In-line skate with a flexing cuff

An in-line skate is disclosed having a frame with a plurality of wheels and a boot coupled to the frame. The boot has a cuff and lower shell connected by a resilient connecting member that permits flexing along substantially the entire length of the member. The connecting member can be made of spring steel or a variety of synthetic materials.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates generally to in-line roller skates. More 
particularly, the present invention relates to in-line roller skates 
having a flexing connection between a cuff and a lower shell of an in-line 
skate boot. 
BACKGROUND 
In recent years, in-line skating has become extremely popular. In-line 
skates generally have a frame and a boot attached to the frame. The boots 
of many in-line skates include hard outer shells covering portions of a 
soft inner liner. In some skates, the hard outer shell may be integrally 
molded with the soft liner. Typically, the shell includes a cuff and a 
lower shell that are pivotally connected. Pivotal connections between a 
cuff and a lower shell of an in-line skate boot are generally accomplished 
by a rivet, a bolt or another mechanism being disposed through coaxially 
aligned apertures in the cuff and lower shell. This pivotal connection is 
made on both right and left sides of each skate. The aperture in the cuff 
is sized to permit pivotal movement of the cuff about the rivet, bolt or 
other mechanism. Thus, pivotal movement of the cuff relative to the lower 
shell of an in-line skate boot have generally been confined to a 
relatively small, fixed area adjacent to a skater's ankle when the 
skater's foot is comfortably positioned in the boot. 
Pivotal connections utilizing rivets generally pivot about a fixed axis 
which is defined by the rivet, bolt or other mechanism. Movement of an 
ankle joint of a human foot, however, does not occur around a fixed 
lateral axis. Rather, the axis about which a skater's foot flexes, may 
vary among skaters and may depend upon the shape, location and size of the 
talus of the skater's foot. In addition, the degree of rotation may vary 
between the medial and lateral mallet of each foot. Thus, conventional 
fixed-axis pivotal connections are limited in their ability to accommodate 
actual movement of a human foot. 
The present invention provides a solution to this and other problems and 
offers other advantages over the prior art. 
SUMMARY 
The present invention relates to an in-line skate having a frame with a 
plurality of in-line skate wheels mounted on the frame and with the wheels 
being aligned in substantially a common plane. A boot, configured to 
receive a skater's foot, is coupled to the frame and has a cuff and a 
lower shell. A resilient connecting member has a length extending from a 
first end to a second end and is resilient substantially along its entire 
length. The first end of the connecting member is operably connected to 
the cuff and the second end of the connecting member is operably connected 
to the shell. The connecting member permits forward and rearward movement 
of the cuff relative to the lower shell from a rest position in response 
to forces upon the cuff with the connecting member being biased to return 
to the rest position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
With reference to the drawings in which like elements are numbered 
identically throughout, a detailed description of the invention is 
provided. This description does not limit the scope of the invention, 
which is limited only by the scope of the attached claims. 
In general terms, the present invention relates to an in-line skate 20 with 
a flexing cuff 30. Each of the illustrated skates in the drawings is a 
right skate, and is used in combination with a left skate constructed in 
the mirror-image of the particular right skate. The in-line skate 20 
includes a rigid frame 22 having a plurality of wheels 23, 24, 25 and 26 
rotatably secured to the frame 22 about individual axes and substantially 
aligned in a common plane of rotation. The in-line skate 20 also includes 
a boot 28 that is operably coupled to the frame. The boot 28 includes the 
cuff 30 and a lower shell 32. A resilient connecting member 40 has a first 
end 42 operably connected to the cuff 30 and a second end 44 operably 
connected to the lower shell 32. The connecting member 40 is resilient 
along substantially its entire length. It will be apparent that any 
reference to a connecting member will refer to the connecting member 
disposed on the right side of the particular skate being referenced, which 
is shown in the referenced drawings, and the corresponding connecting 
member disposed on the left side of the same skate, which is generally not 
shown. 
The boot 28 has a soft liner 34 which may be separated into upper and lower 
portions as shown in FIG. 1 or which may include one continuous soft liner 
as shown in phantom in FIG. 1. The boot 28 includes a plurality of closure 
devices 36, 37, 38 for securing the boot to the skater's foot. It will be 
apparent to those in the art that a variety of closure devices could be 
used on the skate 20, including a single closure device as disclosed in 
commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,522. The cuff 30 and the lower shell 
32 are typically formed of a semi-rigid or hard molded material. 
A first fastener 46 and a second fastener 48 are used to secure the first 
end 42 of the connecting member 40 to the cuff 30 and the second end 44 of 
the connecting member 40 to the lower shell 32. In the embodiment shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 2, the first fastener includes a metal base 55 having two 
upwardly extending walls 56 and 56' that form a receiving channel. The 
receiving channel formed by the upwardly extending walls 56 and 56' is 
sized to receive the first end 42 of the connecting member 40. The first 
end 42 of the connecting member 40 is secured between the walls 56 and 56' 
by a securing mechanism such as, for example, a bolt, rivet or screw, that 
extends through the walls 56 and 56' and the first end 42 of the 
connecting member 40. The second fastener includes a metal base 57 having 
two upwardly extending walls 58 and 58' that form a receiving channel. The 
receiving channel formed by the upwardly extending walls 58 and 58' is 
sized to receive the second end 44 of the connecting member 40. The second 
end 44 of the connecting member 40 is secured between the walls 58 and 58' 
by a securing mechanism such as, for example, a bolt, rivet or screw, that 
extends through the walls 58 and 58' and the second end 44 of the 
connecting member 40. The first and second fasteners 46 and 48 are mounted 
to the cuff 30 and the lower shell 32, respectively, by a securing 
mechanisms such as, for example, bolts, rivets or screws. 
In one embodiment, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connecting member 40 is made 
of spring steel, also known as carbon steel. In one embodiment, a desired 
spring constant of the connecting member 40 is thirty-five (35) to forty 
(40) pounds per inch. To achieve this desired spring constant, a 
rectangular plate of 1075 or 1095 steel may be used. Alternatively, 18-8 
stainless steel may also be used. Preferably, the length of the spring 
steel is from 3 to 4.5 inches as measured between the first and second 
fasteners 46 and 48. Preferably, the spring steel has a width of 1/4 to 
1/2 of an inch. More preferably, the spring steel has a width of 3/16 to 
1/4 of an inch. Most preferably the spring steel has a width of 1/8 to 
3/16 of an inch. The thickness of the spring steel is preferably from 
0.042 to 0.162 inches. These characteristics are desirable for achieving 
approximately one (1) inch of forward and rearward deflection as the 
connecting member alternatively flexes forwardly and rearwardly. However, 
it will be apparent to those in the art that other characteristics may be 
combined to achieve desired spring constant of the connecting member. 
In FIGS. 1 and 2 the connecting member 40 and the fasteners 46 and 48 are 
exposed, without any body of material molded over the connecting member 40 
and fasteners 46 and 48. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the 
connecting member 40 and a molded body 50 molded over the connecting 
member 40 and the first and second fasteners 46 and 48. The molded body 50 
has a first end 52 that is molded over the first fastener 46 and a second 
end 54 that is molded over the second fastener 48. The first and second 
ends 52 and 54 of the molded body 50 each define a contour around the 
outer perimeter of each of the fasteners 46 and 48. The molded body 50 
also surrounds an intermediate portion 41 of the connecting member 40 
extending between the first fastener 46 and the second fastener 48. 
Preferably, the molded body 50 follows the shape of the intermediate 
portion 41, defining a narrow contour between the first and second 
fasteners 46 and 48. The molded body may be made of a deformable material 
such as, for example, a thermoplastic material, a thermoplastic elastomer, 
or a thermoset elastomer. 
The molded body 50 is desirable for several reasons. First, the molded body 
50 provides a smooth outer surface over the connecting member 40 and the 
corresponding fasteners 46 and 48. In addition, the molded body 50 helps 
secure the first and second ends 42 and 44 of the connecting member 40. 
Finally, the molded body 50 helps distribute loads on the connecting 
member 40 and fasteners 46 and 48 over a larger area when the cuff is 
being flexed forwardly and rearwardly. 
FIGS. 4-8 show various embodiments of the present invention. Connecting 
members shown in FIGS. 4-8 are shown connected to a skate 80 with a 
slightly different configuration than the skate 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the 
connecting members can be used with a wide variety of skate 
configurations. The skate 80 in FIGS. 4-8 shows a frame 82 with a 
plurality of wheels 83, 84, 85 and 86 connected to the frame 82. A boot 88 
having a cuff 90 and a lower shell 92 is shown connected to the frame 82. 
The boot 88 has a soft cuff portion 94 and a soft foot portion 96. Closure 
devices 97 and 98 are used to secure the boot 88 to a skater's foot. It 
will be apparent to those in the art that the soft cuff portion 94 and the 
soft foot portion 96 can be an unbroken continuous soft portion as shown 
in phantom in FIG. 1. 
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 4 and 5 
show a resilient connecting member 60 having a first end 62 operably 
connected to the cuff 90 and a second end 64 operably connected to the 
lower shell 92. The connecting member 60 is preferably made of spring 
steel or stainless steel having the same characteristics as previously 
described herein with reference to the connecting member 40 shown in FIG. 
1. A member housing 65 has an elongated portion 66 encasing the connecting 
member 60. The member housing 65 has a tab 67 extending below the 
elongated portion 66 adjacent to the second end 64 of the connecting 
member 60. The member housing 65 may be made of a deformable material such 
as, for example, a thermoplastic material, a thermoplastic elastomer, or a 
thermoset elastomer. 
A molded body 70 has a first end 72 connected to the cuff 90 and a second 
end 74 connected to the lower shell 92 and may be made of a deformable 
material such as, for example, a thermoplastic material, a thermoplastic 
elastomer, or a thermoset elastomer. The first and second ends 72 and 74 
of the molded body 70 may be mechanically or chemically bonded to the cuff 
90 and the lower shell 92 of the boot 88. Two elastomer ribs 61 and 63 are 
molded between the first and second ends 72 and 74 of the molded body 70, 
adjacent to opposing sides of the molded body 70. 
The molded body 70 defines a cavity 76 extending from the first end 72 to 
an opening 73 in the second end 74. The cavity 76 is sized to slid ably 
receive the elongated portion 66 of the member housing 65 encasing the 
connecting member 60. The second end 74 of the molded body 70 includes 
hook portions 77, 78 and 79 defining a receiving slot for securing the tab 
67 to the second end 74 of the molded body 70 such that the connecting 
member 60 is retained within the cavity 76. The tab 67 may have a handle 
or release button for removing the tab 67 from the receiving slot so that 
the elongated portion 66 and the encased connecting member 60 can be 
removed from the molded body 70. Thus, this configuration permits use of 
connecting members having a variety of different spring constants. 
FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the skate 80 in accordance with 
the principles of the present invention. A connecting member 100 has a 
first end 102 and a second end 104 operably connected to the cuff 90 and 
the lower shell 92, respectively. The second end 104 of the connecting 
member 100 is connected to the lower shell 92 by a fastener 106 having a 
configuration similar to the first and second fastener 46 and 48 shown and 
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The connecting member 100 is 
preferably made of spring steel or stainless steel having the same 
characteristics as previously described herein with reference to the 
connecting member 40 shown in FIG. 1. 
A molded body 110 has a first end 112 mechanically or chemically bonded to 
the cuff 90 and a second end 114 molded over the fastener 106. It will be 
apparent, however, that the second end 104 of the connecting member 100 
could be encased in the molded body 110 without the fastener 106, wherein 
the second end 114 of the body 110 would be mechanically or chemically 
bonded to the lower shell 92. The molded body 110 also has a portion 
surrounding an intermediate portion 101 of the connecting member 100, 
defining a narrow contour along the intermediate portion 101 of the 
connecting member 100. The molded body 110 may be made of a deformable 
material such as, for example, a thermoplastic material, a thermoplastic 
elastomer, or a thermoset elastomer. 
The first end 112 of the molded body 110 provides an adjustable connection 
mechanism for securing the first end 102 of the connecting member 100 to 
the cuff. The first end 112 of the molded body 110 defines serrated ridges 
116 and 118 on opposite sides of the first end 102 of the connecting 
member 100. A sliding fastener 108 secures the first end 102 of the 
connecting member 100 at a desired location along the ridges 116 and 118. 
The sliding fastener 108 is configured to securely engage the ridges 116 
and 118 at any one of a plurality of locations along the first end 102 of 
the connecting member 100. 
With the above-described configuration, a skater can secure the first end 
102 of the connecting member 100 at a desired location to selectively 
increase or decrease the spring rate of the connecting member 100 and 
thereby permit more or less flexing of the cuff 90 as desired by the 
skater. If the sliding fastener 108 secures the connecting member 100 at 
the location farthest from the second end 104 of the connecting member 
100, then the spring rate will be decreased and the skater will achieve 
the greatest amount of flexing. As the skater adjusts the sliding fastener 
108 downwardly toward the second end 104 of the connecting member 100, the 
spring rate of the connecting member will increase and, consequently, the 
cuff will have less forward and rearward movement. 
