Roller skate

Abstract

A roller skate: a shoe forming a sole; a rail placed against the sole; first and second wheel truck adapters (“adapters”) each fastened to the sole by a bolt passing through the rail; wheel trucks attachable to the adapters. The bottom surface of the rail is profiled. The top surface of each adapter is profiled to engage the bottom surface of the rail. The adapters when pressed against the rail are rotationally and laterally stabilized but may slide lengthwise along the rail. One fastener secures each adapter to the sole. The relative locations and separations of the fasteners, and the points at which the fasteners penetrate the rail, are determined primarily with reference to the structure of the sole. Adapters are stabilized in angle relative to one another substantially without reference to the distance between them. Adapters may be spaced apart any distance within a range accommodated by a single rail. Thus, fewer parts and steps are needed to assemble the roller skate and fewer rails are needed to construct roller skates of all desired sizes. Optionally, a rail may define a channel through which a fastener may be inserted at any of a range of lengthwise locations. Optionally, one wheel truck may be modified to carry a wheel-equipped fork, resulting in a three-wheeled roller skate.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A roller skate, comprising: 
 a shoe;    a sole formed on said shoe, said sole forming a sole bottom surface;    a rail, said rail forming a rail top surface adapted for approximation to said sole bottom surface; said rail forming a rail bottom surface; said rail defining a rail longitudinal axis;    a first adapter, said first adapter forming a first adapter top surface adapted for approximation to said rail bottom surface; said first adapter being movable along said rail longitudinal axis when so approximated; said first adapter being tightly fastenable to said sole when so approximated; said first adapter and said rail being substantially fixed with reference to said sole when said first adapter is tightly fastened to said sole; and    a first truck, said first truck being adapted for mounting on said first adapter, said first truck comprising at least one wheel.    
     
     
         2 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a second adapter, said second adapter forming a second adapter top surface adapted for approximation to said rail bottom surface; said second adapter being movable along said rail longitudinal axis when so approximated; said second adapter being tightly fastenable to said sole when so approximated;    said second adapter and said rail being substantially fixed with reference to said sole when said second adapter is tightly fastened to said sole; and    a second truck, said second truck being adapted for mounting on said second adapter, said second truck comprising at least one wheel.    
     
     
         3 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said rail bottom surface forms a rail profile and said first adapter top surface forms an adapter profile complementary to said rail profile.  
     
     
         4 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein said rail profile comprises a left guide, a right guide, and a groove therebetween.  
     
     
         5 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein said first adapter, when first adapter top surface is approximated to said rail bottom surface, is substantially fixed in yaw, pitch, roll, lateral translation, and vertical translation with reference to said rail while being able to slide longitudinally along said rail.  
     
     
         6 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising a fastener; 
 said sole, said rail, and said first adapter being penetrable by said fastener and securable tightly together thereby.    
     
     
         7 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein said fastener comprises a bolt and a nut for securing the bolt.  
     
     
         8 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein said rail is longitudinally movable over at least a range of positions relative to said first adapter and relative to said sole while said sole, said rail, and said first adapter are penetrated by said fastener; and wherein said rail is no longer so movable when said fastener is tightly secured.  
     
     
         10 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 2 , wherein said first adapter is fastenable to said sole at a first fastening location on said sole, said second adapter is fastenable to said sole at a second fastening location on said sole, and said first adapter and said second adapter are spaced apart by a distance determined by said first fastening location and said second fastening location when said first adapter and said second adapter are tightly fastened to said sole; 
 wherein said rail is so formed as to substantially fix said second adapter relative to said first adapter when said first adapter and said second adapter are tightly fastened to said sole as long as said first adapter and said second adapter are spaced apart by any distance within a predetermined range of distances.    
     
     
         11 . A roller skate as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein said first adapter, said second adapter, said rail, and said sole are tightly securable together by means of no more than two fasteners.  
     
     
         12 . A frame for a roller skate, comprising: 
 a rail, said rail having a rail top surface, a profiled rail bottom surface, a rail first end and a rail second end;    a first adapter located proximate said rail first end and a second adapter located proximate said rail second end, each of said first and second adapters comprising means for supporting a skating wheel assembly;    said first adapter and said rail first end being together tightly securable to a roller skate shoe by means of a single fastener;    said second adapter and said rail second end being together tightly securable to a roller skate shoe by means of a single fastener;    at least one of said first adapter and said second adapter forming an adapter top surface profiled to engage said profiled rail bottom surface;    said first adapter and said second adapter, when both tightly secured to a roller skate shoe bottom, being substantially rotationally and laterally fixed relative to one another by virtue of engagement of said profiled rail bottom surface with said at least one profiled adapter top surface.    
     
     
         13 . A frame as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein, when said first adapter and said second adapter are tightly secured to a roller skate shoe bottom and spaced apart a predetermined distance, said engagement of said profiled rail bottom surface with said at least one profiled adapter top surface substantially fixes said first adapter in angle and lateral position relative to said second adapter in a manner independent of said predetermined distance therebetween, so long as said predetermined distance is within a predetermined range of distances.  
     
     
         14 . A frame as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein a fastener-receiving bore is formed in said rail proximate said at least one profiled adapter top surface.  
     
     
         15 . A frame as set forth in  claim 12 , wherein a fastener-receiving channel is formed in said rail proximate said at least one profiled adapter top surface, said channel perforating said rail and extending longitudinally in said rail for accommodating a fastener at any one of a predetermined range of locations on said rail.  
     
     
         16 . A method of constructing a roller skate, the method including the steps of: 
 providing a skate shoe comprising a sole forming a sole bottom surface comprising a sole first end and a sole second end;    providing a rail, said rail comprising a first rail end and a second rail end;    providing a first adapter, said first adapter being equipped to support a wheel-bearing truck;    approximating said rail first end to said sole bottom surface proximate said sole first end;    approximating said first adapter to said rail proximate said rail first end;    orienting said rail second end toward said sole second end;    securing a first fastener about said first adapter and said sole first end, said first fastener fixing said first adapter relative to said sole first end;    approximating said second adapter to said rail proximate said sole second end; and    securing a second fastener about said second adapter and said sole second end,    the distance of said second fastener from said first fastener being determined solely with reference to said sole.    
     
     
         17 . A method of stabilizing a second wheel truck adapter relative to a first wheel truck adapter on a bottom surface of a sole of a roller skate to which both are to be secured, the method including the steps of: 
 approximating a lengthwise-oriented rail to said sole bottom surface, a first end of said rail being proximate a first end of said sole and a second end of said rail being oriented toward a second end of said sole, said rail comprising a rail bottom surface;    approximating said first adapter to said rail bottom surface proximate said first end of said rail;    fixing said first adapter relative to said rail by securing a first fastener relative to said first adapter and said sole;    approximating said second adapter to said rail bottom surface proximate said sole second end;    by means of a profile on said rail bottom surface engaged with a complementary profile on said approximated second adapter, stabilizing said second adapter in pitch, yaw, roll, and lateral position relative to said rail;    by means of a second fastener secured relative to said second adapter and said sole, stabilizing said second adapter in vertical position and longitudinal position relative to said rail.