Background Art Inline skates, i. e. roller skates where all wheels are arranged in a straight line, have in recent years become a popular means of transport and exercise. In some places it is for various reasons inappropriate to roller-skate, such as in flights of steps, on gravel or in shops, and therefore a large number of inline skate guards have been developed, intended to protect the inline skates and/or the skater.

Detachable guards as well as fixed guards are known.

The present invention relates to a detachable guard of the type which is adapted to be fitted over the wheels and which has the form of a channel-shaped body which is U-shaped in cross-section. In this type of guard, the wheels engage the inside of the guard when in use. To prevent the skate from sliding in the guard, there must be some kind of blocking means which prevent the wheels from rotating, since roller-skate wheels roll easily and it is difficult to prevent the rotation thereof merely by engagement with the inside. Moreover, the guard must have a securing means to be secured to the skate.

There are no standard wheels for inline skates, and wheel diameter and centre distance between the wheels are selected based on the type of skating for which the skate is intended. However, skates of the same type but of dif- ferent makes may also have different wheel diameters. A guard with fixed blocking means, formed integrally with the guard, therefore cannot be used for all skates. Since the wheel diameter also decreases due to wear, a guard with fixed blocking means cannot be used forever for the skate for which the guard is designed.

According to US 5,988, 682, this has been solved with the aid of adjustable blocking means, but of course these involve a more complicated and thus more expensive con- struction.

Irrespective of type, however, the width of the wheels is the same for all adult skates.

All wheels should be covered by a guard, on the one hand because there is a risk of the skater falling if, when using the guard, an unprotected wheel unexpect- edly comes into contact with the ground and begins to roll and, on the other hand, because dirt can be prevent- ed from entering the wheel bearings.

Summary of the Invention The object of the invention is to provide a guard for an inline skate, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which fits all inline skates independent- ly of wheel diameter and axle distance, without requiring adjustment.

This object is achieved by means of a guard, which is of the type mentioned by way of introduction and which is characterised in that each of the two side legs of the body has at least one carrier portion, which is adapted to carry the frame of the skate in such a manner that the wheels are located at a distance from the bottom of the body, and the fixing means forms a recess made in at least one of the side legs and intended for one of the wheel axles.

Moreover a guard according to the invention is robust. For distribution of the skater's weight, each carrier portion is preferably formed as a projection extending along the outside of the respective side leg.

To prevent the side legs from being pressed apart when subjected to a load, each side leg is extended above the projection by a wall portion, which is adapted to engage the skate frame between this and the wheels.

The guards are also easy to use, i. e. to put on and take off thanks to the securing means, which can be designed as snap fasteners, spring means, pivotable hooks or slides provided with hooks.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described in more detail by means of preferred but non-limiting embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a guard according to the invention.

Fig. 1b is a section along A-A in Fig. la.

Fig. 2a is a side view of part of an inline skate fitted with two guards according to the invention.

Fig. 2b is a section along B-B in Fig. 2a.

Fig. 2c is a section along C-C in Fig. 2a.

Fig. 3 is a side view of part of an inline skate provided with a. securing means.

Fig. 4 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a guard.

Fig. 5 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a securing means.

Fig. 6a is a side view of a securing means intended for a skate frame specially adjusted thereto.

Fig. 6b is a section along A-A in Fig. 6a.

Description of Preferred Embodiments An inline skate guard 1 according to the invention has an elongate body 5 which is substantially U-shaped in cross-section and which is provided with a fixing means 6 and a securing means 7. The body 5 consists of two side

legs 8 and a bottom 10, the distance between the two side legs 8'being somewhat greater than the width of a wheel.

As is evident from Fig. 2a, each inline skate should be fitted with two guards 1 according to the invention, one for the two front wheels 2 and one for the two rear wheels 2. Each guard is small and easy to handle. The two guards can be joined to each other by means of an elastic band.

