GB2231371A - Wheel unit for use with portable luggage - Google Patents

Wheel unit for use with portable luggage Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2231371A
GB2231371A GB8909271A GB8909271A GB2231371A GB 2231371 A GB2231371 A GB 2231371A GB 8909271 A GB8909271 A GB 8909271A GB 8909271 A GB8909271 A GB 8909271A GB 2231371 A GB2231371 A GB 2231371A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
wheel unit
rolling ball
mounting cup
bearing balls
central hole
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB8909271A
Other versions
GB8909271D0 (en
Inventor
Mil-Ton Ku
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
KU MIL TON
Original Assignee
KU MIL TON
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority to DE8905066U priority Critical patent/DE8905066U1/de
Application filed by KU MIL TON filed Critical KU MIL TON
Priority to GB8909271A priority patent/GB2231371A/en
Publication of GB8909271D0 publication Critical patent/GB8909271D0/en
Publication of GB2231371A publication Critical patent/GB2231371A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C13/00—Rolls, drums, discs, or the like; Bearings or mountings therefor
    • F16C13/006—Guiding rollers, wheels or the like, formed by or on the outer element of a single bearing or bearing unit, e.g. two adjacent bearings, whose ratio of length to diameter is generally less than one
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
    • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
    • A45C5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid luggage
    • A45C5/14—Rigid or semi-rigid luggage with built-in rolling means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60B—VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
    • B60B33/00—Castors in general; Anti-clogging castors
    • B60B33/08—Ball castors
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G39/00—Rollers, e.g. drive rollers, or arrangements thereof incorporated in roller-ways or other types of mechanical conveyors 
    • B65G39/02—Adaptations of individual rollers and supports therefor
    • B65G39/025—Adaptations of individual rollers and supports therefor having spherical roller elements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
    • F16C—SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS
    • F16C13/00—Rolls, drums, discs, or the like; Bearings or mountings therefor
    • F16C13/02—Bearings
    • F16C13/04—Bearings with only partial enclosure of the member to be borne; Bearings with local support at two or more points
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
    • A45C—PURSES; LUGGAGE; HAND CARRIED BAGS
    • A45C5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid luggage
    • A45C5/14—Rigid or semi-rigid luggage with built-in rolling means
    • A45C2005/142—Rigid or semi-rigid luggage with built-in rolling means with spherical rolling means, e.g. ball casters

Abstract

A wheel unit for use with a piece of portable luggage includes a mounting cup (10) having a hole (13) formed in the bottom (11) of the mounting cup (10). A rolling ball (30) is rotatably disposed in the hole (13) of the mounting cup (10) and partially projects downward through the hole (13). The upper portion of the rolling ball (30) abuts with a plurality of bearing balls (50) which are confined by a restraining member (20, 40) fixed in the mounting cup (10). The top of the cup (10) has an outwardly extending flange (14). <IMAGE>

