US2025448A - Furniture caster with footplate - Google Patents

Description

De'c. 24, 1935. H. HEBBINGHAUS 2,025,448

FURNITURE CASTER WITH FOOTPLATE l l Filed Jan. 27, 1935 Patented pee. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 27, 1933, Serial No. 653,841 In Germany February 1, 1932 1 Claim.

The furniture casters hitherto on the market are open to the objection that they damage the floor more or less and leave unsightly indentations therein. The object of this invention is 5 to overcome this objection and to provide the caster with a foot plate which can be easily shifted up and down so that it normally relieves the roller and carries the weight of the piece of furniture, whereas, when the foot plates are rendered inoperative, the rollers carry the weight of the piece of furniture, so that it can be easily and freely shifted. To enable the roller to be easily rendered operative and inoperative it is acted upon by a spring which presses the roller in downward direction and can be rendered operative and inoperative by shifting vertically, the spring being of such strength that it is com-- pressed by the weight of the piece of furniture so that normally the foot plate and roller bear weight of the piece of furniture is carried by the foot plate, whereas for locking the roller in operative position after it has been downwardly pressed by the spring when the piece of furniture is lifted, a snap locking device is provided, the engaging spring of which is of such strength that it cannot itself disengage the locking means but only if assisted by exerting additional pressure on the piece of furniture.

The advantage derived from the caster according to the invention is that the piece of furniture normally rests on rm foot plates without it being necessary to rst additionally load the piece of furniture. Moreover the roller can be easily and simply rendered inoperative by the device according to the invention, as it is only necessary to slightly reduce the bearing weight of the piece of furniture for example by lifting one corner thereof whereupon the roller at the lifted corner immediately springs into operative position. In this manner it is possible to bring all the rollers successively into operative position in which they are held by their snap locking device. The rollers can just as easily be rendered inoperative. It is only necessary to increase the load resting on the resiliently supported rollers by successively exerting pressure on the piece of furniture above the points at which the rollers are mounted; the locking device then immediately operates and the rollers are again pressed back into their inoperative raised position.

It is possible for a single person to shift without assistance relatively heavy pieces of furniture such as tables, cupboards, pianos and the simultaneously on the floor, but almost the entire like. However, the casters can be immediately rendered inoperative after the shifting of the piece of furniture. The casters hitherto generally used are open to the objection that the rollers always carry the entire weight and consequently gradually press into the floor or destroy the carpet or oor covering. This objection is overcome by the caster according to the invenion.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example inthe accompanying drawing in whichz- Fig. l shows a modified form of construction in vertical section on line II-II of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a section on line I-I of Fig. 1.

A sleeve 22 is fixed in a bell 2l and is-rotatable in a sleeve 23 connected to a disc 24 having a toothed rim 25 which is rotatable on the edge 26 of the bell 2l. The sleeve 23 and ytoothed rim 25 serve for fixing the bell in the leg of the piece of 20 furniture.

An inverted U-shaped bearing 2l is rigidly connected to the inner side of the bell 2l. Between the Walls of this bearing a fork 28 is slidable and carried by a pin 29 guided in the sleeve 22 which allows the up and down movement of the fork 28. A spring 3i! is wound around the pin 29 between the fork 23 and the bearing 21.

A steel sleeve 3i is carried by thefork 28 and carries a pressure spring 32 at each end of which a steel ball 33 is mounted, A roller 34 is rotatably mounted on the sleeve 3l.

Opposite each of the balls 33 a groove 35 is provided in the bearing 2l which grooves become shallower towards their upper ends terminating at 3B and forming a cavity 31 at their lower ends.

The bell is closed at the bottom by a disc 38 having an aperture 39 for the passage of the roller 34. The bell can rotate freely when the sleeve 23 is fixed on the leg of the piece of furniture by its toothed rim 25.

When this device is not loaded the spring 30 presses the fork 28 downwards so that the roller 34 projects from the bell 2l and the balls 33 are pressed by the spring 32 into the cavities 31 so that the roller 34 is locked in operative position.

In this position the piece of furniture can be shifted on the rollers. The pressure exerted by the spring 32 is so strong that it can only be overcome and the balls 33 leave the cavities 31 when the weight of the piece of furniture is increased by pressing thereon. If pressure is exerted on the piece of furniture the balls 32 pass out of the cavities 31, the fork yields upwards,

the iloor. the roller 34 passing infn the bell, so that the piecelof furniture rests firmly on the bell 2i.

I claixm- A furniture caster, comprising in combination a bell-shaped foot, a vertical sleeve extending from the upper side of said foot, an inverted U-shaped bearing fixed in said foot and having a cavity adjacent thlower end of each ofits arms, a pin vertically slidable in said sleeve, a fork on the lower end of said pin, a hollow axle journalled in said fork, a running' roller mounted on said axle, a spring surrounding said pin between said bearing' and said fork, said spring adapted to allow said fork to yield upwardly in said bearing `A 9,096,448 co thespring I0 andthebellll rests on under the weight of the piece of furniture so that the same is supported bysaidfootand to press said fork downwardly to cause said roller to project from the underside of said foot when the piece of furniture is lifted, two balls, one at each 5 end of said hollow axle, and a spring between said balls adapted to press said balls in outward direction to cause the same to engage in the cavities in said fork when the piece of furniture is lifted, to lock said fork in lowered position so that the piece of furniture is supported by said roller and to yield when pressure is exerted on the piece of furniture to disengage said balls from 52.10% cavities to allow said roller to recede into said f f HELMUT HEBBINGHAUS.

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