in my invention , i have made three fundamental breakthroughs in the skate and skateboard . the fundamental breakthroughs are ( 1 ) self - propelling mechanism ; ( 2 ) steering cushion mechanism and ( 3 ) pivotal - turnable brake wheel . with the versatile combinations of the fundamental breakthoughs , a series of new products of skates and skateboards are invented . fig1 a is the basic version of the figure - blade roller skate equipped with the steering cushion mechanism 1 and pivotal - turnable brake wheel mechanism 3 . the brake 3 is mounted at the end of the frame 4 . the boot 5 is mounted on the frame 4 . in fig1 b , it shows the partially exposed section view of the steering cushion mechanism 1 and pivotal - turnable brake wheel mechanism 3 . the inclination angles of each of the steering cushion mechanisms 1 are different . the steering cushion mechanisms of the front wheels tilt forward ; the steering cushion mechanisms of the rear wheels tilt backward . from fig2 to fig5 are the results and designs of the steering cushion mechanism 1 . the designs and operations of the steering cushion mechanism 1 are explained in details from fig6 to fig1 . in fig2 the front steering cushion mechanism 101 , the second steering cushion mechanism 102 , the middle steering cushion mechanism 103 , the fourth steering cushion mechanism 104 and the rear steering cushion mechanism 105 are aligned with different inclination angles . in fig3 the front wheel 201 , the second wheel 202 , the middle wheel 203 , the fourth wheel 204 and the rear wheel 205 are suggested to have different sections . with the arrangement of the cushion mechanisms and wheels , as shown in fig4 the track made of the wheels curves to the right as the skater shifts the body weight to the right side . as shown in fig5 as the skater shifts the body weight to the left side , the track made of the wheels curves to the left . the enlarged details of the cushion mechanism 1 is shown in fig6 . the screw 17 adjusts the compressive force in the spring 16 to keep the axle 14 in the proper level position . the locking nut 18 is to lock the screw 17 at the fixed position . as shown in fig7 the axle 14 is pivotally mounted in the parabolic hole of the sliding plug 12 with the pin 13 . the gudgeon of the axle 14 fits in the cup joint of the sliding plug 12 . in fig7 a , on the right side , it shows the alternative design of the sliding plug . to be convenient for assembling , the cap 10 is screwed on the sliding plug 120 . fig7 b is the side view of the cushion mechanism as shown in fig7 a . to reduce the cost of the steering cushion mechanism , in fig8 fig9 and fig1 , there are three different steering cushion mechanism made of the resilient materials . in fig8 the axle 14 fits in the parabolic concave hole of the resilient cushion 121 . the peripheral of cushion 121 enwraps the slot 190 to keep the steering cushion mechanism in position . the pin 13 passes through the resilient cushion 121 and fits in the slots in the axle 14 . fig9 is the alternative design of the resilient cushion 122 . there is no pin in this design . the protrude 131 fits in the radial slot of axle 141 . fig1 is the elevational side view of the figure - blade roller skate equiped with the resilient cushion mechanism . the resilient cushion mechanism 10 of the front wheel inclines forward ; the resilient cushion mechanism 10 of the rear wheel inclines backward . the pivotal - turnable brake wheel 30 is the alternative design of the brake wheel as shown in fig2 . fig1 is another alternative design of the resilient cushion mechanism . the resilient cushion 132 is clamped in the hole of frame 4 . the axle 142 fits in the hyperbolic hole of the resilient cushion mechanism 132 . it is the simplest and the best design of the steering cushion mechanism . it can be adapted to the conventional in - line roller skate with the minor modifications of the slots 192 . fig1 shows the basic operations of the wheel during the shift of the body weight . fig1 shows the mechanism of single rim wheel with the vertically aligned steering cushion mechanism ; fig1 shows the mechanism of dual rim wheel with the vertically aligned steering cushion mechanism . fig1 shows the mechanism of the forward inclining cushion mechanism 101 of the front wheel 201 . fig1 shows the mechanism of the backward inclining cushion mechanism 105 of the rear wheel 205 . in fig1 a , as the skater loads the weight evenly on the frame 4 and the frame 4 is horizontal . the wheel 203 is in the vertical position . for the single rim wheel , in fig1 a , the ground force f g is applied to the bottom of the wheel . the reaction force f l applied to the left sliding plug 12 is equal to the reaction force f r applied to the right sliding plug 12 . for the dual rim wheel , in fig1 a , the ground force f g is distributed on the dual rim . the reaction force f l applied to the left sliding plug 12 is equal to the reaction force f r applied to the right sliding plug 12 . in fig1 b , the skater shifts the weight to the right and the frame 4 tilts rightward . the wheel 203 tilts rightward . as shown in fig1 b , the reaction force f l is larger than the reaction force f r . for the dual rim wheel , in fig1 b , as the extended line of the ground force fg passes through the left side of the center 0 , the reaction force f l is larger than the reaction force fr . in fig1 b , the left sliding plug 12 slides upward and the right sliding plug 12 slides downward . for the front wheel , the guiding slot 19 tilts forward . in fig1 a , the upward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s