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Patent 2044250 Summary

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(12) Patent Application: (11) CA 2044250
(54) English Title: SWIVELLING WHEEL ASSEMBLY FOR A CART
(54) French Title: ROULETTE PIVOTANTE POUR CHARIOT
Status: Dead
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • B60B 33/02 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • ROY, JEAN-PIERRE (France)
  • HRABINA, JEAN (France)
  • BERTRAND, CLAUDE (France)
(73) Owners :
  • GUITEL-ETIENNE MOBILOR (France)
(71) Applicants :
(74) Agent: GOUDREAU GAGE DUBUC
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued:
(86) PCT Filing Date: 1990-10-15
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 1991-05-02
Examination requested: 1997-09-11
Availability of licence: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/FR1990/000740
(87) International Publication Number: WO1991/005671
(85) National Entry: 1991-06-17

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
89 13579 France 1989-10-17

Abstracts

English Abstract


ABSTRACT
A swivelling wheel assembly containing a wheel whose
swivelling action around a vertical axle may be locked or
unlocked by rotating the wheel in one direction or the
other. A curved double control lever is housed in a space
between the thrust bearing and the tread of the wheel in the
area of the lateral extensions of the fork joint. A lower
lever arm holds a friction device engaging the tread of the
wheel. An upper lever arm contains a locking means which
can be received in a locking slot constructed in a housing
component which is fixed relative to the pivot axle. A
circular cover of the fork joint contains a tracking groove
to guide the upper lever arm.


Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


-10-

CLAIMS
1. In a swivelling wheel assembly (1) containing a
wheel (2) whose swivelling action around a vertical axle (3)
may be locked or unlocked by rotating the wheel (2) in one
direction or the other, the assembly including a fork joint
(6) having an upper end (7) and a lower end with the upper
end (7) mounted on the lower end of the vertical swivel axle
(3) for selective swivelling action around said vertical
axle (3) a horizontal axle (4) fixed to the lower end of the
fork lift for mounting the wheel (2) for rotation about a
horizontal axis which is fixed relative to the fork lift,
and a locking device (16) for locking the fork joint (6) in
relation to the vertical swivel axle (3), the improvement
wherein:
the locking device (16) comprises:
a) a first locking part (23) fixed relative to said
vertical axle (3); and
b) a second locking part mounted on the fork
joint (6), said second locking part including:
i) a control means (17) having two ends (19,
22), said control means being mounted on the fork
lift for movement between a first position and a
second position, the one end (19) of said ends
extending downwardly for engaging against the
wheel (2), and the other end (22) extending
upwardly toward said vertical axle (3) for
movement between a first wheel locking position
engaging with said first locking part (23) and a
second wheel unlocking position spaced from said
first locking part (23) upon movement of said
control means between said first position and said
second position, and
ii) means (21) for maintaining the one end (19)
of the control means (17) in driven engagement
with said wheel for limited movement with the


-11-
wheel between two positions as the wheel rotates
in opposite directions whereby the rotation of the
wheel in one direction moves the one end (19) to
one position and the second end (22) to said first
wheel locking position and rotation of the wheel
in a second opposite direction moves the one end
(19) to a second position and the second end (22)
to said second wheel unlocking position.
2. In a swivelling wheel assembly (1) containing a
wheel (2) whose swivelling action around a vertical axle (3)
may be locked or unlocked by rotating the wheel (2) in one
direction or the other, the assembly including a bearing
(8), at least one housing (9, 10) fixedly mounted to the
lower end of the vertical swivel axle (3), a fork joint (6)
having two lateral extensions (5) whose lower ends support a
horizontal axle (4) for the wheel (2) and whose upper end
includes a cover (7) which cooperates with the bearing (8)
to permit rotation of the fork joint around the axle (3) and
a locking device (16) for locking the fork joint (6) in
relation to the vertical swivel axle (3), the improvement
wherein:
the locking device (16) comprises:
a) a first locking part (23) fixed relative to said
vertical axle (3) and located within the outer lateral
periphery of the housing (9); and
b) a second locking part located vertically between
the bearing (8) and the wheel (2) and laterally between
the extensions (5) of the fork joint (6) so as to be
protected against damage by contact therewith
externally of the wheel assembly, said second locking
part including:
i) a control means (17) having two ends (19,
22), said control means being mounted between the
extensions (5) of the fork joint (6) for movement
between a first position and a second position,

-12-

the one end (19) of said ends extending downwardly
for engaging against the wheel (2), and the other
end (22) extending upwardly toward said bearing
(8) and the lower end of the vertical axle (3) for
movement between a first wheel locking position
engaging with said first locking part (23) and a
second wheel unlocking position spaced from said
first locking part (23) upon movement of said
control means between said first position and said
second position, and
ii) means (21) for maintaining the one end (19)
of the control means (17) in driven engagement
with said wheel for limited movement with the
wheel between two positions as the wheel rotates
in opposite directions whereby the rotation of the
wheel in one direction moves the one end (19) to
one position and the second end (22) to said first
wheel locking position and rotation of the wheel
in a second opposite direction moves the one end
(19) to a second position and the second end (22)
to said second wheel unlocking position.
3. In a swivelling wheel assembly (1) containing a
wheel (2) whose swivelling action around a vertical axle (3)
may be locked or unlocked by rotating the wheel (2) in one
direction or the other, the assembly including a thrust
bearing (8) which has at least one housing (9, 10) fixedly
mounted to the lower end of the vertical swivel axle (3), a
fork joint (6) having two lateral extensions (5) whose lower
ends support a horizontal axle (4) for the wheel (2) and
whose upper end includes a cover (7) which cooperates with
the bearing (8) to permit rotation of the fork joint around
the axle (3) and a locking device (16) for locking the fork
joint (6) in relation to the vertical swivel axle (3), the
improvement wherein:
the locking device (16) comprises:

-13-

a) a first locking part (23) fixed relative to said
vertical axle (3) and located within the outer lateral
periphery of the housing (9); and
b) a second locking part located vertically between
the thrust bearing (8) and the wheel (2) and laterally
between the extensions (5) of the fork joint (6) so as
to be protected against damage by contact therewith
externally of the wheel assembly, said second locking
part including:
i) a double control lever (17) having two ends
(19, 22), said control lever being pivotally
mounted intermediate its ends on an axle (18)
located between the extensions (5) of the fork
joint (6) for pivoting movement between a first
outermost position and a second opposite outermost
position, the one end (19) of said ends extending
downwardly for engaging against the wheel (2), and
the other end (22) extending upwardly toward said
thrust bearing (8) and the lower end of the
vertical axle (3) for movement between a first
wheel locking position engaging with said first
locking part (23) and a second wheel unlocking
position spaced from said first locking part (23)
upon pivoting of said control lever between said
first outermost position and said second outermost
position, and
ii) means (21) for maintaining the one end (19)
of the lever (17) in driven engagement with said
wheel for limited movement with the wheel between
two positions as the wheel rotates in opposite
directions whereby the rotation of the wheel in
one direction moves the one end (19) to one
position and the second end (22) to said first
wheel locking position and rotation of the wheel


-14-
in a second opposite direction moves the one end
(19) to a second position and the second end (22)
to said second wheel unlocking position.
4. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with
claim 3, the improvement wherein:
a) at least one of said housings (9, 10) is circular
in lateral dimension as measured around said vertical
axle (3) and includes a bottom circular peripheral
surface facing the other end (22) of said control lever
(17) and in vertical axial alignment therewith
throughout the swivelling action of said wheel assembly
around said vertical axle (3);
b) said first locking part (23) is defined by a
vertically extending slot (23) in the housing (9, 10)
extending upwardly from said bottom circular peripheral
surface to a bottom surface; and
c) the other end (22) of the control lever (17)
engages within said slot (23) when in said first wheel
locking position.
5. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with
claim 4, the improvement wherein:
a) the cover (7) of the fork joint (6) is circular in
lateral dimension as measured around said vertical axle
(3) and includes a vertically extending tracking groove
(26); and
b) said other end (22) of said control lever is
rotatably fixed relative to said cover and vertically
slidable in said tracking groove (26) as the control
lever pivots about said axle (18).
6. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with
claim 5, the improvement wherein:
a) the bearing (8) includes an outer circular housing
(9) and an inner circular housing (10) with the outer
housing (9) circumferentially surrounding and
vertically covering the inner housing (10);



-15-
b) the cover (7) is located between said inner and
outer housings (9, 10); and
c) the vertically extending slot is formed in the
inner housing (10).
7. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with
claim 5, the improvement wherein:
a) the bearing (8) includes an outer circular housing
(9) and an inner circular housing (10) with the outer
housing (9) circumferentially surrounding and
vertically covering the inner housing (10):
b) the cover (7) is located between said inner and
outer housings (9, 10); and
c) the vertically extending slot (23) is formed in
the outer housing (9).
8. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with
claim 4, the improvement further comprising:
a) first and second stop means (24, 24) for limiting
the pivoting movement of the control lever (17) between
said first and second outermost positions;
i) said first stop means including a stop member
extending between the lateral extensions (5) of
the fork joint (6) and in the path of pivoting
movement of a portion of the lever located below
said axle (18), and
b) said second stop means is defined by the lower
surface of said housing (9, 10) and the bottom surface
of said vertically extending slot (23).
9. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with
claim 8, the improvement wherein:
a) said vertically extending slot (23) is aligned
with the direction of linear movement of the wheel upon
rotation thereof in said one direction.
10. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance
with claim 9, the improvement wherein:

-16-

a) the fork joint (6) is mounted on the vertical axle
(3) for swivelling movement: to a first position with
the axle (4) of the wheel (2) located at a position
behind the axle (3), as measured in the direction of
linear movement of the wheel (2), when said wheel is
rotated in said one direction.
11. In the swivelling wheel assembly in accordance
with claim 10, the improvement wherein:
a) the vertical slot (23) and the control lever (17)
are located at a position forwardly of the vertical
axle (3), as measured in the direction of linear
movement of the wheel (2), when the wheel is rotated in
said one directed and the fork joint is swivelled to
said first position.
12. Swivelling wheel assembly (1) containing a wheel
(2) whose swivelling action around a vertical axle (3) may
be locked or unlocked by rotating the wheel (2) along its
thread (2a) in one direction or the other, said assembly
comprising a thrust bearing (8) which has at least one
circular housing (9) which is fixedly mounted, by its center
section, to the lower end of the vertical swivel axle (3), a
fork joint (6) including at least two lateral extensions (5)
whose lower ends support a horizontal axle (4) for the wheel
(2), an upper circular cover (7) connected to the upper ends
of the lateral extensions (5) and connected to the thrust
bearing at the lower end of the vertical axle (3) for
rotation about said axle, a locking device (16) for locking
the fork joint (6) in relation to the vertical swivel axle
(3); said locking device including:
a) a double control lever (17) housed in the space
enclosed by the related extensions (5) of the fork
joint (6), the bearing (8) and the periphery of the
wheel (2) and having an upper lever arm (17a) and a
lower lever arm (17b) encompassing an angle of between
90° and 160°, said lever (17) including:

