U.S. patent application number 10/869511 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-24 for caster system used with wooden or plastic legs for furniture.
Invention is credited to Carlson, Paul Eric, Polevoy, Richard S., Ryan, Howard Scott.
Application Number | 20050060840 10/869511 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46302190 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050060840 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Polevoy, Richard S. ; et
al. |
March 24, 2005 |
Caster system used with wooden or plastic legs for furniture
Abstract
A caster and leg assembly for supporting a piece of furniture on
a floor. The assembly includes a caster affixed within a recessed
area formed in the bottom of a wooden or plastic furniture leg to
create a strong support for the furniture as well as create a good
appearance. The caster has at least one spherical roller supported
within the housing to allow the furniture to be readily movable
omnidirectionally. With one spherical roller, the weight of the
furniture acts at the center of the spherical roller. In one
embodiment, there are three spherical rollers located equidistant
from the vertical center line of the assembly to support the
furniture weight equally by the spherical rollers. A glide can be
readily attached and detached from the bottom of the caster and,
when attached, the glide cup covers the spherical rollers and
presents a flat, planar bottom surface.
Inventors: |
Polevoy, Richard S.;
(Teaneck, NJ) ; Ryan, Howard Scott; (Skaneateles,
NY) ; Carlson, Paul Eric; (Skaneateles, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
KLAUBER & JACKSON
411 HACKENSACK AVENUE
HACKENSACK
NJ
07601
|
Family ID: |
46302190 |
Appl. No.: |
10/869511 |
Filed: |
June 16, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10869511 |
Jun 16, 2004 |
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10295666 |
Nov 15, 2002 |
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10295666 |
Nov 15, 2002 |
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09519725 |
Mar 3, 2000 |
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6568031 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
16/26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60B 33/0007 20130101;
Y10T 16/1889 20150115; B60B 33/0023 20130101; B60B 5/02 20130101;
B60B 33/0021 20130101; A47C 19/024 20130101; A47C 7/006 20130101;
B60B 33/0026 20130101; B60B 33/08 20130101; B60B 33/0028
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
016/026 |
International
Class: |
A47B 091/00 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A caster and leg assembly for supporting a piece of furniture
positioned on a generally planar surface, said caster and leg
assembly comprising a wooden or plastic leg extending downwardly
and having a lower end with a recessed area formed therein, and a
caster affixed within said recessed area, said caster having a
housing containing at least one spherical roller, said at least one
spherical roller adapted to contact the generally planar surface
for supporting said caster and leg assembly, a plurality of
spherical balls located intermediate said at least one spherical
roller and said housing, said spherical balls adapted to move in a
continuous circulatory path within said housing and to enter the
area intermediate said at least one spherical roller and said
housing by means of gravity, wherein said at least one spherical
roller is freely rotatable under load to allow movement of the
piece of furniture along the generally planar surface in any
direction.
2. A caster and leg assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said
caster has a central vertical longitudinal axis and said at least
one spherical roller comprises one spherical roller having its
center point located along said central vertical longitudinal
axis.
3. A caster and leg assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said
caster has a central vertical longitudinal axis and said at least
one spherical roller comprises three spherical rollers having their
center points spaced equidistant from said central vertical
longitudinal axis.
4. A caster and leg assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said
assembly is substantial housed within the recessed area of the leg
to create an overall smooth, contiguous exterior profile of the leg
and caster assembly.
5. A caster and leg assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the
assembly includes a glide having a flat bottom that is attachable
to and detachable from the housing to cover and uncover the at
least one spherical roller.
6. A caster and leg assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the leg
is affixed to the piece of furniture.
7. A caster and leg assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the leg
has a lower surface having a hole formed therein and said housing
has a stem extending upwardly therefrom that interfits into the
hole in said leg.
8. A caster and leg assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the
housing is affixed to the leg by means of screws.
9. A method of affixing a caster onto a wooden or plastic furniture
leg of a piece of furniture, said method comprising the steps of:
forming a recessed area in the lower end of a wooden or plastic
furniture leg, providing a caster comprising a housing containing
at least one spherical roller, said at least one spherical roller
adapted to contact a generally planar surface for supporting the
piece of furniture, the caster having a plurality of spherical
balls located intermediate said at least one spherical roller and
said housing, said spherical balls adapted to move in a continuous
circulatory path within said housing and to enter the area
intermediate said at least one spherical roller and said housing by
means of gravity, wherein said at least one spherical roller is
freely rotatable under load to allow movement of the piece of
furniture in any direction.; and affixing the housing of the caster
within the recessed area of the furniture leg.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of forming a recessed
area comprises molding a recessed area in the lower end of a
plastic furniture leg.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of forming a recessed
area comprises cutting a recessed area in the lower end of a wooden
furniture leg.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of affixing the caster
within the recessed area comprises affixing the caster so as to
substantially enclose the caster housing within the recessed
area.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of providing a caster
comprising a housing containing at least one spherical roller
comprises providing a caster comprising a housing containing three
spherical rollers having center points forming a equilateral
triangle.
14. A leg member that elevates a piece of furniture above a
generally planar surface, said leg member having an upper surface
having a wedge member extending upwardly therefrom, said wedge
member being configured to fit into a corresponding shaped
receptacle formed in the piece of furniture.
15. A leg member as defined in claim 14 wherein said wedge member
has an upper end and comprises a pair of straight portions meeting
at an angle and having external edges.
16. A leg member as defined in claim 14 wherein the receptacle has
internal edges that are inwardly tapered and said external edges of
said wedge member taper inwardly toward said upper end.
17. A leg member as defined in claim 14 wherein the wedge member is
constructed of wood, plastic or metal.
18. A leg member as defined in claim 14 wherein the leg member
contains a unidirectional caster.
19. A piece of furniture having a lower surface, a receptacle
formed in said lower surface, said piece of furniture having a
caster assembly affixed thereto, said caster assembly having a
wedge member dimensioned to interfit into the receptacle, said male
wedge member being forcefully jammed into the receptacle to retain
the caster assembly to said piece of furniture.
20. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 19 wherein the piece
of furniture is a box spring.
21. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 19 wherein the
receptacle has internal edges that are inwardly tapered and said
wedge member has external edges that taper inwardly generally
corresponding to the inward taper of said receptacle.
22. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 19 wherein said wedge
member is a generally L-shaped configuration.
Description
REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES
[0001] This patent application is a continuation-in-part
application based upon and claiming priority of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/295,666, filed Nov. 15, 2002 and entitled
CASTER ASSEMBLY FOR A BED FRAME MEMBER OR FURNITURE and which is,
in turn, a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/519,725 filed Mar. 3, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,031, issued
May 27, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a caster assembly for a use
with furniture, and, more particularly, to a caster assembly
adapted for use with a wooden or plastic leg of a piece of
furniture.