l and the downward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s r cause the wheel 201 to turn right as shown in fig4 a . for the rear wheel 205 and rear cushion mechanism 105 , in fig1 a , the upward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s l and the downward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s r cause the wheel 205 to turn left as shown in fig4 e . in fig1 c , the skater shifts the weight to the left and the frame 4 tilts leftward . the wheel 203 tilts leftward . as shown in fig1 c , the reaction force f r is larger than the reaction force f l . for the dual rim wheel , in fig1 c , as the extended line of the ground force f g passes through the right side of the center 0 , the reaction force f r is larger than the reaction force f l . in fig1 c , the right sliding plug 12 slides upward and the left sliding plug 12 slides downward . for the front wheel , the guiding slot 19 tilts forward . in fig1 b , the upward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s r and the downward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s l cause the wheel 201 to turn left as shown in fig5 a . for the rear wheel 205 and rear cushion mechanism 105 , in fig1 b , the upward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s r and the downward movement of the sliding plug 12 in the guiding slot s l cause the wheel 205 to turn right as shown in fig5 e . in fig1 , it makes the summary for the operation of the cushion mechanism . fig1 a is the operation for the cushion mechanism of front wheel . as the shoe 5 stands upright , there is a neutral steady position shown by the horizontal line segment . as the shoe 5 tilts right , the reaction force f l increases ; the reaction force f r decreases . the front wheel 201 turns right to make a right turn . as the shoe 5 tilts left , the reaction force f l decreases ; the reaction force f r increases . the front wheel 201 turns left to make a left turn . fig1 b is the operation for the cushion mechanism of rear wheel . as the shoe 5 stands upright , there is a neutral steady position shown by the horizontal line segment . as the shoe 5 tilts right , the reaction force f l decreases ; the reaction force f r increases . the rear wheel 205 turns left to makes a right turn . as the shoe 5 tilts left , the reaction force f l increases ; the reaction force f r decreases . the real wheel 205 turns right to make a left turn . ( 1 ) to reduce the worn out speed of brake ; ( 2 ) to have one extra wheel ; ( 3 ) to take advantage of the worn wheel to serve as the brakes ; ( 4 ) to have the pivotal turn ; ( 5 ) to skate on the nose wheel and tail wheel and ( 6 ) to have the foot - operable selection of operational mode , i invent the wheel having the brake function . as shown in fig1 , the wheel 2 is rotationally mounted on the brake drum 31 . the swivelling arm is pivotally mounted on the frame 35 with the pin 37 . the brake drum 31 is pivotally mounted on the swivelling arm 32 with pin 39 . the frame 35 is mounted on the frame 4 with the locking screws 43 . the biasing spring 36 expands against the brake drum 31 . in the normal operation condition , the foot - operable pad 38 is locked with the rod 381 which is locked at the upper hole of the slot 352 . the spring 383 expands to bias the rod 382 to have the rod 381 in the lock position . in the normal skate position , the wheel 2 rotates on the brake drum 31 as the normal wheel does . during braking to stop , the skater shifts all the body weight to the brake wheel . the frame 35 moves downward . the swiveling arm 32 swivels inward to clamp the wheel 2 . this action is like the disk brake of the automobile . the wheel 2 is equivalent to the disk in the disk brake ; the brake drum 31 is equivalent to the friction pad in the disk brake . the more weight is applied to the brake wheel 2 , the more friction force to clamp the wheel 2 to stop . the clamping force is applied to the surface 31a and 31b to clamp the wheel to stop . as the skater removes the body weight , the bias spring 36 expands to separate the brake drum 31 and the wheel 2 . the wheel 2 is free to rotate as the normal wheel does . to skate on the brake wheel 3 , the skater can step on the pad 38 to press the bias spring 383 downward to move the rod 381 to the lower position -- pivotal mode . in fig1 , the bracket 34 holds the swiveling arm 32 . the bearing 33 is to reduce the friction force as the brake wheel 2 rotates . as the skater applies the weight on the wheel 2 , the swiveling arm is held by the bracket 34 that the swiveling arm 32 will not swivel to squeese the wheel 2 . the wheel 2 still rotates free . there are many alternative designs for the mechanism of the mode selection . fig2 shows the second implementation . in fig2 a , the bracket 341 is biased by the spring 342 to lock in the hole 354 . as the bracket 341 is pressed downward , the bracket 341 can shift downward to hold the swiveling arm 32 as shown in fig2 b . fig2 shows the third implementation . it is similar to a switch . the pad 345 is pivotally mounted on the pin 347 . in fig2 a , the pad 345 is locked in the brake mode by the biasing spring 346 . as the skater uses the foot to shift the pad 345 , in fig2 b , the pad 345 is in the pivotal mode to keep the swiveling arm from swiveling . there are several skating techniques to skate on the nose wheel or the tail wheel . as shown in fig2 , the brake wheel 3 can be mounted at the two ends of the figure - blade roller skate . the self - propelling mechanism can also be applied to the figure - blade roller skate as shown