SKATE SPINNER

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a skate spinner including a platform configured of a flat board having a user's foot placed thereon, and a support unit corresponding to a lower part of the platform contacting a ground surface and having a curved protruded shape configuring a curved surface starting from a front end to a rear end, wherein the support unit is configured to have a series of plates each having a thickness equal to at least a thickness of an ice-skate blade and being aligned along a left-to-right direction at a predetermined distance, wherein, when observing a cross-section of the skate spinner taken along a direction being perpendicular to a front-to-rear longitudinal direction of the skate spinner, a height of each plate becomes higher starting from the plates positioned at both side ends of the skate spinner towards the plate positioned at a center of the skate spinner, and wherein an overall bottom surface of the plates contacting the ground surface configure a spherical surface outline. As described above, the skate spinner may allow a user to embody spin movements, which correspond to the same movements performed on ice, even on generally flat ground surfaces outside of the ice, when practicing for the spin movements using the skate spinner, wherein the skate spinner includes a support unit contacting the ground surface and having an overall spherical surface outline, and may allow the user to naturally tilt sideways (i.e., from left to right, and vice versa) in accordance with a shift (or change) in a center of gravity (or weight) according to front-to-back movements of the user's body as well as a shift in the center of gravity according to left-to-right movements of the user's body.

Claims

1. A skate spinner, comprising: a platform configured of a flat board having a user's foot placed thereon; and a support unit corresponding to a lower part of the platform contacting a ground surface and having a curved protruded shape configuring a curved surface starting from a front end to a rear end, wherein the support unit is configured to have a series of plates each having a thickness equal to at least a thickness of an ice-skate blade and being aligned along a left-to-right direction at a predetermined distance, wherein, when observing a cross-section of the skate spinner taken along a direction being perpendicular to a front-to-rear longitudinal direction of the skate spinner, a height of each plate becomes higher starting from the plates positioned at both side ends of the skate spinner towards the plate positioned at a center of the skate spinner, and wherein an overall bottom surface of the plates contacting the ground surface configure a spherical surface outline.

2. The skate spinner of claim 1, wherein the plate is configured of a thickness ranging from 2 mm to 6 mm, the thickness range corresponding to the thickness range of an ice-skate blade, and wherein a groove formed between each plate is formed to have a width equal to or less than a width of the ice-skate blade.

3. The skate spinner of claim 1, wherein the support unit has a left-to-right width (W1) exceeding a width (W2) of the user's shoe or a width (W3) of the user's foot.

4. The skate spinner of claim 1, wherein a curvature of the support unit configured along a front-to-rear direction and a left-to-right direction has a radius of curvature ranging from 7.5 to 8.5 feet (ft).

5. The skate spinner of claim 1, wherein, based on a front-to-rear longitudinal direction of a flat surface of the platform, an upper width and a lower width of the platform have the same size or an upper part and a power part of the platform are symmetrical.

6. The skate spinner of claim 1, wherein the plate is configured to have an edge formed thereon due to a gap formed between each plate.

7. The skate spinner of claim 1, wherein the support unit is detachably coupled with the platform.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view showing a bottom surface of a training device for describing a prior art.

[0029] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a cross-sectional view showing a longitudinal section and a transverse section of the training device for describing the prior art.

[0030] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a plane view showing a revolving (or spinning) flow of the training device for describing the prior art.

[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the training device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate a cross-sectional view of the training device showing movements of a support unit in accordance with front-to-back (or back-to-front) weight change according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate a longitudinal sectional view of the training device showing a plate alignment state according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate a longitudinal sectional view of the training device showing movements of a support unit in accordance with left-to-right (or right-to-left) weight change according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIGS. 8A to 8C illustrate a detailed view of plates showing a slip resistant state of the training device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIGS. 9A to 9C illustrate examples of a stepping board of the training device, wherein the stepping board is vertically asymmetrical and vertically symmetrical, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated in the appended drawings and described in detail in the detailed description of the present invention. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description on a related disclosed technology may cause ambiguity in the concept (or idea) of the present invention, the detailed description of the same will be omitted for simplicity.

