Ice Skate Blade Holder Locking Arm Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice skate blade attachment mechanisms are difficult to actuate and access, often requiring tools for removal and replacement, which complicates the process of swapping out worn or damaged blades.
Innovation Solution
A blade assembly with a locking arm mechanism that allows for easy engagement and disengagement of the blade, featuring a groove and recess system with a locking arm that moves between locked and unlocked positions, allowing users to manually manipulate the blade without needing to access internal cavities, ensuring the blade can be easily replaced without tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional blade attachment mechanism is used, then the blade can be securely retained in the holder, but the mechanism becomes difficult to access and requires tools for removal and replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: a locking arm with engagement end, a finger-engaging portion for user interaction, and an opening in the pedestal wall. This segmentation allows the user to access and manipulate the locking arm externally through the opening without needing to access internal cavities, simplifying the operation while maintaining secure retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening in the pedestal wall acts as an intermediary element that allows the user's fingers to interact with the locking arm without direct access to the internal cavity. This intermediary structure enables tool-free operation by mediating between the user's external manipulation and the internal locking mechanism.
2Reliability
If the locking arm extends into internal cavities for secure engagement, then the blade retention is improved, but the mechanism becomes difficult to access and actuate by the user
Solution Approach 1:
The locking arm is designed to extend through the pedestal wall opening from the external dimension, allowing user access, while its engagement end reaches into the internal cavity dimension to secure the blade. This dimensional arrangement allows the majority of the locking arm to remain externally accessible while maintaining internal engagement for secure retention.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the user to access the internal cavity to manipulate the locking mechanism, the design inverts the approach by allowing the locking arm to be actuated from the external side through the opening. The user manipulates the locking arm externally, and this action translates to internal engagement or disengagement, reversing the traditional access pattern.
Data Source
AI summary
A blade holder assembly for a skate including a blade holder having an elongated groove defined in a bottom surface, and a recess extending upwardly therefrom in alignment with a pedestal, for engagement with a blade. The pedestal has an internal cavity defined therein separate and spaced from the elongated groove and the recess. A locking arm is engaged to the pedestal and movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The locking arm has an engagement end protruding into the recess through an opening defined in a wall of the pedestal. A greater portion of the engagement end protrudes into the recess in the locked position than in the unlocked position. At least a major part of the locking arm, including the engagement end, remains outside of the internal cavity of the pedestal in the locked and unlocked positions. A blade assembly is also discussed.