Abstract:
An adjustment device, particularly for adjusting the length of a skate, which comprises a frame provided with first connection elements to two or more wheels, a shell associated with the frame in order to accommodate at least the heel of the user, and a toe unit slidingly associated with the shell and/or frame in order to accommodate the tip of the user&#39;s foot. The device comprises a slider means that can be actuated by the user, and is substantially transversely associated to the toe unit in contrast with an elastic element and interact selectively with the frame and/or shell.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a shoe, particularly to a skate with in-line wheels that allows size adjustment.  
           [0002]    Nowadays it is known to manufacture skates provided with a frame that supports a plurality of in-line wheels and is associated, in an upward region, with a shell of adjustable length, so as to allow the skate to be used by different people or, if the user is still growing, by the same user for a long period of time.  
           [0003]    In this regard, U.S. Ser. No. 10/318,296 discloses a skate provided with a frame for supporting a plurality of in-line wheels, which is associated in an upward region with a heel unit above which a cuff is in turn associated, said cuff wrapping around the lower part of the leg of the user.  
           [0004]    A toe unit is further associated with the front part of the frame and can slide longitudinally so as to allow to vary, by way of the activation of suitable adjustment means, the size of said skate according to the size of the foot of the user.  
           [0005]    The toe unit and the heel unit constitute a shell for containing, together with the cuff, an advantageously soft innerboot.  
           [0006]    Said innerboot, made of non-stretch material, is provided at the toe with a suitable longitudinal elongation device, which is constituted for example by stretchable bands.  
           [0007]    The adjustment means used in said skate comprise an actuator, which is arranged outside said frame approximately below the toe unit and can be actuated directly by the user so as to arrange said toe unit selectively with respect to the frame.  
           [0008]    In particular, the actuator has a first position, in which said toe unit can slide freely with respect to the frame, and a second position, in which the toe unit is locked with respect to the frame.  
           [0009]    The main drawback of this known type of skate consists of the fact that the toe unit and the heel unit, in order to perform a suitable containment of the foot, must have raised lateral edges that partially overlap each other according to a telescopic configuration.  
           [0010]    Another drawback of the cited known type of skate relates to the fact that said telescopic arrangement of the toe unit and the heel unit requires precision manufacturing, with low tolerances, so as to avoid the possibility of jamming or the presence of excessive clearances.  
           [0011]    Another drawback is the fact that the presence of a toe unit and of a heel unit that have a large surface causes low comfort and reduced breathability for the foot, since these components are usually made of rigid and non-breathable materials.  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,140 is also known which discloses a device that is adapted to adjust the length of a skate and is arranged below the frame.  
           [0013]    Such known type of device is constituted by a lever that activates the movement of a pivot that is arranged at right angles and below the frame and is provided with a toothed tab that is adapted to interact with a complementarily shaped set of teeth formed below said frame.  
           [0014]    The main drawback of such known type of adjustment device is the fact that its manual activation is particularly awkward and troublesome, since the user must act at a region that is located below the skate frame.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0015]    The aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the above noted problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the cited known art, and thus to provide a skate with adjustable size that is highly comfortable for the user, said adjustable size entailing low manufacturing costs.  
           [0016]    Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a skate that allows to perform mostly simple and rapid manufacturing operations that entail very low manufacturing costs.  
           [0017]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a skate that has reduced weight and dimensions, said structure allowing good breathability and at the same time optimum containment of the foot and effective transmission of forces to the ground.  
           [0018]    Another object of the invention is to provide a skate whose size can be modified always rapidly and effectively, without the possibility of causing jamming or other adjustment defects.  
           [0019]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a skate that is sturdy and aesthetically pleasant.  
           [0020]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a skate that is structurally simple and has low manufacturing costs.  
           [0021]    This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an adjustment device, particularly for adjusting the length of a skate, said skate comprising:  
           [0022]    a frame provided with first means for connection to two or more wheels;  
           [0023]    a shell, which is associated with said frame in order to accommodate at least the heel of the user;  
           [0024]    a toe unit, which is slidingly associated with said shell and/or said frame in order to accommodate the tip of the user&#39;s foot;  
           [0025]    characterized in that it comprises slider means that can be actuated by the user, are associated substantially transversely to said toe unit in contrast with elastic means, and interact selectively with said frame and/or shell.  
