EP1166835A1 - Skateboard - Google Patents

Abstract

The skateboard (2) comprises an upper thin plywood layer on which the skater stands, a lower thin plywood layer in the area where the wheels are positioned and one or more intermediate plywood layers. The board also has reinforcements in the area of the front and rear wheel fixings (3) and on the board periphery. The reinforcements are inserted between the upper and lower thin layers.

Description

A skateboard generally consists of a board under which two axle holding devices are attached.

In general, each of these holding devices are directional and the axle they maintain supports two wheels. Such directional axle holding devices are commonly called "trucks".

The trucks allow you to control the direction taken by skateboarding while the practitioner has both feet on the board and moves with it while rolling. The direction control is accomplished by moving to one side or on the other, the practitioner's weight.

The construction of these trucks is inspired by skates to castors with two axles with two wheels each, called quad skates and mainly includes two pieces, a base which secures the truck under the board and a bridge or "Hanger".

One end of the bridge extends along a first axis and pivots around a point located in the base. This end also called tip or pivot enters a obviously, which is provided in the base. A second end of the bridge has a protrusion called a ring. This is maintained by two pieces elastomer called buffers, and a main axis or kingpin oriented along a second axis pressed against the base. Finally, a third end of the bridge is used to support an axle on which are mounted two wheels, said axle being oriented along a third axis.

The orientation of the three axes of the bridge relative to each other to the others is such that the inclination of the board on one or the other of its lateral edges, that is to say along an axis longitudinal of the board, will become a pivoting of the axle along a vertical axis. In general, the main axis made with the plane of the board an angle that is not a right angle.

Skateboard trucks, despite their simplicity fulfill several functions. These are first of all means of fixing the wheels to the board which allow the practitioner to direct his board. On the other hand, the presence of the elements of elastomer achieves resistance to the efforts made by the practicing to rotate his board and thereby prevents unexpected changes of direction. Finally, these same elastomers provide a return force of the axle in a neutral position after a change of direction.

The construction of skateboard boards uses several types of materials which are especially plastics, wood and composite materials. Each of these materials have characteristics and advantages of its own.

For the sport of skateboarding, which includes many figures and aerial jumps, favors planks entirely constructed of wood by against-plating. Usually seven plies of constant thickness are coated with glue before being hot pressed. This mode of construction is less expensive for small series than the molding technique. On the other hand, the boards obtained by this process have very good dynamic characteristics.

The dynamic characteristics of a board include, among other things, which is called the "POP" in the middle of the skateboard. The POP reflects the capacity of a board propel the practitioner into the air after the practitioner exercises strong pressure on the rear part of the board. The "POP" comes from the noise it makes the rear end of the board, called the tail, when hits the ground.

The different types of boards not only have a "pop" which differs from their geometric characteristics but also due to the properties of the materials constituting them which modifies the sound emitted during the board / ground contact. The POP a board is all the more important as it is at the base of one of the fundamental figures of skateboarding ; the ollie.

The planks made of plywood are the preferred by sports enthusiasts. Yet these boards have many disadvantages. Given the rigidity they offer, these boards are relatively heavy. In addition, they resist wear and friction poorly. After a minimum of use, the fields of the board are grated, which can present risks to the practitioner. So when he takes the board, the practitioner risks catching a splinter.

Trucks, the base of which is fixed by four screws crossing the board delimit areas where the board is weakened. In order not to hinder the movement of the feet of the practicing along the board, the head of the screws used to fixing of trucks must not protrude from the surface top of the board. There is then a need to chamfer the screw holes, which further weakens the board and generates incipient fractures.

It is during the jump reception that the risks of breakout are the most important. Often the board is broken sharply between the end of it and the base of the truck. In most cases it is directly at the edge from the base of the truck that the board is sheared.

