Plastic wheel assembly and improved mounting sleeve therefor

• US 6,361,121 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2000
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Geo Plastics, Co.
• Original Assignee: Geo Plastics, Co.
• Inventors: Morris, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morano, S. Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LONG B
• Application Number:
  US09/687,669
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 301/111, 301/112, 301/118, 301/131, 301/132
• US Class Current: 301/112
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/001 Lightweight wheels, e.g. for strollers or toys
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 37/10 the wheels being individually rotatable around the axles
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/1473 Receptacles having wheels

Abstract

A plastic wheel (22, 122) and wheel mounting sleeve (27, 27a, 127) used to releasably secure the wheel (22, 122) onto an axle (23, 123). The wheel mounting sleeve (27, 27a, 127) preferably includes a resilient, radially displaceable, axially extending, cantilevered finger (46, 146) which includes an axle-engaging lug (55, 155), while a wheel-engaging shoulder is provided on an annular rib 101, 201. The respective sleeve shoulders cooperate with oppositely facing shoulders on the wheel so as to latch the sleeve (27, 127) to the axle (23, 123) and the wheel (22, 122) to the sleeve (27, 127). The sleeve (27, 127) and sleeve-receiving bore (39a, 39b, 139a, 139b) are radially inwardly stepped on the inner side (66, 166) as compared to the outer side (67, 167) of the wheel. Assembly can be accomplished without any tools, and a pointed tool can be used to puncture a skin (195) in a passageway (191) so as to enable release of the sleeve (27, 127) and wheel (22, 122) from the axle (23, 123).

Claims

1. In a wheel mounting sleeve including a sleeve body having an inner end and an outer end and formed and dimensioned for mounting through wheel bearing bore in a wheel and into telescoped relation over an axle, said sleeve having at least one axle-engaging shoulder thereon retaining said sleeve on said axle and at least one wheel-engaging shoulder thereon retaining said wheel on said sleeve, the improvement comprising:

said sleeve body being formed with at least one resilient, radially displaceable, axially extending, cantilevered finger, said axle-engaging shoulder extending radially inwardly from said finger proximate said outer end of said sleeve and said wheel-engaging shoulder being an annular radially outwardly projecting rib proximate said inner end of said sleeve, and said inner end of said sleeve being formed with at least one slot therein extending from said inner end toward said outer end by a distance sufficient to enable inward flexing of said rib for mounting to said wheel.

2. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said sleeve body is formed with two resilient, radially displaceable, axially extending, cantilevered fingers, said fingers being cantilevered from and extending in opposite axial directions on circumferentially separated sides of said body, said at least one slot being provided by a pair of slots extending to said inner end to define the other of said fingers, and a portion of said rib projecting radially outwardly from the other of said fingers proximate said inner end of said sleeve.

3. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 2 wherein,

said wheel-engaging shoulder faces toward said outer end of said sleeve, and

said body is formed with a radially outwardly extending second wheel-engaging shoulder axially spaced from the first-named wheel-engaging shoulder and facing toward said inner end of said sleeve.

4. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 2 wherein,

said axle-engaging shoulder faces toward said outer end of said sleeve, and

said body is formed with a radially inwardly extending second axle-engaging shoulder axially spaced from the first-named wheel-engaging shoulder and facing toward said inner end of said sleeve.

5. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said outer end of said sleeve body is formed with a transversely extending end wall extending across said wheel bearing bore, and a tool passageway extending partially through said end wall and having a frangible membrane extending transversely thereacross, said passageway being dimensioned for passage of a tool through said passageway after piercing of said frangible means to enable radially outward displacement of said axle-engaging shoulder by said tool to a position releasing said sleeve from said axle.

6. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 5 wherein,

said tool passageway is cylindrical and dimensioned to receive a pointed cylindrical tool.

7. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 5 wherein,

said frangible membrane is a puncture skin positioned across said passageway proximate an inner end thereof.

8. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 5 wherein,

said finger carrying said axle-engaging shoulder further includes an extension portion extending axially outwardly of said axle-engaging shoulder for engagement by a tool to enable radial outward displacement of said finger.

9. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 8 wherein,

said extension portion is axially aligned with said passageway and positioned for radial outward displacement upon engagement of said tool with a chamfered end of said axle and axial inward displacement of said tool.

10. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 5 wherein,

said end wall is defined in part by a convex outer surface.

11. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 8 wherein,

said axle-engaging shoulder is provided by a pair of laterally spaced shoulders axially aligned on opposed sides of said tool passageway, and said extension portion is axially aligned with said passageway and has a lateral dimension about equal to a lateral dimension of said passageway.

12. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said body includes at least one axially extending key portion formed to cooperatively engage at least one recess in said wheel bearing bore to cause said sleeve to rotate with said wheel.

13. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said sleeve is injection molded from an acetyl-based copolymer plastic.

14. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said rib is chamfered in a direction of insertion of said sleeve into said wheel bearing bore.

15. The wheel mounting sleeve as defined in claim 1 wherein,

said body has a diameter proximate said outer end of said sleeve, greater than a diameter proximate an inner end of said sleeve.

16. A wheel assembly comprising:

an axle having a circumferentially extending notch proximate and inwardly of an axially outer end thereof;

a wheel having a central wheel bearing bore therein with a large diameter portion proximate an outer side thereof and a small diameter portion proximate an inner side thereof, said small diameter portion further being formed with a radially outwardly stepped annular recess proximate said inner side; and

a wheel mounting sleeve having a body formed with a bore therethrough dimensioned for, and slidably mounted over, said axle;

said body being radially stepped along its length and having an inner diameter end formed for, and slidably inserted into, said small diameter portion of said wheel bearing bore and having an outer diameter formed for, and slidably inserted into, said large diameter portion of wheel bearing bore;

said body further being formed with a resilient, radially displaceable, axially extending, cantilevered finger thereon extending from a middle of said sleeve toward an outer end of said sleeve, said finger having a radially inwardly extending axle-engaging shoulder thereon mounted in said notch and engaging said axle; and

an annular rib projecting outwardly from said inner end of said sleeve matingly received in said annular recess in said small diameter portion of said wheel bearing bore.

17. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein,

said inwardly facing surface on said wheel is provided by an annular recess in said wheel bearing bore at an inner side of said wheel receiving said annular rib.

18. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein,

one of said wheel bearing bore and said sleeve is formed with a radially projecting key and the other of said wheel bearing bore and said sleeve is formed with a radially projecting recess, said key being interengaged with said recess to prevent relative rotation of said sleeve in said wheel bearing bore.

19. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 18 wherein,

said key is provided by a pair of outwardly projecting axially extending ribs on said sleeve, and

said recess is provided by a pair of axially extending recesses in said wheel bearing bore.

20. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein,

said rib extends circumferentially around a majority of said inner end of said sleeve, and said rib is formed with an inwardly facing chamfer thereon to facilitate insertion of said sleeve into said bore.

21. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein,

said sleeve has an outer end wall extending across and substantially closing said wheel bearing bore at an outer side thereof, and said end wall is formed with a tool passageway extending axially therein, said passageway further having a puncture skin thereacross formed for puncturing by a tool;

and

said cantilevered finger is aligned with said tool passageway and said tool passageway is positioned to enable radial displacement of said finger by a pointed tool to release said sleeve from said axle.

22. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 21 wherein,

said end wall has a convex outer surface, and

said puncture skin is positioned proximate an inner surface of said end wall.