Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02729250 2011-01-25
ICE SKATE BLADE ASSEMBLY
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an ice skate blade assembly comprising a
skate
blade attachment system that allows to a user to quickly secure the ice skate
blade to the blade holder and to quickly release the ice skate blade from the
blade holder. The attachment system is easy for the user to use and does not
require the assistance of hand tools. Moreover, the attachment system allows
the
user to replace ice skate blades without first having to remove the skate from
his/her foot.
Background of the invention
Forming ice skate assemblies with a provision for the replacement of the ice
skate blade is well known in the art.
Commonly, such assemblies comprise a blade holder molded from a
thermoplastic material with a longitudinal groove extending therealong and
within
which the ice skate blade is received.
In accordance with a first prior assembly, the ice skate blade is locked to
the
blade holder by two or more threaded fastener means (such as a nut and bolt
assembly) that pass transversely through the blade and blade holder at
intervals
which are longitudinally spaced apart. This arrangement permits the rapid
replacement of the blade through the use of two simple tools.
In accordance with a second prior assembly, the ice skate blade is locked to
the
blade holder by two or more threaded fastener means that pass upwardly through
the blade holder. This second means of locking the blade to the blade holder
permits the blade to be strongly biased in contact with the blade holder.
However,
a deficiency in this second prior assembly is that the replacement of the
blade
usually requires demounting the blade holder from the skate boot in order to
gain
access to the threaded fastening means so that the blade may be released from
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
the blade holder.
Another deficiency in the first and second prior assemblies described above is
the need to use two or more fastener means. The use of these fastener means
renders the process of changing the ice skate blade both cumbersome and time-
consuming for the user.
In accordance with a third prior assembly, the ice skate blade comprises a
hooked portion at the front and a projection with a fastener aperture at the
rear.
The blade holder has a recess for receiving the front hooked portion and a
bore
hole for receiving a fastener having a threaded portion and a head that
registers
within the rear fastener aperture. A nut is screwed on the threaded portion of
the
fastener for retaining the blade in place. However, a known deficiency in the
third
prior assembly is that the replacement of the blade requires passing a tool
through a hole provided in the sole of the skate boot to access the nut
screwed
on the threaded portion of the fastener in order to disengage the head of the
fastener means from the bore hole and thus release the blade from the blade
holder.
U.S. Patent 5,123,664 shows a skate blade assembly wherein the front end of
the ice skate blade is pivotably coupled to the blade holder via a slot and
pin
arrangement. The rear end of the skate blade is then pivoted into snap-locking
engagement with a locking mechanism located at the rear end of the blade
holder, which locking mechanism comprises several pieces including springs,
slide bar, latching tongue, ejection rod, rod and pin. A known deficiency of
this
assembly is that it comprises several pieces, thereby increasing the
complexity of
its construction and operation.
U.S. Publication No. 2010/0109312 shows a replaceable ice skate blade wherein
the skate blade is attached to a removable blade assembly. The blade assembly
comprises a first hook and pivotable rocker at its front end, as well as a
second
hook towards its rear end. The blade assembly is designed to be interlocked
with
an attachment system contained in the front and rear cavities of the holder,
where the front cavity comprises a fixed retention hook for engaging the first
hook
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
of the blade assembly and the rear cavity comprises an attachment device that
includes a pivotable retention hook at one end shaped to receive and engage
the
rearward hook of the blade assembly, a pawl that is attached to the pivotable
retention hook, a releasing means (e.g., a button) and a spring that provides
tension to the different components of the device.
To attach the skate blade and blade assembly to the holder, the user first
presses
the releasing means in order to overcome the force of the spring on the pawl,
thus allowing the pivotable retention hook to move into a position that would
allow
the entry of the rearward second hook of the blade assembly. Next, the user
engages the first hook with the fixed retention hook in the front cavity of
the
attachment system and rotates the blade assembly via the pivotable rocker so
as
to make the second hook enter the attachment device at the rear of the holder.