           [0026]    Advantageously, in said adjustment device said slider means comprise second engagement means, which are adapted to act selectively with one or more abutment elements, which are associated with said frame and/or said shell. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0027]    Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of a particular embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of some components of a skate, such as a frame associated with a shell, a cuff, a toe unit and a slider;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a detail of FIG. 1, taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 3 is a partial bottom perspective view of the skate with which the toe unit is associable;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 4 and 5 are two separate top perspective views of the toe unit, with which a slider is associable so that it can slide transversely;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIGS. 6 and 7 are two separate partially sectional views, taken along a longitudinal plane, of the frame associated with the toe unit, with the slider respectively in the temporary locking position and in the release position;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the invention, taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the invention, taken along the line IX-IX of FIG. 7;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIGS. 10 and 11 are two separate top perspective views of the toe unit associated with the frame, with the slider shown respectively in the temporary locking position and in the release position. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0036]    In the examples of embodiment that follow, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other examples of embodiments.  
         [0037]    With reference to the figures, the reference numeral  1  generally designates a skate, which is shown partially and comprises a frame  2 .  
         [0038]    In the described embodiment, the frame  2  has a transverse cross-section that is preferably shaped like an inverted letter U and is therefore provided with a first flat base  3 , at the ends of which two first wings, generally designated by the reference numeral  4 , protrude downward and approximately at right angles.  
         [0039]    The frame  2  is provided with first means for connection to one or more in-line wheels, not shown, which are preferably constituted by one or more pairs of through holes, which are designated by the reference numeral  5  and are formed at matching regions of the first wings  4 , and by seats for pivots for the pivoting of said wheels.  
         [0040]    Said holes  5  are provided proximate to the lower edge of each wing  4  so as to be arranged in succession with respect to each other at a preset distance from each other.  
         [0041]    A shell  6  is associated with the frame  2  in an upward region and affects, or extends over a portion of the base  3  that corresponds to the region of the foot that goes from the heel to approximately the plantar arch.  
         [0042]    More particularly, the shell  6  is constituted by a first flat and horizontal plate  7 , which is associated or rigidly coupled above the base  3 .  
         [0043]    The first plate  7  is provided, laterally and at the rear, with a first raised edge  8  for wrapping around the heel of the foot.  
         [0044]    A cuff  9  for wrapping around the lower part of the leg of the user is associated in an upward region with said first raised edge  8  so that it can rotate about a pivoting axis that is substantially transverse to the base  3 .  
         [0045]    One or more fastening levers  13  for a soft innerboot, not shown, are associable with the cuff and with the shell.  
         [0046]    At the first upper surface, designated by the reference numeral  10 , of the first plate  7  there is a first slot  11  that is provided longitudinally starting from the front edge of said plate and has a substantially C-shaped profile in a transverse cross-section.  
         [0047]    The front end of the first slot  11  is partially closed transversely because two first tabs, generally designated by the reference numeral  12 , are associated or rigidly coupled thereto.  
         [0048]    At the front of the frame  2  it is possible to associate slidingly a toe unit, designated by the reference numeral  14 , which comprises a second flat base  15  that is provided laterally and at the front with a second raised edge  16  for partially wrapping around the tip of the foot.  
         [0049]    The second base  15  can rest at least partially at the first front region, designated by the reference numeral  17 , of the base  3 , which is not affected by the shell  6 .  
         [0050]    The reference numeral  18  designates the tips of the second raised edge  16  that protrude to the rear of the second base  15 .  
         [0051]    A second flat tab  20  protrudes at right angles to the third rear edge, designated by the reference numeral  19 , of the second base  15 , approximately at a central axis; said tab has an approximately T-shaped plan shape and lies on the same plane as the second base  15 .  
         [0052]    The second tab  20  is therefore provided with a stem  21 , which is connected at one end at right angles to the third rear edge  19  of the second base  15  and is provided, at the opposite end, with a head  22  that is approximately as wide as the first slot  11  of the first plate  7  of the shell  6 .  
         [0053]    It is therefore possible to insert the second tab  20  in the first slot  11  by way of a downward movement.  
         [0054]    Said first slot therefore allows the sliding engagement of the second tab  20  until said tab abuts against the first tabs  12 , so as to prevent the axial extraction of said second tab  20  from said first slot  11 .  