[0003] In general, there are many types of furniture casters that
are available and which are affixed or incorporated into the legs
of such furniture to enable that particular piece of furniture to
be readily rolled from one location to another.
[0004] Accordingly, the caster assemblies for furniture normally
have rotatable rollers to facilitate the movement of the furniture.
Such caster assemblies also generally have an elongated stem that
interfits into the furniture. That stem has a central longitudinal
axis along which is directed the weight of the furniture The roller
itself is mounted to the assembly within a housing and the roller
is rotatably mounted to that housing to roll about a central axis
that is parallel to the plane of the floor. The housing is also
pivotally mounted to the furniture leg so that the roller itself
can not only rotate about its axis, but the housing, including the
roller itself, can also pivot 360 degrees about the main
longitudinal axis of the stem.
[0005] The swiveling action or movement is necessary to correctly
align the roller for movement in the proper direction, however,
such swiveling movement can be generally difficult to accomplish.
For one reason it is apparent that all of the rollers supporting
the furniture must be correctly aligned in order to easily move the
furniture. In most instances, the rollers are positioned in various
directions and it is therefore necessary to align all of the
rollers at the initial movement of the furniture. With the weight
of many pieces of furniture, there is considerable friction acting
against the swiveling action of the caster assembly and the problem
is aggravated by the need to align some 4-5 rollers in order to
roll the furniture. Additionally, the roller is often embedded into
an indentation in the carpet that lies along the surface of the
roller and the roller must be moved out of the indentation to
swivel. As such, therefore, while the swivel action is necessary to
properly move the furniture, it can be somewhat difficult to get
the swivel action to operate easily and thus the initial movement
of the furniture is not easy to accomplish, particularly when the
piece of furniture is on carpeting with padding.
[0006] The typical conventional caster for use with carpet is a
cylindrical member that contacts the floor at a certain finite
distance away from the longitudinal, vertical axis of the stem so
that the roller can pivot to a position determined by the direction
the furniture is being moved and then the roller rotates to make
that movement easy to accomplish. A typical roller caster assembly
used on a bed frame is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No.
4,007,502 of Mis. As can be seen in the Mis patent, the roller is
offset with respect to the downward force that acts through a stem
and, as will become clear, this typical caster of Mis suffers from
certain inherent weaknesses.
[0007] Thus, since the contact point between the roller and the
floor is located at an offset dimension from the longitudinal,
vertical axis of the stem along which the weight of the furniture
is directed, a bending moment is created based on the weight of the
furniture acting downwardly on the stem and the distance between
the location of that force along the longitudinal axis of the stem
and the point where the roller contacts the floor to support the
frame.
[0008] One of the difficulties with such casters, therefore, is
that the bending moment created by that offset creates stress on
the caster assembly and can cause a premature failure of the caster
assembly or the furniture itself, thereby disabling the entire
unit. The problem is aggravated, of course, with legs having
increased degrees of weakness, and in particular, with the use of
plastic legs as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,376 of
Miller. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a caster
assembly that has rollers that provide better support for the
furniture and which do away with the offset that causes the bending
moment and the premature fracture of essential components such as
the leg of the furniture, thus avoid damaging the furniture. There
are rollers that have ball bearings that may aid in the swiveling
of the roller or aid in the rolling motion of the roller itself but
most require the offset and the consequent swiveling action to
operate in moving the furniture.
[0009] Other prior art furniture support assemblies have, in fact,
utilized a plurality of elements that contact the floor and
examples are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,060,076 of Glowacki and
U.S. Pat. No. 1,282,396 of Friend. In the aforementioned patents,
however, while a plurality of members contact the floor and thus
allow the weight to be borne by a plurality of elements, there is a
further problem with respect to the ease of moving such casters as
the spherical members are clamped into the housing supporting the
particular piece of furniture and the spherical contact members do
not thus freely rotate to allow the ready movement of the
furniture. Accordingly, in Glowacki, the balls that actually
contact the floor are clamped tightly into a circular dome and thus
are not movable with respect to the dome as the furniture is moved.
Therefore, while the prior art did consider the support of the
weight of a piece of furniture on a plurality of contact members,
the moving of the furniture was not enhanced and only the idea of a
strong support was considered and appreciated.
[0010] In addition to caster assemblies, there are also glide
assemblies that are mounted to the various pieces of furniture and
have a generally flat, planar bottom contacting the floor. The
glide assemblies are preferably used where the furniture is located
on a hard or slippery surface such as a wood or tile floor and thus
the flat bottom does not easily slip or cause damage to the floor
itself. With such flooring surfaces, the user of a caster having a
roller causes unnecessary sliding or rolling as contrasted to the
intended use of a rug roller or caster on a carpeted surface where
the friction with the carpet reduces the mobility of the roller or
caster.
[0011] Glide assemblies are inherently stronger than caster
assemblies since the weight of the bed frame using a glide acts
along the longitudinal axis of the glide directly to the point of
contact with the floor, and thus, there is no offset from that axis
to the point of contact and, hence, no bending moment. In addition,
of course, the glide planar surface allows more surface contact
with the floor and thus carries the weight of the furniture over a
wider area so as to provide a better distribution of that weight.
As such, the glide assembly has enhanced strength and stability
over the caster assembly.
[0012] A further alternative is with the use of a caster cup that
is generally cup shaped that is slid underneath a roller of a
caster assemble to aid in slowing the mobility of the caster and to
stabilize the piece of furniture, particularly when used on a
slippery flooring surface. The caster cups, however, are easily
displaced from under the roller since they are not firmly locked to
or attached to the caster assemblies and are thus difficult to
maintain in place when the furniture is moved during the normal use
of the furniture. Thus, over time, the caster cups become displaced
with respect to the roller and no longer serve their intended
purpose.
[0013] As a further problem with many of the aforedescribed caster
assemblies, since the caster roller needs to pivot 360 degrees
about its vertical axis, it is very difficult to build the caster
assembly into a wooden or plastic leg of the furniture and,
therefore, the caster for a wooden or plastic leg is simply screwed
into the bottom of a leg by means of a threaded stem and,
accordingly, creates a weak point as well as a less than pleasing
appearance of the caster affixed to the bottom of a leg.
[0014] Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a caster
assembly that can be used with a wooden or plastic furniture leg
that can be recessed into the leg so that the overall appearance is
pleasing and the caster fits in with the exterior contour of the
leg. It would also be advantageous to have a caster assembly for a
wooden or plastic furniture leg wherein the caster assembly has a
strong connection to the furniture leg and where there is no
upstanding stem or other member that can introduce a weak point
into the leg/caster combination. It would be still further
advantageous to have a caster assembly for a wooden or plastic
furniture leg where there is a glide that can be removably affixed
to the bottom of the caster so that the user can readily convert
the caster to a glide and vice versa.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Now, in accordance with the present invention, an improved
caster and leg assembly is shown that overcomes the difficulties
heretofore explained. In the present invention, the caster assembly
is adapted for use with furniture having a wooden or plastic leg.