FIGS. 7 and 8 show yet another embodiment of the skate 80 in accordance 
with principles of the present invention. A connecting member 180 has a 
first end 182 connected to the cuff 90 and a second end 184 connected to 
the lower shell 92. The connecting member 180 is preferably made of a 
deformable material such as, for example, a thermoplastic material. The 
connecting member has a wide contour at the first end 182 and the second 
end 184. An intermediate portion 181 of the connecting member 180, 
extending between the first and second ends 182 and 184 of the connecting 
member 180, has a narrow contour with oppositely disposed edges forming a 
plurality of grooves 187 therein. Each of the plurality of grooves 187 is 
substantially filled with a resilient material such as, for example, an 
elastomeric material. In addition, a middle portion 186 of the connecting 
member 100 bulges outwardly in a slightly convex shape extending from the 
first end 182 to the second end 184 of the connecting member 180 between 
the plurality of grooves 187 on each of the oppositely disposed edges of 
the connecting member 180. The connecting member 180 is proportionately 
greater in length than in width to provide lateral support to the skater's 
foot. 
The elastomeric material within the plurality of grooves 187 biases the 
connecting member 180 to a rest position as shown in FIG. 10. However, the 
deformability of the elastomeric material in the plurality of grooves 187 
allows the connecting member 180 to flex forwardly and rearwardly. The 
thickness of the connecting member 180 and the middle portion 186 that 
bulges outwardly help provide lateral support to a skater's foot. The 
first and second ends 182 and 184 of the connecting member 180 may be 
mechanically or chemically bonded to the cuff and lower shell 90 and 92, 
respectively. Alternatively, the connecting member 180 could form one 
continuous body of material with the cuff 90 and the lower shell 92. This 
embodiment is relatively inexpensive and simple to manufacture because 
only synthetic materials are used and, therefore, problems involving the 
combination of dissimilar materials is eliminated. 
FIGS. 9 through 13 show various embodiments of the present invention. 
Connecting members shown in FIGS. 9-13 are shown connected to a skate 140 
with a slightly different configuration than the skates 20 and 80 shown in 
FIGS. 1 and 4, respectively. However, it will be apparent to those skilled 
in the art that the connecting members shown and described with reference 
to FIGS. 9 and 13 can be used with a wide variety of skate configurations. 
The skate 140 in FIGS. 9-13 shows a frame 142 with a plurality of wheels 
143, 144, 145 and 146 connected to the frame 142. A boot 148 having a cuff 
150 and lower shell 152 is shown connected to the frame 142. The boot 148 
has a soft cuff portion 154 and a soft foot portion 156. Closure devices 
157 and 158 are used to secure the boot 148 to a skater's foot. It will be 
apparent to those in the art that the soft cuff portion 154 and the soft 
foot portion 156 can be an unbroken continuous soft portion as shown in 
phantom in FIG. 1. 
With reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, a connecting member 120 has a first end 
122 mechanically bonded to the cuff 150 and a second end 124 mechanically 
bonded to the lower shell 152. The connecting member 120 is preferably 
made of spring steel or stainless steel having the same characteristics as 
previously described herein with reference to the connecting member 40 
shown in FIG. 1. An enlarged, perspective view of the connecting member 
120 is shown in FIG. 8. The first end 122 of the connecting member 120 
defines a plane and has a plurality of apertures 126, 126', 126", 126'". 
The second end 124 of the connecting member 120 defines a plane and has a 
plurality of apertures 128, 128', 128", 128'". Portions of the cuff 150 
encase the first end 122 of the connecting member 120 and extend through 
the apertures 126-126'" to mechanically bond the first end 122 to the cuff 
150. Portions of the lower shell 152 encase the second end 124 of the 
connecting member 120 and extend through the apertures 128-128'" to 
mechanically bond the second end 124 of the connecting member 120 to the 
lower shell 152. The cuff 150 and the lower shell 152 are preferably made 
of a semi-rigid material such as, for example, polyurethane. The planes 
defined by the first and second ends 122 and 124 of the connecting member 
120 each are substantially parallel to the common plane of rotation of the 
wheels when the first end 122 is bonded to the cuff 150 and the second end 
124 is bonded to the lower shell 152. 
