Plastic wheel assembly and mounting sleeve with stabilizing recess

• US 6,637,835 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2002
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• 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:
  US10/044,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20020089229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 301/111, 301/112, 301/118, 301/131, 301/132
• US Class Current: 301/111.01
• 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 (122, 222) and wheel mounting sleeve (127, 227, 327, 427) used to releasably secure the wheel (122, 222) onto an axle (123, 223). The wheel mounting sleeve (127, 227, 327, 427) preferably includes a resilient, radially displaceable, axially extending, cantilevered finger (146, 246, 346, 446) which includes an axle-engaging lug (155, 255, 355, 455), while a wheel-engaging shoulder is provided on the sleeve by an annular rib (201, 301). The sleeve shoulders latch the sleeve (127, 227, 327, 427) to the axle (123, 223) and the wheel (122, 222) to the sleeve. The sleeve (127, 227, 327, 427) includes an axle stabilizing recess (198, 298, 398, 498) positioned in an end wall (158, 258, 358, 458), which receives an axle stub (199, 299) that supports the axle (123, 223) against lateral loading and stabilizes it to reduce wobble, chatter and vibration.

Claims

1. A wheel mounting sleeve comprising:

a sleeve body having an inner end and an outer end and formed and dimensioned for mounting through a wheel bearing bore in a wheel, said sleeve body further having an axially extending sleeve bore dimensioned for mounting in telescoped relation over an axle;

said sleeve body having at least one axle-engaging shoulder thereon retaining said sleeve on the axle and at least one wheel-engaging shoulder thereon retaining the wheel on said sleeve; and

said sleeve body includes a transversely extending end wall, and said sleeve bore extending axially into said end wall to provide an axle support bore segment in said end wall for support of transverse loads on the axle by said sleeve.

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

the axle support bore segment extends only partially into said end wall to provide a closed end extending across the end of the axle.

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

said axle support bore segment has a diameter less than a diameter of a remainder of said sleeve bore.

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

an end of said remainder of said sleeve bore convergently tapers to the smaller diameter of said axle support bore segment.

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

said sleeve bore slidably engages the axle;

said axle-engaging shoulder is provided on a resiliently outwardly displaceable finger positioned proximate said end wall; and

said axle support bore segment in said end wall slidably engages the end of the axle.

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

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is cantilevered to extend axially along said sleeve body to a position proximate said end wall.

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

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is cantilevered from said end wall.

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

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is cantilevered from proximate a mid-length of said sleeve body and terminates short of said end wall.

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

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is circumferentially cantilevered from said sleeve body proximate said end wall.

10. A wheel assembly comprising:

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

a wheel having a central wheel bearing bore extending therethrough from an inner side to an outer side of said wheel;

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

said sleeve body having an outer diameter formed for, and slidably inserted into, said wheel bearing bore;

said sleeve body further being formed with 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; and

said sleeve body further including a transversely extending end wall, and an axle stabilizing recess in said end wall axially aligned with said sleeve bore and receiving said outer end of said axle, said axle stabilizing recess being dimensioned to support transverse loads on said axle.

11. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein,

said axle has an axle stub at said outer end having a diameter less than a diameter of said axle on both sides of said notch, said axle stub being slidably received in said axle stabilizing recess in said end wall.

12. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 11 wherein,

said axle convergently tapers from a diameter proximate said notch to the smaller diameter of said axle stub.

13. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 12 wherein,

said sleeve body convergently tapers to mate with the convergent taper of said axle.

14. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 10 wherein,

said sleeve bore slidably engages said axle;

said axle-engaging shoulder is provided on a resiliently outwardly displaceable finger positioned proximate said end wall; and

said axle stabilizing recess in said end wall slidably engages said outer end of said axle.

15. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 14 wherein,

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is cantilevered to extend axially along said sleeve body to a position proximate said end wall.

16. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 15 wherein,

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is cantilevered from said end wall.

17. The wheel assembly as defined in claim 15 wherein,

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is cantilevered from proximate a mid-length of said sleeve body and terminates short of said end wall.

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

said resiliently outwardly displaceable finger is circumferentially cantilevered from said sleeve body proximate said end wall.

19. An axle for use with a wheel assembly comprising:

an axle body dimensioned for slidable receipt of a wheel assembly thereover, said axle body having a circumferentially extending notch proximate and inward of an outer end of said axle body, said notch being defined by shoulders positioned for engagement by the wheel assembly to secure the wheel assembly to said axle body, and said body being formed with an axially protruding axle stub on said outer end of said axle body, said axle stub being of smaller diameter than said axle body and being dimensioned to be slidably inserted into a recess provided in an end wall of the wheel assembly.

20. The axle as defined in claim 19 wherein,

the end of said axle body is tapered in a direction toward the axle stub.