US3349425A

US3349425A - Spring loaded retractable caster

Info

Publication number: US3349425A
Application number: US210448A
Authority: US
Inventors: Nicholas A Reabelos
Original assignee: ROLL LOK CORP
Current assignee: ROLL LOK CORP
Priority date: 1962-07-17
Filing date: 1962-07-17
Publication date: 1967-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-31

Description

1967 N. A. RABELOS SPRING LOADED RETRACTABLE CASTER Filed July 17, 1962 INVENTOR. N\CHOLAS A. EABELos 7 5 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,349,425 SPRING LOADED RETRACTABLE CASTER Nicholas A. Rabelos, Atlanta, Ga., assignor to Roll-Lok Corporation, Atlanta, Ga. Filed July 17, 1962, Ser. No. 210,448 1 Claim. (CI. 16-44) This invention relates to an improved retractable caster, and more particularly to retractable casters which are particularly well suited for large articles of furniture or the like.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a retractable caster which includes a block or base or body member that is adapted to be arranged contiguous to the lower surface of a portion of an article of furniture or other member, and wherein the roller is movably supported or mounted inthe body member, there being a spring means or resilient means for urging the roller 01' wheel into a downward position, and wherein when a person or persons'are supported on the article of furniture, the roller will move to a retracted position so as to effectively lock the article of furniture from inadvertent or accidental movement, the roller or rollers in extended position permitting convenient and easy movement of the article of furniture from place to place as desired or required.

A further object is to provide such a retractable caster which is adapted to be used for preventing marring, or dragging or scufiing, and wherein the present invention includes a minimum number of parts so that the unit can be made and sold at a very low cost, and wherein the device is easy to use or install, the present invention being adaptable to different types of furniture or other articles such as reclining chairs, sofas, or other heavy furniture, and wherein the present invention also is convenient to use when floors are carpeted or the like.

Still another object is to provide such a retractable caster for large articles of furniture, wherein when the roller is retracted, as for example when a person sits on the article of furniture, the device will be in locked position so that the article of furniture will not move from its proper location or position, and wherein when the person gets up from the article of furniture, the roller will move to a downward or extended position due to the provision of springs so that the article of furniture can be readily rolled or moved to a different position as desired or required.

Still another object isto provide such a retractable caster thatis economical to manufacture and efiicient in operation, and which is rugged in structure and foolproof 1n use.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification and claim, together with the-accompanying drawing, wherein like parts are referred to and indicated by like reference characters, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the retractable caster for large articles of furniture or the like, constructed according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the parts disassembled for illustrative purposes.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral indicates one of the retractable casters of the present invention, and it is to be understood that a plurality of such casters are adapted to be used below an article of furniture such as the article 12, and the number of the casters 10 being used will depend upon the article being supported. As shown in the drawings the caster 10* includes a body member or block or base 11 which is arranged contiguous to the lower surface of the article of furniture 12, and the body member 11 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart openings 13 therein, and as shown in FIG. 5 these openings 13 include enlargedor countersunk lower portions 14 as well as smaller portions 22. The numeral 23 indicates securing elements such as screws which have their heads 15 seated in the countersunk portions 14 of the openings 13, and the shanks 16 of the securing elements 23 extend through the portions 22 and the upper threaded ends of the securing elements 23 are arranged in threaded engagement with the lower portion of the legs 28 of the furniture 12 as shown in the drawings.

The body member 11 is further provided with a slot 17 for a purpose to be later described, and there is provided a pair of diametrically opposed recesses which are each indicated by the numeral 18, and the recesses 18 each include an inner narrow portion 19 which communicates with the slot 17, and each recess 18 further includes an enlarged cylindrical or circular portion 20. The slot 17 extends from the upper surface of the body member 11 to the vicinity of the lower surface thereof whereby there is defined a shoulder 21 in the lower portion of the body member.

The numeral 24 indicates an axle or shaft or pin which is movably mountedin the body member 11, and end portions of the axle 24 extend through the narrow portions 19. and into .the portions 20 of the recesses 18. A roller or wheel 25 is movably mounted in the slot 17, and the roller 25 is mounted on the axle 24. As shown in FIG. 4 for example, a pair of spring members 26 have their lower ends abutting end portions of the axle 24, and there is provided stop members 27 for limiting upward movement of the spring members 26. a

As shown in FIG. 1 for example, the numeral 28 indicates a leg which is of conventional construction and which is arranged below the article of furniture 12, and the caster 10 is positioned contiguous to the lower surface of the leg 28, and the securing elements or screws 23 serve to fasten the body member 11 to the leg 28. In someinstances where legs are not used, the caster may be fastened directly to the article of furniture 12, but in those instances where the articles of furniture have depending legs, the casters are adapted tobe connected to the legs such as the legs 28 as shown in FIG. 1.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a retractable caster which is adapted to be applied to or connected to various objects or articles which areto be moved from one location to another, and for example the present invention is particularly suitable for use with articles of furniture such as heavy articles including sofas or the like. The caster 10 is constructed so that the roller 25 is automatically retractable into an inoperative position upon application of pressure upon the roller so that the lower surface 29 of the member 11 will firmly engage a floor or other surface as indicated by the numeral 30, and the roller 25 moves to retracted position due to the weight or pressure on the object or article 12 by a person or persons. Also, the roller 25 automatically turns or moves to operative position when the weight or pressure on the article 12 is removed due to the provision of the springs 26.

