Patent Publication Number: US-6666479-B1

Title: Ice skate scabbard

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to ice skate blade covers and guards. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ice skate scabbard which is readily attachable to the blade of various sizes of ice skates. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Ice skate blade guards are typically made of stiff hard rubber and are stretched over a blade of an ice skate. The guards are used to protect the blade of the skate from damage as the skater walks over the ground to the ice skating area. They are also used to protect the skater from injury when carrying the skates. Such blade guards are bulky and can not be readily stored in the skater&#39;s pocket, and, if they are left on the ground, they are often lost or stolen. Furthermore, the stiff hard rubber guards allow water to accumulate in the blade track which causes the blade to rust, discolor or become dull. Also, the dimensions of the rubber guards limits their use for covering different blade sizes, requiring a skater to purchase various guards for each size skate. This is a problem particularly for children who rapidly outgrow their skates. 
     Some ice skate blade covers utilize two pieces made of plastic material with fastening means, such as springs or straps and clips which fasten the skate blade guards to the ice skate blades. These are cumbersome, dangerous to walk on, inconvenient to use and costly to purchase. 
     Another type of ice skate blade cover is a bag-like cover which is soft and which has an elastic member completely enclosed in a hem extending about an opening in the bag. In use, the bag is stretched over the blade to cover it. Such a blade cover is widely used by skaters who skate on indoor rinks and do not typically walk on the ground, rather they remove the bag cover immediately prior to use and do so, adjacent the ice. However, many skaters often do walk, even for a small distance, on their covered skate blades to the ice. The bag, is often cut through by the sharp blade edges and becomes damaged. Another problem with this design is that it can not fit a wide variety of skate sizes without modification; also the elastic member, after prolonged use, loses it&#39;s elasticity and the bag no longer fits over the blade snugly and often falls off leaving the sharp blade edges dangerously exposed. To adapt such a design to fit over a larger or over a smaller size blade, a user typically must cut the hem open and sever the elastic member. Next, they must stretch the mutilated bag and the elastic member, often to extreme limits, and then physically tie the ends of the damaged elastic member together in an attempt to fit the bag onto a slightly different blade size. Unless this is done carefully, the bag typically does not properly fit the particular blade. Later, when another size blade requires covering, the process must be repeated at the risk of weakening the materials and doing further damage to the bag. This is an undesirable, frustrating and very time consuming way to cover a blade. 
     A practical ice skate scabbard, for which there is an unfulfilled need, wherein the ice skate scabbard is capable of being selectively usable for a size range of ice skate blade applications, without modification, and one which protects the blade and the skater from cuts and one which prevents damage to the ice skate scabbard is not available. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,999 to Lehr shows a flexible skateguard with a pouch of flexible material which attaches to an opening between the ice skate shoe and the blade of an ice skate with hook and loop type fasteners. A disadvantage of this design is that the skateguard attachment relies on an opening which may be inaccessible or limited on a particular ice skate design. Another disadvantage is that no provision is provided for size adjustment without modification and the skateguard can not be used for covering the blades of other sizes of ice skate blades other than a particular ice skate blade for which it was specifically designed. A user would have to purchase additional skateguards for each and every ice skate which is costly. 
     None of the above prior art devices disclose an ice skate scabbard which has a pouch having a top opening for receiving the blade of the ice skate; layers of materials which protect the blade and prevent puncture by the sharp blade edges and prevent injury to the user; drawstring means for adjustably fitting the pouch about the blade of various sizes of ice skates so that the ice skate blade is protectively covered when the ice skate is carried by a user and when the ice skate is stored; means for securing the drawstring means so that the pouch is releasably secured about the blade of the ice skate; and an ice skate scabbard which is simple in design and is easy to use. 
     In view of the above mentioned problems and limitations associated with conventional ice skate blade covers and guards, it was recognized by the present inventor that there is an unfulfilled need for an improved ice skate scabbard which fits various skate sizes without modification, is simple in design, practical, fun to use and is economically manufactured and which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art devices. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new and improved scabbard for receiving a blade of an ice skate which is conveniently usable for covering the blades of various ice skate sizes which avoids the aforementioned problems of prior art devices. 
     It is an object of the instant invention to provide a scabbard which may be manufactured from readily available materials by conventional manufacturing processes. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a scabbard that is simple in design, simple to manufacture, low in cost and fun to use. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a scabbard which has a pouch having a top opening for receiving the blade of the ice skate with layers of materials which protect the blade and prevent puncture by the sharp blade edges and prevent injury to the user. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a scabbard which provides a drawstring means for adjustably fitting the pouch about the blade of various sizes of ice skates so that the ice skate blade is protectively, covered when the ice skate is carried by a user and when the ice skate a is stored. 