One of the solutions to this problem is to increase the number of layers of the board. In the case of a plank in plywood, you should add between two and four plies to the six or seven folds that are commonly used for the manufacture of the board. However a board having between eight and eleven folds would be about 50% heavier which considerably limit the possibilities of figures airline. On the other hand, it would be practically impossible to improve the "POP" because it would be too rigid.

Another problem facing manufacturers of skateboard is induced by the so-called "slide" figures of the practice of this sport. Indeed, many phases of the evolution of the sportsman consist in sliding the board on surfaces such as metal rails, edges concrete walls, sidewalks. We talk about "nose slide" and "tail slide" for which the lower portion of the board between the truck and the rear or front end of the board is in contact with the element that we slide. We also talks about "rock" slide where it's the portion between two trucks that slide on the element that we slide. Obviously these practices significantly damage the board, especially when it is made up of several superimposed layers, because the surface layers are quickly worn out by abrasion.

When it is a plywood board and varnished, after a few slips the layer of varnish disappears and the surface layer is directly eroded with each slide. In addition, wood having a high coefficient of friction, the slipped figures lack amplitude.

It is partly to solve this problem that it is considered gluing after manufacturing the board of elements metallic or plastic called slider which protect the abrasion board and facilitate sliding. However the added elements do not hold well under the board.

The present invention aims to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks. In particular to offer a board skateboard of the type comprising several layers, the solidity is improved, which allows better slips.

Another object of the invention is to increase the resistance to breakage of the board while increasing the "POP" of the board.

One of the objectives of the invention is also to seek to simplify the current board / truck system so that facilitate assembly and maintenance of trucks on the board and so as to lighten the skateboard as a whole to increase its performance.

To this end, the invention consists of a board comprising several layers at least four of which are thick constant and among which a surface layer upper, a lower surface layer and several intermediate layers, the board also comprising at least one reinforcement disposed at at least one of the zones of fixing trucks. Said reinforcement comprising at least one portion which along a transverse plane is interposed between the upper surface layer and the surface layer lower.

Such a board is thus more solid while retaining the advantages of a multilayer construction, in particular the advantages of a plywood construction.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcements do not have a uniform section and have a profiled section whose areas of greatest thickness are located at the attachment of the trucks.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcements include a projecting portion which crosses the lower surface layer, said projecting portion receiving the tip of the bridge and having a smooth surface.

In another embodiment of the invention, the plate reinforcement is inserted between two intermediate plies and has a contour equivalent to the overall contour of the board.

One of the principles underlying the invention consists in insert one or more reinforcements during shaping at inside the folds of the board. This or these reinforcements being arranged to increase the resistance of the zones fragile: Tail (rear), Nose (front) and the middle. These reinforcements also contribute to the rigidity of the board and can be prestressed to increase the nervousness of the board. The material used for these inserts optimizes the weight, rigidity and solidity of the final board.

On the other hand, the presence of these reinforcements does not make compulsory the drilling of four through holes for the board fixing.

The invention also relates to a board of the type multilayer for which the base of the truck is integrated into the board. So it is no longer necessary to weaken the board by drilling and chamfering four holes through to fix each base of the truck.

For this purpose, the reinforcements of the skateboard board according to one of the embodiments of the invention is pierced with a bore whose axis makes an angle with the plane of the board different from the right angle. This bore will be used for the passage of the main axle screw or kingpin of the truck.

In other words, it's about using the layer lower surface of the board directly for mounting the deck or hanger without using a base as it is the case currently. The idea is to give the board on its lower part and at the place of the trucks a shape guaranteeing the functions usually performed by the base of the truck, i.e. providing support for the buffer upper elastomer and receiving the end of the end piece of the bridge into a cavity in the lower surface of the board.

In one embodiment of the invention, the layer lower surface acts as a base and fixing the truck, in this case only consisting of the axle and the axle and produced by the main axis screw.

In another embodiment of the invention, the base of the truck is integrated into the board directly during bonding / pressing the different plies together.