The second hook makes contacts with and applies pressure to the pivotable
retention hook within the attachment device. Once sufficient pressure is
applied
by the second hook of the blade assembly on the pivotable retention hook, the
retention hook (and attached pawl) pivots, which subsequently releases the
tension stored the spring and forces the pivotable retention hook into a
position
where it is physically engaged with the second hook of the blade assembly.
However, a known deficiency of this assembly is that it comprises several
separate pieces, thereby increasing the complexity of its construction and
operation.
Consequently, there is a need in the industry to provide a simple attachment
system having a single component that allows the ice skate blade to easily be
locked to and removed from the blade holder by the user without the need of
tools.
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CA 02729250 2013-07-15
Summary of the invention
In accordance with a broad aspect, the invention provides an ice skate blade
assembly for a skate boot, the ice skate blade assembly extending along a
longitudinal axis and comprising: (a) an ice skate blade comprising first and
second
ends, an ice contacting surface and an upper edge opposed to the ice
contacting
surface, the upper edge comprising first and second hooks projecting upwardly
proximate to one of the first and second ends respectively, the second hook
having
an upper surface, an end and a bottom surface; (b) a blade holder having first
and
second pedestals and a bridge portion connecting the first and second
pedestals, the
blade holder further comprising a bottom portion having a longitudinal groove
extending therealong for receiving the upper edge of the ice skate blade and
wherein
the bottom portion further defines a recess extending upwardly from the
longitudinal
groove for receiving the first hook and wherein the second pedestal has an
inner
surface defining a cavity with a bottom aperture that opens to the
longitudinal groove;
and (c) a single actuator at least partially mounted within the cavity, the
single
actuator having a finger-wall accessible by a finger of a user, a resilient
portion
having an end wall facing a section of the inner surface of the second
pedestal and a
base with an inner wall and a bottom wall having an upper surface, an end and
a
bottom surface, wherein the inner wall and the bottom wall define therebetween
a
channel that opens to the bottom aperture for receiving the second hook;
wherein,
when the first hook is received within the recess and the second hook is
received
within the channel, the bottom wall of the single actuator wedges the second
hook for
locking in place the ice skate blade in the longitudinal groove whereby an
upward
force is applied by the bottom wall to the second hook due to a remaining
tension in
the resilient portion; and wherein, upon pressure by the user on the finger-
accessible
wall, the resilient portion is deformed and translation movement of the single
actuator
in a first direction is imparted such that the upper surface of the bottom
wall no longer
contacts the bottom surface of the second hook and upward force is no longer
applied upon the second hook by the bottom wall such that the second hook can
exit
the channel.
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CA 02729250 2013-07-15
In accordance with another broad aspect, the invention provides an ice skate
blade
assembly for a skate, the ice skate blade assembly extending along a
longitudinal
axis and comprising: (a) an ice skate blade comprising first and second ends,
an ice-
contacting surface and an upper edge opposite to the ice-contacting surface,
the
upper edge comprising first and second hooks projecting upwardly proximate to
one
of the first and second ends respectively; (b) a blade holder having first and
second
pedestals and a bridge portion connecting the first and second pedestals, the
blade
holder further comprising a bottom portion having a longitudinal groove
extending
therealong for receiving the upper edge of the ice skate blade, the bottom
portion
further defining a recess extending upwardly from the longitudinal groove for
receiving the first hook of the ice skate blade and wherein the second
pedestal has
an inner surface defining a cavity with a bottom aperture that opens to the
longitudinal groove; and (c) a single actuator for selectively locking the ice
skate
blade into the blade holder and releasing the ice skate blade from the blade
holder,
the single actuator being at least partially mounted within the cavity of the
second
pedestal and comprising a finger-engaging surface accessible by at least one
finger
of a user from an exterior of the blade holder and a hook-receiving portion
for
receiving the second hook of the ice skate blade, the hook-receiving portion
being
movable between (i) a lock position, in which the hook-receiving portion
engages the
second hook of the ice skate blade to lock the ice skate blade in the
longitudinal
groove of the blade holder, and (ii) a release position, in which the hook-
receiving
portion disengages the second hook of the ice skate blade to release the ice
skate
blade from the blade holder, and wherein the hook-receiving portion is movable
in
response to the at least one finger of the user acting on the finger-engaging
surface
for imparting translation movement of the single actuator from the lock
position to the
release position.
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to
the
persons skilled in the art upon review of the following description of
embodiments
of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
Brief description of the drawings
A detailed description of examples of implementation of the present invention
is
provided hereinbelow with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows an ice skate blade assembly in accordance with a non-limiting
embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the ice skate blade assembly shown in
Figure 1;
Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 2A-2A of Figure 2;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 2;
Figures 4 to 6 are cross-sectional views showing the process of inserting the
ice
skate blade within the blade holder;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the ice skate blade in its locked
position within the blade holder; and
Figures 8 to 11 are cross-sectional views showing the process of detaching the
ice skate blade from the blade holder.
In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
example.
It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only
for
purposes of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not intended
to
be a definition of the limits of the invention.
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
,
Detailed description of embodiments
To facilitate the description, any reference numeral designating an element in
one
figure will designate the same element if used in any other figures. In
describing
the embodiments, specific terminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity
but the
invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and
it is
understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with
the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written
description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms
"horizontal", "vertical", "left", "right", "up", "down" and the like, as well
as adjectival
and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally", "rightwardly",
"upwardly",
"radially", etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated
structure. Similarly,
the terms "inwardly," "outwardly" and "radially" generally refer to the
orientation of
a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as
appropriate.
Figures 1, 2 and 4 to 11 show an ice skate blade assembly 10 constructed in
accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the invention. The ice skate
blade
assembly 10 extends along a longitudinal axis A and has an ice skate blade 12
and a blade holder 14.
The ice skate blade 12 can be made of a stainless steel material that is
durable
and can maintain a sharp edge. In another embodiment, the ice skate blade can
also comprise an upper section made of aluminium or plastic and a bottom
section made of stainless steel. In a further embodiment, the ice skate blade
can
comprise a plurality of apertures for reducing its weight.
The blade holder 14 can be made of a lightweight, strong material such as
NYLONTM. The holder 14 can also be made from a transparent or translucent
material capable of being seen through. The transparent or translucent
material
may be a polymeric material such as, ACRYLICTM, XYLACTM or any type of
translucent or transparent polycarbonate or other polymer.
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
The blade holder 14 can be manufactured using known processes, including but
not limited to an injection molding process.
Referring to Figure 2, the ice skate blade 12 comprises a first end 16 and a
second end 18, an ice contacting surface 20 and an upper edge 22 that is
opposed to the ice contacting surface 20. The upper edge 22 comprises a first
hook 24 that is upwardly projecting and proximate to the first end 16 of the
ice
skate blade 12. The upper edge 22 also comprises a second hook 26 that is
upwardly projecting and which is generally located proximate to the second end
18 of the ice skate blade 12. The second hook 26 has an upper surface 26A, an
end 26B and a bottom surface 26C.
The upper edge 22 further comprises a tooth 28 located between the first and
second hooks 24, 26. The tooth 28 has first and second walls 28A, 28B
extending upwardly and a top wall 28C. The second wall 28B may be an inclined
wall projecting upwardly from the upper edge 22. As shown, the first and
second
hooks 24, 26 are the front and rear hooks of the ice skate blade 12
respectively,
and the tooth 28 is closer to the second hook 26; but it will be understood
that the
first and second hooks 24, 26 may otherwise be the rear and front hooks of the
ice skate blade and that the tooth 28 may rather be closer to the front hook
in
such an embodiment.
Moreover, in the ice skate blade 12, the first hook 24 projects forwardly
towards
the front of the blade holder 14, while the second hook 26 projects rearwardly
towards the rear of the blade holder 14.
The blade holder 14 has first and second pedestals 30, 32 with respective top
first and second top portions 34, 36 for attachment to a bottom surface of a
skate
boot (not shown). The blade holder 14 also has a bridge portion 58 connecting
the first and second pedestals 30, 32. As is well known in the art, a skate
boot
(not shown) can comprise a rigid outsole glued to the bottom surface of the
insole
and the top portions 34, 36 of the blade holder 14 can be riveted to the
outsole
and insole. The blade holder 14 also comprises a bottom portion 38 having a
longitudinal groove 40 extending therealong, and along the longitudinal axis
A.
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
Figure 3 shows that the longitudinal groove 40 is formed by laterally spaced
walls
42, 44 extending downwardly from a bottom surface 46. As is best seen in
Figure
7, when the ice skate blade 12 is locked in place within the holder 14, the
upper
edge 22 of the ice skate blade 12 abuts the bottom surface 46. The
longitudinal
groove 40 is designed to receive the upper edge 22 of the ice skate blade 12.
The width of the longitudinal groove 40 is almost identical to the one of the
upper
edge 22 and the depth of the groove 40 is sufficient in order that the upper
edge
22 of the ice skate blade 12 can be tightly received within the longitudinal
groove
40.
With reference to Figure 2, the first pedestal 30 has an inner surface 48
defining
a first cavity 50 and the second pedestal 32 has an inner surface 52 defining
a
second cavity 54 communicating with a bottom aperture 56 provided in the
bottom portion 38 between first and second base walls 56A, 56B such that the
bottom aperture 56 opens on to the longitudinal groove 40. The second pedestal
32 also comprises a protrusion 53 that extends rearwardly from a section of
the
inner surface 52 into the second cavity 54. As shown, the first and second
pedestals 30, 32 are front and rear pedestal of the blade holder, but it may
be
understood that the first and second pedestals 30, 32 may otherwise be the
rear
and front pedestals of the blade holder.
The bridge portion 58 has first, second, third and fourth apertures 60, 62,
64, 66
for reducing the weight of the blade holder 14.
The bottom portion 38 also defines a recess 68 extending upwardly from the
longitudinal groove 40 for receiving the first hook 24. The inner front wall
of the
recess 68 has a profile that generally matches the profile of the external
front wall
of the first hook 24, such that the first hook 24 can be tightly mounted
within the
recess 68 when the ice skate blade 12 is locked in place.
In the ice skate blade 12, the first hook 24 projects upwardly and forwardly
and
this first hook 24 is a front hook. Those skilled in the art will understand
that the
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
first hook would otherwise project upwardly and rearwardly in an embodiment
wherein the first recess 68 is rather provided on the rear pedestal.
The bottom portion 38 further defines an indent 70 extending upwardly from the
longitudinal groove 40 for receiving the tooth 28 of the ice skate blade 12.
The
indent 70 has first and second walls 70A, 70B extending downwardly and a top
wall 70C. The second wall 70B may be an inclined wall. The indent 70 has an
internal profile that generally matches the external profile of the tooth 28
such
that one of the first and second walls 28A, 28B of the tooth 28 abuts against
one
of the first and second walls 70A, 70B of the indent 70 when the ice skate
blade
12 is locked in place. In the embodiment where the first hook 24 is the front
hook,
the second (rear) wall 28B of the tooth 28 abuts against the second (rear)
wall
70B of the indent 70 when the ice skate blade 12 is locked in place.
As best seen in Figure 2, the ice skate blade assembly 10 also comprises a
single actuator 72 having a wall 74 accessible by a finger of the user, a
resilient
portion 76 having an end wall 78 facing a section of the inner surface 52 of
the
second pedestal 32, an upper surface 77 and a bottom portion 80 with an inner
wall 83 and a bottom wall 84 comprising an upper surface 84A, an end 84B and a
bottom surface 84C where the inner wall 83 and the bottom wall 84 define
therebetween a channel 82 for receiving the second hook 26. In the embodiment
shown in the figures, the end wall 78 is a rear end wall that faces a rear
section of
the inner surface 52 of the second pedestal.
