FR2753635A1 - ONLINE WHEEL SKATE WITH ARTICULATED CHASSIS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns an in-line roller or wheel skate comprising a boot (2) to be associated with an upper plate (4) of a frame (500) on which are arranged the skating wheels (6A to 6D) and provided with a brake block (7) integral with a rear part of the frame (500) and capable of coming in contact by friction with the ground by raising the front of the roller skate (100), characterised in that the frame (500) consists of: a first part (500A) comprising the upper plate (4) associated with the sole (3) whose front part bears at least one wheel (6) and whose rear part bears the brake block (7); a second part (500B) set between at least one front wheel and the brake block (7), and supporting at least two rear wheels (6A, 6B); a pin (1100) for mutually linking and articulating the first and second parts (500A, 500B) of the frame (500) and arranged in front of a user's tibial axis (X,X').

Description

ONLINE WHEEL SKATE WITH ARTICULATED CHASSIS
The present invention relates to a skate of the roller or in-line type comprising a shoe, the sole of which is associated with an upper plate of a chassis on which the skating wheels are arranged.

 It quickly proved essential to have a braking device on this type of skate, both to be able to meet safety criteria and to allow certain figures of artistic or acrobatic skating to be performed.

 It is thus generally intended to have a brake block on a rear part of the chassis, this brake block being capable of coming into contact with friction with the ground, with a view to effective braking, by a front wheel lifting action caused by the skater.

 This type of brake is very effective for making an emergency stop, but it has a big disadvantage for beginners or inexperienced skaters, because it requires lifting all the wheels of the skate except the last one on which the skater remains in balance after pivoting.

 It is clear that during the braking phase thus carried out, the skater has little stability on his skates.

 Braking systems have therefore been sought which make it possible to keep a certain stability.

 Thus, according to a known technique, in particular by European patents n "680 856 and n" 680 857, or also by American patent nO 5 465 984, the brake block is mounted articulated on the chassis and is brought in action against the ground by an arm connected to the shoe collar.

 In this case, the skater, by a tilting movement of his leg towards the rear, comes by means of said arm, pushing the brake block against the ground, but this time keeping all the wheels of the skate on the ground.

 This type of skate is appreciated by beginners for the reasons mentioned above, because it allows a slow deceleration while maintaining a maximum balance. But it does not always satisfy high level skaters, who prefer the previous braking principle, which is much more effective.

 The Applicant has already remedied the various drawbacks which have just been mentioned by allowing an experienced skater to brake effectively, while allowing a beginner or inexperienced skater, to brake also easily but keeping a certain stability.

Thus, non-prepublished patent application No. 96.06843, filed by the plaintiff, describes (see FIG. 1) a skate of the roller or in-line type comprising a shoe associated with an upper plate of a chassis on which the skating wheels and having a braking block secured to a rear part of the chassis and capable of coming into contact by friction with the ground by lifting a front part of the skate, the chassis breaking down into two articulated parts l '' in relation to each other, namely:
a first main part comprising the upper plate associated with the sole and of which a front part carries at least one wheel and a rear part carries the braking block,
- A second auxiliary part mounted articulated on the first, interposed between at least one front wheel and the brake block, and supporting at least two rear wheels. Thus, during a lifting of the front part of the shoe, intended to bring the brake block into contact with the ground, the angular engagement of the first part of the chassis carrying said brake block remains without effect on the two wheels. rear carried by the second part of the chassis and which therefore remain in contact with the ground.

 A compromise is thus achieved between the two solutions mentioned above by making it possible to keep a greater number of wheels on the ground during braking, this being effected by lifting the other part of the wheels from the wheel set. Such a braking system also makes it possible to reduce the lifting height of the front of the shoe necessary for braking.

 The object of the present invention is to provide a further improved braking system, of easier use, making it possible to increase braking stability, while reducing the lifting height of the front wheels and without risk of inadvertent braking.

