Hand activated skate brake and method
AssigneeOut of Line Sports, Inc.
InventorDavid N. Mitchell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A skate brake system includes a carriage that pivots about the rear of a skate so as to bring a brake pad into contact with the skating surface when activated by a hand-activated actuator. The skater need not perform any special body movement to raise (or lower) the toe of the skate, and, accordingly, the angle of the skate relative to the ground remains constant while the brake is applied. In another embodiment, a plunger cannister contains a plunger that brings a brake pad into contact with the skating surface when the plunger is actuated by a hand-activated actuator.
Claims10
A roller skate brake system, comprising:
- (a) a brake carriage having a first arm, a second arm, and a back member connecting said first arm and said second arm, the first arm having a pivot point, and the second arm having a pivot point opposite the pivot point of the first arm, said carriage being rotatably connected at said pivot points to a roller skate with the back member oriented towards the rear of the skate, the carriage riding on said skate above a skating surface when the skate is being used to skate on said surface and said carriage being oriented so that a line drawn between the pivot points is substantially parallel to an axle of the skate;
- a rotation of said carriage in a first direction about said pivot points urging said back member towards the skating surface, and a rotation of the carriage in a second direction about the pivot points urging said back member away from the skating surface,
- (b) a brake pad operatively connected to said back member so as to move towards and away from said skating surface in concert with said back member,
- (c) hand-activated actuator means operatively connected to the carriage, said actuator means urging the carriage to rotate in said first direction so that the brake pad is urged towards said skating surface when the actuator is engaged and;
- (d) return means operatively connected to said carriage, said return means urging the carriage to rotate in said second direction so that the brake pad is urged away from the skating surface when the actuator is not engaged,
- said brake system thereby using the skating surface for stopping said skate when the actuator is engaged and while the angle of the skate relative to the ground remains constant.
An assembly for use in a roller skate brake system, said assembly comprising carriage means including a braking surface, a left side pivot point and a right side pivot point, said carriage means being rotatably connected at said pivot points to a roller skate, the carriage riding on said skate above a skating surface when the skate is being used to skate on said skating surface and said carriage means being oriented so that a line drawn between the pivot points is substantially parallel to an axle of the skate;
- a rotation of said carriage means in a first direction about said pivot points urging said braking surface towards the skating surface and a rotation of the carriage means in a second direction about the pivot points urging said braking surface away from the skating surface,
- said brake system having an actuator for rotating the carriage means in said first direction, thereby using the skating surface for stopping while maintaining a constant angle of the skate relative to the skating surface as the carriage means rotates, said roller skate being attachable to a skater's foot so that the foot is firmly held within the skate and is substantially fixed relative to said carriage means.
A method for stopping a pair of roller skates, comprising the steps of:
- (a) attaching carriage means including two pivot points to a first skate, said carriage means having a brake pad operatively connected thereto and said carriage means being rotatably connected at said pivot points to said skate and being oriented so that a line drawn between the pivot points is substantially parallel to an axle of said skate, said first skate being attachable to a skater's first foot so that the foot is firmly held within the skate and is substantially fixed relative to said carriage means, and
- (b) rotating said carriage means while skating, thereby bringing said brake pad into contact with the skating surface while the angle of said first skate relative to the skating surface remains constant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.