The structure of the caster assembly comprises a housing that is
attachable to the wooden or plastic leg of a piece of furniture by
interfitting into a recessed area provided in the lower end of the
furniture leg. By the interfitting of the caster into the bottom of
a wooden or plastic leg, the combined caster and leg assembly can
present an overall smooth, streamlined exterior surface as well as
maintain the strength of the support for the furniture. As a
further advantage, the present caster can be added or retrofitted
to an existing furniture leg by an owner of the furniture or can be
installed by the original manufacturer of the furniture.
[0016] The assembly has a generally vertical elongated axis or
centerline such that the weight of the bed is transmitted to the
housing of the caster and leg assembly generally along the
centerline that is centrally located with respect to the housing.
At the bottom of the caster there is at least one, and preferably
three, spherical rollers that contact the floor and allow the piece
of furniture roll with respect to the floor for the convenience of
moving the furniture from one location to another location. The
spherical rollers are mounted to a housing having a cavity and a
plurality of small spherical balls are freely located between the
housing and the spherical rollers such that each spherical roller
or rollers freely rotate omni-directionally, that is, the roller or
rollers are free to rotate about center points and thus can rotate
in any direction. As such, therefore, the spherical roller(s) can
rotate in any direction that the user pushes the piece of furniture
in relocating that piece of furniture and no additional force is
needed to commence the initial movement of the furniture.
[0017] In the preferred embodiment, there are at least three
spherical rollers, more preferably three spherical rollers, so that
the weight of the furniture and its supported components and
weights are distributed at three contact points with the floor to
better distribute the weight and prevent severe indentations in the
floor. In addition, the location of the rollers is such that they
are equidistant from the elongated, vertical central axis or
centerline through which the weight of the furniture acts on the
caster and leg assembly and thus, the single bending moment is
eliminated and the structure has enhanced strength and stability.
As stated, with the three rollers, each is still mounted to a
housing such that the rollers move freely in any direction and do
not need to be aligned to the direction of movement of the
furniture by pivoting about a central axis or centerline. In
effect, the need for a swiveling function is completely
eliminated.
[0018] Accordingly, the caster assembly of the present invention
has the strength of the prior art glide assemblies since the single
offset has been eliminated and, of course, the assembly therefore
does not need to swivel in order to allow the furniture or bed to
be moved in any direction. With the offset and the need to swivel
eliminated, the aforedescribed problems associated with those
features are also eliminated.
[0019] As a further feature of the present caster assembly, a glide
is readily attachable and detachable to convert the caster assembly
from a roller caster to a glide function and vice versa. When
attached, the glide alters the function of the caster assembly from
a roller caster where the rollers are in contact with the floor to
a glide function where the caster assembly is transformed into a
glide. Accordingly, the bottom surface of the glide is a planar
surface as in the case of most glides and the glide is attached and
detached without the need for special tools or equipment. It should
be noted, that the bottom surface of the glide is referred to as
planar, however, typically it is an effective planar surface as
there is normally a central portion of the bottom surface that is
displaced upwardly and only a peripheral planar area is actually in
contact with the floor. The attachment and detachment can be
readily accomplished in the home by an installer that can determine
at the time of installation whether or not the glide or roller
function is applicable.
[0020] The resulting caster assembly therefore combines the
strength of the glide assemblies with the mobility of a roller
caster assembly and provides the user with the option of using the
spherical rollers to contact the floor or easily transform the
caster assembly to add a glide so that the assembly can be used on
slippery surfaced floors.
[0021] In such situation, instead of changing the caster itself,
the user only needs to attach the glide to the bottom of the caster
housing whereupon the rollers are hidden and the lower surface of
the caster assembly is a flat surface and therefore suitable for a
hard wood or other slippery surface floors. The glide is locked on
to the caster housing and does not become detached during the use
or movement of the furniture.
[0022] In one embodiment the attaching and detaching of the glide
is accomplished by an interfitting of the glide to a lower shroud
that is positioned at the lower portion of the caster assemble.
That lower shroud itself has a plurality of elongated openings
generally formed as arcs of a circle with a larger opening portion
and a smaller opening portion. The glide has a similar number of
upwardly directed tabs that are adapted to fit into the larger post
of the openings in the lower shroud. Each of the tabs has an upper
lip that is dimensioned to fit through the larger opening portion
of the elongated openings but which cannot fit through the smaller
opening portions. A locking projection is formed on each of the
elongated openings to securely lock the upwardly directed tabs to
the lower shroud.
[0023] By simply rotating the glide, the tabs are rotated to a
position where the tabs are moved into the smaller opening portions
where the lips are captured by the lower shroud since the lips
cannot pass through the smaller portion openings and the glide is
securely retained in position affixed to the lower shroud. By such
means, the glide is locked into position onto the lower shroud of
the caster assembly and will not come apart while the furniture or
bed is being used or even during movement thereof. Once affixed to
the lower shroud, the glide thus converts the caster assembly to a
glide function, however, even then, the weight is still distributed
through the three spherical rollers that bear against the glide and
carry the weight of the furniture.
[0024] Other features of the caster assembly will become more
apparent in light of the following detailed description of a
preferred embodiment thereof and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional bed frame
with which the present invention can be employed;
[0026] FIG. 2 is a side plan view of a typical prior art caster
assembly used in current bed frames;
[0027] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a glide that is also
currently used in present bed frames;
[0028] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a caster assembly
constructed in accordance with the present invention;
[0029] FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the caster assembly of FIG.
4;
[0030] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the caster assembly
constructed in accordance with the present invention;
[0031] FIG. 7 is a side cross sectional view of the caster assembly
having the glide component attached thereto;
[0032] FIG. 8 is a perspective exploded view of the preferred
embodiment of the caster assembly of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of an upper shroud
component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0034] FIG. 10 is a side cross sectional view of a stem housing
component of the preferred embodiment;
[0035] FIG. 11 is a top perspective view of the component of FIG.
10;
[0036] FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of the component of
FIG. 10;
[0037] FIG. 12A is a bottom plan view of the component of FIG.
