WHEEL BUILT-IN LOCKING SYSTEM AND METHOD |
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申请号 | US13834222 | 申请日 | 2013-03-15 | 公开(公告)号 | US20130313890A1 | 公开(公告)日 | 2013-11-28 |
申请人 | IPL, INC.; | 发明人 | Roch Nolet; Marc Talbot Pouliot; | ||||
摘要 | A wheel for mounting to an axle of a wheeled product, the wheel comprising an axle receiving bore extending from a front wall to a rear wall of the wheel; the axle receiving bore comprising at least one finger integral with the wheel and extending towards the front wall of the wheel, the finger comprising a detent facing inwardly into the axle receiving bore, the finger being adapted to be flexed from an insertion position to a locking position and from a locking position into an unlocking position, the finger being flexed outwards in the insertion position as the axle is inserted within the axle receiving bore, and the finger being flexed inwards to insert the detent into a notch of the axle once the axle is inserted in the axle receiving bore in the locking position; and the finger being flexed outwards thereby disengaging the detent from the notch in the unlocking position. | ||||||
权利要求 | What is claimed is: |
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说明书全文 | This application claims benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. US 61/651,668, filed on May 25, 2012. All documents above are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. The present invention relates to a wheel assembly for mounting a wheel to an axle as well as to enable removal of the wheel from the axle. More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a wheel for mounting to an axle of a wheeled product, the wheel comprising an axle receiving bore extending from a front wall to a rear wall of the wheel; the axle receiving bore comprising at least one finger integral with the wheel and extending towards the front wall of the wheel, the finger comprising a detent facing inwardly into the axle receiving bore, the finger being adapted to be flexed from an insertion position to a locking position and from a locking position into an unlocking position, wherein the finger is flexed outwards in the insertion position as the axle is inserted within the axle receiving bore, and the finger is flexed inwards to insert the detent into a notch of the axle once the axle is inserted in the axle receiving bore in the locking position; and the finger is flexed outwards thereby disengaging the detent from the notch in the unlocking position. There is further provided a wheel assembly, comprising an axle and a wheel having an axially extending axle receiving bore comprising at least one finger extending towards a front wall of the wheel, the finger comprising a detent facing inwardly into the axle receiving bore, the detent releasingly engaging the axle in the axle receiving bore by flexing radially of the finger. There is further provided a wheel with a built-in locking system for locking the wheel to an axle, the wheel comprising an axle receiving bore comprising fingers extending towards a front wall of the wheel, each finger comprising a detent facing inwardly into the axle receiving bore, the detents releasingly engaging the axle in the axle receiving bore by flexing radially of the fingers. Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of specific embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings In the appended drawings: The wheel 10 as illustrated in As best seen in The fingers 14, 16 are capable of being flexed away from the access of the axle receiving bore 12 as the axle 22 is inserted within the axle receiving bore 12 (see arrows in Once the axle 22 is inserted within the axle receiving bore 12, as shown in The present wheel is infected molded, in a single step. For a wheel assembly comprising such a wheel molded in polyethylene for example and an axle, tests have shown a pull-out resistance force of up to 160 kgf at ambient temperature. Alternatively, the axially extending axle receiving bore 12 may comprise one finger 21, integral with the wheel 10, extending towards the front wall 11 of the wheel 10, with a free end 23 thereof coming generally flush with the front wall 11 of the wheel 10 (see Alternatively, the axially extending axle receiving bore may comprise more than two fingers, all integral with the wheel, extending towards the front wall of the wheel, each with a free end coming generally flush with the front wall of the wheel, and each with a detent facing inwardly into the axle receiving bore. In the wheel assembly illustrated in The present wheel and wheel assembly may be used on wheeled products such as refuse carts, wheeled coolers, wagons, wheel toys, BBQ, golf trolleys and the like for example. The scope of the claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the examples, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole. |