1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved skating blade. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a skating blade of increased rigidity thereby increasing its performance. The skating blade according to the invention also permits better ice penetration, with the resulting advantages. According to a preferred embodiment, the skating blade according to the invention has a rocker that is shaped in a way to provide more comfort and security to the skater.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Skating blades that are presently available have many disadvantages. These may be summarized as lack of rigidity or stiffness of the blade and insufficient ice penetration of the edges of the blade when a person is skating.
Normally, a skating blade is 3 mm wide and this has become a standard requirement by manufacturer of supports that are used to fix the blade. So, some kind of compromise is desirable in order to meet manufacturers standards.
On the other hand, presently available blades have the same width throughout, and their rockers are curved with different shapes depending on the choice of the manufacturer which is dictated by its own research. With 3 mm blades, it is not easy to provide edges with less than 90° for better ice penetration. Furthermore, sharpening of the blades is normally carried out by following the curve outlines provided by the manufacturer, even if the latter is not completely desirable, with all the resulting disadvantages. More specifically, if it is decided to provide edges with less than 90°, the blade must be wider than 3 mm, which is not acceptable for fitting the blade into the support.
Ice penetration is very important when the skater is inclined or changes direction. In such a case, the skater feels that his skates lack a feeling of release. It is therefore desirable to provide skates with edges wherein the angle is less than 90°.
The curve that is given to the rocker by a manufacturer is often a source of discomfort, lack of speed and even leads to risk of injuries, not to mention the ease with which an abrupt turn can be achieved.
The prior art makes suggestions to improve the skating blade, however it is not believed that the above disadvantages may be overcome by the teaching of the following references:
Published U.S. application.:    2001/0052678U.S. patents:    U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,890    U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,893    U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,658    U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,708    U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,119    U.S. Pat. No. 2,988,369    U.S. Pat. No. 2,150,964    U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,958    U.S. Pat. No. 1,749,298    U.S. Pat. No. 524,129    U.S. Pat. No. 187,697
Published British Application:    2 191 100A.
There is therefore a need to provide a skating blade that is generally free of the above disadvantages and finds satisfaction with most people using it.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a skating blade that overcomes most of the above disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a skating blade that gives improved ice penetration while affording comfort to the skater.
It is another object of the present invention to modify the shape of a skating blade in a manner that will provide skating edges with better ice penetration.
It is another object of the present invention to design the rocker of a skating blade with curves that will achieve comfort, better speed and less risk of injuries especially when turning abruptly, or in other skating phases.