Abstract:
An inline skate mounting a pair of air tubes is invented for absorbing shock transmitted to its wheels so as to allow the use of rigid wheels, and to protect the rider&#39;s knees and ankles from shock. The inline skate comprises a frame having insertion compartments for mounting the shock absorbers, guide recesses, brackets for defining desired spaces, and a wheel holder having supporting plates. The wheels are coupled to and supported by the sides of the supporting plate and inserted into the guide recesses so that the wheel holder moves upward and downward when an external force is applied so as to transmit the external force to the shock absorbers. The shock absorbers are inserted into the insertion compartments and filled with air to absorb the external force when the wheel holder moves vertically. Since the wheel holder moves vertically as the skate traverses an uneven surface, the inline skater can balance stably and safely.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an inline skate provided with a shock absorber, and more particularly to an inline skate in which a plurality of air tubes for absorbing shocks transmitted to the respective wheels is installed at the inner upper end of a wheel bracket so as to allow the use of wheels having high hardness, to effectively increase the rolling speed of the wheels, to secure rider&#39;s safety, and to protect the knees and ankles from shock. 
     2. Description of the Related Prior Art 
     As is well-known, a conventional inline skate, not shown, includes a boot body for receiving and fixing a rider&#39;s foot, a wheel bracket attached to the lower side of the boot body, and a plurality of wheels fixed by bearings installed to the wheel bracket that allow the boot body to roll. 
     The conventional inline skate exhibits excellent skating performance but insufficient walking performance. Due to these drawbacks, riders feel inconvenienced since they must wear ordinary shoes instead of the inline skates when climbing stairs or due to the fact that traveling a long distance while wearing the inline skates is uncomfortable. If the rider attempts to avoid the inconvenience of having to change into ordinary shoes when climbing stairs by attempting to climb the stairs in the inline skates, it is very dangerous in that the rider may slip and fall. 
     Moreover, since the conventional inline skate is equipped with bearings installed between the wheels and the wheel bracket for reducing friction of the wheels, sand may be introduced into the bearings and the bearings may be damaged due to the sand as the sand wears down the bearing during the rotation of the bearing. 
     In addition, since the boots of the conventional inline skates are heavy, they are inconvenient to carry and store. 
     For the purpose of overcoming the above disadvantages, roller shoes have been developed. At the rear bottom surface of the roller shoe, a roller is positioned such that its surface is exposed below that of the tread of the shoe. To use the roller shoe the rider lifts the front end of the roller shoe so as to travel for a desired distance using the roller. To be sure, since the roller is detachable, the rider can wear the roller shoes like the ordinary shoes. 
     However, it is difficult for the user to maintain their balance when using the roller function of the roller shoe as they must delicately concentrate their weight over the rear end of the shoe. As such, it is difficult to travel at any substantial speed using the roller shoes. Moreover, it is impossible to propel oneself using the conventional side thrust technique used when inline skating, and, as such, users must build up speed by running on their toes and then arching the foot back onto the roller to glide for some distance. 
     In addition, since the conventional inline skate and the roller shoes have no structure for absorbing shock from the ground, the boot must be reinforced so as to prevent the user&#39;s ankles from damage, thus increasing the weight thereof. Since the boot must be sufficiently tall to completely cover the ankles, the boot becomes very heavy so that it is inconvenient to carry. Though the boot is sufficiently high, the user&#39;s ankles and knees may be damaged due to impacting the ground during use or if the user collides with an obstacle. 
     When the wheels travel over an obstacle, since the conventional inline skate has no structure for absorbing shock, excellent balance is required to adapt to the shape of obstacles, and the user may lose his/her balance when traveling over the obstacle. This principle can be compared to riding a motorcycle without a shock absorber or a spring, where even a small obstacle generates a large shock. 
     In addition, the wheels of conventional inline skates are made of urethane so that they may exhibit a slight shock-absorbing effect of their own. However, since friction between these soft wheels and the ground is increased, it is difficult to accelerate and the wheels of the conventional inline skate wear out rapidly. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above and other problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an inline skate in which a plurality of air tubes for absorbing shock transmitted to the wheels is installed at the inner upper end of a wheel bracket, thus allowing use of extremely rigid wheels, which effectively increases rolling speed of the wheels, and serving to enhance the rider&#39;s safety, and to protect the rider&#39;s knees and ankles from shock. 