in fig2 . in fig2 , the skater raises up and steps down the pad 50 to drive the link 9 to roate the crank 90 . the screw 91 rotates to shift the engaging drum 92 to engage with the hub 99 to rotate the wheel 20 . the resilient belt 22 enwraps around the wheel 20 . the roller bead 130 has two forks 131 . the roller beads 130 are hooked up to be a chain with the string 101 . fig2 is the side view of the roller bead 130 of the driving wheel . in fig2 , the friction spring 94 is to introduce the friction force to the engaging drum 92 . the spring 94 clamps the outside of the engaging drum 92 and biases against the washer 941 . fig2 and fig2 show the alternative designs of the friction holding engaging mechanism . the washer plate 941 has a pressed slot 943 . this slot 943 fits in the transverse boring 494 to introduce the friction force . the spring 94 expands to introduce the friction force to the engaging drum 92 . on the drum 92 there is also a transverse boring 924 to fit the transverse slot 943 . in fig2 , the spring 94 fits inside the bore 925 to clamp the engaging drum 92 . fig2 shows the alternative design of the driving wheel . the rim 133 , the resilient belt 22 and the wheel are one integral unit . fig2 shows the skateboard 40 made of the combinatory figure - blade roller skate . the skater steps down and raises up the paddle 6 . at the two ends of the skateboard , the steering cushion mechanism inclines forward and backward separately . as the skater shifts the weight to the right , the skateboard 40 will turn right automatically ; as the skater shifts the weight to the left , the skateboard 40 will turn left automatically . fig3 show the skateboard made of the figure - blade roller skate and the self - propelling [ roller ] wheels . the washer 66 clamps the resilient pad 67 to distribute the reaction force . the spring 691 is to bias the pad 6 upward . the pad 6 serves as the steering means of the skateboard . the pad 6 may rotate to change the direction of the skateboard . the skater steps down and raises up the pad 6 to drive the rod 69 up and down . the rod 69 drives the link 9 to roate the crankshaft and wheel 20 to rotate . furthermore , the chain 7 can enwrap around the wheels 2 as shown in fig3 . the section view of the wheel and chain is shown in fig3 . the roller bead has the single bead 70 and dual knives 74 as shown in fig3 . the bead 70 is rotationally mounted on the pin 73 . the pin 73 is supported on the frame 71 . the string 72 hooks up several roller beads to be the flexible chain 7 . the resilient belt enwraps around the wheel as the cushion between the wheel and the roller beads . with the flexible chain , the figure - blade roller skate has the sideward skating capability . to increase the stability in the single foot skating , the tricycle type in - line roller is introduced . as shown in fig3 , the resilient cushion 132 is installed in the reversed direction . two thin wheels 24 are rotationally mounted on the long axle 143 . to reduce the lateral dimension , in fig3 , the narrow frame 46 is adopted . however , for the two - wheel alignment , as shown in fig3 , the inclined directions of the guiding slot are reversed . for the front wheels , the guiding slots incline backward . for the rear wheels , the guiding slots incline forward . from fig3 to fig4 , they show the different alignments of the in line roller structure . fig3 is the traditional figure blade in - line roller skate . all the wheels are aligned in one line . fig3 shows the two - wheel type in line figure blade roller skate . fig3 shows the in - line figure blade roller skate has the hybrid structure of the two - wheel and single - wheel structure . fig4 and fig4 shows the alternative design of the hybrid structure of the two - wheel and single - wheel structure . to make the general purpose , we may make the enhancement for the frame 4 to have the the functions of fig3 and fig3 simultaneously . as shown in fig4 , the frame 49 has the specially designed notches 51 , 52 and 53 . as shown in fig4 b and fig4 c , the bracket kit 510 can fit in the notch 51 in two different directions . as shown in fig4 d and fig4 e , the resilient cushion 132 can fit in the bracket 510 in two different inclined directions . in fig4 d , the guiding slot inclines forward ; in fig4 e , the guiding slot inclines backward . as shown in fig4 b and fig4 c , the bracket kit 520 can fit in the notch 52 in two different directions . as shown in fig4 d and fig4 e , the resilient cushion 132 can fit in the bracket 520 in two different inclined directions . in fig4 d , the guiding slot inclines forward ; in fig4 e , the guiding slot inclines backward . fig4 shows the section view of the general purpose steering resilient cushion . fig4 shows the installation of the general purpose design of the steering resilient cushion . although the description above contains many specificities , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention . thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalent , rather than by the examples given .
the figure - blade roller skake costitutes the steering cushion mechanism . due to the steering cushion mechanism , as the roller blade skate tilts , the wheels are aligned on an curved track . shifting the body weight right , the steering cushion mechanism will cause the rollers to curve to the right ; shifting the body weight left , the steering cushion mechanism will cause the rollers to the curve to the left . the brake wheel uses the clamping force to brake the skate to stop . the brake wheel can serve as both wheel and brake .