     It is a still a further object of this invention to provide a scabbard which has means for securing the drawstring means so that the pouch is releasably secured about the blade of the ice skate. 
     Further objects will become apparent from the following description and claims. 
     This invention results from the realization that there is a great need for an improved ice skate scabbard. The resulting invention provides a user the capability of conveniently being able to cover the blade of an ice skate without the need to purchase separate scabbards for each size of ice skate. 
     The above and the other objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention, which, according to a first aspect, provides a scabbard for receiving a blade of an ice skate, which has a pouch having a top opening for receiving the blade of the ice skate; an inner portion of moisture absorbent material; an outer portion of flexible material and a friction enhancing material disposed on the outer portion along a bottom of the pouch and extending from a first end to a second end of the pouch and extending through the top opening into the pouch interior at each end and drawstring means for adjustably fitting the pouch about the blade of the ice skate so that the ice skate blade is protectively covered when the ice skate is carried by a user and when the ice skate is stored. 
     The second aspect is a special case of the first aspect of this invention with additional features such as an intermediate portion of cushioning material disposed between the inner portion of moisture absorbent material of the pouch and the outer portion of flexible material of the pouch. Also, the drawstring means comprises a hem, extending about the top opening of the pouch; a cord member, disposed within the hem with a portion of the cord member including a first end and a second end of the cord member being exposed, and a cord lock, for slidably adjusting the size of the pouch, disposed on the exposed cord member portion near the first end and the second end of the cord member so that when the blade is inserted into the pouch, the scabbard is releasably secured about the ice skate blade. Ventilation ports are included to facilitate evaporation of moisture. 
     According to a third aspect of the invention, disclosed is a method for using a scabbard for an ice skate. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a right side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an ice skate scabbard of the instant invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the ice skate scabbard of FIG. 1 showing the construction details taken along the line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is right side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the ice skate scabbard of FIG. 1 shown attached to a blade of a small size ice skate shown in phantom. 
     FIG. 4 is right side elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the ice skate scabbard of FIG. 1 shown expanded and attached to a blade of a large size ice skate shown in phantom. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Looking more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a preferred embodiment of a scabbard, which is generally indicated at  10 , for receiving a blade of an ice skate, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is understood that reference herein to the blade and to the ice skate, regardless of the size of the blade or of the ice skate, for convenience, are referred to as blade  82  and ice skate  80 . 
     As seen in FIG. 1, the scabbard  10 , has a pouch  12  having a top opening  14  for receiving the blade  82  of the ice skate  80  shown in FIG.  3  and in FIG.  4 . The pouch  12  has several layers of material namely, an inner portion  16  of moisture absorbent material; an outer portion  18  of flexible material and a friction enhancing material  20  disposed on the outer portion  18  along a bottom  26  of the pouch  12  and extending from a first end  22  to a second end  24  of the pouch  12  and extending through the top opening into the pouch interior at each end. The material layers protect a user from being cut by the sharp edges of the blade  82  when the ice skate  80  is carried and protect the blade  82  when the ice skate  80  is being stored. In addition to preventing puncture of the pouch  12 , the friction enhancing material  20  also allows the skater to safely walk with the scabbard  10  attached about the blade  82 . Pouch  12  has a drawstring means  30  for adjustably fitting the pouch  12  about the blade  82  of the ice skate  80 . This permits the scabbard  10  to be used on various sizes of ice skates without modification as shown in FIG.  3  and in FIG.  4 . The drawstring means  30  comprises a hem  32 , extending about the top opening  14  of the pouch  12  with a cord member  40 , disposed within the hem  32  with a portion of the cord member  40  including a first end  42  and a second end  44  of the cord member  40  being exposed. The drawstring means  30  preferably has securing means such as a cord lock  52 , for slidably adjusting the size of the pouch  12 . The cord lock  52  is disposed on an exposed portion of the cord member  40  near the first end  42  and the second end  44  of the cord member  40  so that when the blade  82  is inserted into the pouch  12 , the scabbard  10  is releasably secured about the blade  82  of the ice skate  80 . It is understood that the cord member  40  may be secured by tying the ends  42 , 44  without the need for the cord lock  52 , but the invention will work better with the preferred cord lock  52 . 