-17-

b) a horizontal axle 18 extending between said
extensions (5) for pivotally mounting said lever
between the periphery of the wheel (2) and the thrust
bearing (8) with the lower arm (17b) moving between two
outermost positions located in the proximity of a
radial plane passing through the pivot axle (18) of the
control lever (17) and the swivel axle (3) of the wheel
(2);
c) a friction device (19) resiliently urged into
frictional engagement against a portion of the wheel
(2) and capable of causing the control lever (17) to
pivot between said two outermost positions, in one of
which the fork joint (6) is stopped from rotating about
the vertical axle (3), and in the other of which, the
fork joint (6) is free to rotate about the vertical
axle (3);
d) a first locking means (23) fixed relative to the
vertical axle (3) and a second locking means (22)
integral with the free end of the upper lever arm (17a)
and in operative position relative to the first locking
means (22) for immobilizing the fork joint (6) on its
vertical axle (3), said first locking means (23)
extending perpendicular to the pivot axle (18) of the
lever (17) and toward the periphery of the thrust
bearing (8) and including a locking slot (23) capable
of receiving the second locking means (22) without
significant lateral play;
e) two stops (24, 25), at least one of which is
connected to the fork joint (6) to limit the pivot
angle of the control lever (17) between its two
outermost positions;
f) one stop being located in the space located above
the wheel (2) and between the lateral extensions (5) of
the fork joint (6) and cooperating with a first portion
(17b) of the control lever (17) and the second stop




-18-

(25) defined by the bottom of the locking slot (23) and
the lower bottom of at least one housing (9, 10) for
cooperating with the second locking means (22) of the
upper lever arm (17a); and
g) a tracking groove (26) in the circular cover (7)
of the fork joint (6), said groove extending along the
center plane of the fork joint, perpendicular to the
axle (4) of the wheel (2) and the pivot axle (18) of
the control lever (17), said tracking groove (26) being
open at the bottom and receiving, without significant
lateral play, a portion of one of the upper lever arm
(17a) and the second locking means (22) throughout its
path between the two outermost positions of said
control lever.
13. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
12, wherein the housing (9) for the thrust bearing (8)
contains a rounded extension (9a) whose lower edge covers
and encloses the cover (7) and upper end of the fork joint
(6).
14. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
12, wherein the friction device (19) is continually urged
against the tread (2a) of the wheel (2) by the action of a
spring (21) contained in the lower lever arm (17b) and
guided axially in relation thereto.
15. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
14, wherein the lower lever arm (17b) includes housing (20)
which is open at the bottom and slidably receives said
friction device (19) and spring (21).
16. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
15, wherein the housing (20) extends within said lower lever
arm (17b) upwardly from the open bottom to the pivot axle
(18) and one end of the spring (21) engages on the pivot
axle (18) and the other end engages against the friction
device (19).




-19-

17. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
16, wherein the friction device (19) is a tubular piston
(19a) which slides into the housing (20) and whose lower end
projects from the lower lever arm (17b) and is enclosed by a
spherical cap and the other end of the spring (21) is housed
within the tubular piston (19a).
18. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
12, wherein the thrust bearing (8) includes a lower circular
housing (10) having an open bottom and which is located
within and under the first upper exterior housing (9) and is
fixedly mounted on the lower end of the vertical swivel axle
(3), and the circular cover (7) of the fork joint (6) is
located between two horizontal series of roller bearings
(11, 13) so that it can rotate around the vertical swivel
axle (3).
19. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
12, wherein the thrust bearing (8) has two roller flanges
(8a, 8b), of which the second roller flange (8b) encloses
the first flange (8a) and is an integral part of the
circular cover (7) of the fork joint (6), and the first
flange (8a) is an integral part of the vertical axle (3) and
of the external housing (9).
20. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
19, wherein the locking slot (23) is constructed in the
lower surface of the lower housing (10) of the thrust
bearing (8) and the second locking means (22) on the upper
lever arm (17a) is located within the circumferential
periphery of the cover (7) of the fork joint (6).
21. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
12, wherein the locking slot (23) is constructed in the
lower surface of the upper external housing (9) of the
thrust bearing (8) and the locking means (22) on the upper
lever arm (17a) is located substantially within the
circumferential periphery of the upper housing (9) of the
thrust bearing (8).

-20-

22. Swivelling wheel assembly in accordance with claim
12, wherein the first stop (24) consists of a transverse rod
extending parallel to the pivot axle (18) of the double
lever (17) between the extensions (5) of the fork joint (6)
and mounted on the latter for engagement with the lower
lever arm (17b).

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


~4~2~


SWIVELLING WHEEL ASSEMBLY FOR A CART

Background of the Invention
This invention relates to the wheel assembly for a
cart or other mobile mechanism, of the type which contains a
wheel which swivels around a vertical axle, and may be
locked or unlocked by the rotation of the latter in one
direction or the other. Such wheel assemblies include a
thrust bearing with at least one circular housing fixed by
its central portion to the lower end of a vertical swivel
axle, a fork joint with at least two lateral extensions
whose lower ends support the wheel's horizontal axle, and
one upper circular cover connected to the upper ends of the
lateral extensions. The cover cooperates with bearings
placed around the lower end of the vertical axle so that the
fork joint can rotate around the latter. Prior art wheel
assemblies are known to contain devices for locking the fork
joint in relation to the vertical swivel axle. Such devices
are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,494,272.
In the device disclosed in the '272 patent, part of the
fork joint's locking device is accessible from the outside
and may be damaged. Because of this, the proper operation
of the device cannot be assured on an ongoing basis.
Moreover, the known wheel assembly of this patent requires a
major modification to the fork joint, particularly in the
area of the wheel axle, which must be capable of moving in
the oblong openings made in the fork joint. Another problem
with this known swivelling wheel is the fact that
controlling the unlocking of the fork joint entails abruptly
stopping the wheel for an instant. In addition, the locking
devices for the known swivelling wheel assembly have a large
number of unprotected individual parts, and are therefore,
subject to rapid wear and deterioration.
..


,

2 ~
2-

Summary of the Invention
The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate
such problems and to provide a swivelling wheel which is
simple in design, protected against external damage, and has
a reduced number of individual parts.
Within the framework of a swivelling wheel assembly of
the type referred to above, the assembly of the present
- invention includes a double control lever which is pivotally
mounted in the space between the external housing of the
fork joint and the wheel's tread in the area of the fork
joint's lateral extensions. The lever is in the form of a
curved lever whose two arms encompass an angle of between
90 and 160. The lower arm moves between two outermost
positions located in proximity to a radial plane running
through the pivot axis of the lever and the wheel's axis of
rotation. The lower lever arm has at its lower end a
friction device which is resiliently urged into engagement
with the wheel's tread. The upper lever arm is housed in
the space enclosed by the fork joint above the wheel's
tread, and includes, as a locking means a tip which extends
perpendicularly to the lever's pivot axle, and in the
direction toward the periphery of the fork joint. A second
locking means consists of a locking slot for receiving the
- locking tip without any significant lateral play. The slot
is constructed in the lower end of the vertical swivel axle
;~
or a component which is an integral part of the latter. One
of the two stops for limiting the pivoting movement of the
control lever is placed in the space located about the wheel
and between the lateral extensions of the fork joint. This
stop works in conjunction with a first lower portion of the
control lever. The second stop consists of either the
bottom of the locking slot, or the lower bottom edge of the
component containing the locking slot, and works in
conjunction with the upper lever arm's locking tip.


