Abstract:
A skate brake particularly suited for an inline skate includes a braking carriage formed of left and right plates spaced apart by axles that support rollers thereon. The rollers engage the wheels of the skate when the carriage is maneuvered to the appropriate elevation, and the momentum of the wheels is arrested as a result of a frictional bearing of the rollers against the carriage surface. The carriage is raised and lowed by a rocker mounted below the skate and coupled to the carriage plates, where rotation of the rocker drives the plates and the carriage downward such that the rollers contact one or more wheels. The rocker is actuated by a linkage that includes a pushrod and a second rocker that is mounted to the skate boot, allowing the user to control the braking carriage by applying pressure to a rear location of the boot.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to roller skates, and more particularly to a braking system for an inline roller skate.  
         [0002]     Inline skates were first developed according to industry sources around 1979 and have been growing in popularity ever since. Part of the reason for the recent increase in popularity of inline skating has been the technological advances in the equipment, which continue to make the sport safer and more enjoyable. One industry reports that inline skates has become a billion dollar business world wide, and the popularity of inline skates has led to the advent of inline skate clubs, inline roller hockey leagues, and many other organizations centered around inline skating.  
         [0003]     While there have been significant advances made to the equipment, three main concerns of inline skating continue to remain outstanding and require addressing. One is the safety and effectiveness of any braking system used to decelerate the skates, and more particularly the braking distance required to bring the skater to a controlled stop. The second issue stability of the system, where current systems require that the skate be placed at an angle that promotes instability and places the skater at risk for injury. The third issue is the frequency with which braking components wear out and require replacement, for many braking systems currently in use wear far too quickly in the minds of consumers. What is required is a safe and reliable braking system for an inline skate that significantly reduces the effective braking distance in a controllable manner without undue wear on the braking elements.  
         [0004]     Early braking systems for inline skates involved a protrusion on the rear boot of the brake comprised of a hard, rubber-like material that could be dragged by the skater to frictionally bring the skater to a stop. This system had many disadvantages, including the need to remove the wheels of the skate from the skating surface leading to instability, and the need to frequently replace the protrusion. Braking in this manner is also awkward and can lead to falls, and the braking distance required for controlled stopping is longer than desired. The prior art showed efforts of more advanced braking systems in an attempt to overcome the shortcomings of the old skate brakes. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,104 to Halermann, an inline skate is disclosed with a brake having disks that engage the rear wheel and the penultimate wheel of a four wheel inline skate when the skater displaces his weight backwards. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,761 to Gignoux et al., a skate brake is disclosed wherein a cylindrical body is pivoted into frictional contact with the rear and penultimate wheels of an inline skate using a linkage actuated by the rear portion of the skate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,015 to the present co-inventor discloses a brake assembly for inline skates that utilizes a brake drum extending outwardly from two inline wheels, where the brake is actuated by a linkage coupled to a pivotable portion of the skate boot. U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,462 to the present co-inventor et al also discloses a brake assembly for inline skates that includes a brake arm supported by a wheel frame, and a brake wheel ring including a radially outwardly facing circular brake contact surface positioned to contact the movable brake arm. U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,628 also to the present co-inventor et al discloses a braking device for an inline skate that includes a rotating brake member partially embedded on one or both sides of a skate wheel, and a fixed brake member positioned adjacent the rotating brake member and bendable to contact the rotating member to effect braking. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,723 to the present co-inventor et al discloses a braking system for inline skates that includes a roller turned by one or more wheels of the skate, where the roller expands outwardly and causes the outer surface to rub against a braking surface to brake the skate. The teachings of the previously identified &#39;723 patent are incorporated herein in full by reference.  
         [0005]     While each of these braking systems has their own advantages and disadvantages, the overall goal of reducing braking distance in a safe and controlled manner, along with extending the useful braking system life expectancy, has led to the development of the present invention.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A brake assembly for an inline skate includes a braking carriage having left and right mounting plates aligned parallel to the skate&#39;s wheels and spaced apart by first and second axles. The braking carriage reciprocates in a substantially vertical path between a brake disengaged elevation and a brake engaged elevation, where the elevation of the braking carriage is controlled by the user. Each axle of the braking carriage carries a braking roller, preferably in the form of first and second opposed conical disks aligned such that conical disk contacts two adjacent skate wheels along their inclined lower surfaces for rolling cooperation with the wheels in a non-slip relationship when said braking carriage occupies said brake engaged elevation. Conversely, the conical disks are spaced from said skate wheels when said braking carriage occupies said brake disengaged elevation. In the preferred embodiment, the base of the conical disks frictionally bears against an inner surface of a respective mounting plate when said braking carriage occupies said brake engaged elevation.  
