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US 6,318,488 B1Granted
Fluid levitated caster integrating brake or brake with guide wheel combination
OwnerJason L. Smithinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An assembly (72) including a brake (70), or a brake with guide wheel (69) combination centrally integrated within a levitating fluid caster. Assembly (72) levitates heavy loads upon a near frictionless pressurized fluid, and also controls stopping or guiding movement of loads.
Claims6
A fluid levitated caster translating device for stopping and guiding movement along a ground surface thereunder, comprising:
- (a) a load-supporting frame,
- (b) a fluid-levitated-caster means attached to said load-supporting frame, including a plenum cavity adapted to receive flow of fluid at super atmospheric pressure and cooperable with said ground surface to derive fluidic levitating support for said load-supporting frame,
- (c) a brake attached within said plenum cavity,
- (d) a brake attachment frame mounting said brake within said plenum cavity in cooperation with said ground surface so as to afford readily stoppable movement characteristics to the device,
- (e) a brake variable-yieldable bias means between said brake attachment frame and said load-supporting frame, producing variable force therebetween to yieldably urge said brake into anti-slip frictional engagement with said ground surface,
- (f) a guide wheel attached within said plenum cavity,
- (g) a guide wheel attachment means mounting said guide wheel on said brake attachment frame for rotation about a horizontal axis and cooperation with the aforesaid ground surface so as to afford readily guidable non-side-slip movement characteristics to the device,
- (h) a compressive separating means between said brake attachment frame and said guide wheel attachment means, so when said brake variable-yieldable bias means force is low, said guide wheel only contacts said ground surface;
- and as brake variable-yieldable bias means force is high, brake also contacts said ground surface.
6 more elements
A fluid levitated caster translating device for stopping movement along a ground surface thereunder, comprising:
- (a) a load-supporting frame,
- (b) a fluid-levitated-caster means attached to said load-supporting frame, including a plenum cavity adapted to receive flow of fluid at super atmospheric pressure and cooperable with said ground surface to derive fluidic levitating support for said load-supporting frame,
- (c) a brake attached within said plenum cavity,
- (d) a brake attachment frame mounting said brake within said plenum cavity in cooperation with said ground surface so as to afford readily stoppable movement characteristics to the device,
- (e) a yieldable bias means between said brake attachment frame and said load-supporting frame and reactive therebetween to yieldably urge said brake into anti-slip frictional engagement with said ground surface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.