[0038] The terms used in the description of the present invention are defined based on their corresponding functions within the present invention. And, since the meaning of such terms may vary in accordance with the intentions or practices of anyone skilled in the art, the definition of the terms used in the description of the present invention should be understood based on the overall context of this specification.

[0039] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the training device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. And, FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate a cross-sectional view of the training device showing movements of a support unit in accordance with front-to-back (or back-to-front) weight change according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] As shown in the drawing, the training device 100 is configured to include a platform 110 configured of a flat board having a user's foot placed thereon, and a support unit 120 corresponding to a lower part of the platform contacting a ground surface and having a curved protruded shape configuring a curved surface. Although the curved surface will be described in detail later on, the curved surface is generally configured to have a radius of curvature ranging from 7.5 to 8.5 feet (ft). In case the radius of curvature is less than the above-described range, the curvature may become very steep causing an excessive inclination, which may lead to an increase in instability. In case the radius of curvature exceeds the above-described range, the curvature may become relatively flat, which may cause the device to be tilted to an angle that does not sufficiently correspond to the inclination of the user's body when performing the spin movement.

[0041] As a stepping board where a user's foot is placed, the platform 100 is configured to have a length and a width corresponding to a size of the user's foot. Although this may be identical to the prior art, the present invention will not be limited only to this. Although it is not shown in the drawing, a means of friction for slip resistance may be further included on a surface where the user's foot is placed, or famous cartoon characters, drawings, patterns, and so on, may be printed or impressed on the training device in order to increase the commercial value of the training device.

[0042] Additionally, by embodying the platform 110 to have a wider range of shapes, the platform 110 may be configured of stepping boards formed to have diverse shapes including rectangular shapes, other shapes, a shape of a foot step, and so on. Furthermore, the platform 110 may also be provided with a guide guiding an area where the user's foot is to be placed, thereby inducing a favorable weight dispersion.

[0043] At this point, it is preferable that the guide is provided in at least one form selected from printing, impression, and sticker.

[0044] Furthermore, based its front-to-back longitudinal direction, a flat surface of the platform 110 may be configured to a width of an upper part and a width of a lower part to be different from one another. Accordingly, the user may be capable of distinguishing the upper part of the platform 110 from the lower part of the platform 110, thereby enabling the user to be consistent in using the training device. Generally, when the user shifts his (or her) center of gravity (or weight), the user may tend to shift toward any one of a leftward direction and a rightward direction more frequently. Therefore, in case of using the training device for a long period of time, a level of abrasion may eventually differ in each surface of the training device. In this case, when the user is accustomed to the surface with a relatively higher level of abrasion, the user may feel discomfort when using a surface having a lower level of abrasion. This may eventually cause a negative effect on the user's performance when practicing his (or her) spin movement. Therefore, by allowing the user to differentiate (or distinguish) the upper part of the platform 110 from the lower part of the platform 110, the user may use his (or her) training device accordingly, thereby enjoying his (or her) consistency in the spin movement.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6A, the above-described support unit 120 may be configured of a series of plates 121 each having a thickness compatible to a width (or thickness) of an ice-skate blade, preferably, each having a thickness that is equal to the width of the ice-skate blade, and being laterally aligned along a left-to-right (or right-to-left) direction while being spaced apart from one another at equal distances. Herein, the distance between each plate 121 may be wide enough to form a space. Herein, based on a left-to-right direction, a height of each plate 121 gradually increases starting from both side ends towards a center of the support unit 120, while maintaining the same radius of curvature (R).

[0046] More specifically, when observing a cross-section of the training device taken along a direction being perpendicular to a front-to-rear longitudinal direction of the training device, a height of each plate becomes higher starting from the plates positioned at both side ends of the training device towards the plate positioned at a center of the training device. At this point, since each plate has a contacting surface contacting the ground surface, wherein the contacting surface is generally configured to have a spherical surface outline, since each plate supports the user's body at the corresponding inclination angle, regardless of the angle of inclination, the user may experience an effect of standing on ice-skate blades. Herein, although it may be advantageous for the distance between each plate to be narrow, so as to enable a continuous movement of the plates, it is preferable to determine the distance between each plate based on a proper functioning of the edge of each plate.

