Land vehicles: wheels and axles – Wheel – Device for attaching wheel to axle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-27
2003-02-18
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles: wheels and axles
Wheel
Device for attaching wheel to axle
C301S111060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06520598
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a supporting device with position fixing function for stroller front wheels, and more particularly a supporting device, which allows the front wheels to be separated from the main frame of the stroller for saving space in transportation and storage, and which can automatically fix the direction of the front wheels during the course of the user's pashing a control member thereof.
Referring to
FIGS. 7 and 8
, a heretofore known stroller has a connecting member
30
fitted to a lower end of a supporting frame
10
thereof. A locating member
40
is connected to the connecting member
30
. A wheel
20
is rotatably connected to a connecting hole
405
of the locating member
40
.
The connecting member
30
has a receiving hollow
301
fixedly holding the lower end of the supporting frame
10
therein, and a through hole
302
, into which a connecting rod
303
is inserted. The connecting rod
303
has a head portion
304
at upper end thereof for engaging an upper end of the through hole
302
. The connecting member
30
further has a guide rail
305
, which has a substantially T-shaped cross-section, for permitting a sliding member
306
to be slidably connected therewith. The locating member
40
has a tube portion
401
, into which a lower end portion of the connecting rod
303
is inserted, in order to connect both the connecting member
30
and the locating member
40
; a fixing member (not numbered) is used to fixedly connect both the connecting rod
303
and the tube portion
401
. The locating member
40
further has a guide rail
404
communicating with the guide rail
305
of the connecting member
30
such that the sliding member
306
can be moved into the guide rail
404
with upper end portion thereof still received in the guide rail
305
. The tube portion
401
of the locating member
40
has an upper end portion
402
inserted into the through hole
302
of the connecting member
30
, and an annular protrusion
403
engaging the lower end of the through hole
302
.
In displaying or using the aforesaid stroller, the sliding member
306
is moved downward to be received in both the guide rails
305
and
404
; thus, the locating member
40
cannot move relative to the connecting member
30
, preventing the stroller from being unwarily moved sideways when a person accidentably pushed the stroller.
The above mentioned stroller has an advantage that it will not move sideways when being pushed because of the above said parts connected with the wheel. However, it has a disadvantage that the wheel is not detachable, and so takes extra room in packing and transportation. The manufacturer of the stroller has to use extra room in packing the stroller because of the wheel. The numbers of strollers of above said nature that are held in one container is smaller than that of those having same size and detachable wheels. Consequently, the transportation cost is higher.
Furthermore, the user has to turn the locating member
40
in order for the guide rail
404
to be aligned with the guide rail
305
of the connecting member
30
before he moves the sliding member
306
down for the same to engage with the guide rail
404
to fix the position of the wheel
20
. So, the sliding member
306
is not easy to use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a supporting device for front wheels of a stroller that allows the front wheels to be separated from the main frame of the stroller for saving space in storage and transportation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the supporting device with a position fixing function that is easy to use for the wheels.
The supporting device of the present invention includes a supporting member, a control member, and a locking member. The supporting member is connected to an axle of the front wheel, and has both an upper cylindrical part and a lower cylindrical part; the lower cylindrical part and the upper one are aligned, and have a gap in between. The supporting member furthers has a locating plate sticking out from a rear side of the upper cylindrical part.
The control member is pivoted to the rear side of the upper cylindrical part, and has an engaging end portion capable of engaging with a first, and a second portions of the locating plate of the supporting member. The control member has a locating part, which will face the gap when the engaging end portion engages with the second portion of the locating plate.
The locking member is disposed in the cylindrical parts, and has two resilient poles sticking up from a bottom part thereof; the resilient poles each has a protruding parts removably received in the gap of the supporting member.
The lower end of the front support tube of the stroller frame is passed into the cylindrical parts plus around the locking member such that the protruding parts of the locking member each sticks out through one of two opposing holes of the front support tube to be received in the gap of the supporting member.
To fix the position of the front wheel, the control member is pivoted for the engaging end portion to engage with the second portion of the locating plate, thus allowing the locating part to face the gap; the protruding parts of the locking member will automatically engage with the locating part on the course of the stroller being push around, i.e. the user doesn't have to change the direction of the front wheel with his hands in order for the protruding parts to be able to engage with the locating part.
To remove the front wheel from the main frame of the stroller, the user only has to push the protruding parts of the locking member inward to make the same disengage from the opposing holes of the front support tube of the main frame, and then separate the supporting device from the support tube.
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patent: 6409284 (2002-06-01), Ko
Morano S. Joseph
Nguyen Long Bao
Rosenberg , Klein & Lee
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