Clap skate

Abstract

The invention relates to a clap skate (1) comprising a blade (4) having a rockering, a frame (3), holding the blade (4) in its bottomside and comprising, on its topside, a heel support (5) for the heel portion of a skating shoe (2) or bracket (8) and a forefoot support (6) connected to a front part of a skating shoe (2) or a bracket (8) via a pivot (7). The forefoot support (6) provides a fixed connection to the frame (3), which fixed connection extends in front of the pivot (7) and at the most 5 mm behind the pivot (7).

Claims

1. Clap skate comprising a blade having a rockering, and a frame, holding the blade in its bottomside and comprising, on its topside, a heel support for the heel portion of a skating shoe or a bracket and a forefoot support connected to a front part of a skating shoe or bracket via a pivot, wherein the forefoot support provides a fixed connection to the frame, which fixed connection extends entirely in front of the pivot.

2. The clap skate according to claim 1, wherein a part of the forefoot support extends behind the pivot and wherein the part of the forefoot support that extends behind the pivot comprises a lateral decoupling.

3. The clap skate according to claim 2, wherein at least a rear portion of the forefoot support is provided with a recess, which decouples part of a top portion of the forefoot support from part of a rear portion of the forefoot support.

4. The clap skate according to claim 3, wherein a bearing, spring, or hinge is located in the recess.

5. The clap skate according to claim 4, wherein one of the parts of the top and rear portion of the forefoot support comprises a bearing ball or roller and the other of the parts of the top and rear portion of the forefoot support comprises a surface for the ball or roller to roll on.

6. The clap skate according to claim 1, wherein the center of the rockering is positioned above and between the heel support and the forefoot support.

7. The clap skate according to claim 1, wherein the rockering has a radius in a range from 5 to 30 meters.

8. The clap skate according to claim 1, wherein the frame is tubular and/or made from aluminium.

9. Undercarriage for a clap skate comprising a blade having a rockering, and a frame holding the blade in its bottomside and comprising, on its topside, a heel support for the heel portion of a skating shoe or a bracket and a forefoot support connected to a front part of a skating shoe or bracket via a pivot, and wherein the forefoot support provides a fixed connection to the frame, which connection extends entirely in front of the pivot.

10. The undercarriage according to claim 9, wherein a part of the forefoot support extends behind the pivot and wherein the part of the forefoot support that extends behind the pivot comprises a lateral decoupling.

11. The undercarriage according to claim 10, wherein at least a rear portion of the forefoot support is provided with a recess, which decouples part of a top portion of the forefoot support from part of a rear portion of the forefoot support.

12. The clap skate according to claim 1, wherein a part of the forefoot support extends behind the pivot and wherein the part of the forefoot support that extends behind the pivot comprises a lateral decoupling.

13. The clap skate according to claim 1, wherein a part of the forefoot support extends behind the pivot and wherein the part of the forefoot support that extends behind the pivot comprises a lateral decoupling.

14. The clap skate according to claim 1, wherein the rockering has a radius in a range from 21 to 27 meters.

15. The undercarriage according to claim 9, wherein a part of the forefoot support extends behind the pivot and wherein the part of the forefoot support that extends behind the pivot comprises a lateral decoupling.

16. The undercarriage according to claim 9, wherein a part of the forefoot support extends behind the pivot and wherein the part of the forefoot support that extends behind the pivot comprises a lateral decoupling.

Description

(1) FIG. 1 is a left side view of a clap skate according to the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a right side view of the undercarriage of the clap skate shown in FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a rear view of a cross-section of the undercarriage shown in FIG. 2.

(4) FIG. 4 includes a right side view, rear, and two perspective views of a the forefoot support used in the undercarriage shown in FIG. 2.

(5) It is noted that the Figures are schematic in nature and that details, which are not necessary for understanding the present invention, may have been omitted.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a clap skate 1, comprising a skating shoe 2, a tubular frame 3, and a blade 4, also known as runner or steel, held, e.g. welded, in bottomside of the frame. A heel support 5 and a forefoot support 6 are fixed, e.g. welded, to the frame, near its rear and front ends, respectively. The forefoot support 6 comprises a pivot, typically a transverse pivot pin 7, to which a bracket 8 is attached. Thus, the bracket and skating shoe are pivotally attached to the frame and blade.

(7) The skating shoe 2 is, in a manner known in itself, adjustably mounted on the bracket 8. The heel portion 9 of the bracket releasably engages the heel support 5 on the frame 3. Further, at least one spring (not shown) is attached, on the one hand, to the frame 3 and, on the other, to the bracket 8 to bias the heel support 5 in engagement with the heel portion 9 of the bracket 8.

(8) The forefoot support 6 is provided, in its rear section, with a cut-out 10 (best seen in FIG. 4) which decouples the rear of top and bottom portions of the support 6 up to and slightly beyond the pivot 7. The rear end of the cut-out is provided with an additional recess 11, which accommodates a bearing ball or, in this example, a roller 12 (FIG. 3), with its rotational axis extending parallel to the blade 4.

(9) Thus, the fixed part of the connection to the frame extends entirely in front of the pivot and the remainder of the forefoot support is laterally decoupled.

(10) The invention is not restricted to the embodiments described above and can be varied in numerous ways within the scope of the claims.