An intermediate portion 121 of the connecting member 120 extending between 
the first and second ends 122 and 124 is rotated by substantially 
90.degree., forming upper and lower curvatures 130 and 132 in the 
connecting member 120. The intermediate portion 121 is rotated so that the 
connecting member 120 will flex forwardly and rearwardly, relative to the 
skate 140, along the intermediate portion 121. Finally, a soft bellows 134 
is provided around the intermediate portion 121 of the connecting member 
120 to cushion the ankle of the skater against the connecting member 120. 
FIG. 11 shows an alternative embodiment of a connecting member 160 for use 
in the skate 140, shown and described with reference to FIG. 9. The 
connecting member 160 is preferably made of spring steel or stainless 
steel having the same characteristics as previously described herein with 
reference to the connecting member 40 shown in FIG. 1. The connecting 
member 160 includes an upper forward flange 166 forwardly projected from 
one edge of a first end 162 of the connecting member 160. An upper 
rearward flange projects rearwardly from an opposite edge of the first end 
162 of the connecting member. A lower forward flange 170 projects 
forwardly from one edge of a second end 164 of the connecting member 160. 
A lower rearward flange 172 projects rearwardly from an opposite edge of 
the second end 164 of the connecting member 160. The upper forward flange 
166 has two apertures 167 (one aperture is not shown). The upper rearward 
flange 168 has two apertures 169 and 169'. The lower forward flange 170 
has two apertures (not shown). The lower rearward flange 172 has two 
apertures 173 and 173'. The attachment of the connecting member 160 to the 
cuff 150 and the lower shell 152 is similar to that described with 
reference to the connecting member 120 of FIG. 10. The first end 162 is 
mechanically bonded to the cuff 150 and the second end 164 is mechanically 
bonded to the lower shell 152. 
FIG. 12 illustrates another embodiment of the skate 140 in accordance with 
the principles of the present invention. An elongated member 204 has one 
end attached to the cuff 150 and an opposite end attached to the lower 
shell 152. Preferably, the elongated member 204 forms a continuous body of 
material with the cuff 150 and the lower shell 152 in which the body of 
material is a semi-rigid material such as, for example, polyurethane. The 
connecting member 190 includes resilient first and second columns 196 and 
200. The first column 196 has an upper end received into a first recess 
197 of the cuff 150. The first column 196 has a lower end received into a 
first recess 198 of the lower shell 152. The second column 200 has an 
upper end received into a second recess 201 in the cuff 150. The second 
column 200 has a lower end received into a second recess 202 of the lower 
shell 152. The first and second columns 196 and 200 are disposed on 
opposite sides of the elongated member 204. The first and second columns 
are preferably made of a resilient material such as, for example, an 
elastomeric material. The first and second columns 196 and 200 have a 
spring constant to bias the cuff 150 and the elongated member 204 back to 
a rest position after flexing forwardly or rearwardly. The elongated 
member 204 and the positioning of the first and second columns 196 and 200 
help provide lateral support to the skater's foot. 
FIG. 13 shows yet a further embodiment of a connecting member 210 according 
to the present invention. The connecting member 210 has a first end 212 
connected to the cuff 150 and a second end 214 connected to the lower 
shell 152. Preferably, the connecting member 212 forms a continuous body 
of material with the cuff 150 and the lower shell 152 in which the body of 
material is a semi-rigid material such as, for example, polyurethane. 
The connecting member 210 has an intermediate portion 211 between the first 
and second ends 212 and 214. The intermediate portion 211 has a narrow, 
curved contour. The connecting member 210 forms a plurality of ribs in 
close relation in the intermediate portion 211. The ribs 216 spread 
outwardly from the intermediate portion 211 to the first end 212 and 
spread outwardly from the intermediate portion 211 to the second end 214. 
The splayed rib design permits forward and rearward bending with a bias to 
a rest position as shown in FIG. 13. In addition, this configuration does 
not require any additional materials other than the semi-rigid material to 
form a molded shell. 
In all of the above-described in-line skate embodiments, a skater's ankle 
is permitted to pivot about its normal axis with the cuff flexing in the 
same forward or rearward direction. The connecting member flexes along 
substantially its entire length and reduces forces on the foot to follow 
predetermined, fixed axial movement. The connecting member is biased to 
return to a rest position after the skater stops bending his or her foot. 
The connecting members are also designed to limit the lateral movement of 
the cuff, thereby supporting the skater's ankle. 
It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and 
advantages of various embodiments of the present invention have been set 
forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure 
and function of various embodiments of the invention, this disclosure is 
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in 
matters of structure and arrangement of parts within the principles of the 
present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general 
meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.