US 5,137,290 AGranted

Ice skate blade alignment mechanism

AssigneeIowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.

InventorsPatrick E. Patterson, Leon E. Girard

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Abstract

A blade alignment mechanism for an ice skate including a clamp for releasably securing the blade assembly to a skating boot in a trial position. The clamp includes a first member secured to the boot at a point remote from the screw apertures in the front or rear flanges, and a second member attached to the first member and disposed to contact one of the flanges to hold it in a trial position. The second member includes an enlarged adjustment opening that allows side-to-side and fore-and-aft adjustment of the second member with respect to the first member. The first and second members are locked into the selected trial position by tightening a threaded fastener that draws contacting serrated faces of the first and second members together. Thus, the blade assembly is releasably attached to the boot in a trial position for trial use by the skater.

Claims12

Dependent claims

In a blade alignment mechanism for an ice skate including a skating boot having a sole portion and a heel portion, and a blade assembly having a front flange adapted to mount to the sole portion with fasteners received through front flange apertures, a rear flange adapted to mount to the heel portion with fasteners received through rear flange apertures, and posts attached to and interconnecting the front and rear flanges and a runner fixedly attached to said front and rear flanges, the improvement comprising:

first clamp means for releasably securing the front flange to a front sole portion in a trial position, the clamp means including:
a first member releasably secured to the front sole portion at a point remote from the flange apertures;
a second member releasably attached to the first member and releasably attached to the front flange to hold the front flange in the trial position;
means for adjusting the side-to-side and fore-and-aft position of the second member, with the front flange attached thereto, with respect to the first member;
and
means for locking the position of the second member with respect to the first member, thereby locking the blade assembly in the trial position for trial use by a skater before permanently securing the blade assembly to the sole portion with fasteners attached through the front and rear flange apertures.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.