Patent Publication Number: US-6702303-B1

Title: Roller skate vehicle with seat

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a standard four-wheeled roller skate that has a padded seat instead of a boot or shoe. 
     Roller skates are widely available and typically consist of a skate frame and a boot or shoe which is attached to the frame to allow a user to wear a skate on each foot as a form of recreational footwear for wheeled locomotion. The skate frame is made up of a plate which has four rollers or wheels mounted in pairs at a front axle and a rear axle. The axles are attached to the plate with support trucks, the trucks typically having an optional single or double action. The boot or shoe is typically bolted or otherwise secured to the upper-surface of the plate. 
     The use of such roller skates requires a notable degree of coordination as well as exceptionally large and smooth surfaces on which to skate upon, which limits the use of such Roller skates to “roller rinks” and other specialized skating centers which are well known in the art. 
     By replacing the boot with a padded seat a single roller skate may be converted into an easily controlled, compact, low-profile vehicle capable of being ridden upon by a person of even limited coordination, such as a small child, upon virtually any surface, such as the floors of a home. 
     Skateboards or coasting boards are known in the art. Two examples of such boards are U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,166, to McCosker and U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,252, to Strand. The board disclosed by Strand is intended to have a user ride upon the board while standing. The board has an elongated riding surface to better provide purchase for the riders&#39;s feet, as well as independently mounted and moveable wheel carriages. The board disclosed by McCosker discloses a similar elongated board which has much larger wheels but retains the elongated riding surface as well as the independently mounted wheel carriages. 
     Unlike the present invention, the somewhat large size and elongated shape of the Strand and McCosker boards make them unsuitable for operation in the close confines of a typical home. 
     In light of the shortcomings described above, what is needed is a more compact roller vehicle which is capable of being readily controlled by a rider in a seated position. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is directed to a roller skate wherein the boot or shoe is replaced with a padded seat. Replacing the boot with a padded seat provides for a skate vehicle which may be ridden as opposed to worn. Such a vehicle may be used by a person of even limited coordination or skill, such as small children. By shifting of the riders weight upon the padded seat the skate may be steered. Such a vehicle may be propelled by gravity, such as on an inclined surface; by the application of force by the rider&#39;s feet or hands or by being pushed or pulled by an external force. 
     The compact size of the roller skate and padded seat provides a vehicle that may be used within the confines of a typical home. 
     The padded or formed seat allows the rider to engage in a variety of unique movements be repositioning themselves on the seat and by shifting their weight in any direction. For example, a rider may reposition his or herself in order to displace more of their weight to the front wheels of the vehicle. This action will allow the rear wheels to be brought slightly off of the ground due to the increased weight to the front of the vehicle. 
     When this action is accompanied by a shift in weight of the ridder to the right or left, the front wheels will pivot in an extremely tight turn in the desired direction. Such a maneuver is merely one example of the improved locomotion characteristics allowed by the present invention. Other maneuvers and uses of the present roller skate vehicle will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A detailed description of the invention is hereafter described with specific reference being made to the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention showing the padded seat prior to attachment to the roller skate frame 
     FIG. 2 is the same view as FIG. 1 showing the padded seat attached to the roller skate frame; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the invention showing the lower surface of the plate; and 
     FIG. 4 shows the invention in use. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 shows a roller skate frame shown generally at  10 , prior to having the padded seat  12  mounted thereon. The seat  12  has mounting fasteners  14  which have enlarged heads  16  which are used to secure the seat  12  to the upper surface of the plate  18 . Alternatively the fasteners  14  could be replaced with any number of attachment devices such as screws, bolts, tabs, etc. Furthermore, glues or other adhesive materials could be used to secure the seat to the plate  18  as well. 
     Skate frames such as the one shown and described herein are commercially available, for example from Midwest Skate Company or any other skate frame manufacturer or seller. Likewise padded or formed seats are also commercially available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. For example, the present padded seat  12  is seen with a slightly tapered shape and formed surface. However, other commercially available seats having widely diverse characteristics could also be used in the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 shows the fully assembled roller skate vehicle  20 . 
     FIG. 3 shows an underside view of the completed roller skate vehicle  20 . As best seen in FIG. 3 the roller skate frame has  4  wheels  22  mounted in pairs. The wheel pairs are attached respectively around a front axle  24  and a rear axle  26 . The front axle  24  is mounted to a front truck assembly  28  while the rear axle  26  is mounted to a rear truck assembly  30 . The truck assemblies shown in the various figures included herein are dual action assemblies having upper and lower rubber shock absorbers  32 ,  34  as are well known in the art. Alternative assemblies may be single action assemblies having only a single action, with a single shock absorber or otherwise. Alternative shock absorbers could be made out of silicon, plastic, or other materials all of which are well known in the art. 
     The truck assemblies  28 ,  30  are mounted to the plate  18 . In the embodiment shown the plate  18  has two truck mounting regions  38  which ensures that the truck assemblies  28 ,  30  are always mounted in the same position relative to the plate  18 . In alternative embodiments the truck assemblies  28 ,  30  may be variably mounted along the plate as desired by the user. In a further alternative embodiment the truck assemblies may be mounted directly to the padded seat  12  also in various positions as desired by the user. 
     FIG. 4 shows the present invention as it may be used in the confines of a home. 
     While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and described in detail herein specific preferred embodiments of the invention. The present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated. 
     This completes the description of the preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto.