Importance

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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.

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First Claim