         [0007]     A first rocker member having an input arm and an output arm is mounted below the skate and includes drive pins that engage the braking carriage at the mounting plates and vertically displace the braking carriage through the rotation of said first rocker between the brake engaged elevation and the brake disengaged elevation. A user controlled actuator mechanism coupled to said first rocker at said input arm drives said first rocker in a first direction for moving the braking carriage to the brake engaged elevation, where the actuator mechanism may comprise a pushrod mounted between the first rocker and a second rocker located near the back of the skate. The second rocker is rotated by a linkage such as a wishbone-shaped member that couples a movable portion of the skate boot to the second rocker. The brake assembly includes a restoring member such as a mechanical spring coupled to said first and second rockers for returning said first rocker to a position corresponding to said brake disengaged elevation.  
         [0008]     Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the features of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     An understanding of the invention may be realized by reference to the drawings and their description below, in conjunction with the detailed description of the preferred embodiment. However, it is to be understood that the drawings and the detailed description is not intended to limit the invention or its scope to only those embodiments depicted or described, but rather the scope of the invention is to be construed solely by the words of the claims appended hereto.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a side view, partially in shadow, of the boot and skate brake combination showing the elements of the skate brake in a first embodiment, with the boot in a sleep position and the brake system deactivated;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a side view, partially in shadow, of the boot and skate brake combination of  FIG. 1  with the boot in the flexed position and the brake system active;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the skate brake system of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the skate brake system of  FIG. 1  focusing in the brake wheel interaction;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is an elevated perspective view, partially in shadow, of the interaction of the conical disk with the skate wheels;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of the brake system of  FIG. 1  with the brake system deactivated; and  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of the brake system of  FIG. 1  with the brake system activated. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]     A skate equipped with a brake system of the present invention is generally shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , wherein a skate boot  15  is equipped with a wheel assembly incorporating the braking system. To mount the wheel assembly to the underside of the skate boot  15 , a front block  20  is mounted to the underside of the boot  15  just forward of the position of the ball of the foot, and an aft block  25  is mounted to the underside of the boot adjacent the heel. The front and aft blocks can be separate components that are affixed to the bottom of the skate, or with certain molded skate bottoms the blocks can be integrally formed therewith. The front block  20  and aft block  25  may be secured to the boot with simple mechanical fasteners such as a threaded bolts  26 , which in combination with a mounting bracket  35  placed inside the boot to fix the blocks to the skate boot (fastener and mounting bracket shown in  FIG. 3  only for aft block). In each block  20 , 25  lateral threaded holes  40  secure left and right wheel chassis plates  50  to the blocks  20 , 25 . The chassis plates  50  include countersunk holes  55  aligned with the lateral threaded holes  40  in the front and aft blocks to receive fasteners (not shown) therethrough, where the fasteners pass through the chassis plates at holes  50  and into the threaded holes  40  to secure the chassis plates  50  to the skate boot blocks  20 , 25 .  
         [0018]     The chassis plates  50  also include four countersunk wheel holes  65  equally spaced along their bottom edge and coinciding with the axles  85  of the inline skate wheels  70 . Each wheel  70  is mounted between the chassis plates  50  using fasteners  75  which serve to mount each of the four wheels  70  while permitting free rotation of the wheels on their respective axles  85 .  
         [0019]     The skate boot  15  is further equipped with a hinged or pivoting rear ankle cuff or brace  90  (shown as element 37 in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,723 to the co-inventor, the complete disclosure of which in incorporated herein by reference) formed as part of the boot structure near the Achilles heel area, where the ankle brace  90  is hinged about pins  95  on the left and right sides of the boot  15 . The brace  90  can be pivoted or rotated backwards by the skater while skating by extending the skate forward whilst maintaining contact with the ground. This extension of the skater&#39;s foot places pressure on the brace by the skater&#39;s lower leg, causing a rotational movement about the pins  95  as the brace  90  pivots rearward. In  FIG. 1 , the unflexed or normal skating position results in an angle Δ between the foot and the leg that is less than ninety degrees, whereas in  FIG. 2  the extension of the foot forward results in the angle Δ increasing to greater than ninety degrees. Of course, other skate boot configurations can result in different angles than those shown, which are intended to be exemplary only. This shift in the position of the skater&#39;s leg supplies the impetus for the braking system of the present invention.  
