Adjustable hockey skate blade system

Abstract

A hockey skate includes a system for adjusting the position of a blade holder on the sole of a hockey skate. The system allows for both toe in and toe out adjustment as well as movement relative to the centerline. The system allows a player to try various positions and determine which positions produce superior skating performance relative to his foot, ankle and leg alignment.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:  
     
         1 . A hockey skate comprising a boot, a blade holder, a blade received in said blade holder and an adjustable arrangement for altering the attachment orientation of said blade holder to said boot; said blade holder including an outwardly extending toe flange and an outwardly extending heel flange; said adjustable arrangement securing said outwardly extending toe flange and said outwardly extending heel flange of said blade holder to said boot; said adjustable arrangement engaging said outwardly extending flanges of said blade holder in one of a plurality of positions where each position has a different position of the blade relative to a centerline of the boot.  
     
     
         2 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said adjustable arrangement includes a series of releasable fasteners passing through ports in said blade holder and engaging said boot to secure said holder to said boot.  
     
     
         3 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 2  wherein said holder has a plurality of elongate slots in said toe flange to accommodate a series of toe in and toe out positions.  
     
     
         4 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 3  wherein said blade holder has a plurality of elongate slots in said heel flange to accommodate a series of heel in heel out positions.  
     
     
         5 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 4  wherein each of said flanges has at least 4 slots.  
     
     
         6 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said adjustable arrangement includes a clamping arrangement for each flange to engage said holder in any of said positions.  
     
     
         7 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 6  wherein each clamping arrangement includes a first component secured to said holder with said first component received in a second component secured to said boot.  
     
     
         8 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 7  wherein said first component is a plate received in a slot of said second component along an edge portion of said first component and to the exterior of said blade holder to be accessible on a sole of said boot.  
     
     
         9 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said blade holder is of an injectable moldable material.  
     
     
         10 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said blade holder is of a reinforced composite plastic material.  
     
     
         11 . A hockey skate comprising a boot, a blade holder, a blade received in said blade holder and an adjustable arrangement for adjustably securing said blade holder to said boot in one of a series of positions where each position alters the relationship of the blade relative to the centerline of the boot.  
     
     
         12 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 11  wherein said adjustable arrangement can be adjusted with said skate being worn by a user.  
     
     
         13 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 11  wherein said adjustable arrangement includes a front and rear worm drive associated with pedestals of said blade holder.  
     
     
         14 . A hockey skate as claimed in  claim 13  wherein said worm drives are accessible to the exterior of the pedestals.