Description

WHEEL UNIT FOR USE WITH PORTABLE LUGGAGE This invention relates to a wheel unit, and more particularly to a wheel unit adapted to be mounted onto a piece of portable luggage, such as a suitcase or briefcase, etc.
Pieces of portable luggage, such as suitcases or briefcase etc., are conventionally provided with casters on the bottom portion thereof for the purpose of convenient transport. Each of the casters includes a wheel mounted in a frame which is free to swivel about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the wheel so that the piece of portable luggage can be easily trailed and steered by a user. However, this known wheel unit suffers from the following disadvantages: (1) The frame of the caster is easily damaged when the luggage is pulled over rough or uneven surfaces.
(2) The piece of luggage is liable to tip over when the user changes; the direction in which said piece of luggage is pulled.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a wheel unit mounted to a piece of portable luggage which is durable.
Another object of this invention is to provide a wheel unit mounted to a piece of portable luggage which increases the stability of said piece of luggage when it is pulled.
According to the invention, a wheel unit mounted to a piece of portable luggage includes a mounting cup having a bottom in which a central hole is formed, a closed sidewall, and a top opening having a horizontally and outwardly extending peripheral flange which is fixed to the bottom of the piece of luggage. A single rolling ball is rotatably disposed in the bottom central hole of the mounting cup and partially projects downward through said central hole. A restraining member is fixed in the mounting cup adjacent the opening of the mounting cup. A plurality of bearing balls are confined between the restraining member and the rolling ball. In this way, the wheel unit of this invention is constructed in a simple and firm structure. Therefore, it is more durable when the wheel unit is pulled over uneven surfaces.Moreover, the rolling ball rotates more smoothly than the swivel wheel of the prior art so that the piece of luggage is more stable when pulled, increasing the smoothness and.
quickness with which said piece of luggage is able to react to the movements of the user.
Other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of this invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a wheel unit of this invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a wheel unit of this invention.
Fig. 3 is a perspective schematic view showing the wheel units of this invention fixed to the bottom of a suitcase.
Referring to Fig. 1, an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a wheel unit for fixing to a piece of luggage according to this invention is shown.
The wheel unit includes a mounting cup 10, a restraining ring 20, a rolling ball 30, a plurality of bearing balls 50 and a concave member 40. The mounting cup 10 has a top opening 12, a downward concave bottom 11 in which a central hole 13 is formed, and a generally vertical closed sidewall 15. The sidewall 15 has a gradually reduced connection portion 16 which is interconnected between the upper periphery of the bottom 11 and the lower periphery of the sidewall 15.
The top opening 12 of the mounting cup 10 is provided with a horizontally and outwardly extending peripheral flange 14 in which two opposite fixing holes 141, 141 are formed.
Referring to Fig. 2, a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a wheel unit of this invention is shown. The rolling ball 30 is rotatably disposed in the central hole 13 of the mounting cup 10 and partially projects downward through the same. The restraining ring 20 is clamped at the reduced connection portion 16 of the mounting cup 10. The restraining ring 20 has an inside diameter which is greater than that of the rolling ball 30. In this respect, part of the upper portion of the rolling ball 30 passes through the restraining ring 20. The concave member 40 is fixedly clamped in the mounting cup 10 with its lower portion abutting against the restraining ring 20 so as to fix the restraining ring 20. The bearing balls 50 are disposed between the concave member 40 and said upper portion of the rolling ball 30. The concave member 40 has a semi-spherical bearing face 41 abutting the bearing balls 50, both the rolling ball 30 andthe restraining ring 20 supporting the said bearing balls 50 so as to confine said bearing balls 50 between them and the face 41.
In this embodiment, the wheel unit can be riveted to the bottom of a suitcase 60, as shown in Fig. 3.
y of applying a swivel joint between a frame and a unting plate asintbepror art, the ball bearing of the present invention enables the rolling ball 30 to roll with less friction. Therefore, the suitcase 60 can be steered more smoothly and quickly. In addition, the wheel unit of this invention is constructed firmly so that it will not be damaged when the wheel unit is pulled over an uneven surface.

Claims (3)

Claims
1. A wheel unit for use with a piece of portable luggage comprising: a mounting cup having a bottom in which a central hole is formed, a closed sidewall, and a top opening having a horizontally and outwardly extending peripheral flange; a single rolling ball rotatably disposed in said bottom central hole of said mounting cup, partially projecting downward through said central hole; a restraining member fixed in said mounting cup generally above said rolling ball; and a plurality of bearing balls confined between said restraining member and said rolling ball,the diameter of said rolling ball being greater than that of each of said bearing balls.
2. A wheel unit as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said restraining member includes a concave member defining a semi-spherical bearing face abutting said bearing balls and a restraining ring adjacent said bearing face of said concave member which supports said bearing balls, said restraining ring having a inside diameter which is greater than that of said rolling ball.
3. A wheel unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
GB8909271A 1989-04-24 1989-04-24 Wheel unit for use with portable luggage Withdrawn GB2231371A (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE8905066U DE8905066U1 (en) 1989-04-24 1989-04-21
GB8909271A GB2231371A (en) 1989-04-24 1989-04-24 Wheel unit for use with portable luggage

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8909271A GB2231371A (en) 1989-04-24 1989-04-24 Wheel unit for use with portable luggage

