Methods and apparatus for supporting or securing board athletic equipment

Abstract

A skate board rack has a raised portion for supporting a side of a skate board. Preferably, the raised portion includes an opening or slot large enough to accept an edge of a skate board platform but small enough that the width of the skate board platform does not fit in the opening. The rack can support one or more skate boards, and can be used to raise the skate boards from or above a walkway to reduce the possibility of people stepping on the skate board or its wheels. Board locks or truck locks may be used to secure skate boards, and can be used to secure skate boards that are supported by a skate board rack.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A rack for supporting skateboards and similar items, the rack comprising: 
 a base portion; and    a riser portion supported by and secured relative to the base portion at at least a first end, and having a first side and a second side each extending away from the first end to a second end portion, wherein the first end and the second end portion together define a line between them, wherein the first side and the second side are spaced apart relative to each other and define a space between them, wherein the space is sized sufficiently large to accept edgewise a platform of a skateboard but sized sufficiently small that a skateboard platform does not fit in the space width-wise of the platform, wherein the first and second sides extend away from the first end and away from the line to a peak and then back toward the line and toward the second end portion, and wherein the first and second sides have a depth half way up the peak that is less than the spacing between front and back wheels of a skateboard.    
     
     
         2 . The rack of  claim 1  wherein the space between the first and second sides defines an opening for accepting a platform of a skate board and wherein the opening has a width that is less than seven inches.  
     
     
         3 . The rack of  claim 1  wherein the riser portion is formed from sheet metal.  
     
     
         4 . The rack of  claim 3  wherein the base portion includes a first base element and a second base element, wherein the first end of the riser portion is supported by the first base element and wherein the second end portion of the riser portion is supported by the second base element and the first base element and the second base element are spaced apart a first width, wherein the riser portion has a maximum height at the peak and a first riser portion width at approximately half the maximum height of the riser portion and wherein the first riser portion width is less than the first width between the first and second base elements.  
     
     
         5 . The rack of  claim 4  wherein the riser portion peak is rounded.  
     
     
         6 . The rack of  claim 4  wherein the riser portion peak has a flat top and wherein the riser portion has a constant width over at least part of the height of the riser portion.  
     
     
         7 . The rack of  claim 1  wherein the first and second sides extend substantially parallel to each other to form a slot for accepting a skate board platform wherein the slot is formed and an angle to a line that is vertical relative to the base portion.  
     
     
         8 . The rack of  claim 1  wherein the first side and the second side form a slot having a first bottom surface and a second bottom surface for supporting an edge of a skate board platform, and wherein the first bottom surface is closer to the peak than is the second bottom surface.  
     
     
         9 . A rack for supporting skateboards, the rack comprising: 
 a base portion;    a skateboard holding portion fixed to the base portion and having means defining a slot for accepting an edge of a skateboard platform and having a forward surface and a rearward surface spaced apart from the forward surface and wherein the spacing between the rearward surface and the forward surface is small enough that the platform of a skateboard between trucks of the skateboard fits into the slot at least one quarter of the width of the skateboard platform.    
     
     
         10 . The rack of  claim 9  wherein the skate board holding portion extends at least partly vertically if the base portion were positioned to extend horizontally and wherein the slot is slanted away from vertical.  
     
     
         11 . The rack of  claim 9  wherein the skate board holding portion is formed from sheet metal.  
     
     
         12 . The rack of  claim 9  wherein a skate board holding portion is formed from bars.  
     
     
         13 . The rack of  claim 12  wherein the bars are formed from metal.  
     
     
         14 . The rack of  claim 9  wherein the slot has a depth and wherein the slot depth is sufficiently great to allow a skate board to fit into the slot up to at least half of the width of the skate board platform.  
     
     
         15 . The rack of  claim 9  wherein a slot has a slot bottom and wherein the slot bottom is spaced from the base portion.  
     
     
         16 . The rack of  claim 15  wherein a slot bottom is spaced at least two inches from the base portion.  
     
     
         17 . The rack of  claim 9  further comprising a plurality of slots spaced apart from each other and wherein each slot has a center and wherein the spacing from the center of a first slot to the center of an adjacent slot is at least three inches.  
     
     
         18 . A skateboard rack comprising: 
 A base portion having a bottom surface; and    A rack portion having a first end portion fixed to the base portion and a second end portion spaced a first distance from the first end portion and a raised portion extending between the first end portion and the second end portion and raised relative to the base portion and wherein the raised portion has a width that is less than a spacing between wheels of a skate board.    
     
     
         19 . The rack of  claim 18  wherein the width is less than 20 inches.  
     