In another embodiment of the invention, the base includes only the boss part, which is extended towards the end of the board so as to form a slider. This half-base is fixed to the board directly during the collage of folds. It can also be glued after complete finish of the board. Whatever the method chosen, fixing the base does not require several screws fixing through and weakening the board.

The invention also relates to a multilayer board. comprising reinforcements, one of the portions of which protrudes and crosses the lower surface layer in such a way that said projecting portion acts as a slider.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessous d'une planche de skateboard selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe partielle selon II-II de la planche décrite à la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue en perspective du pli central et des plaques de renfort selon une variante du premier mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 4 est une vue similaire à la figure 2 d'une planche de skateboard selon un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 5 est une vue similaire à la figure 2 d'une planche de skateboard selon un troisième mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 6 est une vue de dessous de la planche de skateboard décrite à la figure 5,
• la figure 7 est une vue en coupe de l'extrémité avant d'une planche de skateboard selon un quatrième mode de réalisation de l'invention.

The present invention also relates to the characteristics which will emerge from the description which follows with reference to the appended drawing, which shows by way of nonlimiting examples, four embodiments of the invention and in which:

• FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a skateboard board according to a first embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view along II-II of the board described in FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the central fold and of the reinforcement plates according to a variant of the first embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of a skateboard board according to a second embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of a skateboard board according to a third embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the skateboard board described in FIG. 5,
• Figure 7 is a sectional view of the front end of a skateboard according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a bottom view of a board 1 of skateboard according to a first embodiment of the invention. The skateboard consists of a board 2 and two trucks 3 one attached to the front, the other to the back on the surface bottom of this board. These trucks are used for fixing two wheels each.

Figure 2 shows a partial longitudinal section of the skateboard board described in figure 1. We can see the truck 3 consisting of two elements, on the one hand a base 4 used to fixing on board 2 and a bridge 5 also called hanger which is used to fix the axle 6 and the wheels 7. On one of the parts of the base 4 is arranged a base 8, which is pierced with a through bore.

Another part of the base 4 includes a boss 9 in which is formed a cavity 10. The periphery of the base 4 is pierced with four holes 11 two of which are shown here and in which screws 12 are inserted for fixing the truck 3 on board 2. Deck 5 consists of three parts, an axle 6 which is used to fix the two wheels 7, a tip 13 intended to be received in the cavity of the boss 9 and a ring 14. The upper surface of the ring 14 is in contact with an upper pad 15 made of material elastomer, while the lower surface of the ring is in contact with a lower pad 16 of elastomer.

The assembly consisting of the ring, the base of the base and of the two lower and upper elastomer pads are maintained with each other by a kingpin 17. This kingpin 17 includes a screw 18, the head of which is retained by a shoulder present in the base bore. The screw crosses then successively the upper buffer, the ring, the buffer lower, a washer and a tightening nut. The tightening of the screw is made by a nut which will hold the bridge against pedestal. The tightness of the nut on the screw determines the hardness of the truck 3. The end of the end piece 13 has a rounded shape. This enters the cavity formed in the boss of the base. The separation between this end of the end piece 13 and the internal surface of the cavity is produced by a piece of plastic or synthetic material called cup 19.

The board itself has several layers among which an upper surface layer 20 on which places the practitioner, a surface layer lower 21 and five intermediate layers 22, each of layers being made of wood.

The different layers consist of folds made of wood. The central fold 23 includes an opening 33 provided for receiving a reinforcing plate 24. The reinforcing plate 24 has a thickness similar to that of the central fold 23. Sa enough area for four matching holes to the four holes 11 for fixing the base 4 of the truck 3 y be done. These holes are threaded for more attachment fast from truck to board. The material used for this reinforcement plate is stronger than the fold in which it is inserted. This optimizes the rigidity and solidity of the final board. On the other hand the fixing holes of the truck on the board do not cross it, which allows further reduce the risk of breakage.