10;
[0038] FIG. 13 is a top perspective view of the ball cup component
of the preferred embodiment;
[0039] FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the ball cup
component of FIG. 13;
[0040] FIG. 15 is a side cross sectional view of the component of
FIG. 13;
[0041] FIG. 16 is a top perspective view of the lower shroud
component of the preferred embodiment;
[0042] FIG. 17 is a top perspective view of a glide cup component
of the preferred embodiment;
[0043] FIG. 18 is a side view of the component of FIG. 17;
[0044] FIG. 19 is a side cross sectional view of the preferred
embodiment of the caster assembly of the present invention;
[0045] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of bed rails connecting
between a headboard and a footboard including a cross member;
[0046] FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a caster assembly of the
present invention adapted to be used with the side rail
construction of FIG. 20
[0047] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a couch utilizing the
caster assemblies of the present invention;
[0048] FIG. 23 is a cross sectional view of a caster assembly of
the present invention fitted into a wooden of plastic leg for use
with furniture;
[0049] FIG. 24 is a cross sectional view of a still further
embodiment of the caster assembly of the present invention;
[0050] FIG. 25 is a cross sectional view of a further embodiment
where only one spherical roller is used;
[0051] FIG. 26 is a perspective, cutaway view of a box spring
showing the affixation of a caster thereto;
[0052] FIG. 27 is a side view of a caster affixed in the manner
illustrated in FIG. 26;
[0053] FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a box spring illustrating a
further means of affixing a caster to a box spring; and
[0054] FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a caster that is used in
the affixation means illustrated in FIG. 28.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0055] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view
of a conventional bed frame with which the present invention can be
applied. It should be noted, however, that while the FIG. 1
embodiment of the present invention is initially shown and
described specifically for use with a bed frame, the broader
aspects of the invention make it applicable to any item of
furniture with the same advantages and improvements.
[0056] Thus, in FIG. 1, the conventional bed frame is comprised of
a pair of side rails 10 and cross members 12. The number of cross
members may vary depending upon the particular bed, and its size,
that is, there may be one or more intermediate cross members that
provide additional support to the box spring and mattress when
assembled. The side rails 10 and cross members 12 are normally
constructed of L-shaped angle iron. As shown, there are legs 13
that are normally located on the cross members 12 or the side rails
10 depending on the particular construction and, if any further
cross members are used in the bed frame, there may also be one of
more additional legs extending downward from those cross members.
At the bottom of the legs 13, there are affixed thereto casters 14
that are in contact with the floor.
[0057] Taking now FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown, respectively a
side view of a typical caster 14 and a perspective view of a
typical glide 16. Either the caster 14 or the glide 16 can be used
as a support for a bed frame and each is preferably used in
differing circumstances. Taking first the caster 14, as can be
seen, the conventional caster comprises a roller 18 that is
normally cylindrical and which rotates about an axis, indicated by
the letter A, that is positioned parallel to the floor. The caster
14 includes a metal housing 20 having an upstanding stem 22 that
extends upwardly and which is inserted into the leg or other
support point on the piece of furniture.
[0058] The roller 18 thus rolls freely about its axis A in the
direction at a right angle to that axis, however, the roller 18
obviously does not freely rotate to move the piece of furniture or
bed frame if the user attempts to move that furniture in the
direction along the axis of rotation of roller 18. To accomplish
moving the furniture in such direction, therefore, it is necessary
for the housing 20 to swivel about the axis B of the upstanding
stem so that the roller 18 becomes aligned with the proper path of
travel. As will be later explained, in order for the housing 20 to
swivel there is a necessary offset between the axis B and the point
of contact of the roller 18 with the floor.
[0059] In the normal movement of the caster 14, the swiveling
movement takes place quite automatically as the furniture, such as
a bed, is moved in the desired direction since the swivel effect
takes place as the initial movement occurs and the roller 18
becomes aligned properly for that direction of movement. As
explained, however, the swiveling action can be difficult to
accomplish and the initial movement of the furniture therefore is
not easily facilitated.
[0060] In addition to the swiveling problem, the normal caster, as
shown in FIG. 2 also suffers from an inherent weakness in that the
weight of the furniture is directed downwardly along the axis B of
the upstanding stem 22 whereas the contact with the floor and the
support point for the furniture occurs at the point 24 at the
bottom of the roller 18. As can be seen, there is an offset or
finite distance between the direction of the load imposed by the
furniture along the axis B and the point at which that load is
supported by the floor. That offset is necessary to accomplish the
swiveling action, however, it also sets up a stress in the caster
by creating a bending moment in the caster 14 that is always
present and can lead to premature failure of the caster 14 and/or
the connecting leg.
[0061] Accordingly, while the caster 14 is certainly helpful in
providing mobility to the piece of furniture, there are inherent
weaknesses that can lead to a failure of the caster or the leg of
the bed frame itself that are always present due to the basic
design of the caster and can lead to the possibility of damage to
the caster or other structural components of the bed frame.
[0062] Turning to FIG. 3, a glide 16 is shown and which is also
used with furniture as a support, particularly where the piece of
furniture is located on a hardwood or tile floor. Again, the glide
16 includes an upstanding stem 26 that is adapted to be inserted
into the leg or other support point of the furniture. The glide 16
has a flat bottom surface 28 and is thus preferred on the
aforementioned floors and, unlike the caster 14, is exceptionally
strong since the weight of the furniture acting downwardly along
the main axis of the upstanding stem 26 is directly supported by
the contact with the floor and there is therefore no offset to that
force that can cause stress. The glide is typically used on a bed
rail assembly and can be used on carpeted floor for strength,
however the added friction between the bottom of the glide and the
carpeted floor make the potential of damage to the bed structure
more likely.
[0063] On the other hand, of course, with the use of glide 16, the
mobility of the furniture is sacrificed. Not only is the mobility
of the furniture sacrificed, but there is an additional weakness in
the glide 16 if the furniture is attempted to be moved since the
glide 16 does not move readily along a carpet, for example, and any
attempt to slide the furniture along that type of flooring can
cause the glide to get caught on the material and cause the glide
to snap off from the upstanding stem 26 or worse, to break off a
leg or other part of the furniture. This is particular true where
the glide is positioned at the center of a bed frame affixed to a
cross member since that location is already a relatively weak
structure and is subject to bending and breaking.
[0064] Therefore, since the present caster assembly 30 does not
need to swivel in order to allow the piece of furniture to be
moved, as was the case with the prior art rollers, the present
caster assembly 30 can be affixed to the piece of furniture in a
wider variety of ways, such as being attached offset to the side of
the furniture as the center of the caster assembly 30 need not be
the particular point of the caster assembly that is actually
affixed to the furniture. With the prior art swivel casters,
particularly those screwed into the furniture, such versatility was
not present and the means and location of attachment to the
furniture was limited.