In one embodiment, the single actuator 72 may be made of an integrated part.
In
another embodiment, the single actuator may be made of two parts where the
part comprising the resilient portion 76 can be compressed and inserted in the
second cavity 54 after the other part in order to ease mounting of the single
actuator 72 within the second cavity 54.
While the single actuator 72 may be made of one, two or more parts, in use,
when it is mounted within the second cavity 54, all its movable components
such
as the finger accessible wall 74, channel 82, bottom wall 84 and resilient
portion
76 are interdependent such that translation movement of any one of these
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
components imparts corresponding translation movement of all the other
components of the single actuator 72.
The part comprising the resilient portion may be made of a material that is
slightly
more flexible than the material of the other part, which may be made of more
rigid
material. One of the parts may be made of thermoplastic overmolded over a
skeleton or frame made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. One of
the
parts (e.g. the one comprising the finger accessible wall) may be made of
aluminum or stainless steel while the other part comprising the resilient
portion
can be made of a flexible resilient material. The finger accessible wall may
be
made of aluminium, stainless steel or thermoplastic with an overmolded region
made of tactile material such as polyurethane.
The single actuator 72 may be made of thermoplastic material, such materials
sold under the names ABSTM, NYLONTM, DELRINTM (grades 900P, 500P, 500CL
or 100ST) or ORGALLOYTM (grades LT5050 or RS600). The single actuator 72
may be molded or otherwise formed using techniques known in the art (e.g.,
plastic or metal injection molding).
As best seen in Figure 2A, the end wall 78 may have a vertical projection 78A
and the second pedestal 32 may have a vertical groove 78B provided on the
inner surface 52 such that, after insertion of the single actuator 72 within
the
second cavity 54, the vertical projection 78A registers within the vertical
groove
78B and the single actuator 72 is aligned within the second cavity 54. It is
understood that the vertical projection 78A may be replaced by a vertical
groove
and the vertical groove 78B may be replaced by a corresponding vertical
projection. It is also understood that the end wall 78 may be devoid of any
vertical
projection or groove and the inner surface 52 may be devoid of any vertical
groove or projection such that the external surface of the end wall 78 abuts
directly against a rear section of the inner surface 52.
Referring to Figures 2 and 7, the resilient portion 76 may comprise two
resilient
flaps 76A and two internal arms 76B that add rigidity to the resilient portion
76 for
avoiding rotational or pivotal movement of the resilient portion 76 when
pressure
CA 02729250 2011-01-25
is applied upon it. It is understood that a resilient portion 76 with a number
of
flaps or inner arms greater than or less than two would also fall within the
scope
of the present invention.
In addition, the functionality of the resilient portion 76 could be provided
by
resilient components other than flaps. For example, a set of one or more
resilient
coil springs could be used for the resilient portion 76 and would likely
provide
similar, if not identical, functionality to the resilient portion 76 as do the
resilient
flaps of the present embodiment. In another alternate embodiment, the
resilient
portion 76 could be comprised of some combination of resilient flaps and
resilient
springs that provide equivalent functionality. The resilient portion 76 could
also be
made of external walls made of a resilient material and defining an internal
cavity
with a material such as foam in it.
Once the single actuator 72 is mounted in place, the user can insert one or
two
fingers in the fourth aperture 66 in order to press on the finger-accessible
wall 74.
It is understood that the rear surface of the end wall 78 and/or vertical
projection
78A may be coated with glue or another adhesive substance before the single
actuator 72 is inserted. This substance may permit a certain amount of
movement to the end wall 78 during assembly, but after a certain period may
permanently affix the end wall 78 to the rear section of the inner surface 52.
