Abstract:
The present invention regards a skate comprising a holder frame, a boot, and a locking mechanism. The boot comprises a toe box and a heel portion, wherein the toe box is fixedly attached to the holder frame and wherein the heel portion engages the holder frame such that the heel portion is capable of moving relative to the toe box for adjusting the size of the boot. The skate also comprises a locking mechanism that is operable to selectively position and retain the heel portion in more than one position with respect to the toe box by engagement with the holder frame, wherein the locking mechanism is activatable through a push button.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to in-line skates and ice skates. In particular, the present invention relates to in-line skates and ice skates wherein the boot length is adjustable to accommodate different foot sizes.  
           [0002]    In-line skating has become a popular recreational activity, especially for children. Moreover, ice skating has a long standing history as a popular pastime. However, children have growing feet and require skates that properly fit their feet. To be able to enjoy skating with properly fitting skates, new pairs of skates will need to be purchased, sometimes on an annual basis.  
           [0003]    The following patents describe skates wherein the boot size is adjustable or the length of the skate is adjustable to accommodate a different boot size: Sartor et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,408,763, Meibock et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,907, MacPhail, U.S. Pat. No.5,459,949, Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,149, Lu, U.S. Pat. No.5,645,288, Olson et al., U.S. Pat. No.5,678,833, Huang, U.S. Pat. No, 5,741,018, Klamer et al., U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,346.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention includes a skate that has an adjustable boot, wherein a toe box is fixedly attached to a wheel holder frame, and a heel portion is movable with respect to the toe box for adjusting the size of the boot. The boot of the present invention also includes a locking mechanism operable to selectively position and retain the heel portion in more than one position with respect to the toe box by engagement with the wheel holder frame. The locking mechanism is activatable tluhough a push button. The present invention includes an advantageous skate that may be quickly and easily adjusted for different sized feet. The skate of the present invention may also incorporate a skate holder frame in lieu of the wheel holder frame for functioning as an ice skate.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]    [0005]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an in-line skate of the present invention.  
         [0006]    [0006]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an ice skate of the present invention.  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the present invention of FIG. 1.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  in FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line  5 - 5  in FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]    A skate of the present invention is generally illustrated at  10  in FIGS.  1 - 3 . As illustrated in FIG. 1, the skate  10  includes a boot  12  having a liner  13 , and a wheel holder frame  18 . The boot  12  includes a heel portion  14 , a toe box  16 , and a cuff portion  20 , and is slidably attached to the wheel holder frame  18 . The heel portion  14  slides relative to the toe box  16  so that the size of the boot  12  is adjustable. A locking mechanism is also included for moving and retaining the heel portion  14  at multiple positions relative to the toe box  16 . This allows the boot  12  to be adjusted to accommodate feet of different sizes and is especially advantageous for young wearers whose feet grow rapidly. As a person&#39;s feet grow, the boot  12  may be adjusted to fit the larger foot size, preventing the need to purchase a new set of skates.  
         [0011]    The cuff portion  20  is pivotally connected to the heel portion  14  in a conventional manner via a pair of pivots  22 , where each pivot  22  is located on opposing sides of the cuff portion  20 . The cuff portion  20  also includes a cuff buckle  24 , which is a conventional buckle used to secure the cuff portion  20  to a wearer&#39;s leg. The toe box  16  includes a forward buckle  26 , which is a conventional buckle used to secure the toe box  16  to a wearer&#39;s foot.  
         [0012]    The wheel holder frame  18  retains a plurality of wheels  28 , which are rotatably secured to the wheel holder framel  8  by fasteners  30 , as is well known in the art. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a skate holder frame  32  may be incorporated in lieu of the wheel holder frame  18 . The skate holder frame  32  retains an ice skate blade  34  as well known in the art.  
         [0013]    The skate  10  may also incorporate a braking mechanism (not shown) that fastens to the wheel holder frame  18  at the end of the wheel holder frame  18  proximate the heel portion  14 , as is well known in the art.  