     
         20 . The rack of  claim 18  further comprising a wall defining an opening for accepting an edge of a skate board platform and wherein the wall defining the opening is formed only in the raised portion.  
     
     
         21 . The rack of  claim 20  wherein the wall defining the opening has a first opening wall portion and a second opening wall portion, wherein the raised portion has an upper most point, and wherein the first opening wall portion is closer to the upper most point than the second opening wall portion.  
     
     
         22 . The rack of  claim 20  wherein the raised portion has a top which extends longitudinally and wherein the opening extends from the top toward the base portion and at an acute angle relative to the top.  
     
     
         23 . A skateboard rack comprising: 
 a base;    a skateboard supporting portion supported by the base and having at least two raised portions raised from the base for supporting a side of a skateboard, the at least two raised portions each including respective walls defining an opening for receiving an edge of a skateboard platform, the raised portion further including a maximum width positioned relative to the base no closer to the base than the width of a standard skateboard wheel and wherein the maximum width is no greater than the spacing between trucks on a skateboard.    
     
     
         24 . The rack of  claim 23  wherein the maximum width is no greater than about ten inches.  
     
     
         25 . The rack of  claim 23  wherein the wall defining the slot has a slot width and the slot width is large enough to accept edgewise a skateboard platform and small enough to prevent a skateboard platform from extending width-wise across the opening.  
     
     
         26 . The rack of  claim 25  wherein the slot width is less than seven inches and greater than a half inch  
     
     
         27 . A skateboard rack comprising: 
 a base;    a skateboard supporting portion supported by the base and having at least two raised portions raised from the base for supporting a side of a skateboard, the at least two raised portions each including respective walls for supporting a side of a skateboard platform, the raised portion further including a maximum vertical height no greater than two times the width of a skateboard platform and a maximum width no greater than the spacing between trucks on a skateboard.    
     
     
         28 . The rack of  claim 27  wherein the maximum vertical height is no greater than about 20 inches.  
     
     
         29 . The rack of  claim 27  wherein the maximum vertical height is no greater than about 16 inches.  
     
     
         30 . The rack of  claim 27  wherein the maximum width is no greater than about 20 inches.  
     
     
         31 . The rack of  claim 27  wherein the maximum width is no greater than about 10 inches.  
     
     
         32 . A lock for a skate board truck, wherein the truck has a base and a post supporting an axle for supporting wheels on the track and wherein the axle has a length and the wheels have a diameter, the lock comprising: 
 a lock housing; and    a substantially U-shaped shackle releasably fixed to lock housing wherein the shackle has a width and a length when in the locked configuration wherein the width and the length are sized to fit around a conventional skate board truck and wherein at least one of the width and the length is smaller than a length of a conventional skate board axle.    
     
     
         33 . The lock of  claim 32  wherein at least one of the width and the length is smaller than the diameter of the wheels.  
     
     
         34 . The lock of  claim 32  wherein the shackle is substantially planar.  
     
     
         35 . The lock of  claim 32  further comprising a tether fixed to the lock housing.  
     
     
         36 . The lock of  claim 35  wherein the tether includes a free end having a loop of a fixed size.  
     
     
         37 . A board lock for a skate board platform of a skate board, wherein the skate board includes a pair of trucks and a pair of wheels supported by each track and wherein a platform has a width and wherein there is a first distance between the bottom of the wheels and the top of the skate board platform opposite the wheels, the board lock comprising: 
 a lock housing; and    a U-shaped shackle releasably locked to the lock housing and having a width and a length in the locked configuration and wherein the length is sufficiently long to to go around the width of the skate board platform and wherein the width is less than the first distance between the bottom of the wheels and the top of the skate board platform opposite the wheels.    
     
     
         38 . The lock of  claim 37  further comprising a tether fixed to the lock housing.  
     
     
         39 . The lock of  claim 38  wherein the tether includes a free end having a loop of a fixed size.  
     
     
         40 . A method of securing to a fixed object a skate board having a platform and trucks mounted to the platform supporting wheels, the method comprising steps of: 
 passing a tether around a fixed object wherein the tether includes a first end and a second end and the second end includes a loop;    passing the first end through the loop; and    securing the first end to a skate board.    
     
     
         41 . The method of claim  40  wherein the step of passing includes the step of passing a lock secured to the first end through the loop.  
     
     
         42 . The method of claim  40  wherein the step of securing includes the step of securing the first end to a platform of the skate board.  
     
     
         43 . The method of claim  40  wherein the step of securing includes the step of securing the first end to a truck of the skate board.