Caster wheel lift and brake assembly

A caster wheel assembly having a vertical axis brake and barrier-traversing member comprising:

• a caster support body having a caster shaft with a vertical shaft axis therein, the caster shaft rotationally engaged within a caster shaft housing having a fixed stator surface adjacent the caster support body;
• at least one caster wheel mounted on a horizontal axle in the caster support body a selected distance from the vertical shaft axis of the caster shaft, the horizontal axle offset rearward from the vertical shaft axis of the caster shaft;
• at least one a barrier-traversing member flexibly fastened to the caster support body, the at least one barrier-traversing member comprising a planar, triangle-shaped section with a barrier contact surface that is curved and positioned adjacent to and parallel with the at least one caster wheel, the barrier contact surface extending below the axle of the at least one caster wheel and forward of the vertical shaft axis of the caster support body;
• and
• a braking surface member attached to the barrier-traversing member at an end thereof opposite the barrier contact surface and adjacent the fixed stator surface of the caster shaft housing with a gap there between;
• whereby the moving caster wheel assembly first contacts an obstacle with the barrier contact surface of the at least one barrier-traversing member, thereby elevating the barrier-traversing member and attached braking surface member into contact with the fixed stator surface of the caster shaft housing, thereby restraining rotation of the caster wheel assembly and the at least one caster wheel thereof;
• the at least one barrier-traversing member elevating the rotation-restrained caster wheel assembly onto the obstacle;
• and
• then further forward motion transferring load to said at least one caster wheel, thereby separating the braking surface member and fixed stator surface, and thereby allowing the at least one barrier-traversing member to return to it's starting position.

A caster wheel assembly having a vertical axis brake and barrier-traversing member comprising:

• a caster support body having a caster shaft with a vertical shaft axis therein, the caster shaft rotationally engaged within a caster shaft housing having a fixed stator surface adjacent the caster support body;
• at least one caster wheel mounted on a horizontal axle in the caster support body a selected distance from the vertical shaft axis of the caster shaft, the horizontal axle offset rearward from the vertical shaft axis of the caster support body;
• at least one barrier-traversing member flexibly fastened to the caster support body, the at least one barrier-traversing member including a barrier contact surface adjacent to and parallel with the at least one caster wheel, the barrier contact surface extending below the axle of the at least one caster wheel and forward of the vertical shaft axis of the caster shaft, the barrier-traversing member comprising a linear actuation element and the barrier contact surface comprising at least one wheel on a second horizontal axle forward of at least one the caster wheel and attached to the linear actuation element at an end thereof adjacent the at least one caster wheel;
• and
• a braking surface member attached to the barrier-traversing member at an end thereof opposite the barrier contact surface and adjacent the fixed stator surface of the caster shaft housing with a gap there between;
• whereby the moving caster wheel assembly first contacts an obstacle with the barrier contact surface of the at least one barrier-traversing member, thereby elevating the barrier-traversing member and attached braking surface member into contact with the fixed stator surface of the caster shaft housing, thereby restraining rotation of the caster wheel assembly and the at least one caster wheel thereof;
• the at least one barrier-traversing member elevating the rotation-restrained caster wheel assembly onto the obstacle;
• and
• then further forward motion transferring load to said at least one caster wheel, thereby separating the braking surface member and fixed stator surface, and thereby allowing the at least one barrier-traversing member to return to it's starting position.