         [0055]    Abutment elements protrude upward and at right angles to the first front region  17  and from the base  3  of the frame  2  and are preferably constituted by a plurality of first toothed profiles  23  and by a plurality of second toothed profiles  24 , each of which is arranged along a same longitudinal axis and is parallel to the others.  
         [0056]    The first toothed profiles  23  are therefore constituted by a plurality of first teeth, each designated by the reference numeral  25   a , which are arranged mutually in succession at a preset distance from each other.  
         [0057]    Likewise, the second toothed profiles  24  are constituted by a plurality of second teeth, each designated by the reference numeral  25   b , which are identical to the first teeth  25   a , so as to allow the alignment, along an axis that is transverse to the first base  3 , of each first tooth  25   a  with a corresponding second tooth  25   b.    
         [0058]    A gap, designated by the reference numeral  50 , is formed between each one of said first teeth  25   a  and between each one of said second teeth  25   b.    
         [0059]    The first teeth  25   a  and the second teeth  25   b  also have, in a cross-section taken transversely to the base  3 , a shape that is approximately like an inverted letter L, and are therefore provided with a first wing  26 , which at one end is connected at right angles to the base  3  and at the opposite end is connected to a first protrusion  27 , which protrudes laterally thereto and is directed toward the outer edges of the base  3 .  
         [0060]    A second slot  29  and a third slot  30  are formed longitudinally at the second lower surface, designated by the reference numeral  28 , of the second base  15  of the toe unit  14 ; said slots are parallel to each other at a distance equal to the distance between the first toothed profiles  23  and the second toothed profiles  24 , so as to slidingly accommodate them.  
         [0061]    Said second slot  29  and said third slot  30  have, in a transverse cross-section, a shape that is advantageously complementary to the shape of the first teeth  25   a  and of the second teeth  25   b , so as to allow, by way of a front insertion of the toe unit  14 , to slidingly position said first and second teeth at said second and third slots, respectively.  
         [0062]    The toe unit  14  is therefore allowed to slide substantially longitudinally with respect to the base  3 ; furthermore, if said toe unit  14  is pulled upward, the interaction of the first protrusions  27  with the respective surfaces of said second slot  29  and said third slot  30  prevents any vertical extraction of said toe unit  14  with respect to the first base  3 .  
         [0063]    A fourth slot  31  and a fifth slot  32  are also formed transversely to the second lower surface  28  of the second base  15 , preferably at a region that is adjacent to the second tab  20 , affect or extend over the entire width of said second lower surface  28  and are arranged at right angles to said second slot  29  and said third slot  30 , so as to intersect them.  
         [0064]    Said fourth slot  31  and said fifth slot  32  are deeper than said second slot  29  and said third slot  30  and are arranged at a mutual distance that is equivalent to the center distance between said first and second teeth.  
         [0065]    The fourth slot  31  and the fifth slot  32  are also at least as wide as the gap  50  between two first consecutive teeth  25   a  and therefore between two consecutive second teeth  25   b.    
         [0066]    A recess or hollow  33  is formed on one side of the second raised edge  16  of the toe unit  14 , starting from the second lower surface  28 , and is connected to the fourth and fifth slots  31  and  32  at a wall  34  formed in a downward region by said recess or hollow  33  at right angles to said second lower surface  28 .  
         [0067]    Once the arrangement of the first toothed profiles  23  and of the second toothed profiles  24  has been determined, at the respective second slot  29  and third slot  30  of the toe unit  14  the longitudinal sliding of said toe unit with respect to the first base  3  can be set in a selected arrangement and locked temporarily by using an adjustment device, which preferably comprises a slider means designated by the reference numeral  35 .  
         [0068]    Said slider means comprises a cheek  36 , whose plan shape is approximately complementary to the shape of the recess or hollow  33  and from which a first arm  37   a  and a second arm  37   b  protrude, said arms being arranged parallel to each other at a mutual distance equal to the distance between the fourth slot  31  and the fifth slot  32 .  
         [0069]    The first arm  37   a  and the second arm  37   b  are each shaped approximately like a face-down letter F and have a maximum height and an overall length and width that are approximately equal to, or at the most slightly smaller than, the corresponding dimensions of said fourth slot  31  and said fifth slot  32 .  
