SKATE

Abstract: A skate comprises a boot and an ice skate blade (24) with fixed molded plastics support (22). The molded plastics support (22) includes a boot receiving means (26) having the outline of the sole of the boot and having a ridge (28) adap­ ted to be fixed to the base of the boot. The support (22) may be fixed to the boot by way of a suitable adhesive, and the boot receiving portion (26) of the support replaces the sole of the boot.

Description: The present invention relates to a skate comprising a boot, a runner and a runner support wherein the runner support is made of a one piece molded plastics material and represents an elongate member extending in the longitudinal axis of the runner, the runner being secured to the elongate member, the upper part of said elongate member being designed as a boot receiving member having the outline of a full sole (i.e. sole and heel portions) of a boot and having a continuous peripheral ridge portion. Since the introduction of the molded plastic skate blade support, the majority of ice skates being sold today includes such blade supports as a runner support. Previously, skate blade supports were manufactured out of sheet metal, and the process required skilled labour and considerable time. With molding techniques, the metal blade is merely placed in a mold and the plastic material is injected into the mold, thus anchored to the blade. In some cases, however, the blade is made removable from the molded support. The manner of fixing the blade and blade support to the boot has, however, not changed. Traditionally, a leather or nylon fabric skate boot is formed on a last, a sole is applied, and then the blade support is fixed to the sole by riveting. This latter step is time consuming. Exemplary of the prior art are CA-A- 984 422 and US-A- 4 088 335, dating from 1974 and 1976 respectively, as well as BE-A- 734 493 dating back to 1968. Although in the last reference the manner wherein the sole of the boot is fixed to the runner support is not indicated, it may be assumed that this will have been done with the aid of nuts and bolts or rivets just as in the more recent Canadian and American references. The design of the plastic skate blade support is such as to simulate the metal supports, particularly with respect to the fore and aft platforms adapted to be riveted to the sole and heel portions of the full sole of the finished boot. In addition to the process of attachment of the blade support to the sole of the boot being time consuming, it has been found that the riveted skate support to the sole of the boot does not transmit completely the driving force applied through the boot by the skater to the blade. Since the support is attached to the sole at spaced-apart riveting points, some of the driving energy is absorbed in the slight separation of the blade support platforms from the sole, either on one side or the other, due to the torsional dimension of the driving forces being transmitted. It is an aim of the present invention to provide an improved boot and molded plastic blade support combination which avoids all or most riveting, thus reducing the time required to assemble the skate. It is a further aim of the present invention to improve the transmission of the driving forces from the skater's foot to the blade by eliminating the tendency of separation between the support platforms and the boot. It is a further aim of the present invention to eliminate the full sole applied to the skate boot in the case of a last-made boot, and to thus reduce weight and cost, while providing a more efficient skate. It is understood that the term "skate", as used in this specification, means a combination boot, support and runner, and that the runner may be an ice skate blade, rollers for roller skates, etc. Consequently, the present invention relates to a skate comprising a boot, a runner and a runner support wherein the runner support is made of a one piece molded plastics material and represents an elongate member extending in the longitudinal axis of the runner, the runner being secured to the elongate member, the upper part of said elongate member being designed as a boot receiving member having the outline of a full sole (i.e. sole and heel portions) of a boot and having a continuous peripheral ridge portion characterized in that the peripheral ridge portion of the boot receiving member is adapted for continuous attachment of the inwardly turned edges of the lower of a last-formed boot having only an insole and that means for securing the peripheral ridge portion to the lower of the boot are present . In a more specific embodiment of the present invention, the runner is in the form of an ice skate blade, fixed and anchored in a longitudinal portion of the support and pedestals extend from the longitudinal portion, the pedestals being hollow and opened towards the top of the support, and the peripheral ridge portion surrounds the cavities of the hollowed-out pedestals. It is understood that the support can be advantageously utilized with a molded plastics skate boot even though the skate boot might itself have an integral sole. It has been a quest of skate manufacturers for some time to provide an integral skate boot and skate support. However, because the rigidity of the plastics material for the boot is different from that required for the blade support, the one-piece skate boot and molded support has been acceptable only in the lower price range of skates. However, by molding the support and the boot of separate and distinct plastics, the two elements can be joined together by a proper adhesive and provide the advantages of a one-piece integral support and boot. Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing by way of illustration, a preferred embodiment thereof, and in which: Figure 1 is a side exploded view of the conventional skate showing the skate boot, the sole and the blade support; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken transversely of a skate of the type shown in Figure 1, again illustrating the conventional skate construction; Figure 3 is an exploded view in perspective of the blade support in accordance with the present invention and a boot; Figure 4 is a side elevation similar to Figure 1, but illustrating the present invention; Figure 5 is a side elevation of the completed skate; and Figure 6 is a lateral cross-section similar to Figure 2, but of the skate in accordance with the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the conventional skate construction includes a last-formed skate boot 10, including a lower 12 and a sole 14 which is applied to the lower of the boot 10 while still on the last. The molded blade support 16, including a skate blade 18, is attached to the sole 14 by means of rivets 20. The blade support of the present invention is a one-piece molded item 22 in which is provided a metal blade 24. The support 22 has a boot receiving member 26 which has a full outline of a sole of the boot. A peripheral ridge 28 surrounds the molded cavities forming the hollow pedestals 32 and 34. The peripheral ridge 28 is adapted to conform with the inwardly turned edges 36 of the lower 38 of the boot. An insole 44 is placed upon the inwardly turned edges 36. In the present embodiment, an upstanding flange 42 or rim extends around the periphery of the ridge 28. The purpose of the flange is to ensure that no spaces are left after the boot and support are fixed together. The flange 42 acts as a buffer between the two elements being fixed together. It is contemplated that a suitable adhesive will be used which will be spread along the ridge 28 and would adhere to the inwardly extending portions 36 of the lower 38. It is contemplated that in certain circumstances, some rivets might be needed which would pass through the ridge 28 through the inwardly extending edges 36 to ensure secure fixing of the support to the boot.

Claims: A skate comprising a boot, a runner and a runner support wherein the runner support is made of a one piece molded plastics material and represents an elongate member extending in the longitudinal axis of the runner, the runner being secured to the elongate member, the upper part of said elongate member being designed as a boot receiving member (26) having the outline of a full sole (i.e. sole and heel portions) of a boot and having a continuous peripheral ridge portion characterized in that the peripheral ridge portion (28) of the boot receiving member (26) is adapted for continuous attachment of the inwardly turned edges (36) of the lower (38) of a last-formed boot (40) having only an insole (44) and that means for securing the peripheral ridge portion to the lower of the boot are present. The skate as defined in claim 1, wherein the runner is in the form of an ice skate blade (24) fixed and anchored in a longitudinal portion of the support (22) and pedestals (32, 34) extend from the longitudinal portion, the pedestals being hollow and opened towards the top of the support, and the peripheral ridge portion (28) surrounds the cavities of the hollowed-out pedestals. The skate according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the peripheral ridge (28) is bounded by an upstanding flange (42). The skate according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, wherein the means for fixing the ridge portion (28) of the boot receiving member to the lower (38) of the boot is an adhesive. The skate as defined in any of claims 1-4 being an ice skate.

Inventors: BOURQUE, RENE, OLIVIERI, ICARO, Bourque, René
Applicants: WARRINGTON INC.
Application year: 1985
Main classification: A63C1
IPC codes: A63C1, A43B5