         [0020]     In a first preferred embodiment, a rigid, wishbone-shaped member  100  is fixed to the ankle brace  90  at first and second ends  105 . In general, the wishbone member  100  can be replaced with other configurations for mechanically translating a rearwardly directed force exerted on the brace  90  to an aft rocker  115  mounted behind the skate. The wishbone shaped member  100  is mounted to an aft rocker  115  secured between the chassis plates  50  at the rear portion of the assembly. The aft rocker  115  may be comprised of two parallel spaced apart plates  118  separated by a gap  119  that receives an outwardly projecting tab  117  at the center  110  of the wishbone member  100 . The tab  117  preferably includes an aperture sized to receive a pin  116  passing through holes  121  in the spaced apart plates  118  of the aft rocker  115 , as well as the aperture in the tab  117  to secure the tab  117  therebetween and thereby rigidly couple the wishbone member  100  to the aft rocker  115 . In a preferred embodiment, the spaced apart plates  118  may include a series of holes  121  that may cooperate with the pin  116  to vary the location of the tab  117 , thereby adjusting the mechanical advantage or rotational translation of the rocker arm  140  with a given force supplied by the wishbone member  100 .  
         [0021]     The aft rocker  115  includes a pivot pin  120  about which the aft rocker  115  rotates, where each end of the pivot pin  120  is seated inside respective cavities  125  located on the inner surface  130  of each chassis plate  50 . A pair of mechanical spacers  135  ride on the pivot pin  120  on opposite sides of the aft rocker  115  to help position the rocker between the chassis plates  50  and permit free movement of the rocker about its pivot pin  120 . The rocker  115  is oriented when in a “sleep” or park status so as to establish an upper arm  140  coupled to the wishbone member  100  at the tab  117 , and a lower arm  145  coupled to a pushrod  150 .  
         [0022]     Further, the rocker  115  is configured such that a rearward movement of the brace  90  by the skater as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  will exert a force on the upper arm  140  of the rocker  115  through the wishbone member  100 , which rotates the upper arm  140  about the pivot pin  120  away from the boot (i.e. clockwise direction shown by arrow  155  in  FIG. 1 ). Rotation of the rocker  115  about the pivot pin  120  causes an accompanying linear, forward translation of the pushrod  150  against the biasing force of a return spring  160 . The return spring  160  ensures that the braking carriage discussed below is returned to its home or sleep position after the force on the rocker upper arm  140  is relieved.  
         [0023]     As seen in  FIG. 5 , the pushrod  150  has a head portion  146  at a proximal end  152  that may include a hexagonal opening  147  or alternate slot for receiving a tool, and an elongate body portion  148  having a threaded portion  149  at a distal end  151 . The head portion  146  has a larger diameter than the body portion  148 , such that the body portion  148  passes freely through a cylindrical lug  156  in the lower arm  145  of the rocker  115  but the head portion  146  is prohibited from passing through the lug  156 . The body portion  148  of the pushrod  150  includes a first radially outwardly projecting washer  158  located adjacent the cylindrical lug  156  of the rocker lower arm  145 , and a second radially outwardly projecting washer  159  just aft of the channel  165  in the aft block  25 . The return spring  160  resides between the washers  158 ,  159  and supplies the restoring force that resists forward movement of the pushrod  150  and biases the rocker  115  to its non-braking or sleep position shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]     The pushrod  150  passes through the open channel  165  in the aft block  25  and connects to a front rocker  170  through a second cylindrical lug  171 . Unlike the lug  156 , the cylindrical lug  171  is preferably threaded to engage the threaded portion  149 . Rotation of the pushrod  150 , as may be accomplished by placing a suitable tool in the hexagonal opening  147  and rotating the tool, will have the effect of shorting or lengthening the distance between the cylindrical lug  171  of the front rocker  170  and cylindrical lug  156  of the aft rocker  115 . The effect of shortening or lengthening the distance between the two rockers is discussed below.  
         [0025]     The front rocker  170  is mounted between the chassis plates  50  via a pivot pin  180  passing through holes  185  in each chassis plate. The upper arm  190  of the front rocker  170  may be comprised of two spaced apart parallel plates  195  each with traverse holes into which the cylindrical lug  171  is received. The lower arm  200  of the front rocker  170  includes a pair of outwardly directed traverse drive pins or projections  205  (see  FIG. 4 ) disposed on opposite side surfaces  209  of the lower arm  200  near an edge thereof. Each projection  205  passes through one of a pair of left and right brake plates  210  at an aperture  215  sized to receive the projection  205 . Preferably, the aperture  215  is roughly centered longitudinally to minimize torque on the front rocker arm  170 .  