The two side legs 8 of a guard can be identical or different. Preferably each side leg 8 has a fixing means 6 in the form of a recess 11, the two recesses fixing one and the same wheel axle 4. When using the guard 1, said wheel axle 4 is inserted into the recesses 11 and then the skate cannot be moved in the guard in the longitudi- nal direction thereof.

One of the side legs 8, or both, is provided with some kind of securing means 7, which secures the guard to the skate and which will be described in more detail below.

The securing means 7 and the fixing means 6 together allow the guard to be firmly fixed to the skate. Since it is sufficient to fix a wheel axle, the guard will fit all types of skates independently of the size of the wheel.

The size of the wheels and any wear on the wheels do not affect the firm fixing of the guards to the skate.

Projections 12, which are to serve as carrier por- tions 9 for the skate frame, extend along the outsides of the side legs 8. The carrier portions 9 are arranged at such a distance from the bottom 10 that the wheels are not in contact with the bottom when the carrier portions 9 engage the frame 3, as is clearly shown in Figs 2b and 2c. Thanks to these carrier portions 9, the skater's weight is distributed along the guard and there will be no point load on the fixing means 6 and the securing means 7.

As illustrated in Figs lb, 2b and 2c, each side leg 8 is. extended above the projection 12 by a wall portion

13. When using the guard, the projections 12 and the wall portions 13 engage the frame 3, the wall portions 13 being located between the frame 3 and the wheel 2. As a result, the frame 3 prevents the side legs 8 from being pressed away from each other when the guard is subjected to a load.

On the front part of the guard, especially on, the guard which is intended for the two front wheels 2, the body 5 is upwards extended by a transverse portion 5' which is adapted to protect the front wheel.

Figs 3-6 illustrate different ways of designing the securing means 7. In these embodiments, the secur- ing means 7 is formed on one side leg 8, just opposite to the recess 11 on the other side leg. In these cases, the securing means 7 is adapted to secure the guard 1 by means of the wheel axle 4 which is inserted into the recess 11.

In Fig. 3, the securing means 7 is a spring means 7' projecting from one side leg. This secures in a resilient way the wheel axle which is inserted into the fixing means 6 formed just opposite to the spring means, on the opposite side leg.

In Fig. 4, the securing means involves two fixing elements 6', which extend upwards from the side leg and which serve as snap fasteners. In this case, the securing means also serves as a fixing means for the wheel axle and the two side legs look the same.

In Fig. 5, the securing means is a pivotable hook 20 which is fixed to a pivot 19 on one side leg. The hook 20 is pivotable from a disengaged position to an engaged position. In the engaged position, the hook engages the wheel axle which is inserted into the recess 11 on the opposite side leg to secure the guard to the skate.

The securing means can also be a slide which is pro- vided with hooks and which is slidable along the projec- tions of the side legs and in the engaged position

secures the guard to the skate in the same way as the pivotable hook.

With specially adjusted frames, the securing means can be designed in various ways. An example of this is illustrated in Figs 6a and 6b. The frame has in its lower part a flange 25 which together with a correspondingly designed flange 24 on the projections 12 of the guard forms a kind of rail, along which a slide 17 which is substantially C-shaped in cross-section can slide. When using the guard, the two flanges are made to engage each other and the slide is moved over them in their longitu- dinal direction so that they firmly engage each other and secure the guard to the frame.

The hook shown in Fig. 5 could in a corresponding way also be arranged on the frame instead of on the guard, in which case a pin on the guard instead of the wheel axle in that case would form a stop for the hook.

The securing means can also be a strap, by means of which the guard is attached to the skate. In this case, suitably both side legs are provided with fixing means.

The strap can be a loose strap, which is fixed in open- ings in the guard, or be injection moulded in one piece with the guard. It is also possible in a second injection moulding step to injection mould, in one piece with the guard, an elastic material in the form of a band which can function as a clamping band or as a link between two guards of a skate.

Even if the guards are preferably made of plastic by injection moulding, it would also be possible, for instance, to pressure die-cast the loose securing means and/or the entire guards in zinc or aluminium.