Wheel assembly
OwnerTheodore D. Phillips, Stephen A. Grayinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A wheel assembly having particular adaptability for use on a shopping cart and which importantly serves to prevent shopping cart movement after release by the user. Briefly, the wheel assembly includes an axle, a hub, a tire carrying rim overlying said hub, and a series of lateral grooves on the outer surface of the hub and selectively engagable by, for example, spring-loaded ball catches mounted on portions of the rim. When one of the ball catches is received within a lateral groove, wheel rotation is limited (until overcome by the user's force). The preceding serves to prevent unwanted cart movement and promotes safety in a cart location area.
Claims7
A wheel assembly used in combination with an axle comprising a hub overlying said axle, a rim overlying said hub, a tire mounted on said rim, said hub having lateral grooves disposed around the outer surface thereof, said rim having a centrally disposed cut-out portion, and leafspring latching means which continually bias said hub disposed within said centrally disposed cut-out portion intermittently and automatically engaging one of said lateral grooves in a wheel retarding relationship selectively overcome by continued wheel rotation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.