The lateral skate according to claim 1, wherein the driving member of each footboard comprises at least three directional skate blades to allow the footboards to be alternately pushed without raising the foot and to be pushed when a centrifugal force is applied to the footboards.

[8] The lateral skate according to claim 1, wherein the driving member of each footboard comprises a single stationary skate blade 53 and at least one directional skate blade 54, the stationary and directional skate blades being disposed in a line. [9] The lateral skate according to claim 1, wherein the driving member of each footboard comprises at least two directional skate blades 54 disposed in a line to allow the footboards to be tilted.