Guard for in-line roller skate

There is provided a guard for an in-line roller skate, which includes an elongated member defining a wheel receiving channel. The channel has a bottom and a pair of opposed sidewalls, which extend upwardly from the bottom terminating in a remote edge. The remote edge of the sidewalls define a wheel insertion opening to receive wheels of an in-line roller skate. At least one transverse roller is positioned across the channel near the remote edge of the sidewalls.

FIELD

There is described a guard for an in-line roller skate.

BACKGROUND

Many businesses do not allow customers to wear in-line roller skates while at the business premises. This policy is based upon a legitimate concern that a person wearing roller skates may crash into other patrons or crash into merchandize displays. The policy is also based upon liability concerns, should the person wearing roller skates experience a fall while on the business premises.

Users of in-line roller skates are greatly limited in the number of activities that they can engage in while wearing their in-line roller skates, by virtue of the fact that the skates are designed to roll. They must remove their in-line roller skates and don normal footwear each time they engage in such activities as climbing up or down stairs or walking up and down steep grades.

There are guards for in-line roller skates disclosed in the patent literature, such as published Canadian patent application 2,176,769 (Fenton) titled “Roller Blade Guard” and U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,059 (Guyon et al) titled “In-line Skate Guard”.

SUMMARY

There is provided a guard for an in-line roller skate, which includes an elongated member defining a wheel receiving channel. The channel has a bottom and a pair of opposed sidewalls, which extend upwardly from the bottom terminating in a remote edge. The remote edge of the sidewalls define a wheel insertion opening to receive wheels of an in-line roller skate. At least one transverse roller is positioned across the channel near the remote edge of the sidewalls.

While the guard, as described above, will work with just one transverse roller, having two or more transverse rollers positioned across the channel at spaced intervals is preferred. The rollers serve a number of functions. The rollers assist in guiding the wheels of an in-line roller skate the channel. The rollers also prevent the in-line roller skate from moving axially along the channel. The rollers also serve to maintain the connection between the channel and the in-line roller skate, so the guard does not fall off the in-line roller skate when a user raises his or her foot when walking.

While the guard will work as described above, having open ends at each of the opposed ends of the channel will add flexibility to the channel. Flexible sidewalls are preferred. Increasing flexibility in the channel and sidewalls will allow the user to more easily pop the guard on and off of an in-line skate.

Although the guard will work as described above, it has been determined that the guard will work best when the sidewalls converge near the remote edge. The sidewalls converge such that wheels of an in-line roller skate are maintained within the channel by a clamping force of the remote edges. Having converging sidewalls increases the holding force of the channel on a skate.

Further, while the guard will work as described above, it is preferred that the remote edges of the sidewalls terminate in opposed diverging guide flanges that guide wheels of an in-line roller skate into the channel. It serves to strengthen the top of the guide channel and increase the ease of use of the guard for a user as a user may stomp down on the guard without exact precision and be guided into the channel by the guide flanges.

The bottom of the channel can be said to have an inner surface (positioned within the channel) and an outer surface (underlying the elongated member). Lastly, it preferred that one or more pads be positioned on the outer surface. Such pads provide a dampening effect and enables the user to walk around with minimal noise, added traction and without scuffing or otherwise damaging flooring. The pads on the bottom of the guard are a convenience that provide additional comfort and safety, but are not necessary for the guard to function as designed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A guard, generally identified by reference numeral20, will now be described with reference toFIG. 1throughFIG. 3.

Structure and Relationship of Parts:

Referring toFIG. 1, guard20includes an elongated member21defining a wheel receiving channel22. Wheel receiving channel22can be considered to have a bottom24with an inner surface26(within channel22) and an outer surface28(serving as a bottom for elongated member21). A pair of opposed flexible sidewalls30extend upwardly from bottom24and converge terminating in a remote edges32, which defines a wheel insertion opening33.

Three transverse rollers34are positioned across channel22at spaced intervals near remote edge32of sidewalls30. Rollers34have shafts35that are journaled in openings37along remote edge32of sidewalls30. It is generally preferred that the number of rollers correspond with one less than the number of wheels on a user's in-line roller skate.

There are one or more pads36on outer surface28of bottom24.

Sidewalls30terminate in opposed diverging guide flanges38. Referring toFIG. 2, as will hereinafter be further described, wheels102of an in-line roller skate100are guided by guide flanges38into channel22.

Referring toFIG. 1, channel22is illustrated as having opposed ends that are open at each of the opposed ends. Open opposed ends are preferred as they lend towards more flexible sidewalls30. Having sidewalls30that are flexible is preferred as it assists in the ease of insertion and removal of guard20from an in-line roller skate. However, it will be appreciated that the ends do not have to be open as long as any closure positioned at the ends do not reduce the clamping effect of sidewalls30on the wheels of the in-line roller skate.

Referring toFIG. 2, a user starts by aligning in-line roller skate100with channel22of guard20, such that rollers34are positioned in between wheels102of in-line roller skate100. Once rollers34are positioned in between wheels102, the user exerts a downward force upon guide flanges38by stepping down with his or her heel. The downward forces sidewalls30to diverge and wheels102of in-line roller skate100are guided by guide flanges38into channel22. Referring toFIG. 3, once wheels102of in-line roller skate100are in channel22, sidewalls30resiliently return back to their original state to exert a clamping force on the wheels102. Rollers34are wedged in between wheels102and provide an additional holding force. The clamping force of converging sidewalls30and the wedging of rollers34in between wheels102of in-line roller skate100provide the hold necessary to keep in-line roller skate100in channel22of guard20. Such a hold enables the user to walk around with guard20firmly attached to in-line roller skate100. Wheels of an in-line roller skate are maintained within channel22by a clamping force created by converging sidewalls30. Axial movement of in-line roller skate100along channel22is precluded by rollers34.

Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 3, Pads36on outer surface28of bottom24allows the user to walk around indoor establishments without making much noise and also protects indoor flooring from scratches. Pads36also provide the benefit of added traction to prevent the user from slipping while walking around with guard20attached to in-line roller skate100.

To remove guard20from the in-line roller skate, the user simply needs to exert force to pull guard20downwards and away from wheels102of in-line roller skate100. In doing so, sidewalls30diverge and rollers24roll to allow wheels102to slide out of channel22. As shown inFIG. 1, once the wheels are out of channel22, sidewalls30return back to their original convergent state. It is best to find a stable object to support yourself, lift skate up and then pull straight down to remove guard20.

The method of attachment of the above described guard allows a user to quickly and easily attach and remove the guard to and from a pair of in-line roller skates. This ease of use is ideal as it allows the user to travel over difficult or dangerous terrain, go up or down stairs, go up or down slopes or move in and out of indoor establishments seamlessly and without hassle. Such a feature complements a widespread adoption of rollerblades as a form of commute.

The scope of the claims should not be limited by the illustrated embodiments set forth as examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with a purposive construction of the claims in view of the description as a whole.