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the ice skate scabbard of FIG. 1 showing the construction details taken along the line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     The pouch  12  is fabricated from a material blank which is folded and is sewn together. The pouch  12  is flexible so that it is size expandable and adaptable for use on various sizes and styles of ice skates, without modification. The pouch  12  may also be folded and readily stored in a pocket of a skater. The inner portion  16  of moisture absorbent material of the pouch  12  is fabricated from a material having wicking properties chosen from the group consisting of terry cloth, sponge, cotton and flannel so that moisture from the blade  82  is absorbed and directed away from the blade  82  thereby keeping it dry. The outer portion  18  of flexible material of the pouch  12  is fabricated from a material chosen from the group consisting of fleece, wool, flannel, nylon, denim, mesh fabric and cotton. If a mesh material is used for the outer portion  18  of flexible material of the pouch  12 , adequate ventilation is provided by the mesh to dissipate moisture from the pouch  12 ; however, it was recognized by the inventor, that a plurality of ventilation ports  70  may be strategically disposed on the outer portion  18 , especially when materials other than mesh are used, to further enhance moisture migration. The friction enhancing material  20  of the pouch  12  is rubber, preferably a soft rubber. Also, although not necessary for operation, for further protection, preferably, the scabbard  10  may also include an intermediate portion  17  of cushioning material disposed between the inner portion  16  of moisture absorbent material and the outer portion  18  of flexible material of the pouch  12 . When used, the cushioning material may be a polyester fiber fill. The cord member  40  may be fabricated from natural or synthetic materials such as cotton or plastic. The cord lock  52  may be made of plastic or metal from two portions, an upper portion and a lower portion with a spring biasing the upper portion and the lower portion toward each other with a cord member receiving opening therein. 
     A method for protectively covering a blade  82  of an ice skate  80  when the ice skate  80  is carried by a user and when the ice skate  80  is stored is accomplished with the instant invention. The drawstring means  30  and the pouch  12  of the scabbard  10  are adjusted to the size of the blade  82  to be covered. This is done by unlocking the cord lock  52  from the cord member  40  and sliding it along the cord member  40  and allowing the pouch  12  to slideably expand or contract, as needed, along the length of the cord member  40  until the desired blade  82  size is achieved. The blade  82  of the ice skate  80  is inserted into the top opening  14  of the pouch  12 . The cord lock  52  is slid along the cord member  40  to secure the drawstring means  30  and the pouch  12  about the blade  82  of the ice skate  80 . FIG.  3  and FIG. 4 show the scabbard  10  attached to different size blades without the need for modification. 
     According to the teachings of the instant invention disclosed herein, the applicant fabricated a working prototype from readily available materials by sewing, and has actually reduced the invention to practice with favorable results. Surprisingly, the applicant discovered that the prototype was capable of fitting blades of different sizes of ice skates with no difficulty. 
     Surprisingly, the instant invention provides an added advantage and recognizes a problem and adequately and completely addresses an unfulfilled need, in that the instant invention, in the manner disclosed, in effect, provides a convenient apparatus which allows a user to protect the blades of ice skates without modification or the limitations of the prior art devices and provides the desired above mentioned advantages and benefits to a user. 
     It is understood that the scabbard  10  may be constructed in a wide variety of sizes, patterns and style variations. One practical advantage of the invention is that it provides a convenient, practical, low cost, scabbard  10 , which allows a user to conveniently cover the blades of ice skates without the need to purchase blade covers for each pair of ice skates, thereby saving time and money. Another advantage of the invention, is that it can readily fit into a pocket of a skater thereby eliminating the potential for losing or misplacing the scabbard  10  when ice skating. Still a further advantage of the instant invention is that a skater may walk on the blade  82  of the ice skate  80  when the scabbard  10  is installed without the possibility of puncturing the scabbard  10 . Another advantage of the invention is that the scabbard  10  may be used to wipe the ice particles and moisture off the blade  82  prior to placement of the blade  82  into the pouch  12  of the scabbard  10 ; the material properties of the scabbard  10  facilitate drying. A further advantage of the invention is that the instant invention is designed for ease of manufacture by standard methods and by using readily available materials. 
     Of course, a wide variety of further uses and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art. Also, one skilled in the art will realize that the foregoing discussion outlines the more important features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the instant invention and to instill a better appreciation of the inventor&#39;s contribution to the art. It must be clear that the disclosed details of construction, descriptions of geometry and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of possible manifestations of the invention. 
     Although the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art undoubtedly will find alternative embodiments obvious after reading this disclosure. With this in mind, the following claims are intended to define the scope of protection to be afforded the inventor, and those claims shall be deemed to include equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.