By its dynamic characteristics, the insert can also increase the nervousness of the board and the pop.

The manufacturing process for such a board includes the following steps.

The first step is to prepare the different folds forming the board. This step also includes the opening cutout 33 in the central fold, these openings having exactly the outline of the reinforcement plate (s) to insert into the board.

The second step is to glue the folds.

The third step is to assemble the folds and reinforcements in their respective relative positions. Then the shaped molding is carried out and the board is placed under a hurry.

Finally, the last step includes trimming and finish of the board to give it its final shape.

FIG. 3 shows a central fold 23 in which are openings 33. These openings 33 are provided for receive the front 25 and rear 27 reinforcement plates used to fix the trucks. Recesses 34 are also provided for the insertion of lateral reinforcements 27.

Figure 4 shows a sectional view similar to that of the Figure 1 of a skateboard according to a second mode of realization of the invention.

The reinforcing plate 24 has a profiled section therein. so that the area of greatest thickness is at the center of it and the thickness decreases from the center towards the periphery until it cancels out. Base 4 is limited to one plate in which is provided the cavity intended to receive the end of the bridge.

The base 4 also includes a flat part extending towards the front end of the board if it is the truck front or back of the board if it is the truck back. The base 4 is inserted into an opening in the lower surface fold of the board and is in contact with the first intermediate fold of it.

As in the previous embodiment, the bridge 5 comprises an axle 6 on which two wheels are fixed, a end piece 13 whose rounded end is housed in the cavity 10 of the base 4 and a ring 14. The ring 14 is held against board 2 by means of kingpin 17. The kingpin 17 whose head rests on a cross washer successively the lower elastomeric pad 16, the ring 14 from deck 5, the upper elastomer pad 15 and the three plies bottom of the board to screw into the plate reinforcement 24. Thanks to the contoured shape of the reinforcement plate it is no longer necessary to make an opening in the fold central. On the other hand we can give the board a thickness important only in the area where it is returned necessary by the presence of the truck. In the rest of the board 2 a smaller thickness can be kept.

Since the upper elastomeric pad 15 is in direct contact with the lower surface fold of the board it is not necessary to have a base. This disappearance of base allows a significant weight gain on the weight total of the board.

The method of manufacturing the board according to the second embodiment of the invention is identical to that of the board according to the first embodiment except that the central fold is not cut and the base is integrated into the board when the glued folds are inserted in the mold. This avoids the use of screws and the drilling of the board for fixing the base.

Figure 5 shows a sectional view similar to Figure 1 of a skateboard 1 according to a third embodiment of the invention. In this new embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing plate 24 and the base 4 do not only one and the same room. This unique piece that we continue to call reinforcement includes a base which the thickness corresponds to that of the central fold and the outer contour is identical to an opening in said central fold.

This reinforcement also includes a protruding portion crossing the lower surface layer formed by the boss 9 in which the cavity 10 and the slider 28 are formed. This protruding portion is inserted into openings corresponding in each of the lower folds of the board. A bore 29 allowing the passage of the axis screw main 18 is also provided in the reinforcement 24.

The slider 28 is a portion of the reinforcement plate 24 protruding from the bottom surface of the board. It is this portion which will be in contact with surfaces, edges or rails that the practitioner wants to slide.

Figure 6 shows a bottom view of plate 2 of skateboard according to the third embodiment of the invention. The contours of the reinforcement plate 24 are there. shown in dotted lines. In the visible part of the reinforcement plate, the slider 28 separates from the boss 9 by a curved edge. The dragged figures will be done by sliding on the slider 28 and against this edge 32. The presence of this edge prevents the element on which we slide from coming to contact with the wheels or with the bridge.

