In-line roller skate with internal support and external ankle cuff

Abstract

A roller skate includes an upper, including a substantially nonrigid upper portion secured to a base. A frame secured to the base carries a plurality of wheels. The substantially nonrigid upper portion is reinforced by a substantially rigid internal heel counter. An ankle support cuff assembly is pivotally secured to the internal heel counter. The ankle support cuff assembly includes a substantially rigid ankle support cuff that is pivotally secured on lateral and medial sides to the internal heel counter. Ankle pad lines the interior of the ankle support cuff. Ankle support cuff is fastened by a selectively securable fastener about the skater's ankle. The ankle support cuff assembly pivots freely in the forward and aft direction relative to the internal heel counter.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 617,317, filed Jul. 9, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 753,750, filed Jan. 2, 2001, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 668,278, filed Jun. 21, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,172, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08 / 484,467, filed Jun. 7, 1995, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 094,576, filed Jul. 19, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,466.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to in-line roller skate constructions and, more particularly, to pivoting ankle support structures for in-line roller skates. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In-line roller skates typically include a plurality of aligned wheels with parallel axles secured to a skate frame. A skate boot or shoe is attached to the top of the frame. Most skate manufac...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] The above-described skate construction provides a skate that has great aesthetic appeal without substantial plastic material on the external body of the skate. The skate also provides superior lateral and medial support while allowing fore and aft movement of the lower leg of the skater relative to the skater's foot, with the cuff being pivotally secured within the upper.

[0022] A further embodiment of the present invention includes a substantially rigid internal heel counter and an external substantially rigid ankle cuff. The skate includes a base defining an undersurface, an upper surface, a toe end, and a heel end. A frame is secured to the undersurface of the base for mounting a plurality of wheels or other ground engaging member. A substantially nonrigid upper portion is secured to the upper surface of the base. A substantially rigid internal heel counter is secured to and extends upwardly from the heel end of the base and is received within and covered by the substantially nonrigid upper portion. The substantially rigid ankle cuff, fastenable about a skater's ankle, is pivotally secured to an upper portion of the heel counter. The substantially rigid ankle cuff is able to pivot forwardly freely relative to the internal heel counter, substantially without resistance from the nonrigid upper portion.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, a substantially rigid ankle cuff is secured to the heel counter and substantially nonrigid upper portion only by the pivotal connection to the internal heel counter and is otherwise separate from the nonrigid upper portion. An ankle pad lines an interior surface of the ankle cuff and extends downwardly, terminating at a free lower end within the internal heel counter. This embodiment of the invention allows the ankle cuff to pivot substantially freely from resistance due to the lower portion of the skate to follow the natural motion of the lower leg of a skater.

Problems solved by technology

While hockey skate constructions provide necessary support for this sport, they do not easily flex forwardly and rearwardly.

Specifically, while balancing in the forward and rear direction is relatively easy for even inexperienced skaters, balancing in the sideward or lateral direction is difficult because of the narrow support base and is heavily dependent upon the skater's balancing and coordination skills.

In other words, the incorporation of rigid support structures in the upper shoe portion of the in-line roller skate tends to add stiffness and bulk and, considering the warm weather environments conducive to in-line roller skating, tends to make the skates heavy, hot, and uncomfortable.

Since such soft materials combined with the rigid plastic shell are good insulators and do not readily transmit heat or air away from the user's foot, the result is a hot upper shoe portion.

While this type of boot design is well-suited for cold weather sports, the upper shoe portion tends to be hot and uncomfortable when used in warm weather sports such as in-line roller skating.

While this patent seeks to address the issue of comfort, the disclosed upper shoe portion is still configured of two parts, including a hard plastic outer shell and a soft inner liner, that in warm weather conditions can be uncomfortable compared to conventional walking and / or running shoes due to excessive heat buildup.

The result is that the skater's feet are often hot, damp, and uncomfortable.

Another problem with the adoption of injection molded ski-type boots to in-line roller skating is that, while providing excellent lateral stiffness and rigidity for lateral ankle support, these boots also create unnecessary and unwanted forward / rearward stiffness and rigidity.

Ski-type boots detract from the performance characteristics of the skate because they limit the range of motion of the skater's legs and feet and, therefore, the ability of the skater to utilize the full extent of his strength and agility.

Boots that are well-suited to skiing applications wherein it is not necessary to raise and lower the boot with every movement of the foot (because the skier relies on gravity to provide the forward or downward motion) prove heavy and bulky when adapted to in-line roller skating.

When skating on a flat surface, the in-line roller skater must lift the boot with every stride to provide a forward impetus and a heavy upper shoe portion causes fatigue and reduces skating enjoyment.

However, significant problems exist with such designs in that the adjustable braces and supports of these designs, while needed to accommodate numerous shoe sizes and shapes, are bulky and uncomfortable.

Additionally, there is a limited range of shoe types that the skates will accommodate and, thus, there is the additional requirement that the skater have the proper shoe type to properly utilize the skate.

The outer plastic shells of previous in-line roller skates have created difficulty in styling the skates, such as has been done with hiking boots and other footwear that have not had rigid outer shells.

A recreational skater may not have the required strength and ability to utilize a low-cut skate that provides ease of movement.

The skate would not provide enough lateral and medial support.

However, fore and aft movement of the lower leg of the skater relative to the skater's foot is also limited.

The hockey skate uppers are generally quite rigid and unforgiving.

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