Land vehicles: wheels and axles – Wheel – Device for attaching wheel to axle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-20
2001-08-21
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: wheels and axles
Wheel
Device for attaching wheel to axle
C301S125000, C301S119000, C280S047380, C280S062000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06276759
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mounting device for mounting a front wheel axle on a stroller frame, more particularly to a mounting device which facilitates assembly and disassembly of a front wheel axle on and from a stroller frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
A three-wheeled stroller is known to include a front wheel and two spaced-apart rear wheels.
FIG. 1
illustrates a conventional three-wheeled stroller frame which includes an inverted U-shaped handle
11
with parallel side arms
111
, a parallel pair of rear support rods
12
disposed below and connected pivotally to the side arms
111
, and a transverse shaft
13
connected to lower ends of the rear support rods
12
and carrying two rear wheels
14
at two opposite ends thereof. The stroller frame has a front end portion formed with a pair of spaced-apart side tubes
112
for cooperatively carrying a front wheel
15
. As shown in
FIG. 2
, each of the side tubes
112
has a flat distal end portion
112
a
which is formed with a notch
113
and an engaging hole
114
above the notch
113
. The front wheel
15
has a wheel axle
16
with two opposite end portions which are extended respectively into the notches
113
, and which are secured to the side tubes
112
by means of a securing device
17
. The securing device
17
includes an engaging plate
173
that abuts tightly against the distal end portion
112
a
of a respective one of the side tubes
112
a
so as to clamp the distal end portion
112
a
of the respective side tube
112
between the engaging plate
173
and an adjacent nut
171
on the respective end portion of the wheel axle
16
. The engaging plate
173
has a bent tip
174
for engaging the engaging hole
114
in the distal end portion
112
a
of the respective side tube
112
. The securing device
17
further includes a cylindrical cam member
170
and an operating lever
172
which are manually operable to push the engaging plate
173
toward the distal end portion
112
a
of the respective side tube
112
for abutting tightly against the latter during assembly of the wheel axle
16
to the side tubes
112
. When it is desired to disassemble the front wheel axle
16
from the stroller frame, the cam member
170
and the operating lever
172
have to be operated for loosening the engaging plate
173
from the distal end portion
112
a
of the respective side tube
112
. The assembly and disassembly operations are found to be somewhat inconvenient to conduct.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a mounting device for mounting a front wheel axle on a stroller frame so as to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the front wheel axle on and from the stroller frame.
Accordingly, the mounting device of the present invention is adapted for mounting a front wheel axle on two spaced apart side tubes of a stroller frame. The side tubes have distal end portions. The front wheel axle has two opposite end portions. The mounting device includes a pair of hollow mounting seats, each of which is adapted to be disposed between a respective one of the end portions of the wheel axle and the distal end portion of a respective one of the side tubes. Each of the mounting seats has an inner side wall facing the other one of the mounting seats, an outer side wall opposite to the inner side wall, a bottom end wall interconnecting the inner and outer side walls, and a top end wall opposite to the bottom end wall. The inner side wall is formed with an elongated opening which extends in an upward direction along the inner side wall and which is adapted to permit extension of the respective one of the end portions of the wheel axle thereinto. The inner side wall has an abutment edge portion that defines a top end of the elongated opening. Each of the mounting seats further has a resilient engaging plate which is disposed inwardly of the opening between the inner and outer side walls and which is inclined with respect to the inner side wall. The engaging plate has an engaging end which is proximate to the abutment edge portion of the inner side wall and which cooperates with the abutment edge portion to form a retaining space therebetween, and a connecting end distal to the abutment edge portion. The retaining space is adapted to receive the respective one of the end portions of the front wheel axle therein. The distance between the connecting ends of the engaging plates of the mounting seats is longer than the distance between the engaging ends of the engaging plates of the mounting seats. The openings in the inner side walls of the mounting seats are adapted to permit the front wheel axle to slide therealong toward the abutment edge portions of the inner side walls of the mounting seats so as to enable the end portions of the front wheel axle to push the engaging ends of the engaging plates away from each other and to further enable the engaging ends of the engaging plates to spring back toward each other for retaining the end portions of the wheel axle in the retaining spaces when the end portions of the wheel axle extend into the retaining spaces.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 362419 (1995-09-01), Chih
patent: 5121973 (1992-06-01), Phillips
patent: 5476275 (1995-12-01), Baechler et al.
patent: 5673925 (1997-10-01), Stewart
patent: 5772223 (1998-06-01), Letourneau
patent: 6056306 (2000-05-01), Rust et al.
patent: 6196571 (2001-03-01), Chen et al.
patent: 451599 (1949-09-01), None
Dayoan D. Glenn
Engle Patricia
Foley & Lardner
LandOfFree
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