초록 ▼

A skate and skate brake which allows a user to brake the skate smoothly and evenly without catching on a ground surface utilizes a rotatable assembly having a resilient outer circumferential member attached to a relatively hard inner hub, the rotatable assembly brakes the skate by rotating with a ro

A skate and skate brake which allows a user to brake the skate smoothly and evenly without catching on a ground surface utilizes a rotatable assembly having a resilient outer circumferential member attached to a relatively hard inner hub, the rotatable assembly brakes the skate by rotating with a rotational friction greater than that of the average rotational friction of the skate wheels. The rotational friction of the rotatable assembly is controlled by locating a non-rotating brake pad in physical contact with the inner hub. The amount of rotational friction can be increase by urging the brake pads against an annular portion of the inner hub and by positioning the brake pads within an interior recess inside the inner hub so that an increase in the downward force that the user applies to the brake increases the force by which the inner hub of the rotatable assembly is urged against the brake pads. A method for braking a skate includes the steps of pivoting the skate about a wheel, rotating a rotatable assembly in contact with a ground surface while applying friction to the rotation of the rotatable assembly by urging a non-rotating brake pad against a relatively hard interior surface of the rotating rotatable assembly.

대표청구항 ▼

In a skate of the type having a brake and a plurality of wheels for rolling on a ground surface, the wheels having a circumferential hardness and an average rotational friction, an improved skate brake comprising: a) a bracket adapted to be mounted on one end of the skate; b) a rotatable assembly mo

In a skate of the type having a brake and a plurality of wheels for rolling on a ground surface, the wheels having a circumferential hardness and an average rotational friction, an improved skate brake comprising: a) a bracket adapted to be mounted on one end of the skate; b) a rotatable assembly mounted for rotation in the bracket and positioned on the skate such that the rotatable assembly is above the ground surface when no braking is desired, the rotatable assembly having i) an outer circumferential member having a circular cross-section and a rotatable assembly circumferential hardness, ii) an axis of rotation perpendicular to the circular cross-section of the outer circumferential member, iii) a first axial end and a second axial end, iv) an inner hub fixedly attached to the outer circumferential member, the inner hub having an interior surface and an inner hub hardness harder than the rotatable assembly circumferential hardness, and v) a rotational friction greater than the average rotational friction of the skate wheels; c) a first brake pad located in physical contact with the interior surface of the inner hub; and d) a first securing means for securing the first brake pad against rotation when the inner hub rotates; such that the skate is pivotable about at least one wheel to bring the rotatable assembly into contact with the ground surface so as to cause the rotatable assembly to rotate about the axis of rotation and provide braking as a result of the rotational friction of the rotatable assembly.