 The object of the present invention is also to create a skate offering great ease of braking by better exploitation of the skater's weight, without penalizing the skating phases, by an untimely stalling of the alignment of the wheels in this last phase.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a shoe of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the chassis consists of:
a first part comprising the upper plate associated with the sole and of which a front part carries at least one wheel and a rear part carries the braking block,
a second part interposed between at least one front wheel and the brake block, and supporting at least two rear wheels,
- An axis of connection and articulation of the first and second frame parts therebetween, disposed in front of the tibial axis of a user.

 Indeed, the displacement of the articulation axis of the first part of the chassis relative to the second part of the chassis towards the front of the skate allows a much easier transfer of the weight of the skater towards the rear of said skate during the skating phase, and therefore facilitates the initiation of the braking phase.

 The present invention also relates to the characteristics which will emerge during the description which follows and which should be considered in isolation or according to all their possible technical combinations.

This description given by way of nonlimiting example will make it easier to understand how the invention can be implemented, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 represents a partial side view of an inline skate made from an articulated chassis and a braking system, according to the prior art,
FIG. 2 is a partial side view of an inline skate according to a first step of the invention, in the skating position,
FIGS. 3 and 4 are partial side views of an in-line roller skate, according to another embodiment, shown respectively in the skating and braking phase,
FIG. 5 represents a detail of FIGS. 3 and 4, on an enlarged scale, showing means for limiting the angular movement of the two chassis parts,
FIG. 6 represents a sectional view along line VI-VI of FIG. 5,
FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively represent the means for limiting the angular movement according to FIG. 5, in the locked position for a slip phase and in the unlocked position for a braking phase,
- Figures 9 and 10 respectively represent a shoe according to the invention, arranged to keep three wheels on the ground or four wheels on the ground during the braking phase.

 The inline skate 1 designated as a whole and representing the prior art, comprises a shoe 2 consisting of an outer sole 3, intended to be made integral with the upper plate 4 of a chassis 5 on which the wheels 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, sole 3 from which extends a rod covering the entire foot and extending in the direction of the skater's ankle.

 The sole 3 of the shoe 2 is made integral with the chassis 5 forming the horizontal upper plate 4 on which said sole 3 is fixed by means known per se.

 The chassis 5 has at its rear part a braking block 7 which is integral with it and which is capable of coming into contact by friction with the ground with a view to effective braking by an action of lifting the front of the skate, caused by the skater.

 Although integral with the chassis 5, the brake block 7 can be made removable by means of fixing screws so as to allow its interchangeability in the event of wear.

The chassis 5 is broken down into two parts articulated with respect to each other, namely:
a main part 5A comprising the upper plate 4 associated with the sole 3 and a front part of which carries the wheels 6C, 6D, and a rear part carrying the braking block 7,
- A second auxiliary part 5B mounted articulated by a pin 11 on the first part 5A interposed between the front wheels 6C, 6D, and the braking block 7, and supporting the two rear wheels 6A, 6B.

 In this way, during a lifting of the shoe 1 intended to bring the braking block 7 into contact with the ground, the angle angle with respect to the ground of the first part 5A of the chassis 5 carrying said braking block 7, remains without effect on the two rear wheels 6A, 6B, carried by the second part 5B of the chassis 5, which remains in contact with the ground, the main part 5A pivoting in a way upward relative to the second part 5B.

 Such a shoe, still according to the prior art, comprises means for limiting the angular movement of the first part 5A of the chassis 5 relative to the second 5B, so as to not allow the pivoting of the part 5A relative to the second 5B only in one direction, starting from an alignment position of all the wheels 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, when they are in contact with the ground, to a lifting position chosen according to the desired braking efficiency.

 The means for limiting the angular movement of the part 5A relative to the part 5B are constituted by a stop 8 integral with the first part 5A and arranged on the latter so as to be in contact with a corresponding stop part 9 of the second part 5B when all the wheels of the skate are aligned on the ground. Also, the chassis 5 comprises an elastic return member 10 of the first part 5A of the chassis 5 relative to the second 5B or vice versa, in a counterclockwise direction of rotation of this second part relative to their axis of articulation 11 , so as to bring all the wheels back into alignment once the braking phase has ended. Said elastic return member 10 is disposed between corresponding associated zones of said parts 5A, 5B, of chassis 5 and situated behind their articulation axis 11.