Alternatively, glue or another adhesive substance (e.g. adhesive sold under
the
name LOCTITETm) or any locking means such as a screw can be applied or
affixed at the top surface region between the end wall 78 (and/or vertical
projection 78A) and the rear inner surface of the rear pedestal 32 (and/or the
vertical groove 78B) once the single actuator 72 is mounted in the second
cavity
54 in order to ensure proper mounting of the single actuator 72 in the second
cavity 54. It is conceivable that the single actuator 72 could be removed
after the
assembly of the skate, such as in the case where a replacement actuator must
be installed.
It will be appreciated that when the single actuator 72 is correctly aligned
and
placed within the second cavity 54 and there is no blade to be inserted or
removed from the blade holder 14 as shown in Figure 2, a top portion of the
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
finger-accessible wall 74 exerts pressure against a bottom portion of the
protrusion 53, a bottom portion of the finger-accessible wall 74 exerts
pressure
against the end of the base wall 56A and the end wall 78 exerts pressure
against
the inner surface 52, such that the pressure exerted by these portions helps
keep
the single actuator 72 seated properly within the second cavity 54. However,
when the ice skate blade 12 is locked in place by the wedging action of the
bottom wall 84 on the second hook 26 as shown in Figure 7, there is no contact
between the finger-accessible wall 74 and any portion of the second pedestal
32
and an upward force (see single large arrow in Figure 7) is applied by the
bottom
wall 84 on the second hook 26 due to the remaining tension contained in the
resilient portion 76 (see opposing large arrows in Figure 7).
The operation of the single actuator 72 will now be described with regards to
dismounting and mounting (or remounting) the ice skate blade 12. Since most
ice
skates are typically sold with a skate blade already installed within the
blade
holder, the steps of dismounting the ice skate blade 12 will be presented
before
the steps of remounting the ice skate blade 12 within the holder 14. Figures 8
to
11 show the steps by which a skate blade is dismounted while Figures 4 to 6
show the steps by which a blade is mounted.
To dismount or release the ice skate blade 12 from the blade holder 14, the
user
first inserts one or two fingers into the fourth aperture 66 for contacting
the finger-
accessible wall 74. The user then applies pressure (see large arrow in Figure
8)
to the finger-accessible wall 74, pressing it inwards (i.e., in the direction
towards
the rear of the holder 14) in order to effect the release of the ice skate
blade 12
from the holder 14. In Figure 8, the large arrow shows the pressure applied by
the user.
When the user presses the finger-accessible wall 74 inwards, he is applying
force
that is transferred to the resilient portion 76 that is interdependent with
the wall
74. Because the resilient portion 76 is elastic, it can physically deform
(e.g., bend
and/or compress) so as to store this additional force. In particular, when the
pressure applied by the user via the finger-accessible wall 74 is greater than
the
tension stored within the resilient portion 76 in its equilibrium state, the
resilient
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
portion 76 is forced to compress (or bend) further such that its compression
allows movement of the single actuator 72 in the direction of the end wall 78
(i.e.,
in the direction towards the rear of the blade holder 14) as shown by the
black
arrows in Figure 8 showing translation movement of the single actuator 72.
Continuing on Figure 8, as the relative position of the channel 82 to the
second
hook 26 changes upon movement of the bottom wall 84 in the rearward direction,
the inner wall 83 is brought into increasing contact with the upper surface
26A of
the second hook 26. The increased contact between the inner wall 83 and the
upper surface 26A results in a downward force (see large arrow) being applied
to
the second hook 26 an in a downward movement of the ice skate blade (see
black arrow).
As seen in Figure 2, the upper surface 26A may be an inclined upper surface
extending along a line that defines an angle e4 relative to an axis parallel
to the
longitudinal axis A and the inner wall 83 may be an inclined inner wall
extending
along a line that defines an angle 03 relative to an axis parallel to the
longitudinal
axis A. The angle e4 may be between 35 and 750. The angle e3 may be between
35 and 750. It is understood that the angle 03 must be equal or slightly
bigger
than the angle e4 in order to allow the second hook 26 to be tightly mounted
within the channel 82. For example, the angle e3 may be approximately 45
while
the e4 may be approximately 44 .