         [0070]    The first arm  37   a  and the second arm  37   b  are therefore each constituted by a straight bar  38 , whose height is slightly less than the gap  50  between the upper ends of the first and second teeth  25   a ,  25   b  and the lower surface  28  of the second base  15 ; second engagement means protrude below the straight bar  38  and at right angles thereto and are preferably constituted by a third tooth  39   a  and a fourth tooth  39   b , which are adapted to be arranged temporarily in the gap  50  between said first teeth  25   a  and between second teeth  25   b.    
         [0071]    More particularly, the third tooth  39   a  and the fourth tooth  39   b  are approximately as high as, or at the most slightly higher than, said first teeth  25   a  and second teeth  25   b.    
         [0072]    The third tooth  39   a  is slightly shorter than the distance between the first toothed profiles  23  and the second toothed profiles  24 , while the fourth tooth  39   b  is approximately as long as said second teeth  25   b  are wide.  
         [0073]    Furthermore, the third tooth  39   a  and the fourth tooth  39   b  have such dimensions that they affect together either the gap  50 , provided between two contiguous first teeth  25   a  and two contiguous second teeth  25   b , or arrange themselves laterally thereto so as to allow the axial movement of the toe unit  14  with respect to the first base  3 .  
         [0074]    Once a chosen first tooth  25   a  and the corresponding second tooth  25   b  have been interposed between the fourth and fifth slots  31  and  32 , it is then possible to push manually the cheek  36  of the slider  35  toward the hollow or recess  33  of the toe unit  14 , so as to produce the gradual insertion of the first arm  37   a  and of the second arm  37   b  in the respective fourth slot  31  and fifth slot  32 .  
         [0075]    An elastically compressible element is arranged between the wall  34  of the recess or hollow  33  and the cheek  36  of the slider  35  and is preferably constituted by a spring  40 , which pulls said slider  35  toward the outside of the toe unit  14  and of the first base  3  of the frame  2 .  
         [0076]    A depression  41  is formed transversely on the upper surface of the straight bar  38  of said first arm  37   a  and said second arm  37   b  at a region located above the third tooth  39   a , and has a chosen length that is approximately equal to the length of said third tooth  39   a  or fourth tooth  39   b.    
         [0077]    A second protrusion  42  protrudes in a downward region at right angles to the upper surface of said fourth slot  31  and said fifth slot  32 , can be arranged at the depression  41 , and abuts against the step-like surfaces formed at the ends of the depression  41  when the relative position of the slider  35  and of said fourth and fifth slots varies.  
         [0078]    With reference to FIGS. 8 and 10, arranging the third tooth  39   a  between two adjacent first teeth  25   a  arranges the fourth tooth  39   b  between two adjacent second teeth  25   b  and arranges the second protrusion  42  in abutment against the step-like surface of the depression  41  that lies closest to the fourth tooth  39   b.    
         [0079]    This accordingly prevents the extraction of the slider  35  of the toe unit  14  due to the traction applied by the spring  40 , consequently keeping said slider  35  in the position for temporarily blocking the longitudinal sliding of the toe unit  14  with respect to the base  3  of the frame  2 .  
         [0080]    Vice versa, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 11, pushing manually on the cheek  36  so as to arrange it in contact with the recess or hollow  33  places the third tooth  39   a  at the region of the first base  3  that is interposed between the first toothed profiles  23  and the second toothed profiles  24  and arranges the fourth tooth  39   b  in the region of said first base  3  that is interposed between the second profiles  24  and the adjacent end of the respective fourth slot  31  and fifth slot  32 , so as to allow the longitudinal sliding of the toe unit  14  with respect to the first base  3 .  
         [0081]    It has thus been found that the skate according to the present invention has achieved the intended aim and objects, an adjustment device having been provided which allows to vary easily and quickly the length of said skate thanks to the arrangement and lateral activation of the slider with respect to the toe unit.  
         [0082]    The invention is of course susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0083]    Thus, for example, it is possible to provide toothed profiles and slots that have different configurations and arrangements with respect to the one described.  
         [0084]    One might also provide, for example, a slider that has a configuration that is different from the one described and has a different number of arms.  
         [0085]    The materials used, as well as the dimensions that constitute the individual components of the invention, may of course be more pertinent according to requirements.  
         [0086]    The various means for performing certain different functions need not certainly coexist only in the illustrated embodiment but can be present per se in many embodiments, including ones that are not illustrated.  
         [0087]    The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. TV2002A000135 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.