         [0014]    The toe box  16  is fixedly attached to the wheel holder frame  18  preferably via a pair of mounting fasteners  35 . A second pair of mounting fasteners  35  (not shown) are located on the opposing side of the wheel holder frame  18 . Alternatively, the toe box  16  and the wheel holder frame  18  may be integrally formed.  
         [0015]    The toe box  16  may be manufactured in various designs and styles. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates the toe box  16  as a flexible plastic-molded component. This is additionally advantageous for the adjustable boot  12  because the toe box  16  is also capable of being adjustable for different foot sizes by being able to flex when the forward buckle  26  secures the toe box  16  to a wearer&#39;s foot. Alternatively, FIG. 2 illustrates the toe box  16  as a shoe-like component. With the shoe-like toe box  16 , a set of straps  40  can be incorporated in lieu of the forward buckle  26 . The straps  40  are conventional straps used to secure the toe box  16  to a wearer&#39;s foot.  
         [0016]    The liner  13 , as illustrated in FIG. 1, is removably disposed within the boot  12  and extends into the toe box  16 , the heel portion  14 , and out through the cuff portion  20 . Suitable liners such as liner  13  are well known in the art. Additionally, in lieu of being removably disposed within the boot  12 , the liner  13  as illustrated in FIG. 2 may be fastened to both the heel portion  14  and the toe box  16 . The liner  13  is used in conjunction with the shoe-designed toe box  16 , which does not require the liner  13  to cover a wearer&#39;s entire foot. Instead, the liner  13  ends at a wearer&#39;s mid-foot and has extensions fastening to the inner-side walls of the toe box  16 . The liner  13  in this embodiment has elastic portions to accommodate a length adjustment in the boot  12 . When the heel portion  14  is adjusted to lengthen the boot  12 , the liner  13  stretches at the elastic portions to be wearable with the boot  12  at a larger size.  
         [0017]    The heel portion  14  is slidably attached to the wheel holder frame  18 . The wheel holder frame  18  and the skate holder frame  32  include tracks  38 , which are grooved tracks running along each side of the upper rear portions of the wheel holder frame  18  and the skate holder frame  32 . The heel portion  14  includes a pair of wings  48 , which are appendages that extend downward in a parallel manner from the heel portion  14 , as illustrated in FIG. 3. The wings  48  include sets of slide tabs  50 , which are rows of tabs attached to the inner side of each wing  48 , such that the two rows of slide tabs  50  face each other. The rows of slide tabs  50  are insertable into the pair of tracks  38  so that the heel portion  14  is slidably attached to the wheel holder frame  18 . When the heel portion  14  is slidably attached to the wheel holder frame  18 , the rear portions of toe box  16  extend into and within the heel portion  14 , as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, the heel portion  14  is capable of moving relative to the toe box  16 , allowing the boot  12  to be adjustable in length.  
         [0018]    The heel portion  14  additionally includes a push button  36  located on a single side of the heel portion  14 . More specifically, the push button  36  is inserted through the wing  48  on a single side of the heel portion  14  to engage a locking mechanism. Activation of the push button  36  allows the heel portion  14  to slide relative to the toe box  16  and the wheel holder frame  18  for adjusting the length of the boot  12 . When the push button  36  is not activated, the locking mechanism prevents the heel portion  14  from sliding and retains the heel portion  14  in a single position relative to the toe box  16  and the wheel holder frame  18 . Therefore, the use of the push button  36  allows the boot  12  to be quickly and easily adjusted in length.  
         [0019]    The locking mechanism, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, includes the push button  36 , a spring  52 , a row of locking teeth  56 , a spring lock  58 , a counter support  60 , and a guide rail  64 . The locking mechanism is a spring-lock mechanism, where the spring  52  forces the spring lock  58  to engage with a row of locking teeth  56  integrally formed in the wheel holder frame  18 . When the spring lock  58  and the locking teeth  56  are engaged, the heel portion  14  is prevented from sliding relative to the toe box  16  and the wheel holder frame  18 . Activation of the push button  36  counters the force applied by the spring  52 , and disengages the spring lock  58  from the locking teeth  56 . When the spring lock  58  and the locking teeth  56  are disengaged, the heel portion  14  is capable of moving relative to the toe box  16  and the wheel holder frame  18  by sliding along the tracks  38 . The serrated lines in FIG. 4 illustrate the direction of movement of the heel portion  14  relative to the wheel holder frame  18 .  