Figure 8 also shows that as the bottom wall 84 moves generally rearward, it
contacts and moves along the upper surface of the base wall 56B.
Figures 9 and 10 show how the pre-tension created in the single actuator 72
via
the resiliency of the resilient portion 76 is now used to assist with the
dismounting
of the ice skate blade 12 from the blade holder 14. Figure 9 shows the point
where the ends 26B and 84B come into contact and Figure 10 shows the point
where the ends 26B and 84B are in full contact. As seen in Figure 2, the end
26B
may be an inclined end extending along a line that defines an angle 01
relative to
an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis A and the end 84B may be an inclined
end
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extending along a line that defines an angle 02 relative to an axis parallel
to the
longitudinal axis A. The angle el may be between 900 and 180 . The angle e2
may be between 0 and 90 . It is understood that the respective angles of the
ends 26B, 84B must be designed such that the bottom wall 84 will allow
introduction of the second hook 26 within the channel 82. For example, the
angle
el may be approximately 121 while the 02 may be approximately 30 .
It is understood that the ends 26B, 84B may also be a rounded ends or any
other
shapes that create a downward force on the second hook 26 when the bottom
wall 84 moves towards the front of the holder and contacts the second hook 26.
It
is further understood that translation movement of the bottom end 84 and
contact
of the end 84B on the end 26B must create a downward force on the second
hook 26 in a direction that is generally transversal relative to the
longitudinal axis
A (see large arrow in Figure 10).
As shown in Figures 9 and 10, forward translation movement of the single
actuator 72 towards the front of the blade holder 14 exerts a downward force
(see
large arrow) against the second hook 26 because of the increasing contact
between the ends 26B, 84B and the downward force can be in a direction that is
generally transversal relative to the longitudinal axis A. Hence, the portion
of the
force released by the resilient portion 76 via the end 84B applies downward
force
to the end 26B, with which it is currently in contact.
As the bottom wall 84 is driven forward by the force released by the resilient
portion 76, contact between the ends 84B and 26B decreases, which
coincidentally concentrates the force expressed by the resilient portion 76
(via the
end 84B) into a smaller area that may help accelerate the exit of the second
hook
26 from the channel 82 and/or bottom aperture 56.
As shown in Figure 11, the second hook 26 has exited the channel 82 and the
ice
skate blade 12 can simply fall down due to the gravity force (see large arrow)
or
the user can complete the removal of the ice skate blade 12 from the blade
holder 14 by pulling down on the ice skate blade holder (see large arrow). It
is
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CA 02729250 2011-01-25
understood the single actuator will return to its position shown in Figure 2
once
there is no contact between the end 84B and the end 26B.
The process by which a user mounts the ice skate blade 12 into the ice skate
blade holder 14 will now be described. Figure 4 shows that when the user wants
to mount the ice skate blade 12 into the blade holder 14, he first inserts the
first
hook 24 into the recess 68. Once the first hook 24 has been inserted into the
recess 68, this recess acts as a pivot point for the rest of the ice skate
blade 12.
The skate blade 12 may then be pivoted upwards in order that the second hook
26 can be inserted into the channel 82 of the single actuator 72.
When the second hook 26 approaches the channel 82, contact is first made
between the end 26B of the hook 26 and the end 84B of the bottom wall 84 of
the
single actuator 72.
As the user applies force (see large vertical arrow in Figure 5) to mount the
ice
skate blade 12 in the holder 14, this upward force is transferred from the end
26B
to the end 84B in a direction that is generally transversal relative to the
longitudinal axis A because of the acute angle between the end 26B and the end
84B as shown in Figure 5. As the surface of the end 26B slides along the
surface
of the end 84B, the upward force applied to the bottom wall 84 is transformed
into
force (see large inclined arrow in Figure 5) that creates translation movement
of
the single actuator 72 towards the rear end of the blade holder 14 (see black
arrows in Figure 5).
