Braking assembly for a roller skate

Abstract

A braking assembly for use with a roller skate, the roller skate being wearable by an intended user having a leg, a foot extending from the leg and a hand. The roller skate has a frame, a foot receiving portion coupled to the frame for receiving the foot of the user and first and second wheels rotatably mounted to the frame, the first and second wheels defining respectively a first wheel radius and a second wheel radius. The first and second wheels further define respectively a first wheel circumferential surface and a second wheel circumferential surface. The braking assembly includes a brake shoe defining a wheel contacting surface, the wheel contacting surface including a first arc segment and a second arc segment for respectively abutting against a portion of the first and second wheel circumferential surfaces, the brake shoe being mountable to the roller skate such as to be movable between a released position and an engaged position, wherein in the released position, the brake shoe is substantially spaced apart from the first and second wheel circumferential surfaces and in the engaged position, the first arc segment frictionally abuts against a portion of the first wheel circumferential surface and the second arc segment frictionally abuts against a portion of the second wheel circumferential surface; and an actuator operatively coupled to the brake shoe for selectively moving the brake shoe between the released and engaged positions.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 651,972 filed Feb. 14, 2005.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to roller skates. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a braking assembly for a roller skate. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] There are many techniques and devices usable to slow down or stop while roller-skating. For example, in some roller skates, a brake in the form of a pad of material is provided at one or both extremities of the skate. Then, to brake, the skate user simply tilts his skates so that the block abuts against the surface onto which he is skating. By exerting a suitable pressure with his leg onto the brake pad, the user can control his speed. [0004] However, currently existing brakes of this type only provide for a relatively slow decrease in speed. Since in recent years skates have improved greatly and are not solely used by children but also by well-trained adul...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] Advantageously, the braking assembly is ergonomic and provides a relatively efficient and a relatively easy manner way of braking, either to completely stop the intended user or to modulate his speed.

[0017] In addition, the braking assembly is relatively easily integrated into currently existing roller skates and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the braking assembly is relatively robust, relatively light, requires a relatively small amount of maintenance and wears off roller skate wheels relatively slowly.

[0018] In some embodiments of the invention, the force exerted on a rearward wheel of the roller skate is smaller than the force exerted on a frontward wheel of the roller skate. This helps in preventing the rearward wheel to stop rotating as a result of an unloading of this wheel caused by a deceleration of the user when the brake shoe engages the wheels.

Problems solved by technology

However, currently existing brakes of this type only provide for a relatively slow decrease in speed.

Since in recent years skates have improved greatly and are not solely used by children but also by well-trained adults, this type of braking technique is relatively inefficient in view of the speeds attained using these roller skates.

In addition, using this type of brake requires some skill by the user and may create some difficulty for the user to remain in balance.

However, it is mainly beginner skaters that are most likely to need braking in case of emergency, as they are relatively inexperienced with the skate.

Having to learn the skill for braking in this beginning phase is therefore a disadvantage of currently existing braking assemblies.

However, it requires a relatively hard to acquire skill.

Also, this technique causes a relatively large amount of wear of the wheels, which are not typically designed to withstand forces produced by this braking technique.

However, such cable-actuated braking assemblies have been relatively unsuccessful as they are relatively cumbersome, relatively expensive and relatively hard to use.

Also, in some braking assemblies of this type, the actuator that actuates the brake includes a handle that may injure a skater in case of a fall.

However, currently existing systems of this type have many drawbacks.

First, a surface of the brake shoe that contacts the wheel is typically relatively small.

This relatively small surface requires that relatively large forces be exerted onto the wheel to stop, which causes the wheels to wear off relatively fast.

However, using more than one brake shoe typically increases the complexity of the braking assembly, which in turn increase manufacturing costs.

Indeed, if one brake shoe were to exert a larger force onto one of wheels, this brake shoe may block this wheel, but not the other wheels.

Blocked wheels slide onto the ground surface and therefore wear off relatively rapidly.

Balancing this force may require relatively complex systems and relatively tight manufacturing and assembling tolerances.

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