         [0020]    The locking teeth  56  are intermittent teeth, preferably integrally formed with the wheel holder frame  18 , which create a row of mechanically locking teeth as illustrated in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the locking teeth  56  may be separate components that are securely attached to the wheel holder frame  18 . The push button  36  extends through the wing  48  as illustrated in FIG. 5 and ends in the spring lock  58 . The spring lock  58  may be integrally formed with the push button  36  or may be a separate component connected to the push button  36 . The spring lock  58  also includes teeth, preferably integrally formed with the spring lock  58 , which are positioned to line up with the row of locking teeth  56 . When lined up, the teeth of the spring lock  58  are insertable in the intermittent spaces between the locking teeth  56 , allowing the spring lock  58  to engage with the locking teeth  56 .  
         [0021]    The spring lock  58  also engages the spring  52  on the side opposing the integrally formed teeth. The spring  52  engages the counter support  60  as well, on the opposing end from the spring lock  58 , as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. In addition, the spring  52 , the spring lock  58 , and the counter support  60  are held in alignment by the guide rail  64 . The guide rail  64  is a support component attached to the bottom of the heel portion  14  that restricts the movement of the slide lock  58  to a single direction.  
         [0022]    The counter support  60  is a base for the spring  52  to exert force to engage the spring lock  58  with the locking teeth  56 . The spring lock  56  and the counter support  60  both contain grooves or pegs to restrain the spring  52  in position to ensure that the spring  52  does not disengage from the spring lock  58  or the counter support  60 .  
         [0023]    In use, the spring  52  exerts a force against the spring lock  58 , forcing the spring lock  58  to engage the locking teeth  56 . The spring lock  58  is restrained by the guide base  64  and the guide base  64  is connected to the heel portion  14 . Correspondingly, the locking teeth  56  are integrally formed into the wheel holder frame  18 . Therefore, when the spring lock  58  engages the locking teeth  56 , the heel portion  14  is locked to the wheel holder frame  18 . This prevents the heel portion  14  from being adjusted relative to the wheel holder frame  18  and the toe box  16 , and maintains the length of the boot  12 .  
         [0024]    Activation of the push button  36  allows the heel portion  14  to be movable relative to the wheel holder frame  18  and the toe box  16 . The push button  36  is activated by being pressed on. When activated, the push button  36  forces the spring lock  58  to disengage from the locking teeth  56 , and to compress the spring  52  against the counter support  60 . While the spring lock  58  is disengaged from the locking teeth  56 , the heel portion  14  is not locked to the wheel holder frame  18 . As such, while the push button  36  is activated, the heel portion  14  is capable of moving relative to the toe box  16  for adjusting the size of the boot  12 .  
         [0025]    Release of the push button  36  removes the compression applied to the spring  52 . The spring  52  then is able to force the spring lock  58  to re-engage the locking teeth  56  by forcing the teeth of the spring lock  58  back into the intermittent spaces between the locking teeth  56 . This locks the heel portion  14  to the wheel holder frame  18  and retains the heel portion  14  in a single position. Thus, the locking mechanism allows a wearer to position and retain the heel portion  14  in more than one position with respect to the toe box  16 .  
         [0026]    The wheel holder frame  18  also includes a row of locking teeth  57 , despite the fact that the locking teeth  56  are the only row used with the locking mechanism. The locking teeth  57  are located across the locking mechanism from the locking teeth  56 . The locking teeth  57  exist because the wheel holder frame  18  is a universal design. That is, the wheel holder frame  18  is capable of being used with a push button  36  located on either the right or left side of the heel portion  14 . This is beneficial to decrease manufacturing costs of the wheel holder frame  18  by incorporating a universal design.  
