Ball skate

Abstract

Abstract Skates employing balls as the primary rolling elements may be used in lieu of roller skates for street hockey or indoors on wood floors, concrete or other hard surfaces. In the preferred form the skate includes two balls, preferably of semi-hardened rubber, metal, wood, plastic or the like, one in the front and one at the rear of the skate. Each ball is supported by a set of rolling supports which allow the ball to rotate freely in a forward or backward direction but inhibits rotation of the ball in other directions. The supports include at least two transverse shafts on which are mounted spaced rollers or rings of different diameters and contoured to mate with the upper portion of the ball. The different size rollers are independently rotatable on the shaft to compensate for the different surface speeds of the ball as it rolls forwards or backwards. Since the rollers can rotate only about the transverse axis of the shaft, the friction produced between the ball and the supports in a direction other than forwards and backwards inhibits sidewise movement of the skate. A pusher block is provided at the forward end of the skate allowing the wearer to push himself forwardly either by tipping the block against the skating surface or by a sidewise pushing motion much like an ice skate.

Inventors

• 👤 Robert K. Rand

Bibliographic Details