[0065] Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown an exploded view of a
caster assembly 30 constructed in accordance with the present
invention. In the Figure, the caster assembly 30 includes an
upstanding stem 32 that again, is adapted to enter and be secured
to the particular piece of furniture to which the caster assembly
30 is attached. As noted, the stem 32 will be described that
interfits with a leg of a bed frame assembly, however, the stem 32
may have a flat flange at its upper point with suitable holes so
that the caster assembly can be secured to a piece of furniture by
means of wood screws or other securing means. A housing 34 is
provided and from which the upstanding stem 32 extends and within
which is positioned a plurality of spherical rollers 36. In the
preferred embodiment, and as is shown in FIG. 4, three spherical
rollers are utilized. Each of the spherical rollers 36 extend
downwardly external of the housing 34 and, as such, contact the
floor when in position supporting a piece of furniture.
[0066] In this embodiment, the spherical rollers 36 can be formed
of plastic material, particularly a plastic having good lubricity
and a good memory, one example of which is available commercially
from the DuPont Company under the trademark DELRIN. That same
material can be used for other components of the caster assembly 30
such as the housing 34. A glide cup 38 is also provided that is
readily attached and detached from the housing 34 so that the
contact with the floor can be by means of the spherical rollers 36
or, at the option of the user, by contact with the flat, planar
bottom 40 of the glide cup 38. The glide cup 38 can also be made of
the same plastic material as previously described.
[0067] In order to allow the glide cup 38 to be readily attached
and detached to the housing 34, there is provided at the lower
perimeter of the housing 34, at least one projection 42 that
extends outwardly from the lower perimeter. Again, in this
embodiment, there are a plurality of such projections 42 extending
from the housing 34. Glide cup 38 has an upstanding flange 44
having formed therein, an internally facing ridge 46 with a
plurality of recesses 48 that dimensionally coincide with the
projections 42 on the housing 34. Thus when the glide cup 38 is to
be attached to the housing 34, the glide cup 38 is positioned over
the lower periphery of the housing 34 and the projections 42 fit
through the recesses 48 so that the glide cup 38 can be fully moved
over the lower periphery of the housing 34.
[0068] The projections 42 thus pass through and clear the
internally facing ridge 46 after passing through the recesses 48
such that the glide cup 38 can be simply rotated a predetermined
amount and lock the projections 42 behind the internally facing
ridge 46 so that the glide cup 38 is securely attached to the
housing. In the position with the glide cup 38 attached to the
housing, the caster assembly 30 acts as a glide and the spherical
rollers 36 are contained within the glide cup 38. As is obvious,
therefore, the glide cup 38 can, by another predetermined rotation,
be just as easily detached from the housing 34 so that the
spherical rollers 36 can contact the floor.
[0069] When the glide cup 38 is installed, the spherical rollers 36
touch and actual bear on the upper surface of the glide so that, in
use, the weight of the. bed or other furniture is distributed
through the spherical rollers 36 to the glide cup 38 such that the
weight of the furniture is well distributed to the glide cup 38 and
there is no weight acting on any of the projections 42 or other
likely breakable components.
[0070] The spherical rollers 36, as can be seen, preferably have
centers of rotation and thus are free to rotate omni-directionally,
that is, in any direction about their center point of the spherical
shape. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the centers of the
spherical rollers 36 are positioned equidistant from the main axis
of the upstanding stem 32 so that the weight of the furniture that
acts along the main axis of the upstanding stem 32 is equally
distributed among the spherical rollers 36 in their contact with
the floor. With the weight distribution equally divided, the
overall weight is borne by the main axis of the caster assembly 30
and thus through the strength of the assembly. Accordingly, the
present caster assembly 30 provides the mobility of the prior art
casters while having the strength and structural integrity of the
prior art glides. In addition, with the addition of the glide cup
38 the caster assembly 30 can also have the non-marring flat planar
surface to contact the floor whenever desired and without
difficulty.
[0071] Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown a bottom plan view of
the caster assembly 30 constructed in accordance with the present
invention and with the glide cup 38 not attached thereto. In this
Figure, the physical layout of the spherical rollers 36 can be
further explained. In particular, the main, longitudinal axis of
the upstanding stem (not shown in FIG. 5) is at the center point 50
of the caster assembly 30 and the weight of the furniture is
therefore concentrated along that axis and therefore acting
downwardly at about the center point 50. Also shown are the center
points 52 of the spherical rollers 36. Thus, it can be seen that
the center points 52 of the spherical rollers 36, in the preferred
embodiment, are all equidistant from the main longitudinal axis of
the upstanding stem so that the weight of the furniture is equally
distributed among the three spherical rollers 36 and along the
center and the structural strength of the caster assembly 30.
[0072] Turning next to FIGS. 6 and 7, there is shown, respectively,
a side cross sectional view of the caster assembly 30 without the
glide cup 38 attached and a side cross sectional view with the
glide cup 38 attached. The spherical rollers 36 may be provided in
commercially available self-contained cartridges 54 that can be
inserted into suitably shaped holes 56 formed in housing 34. In
order to allow the spherical rollers 36 to freely rotate about
their center points 52, a plurality of small spherical balls 58 are
freely position within the cartridges 54 and freely movable within
an annular recess 59 and which allow the spherical rollers 36 to be
able to rotate in any direction readily and with a minimum of
friction. While a annular recess 59 is shown, the same
omni-rotation of the spherical rollers 36 can be accomplished,
albeit less efficiently, without the use of the annular recess 59
such that the small spherical balls 58 are simply located at the
upper surface of the spherical rollers 36. In a still further less
efficient construction, the small spherical balls 58 can be
eliminated altogether. Such mechanisms are readily available
commercially including the spherical rollers contained within a
housing with small spherical balls freely floating intermediate the
housing and the spherical rollers 36 to allow the spherical rollers
36 to freely rotate about their center points in any direction,
that is, omni-directionally.
[0073] In FIG. 7, the addition of the glide cup 38 can be seen with
the internally facing ridge 46 locked in position behind the
projections 42 so that the glide cup 38 is securely affixed to the
housing 34 and the spherical rollers 36 are covered by the glide
cup 38 and out of operational use.
[0074] Turning now to FIG. 8, there is shown a perspective,
exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the caster assembly 70
of the present invention and in view of a later more detailed
description of the individual components, a brief description of
those components will be initially discussed and new designation
numbers assigned even though many components are the same as or
similar to the components used in the prior embodiments.
[0075] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, there is a spindle 72 that,
as explained, is used to affix the caster assembly 70 to the
particular piece of furniture. Atop of the spindle 72 is positioned
a bushing 74 that is preferably of a plastic material such as
polypropylene. The bushing 74 enables the caster assembly 70 to be
inserted into the female opening normally provided in furniture,
including bed frames and the structural members that make up beds
in general. The bushing 74 is pressed onto the spindle 72 and is
thus held thereto by an interference fit. By convention, the
components will also be referred to as upper and lower throughout
and such reference shall be intended to denote the upper direction
as toward the piece of furniture and the lower direction to be
towards the floor on which the furniture is supported. By that
convention, therefore, the bushing 74 is positioned on the upper
portion of the spindle 72 and the lower portion of the spindle 72
extends through an upper shroud 76 through an opening 78.