     In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of an inline skate with a shock absorber including: a wheel bracket installed to the lower side of an outsole of an ordinary shoe, a plurality of wheels coupled to the inner lower sides of the wheel bracket and supported by shafts, a rotating support coupled to the rear upper side of the wheel bracket by a shaft and coupled to a connecting protrusion from the outsole of the ordinary shoe so as to prevent the wheel bracket from separating from the outsole, a frame constituting the wheel bracket, and having insertion compartment formed at the inner upper sides of the frame that receive a plurality of shock absorbers, a plurality of guide recesses oriented perpendicular to the insertion compartment, brackets, protruding between the guide recesses, for defining desired spaces, a wheel holder having supporting plates in which the wheels are coupled to and supported by the sides of the supporting plate, and inserted into the guide recesses so that the wheel holder can move vertically when an external force is applied so as to transmit the external force to the shock absorbers, and shock absorbers inserted into the insertion compartment and filled with air so as to dissipate the external force when the wheel holder moves upward and downward. 
     Preferably, each guide recess has a connecting protrusion extending from the inner upper side of the guide recess to a certain height, and a longitudinal guide slot formed at the lower side of the guide recess. 
     Each supporting plate has a guide slot formed at the upper side of the supporting plate, into which the connecting protrusion is inserted and guided vertically, and a connecting protrusion formed at the outer lower side of the supporting plate that is inserted into the guide slot of the guide recess. 
     Each shock absorber includes a housing made of soft synthetic resin, predetermined spaces formed at the sides of the housing, air tubes installed in the predetermined spaces, a cover sheet wrapped around the housing, and a connecting part made of the same material as the housing, disposed at the midsection of the housing, and integrated with the housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view illustrating an inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial side view illustrating the mechanics of shock absorption by the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  are cross-sectional views illustrating an air tube installed in the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a side cutaway view illustrating the mechanics of shock absorption by the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a side partial cross-sectional view illustrating the mechanics of shock absorption by the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, an inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a side view illustrating the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in the drawing, the inline skate  2  with a shock absorber is an inline skate in which a plurality of air tubes for absorbing shock transmitted to respective wheels is installed at the inner upper end of a wheel bracket, thus allowing the use of extremely rigid wheels, which effectively increases the rolling speed of the wheels, serving to enhance the rider&#39;s safety, and protecting the rider&#39;s knees and ankles from shock. 
     The inline skate  2  with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a shoe part  3  having an ordinary shoe  4 , and a wheel bracket  100  installed on the lower side of the shoe part  3  and having a plurality of wheels  112  mounted at the inside of the wheel bracket  100  and exposed to the lower side of the wheel bracket  100 . 
     The shoe part  3  can use an ordinary shoe, but it is preferable to use a shoe  4  having an upper section, an insole, and an outsole  6  that are all relatively thicker than those of the ordinary shoe, and a relatively long ankle portion. Moreover, the rear side, (i.e., the heel portion) of the shoe  4  of the shoe part  3  has a connecting protrusion  8 . 
     The wheel bracket  100  includes a frame  102  having a shape similar to the lower frame of the ordinary inline skate, longitudinal guide slots  104 , formed at the lower side of the frame  102 , for guiding the connecting protrusions  110  of the wheel supports (See  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) to be connected to the wheel bracket  100  and moved upward and downward within the guide slots  104 , and a supporting holder  106  provided at the rear upper side of the frame  102  and connected to the connecting protrusion  8  provided at the rear side of the shoe  4 . 
     The connecting protrusion  8  and the supporting holder  106  are connected to each other such that the wheel bracket  100  is separated from the shoe part  3 . 
     The wheel bracket  100  is divided into two parts in the longitudinal direction, and the frame  102  includes a plurality of screws  108  for fixing the two divided parts of the wheel bracket  100 . 
       FIG. 2  is a partial side view illustrating the mechanics of shock absorption by the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 3  is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in the drawings, in the inline skate  2  with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, only one of the two parts of the wheel bracket  100  is depicted in  FIG. 3 . The frame  102  has longitudinal insertion compartment  130  formed at its inner upper side which accommodate a shock absorber  134 , and a lower wheel support  114  formed with a guide recess  126  for guiding a wheel holder  116  in the tilted direction. The wheel holder  116  is inserted into the guide recess  126  and moves upward and downward when receiving impact from the wheels  112 . 
     In addition, the frame  102  is formed with a plurality of screw holes  120  at the upper edge of the frame  102 , and is provided with a plurality of brackets  132  protruding between the wheel supports  114  and defining desired spaces having a width equal to the thickness of the wheel holder  116 . 
     The guide recess  126  includes a connecting protrusion  128  formed at the inner upper side thereof and protruding to a certain height, and a longitudinal guide slots  104  formed at the inner lower side thereof. 
     The wheel holder  116  accommodated in the guide recess  126  supports the wheel  112 . The wheel holder  116  includes supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  coupled to the sides of the wheel  112  so as to support the wheel  112 , and the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  are connected to each other at their upper sides so as to accommodate part of the wheel  112  and to expose the rest of the wheel  112  to be in contact with the ground. 