~ ~ L~, L~


A circular cover of the fork joint contains a tracking
groove extending along the center plane of the fork joint
and perpendicular to both the wheel axle and the control
lever's pivot axle. The tracking groove operates to guide,
without significant lateral play, a portion of the upper
lever arm or the locking tip along its entire path between
the two outermost positions of the lever.
With the construction of the present invention, the
locking device is completely protected, contains a reduced
number of individual parts, and is continually operational,
despite possible wear on the part of the wheel's tread.
.:~
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of
a first embodiment of the swivelling wheel assembly of the
present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one part of the locking
device of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the several
components which make up the second part of the locking
device;
Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of
a second embodiment of the swivelling wheel assembly of the
present invention;
Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of
a third embodiment of the swivelling wheel assembly of the
present invention; and
Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of
a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
As shown on the attached drawings, a cart or other
mobile platform, which is not shown, contains a wheel 2
which is capable of swivelling around the vertical swivel
axle 3 and of being locked or unlocked by the rotation of
the wheel 2 in one direction or the other. The wheel 2
contains a horizontal rotating axle 4 whose ends are


-4-

supported by at least two lateral extensions or forks 5 of a
fork joint 6. The upper end of the fork joint, which is in
the form of a circular cover 7, is fastened by means of a
thrust bearing 8 to the lower end of the vertical swivel
axle 3. It may be noted that the vertical swivel axle is
laterally offset in relation to the vertical plane passing
through the horizontal axle 4 of the wheel 2.
As can be seen on Figs. l and 4, the thrust bearing 8
includes a first circular housing 9 and a second circular
housing lO fixedly mounted, like the first, on the lower end
of the vertical axle 3. The two housings 9 and lO are open
at the bottom. The first housing 9 is an external housing
and is located above the second lower housing lO and has an
external rounded extension 9a and a circular downwardly
turned base portion 9b which, in the area of the internal
opening, rests on the circular base lOa of the lower housing
lO. The two housings 9, lO are mounted on the vertical axle
3 and their inner edges are enclosed by two ring-shaped
: collars 3a, 3b of the vertical axle 3.
At its lower end, the lower housing lO has an outer
circular edge lOb whose upper surface serves as the rolling
path for a first series of roller bearings or similar
- devices ll which support the circular cover 7 of the fork
joint 6. In the area of the circular junction between the
rounded extension 9a and the circular base portion 9b, the
upper housing 9 defines a rolling path in the form of a
groove 12 which houses a second series of roller bearings 13
resting on the upper side of the circular cover 7.
- As shown in Figs. l and 4, the external housing 9
covers and surrounds, particularly on its lower side, the
circular cover 7 and the lower housing lO. The lower
housing lO is, in turn, enclosed by the cover 7.
- It is possible to use an upper housing 9 whose
extension 9a is curved upwards from the outer edge of the
groove 12. In such a construction, which is shown in Fig.


-5-

6, the housing 9 is open toward the bottom in order to have
a circular external groove 14 adjacent to the groove 12.
The groove 14 is open toward the top and is slightly deeper
than the groove 12. The groove 14 is bounded by a
horizontal flange 15 which is slightly raised and can be
used, for example, to fasten the bearing 8 to the connecting
receptacle of a cart which is not shown.
In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the thrust bearing 8
carries two roller flanges 8a, 8b. The second roller flange
8b encloses the first flange 8a and is fixed to the circular
cover 7 for the fork joint 6. The first flange 8a is, in
turn, fixedly mounted on the vertical axle 3 and the
external housing 9.
The swivelling wheel 1 also contains a locking device
16 for the fork joint 6. The locking device includes two
parts. One part is mounted on the fork joint while the
~- other part is fixed relative to the vertical axle 3. The
part of the locking device on the fork joint includes a
; pivot mechanism 17 in the form of a double curved control
- lever which has an upper lever arm 17a and a lower lever arm
17b, which encompass an angle of between 90 and 160. This
double curved control lever 17 is housed in the space
between the thrust bearing 8, the lateral extensions 5 of
the fork lift 6 and the wheel 2. In the examples shown in
- Figs. 1, 4 and 5, the lever is located vertically between
the upper or external housing 9 of the bearing 8 and the
tread 2a of the wheel 2, and laterally between the lateral
extensions 5 of the fork joint 6. The joining piece between
the two lever arms 17a, 17b is connected to the lateral
extensions 5 of the fork joint 6 using a single horizontal
axle 18 or two coaxial pivot axles 18 riveted onto the
extensions 5. The pivot axle 18 of the lever 17 is located
on the side of the fork joint 6 on which the vertical
distance between the locking device 16 and the tread 2a of
the wheel 2 is the greatest.