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8909271D0 GB8909271D0 (en) 1989-06-07
GB2231371A true GB2231371A (en) 1990-11-14

Family

ID=10655604

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8909271A Withdrawn GB2231371A (en) 1989-04-24 1989-04-24 Wheel unit for use with portable luggage

Country Status (2)

Country Link
DE (1) DE8905066U1 (en)
GB (1) GB2231371A (en)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2362900A (en) * 2000-05-31 2001-12-05 Gtn Technical Services Ltd Friction reduction means for downhole equipment
GB2377206A (en) * 2002-08-22 2003-01-08 Exp 2 Eu Ltd Trolley having ball bearing castors
CN100417823C (en) * 2003-09-12 2008-09-10 株式会社井口机工制作所 Ball bearing
FR2966331A1 (en) * 2010-10-22 2012-04-27 Philippe Ritter Suitcase i.e. trolley case, has ground linking casters distributed along edge of suitcase bottom, and ball forming support on ground coplanar with casters and mounted in cage in freely rotatable manner, where ball and cage form ball joint
EP2476562A1 (en) * 2011-01-12 2012-07-18 TUMI, Inc. Ball wheel
FR3106729A1 (en) * 2020-02-03 2021-08-06 Daryoush Shafa Ball bearing system for suitcase and luggage

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA2195451C (en) * 1994-07-19 2000-09-12 Justine Wonka Suitcase with variable capacity
DE4425553A1 (en) * 1994-07-19 1996-01-25 Wonka Justine Suitcase with variable capacity
US9783001B1 (en) * 2016-08-10 2017-10-10 Panter, Inc. Article movement systems, ball wheels and related apparatus and methods

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB856745A (en) * 1957-05-18 1960-12-21 Claude Mortimer Townsend Improvements in or relating to the mounting of load-bearing balls or load-bearing rollers
GB938675A (en) * 1961-11-24 1963-10-02 Autoset Production Ltd Improvements relating to load bearing balls such as ball-castors
GB1214874A (en) * 1967-02-28 1970-12-09 Albert William Jenkins Improvements in or relating to castors
GB1266501A (en) * 1968-04-05 1972-03-08
GB1332639A (en) * 1971-02-08 1973-10-03 Star Kugelhalten Gmbh Deutsche Ball roller

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB856745A (en) * 1957-05-18 1960-12-21 Claude Mortimer Townsend Improvements in or relating to the mounting of load-bearing balls or load-bearing rollers
GB938675A (en) * 1961-11-24 1963-10-02 Autoset Production Ltd Improvements relating to load bearing balls such as ball-castors
GB1214874A (en) * 1967-02-28 1970-12-09 Albert William Jenkins Improvements in or relating to castors
GB1266501A (en) * 1968-04-05 1972-03-08
GB1332639A (en) * 1971-02-08 1973-10-03 Star Kugelhalten Gmbh Deutsche Ball roller

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2362900A (en) * 2000-05-31 2001-12-05 Gtn Technical Services Ltd Friction reduction means for downhole equipment
GB2362900B (en) * 2000-05-31 2002-09-18 Ray Oil Tool Co Ltd Friction reduction means
GB2377206A (en) * 2002-08-22 2003-01-08 Exp 2 Eu Ltd Trolley having ball bearing castors
CN100417823C (en) * 2003-09-12 2008-09-10 株式会社井口机工制作所 Ball bearing
FR2966331A1 (en) * 2010-10-22 2012-04-27 Philippe Ritter Suitcase i.e. trolley case, has ground linking casters distributed along edge of suitcase bottom, and ball forming support on ground coplanar with casters and mounted in cage in freely rotatable manner, where ball and cage form ball joint
EP2476562A1 (en) * 2011-01-12 2012-07-18 TUMI, Inc. Ball wheel
US8533908B2 (en) 2011-01-12 2013-09-17 Tumi, Inc. Ball wheel
FR3106729A1 (en) * 2020-02-03 2021-08-06 Daryoush Shafa Ball bearing system for suitcase and luggage

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE8905066U1 (en) 1989-06-08
GB8909271D0 (en) 1989-06-07

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)