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US 2019/0160869 A1Published application
Caster braking system technology
AssigneeNgs Capital Management, LLC
InventorsKyle C. Stoehr, David A. Neis
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNgs Capital Management, LLC
InventorsKyle C. Stoehr, David A. Neis
Estimating the term…
The invention provides a caster having a wheel and a wheel lock assembly that is configured to lock the wheel against rotation about a first axis. The wheel lock assembly allows the caster to move between a locked configuration, in which the wheel is engaged by a detent of the wheel lock assembly, and an unlocked configuration, in which the detent is spaced from the wheel. In certain embodiments, the caster moves between its locked and unlocked configurations in response to rotation of a rotatable cam. Other embodiments provide a wheel lock assembly including a rotatable track wall, which comprises a generally cylindrical wall configured to rotate about a second axis. In such embodiments, the caster is configured such that the rotatable track wall rotates about the second axis when the caster moves between locked and unlocked configurations.
A caster having a wheel and a wheel lock assembly, the wheel configured to rotate about a first axis, the wheel lock assembly configured to lock the wheel against rotation about the first axis, the wheel lock assembly comprising a rotatable cam, the rotatable cam comprising a generally cylindrical wall configured to rotate about a second axis, such that the caster has a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, wherein when the caster is in the locked configuration the wheel is positively engaged by a detent of the wheel lock assembly such that the wheel is restrained against rotation about the first axis, and when the caster is in the unlocked configuration the detent of the wheel lock assembly is spaced apart from the wheel such that the wheel is free to rotate about the first axis, the caster being configured such that the rotatable cam rotates about the second axis when the caster moves between its locked and unlocked configurations, the rotatable cam being mounted in an axially-fixed location so as to be restrained against moving axially along the second axis when the caster moves between its locked and unlocked configurations.
A caster having a wheel and a wheel lock assembly, the wheel configured to rotate about a first axis, the wheel lock assembly configured to lock the wheel against rotation about the first axis, the wheel lock assembly including a rotatable track wall, the rotatable track wall comprising a generally cylindrical wall configured to rotate about a second axis, the caster having a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration, wherein when the caster is in the locked configuration the wheel is positively engaged by a detent of the wheel lock assembly such that the wheel is restrained against rotation about the first axis, and when the caster is in the unlocked configuration the detent of the wheel lock assembly is spaced apart from the wheel such that the wheel is free to rotate about the first axis, the caster being configured such that the rotatable track wall rotates about the second axis when the caster moves between its locked and unlocked configurations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.