Patent Publication Number: US-7220161-B2

Title: Automatic sharpening system for ice-skates

Description:
PRIOR APPLICATION 
   This application is a U.S. utility patent application claiming priority from U.S. provisional patent application 60/603,196, filed 20 Aug. 2004. 

   TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to an automatic sharpening system for ice-skates and other items. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Ice skates, such as those used in ice-hockey and figure skating, require regular sharpening of the blades to create sharp edges against the ice to prevent slipping when the user skates on the ice. It is very important that the sharpening is performed correctly. Novice users cannot use conventional sharpening devices because they require skills to achieve a satisfactory sharpening of the blade edges. There is a need for an effective an automatic sharpening device that does not require skills to achieve satisfactory sharpening of ice-skate blades. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The device of the present invention provides a solution to the above-outlined problems. More particularly, 
   the method is for using an automatic skate-grinding system. The method provides an automatic sharpening system that has grip members and a grinding wheel. A blade of a skate is inserted into a groove. A motor rotates the grinding wheel and automatically moves the grinding wheel within the groove to grind the blade. An electronic unit measures a time the system is used. A user of the system is charged for the time measured by the electronic unit. The system has automatic centering functions so that the grip members and sharpening device are always centered regardless of the thickness of the blade and the diameter of the grinding wheel. The grinding wheel provides a constant grinding pressure regardless of the shape of the blade. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the sharpening device of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the sharpening device of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional side view of the sharpening device of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  are cross-sectional top views of the centering mechanism of the present mechanism; 
       FIG. 4   a - a  is a detail view of a portion of  FIG. 4   a;    
       FIG. 5   a  is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the counter-weight device of the present invention; 
       FIG. 5   b  is a top view of the counter-weight device of the present invention; and 
       FIGS. 6   a - 6   d  are schematic cross-sectional side views of the adjustment mechanism of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   With reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , an automatic sharpening system  10  of the present invention has a housing  12  with grip members  14 ,  16  to firmly hold a blade  18  of a skate  20  that has been inserted into to a groove  19  in the housing  12 . The grip members  14 ,  16  have teeth  22 ,  24  to firmly hold the blade  18 . As explained in detail below, the grip members have eccentric bearings so that the grip members are centrally positioned in the groove  19  regardless of the thickness of the blade  18 . The housing  12  has a rotatable grinding wheel  28  that is movable along the blade  18  to grind an underside  30  of the blade. The grinding wheel  28  moves both along the blade but also upwardly at the rounded ends  32 ,  34  of the blade, as shown by the line  37 . In this way the wheel may be moved from a front end  40  to a rear end  42  of the housing  12  and back. The housing  12  also has a grinding wheel sharpening device  36  that may be used to form the peripheral surface  38  of the grinding wheel  28 . Preferably the peripheral surface  38  should have a convex shape so that the grinding wheel  28  forms the underside  30  of the blade  18  to a concave shape. 
   As best shown in  FIG. 3 , the housing has a motor  44  that not only rotates the grinding wheel  28  but also moves the grinding wheel  28  along the line  37 , shown in  FIG. 1 . This is accomplished by a transmission mechanism that ensures that the grinding wheel rotates at a suitable rotational speed while moving the grinding wheel back and forth between the front end  40  and the back end  42  of the housing  12 . The attachment of the grinding wheel  28  to the motor  44  is shifted from the main rotor axle of the motor so that the wheel  28  may be raised and lowered relative to the motor when the wheel  28  is grinding the rounded surfaces  32 ,  34 , as explained in detail below. The housing also has a communication module  84 , such as a GSM module, for being able to remotely control, such as from a mobile telephone, the operation of the device  10 . The housing also an electronic unit  86  that controls and measures how much and how long the system  10  is used. 
     FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  show detailed cross-sectional views of the housing  12  including the grip members  14 ,  16  that are connected via bars  45 ,  47  to a turnable adjustable handle  46 . The grip members are adapted to hold skating blades  18  with different thickness. The grip members have teeth  22 ,  24  to increase the pressure points  25  on the blade surfaces. A gap  15  having a distance d 1  is formed between the grip members  14 .  16 . The distance d 1  may be increased to a distance d 2  by turning the handle  46  in a first direction and the distance d 1  may be reduced to a distance d 3  by turning the handle in a second opposite direction. The distance d 2  is greater than the distance d 1  that is greater than the distance d 3 . The handle  46  may then be locked in place. An important feature of the present invention is that the grip members are centered in the gap  15  regardless of the thickness of the blade, i.e. regardless of the distance d. More particularly, the grip member  14  is attached by eccentrically mounted fasteners  48 ,  50  so that by pulling or pushing the grip member  14  relative to the handle  46 , the fasteners rotate in a first direction  55  and the grip member  14  moves closer to the blade  18  or further away from the blade when the fasteners rotate about the eccentric rotors  52 ,  54  in a second direction, as shown by arrows  51 . Similarly, the grip member the grip member  16  is attached by eccentrically mounted fasteners  56 ,  58  so that by pulling or pushing the grip member  16  relative to the handle  46 , the fasteners rotate in the second direction  57  and the grip member  16  moves closer to the blade  18  or further away from the blade when the fasteners rotate about the eccentric rotors  60 ,  62  in the first direction. In this way, the grip-members  14 ,  16  are always symmetrically centered in the gap  15  and exert an even pressure on the blade  18  to firmly hold the blade during the grinding. 
     FIG. 5   a  shows counter-weight device  64  eccentrically mounted at an attachment point  70  on the grinding wheel  28  by a lever arm  68 .  FIG. 5   b  is a top-view of device  64  attached to the wheel  28 . By turning the lever arm  68  about a rotational center  72  of the wheel  28 , the center of gravity of the device  64  changes as the grinding wheel is moved in an upward direction  66  and a downward direction  67  to provide a linear grinding pressure  74  on the curved shape of the surfaces  32 ,  34  of the blade  18 . 
     FIGS. 6   a ,  6   b ,  6   c  and  6   d  are detailed cross-sectional side views of the sharpening device  36  that creates a convex shape on the peripheral surface  38  on the grinding wheel  28 . The sharpening device  36  may be used to sharpen grinding wheels  28  with different diameters while staying centered within a gap  76 . The device  36  is mounted on lever arms  78 ,  80  that may be used to raise and lower the device  36 . This is an important feature since the diameter of the grinding wheel is reduced as the grinding wheel is worn. In this way, the grinding position of the device  36  may be set to handle a wide range of diameters of the grinding wheels. The device  36  follows a curved path  82  as the device  36  is shifted sideways within the gap  76  to create the desired convex surface  38  on the grinding wheel  28 . Another important feature is that the device  36  follows the path  82  regardless of the diameter of the grinding wheel  28 . It is also possible to change the position of the lever arms  78 ,  80  so that the device  36  follows a path that is different from the shape of the path  82 . 
   In operation, the user may insert the blade  18  into the groove  19 . The handle  46  is turned and attached to firmly hold the blade  18  in place while the grip members  14 ,  16  are centered in the groove  19 , regardless of the thickness of the blade, so that both grip members exert the same pressure on the blade. The system  10  is turned on and the motor  44  rotates the grinding wheel  28 . The motor  44  also slowly moves the wheel  28  in a forward and back direction and follows the profile or shape of the underside of the blade  18  so that the wheel moves along the line  37 . The grinding pressure  74  is constant despite the curved shape of the underside of the blade. The grinding pressure is provided by the counter-weight mechanism  64 . When the grinding wheel  28  is positioned at the back end  42 , the sharpening device  36  creates a convex shape on the peripheral surface  38  of the grinding wheel  28  regardless of the diameter size of the grinding wheel while staying centered in the gap  76 . In this way, the system  10  is fully automatic and the only thing the user needs to do is to place the blade in the gap  19  and turn on the device. The user then pays a service provider of grinding service provided by the system  10 . The user may pay per grinding session or per length of time the device is used. In one embodiment, an SMS (short message) may be send by the system  10  to a mobile phone to indicate the start of a grinding session. It is also possible to send a ring signal and then count the length of the telephone message. It is also possible to use a cash card that may be filled by calling a telephone number. In this way, the cost of the system  10  may be very low and the user may only pay for the time the user is using the system  10 . 
   While the present invention has been described in accordance with preferred compositions and embodiments, it is to be understood that certain substitutions and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the following claims.