[0047] Herein, although the plate 121 is named after the shape of the ice-skate blade, the term plate may also refer to a part where a groove is not formed between each pair of grooves, when a plurality of grooves being aligned along a longitudinal direction of the support unit 120 is serially formed along a left-to-right (or right-to-left) direction, while maintaining a constant distance, and, preferably, while maintaining a constant distance corresponding to the thickness of the ice-skate blade. More specifically, as long as an edge is formed on the plate 121, the shape of the plate 121 is not limited, and a depth of each groove starting from the contacting surface of the plate 121 to a lower surface of the groove is not a concern (i.e., the depth of each groove is not very significant herein).

[0048] Therefore, since the center of gravity (or weight) may be distributed along a front-to-back (or back-to-front) direction as well as a left-to-right (or right-to-left) direction, an optimal training environment that is equivalent to training for spin movements on ice wearing ice-skates. And, most particularly, by forming grooves between each plate 121, only the bottom surface of each plate 121 contacts the ground surface, thereby minimizing the contacting surface and ultimately enhancing a rotational force of the spin movement.

[0049] Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6C, since movements corresponding to a leftward or rightward inclination of the ice-skate can be embodied, when the user practices for his (or her) spin movements, a stable spin may be maintained, even when the spin movement is performed while centering along the left-to-right (or right-to-left) direction of the support unit 120, as shown in FIG. 7A, or even when the spin movement is focused to the right side, as shown in FIG. 7B, or focused to the left side, as shown in FIG. 7C.

[0050] Additionally, the support unit 120 is configured of a plurality of plates 121, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, wherein an edge of at least one plate 121 being approximate to or contacting the ground surface causes friction with the ground surface, thereby restraining the training device 100 from deviating from its spinning center point and moving (or sliding) to another position. Accordingly, when the training device 100 spins, a stable spinning may be embodied along the center of gravity (or weight) without deviating from its spinning point as much as possible.

[0051] More specifically, FIG. 8A is a detailed view of FIG. 7A. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the central plate 121 contacts the ground surface and spins, in case the plate is tilted leftward or rightward, the edge of a plate 121 being adjacent to the central plate 121 along the tilted direction contacts the ground surface, thereby restraining the training device 100 from deviating from the spinning point and sliding to another point.

[0052] Additionally, FIG. 8B is a detailed view of FIG. 7B. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the central plate 121 contacts the ground surface and spins, in case the plate is tilted rightward due to the centrifugal force, the edge of a plate 121 being adjacent to the central plate 121 along the rightward direction contacts the ground surface, thereby restraining the training device 100 from deviating from the spinning point and sliding to another point.

[0053] Furthermore, FIG. 8C is a detailed view of FIG. 7C. Since FIG. 8C is symmetrical to FIG. 8B, a detailed description of the same will be omitted for simplicity.

[0054] Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, it is preferable that a width (W1) of the support unit 120 is larger than a width (W2) of the user's shoe, in case the user uses the training device 100 while wearing shoes, or it is preferable that a width (W1) of the support unit 120 is larger than a width (W3) of the user's foot, in case the user uses the training device 100 bare-footed. In this case, since it is difficult for a bearing power (or bearing capacity) of the user's foot to be delivered to an outermost plate 121 of the support unit, this may act as another solution for preventing the training device 100 from being excessively tilted leftward or rightward.

[0055] Moreover, in order to maintain an optimal spinning condition, a thickness of an ice-skate blade is generally configured to range from 2 mm to 6 mm. Accordingly, it is preferable that a thickness of the plate 121 is also configured to range from 2 mm to 6 mm. The thickness range of the plate 121 is determined in accordance with the case of practicing spin movements on ice wearing ice-skates in order to provide a most similar environment when practicing off the ice. However, in case the thickness of the ice-skate blade is smaller than the range of 2 mm to 6 mm, or in case the thickness of the ice-skate blade larger than the range of 2 mm to 6 mm, the thickness of the plate 121 may also vary accordingly.