[0076] The lower portion of the spindle 72, when assembled, further
passes through a central bore 80 formed in a stem housing 82. As
will be seen, the spindle 72 is in an interference fit in the
central bore 80 such that the stem housing 82 is pressed on to the
spindle 72 to affix the spindle 72 firmly to the stem housing 82.
The spindle 72 continues with its lower end fitted, again, in an
interference fit, into the bore 84 of a ball cup 86. A plurality of
spherical rollers 88 are fitted within the ball cup 86 by a snap
fit as will be explained and a plurality of smaller balls 90 are
located atop of the spherical rollers 88 to aid in the
omni-directional rotation of those spherical rollers 88.
[0077] Beneath the spherical rollers 88, there is positioned a
lower shroud 92 and which is affixed to the upper shroud 76 by
means such as drive screws 94. Finally, as shown in the FIG., there
is a glide cap 96 that is removably affixed to the lower shroud 92
so as to be easily attached and detached from the lower shroud
92.
[0078] Turning now to FIG. 9, taken along with FIG. 8, there is
shown a bottom perspective view of the upper shroud 76 and which
has in its interior a plurality of locating ribs 98 and bosses 100
that extend downwardly to receive the drive screws 94 when the
lower shroud 92 is affixed to the upper shroud 76. In addition, as
can be seen, there is an annular flange 102 that extends downwardly
into the interior of the upper shroud 76 and which has a plurality
of slots 104 formed therein. In the preferred embodiment, the upper
shroud 76 is formed of a molded plastic material such as
polypropylene.
[0079] With reference to FIG. 10, taken along with FIG. 8, there is
shown a side cross sectional view of the stem housing 82. In that
FIG. the central bore 80 can be seen through which the lower
portion of the spindle 72 passes in an interference fit in affixing
the spindle 72 to the stem housing 82. As also can be seen, the is
a spherical indentation 106 formed in the lower surface of the stem
housing 82 having a predetermined radius and center point and an
annular recess 108 extending upwardly from the lower surface of the
stem housing 82 and surrounding the spherical indentation 106. As
shown, of course, there are preferably three spherical indentations
106 that conform to the preferred number of spherical rollers 88
employed in the preferred embodiment. In addition, there is formed
in the stem housing 82, a plurality of upwardly directed bosses
110, having internal bores 112, the purpose of which will be later
explained.
[0080] Turning now to FIGS. 11, 12 and 12A, taken along with FIG.
8, there is shown, respectively, a top perspective view, a bottom
perspective view and a bottom plan view of the stem housing 82. In
FIG. 11, there can be seen, a plurality of ribs 114 extending
outwardly from the central bore 80 and which preferably comprise
three ribs 114 wherein the upper edges 116 of such ribs 114 fit
into the slots 104 (FIG. 9) of the upper shroud 76 when the overall
caster assembly 70 is assembled into a completed unit. As further
shown in FIG. 11, the upwardly directed bosses 110 comprise three
bosses 110 and the internal bores 112 of those bosses 110 are
dimensioned so as to receive the bosses 100 of the upper shroud 76
(FIG. 8), again, when the overall caster assembly 70 is assembled.
Further enlarged bores 118 are formed in the stem housing 82 along
the internal bores 112 in the lower surface of the stem housing 82
(FIGS. 10 and 12) and are also utilized to allow the overall caster
assembly 70 to be compactly and sturdily assembled together into
the completed unit. In FIG. 12A, there can be seen the lower
portion of the annular recess 108 and illustrating that the annular
recesses 108 are annular and fully circular in form and are located
between the outer edges 105 of the spherical indentations 106 and
the inner diameter 107 within the inner housing 82.
[0081] Turning now to FIGS. 13 and 14, taken along with FIG. 8,
there is shown, a top perspective view and a bottom perspective
view, respectively, of the ball cup 86 of the present invention.
There is thus shown, the bore 84 within which the lower end of the
spindle 72 terminates in an interference fit upon assembly.
Surrounding the bore 84 are openings 120 that, as will be seen,
contribute to the overall compactness of the completed assembly.
Three circular flanges 122 extend downwardly from the ball cup 86
and contain the spherical rollers 88. The internal cavity 124 of
those circular flanges 122 is formed in a generally spherical
configuration and includes a circular ridge 126 that is used to
contain those spherical rollers 88 in a snap fit. As seen, with
reference to FIG. 13, the upper peripheral surface 128 surrounding
each of the internal cavities 124 is slightly chamfered inwardly in
a gently sloping surface leading into the internal cavities 124.
Slightly raised flanges 130 partially surround the upper periphery
of the internal cavities 124.
[0082] Turning to FIG. 15, there is shown a side cross sectional
view of the ball cup 86 such that one of the internal cavities 124
can be seen with the internal spherical configurations. As will be
seen, the configuration and the dimensions of the spherical
internal cavity 124 as such that the spherical rollers 88 can
simply be snapped into those internal cavities 124 and retained in
that position where the spherical rollers 88 are contained but can
freely rotate in any direction, that is, omni-directionally. In the
preferred embodiment, the spherical rollers 88 are comprised of an
acetal plastic material.
[0083] Next, in FIG. 16, taken with FIG. 8, there is shown a top
perspective view of the lower shroud 92 and which has its external
peripheral surface mate with the external peripheral surface of the
upper shroud 76 to contain the components of the completed caster
assembly 70. In this FIG., the lower shroud 92 includes three
bosses 132 that extend upwardly and, when the caster assembly 70 is
assembled, the bosses 132 extend through the openings 130 of the
ball cup 86 (FIGS. 13 and 14) to contact and fit into the enlarged
bores 118 of the stem housing 82 (FIGS. 11 and 12). The lower
shroud 92 also includes a plurality, (preferably three) of openings
134 having circular flanges 136 that extend upwardly and through
which the circular flanges 122 of the ball cup 86 pass (FIG. 14) in
the assembly of the overall caster assembly 70.
[0084] In the lower surface 138 of the lower shroud 92, there is
formed a series (three) of elongated slots 140 having a
longitudinal axis forming a circular arc. As can be seen, the
elongated slots 140 comprise a larger width portion 142 and a
smaller width portion 144 about that arced configuration. In
addition, there are small projections 145 formed at the entrance to
the smaller width portions 144 that extend slightly into the
elongated slots. The purpose for the elongated slots 140 will
become apparent from a discussion of the next Figures.
