Industrial caster wheel with elastomeric spring/damper member

Details Industrial caster wheel with elastomeric spring/damper member Industrial caster wheel with elastomeric spring/damper member

2000-06-13

2002-07-30

Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)

Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,

Casters

Spring supported

C016S045000, C016SDIG003

Reexamination Certificate

active

06425161

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to industrial caster wheels.
2. Description of Related Art
Industrial caster wheels are used, for example, as stabilizer casters on a pallet truck. Such pallet trucks have a single drive wheel and one industrial caster wheel on each side. Usually, the industrial caster wheel has a spring member that absorbs shocks while traveling. The spring member also provides stability as the object to which the industrial caster wheel is attached travels over rough surfaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Conventional industrial caster wheels use mechanical springs. The spring member is limited in travel due to bottoming out, which occurs due to poor shock absorbing characteristics. Previous efforts to replace mechanical springs with elastomeric members has generally been unsuccessful. These previous industrial caster wheels have used torsional elastomeric elements. However, these torsional-elastomeric-member-type industrial caster wheels have experienced significant performance degradation as the torsional elastomeric member abrades with usage. This abrasion occurs due to sliding contact with a housing for the torsional elastomeric member.
This invention provides an industrial caster wheel assembly that has an improved life span.
This invention separately provides an industrial caster wheel that has an improved spring response.
This invention separately provides an industrial caster wheel that has an elastomeric member that acts as both a spring and a damper.
This invention separately provides an industrial caster wheel that requires fewer parts to provide the spring response.
In various exemplary embodiments of the industrial caster wheel according to this invention, an industrial caster wheel assembly includes a base member and a housing that supports the base member. The base member has an upper surface and a lower surface. The industrial caster wheel also include a wheel that has an adjustable wheel axle that supports the wheel about a first axis. The industrial caster wheel has a number of side plates. Each of the side plates has an inside wall facing the wheel. At least some of the side plates engage the wheel axle.
A pivot axle is supported by at least some of the side plates and extends through the housing and those side plates. The pivot axle rotates about a second axis. The industrial caster wheel has a suspension assembly. The suspension assembly has an adjustable axle that extends through the housing and at least some of the side plates and an elastomeric support member and a plate. The elastomeric support member resists pivot movements of the side plates that tend to push the pivot axle toward the base member.
In some exemplary embodiments, the adjustable axle compresses the elastomeric support member by contacting the plate at approximately the midpoint of a first dimension of the elastomeric support member.
These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in or are apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.


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