USRE2644E - Improved caster - Google Patents

Description

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'JAM-Es' T. BARNES, er1-,HUDSON CITY,v NEW JERSEY. `Letters Patent No. 59,163, dated October '30, 1866; reissue No. 2,644, dated June 11, 1867.`

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Be it known that I, JAMES T. BARNES, of Hudson City, Hudson county, State of New Jersey, have invented anew and improved Furniture Caster; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference beine.r had to the accompanying drawing'forming part of this speciiicatiomfin whichl Figure 1 is a front elevation of my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation-of 'the same.. l

Figure Bis a' longitudinal section of my invention taken-on the plane of the line :l: z, fig. 2.

Figure 4'is a view showing the means I adopt for preventing the,shank of a caster..droppin`g out of its socket accidentally.

Furniturecasters, as ordinarily constructed, consist in a shankhaving two jaws at its lower end set at an angle withv the shank, between :which4 jaws the rolleror wheel is pivoted by a rod passing through the wheel and secured in the said jaws. These casters, as almost every one knows, are liable to break. Very'often one of the jaws snaps oil', which renders the caster useless; in other cases the rod gets bent, so that the wheel will not turn, or it works out of the jaws, and the wheel becomes inoperative; in still other cases the Wheel, by reason of the angular position of the jaws relatively to the shank, is not directly under the centres ofthe leg of thepiece of furniture, and consequently the shank 'is .continually bearing heavily against one or the other side of its socket, and this in many cases causes the socket to break, especially in the case of heavy furniture; and with the` legs of small articles, such as chairs, this is likely to tear the socket out, carrying some of the-wood of the'leg with it. Again, a great'deal of trouble and b other is occasioned' by the caster not turning when the piece of. furniture is changed from being moved in one direction toanother. .The edge of the'wheel in such/casesusuallyvscrapes the carpet and lraisesitupvin ridges.

The object of my invention is toproduce acaster .which shall possess none ofthe above disadvantages. My invention consists in the employment of two wheels, which are mounted on an axle secured to the Vend of the shank, so thatwhen the caster is applied to the legs of a piece of furniture the wheels will be-directly under the said legs, and I am also enabled-to provide large and strong axles for the Wheels without rendering the casters cumbersome. Myinvention also consists in having the shank attached to the centre of the axle, so as to extend upward between the two wheels of the same, which renders the caster far less cumbersome than usual, and also more eiicient, `as thewheels are at a greater distance apar-t and afford a better support to the piece of furniture or article to which the caster may beapplied. My invention further consists in enlarging the shank of a caster on two of its sides, so as to form a-Shoulder near its lower end, `facing downwards, and in forming a rib around the inside of the mouth of the socket, so that the said shank can besprung in the socket and turn freely therein,

without any liability of its falling out, should the leg of the piece of furniture be raised to a greater height than the length of the shank. n

A designates the shank of a cnster-whechwhich .shark is of the usual shape and construction,` the second feature not being applied to this wheel. To the cnd of this shank an arm, B, is secured, the ends of which form the axles d d for the wheels a a, one being on each side of the shank. The wheels are held on their axles ld by a bolt, t, and washer e, or in any other suitable manner.

It will be noticed that the axles of the wheels :1re very large in comparison to the small rod usually employed for vthe/wheels of ordinary caster-wheels to tnrn`upom Herein I nm enabled to gain great strength without making the caster large o r cumbersome. The peripheries of the wheels are rounded off, so that there shall be no sharp` corners to scrape upon a carpet or upon a iloor. The shank A, it will be seen, extends upward centrally from the axle between the two wheelsa a', and the latter are, therefore, at a. considerable distance apart, as shown in figs. 1 and 3, and form a good and efficient support for the article to which the caster may be applied. My

yinvention, therefore, diifersmaterially from those two-wheel casters which have a forked shank between which..

`the wheels work. These casters are cumbersome, and do not form a. good and eiicient support. It will be also` noticed that the wheels are directly under the leg of the piece of furniture; hence, however quickly the direction of the motion of the piece of furniture be changed, the wheels will be ready to start on their path in that direction. This, as before stated, is not t-he case with ordinary casters, though it is, to a certain extent, with the ball casters.v The socket() 4employed with this casteris cast in two parts as ordinary casters. In fig. 4`

` the shank of the caster is enlarged on two of its\sides, as shown at ff, a shoulder on each side being formed near the lower extremity of the shank. The socket is made in two' parts, as usual, but around the inside, near the mouth, a ridge7 t,is formed. This socket is to be thrust into lthe bore in the leg of the piece of furniture suiiciently tight to retain its place, or it can 'De secured by screws passing through a flange'aroundits mouth.'

This shank is applied by placing it so that its.` two enlarged sides will bear against opposite sides of each half of the socket; this can then he forced intothe socket, which latter will give suiiicientlyto allow it to enter, and as soon es it is introduced will close, so as to cause the shoulders f 'to rest u'pon the ridges h, and thus keep the shank from falli-ng out, as can be readily seen by reference to said fig. 4. v

Having thus described 'my invention, what I claiL'h as new,`and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is y 1. vThe caster constructed as described, having the shank A cast directly upon the central portionBof the axle between the two wheels, as herein set forth for the purpose Specified.

2. The arrangement of the wheels a'a,. inr combination with the shouldered shank A, arm B, with its axles d d, and the washers c and bolt b, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown a-nd described.

3. 'lhe shank A, enlarged upon two of its sides to form a. shoulder, f, fitting and turning loosely from the.. rib Iz upon the inside of the inouth of the socketC, said socket .being sprung open to receive the shank, as herein set forth Vfor the purpose specified.

JAS. T. BARNES. Witnesses:

WM. F. McNAMAnA, ALEX. F. Routiers.

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