[0085] Thus, turning to FIGS. 17 and 18, taken along with FIG. 8,
there is shown a top perspective view and a side view of the glide
cap 96 that is used with the present invention. As explained, the
glide cap 96 is designed to be easily affixed to and removed from
the overall caster assembly 70 to convert the caster assembly 70
between its different functions of action as a roller assembly and
a glide assembly. Thus, in FIGS. 17 and 18, there is a lower
surface 146 that is generally planar and is adapted to contact the
floor when the glide cap 96 is installed with the caster assembly
70. A plurality of tabs 148 are molded into the glide cap 96 and
which, itself is preferably a plastic molded polypropylene
material. Again, the preferred number of tabs 148, as shown, is
three. At the upper end of the tabs 148, three are formed lips 150
that are directed outwardly with respect to the center of the glide
cap 96.
[0086] Thus, returning to FIG. 16, taken along with FIGS. 17 and
18, the interaction of the tabs 148 and the elongated slots 140 can
be explained. In affixing the glide cup 96 to the lower shroud 92,
the tabs 148 align with the larger width portions 142 of the
elongated slots 140 in the lower surface 138 of the lower shroud 92
such that the glide cup 96 can be positioned to insert those tabs
148 through the larger width portions 142. Thereafter, by merely
rotating the glide cup 96, the tabs 148 can enter the smaller width
portion 144 where the lips 150 are captured by the lower surface
138 of the lower shroud 92. The smaller width portions 144 prevent
the passage of the lips 150 therethrough and thus the glide cup 96
is readily and easily retained to the lower shroud 92 so that the
caster assembly 70 acts as a glide. As the tabs 148 pass by the
small projections 145, the tabs 148 are effective locked into
position and do not readily become detached by normal use of the
bed or movement thereof. Obviously, the removal of the glide cup 96
is just as easily accomplished by a reversal of the process, that
is, the glide cup 96 is rotated to the position where the tabs 148
are in alignment with the larger width portions 142 so that the
lips 150 can pass through the elongated slots 140 and the glide cup
96 removed.
[0087] Taking FIG. 19, there is shown a side cross sectional a view
of the completed and assembled caster assembly 70. In the FIG.,
therefore, it can be seen that the spherical rollers 88 are fitted
into the ball cup 86 and are freely rotatable therein
omni-directionally and the plurality of smaller balls 90 freely
move within the annular recess 108 to allow the movement of the
spherical rollers 88. Those smaller balls 90 move over the upper
surface of the spherical rollers and are contained within the area
between the spherical rollers 88 and the spherical indentations 106
in the stem housing 82. In the assembled form, as shown in this
FIG., therefore the drive screws 94 affix the lower shroud 92 to
the upper shroud 76 to encase all of the components in the overall
caster assembly 70 in accordance with the present invention.
Alternatively, of course, in the place of drive screws 94, other
means could be used, such as self tapping, thread cutting
screws.
[0088] Turning now to FIG. 20, there is shown a perspective view of
bed rails 60 connecting between a headboard 62 and a footboard 64
and showing a cross member 66. As can be seen, with the use of bed
rails 60, the vertical height of the bed rails 60 above the floor
is not a standard dimension and depends on the height of the legs
of the headboard 62 and the footboard 64. Accordingly the cross
member 66 must have a support that is adjustable as to height. In
such case, a caster assembly 30 is provided that supports the
center of the cross member 66 and is adjustable in height but still
has the advantages as previously explained with respect to mobility
and strength of the caster assembly 30. The cross member 66 may
also be of the type that is universally adapted for use with bed
rails and is further disclosed in a U.S. Patent application filed
on the same day as the present application and entitled UNIVERSAL
TENSION SPRING SUPPORT MEMBER FOR BED RAILS OR BED FRAME, and the
disclosure of that application is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0089] Thus, turning to FIG. 21, there is shown a perspective view
of a caster assembly 30 that is adjustably affixed to the leg
extending downwardly from the cross member 66 so as to contact the
floor and provide support to the overall completed bed. Thus, in
this embodiment, the upstanding stem 32 is threaded at 68 and is
screwed into a corresponding internally threaded opening in the leg
of the cross member 66. This embodiment is not, however, the
preferred embodiment. The preferred embodiment is to affix the
caster assembly to the furniture by means of a plastic bushing
shown in FIG. 8 that is press fitted into the suitable opening in
the piece of furniture. As stated, since the caster has
considerable strength, it can be used in place of a conventional
glide that is normally used with such cross members and yet the
caster assembly 30 is also mobile and can readily be moved along a
bare wood floor or a carpeted floor without suffering the breakage
problems associated with the use of a normal glide.
[0090] Turning now to FIG. 22, there is shown a perspective view of
a piece of furniture, namely a couch 152, that is supported by
caster assemblies 154 of the present invention. As can be seen, the
weight of the couch 152 is directed downwardly upon the caster
assemblies 154 to be supported on the floor and, as has now been
explained, the couch 152 can thereof be rolled in any direction
without the need to align any offset rollers and thus the
rollability of the couch 152 is greatly improved over the prior art
casters used with such furniture. As also should be noted, the
overall appearance of the couch 152 is pleasing with respect to the
caster assemblies 154 since they blend in both functionally as well
as esthetically with the appearance of the couch 152 since, as will
be later described, the caster assemblies 154 are actually fitted
into wooden or plastic legs that support the couch 152.
[0091] Next, in FIG. 23, there is a cross sectional view of a
combined caster and leg assembly 156 constructed in accordance with
the present invention. As can be seen, the caster and leg assembly
156 comprises a leg 158 and which is constructed out of wood or a
plastic material. At the top surface or upper end 160 of the leg
158 there is a threaded stem 162 for securing the caster and leg
assembly 156 to a piece of furniture, such as the couch 152 of FIG.
22, in order to affix the caster and leg assembly 156 thereto for
supporting the piece of furniture on a floor. At the lower end 164
of the leg 158, there is formed a recessed area 166 that is cut or
molded in the lower end 164.
[0092] Within the recessed area 166 there is located the caster 168
and which, as has been explained, includes a caster housing 170
that is fitted up into the recessed area 166 so as to not detract
from the external appearance of the leg 158 as well as to provide a
strong support for the piece of furniture. The caster housing 170
can be affixed within the recessed area 166 by means such as screws
172 whereby the caster 168 is contained substantially within the
recessed area 166 with the spherical rollers 174 (three spherical
rollers 174 are used) extending downwardly from the recessed area
166 in order to contact the flat planar surface of the floor 176.
There is also a longitudinal, vertical centerline CL shown in FIG.
23 that centers the weight imposed by the furniture directly
through the caster and leg assembly 156 since the centerline CL is
centered with respect to the center points of the spherical rollers
174, thereby avoiding the offset and misaligned effect of the
distribution of weight with normal casters used with furniture.