According to the invention shown diagrammatically in principle in FIG. 2, the shoe 100 designated as a whole, essentially differs from the previous one in that the chassis 500 is constituted by:
a first part 500A comprising the upper plate 4 associated with the sole 3 and a front part of which carries at least one wheel 6 and a rear part carries the braking block 7,
a second part 500B interposed between at least one front wheel and the braking block 7, and supporting at least two rear wheels 6A, 6B,
a link and articulation axis 1100 of the first and second parts 500A, 500B, of frame 500 between them disposed at the front of the tibial axis X, X ', of a user, whereas in the art known prior art hinge axis 11 is disposed substantially at the level of the last wheel 6A, behind said tibial axis XX ′.

 Thus, the transfer of the weight of a user towards the rear of the pad during the braking phase is carried out more easily as soon as the pad 100 is raised, bringing the brake block 7 into contact with the ground, while maintaining contact with the ground at least two wheels 6A, 6B, of the second part 500B of the chassis 500.

 According to the different embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 8, the shoe 100 includes means 800 for limiting the angular movement of the first part 500A of the chassis 500 relative to the second 500B, so as to allow their relative rotation during 'a lifting of the front of the first part 500A to obtain a braking phase by retaining at least two wheels 6A, 6B on the ground, and to prohibit a reverse rotation movement when raising the rear of the shoe 100 during a push on the latter taking place in the skating phase, so as to maintain all the wheels 6A to 6D along a line of contact with the ground L that cannot be broken, during such a phase. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the means 800 for limiting the angular movement consist of a simple stop preventing rotation of the part of the chassis 500B in a counterclockwise direction relative to the part of the chassis 500A.

 In the case of FIGS. 3 to 8, the means 800 for limiting the angular movement of the first part 500A of the chassis 500 relative to the second 500B comprise a locking and unlocking member 20 of the parts between them constituted by an axis which is mounted sliding in two slots 21, 22, of these two parts 500A, 500B, namely an oblong slot 21 (cf. FIGS. 5 to 8) formed on the second part 500B of the chassis 500 extending radially from a center O coinciding with that of the hinge pin 1100, said lumen 21 being partially superimposed with another curved lumen 22, formed on the first part 500A of the chassis 500, substantially perpendicular to the oblong lumen 21, in an arc of a circle made from a center coinciding with that O of the hinge axis 1100, said lumen 22 also having a bent portion 22a coinciding with the oblong lumen 21 of the this part 500B of the chassis 500, so that the locking and unlocking member 1100 ensures, on the one hand, the locking of the two parts 500A, 500B, of the chassis 500, when it is at the bottom of the oblong opening 21 and of the bent part 22a of the curved light 22 (cf. Figures 3, 5, 7), when the latter are coincident in a skating phase, and on the other hand, the unlocking of said chassis parts by controlled translation of said member 1100 towards the opposite end of the oblong slot 21 and the bent part 22a of the curved light 22 thus allowing it to slide in said curved light 22 and consequently a clockwise rotation R around the axis 1100 of the second part 500B of frame 500 relative to the first 500A in a braking phase carried out by lifting the front part of the shoe (see Figure 4).

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the translational control of the member 20 in its slots 21, 22, towards an unlocking position is effected by means of two lateral control fingers 23, 24, acting on lateral extensions 20a, 20b, of said member 20, external to said chassis 500, said fingers 23, 24, coming from a collar or part of movable rod 25 articulated at 26 on shoe 2, and tiltable towards the rear by rotation around of its axis 26. It should be noted that the axis 26 can be real or fictitious, being defined for example by cutouts allowing rotation of the collar by elastic deformation.

 Preferably, a rear stop 27 is provided at the heel 28 of the shoe to limit the rearward movement of said collar and constitute a rear support, said rotation of the collar 25 initiates the upward tilting movement of the front part. 500A of the shoe 100 for a braking phase, the member 20 then being unlocked and being able to slide freely in the curved opening 22 formed on the first part 500A of chassis 500, and consequently allowing the latter to travel relative to the second 500B, as shown in Figure 4.