2~2~


The locking device 16 also includes a friction device
19 installed on the lower end of the lower lever arm 17b and
permanently and resiliently applied to the tread 2a of the
wheel 2. This friction device is capable of causing the
double control lever 17 to pivot toward one of two outermost
positions a~out the pivot axle 18. In one such position,
the supporting fork joint is immobilized in relation to the
vertical axle 3; and in the other, the fork joint 6 is free
to rotate in relation to the vertical axle 3.
The friction device l9 consists of a tubular piston l9a
which is guided so that it can slide axially in a housing 20
with an appropriate section, for example, a circular
; section, constructed coaxially in the lower lever arm 17b in
such a manner as to be open at the bottom. The lower end
i l9b of the tubular piston projects from the housing 20 in
the lower lever arm 17b, and is shaped as a spherical cap.
A spring 21 is contained in the lower lever arm 17b and
pushes the friction device 19 against the tread 2a of the
wheel 2. This spring 21 is placed partially inside the
tubular piston l9a and partially outside the piston in the
housing 20 of the lower lever arm 17a. The upper end of the
spring engages against the pivot axle 18. Alternatively,
the upper end of the spring can engage against an internal
flange in the housing 20 or other internal structure of the
double control lever 17. At its other lower end the spring
engages against the friction device 19, and, more precisely
against the internal surface of the spherical cap l9b.
Ihe locking device 16 also includes a locking means 22
consisting of a tip which extends from and is an integral
part of the free end of the upper lever arm 17a. The
locking means 22 extends perpendicularly to the pivot axle
18 of the lever 17 in the direction toward the periphery of
the thrust bearing.



~ ~3 ~


The remaining part of the locking device 16 includes a
second locking means 23 which is located on a component of
the wheel assembly which remains stationary during rotation
of the fork joint 6 about the axle 3. The locking means 23
operates in conjunction with the locking means 22 to
immobilize the supporting fork joint 6 against rotation on
its vertical swivel axle 3. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the
locking means 23 is located in the inner, lower housing 10
of the thrust bearing 8. Alternatively, in the embodiments
of Figs. 4 and 5, the locXing means 23 is an integral part
of the external stationary housing 9 of the bearing 8.
The locking means 23 consists of a locking slot open in
the direction of the first locking means 22 and capable of
receiving, without any significant lateral play, the first
locking means, that is to say, the locking tip 22 which is
an integral part of the upper lever arm 17a. This slot 23
is located along a vertical center plane of the fork joint
6. This plane passes through the axis of the vertical axle
3 and is perpendicular to the horizontal axis 4 of the wheel
2 and to the horizontal pivot axle 18 of the double lever 17
when the cart on which the swivelling wheel assembly 1 is
mounted moves straight ahead. As can be seen in the
drawing, the pivot axle 18 of the double lever 17 is located
near the periphery of the circular cover 7 of the fork joint
6 and also near the locking slot 23.
Finally, the locking devices 16 include two stops 24,
25 which serve to limit the pivot angle of the double
control lever 17 between its two outermost positions. These
two stops form with the pivot axle 18 a relatively small
angle on the order of 3 to 15, and are located in
proximity to a radial plane of the wheel 2. The latter
plane passes through the lever's pivot axle 18 and the
wheel's axle 4 of rotation. In this manner, the lower lever
arm 17b shall not deviate overly from a position in which

