Roller Skate with Tiltable Rear Wheels and Automatic Length Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheeled skates lack sufficient braking capacity while maintaining stability, and they are often cumbersome to adjust for different shoe sizes without tools or manual intervention, and often require buckles for attachment.
Innovation Solution
A roller skate with an adjustable platform, a single front wheel, and three tiltable rear wheels, featuring a biasing mechanism for automatic extension and retraction, and a brake pad system that maintains wheel engagement during tilting, along with removable and replaceable toe and heel plates for various shoe types.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If conventional brake pads are used that require raising the skate off the surface, then braking action is achieved, but wheel engagement is lost and balance control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The brake pad system is designed to remain dynamically engaged with the wheel during braking. The brake pad is positioned to contact the wheel while the wheel remains on the ground, allowing continuous engagement without requiring the skate to be lifted off the skating surface. This dynamic configuration maintains both braking force and balance control simultaneously.
2Adaptability or versatility
If adjustable mechanisms are added to accommodate different shoe sizes, then adaptability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting assembly is segmented into adjustable components that can be configured for different shoe sizes. The platform includes a toe plate and heel plate connected by adjustable connecting members, allowing the length to be modified to accommodate various foot sizes while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable connecting assembly serves multiple functions: it accommodates different shoe sizes, provides structural support for the platform, and enables secure attachment to various footwear types. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate adjustment mechanisms.
3Reliability
If traditional attachment methods with buckles are used, then secure attachment is achieved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system is designed to be self-adjusting and self-securing. The connecting assembly automatically adapts to the shoe size and secures the skate to the footwear without requiring manual buckling or complex fastening operations. The mechanism serves itself by utilizing the shoe's existing structure for secure attachment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced braking capacity, stability, and adjustable length without tools, allowing for secure attachment to different shoe sizes without buckles, while maintaining wheel engagement during braking.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing mechanism for automatic extension and retraction
Implementation Method 2
three tiltable rear wheels, featuring a biasing mechanism for automatic extension and retraction, and a brake pad system that maintains wheel engagement during tilting
Data Source
AI summary
A roller skate having enhanced durability and stability is disclosed. Furthermore, the roller skate is particularly adapted for affixing to a person's footwear, such as sneakers, boots or the like. The skate includes a platform for supporting a skater's foot. The platform includes a toe plate and heel plate connected by an adjustable connecting assembly. A front truck is affixed to the underside of the toe plate, while a rear truck is affixed to the underside of the heel plate. The front truck includes simple bracket arms for affixing a single front wheel which is capable of rotating, but not capable of tilting about the platform's longitudinal axis. Meanwhile, the rear wheel truck is mounted to the underside of the heel plate so as to permit both tilting movement about an inclined longitudinal axis, and also rotation about a transverse axis relative to the roller skate's platform. Preferably, the roller skate includes three wheels rotatably mounted to the rear wheel truck. A button projects upwardly from the roller skate's rear truck so as to engage a skater's heel when it is placed upon the roller skate's platform. The button is connected to the roller skate's connecting assembly so that depression of the button causes the platform to unlock from an extending condition to allow the skate to automatically contract to capture a skater's foot.