         [0027]    While the heel portion  14  is capable of moving relative to the toe box  16  and the wheel holder frame  18 , the range of movement is limited through the use of an upper guide channel  54 , a boot screw  62 , a rivet  65 , a boot nut  66 , a lower guide channel  68 , and a bore  72 . The upper guide channel  54  is a slot in the rear sole of the toe box  16 , as best illustrated in FIG. 3. The upper guide channel  54  is included in the portion of the toe box  16  that extends within the heel portion  14 . The lower guide channel  68  is a slot similar in size to the upper guide channel  54 , and is located in the upper rear portion of the wheel holder frame  18  such that when the toe box  16  is fixedly attached to the wheel holder frame  18 , the upper guide channel  54  and the lower guide channel  68  are vertically lined up. The upper guide channel  54  and the lower guide channel  68  define the range the heel portion  18  is capable of moving relative to the toe box  16  and the wheel holder frame  18 .  
         [0028]    The boot screw  62  is inserted vertically downward through the upper guide channel  54 , through the bore  72 , which is located within the sole of the heel portion  14 , and through the rivet  65  as illustrated in FIG. 5. The rivet  65  functions as a standoff and protects the boot screw  62  from external elements. When inserted, the boot screw  62  extends vertically downward adjacent to the locking mechanism, and is capped with the boot nut  66 . Boot nut  66  extends vertically upward through the lower guide channel  68  for screwing onto the boot screw  62 .  
         [0029]    The boot screw  62 , when fully inserted, extends through the heel portion  14  at the bore  72 , and correspondingly moves along with the heel portion  14 . The boot screw  62 , is limited to a range determined by the lengths of the upper guide channel  54  and the lower guide channel  68 . When the heel portion  14  is move towards the toe box  16 , the boot screw  62  eventually reaches an end of the upper guide channel  54  and the lower guide channel  68 . The reciprocal ends are reached if the heel portion  14  is moved away from the toe box  16 . Therefore, the boot screw  62  limits the range of movement of the heel portion  14 , and correspondingly sets the limit on the range of foot sizes the boot  12  may be adjusted to. The use of boot screw  62  also provides added security for preventing the heel portion  14  from sliding off from the tracks  38  of the wheel holder portion  18 .  
         [0030]    A modification of the lower guide channel  68  may also be used in conjunction with the skate holder frame  32 . When the boot screw  62  is used with the wheel holder frame  18  in an in-line skate, the underside of the lower guide chanmel  68  of the wheel holder frame  18  is readably accessible for insertion of the boot nut  66 . As illustrated in FIG. 1, there are voids between the wheels  28  where the boot nut  66  can easily be inserted. However, as illustrated in FIG. 2, there are no corresponding voids in the skate holder frame  32 . As such, there is no accessible location for the lower guide channel  68  with the skate holder frame  32 .  
         [0031]    To overcome this complication, a base containing the lower guide channel  68  (not shown) is insertable into the rear portion of the skate holder frame  32 . The base is attached to the skate holder frame  32  with fasteners at a pair of holes  70 , which are inserted into the skate holder frame  32  below the tracks  38 . An additional pair of holes  70  (not shown) are also located on the opposing side of the skate holder frame  32 .  
         [0032]    Before attaching the component with the lower guide channel  68 , the boot nut  66  is inserted vertically upwards through the lower guide channel  68  so that the boot nut  66  is available for securing the boot screw  62 . This modification allows the use of the boot screw  62  and the lower guide channel  68  to limit the range of movement of the heel portion  14 , despite the design complications involved with ice skates.  
         [0033]    The skate  10  is an advantageous sporting device that is capable of quick and easy adjustments in length. By being adjustable in length, the skate  10  is beneficial for wearers whose feet grow rapidly. Additionally, the push button  36  provides the advantage of quick and easy adjustments. A wearer need only to activate the single push button  36  and slide the heel portion  14  along the tracks  38 . When the desired length is achieved, the wearer then releases the push button  36 , locking the heel portion  14  to the wheel holder frame  18  to maintain the desired length for use.  
         [0034]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.