Fastening system for the wheels of an in-line roller skate

A method of fastening a wheel axle to an in-line roller skate, said in-line roller skate having a frame including first and second side rails, said side rails each having inner and outer sides with said inner sides facing each other, said side rails mounting therebetween at least one wheel having a wheel axle bore and each said side rail having an axle aperture, at least one of said side rails having discrete rotation resisting barriers on its outer side adjacent said axle aperture, said skate further including means for attaching said frame to an operator's foot, said wheel axle comprising:

• an axle member including a shaft having an axle head at one end of said shaft and a threaded end disposed at the other end of said shaft, said axle member being receivable within said wheel axle bore and within said axle apertures of said side rails to rotatably mount said wheel to said frame, said wheel axle further including a threaded fastener member for engaging said threaded shaft end, said fastener member including discrete rotation resisting barriers thereon, said barriers characterized by opposing surface patterns having high and low areas defining a smoothly contoured surface, said surface patterns mutually configured for a high area of one of said patterns sized to be received within a low area of the other of said patterns, said patterns surrounding an axis of said axle with said high and low areas extending generally radially therefrom, said patterns rotating relative to one another as said axle is rotated relative to said fastener member, said patterns further contoured and resiliently biased toward one another to permit slippage of said patterns relative to another until said axle is secured to said fastener member with a desired degree of tightness;
• wherein said method comprises the steps of:
• inserting said axle member through a said axle aperture of a first side rail of said frame, through said wheel axle bore, and through the axle aperture of said second side rail such that said axle head contacts said outer side of said first side rail and such that the threaded end of said axle member is positioned to threadably engage said threaded fastener member;
• aligning said threaded fastener member to receive said shaft threaded end and rotating one of said axle or threaded end members relative to the other of said members so as to advance said threaded end within said threaded fastener member such that said rotating member reaches a first level of tightness against a said side rail;
• and
• after said rotating member reaches said first level of tightness against said side rail, causing said rotation resisting barriers to engage and then applying force to further rotate said rotating members to overcome a plurality of said successively encountered, discrete rotation-resisting barriers to indicate to the operator's perception that additional levels of tightness are being reached as each barrier is encountered and to thereby prevent overtightening and unwanted loosening of the member.

A fastening system for attaching a wheel to an in-line roller skate, said skate including a wheel with a wheel axle bore therethrough, and said fastening system comprising

• a frame including first and second side rails for mounting said wheel therebetween and each said rail having an axle aperture;
• a wheel axle comprising a shaft having a longitudinal central axis and having a head at one end of said shaft, said head having lower and upper surfaces, said axle including a threaded end disposed at the other end of said shaft, said wheel axle being received within said wheel axle bore and said axle apertures and rotatably mounting said wheel to said side rails;
• said first rail including at least one undulating frame surface pattern positioned about said first side rail axle aperture and having high and low areas;
• said axle head having an undulating axle head surface pattern on said head lower surface and selectively lockably engaging said side rail surface pattern during rotation of said axle about said central axis, said pattern having high and low areas, said frame and axle head surface patterns mutually configured for a high area of one of said patterns sized to be received within a low area of the other of said patterns;
• a threaded fastener adjacent said second side rail for threadably engaging and retaining said threaded end of said axle as said axle is rotated relative to said fastener;
• said axle head and frame surface patterns characterized by said high and low areas defining substantially smooth contoured surfaces with said frame surface pattern surrounding said axle aperture and extending radially therefrom with said frame surface pattern generally symmetrical about said axle aperture, said axle head and frame surface patterns selected for opposing surfaces of said pattern to slip relative to one other during turning of said axle head until said axle is secured to said threaded fasteners with a desired degree of tightening;
• and
• said fastening system further including:
• at least one spring means disposed substantially along said axle axis wherein attaching said threaded fastener to said threaded axle end selectively exerts an inwardly directed force on both side rails of said frame, said force being absorbed by said at least one spring means and then released to push said side rail undulating surface and said axle head undulating surface into mutual locking engagement.

An in-line roller skate having a frame including first and second side rails, at least one wheel having an axle bore therethrough, said first and second side rails have aligned axle apertures, the improvement comprising:

• a wheel axle having a shaft extending through said axle bore and said axle apertures, said axle including a head at one end of said shaft and a threaded end at an opposite end of said shaft, said head opposing said first rail and said threaded end extending through said axle aperture of said second rail;
• a threaded fastener for threadably engaging and retaining said threaded end of said axle as said axle is rotated relative to said threaded fasterner, said threaded fastener presenting a fastener surface opposing said second rail;
• an undulating frame surface pattern disposed on at least one of said first and second rail and opposing an axle surface pattern on at least one of said head and said fastener, said frame and axle surface patterns presenting a plurality of alternating high and low areas connected by a substantially smoothly contoured surface, said frame and axle surface patterns mutually configured for said high areas of said frame surface pattern sized to be received within said low areas of said axle surface pattern and with said high areas of said axle surface pattern sized to be received within said low areas of said frame surface pattern;
• said axle and frame surface patterns characterized by being substantially smoothly contoured surfaces surrounding an axis of said axle and with said high and low areas extending generally radially therefrom;
• said frame surface pattern resiliently biased toward said axle surface pattern with a biasing force sufficient for a high area of said axle surface pattern to override an opposing high area of said frame surface pattern against an urging of said biasing force until said axle is secured to said fastener with a desired degree of tightness.