Frame and wheel assembly for an inline skate, inline skate, retrofitting method and replacement mount
AssigneeRailway Inventions Europe Limited
InventorHendrik Jan De Graaf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to an improved wheel arrangement of an inline skate for improving turning capability. In this wheel arrangement, the front wheel and rear wheel and any middle wheels are disposed along a straight line that makes an acute angle with the rolling direction and with the wheels being arranged such that they are part of a substantially inverted V-shape seen in front or rear plan view. Subject of the invention are a frame, a wheel assembly, combinations of left and right frames and wheel assemblies, inline skates, a method for retrofitting a prior art frame and a replacement mount for use in such a method.
Claims20
A wheel assembly for an inline skate comprising:
- a frame;
- and
- a set of wheels including a front wheel and a rear wheel,
- wherein the frame includes a shoe mount for mounting a skate shoe to the frame, a front wheel mount for holding the front wheel, and a rear wheel mount for holding the rear wheel,
- wherein the wheel assembly has an assembled state in which the front wheel is held by the front wheel mount and the rear wheel is held by the rear wheel mount,
- wherein the wheel assembly in the assembled state has a length, a width and a height extending respectively in an X-direction, a Y-direction and a Z-direction of a Cartesian coordinate system, an X-Y plane of the Cartesian coordinate system being tangent to both the front wheel and the rear wheel at or near contact patches of the front wheel and the rear wheel,
- wherein the front wheel has a front wheel rotation axis and a front wheel rotation plane extending perpendicular to the front wheel rotation axis and through a center of the front wheel,
- wherein the rear wheel has a rear wheel rotation axis and a rear wheel rotation plane extending perpendicular to the rear wheel rotation axis and through a center of the rear wheel,
- wherein in the assembled state of the wheel assembly, the front wheel rotation plane and the rear wheel rotation plane have an intersection line, the intersection line seen in a plane extending through the center of the rear wheel parallel to a Z-Y plane of the Cartesian coordinate system being located at a frame side of said X-Y plane,
- wherein the contact patches of the front wheel and the rear wheel are disposed along a substantially straight trajectory making an acute angle with a rolling direction of the wheel assembly defined by the front wheel and rear wheel,
- wherein the frame includes a middle wheel mount for holding a middle wheel, wherein the set of wheels includes a middle wheel having a middle wheel rotation axis and a middle wheel rotation plane extending perpendicular to the middle wheel rotation axis and through a center of the middle wheel, and wherein in the assembled state of the wheel assembly:
- a) the middle wheel is held by the middle wheel mount,
- b) a contact patch of the middle wheel is disposed along the trajectory,
- c) the middle wheel rotation plane and a wheel rotation plane of a wheel in front of the middle wheel have an intersection line, which intersection line seen in a plane extending through the center of the middle wheel parallel to a Z-Y plane of the Cartesian coordinate system is located at a frame side of said X-Y plane, and
- d) the middle wheel rotation plane and a wheel rotation plane of a wheel behind the middle wheel have an intersection line, which intersection line seen in a plane extending through the center of the middle wheel parallel to a Z-Y plane of the Cartesian coordinate system is located at a frame side of said X-Y plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.