Variable geometry roller skates
OwnerRichard C. Levy, Richard J. Maddocksinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Each roller skate includes front and rear pairs of wheels longitudinally spaced from one another and carried by a frame for rotation about longitudinally spaced axes in a first configuration of the roller skate. A parallelogram linkage connects the wheels and the frame. By displacing the linkage, the wheels are movable into a second configuration wherein the wheels are in-line one behind the other and rotatable about transverse axes longitudinally spaced from one another. The wheels may be locked in the first configuration and biased for movement into the second configuration. Alternatively, the wheels may be locked in both configurations by a combined brake pad and locking assembly.
Claims14
A variable geometry roller skate comprising:
- a frame;
- front and rear pairs of wheels carried by said frame and longitudinally spaced from one another for rotation about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending, generally parallel front and rear axes, respectively, in a first configuration enabling the roller skate for movement in a longitudinal direction;
- and
- means connecting said frame and said front and rear pairs of wheels for enabling displacement of said wheels from said first configuration to a second configuration without disassembly of said wheels relative to said frame, each wheel in said second configuration being rotatable about a discrete, transversely extending axis spaced longitudinally of the axis of each other wheel of said front and rear pairs of wheels, enabling the roller skate for movement in said longitudinal direction, said connecting means enabling the wheels of said front and rear pairs of wheels to lie in substantial longitudinal alignment with one another in said second configuration, whereby all wheels of said pairs thereof lie substantially in-line with one another in said second configuration.
A variable geometry roller skate comprising:
- a frame;
- front and rear pairs of wheels;
- means connecting said front and rear pairs of wheels and said frame establishing first and second configurations of said wheels, said pairs of front and rear wheels in said first configuration being longitudinally spaced from one another for rotation about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending front and rear axes, respectively, enabling the roller skate for movement in a longitudinal direction, each wheel of said front and rear pairs of wheels in said second configuration being rotatable about a discrete transversely extending axis spaced longitudinally of the axis of each other wheel of said front and rear pairs of wheels and lying in substantial longitudinal alignment with each other wheel of said front and rear pairs of wheels whereby all wheels of said pairs thereof lie substantially in-line with one another in said second configuration, enabling the roller skate for movement in said longitudinal direction;
- said connecting means enabling displacement of said wheels from one of said first and second configurations to another of said first and second configurations without disassembly of said wheels relative to said frame.
A variable geometry roller skate comprising:
- a frame;
- a pair of wheels and at least a third wheel carried by said frame, said pair of wheels and said third wheel being longitudinally spaced from one another for rotation about longitudinally spaced, transversely extending axes, respectively, in a first configuration of said wheels, enabling the roller skate for movement in a longitudinal direction;
- means connecting said frame and said pair of wheels for enabling displacement of said pair of wheels from a first orientation in said first configuration of said wheels to a second orientation in a second configuration of said wheels wherein each wheel of said pair of wheels and said third wheel is rotatable about a discrete transversely extending axis spaced longitudinally of the axis of each other wheel thereof, enabling the roller skate for movement in said longitudinal direction in said second configuration;
- said connecting means enabling the wheels of said pair of wheels without disassembly of said pair of wheels relative to said frame to lie in substantial longitudinal alignment with one another and with said third wheel in said second configuration whereby all wheels of said pair of wheels and said third wheel lie substantially in-line with one another in said second configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.