Figure 7 shows in section the front end of a board according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. She has lower folds and upper folds. These folds are thin layers of wood, especially maple wood. The reinforcement plate 24 has a contour which corresponds exactly to the outer contour of the finished board. The reinforcement plate 24 is interposed between an upper intermediate ply 31 and a lower intermediate fold 30. In the zone intended for the fixing the truck, the reinforcement plate has a thickening. The board thus obtained has a more high rigidity especially in trucks and these can be fixed in a known manner by drilling the assembly as well form. The reinforcement plate is a wood core machined flat having a scalable thickness curve. Like the folds, the reinforcement is then glued and placed in the front mold pressing. In this example, plate 2 is intended for a use fitted with standard trucks and shown in thin line the position of the truck base mounting screws before.

The invention is not limited to the few modes of embodiments which are previously described as examples non-limiting, but in particular it includes any combination of the various characteristics constituting it.

NOMENCLATURE

2-

Board

3-

Truck

4-

Socket

5-

Bridge

6

Axle

7-

Wheel

8-

Basement

9-

boss

10-

Cavity

11-

Hole

12-

Screw

13-

tip

14-

Ring

15-

Upper buffer

16-

Lower buffer

17-

Main axis or kingpin

18-

Main axle screw

19-

cup

20-

Upper surface layer

21-

Bottom surface layer

22-

Intermediate layers

23-

Center fold

24-

Reinforcement plate

25-

Front reinforcement

26-

Rear reinforcement

27-

Lateral reinforcements

28-

slider

29-

bore

30-

Bottom fold

31-

Top fold

32-

Fish bone

33-

Opening

34-

Obviously

Claims (21)

Skateboard board (2) of the type comprising several layers including an upper surface layer (20) on which the practitioner is placed, a lower surface layer (21) around which the wheels (7) of the skateboard (2) will be positioned and one or more intermediate layers (22), board characterized in that reinforcements (25, 26, 27) are provided in at least one of the following zones: at the front of the board, at the level of the front wheel attachment , at the rear at the rear wheel attachment level, on the periphery of the board; said reinforcements being interposed between the upper surface layer (20) and the lower surface layer (21). Skateboard board (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least four layers of constant thickness. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 2, characterized in that said at least four layers are made of the same material. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 3, characterized in that said at least four layers are plies of plywood. Skateboard board (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the reinforcements are interposed between two intermediate layers (22). Skateboard board (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that at least one of the intermediate layers (22) comprises openings in which the reinforcements are placed. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcements are interposed between two adjacent intermediate layers. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 7, characterized in that the reinforcement does not have a uniform section. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcement has a profiled section so that portions of greater thickness will be provided at the places where the trucks (3) are fixed. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcement has a contour merging with the external contour of the board. Skateboard board according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcement located at the level of the trucks is pierced with a cylindrical bore whose axis makes with the plane of the board a non-right angle. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcement also comprises a projecting portion passing through the lower surface layer of the board. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 5, characterized in that the projecting portion comprises a boss in which a cavity is formed, said cavity being provided for receiving the end piece of a truck bridge. Skateboard board according to claim 5, characterized in that the projecting portion comprises a slider provided to facilitate gliding. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 5, further comprising a truck base (4), said base (4) including a boss (9) in which a cavity is formed (10) designed to receive the end piece (13) of the bridge (5) of a truck (3). Skateboard board (2) according to claim 15, characterized in that the base (4) also comprises a slider intended to facilitate gliding. Skateboard board according to claim 15, characterized in that the base (4) and the reinforcement are adjacent. Skateboard board (2) according to claim 17, characterized in that the base (4) and the reinforcement form only one piece. Skateboard including: a skateboard (2) according to claim 1, a base (4) fixed to the board and comprising a cavity (10), a bridge (5) supporting an axle (6) on which two wheels are mounted and comprising a nozzle (13), a fixing means making it possible to hold the end piece (13) in said cavity (10) and not passing through the base (4). Skateboard according to claim 19, characterized in that said fixing means at least partially crosses the board (2). Skateboard according to claim 19, characterized in that the base (4) comprises a slider (28).

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