Multi-directional canted wheel carrier with shiftable control arm for operable walls
AssigneePanelfold, Inc.
InventorsGuy E. Dixon, William M. Mack, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-directional canted wheel carrier with shiftable control arm for supporting operable wall panels from upper and/or lower supporting tracks, with the control arm engaging a track slot or guideway and supported from the carrier for shifting when necessary between a leading and a trailing relationship to the panel supporting bolt to facilitate multi-directional movement of the carrier through track intersections. The carrier includes a single canted wheel or multiple canted wheels, and the bearings and tilt body structure of the canted wheel assembly provide efficient multi-directional movement of the carrier with minimum force requirements.
Claims12
A canted wheel carrier for movably supporting wall panels from a track, said carrier including a canted wheel having a rotational axis inclined in relation to vertical and horizontal whereby a portion of the peripheral axial surface of the canted wheel is rollingly engaged with a supporting surface of the track and the diametrically opposite portion of the wheel is spaced from the supporting surface, said track having spaced track flanges defining a longitudinally extending track slot, and wherein said carrier includes a tilt body having said wheel rotatably mounted thereon for rotation about the inclined axis, support means rotatably connecting said tilt body with said panel, and a longitudinally extending control arm connected to said tilt body such that the control arm and tilt body are non-rotatable in relation to each other, the control arm including a shiftable member operative in a longitudinally extending guideway in the track for maintaining said tilt body and said inclined rotational axis in correct orientation to the direction of travel of the carrier and facilitate negotiation of angle turns in the track.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.