[0056] Although it is not shown in the drawing, the support unit 120 including the plates 121 may be formed as a single body with the platform 110. However, unlike the above-described structure, the support unit 120 may be detachably fixed to the platform 110 to provide support by using a general detachably fixing method. This is to allow only the support unit 120 to be independently replaced. Since the platform 110 does not directly contact the ground surface, its level of abrasion is very low even if the training device 100 is used for a long period of time. On the other hand, since the support unit 120 directly contacts the ground surface, when used for a long period of time, its level of abrasion becomes very high.

[0057] Meanwhile, the platform 110 according to the present invention corresponds to an enhanced version of a top-to-bottom asymmetric structure (i.e., vertically asymmetric structure) of the related art, which is shown in FIG. 9A. In case the platform 110 is formed to have a top-to-bottom asymmetric structure, the platform 110 is generally formed in a shape of a foot, which corresponds to a structure having a large upper width and a small lower width, as shown in FIG. 9A. However, this structure is disadvantageous in that, each time the training device 100 is used, the user is required to place the upper part of the training device 100 facing forward on the ground surface. However, according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, since the platform 110 is formed to have identical upper and lower parts based on a central line between the upper and lower parts, or since the platform 110 is formed to have a top-to-bottom symmetric structure (i.e., vertically symmetric structure), there is no position reference for placing the training device 100 on the ground surface. Thus, the inconvenience of having to place the training device 100 on the ground surface in its appropriate position is eliminated.

[0058] As described above, the skate spinner has the following advantages. According to the present invention, the skate spinner (or training device) may allow a user to embody spin movements, which correspond to the same movements performed on ice, even on generally flat ground surfaces outside of the ice, when practicing for the spin movements using the skate spinner, wherein the skate spinner includes a support unit contacting the ground surface and having an overall spherical surface outline, and may allow the user to naturally tilt sideways (i.e., from left to right, and vice versa) in accordance with a shift (or change) in a center of gravity (or weight) according to front-to-back movements of the user's body as well as a shift in the center of gravity according to left-to-right movements of the user's body.

[0059] Additionally, the skate spinner according to the present invention may include a support unit configured of a plurality of plates spaced apart from one another at a predetermined constant distance, wherein an edge of each plate retrains the skate spinner from slipping, thereby allowing the skate spinner to maintain the spin movement at almost the same spinning point as a spinning point generated at a beginning of the corresponding spin movement of the skate spinner without sliding along surrounding directions.

[0060] Additionally, the skate spinner according to the present invention may prevent spraining of ankles and injury that may follow, which frequently occurred when using the related art skate spinner, by allowing the user to maintain a straight line between his (or her) legs and ankles, when the user's body is tilted, since the skate spinner (or training device) can be freely titled or inclined sideways (i.e., from left to right, and vice versa).

[0061] Additionally, the skate spinner according to the present invention may prevent injury of the user due to excessive tilting or falling, by configuring a width of the support unit included in the skate spinner to be larger than a maximum width of the user's foot, thereby limiting a level of left-to-right inclination from becoming too excessive.

[0062] Furthermore, the skate spinner according to the present invention may eliminate the inconvenience caused in the related art skate spinner to the user for having to place the skate spinner (or training device) configured to have a top-to-bottom asymmetric structure in an appropriate position corresponding to each foot of the user, by forming a platform of the skate spinner to have the same upper and lower structures or to have symmetric upper and lower structures, so that the training device can be used without being distinguished from a left-side device to a right-side device.

[0063] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in this specification without departing from the spirit or scope of this specification. Thus, it is intended that this specification covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. It is also apparent that such variations of this specification are not to be understood individually or separately fromthe technical scope or spirit of this specification.