2 ~ ~


its axis extends vertically in relation to the tread 2a,
i.e., perpendicular to the surface of the tread where
engagement with the friction device 19 occurs.
The first stop 24 for the control lever 17 is placed in
the space located above the wheel 2 and between the lateral
extensions 5 of the fork joint 6 and works in conjunction
with a first portion, for example, the lower lever arm 17b
of the control lever 17, while the second stop consists of
; the downwardly facing bottom surface of the locXing slot 23
` and the downwardly facing bottom edge surface of the housing
10 9 or 10 which contains the slot 23. The stop 25 works in
conjunction with the locking tip 22 to limit the pivoting of
- the lever 17 in the counter-clockwise direction as viewed in
the drawings.
The circular cover 7 of the fork joint 6 contains a
tracking groove 26 along the center vertical plane of the
fork joint 6. This groove lies in a plane perpendicular to
the axle 4 of the wheel 2 and the pivot axle 1~ of the
; double lever 17; and, as with the locking device 16, is
located on the side of the fork joint 6 on which the
distance between the cover 7 and the tread 2a is the
greatest. The tracking groove 26 is open at the bottom and
aligned with the upper lever arm 17a and locking tip 22 so
as to guide, with no significant lateral play, these members ~-
in their pivoting path between the control lever's 17
outermost positions. Due to this construction, the locking
of the fork joint 6 is transmitted to the swivel axle 3
along the shortest distance between the swivelling fork
joint 6 and housing 9 and 10 which is fixedly mounted on the
vertical swivel axle 3.
The locking slot 23 may be placed radially outwardly of
the tracking groove 26 formed in the cover 7 as in the
construction of Figs. 4 and 5 where the slot 23 is located
on the external housing 9. The locking slot 23 may also be
.

-9-

placed radially inwardly of the groove 26 as in the
construction shown in Figs. 1 and 6 where the slot is placed
on the internal housing 10.




.




: 25





Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

For a clearer understanding of the status of the application/patent presented on this page, the site Disclaimer , as well as the definitions for Patent , Administrative Status , Maintenance Fee  and Payment History  should be consulted.

Administrative Status

Title Date
Forecasted Issue Date Unavailable
(86) PCT Filing Date 1990-10-15
(87) PCT Publication Date 1991-05-02
(85) National Entry 1991-06-17
Examination Requested 1997-09-11
Dead Application 2001-10-15

Abandonment History

Abandonment Date Reason Reinstatement Date
2000-10-16 FAILURE TO PAY APPLICATION MAINTENANCE FEE
2001-03-27 R30(2) - Failure to Respond

Payment History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Amount Paid Paid Date
Application Fee $0.00 1991-06-17
Registration of a document - section 124 $0.00 1992-05-05
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 2 1992-10-15 $100.00 1992-10-05
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 3 1993-10-15 $100.00 1993-10-01
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 4 1994-10-17 $100.00 1994-10-03
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 5 1995-10-16 $150.00 1995-10-04
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 6 1996-10-15 $150.00 1996-10-11
Request for Examination $400.00 1997-09-11
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 7 1997-10-15 $150.00 1997-09-23
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 8 1998-10-15 $150.00 1998-09-14
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 9 1999-10-15 $150.00 1999-09-13
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
GUITEL-ETIENNE MOBILOR
Past Owners on Record
BERTRAND, CLAUDE
HRABINA, JEAN
ROY, JEAN-PIERRE
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Representative Drawing 1999-08-23 1 15
Abstract 1994-02-26 1 17
Drawings 1994-02-26 4 75
Description 1994-02-26 9 354
Claims 1994-02-26 11 402
Cover Page 1994-02-26 1 14
Prosecution-Amendment 2000-09-27 1 31
Fees 1999-09-13 1 44
Fees 1998-09-14 1 49
Assignment 1991-06-17 9 233
PCT 1991-06-17 24 903
Prosecution-Amendment 1997-09-11 1 35
Fees 1997-09-23 1 48
Fees 1996-10-11 1 42
Fees 1995-10-04 1 44
Fees 1994-10-03 1 30
Fees 1993-10-01 1 34
Fees 1992-10-05 1 35