     Guide slots  124  are formed in the upper sides of the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  and guide the connecting protrusion  128  of the guide recess  126  when being inserted thereinto, and the connecting protrusions  110  protrude from the outer lower sides of the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  and are inserted into the longitudinal guide slots  104 . Shaft holes  122  are formed in the inner lower sides of the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  to receive the shafts of the wheel  112 . 
     In other words, the guide slots  124  of the upper sides of the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  of the wheel holder  116  are connected to the connecting protrusions  128  at the upper sides of the guide recesses  126 , while the connecting protrusions  110  at the outer lower sides of the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  of the wheel holder  116  are inserted into the guide slots  104  at the lower sides of the guide recesses  126 . Since the guide slots  124  and  104  are equal in length to the connecting protrusions  128  and  110  and are coupled to parts of the guide slots  124  and  104 , the shock absorbers  134  absorb shock in correspondence to the freedom of movement of the connecting protrusions  128  and  110  within the guide slots  124  and  104 . 
     Therefore, according to the inline skate  2  with a shock absorber in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, since air tubes are provided at the inner upper side of the wheel support so as to absorb shock transmitted from the respective wheels, wheels having high hardness can be used to effectively increase the rolling speed of the wheels and to enhance the rider&#39;s safety. 
       FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b  are cross-sectional views illustrating an air tube installed in the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in the drawings, the inline skate  2  with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes shock absorbers  134  so as to absorb shock transmitted from the wheels  112 . The shock absorbers  134  have vertical cross-sections as shown in  FIG. 4   a . In other words, each shock absorber  134  includes a soft synthetic resin housing  136  which is formed with predetermined spaces at the sides, into which air tubes  140  are installed. 
     Moreover, since a cover sheet (not shown) is wrapped around the housing  136 , the air tubes  140  will not become separated from the housing  136 . A connecting part  138  of the same material as that of the housing  136  is disposed at the midsection of the housing  136  and is integrated with the housing  136 . 
     The shock absorbers  134  are inserted into the insertion compartments  130  horizontally formed at the upper side of the frame  102 . Four shock absorbers  134  are installed in a plurality of frames  102  constituting the wheel bracket  100 , while a single shock absorber  134  includes two air tubes  140  at the sides thereof. 
       FIG. 5  is a side cutaway view illustrating the mechanics of shock absorption by the inline skate with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , in the inline skate  2  with a shock absorber according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connecting protrusions  128  formed at the upper sides of the guide recesses  126  are inserted into the guide slots  124  formed in the upper sides of the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  of the wheel holder  116 , and the connecting protrusions  110  formed at the outer lower sides of the supporting plates  116   a  and  116   b  of the wheel holder  116  are inserted into the guide slots  104  formed in the lower sides of the guide recesses  126 . 
     Moreover, since the guide slots  124  and  104  are equal in length to the connecting protrusions  128  and  110  and are coupled to parts of the guide slots  124  and  104 , the shock absorbers  134  absorb shock in correspondence to the freedom of movement of the connecting protrusions  128  and  110  within the guide slots  124  and  104 . 
     Thus, as shown in  FIG. 5 , since, if stones or other obstacles protruding from the ground impact the wheel holder  116  (disposed at the right side as seen in  FIG. 5 ), the wheel holder  116  moves toward the shock absorber  134  and the guide slots  124  of the wheel holder  116  move upward in the direction of the connecting protrusions  128  of the guide recesses  126 , as is shown in  FIG. 6 , and the connecting protrusions  110  formed at the lower sides of the wheel holder  116  move upward within the guide slots  104  formed at the lower sides of the guide recesses  126 . 
     Therefore, since the upper sides of the wheel holder  116  press one of the air tubes  140  of the shock absorbers  134 , the shock transmitted to the wheel holder  116  is absorbed via the distortion of the air tube  140  and thus is not transmitted to the outsole. Since the wheel  112  receiving the shock from the uneven ground moves to a higher position than that of an undisturbed wheel  112 , the rider can balance while rolling on the uneven ground. 
     Moreover, according to the inline skate  2  with a shock absorber in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the shock is absorbed by the wheel bracket  100  installed on the lower side of the outsole, urethane wheels are not required, and wheels  112  having high hardness can be used. Thus, due to the increased hardness of the wheels, riders are capable of skating much faster using the inline shoe  2  according to the present invention. 
     As described above, an inline skate with a shock absorber according to the present invention includes air tubes provided at the inner upper sides of the wheel bracket which absorb shocks transmitted from the wheels so that wheels having high hardness can be employed to increase the rolling speed of the wheels. Since the wheel holder moves vertically as the skate traverses the surface of the uneven ground, the rider can balance easily and the rider&#39;s safety can be secured. 
     Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.