Individual foot-skates for transportation, exercise, and sport

Abstract

A small skate device is described which in the user is supported and transported by two of such skates, one under each foot. Each skate has three or four wheels, one or two per axle of each device. Each wheel is mounted on the axles with at least one bearing. The two axles of the skates are supported on angled pivots so as to cause the skate to turn when the upper surface is angled with respect. to the ground. The upper surface, or deck, has either frictional material applied to the top face, small spring release bindings, or straps to hold the user's foot in place.

Description

REFERENCES CITED [0001]5984328November 1999Tipton6065762May 2000Brelvi6382640May 2002Killian6572120June 2003Chang6913270July 2005Wang20060055137March 2006Jiang7059613June 2006FarrellyFIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to human-powered wheeled transportation device where each foot is supported by one device, as with in-line skates, roller skates, or heeling shoes (U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,270 and similar). The invention also relates to skateboards and other devices rode sideways. BACKGOUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The present invention is a personal transportation device that inherits traits from both the enormously popular sports of in-line skates and skateboarding. Like in-line skates, each foot can move independently; like skateboarding, the skates are steered with axial deck roll. The present invention takes the advantages of both and merges them into a light, small pair of skates that are rode sideways and need only to be secured to the feet with friction. [0004] Lik...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] The skates, in all embodiments, are propelled by moving the legs and ankles with a scissor kick. With adequate practice the dynamics of the skates are readily internalized, and the user can quickly accelerate and climb hills on the devices without ever touching the ground (see FIG. 8 and associated description). Propulsion can be remarkably efficient, as the applied forces, though roughly perpendicular to the direction of motion, are parallel to the natural kicking motion of the legs; compare this to in-line skates, where the direction of propulsive force is parallel the shoulders, and the user has to pick up the boot on every stroke. While the propulsive force while using this invention is not as high as that with in-line skates or while pumping a normal skateboard, the overall motion is much smoother with little associated impact stress, thus providing utility to the invention.

Problems solved by technology

This motion is less natural, less reflex-based, and therefore harder to learn.

This both adds friction due to wheel flexing and reduces the work done by pumping the devices.

However, if the user desires this type slight sliding and give from the skates, one simply has to replace wide wheels with more narrow ones, e.g. from an in-line skate.

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