         [0026]     The brake plates  210  move substantially in the vertical direction and in unison when driven by the front rocker  170  via the drive projections  205 . That is, the brake plates  210  by virtue of the force applied by the projections  205  at the apertures  215  are driven downward as the pushrod  150  moves forward. As may best be seen in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , fixed between the brake plates  210  are front axle  291  and rear axle  292 , where the axles and brake plates  210  cooperate to form a rigid braking carriage. On each axle is seated two frustoconical disks  220  (also referred to as “diabolos”) positioned between the first and second wheels  70  and between the third and fourth wheels  70 .  
         [0027]     When the front rocker  170  is in the sleep position the brake plates  210  are positioned such that there is a clearance between the frustoconical disks  220  and the wheels as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , and there is no braking force applied. However, when the user supplied braking force is applied causing the pushrod  150  to rotate the front rocker  170 , the projections  205  on the front rocker  170  drive the brake plates  210  downward thereby engaging the disks  220  against the wheels  70  of the skates as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 7 . As the disks  210  contact the wheels  70 , they are forced outward along the axles  291 , 292  until the flat braking surface  230  of each disk bears against the inner surface  222  of the brake plates  210 . The engagement of the wheels  70  with the conical disks  220  is preferably non-slip, so that the slippage occurs between the braking surface  230  and the brake plate  210 . This frictional interaction can be enhanced by making the opposing surfaces rougher, increasing the coefficient of friction between the mating surfaces.  
         [0028]     As the disks  220  engage the spinning wheels  70 , the disks are slowed by the contact of the base  230  against the brake plates  210  at surfaces  222  such that the momentum of the wheels is retarded or arrested. Because the disks engage the wheels in a preferably non-slip relationship, the slowing of the disks in turn slows the skate wheels. In this manner, the four wheels  70  of the skate are brought to a stop in a controlled manner without locking up the wheels that result in premature wear. In a preferred embodiment, the disks  220  can be separated on their respective axles when in the non-braking position by a simple spring  224 , forcing the disks  220  against the brake plates  210  and the brake plates  210  against the chassis plates  50  to prevent vibration and rattling of the disks and plates during operation of the skates.  
         [0029]     The brake plates  210  each include an oblong hole  240  through which the pivot pin  180  passes, where the oblong shape in the vertical direction allows the brake plates  210  to move vertically with respect to the fixed pivot pin  180 . The brake plates  210  further include cut out portions  245  coinciding with the axes  85  of the second and third wheels  70  to permit clearance between the axes and the lower portion of the brake plate  210 . Finally, the brake plates  210  include first and second holes  250  that receive the axles  291 ,  292  of the disks  220 , where said axles extend into a recess  260  formed in the inner surface  130  of each chassis plate  50 . The holes  250  are preferably oblong in the horizontal direction to allow the disks  220  to settle into their maximum contact with the wheels  70  coinciding with the lowermost position of the disks  220 , such that the pressure of the disks against the adjacent wheels is substantially equal. In the same vein, the mounting of the braking chassis on holes  240  can be configured by widening the holes to allow the braking carriage to locate the optimum position between the skate wheels for equal pressure on all four wheels.  
         [0030]     The pushrod  150  can be a single unit or alternatively formed of two separate pieces where an elongate body portion includes an internal longitudinal tapped cavity that receives the end of a head piece. The head piece  146  can be fused to the body portion  148  to form a rigid member that is captivated by the aft rocker  115  at the cylindrical lug  156 . As stated above, the cylindrical lug  156  permits rotation of the neck  259  of the head piece, and the joint  266  between the head piece  146  and body portion  148  is fixed such that rotation of the head piece  146  rotates the body portion  148 —including the threaded distal end  151  that engages the front rocker  170 . Because the coupling of the distal end  151  of the pushrod  150  with the front rocker is threaded, rotation of the head piece  146  will move the aft rocker lower arm  145  backward and forward depending on the direction of rotation, which in turn sets the position of the wishbone  100  that initiates the braking action. Personal preferences and anatomical differences between skaters necessitate adjustment to the relationship between the movement of the skater&#39;s leg and the position that begins the braking process, and the change in the effective length of the pushrod via rotation of the head member accomplishes the control over this relationship.  
         [0031]     The method and apparatus for carrying out the method described above is illustrative of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize variations of the above-described methods and apparatus, and such variations should be considered within the scope of the invention. The above described methods and apparatus are not intended to the limiting in any manner, and the scope of the invention should be measured by the words of the appended claims, taken in their ordinary meaning in conjunction with the specification and documents cited therein.