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US 7,350,270 B2Granted
Guide wheel having integrated bearing mount
AssigneeBishop-Wisecarver Corporation
InventorStephen Fournier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A guide wheel assembly includes a journal body having an inner bearing race, an axial mounting face, a longitudinally extending threaded mounting portion, a hexagonal tool engaging surface located between the axial mounting face and the inner bearing race, and a guide wheel rotatably supported by the journal body for rotation about the inner bearing race.
Claims20
A guide wheel assembly, consisting of:
- a monolithic journal body adapted to provide both radial and axial constraint to a plurality of guide wheel bearing balls, said monolithic journal body having an inner bearing race, an axial mounting face, a longitudinally extending threaded mounting portion, and a hexagonal tool engaging surface located between said axial mounting face and said inner bearing race, said monolithic journal body defining a support axis and a bearing axis, and
- a guide wheel having an outer bearing race and rotatably support by said journal body for rotation about said inner bearing race, and a plurality of bearing balls located between the inner and outer bearing races.
A guide wheel assembly, consisting of:
- a wheel having a wheel bore therethrough, the wheel bore centered on a wheel axis, wherein a wheel bore surface is formed and dimensioned to be an outer bearing race of the guide wheel assembly;
- a monolithic journal body adapted to provide both radial and axial constraint to a plurality of guide wheel bearing balls, said monolithic journal body having a longitudinal bearing axis and a longitudinal axis of support, said monolithic journal body including,
- a first portion formed and dimensioned to be an inner bearing race of the guide wheel assembly, the first portion symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal bearing axis of the journal body, and
- a threaded portion disposed about the longitudinal axis of support, the longitudinal axis of support being distinct from the longitudinal bearing axis of the journal body;
- and
- at least one bearing located between the inner and outer bearing races such that the longitudinal bearing axis of the journal body coincides with the wheel axis, thereby enabling rotation of the wheel relative to the journal body about the coinciding axes.
3 more elements
A guide wheel assembly, consisting of:
- a monolithic wheel having a wheel bore therethrough, the wheel bore centered on a wheel axis, wherein a wheel bore surface includes furrows, the furrows formed and dimensioned to be an outer bearing race of the guide wheel assembly;
- a monolithic journal body adapted to provide both radial and axial constraint to a plurality of guide wheel bearing balls, said monolithic journal body having a longitudinal bearing axis and a longitudinal axis of support, said monolithic journal body including,
- a first portion formed and dimensioned to be an inner bearing race of the guide wheel assembly, the first portion including furrows and symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal bearing axis of the journal body, and
- a second, threaded portion disposed about the longitudinal axis of support;
- and
- a plurality of bearings located between the inner and outer bearing races such that the longitudinal bearing axis of the journal body coincides with the wheel axis, the bearings confined by the furrows, thereby enabling rotation of the wheel relative to the journal body about the coinciding axes and restraining translation of the journal body relative to the wheel along the coinciding axes.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.