It may be recalled that the bottom wall 84 is interdependent with the
resilient
portion 76. As upward force is applied via the ends 26B and 84B, this force
causes the bottom wall 84 to move rearward. Since the resilient portion 76 is
elastic, it can physically deform (e.g., bend and/or compressed) to
accommodate
the rearward movement of the bottom wall 84.
Figure 5 shows that the finger-actuated wall 74 and the channel 82 are also
moving rearward with the progress of the bottom wall 84. As a result, the
CA 02729250 2011-01-25
dimensions of the fourth aperture 66 appear to increase as a greater portion
of
the surface of the wall 74 is moved into the second pedestal 32.
As the user continues to apply an upward force to mount the skate blade 12,
the
end 26B of the second hook 26 continues in to push the end 84B such that
translation movement of the single actuator 72 continues until the end 26B has
cleared the end 84B and the second hook 26 entirely enters within the channel
82.
Figure 6 shows the point at which the second hook 26 is entirely received
within
the channel 82 and where translation movement of the single actuator 72
towards
the front end of the blade holder 14 begins. At that point, the bottom surface
26C
of the second hook 26 comes into sliding contact with the upper surface 84A of
the bottom wall 84, and because of the resiliency of the resilient portion 76,
translation movement of the single actuator 72 towards the front of the blade
holder is possible (see black arrows in Figure 6).
Since the angle between the surfaces 26A and 84A is generally positive, the
increase in sliding contact between these surfaces due to the release of force
by
the resilient portion 76 is transformed into an upward force that is applied
by the
upper surface 84A of the bottom wall 84 to the bottom surface 260 of the
second
hook 26 (see single large arrow in Figure 7). This upward force causes the
second hook 26 to be moved further into the channel 82 until no further
translation of the bottom wall 84 is possible and the bottom wall 84 wedges
the
second hook 26 for locking in place the ice skate blade 12 in the longitudinal
groove 40 whereby an upward force (see single large arrow in Figure 7) is
still
applied by the bottom wall 84 on the second hook 26 due to the remaining
tension in the resilient portion 76 (see opposing large arrows in Figure 7).
As shown in Figure 7, the upward force extends along a line that defines an
angle
195 relative to an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis A. According to the
inclinations of the upper surface 84A of the bottom wall 84 and the bottom
surface 260 of the second hook 26, the angle 05 may be between 10 and 89 , or
between 25 and 65 , or approximately 450 such that a portion of this upward
16
CA 02729250 2011-01-25
force pushes the ice skate blade 12 in a direction perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis A (i.e. vertical direction) and the other portion of this
upward
force pushes the ice skate blade 12 in a (forward) direction parallel to the
longitudinal axis A (i.e. horizontal direction). In other words, the upward
force has
a first component extending along a direction perpendicular to the
longitudinal
axis A (i.e. vertical direction) and a second component extending along a
direction parallel to the longitudinal axis A (i.e. horizontal direction). It
is also
understood that the upward force is generally perpendicular to the contacting
region between the bottom wall 84 (upper surface 84A) and second hook 26
(bottom surface 26C).
In the above description, the user only applies upward force to the skate
blade 12
during the mounting process. However, it is understood that the user may
rather
apply pressure to the finger-accessible wall 74 in order to compress the
resilient
portion 76, thereby moving the single actuator 72 towards the rear of the
blade
holder 14 such that passage of the second hook 26 into the channel 82 is not
obstructed by the bottom wall 84. In an alternate way, the user may apply
force
to both the skate blade 12 and the finger-accessible wall 74 to mount the
blade
12 within the holder 14.
The present invention also relates to an ice skate comprising an ice skate
blade
assembly as described above. Although various embodiments have been
illustrated, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting, the
invention.
Various modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art and are
within the scope of this invention, which is defined more particularly by the
attached claims.
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