[0093] The small spherical balls 178 are also shown to be located
within the annular, upwardly extending cup shaped recess 180 formed
in the caster housing 170 so that the spherical balls 178 are free
to move in and out of the chamber 182 intermediate the spherical
rollers 174 and the upper surface 184 formed in the caster housing
170. That upper surface 184 has the same curvature or a slightly
more shallow curvature than the exterior surface of the spherical
rollers 174 in order to allow the free movement of the spherical
balls 178 into and out of the chamber 182.
[0094] Accordingly, as can now be appreciated, the caster and leg
assembly 156 provides a very strong support for the furniture since
the weight of the furniture acts directly through the caster and
leg assembly 156 without any offset between the direction of the
weight and the contact with the floor and yet the caster 168 can be
embedded into the wooden or plastic leg used for the furniture.
[0095] Turning now to FIG. 24, there is a cross sectional view of a
further embodiment of the present invention where the wooden or
plastic furniture leg 186 has its upper end 188 affixed to the
frame of the furniture and is part of the furniture such that the
recessed area 190 formed in the lower end 192 of the furniture leg
186 has been cut into the furniture leg 186. Thus, in this
embodiment, the recessed area 190 can be pre-formed by the
manufacturer of the furniture and the leg installed by that
manufacturer or, alternatively, the present invention may be
incorporated into the normal leg of a piece of furniture by cutting
or shaping the recessed area 190 in order to retrofit the caster
168 of the present invention into an already constructed piece of
furniture. Thus, a user already having the piece of furniture with
a wooden or plastic leg can add the present caster 168 to upgrade
that furniture and attain the advantages of strength and better
appearance by adding the caster 168 of this invention to the leg
186 of the furniture.
[0096] Accordingly, the normal furniture leg 186 again holds the
caster 168 to produce the caster and leg assembly 192 illustrated
in FIG. 24. As with the prior embodiment, the longitudinal,
vertical axis or centerline CL again is the direction and location
of the acting weight of the furniture since it is equidistant from
the center points of the spherical rollers 174 and therefore the
weight of the furniture is not offset to cause harmful moment arms
in the caster and leg assembly 194.
[0097] In FIG. 25 there is a cross sectional view of a still
further embodiment of the present invention and where there is only
one spherical roller 174 that is positioned in the caster 168 so as
to have its center point along the longitudinal, vertical
centerline CL of the furniture leg 196 so that, as with the prior
embodiments, the weight of the piece of furniture acts downwardly
along the centerline CL directly, without offset, to the floor 176.
In this embodiment, the upper end 198 of the furniture leg 196 may
also be directly affixed to the frame of the particular piece of
furniture and the lower end 200 has formed therein a more narrow
recessed area 202. Within that recessed area 202, there is provided
a socket 204 that is affixed therein and which receives a stem 206
to affix the caster housing 208 to the furniture leg 196.
[0098] Again, the centerline CL of the caster and leg assembly 208
passes through the center point of the spherical roller 174 to
insure that the weight of the furniture acts directly through the
spherical roller 174 and not offset as with the conventional offset
casters.
[0099] Therefore, with the use of the leg and caster assembly of
the present invention, the support through the leg contacting the
floor is strengthened and yet the overall appearance is enhanced by
locating the caster contiguous to the smooth continual exterior
surface of the lower portion of the furniture leg. In any of the
embodiments of FIGS. 23-25, a glide can be attached to the caster
housing in the manner shown and described with respect to FIGS. 4
and 7 hereof.
[0100] Turning now to FIG. 26, there is shown a perspective,
cutaway view of a box spring 210 that has a caster 212 affixed
thereto in accordance with the present invention. As can be seen,
the box spring 210 is constructed of a angle iron lower edge 214
that extends around the perimeter of the box spring 210 forming an
inwardly directed ledge that supports the wooden cross beams 216 of
the box spring 210. The wooden cross beams 216 are also supported
by metal T-shape cross supports 218 and a generally rigid wire
structure 220 both stabilizes the inner stuffing 222 and supports
the outer covering 224.
[0101] At each corner of the box spring 210 there is provided a
plastic corner 226 that supports the upper wire 228 of the rigid
wire structure 220 and which also rounds off the angle iron lower
edges 214 to provide an overall rounded and pleasing appearance of
the box spring 210. At the bottom of the plastic corner 226, there
is a threaded hole (not shown). As alternative embodiments, the
plastic corner 226 may be constructed of wood, metal or other
suitable materials and instead of a threaded hole, there may be a
pilot hole or no hole at all as will be later explained.
[0102] Turning to FIG. 27, taken along with FIG. 26, there is a
side view of the caster 212 used with the FIG. 26 embodiment and
where the caster 212 can be of the construction previously
disclosed and discussed and which has a threaded stud 230 extending
upwardly therefrom. Therefore, in order to affix the caster 212 to
the bottom of the box spring 210, the threaded stud 230 is simply
screwed into the threaded hole in the bottom of the plastic corner
226.
[0103] In the alternative embodiment, if the corner of the box
spring 210 is wood, the threaded stud 230 can have wood screw
threads and be screwed to the wooden corner by the aid of a small
pilot hole or directly into the wood if there is no hole present at
all. In any event, the caster 212 is screwed directly to the bottom
of the box spring 210.
[0104] Turning finally to FIGS. 28 and 29, there is shown,
respectively, a perspective view of a box spring 232 illustrating a
further method of affixing a caster 234 to a box spring 232 and a
perspective view of the caster 234 itself. As such, there is a
female receptacle 236 formed in the bottom of the box spring 232
and, as shown, is in the configuration of a chevron, or L-shaped,
that is, two straight portions 238 joined at an angle. The
receptacle 236 can be provided as an insert embedded into the
bottom of the box spring 232 or by other means, including, cutting
the receptacle 236 therein. The internal, outer edges 240 can be
tapered inwardly as the height of the receptacle 236 increases
upwardly.
[0105] In FIG. 29, the male wedge member 242 is shown affixed to
the caster 234 and which is generally L-shaped and dimensioned to
interfit into the female receptacle 236. Thus, the external edges
244 of the male wedge member 242 are tapered outwardly toward the
caster 236 in a complementary way to the inwardly tapered inner
edges of the receptacle 236. Therefore, the caster 234 is affixed
to the box spring 232 by simply pushing the male wedge member 242
up into the female receptacle 236 in the direction shown by the
arrow W so that the male wedge member 242 is jammed into the female
receptacle 236 to retain the caster 234 to the box spring 232 in a
manner to be removable retained thereto. The affixation or junction
between the caster 234 and the box spring 232 is further enhanced
by the weight of the mattress and other covers that are placed atop
of the box spring 232 since that weight further pushes the male
wedge member 242 strongly into the female receptacle 236.
[0106] While the present invention has been set forth in terms of a
specific embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood that the
caster assembly herein disclosed may be modified or altered by
those skilled in the art to other configurations. Accordingly, the
invention is to be broadly construed and limited only by the scope
and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
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