 The locking and unlocking member 20 is automatically recalled towards the bottom of the oblong slot 21 and of the bent portion 22a of the curved slot 22 when they are coincident, for a skating phase, by means of an elastic return member 29 bearing on a fixed part b of the second part 500B of the chassis 500.

 Furthermore, the first part 500A of the chassis 500 is automatically recalled for bringing the set of wheels 6A to 6D back online, after a braking phase, by means of an elastic return spring 1000 interposed between a part fixed 32 of said first part 500A and a support plane 31 directed towards the front, of the second part 500B, this return spring 1000 tending to pivot the first part 500A relative to the second 500B about the axis 1100.

 Thus, as soon as the skater resumes a normal skating position by lowering his forefoot and straightening his leg, The combined effect of springs 1000 and 29 will not only allow alignment of the wheels 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, by pivoting in anti-clockwise direction of the part 500B relative to the part 500A, but also a locking of these two parts in the aligned position by return of the locking member 20 at the bottom of the lights 21, 22a.

 According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention which corresponds to variant embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the axis of connection and articulation 1100 of the two parts 500A, 500B, of frame 500 between them, corresponds to an axis articulation of any of the wheels 6B to 6D, with the exception of the rear wheel 6A so that two, three, four, or all of the wheels remain in contact with the ground during the braking phase taking place by tilting the first part 500A of the chassis 500 relative to the second fixed part 500B, carrying said two, three, four, or all of the wheels 6.

In the skating phase, (see FIG. 3), the chassis part 500B is held in the low position by the action of the spring 1000 (the four wheels 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D are aligned). The corresponding and identical zones 21 and 22a are superimposed, and under the action of the spring 29,
The locking member 20 is in position E '. The two sides B1a and Blb of the light 21 being oriented perpendicular to the direction of movement (cf. arrow R) of the parts 500A, 500B, between them, no movement is authorized (cf. FIG. 7). Thus, whatever the thrust in skating, the four wheels remain aligned.

 During the braking phase, the skater pushes backwards on the collar 25 of the shoe.

The latter pivots and before it comes to bear on the stop 27, the two control fingers 23, 24 push the locking and unlocking member 20 forwards to the position E "(FIG. 8) thus releasing the blanks Bla and Bîb from the light 21. After this unlocking phase, by extending its rotation towards the rear, the collar 25 of the shoe 2 drives the whole of the shoe A, from the first part 500A of the chassis 500 and the brake 7, in a counterclockwise rotation movement around the axis 1100. This movement is made possible since the locking member 20 can go up freely in the area of the curved light 22 by causing the clockwise rotation
R of the part 100B relative to the axis 1100. The shoe 7 then comes into contact with the ground and brakes the skater.

 When stopping or slowing down is obtained, the skater releases his back push. By the effect of the springs 1100 and 29, the locking and unlocking member 20 returns to its initial position E 'locking the movement of the parts 500A, 500B, of the chassis. The skate then finds itself in a skating configuration.

 It should be noted that the position of the stop 27 and the fingers 23, 24 can be adjustable. Indeed, some skaters will prefer very fast unlocking, others will accept a greater rearward leg movement.

 Note also that the unlocking control can be arranged inside the chassis and that the locking and unlocking system of the chassis parts could be designed in any other way while respecting the aforementioned inventive principle.

Claims (11)