The present invention is easy to install and efficient in use, and the casters can be used with various different types of articles or objects which are in use.

When the article 12 which may be a sofa is unoccupied, the roller 25 will be in the extended position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for example, and this will permit the article 12 to be readily moved on a supporting surface such as the floor 30. Then, when the weight of a person or pressure is applied to the article 12, the springs 26 will be compressed so as to permit the roller 25 to move into retracted position into the slot 17 whereby the lower flat surface 29 of the member 11 will engage the floor 30 to prevent inadvertent or accidental shifting or movement of the article 12. As soon as the person arises from the seat or sofa 12, the springs 26 will serve to automatically move the roller 25 to extended position as, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 so as to permit the article 12 to be rolled along a floor if desired or required.

The member 11 is adapted to be arranged contiguous to the lower end of the leg 28 of the article 12, and the securing elements 23 extend through the openings 13 for fastening the member 11 to the leg 28. The member 11 includes the centrally disposed slot 17 which is arranged or constructed so that the roller 25 will be maintained in its proper aligned position, and this slot 17 will permit extension or retraction of the roller 25, but the slot 17 will prevent the roller from accidentally shifting or turning from its desired aligned position. The slot 17 is of a sufficient size however to permit turning movement of the roller 25. The axle 24 extends through the narrow portions 19 of the recesses and the springs 26 are interposed between the stop members or lips 27 and the ends of the axle 24 so that the spring members 26 will be able to exert the proper pressure on the axle 24 to normally urge or bias the roller 25 to its outward or extended position. However when sufficient pressure or weight is applied to the article 12, the springs 26 will be compressed so as to permit the roller 25 to be retracted into the slot 17 as previously stated.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and in different shapes or sizes.

The present invention can be conveniently used with large articles of furniture such as sofas, chairs, desks, beds and the like. It can also be used with articles such as step ladders, stools, and various types of kitchen or office furniture or other members or articles. An important aspect or feature of the present invention is the fact that it utilizes a minimum number of parts and hence is adapted to be made and sold at low cost and is constructed so that the device will not readily get out of order. The retractable caster will prevent marring, dragging or sculfing of floor surface or the like and permits articles to be easily rolled when the articles are unoccupied, and when the articles such as the articles of furniture are occupied, the articles will stay put. In addition the present invention can be conveniently used with reclining chairs.

The members 27 prevent the springs 26 from coming out of their proper location, and the present invention works extremely well even on carpeted floors or other surfaces. The member 11 can be made of a suitable material such as plastic, wood or the like. When a person sits on the article 12, the weight of the person is sufficient to lock the device in place, and when the roller 25 moves to retracted position, there is provided the flat surface 29 for engaging the floor 30 so that holes or indentations will not be punched in a carpet or the like. The present invention may be merchandized as a do-it-yourself item. Also, the present invention permits furniture to be moved silently without scraping the floor surface.

There is provided the countersunk openings 13 which prevent the device from working loose from the furniture leg 28, and the arrangement of the securing elements or screws 23 helps prevent damage to the parts. By utilizing two springs 26, the pressure on the axle 24 will be properly distributed or equalized so that the necessary balance or equilibrium of the parts will be insured. The shoulder 21 limits downward movement of the axle 24 and associated parts, and the caster is constructed so that breakage or damage to the parts will be prevented.

While the drawings show the caster 10 attached to the leg 28, it is to be understood that different methods of attaching the caster to the article can be utilized, and for example in certain instances the article 12 may be recessed to accommodate or receive the caster, while in other instances the caster may be attached directly to the article 12.

Minor changes in shape, size and rearrangement of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

What is claimed is:

A retractable caster of the type stated comprising a body member having a centrally arranged vertically disposed slot therein, said body member having a pair of diametrically opposed recesses formed therein and said recesses communicating with said slot, each of said recesses including a narrow inner portion and an enlarged cylindrical portion, a vertically movable axle having its end portions projecting through the narrow portions of the recesses and extending into the enlarged cylindrical portions thereof, a roller mounted on the intermediate portion of the axle and said roller being mounted for up and down movement in said slot, spring members positioned in the cylindrical portions of the recesses and said spring members having their lower ends engaging the end portions of the axle, stop means engaging the upper end portions of the spring members, said body member including a plurality of spaced apart openings therein, said openings including lower enlarged portions and said openings having upper portions of reduced size, and securing elements extending through said openings and said securing elements having enlarged heads seated in the lower enlarged portions of the openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 888,426 5/1908 Legge 16-46 968,790 8/1910 Olssen 16-44 2,458,922 1/ 1949 Andresen 16-44 2,620,239 1'2/1952 Gruenais 16-44 X 3,044,102 7/ 1962 Lackinger 16-44 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

DONLEY I. STOCKING, Examiner.