Roller shoe

Abstract

A roller shoe has a pliable bottom. Rear wheels are independently rotatable about a rear axle recessed in the heel portion. A front wheel is rotatable on a front axle recessed in the arch portion. Both axles are removably yet firmly supported partially recessed within wheel housings. Rolling with front and rear wheels on a flat skating surface holds the forward portion of the shoe bottom clear of the skating surface. Tilting forward onto the front wheel alone allows pivoting while rolling. Tilting farther forward brings the forward portion down to sliding, standing or walking contact with the skating surface. Tilting backward onto the rear wheels alone allows pivoting while rolling. Tilting backward in the extreme brings the shoe heel into sliding or resting contact with the skating surface. Wheels are formed of urethane, axles and bearings of steel, shoe of textile or leather, shoe bottom of resinous or rubber material, and wheel housings of strong plastic such as nylon.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A wheeled shoe for rolling and walking, comprising: 
 a shoe upper;    a shoe bottom, said shoe bottom forming a top surface, a bottom surface, a front end, a rear end, a left side, and a right side, a lengthwise axis being defined relative to said front end and said rear end, a sideways axis being defined relative to said left side and said right side, and a vertical axis being defined relative to said top surface and said bottom surface;    said shoe bottom forming a heel portion, an arch portion, and a forward portion;    said forward portion of said shoe bottom forming at least one substrate-contacting portion;    a bottom surface plane being defined by said bottom surface of said heel portion and said at least one substrate-contacting portion, said bottom surface plane being normal to said vertical axis;    said shoe bottom forming at least one wheel-supporting means;    a plurality of wheel bodies, each wheel body forming a wheel periphery adapted to load-bearing, each wheel body being rotatably disposed on said wheel-supporting means so as to define a wheel axis of rotation, said wheel periphery and said wheel axis of rotation defining a wheel radius, said wheel axis of rotation being oriented approximately parallel to said sideways axis of said shoe bottom;    said plurality of wheel bodies defining at least two longitudinally spaced-apart wheel axes of rotation;    said wheel peripheries of said at least two wheel bodies defining beneath said at least two longitudinally spaced wheel axes of rotation at least one common tangent;    each one of said at least one common tangents passing beneath every one of said at least one substrate-contacting portion formed by said shoe bottom;    said plurality of wheel axes of rotation being located rearward of said forward portion of said shoe bottom.    
     
     
         2 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of wheel radii is unequal to another one of said plurality of wheel radii.  
     
     
         3 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said unequal ones of said wheel radii belong, respectively, to wheel bodies having longitudinally spaced-apart wheel axes of rotation.  
     
     
         4 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein the lesser of said unequal wheel radii belongs to the wheel body having the longitudinally forward of said longitudinally spaced-apart wheel axes of rotation.  
     
     
         5 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein the greater of said unequal wheel radii belongs to the wheel body having the longitudinally forward of said longitudinally spaced-apart wheel axes of rotation.  
     
     
         6 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of wheel axes of rotation is located at a height different from the height of another of said plurality of wheel axes of rotation, said heights being measured as projections onto said vertical axis.  
     
     
         7 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein said unequal heights belong, respectively, to longitudinally spaced-apart wheel axes of rotation.  
     
     
         8 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the lower of said unequal heights belongs to the longitudinally forward wheel axis of rotation.  
     
     
         9 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the higher of said unequal heights belongs to the longitudinally forward wheel axis of rotation.  
     
     
         10 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of wheel bodies are removably disposed on said wheel-supporting means.  
     
     
         11 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of wheel bodies are snap-fitted to said wheel-supporting means.  
     
     
         12 . A wheeled shoe as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein each one of said at least one common tangents intersects said bottom surface plane at a point longitudinally forward of said plurality of wheel axes of rotation.