 1- Skate of the inline or wheeled type comprising a shoe (2) to be associated with an upper plate (4) of a chassis (500) on which the skating wheels (6A to 6D) are arranged and having a braking block (7) integral with a rear part of the chassis (500) and capable of coming into contact by friction with the ground by front lifting of the shoe (100), characterized in that the chassis (500) consists of:  a first part (500A) comprising the upper plate (4) associated with the sole (3) and of which a front part carries at least one wheel (6) and a rear part carries the braking block (7),  - a second part (500B) interposed between at least one front wheel and the brake block (7), and supporting at least two rear wheels (6A, 6B),  - An axis of connection and articulation (1100) of the first and second parts (500A, 500B) of chassis (500) between them disposed in front of the tibial axis (X, X) of a user.  2- Skate according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means (800) for limiting the angular movement of the first part (500A) of the frame (500) relative to the second (500B), so as to allow their relative articulation during a lifting of the front of the first part (500A) to obtain a braking phase by retaining at least two wheels (6A, 6B) on the ground, and to prohibit the same articulation during an uplift of the back of the skate (100) during a push on the latter taking place during the skating phase.  3- Skate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises means (800) for blocking the relative movement of the first and second chassis parts respectively (500A, 500B) in the skating position.  4- Skate according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a member (20) for locking and unlocking for the unlocking of the locking means in the event of braking.  5- Skate according to claim 4, characterized in that the locking member is actuated in unlocking by at least one control member (23, 24) integral with the upper of the shoe and actuable during a pivoting or tilting of said rod backwards.  6- Skate according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for limiting (800) the angular movement of the first part (500A) of the frame (500) relative to the second (500B) comprise a locking and unlocking member ( 20) of the parts which is capable of sliding in an oblong slot (21) formed on the second part (500B) of the chassis (500) extending radially from a center (O) coinciding with that of the hinge pin (1100), said lumen (21) being partially superimposed with another curved lumen (22), substantially perpendicular to the oblong lumen (21) formed on the first part (500A) of the chassis (500) in an arc of circle (a) produced from a center coinciding with that (O) of the articulation axis (1100), said lumen (22) having a bent portion (22a) coinciding with the oblong lumen (21) of the second part (500B) of the chassis (500), so that the locking and unlocking member (1100) ensure, on the one hand, the locking of the two parts (500A, 500B) of the chassis (500), when it is at the bottom of the oblong opening (21) and of the bent part (22a) of the curved light (22) when they are coincident in a skating phase, and on the other hand, the unlocking of said chassis parts by controlled translation of said member (1100) towards the opposite end oblong lumen (21) and the bent portion (22a) of the curved lumen (22), thereby allowing its clearance in said curved lumen (22) hence the second part (500B) of chassis (500) by compared to the first (500A) in a braking phase carried out by lifting the front part of the skate.  7- Skate according to claim 6, characterized in that the control in translation of the member (20) in its slots (21, 22) towards an unlocking position is effected by means of two lateral control fingers ( 23, 24) acting on lateral extensions (20a, 20b) of said member (20), external to said chassis (500), said fingers (23, 24) being from a movable collar (25) articulated (26) on the shoe (2) and tiltable backwards until it comes into abutment with a support plane (27) formed at the heel (28) of said shoe (2) and from which abutment initiates the tilting movement of the front of the shoe (100) for a braking phase, the member (20) then being unlocked to allow it to slide in the curved opening (22) formed on the first part (500A) of the chassis ( 500) and consequently, the movement of the latter relative to the second (500B).  8- Skate according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the locking and unlocking member (20) is automatically returned towards the bottom of the oblong light (21) and the bent part (22a) of the curved light (22) when they are in coincidence, for a skating phase, by means of an elastic return member (29) bearing on a fixed part (b) of the second part (500B) of the chassis (500 ).  9- Skate according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the first part (500A) of the chassis (500) is automatically recalled for a return in line of the set of wheels (6A to 6D), after a braking phase, by means of an elastic return spring (1000) interposed between a fixed part (32) of said first part (500A) and a support plane (31) directed towards the front, of the second part (500B), tending to rotate the first part (500A) relative to the second (500B) around the axis of articulation (1100).  10- Skate according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the axis of connection and articulation (1100) of the two parts (500A, 500B) of frame (500) between them, corresponds to an axis d articulation of any of the wheels (6B to 6D), with the exception of the rear wheel (6A).  11- Skate according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the second part (500B) of frame (500) carrying two (6A, 6B), three (6A, 6B, 6C), four (6A, 6B , 6C, 6D), or the totality of the wheels is constituted by a metallic yoke mounted on the first part (500A) via on the one hand, the hinge pin (1100) and on the other hand, by the locking and unlocking member (20) also constituting means for limiting the angular movement (800).