Caster stopper

Abstract

To provide a caster stopper which solves a problem that a wheel of a caster is removed from a caster stopper.SOLUTION: A caster stopper restricts movement of a caster by enclosing a periphery of a wheel of the caster with a pair of wall parts. The wall parts, making the pair, are connected by connection parts and include opening / closing parts for detachably attaching the caster stopper to the caster. The caster stopper has a pair of tabs which are used to apply external force in a direction such that a space between a pair of open ends located at the opening / closing parts is expanded and are provided at areas which are the connection parts and the exterior of the wall parts. The caster stopper is configured to prevent removal from the wheel in a state that the wheel is lifted up.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a caster stopper that restricts the movement of casters on a cart or fixture. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism for preventing the movement of casters by engaging a lock pin with the caster as a device for attaching a caster stopper to a cart or fixture to prevent unintended movement of the cart or fixture. Furthermore, Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose caster stoppers that are made of flexible materials and can be easily attached later. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-109570 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-74412 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-23238 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the caster locking mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 is not very versatile because it needs to be built into the dolly or furniture in advance. The invention described in Reference 2 is a caster stopper for dollies or furniture that can be installed later, but it requires a string to be wrapped around the stopper to prevent it from opening, which makes it difficult to dispose of when the caster stopper is not in use. And the caster stopper described in Reference 3 is made of an elastic material, and can be easily installed by manually widening the slit with a knob, but there is a problem that the slit easily opens when the caster rides over the slit.

[0005] In addition, with conventional caster stoppers, there is a possibility that large vibrations can cause the caster wheels to come off the caster stopper, causing the cart or fixture to run out of control. In view of the above circumstances, the object of this invention is to provide a caster stopper that solves the problems with the caster stoppers mentioned above, particularly the problem of the caster wheels coming off the caster stopper. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a caster stopper that restricts the movement of a caster by surrounding the wheels of the caster with a pair of wall portions, wherein the pair of wall portions are connected by a connecting portion and have an opening and closing portion for attaching and detaching the caster, and the connecting portion has a pair of knobs provided on the outside of the wall portions that apply an external force in a direction widening the gap between a pair of open ends located at the opening and closing portion, and is configured to prevent the wheel from coming off the wheel when it is raised.

[0007] A pair of wall portions are connected by a connecting portion and are provided with an opening and closing portion for attaching and detaching the caster, and the connecting portion has a pair of knobs provided on the outside of the wall portion which apply an external force in a direction widening the gap between a pair of openings located at the opening and closing portion, and is configured so that the wheel does not come off the wheel in a raised state.This allows the caster stopper to be easily attached and removed from the caster, and prevents the wheel of the caster from coming off the caster stopper even in the event of large vibrations.

[0008] The caster stopper described in claim 2 is the caster stopper described in claim 1, characterized in that the pair of wall portions are erected perpendicular to the direction of rotational movement of the wheels, sandwiching the wheels of the casters.

[0009] The pair of walls are erected perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the wheels, sandwiching the wheels of the caster, thereby reducing the amount of material required during formation.

[0010] The caster stopper described in claim 3 is the caster stopper described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it includes a pair of belts connecting the opening / closing part and the connecting part.

[0011] A pair of belts are provided connecting the opening / closing portion and the connecting portion, so that the casters can be prevented from coming off the caster stoppers even during large movements.

[0012] The caster stopper according to claim 4 is characterized in that the distance between the pair of wall portions is set narrower than the width of the wheel. It is.

[0013] Since the distance between the pair of walls is set narrower than the width of the wheel, the pair of walls clamps the wheel tightly, thereby preventing the caster from coming off the caster stopper even in the event of large vibrations.

[0014] The caster stopper described in claim 5 is the caster stopper described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one wall material member and the other wall material member have an overlapping portion at the pair of open ends.

[0015] Since one wall material member and the other wall material member have overlapping portions at a pair of open ends in the open portion of the caster stopper, the open ends are less likely to open even if the caster wheels hit the wall portion at the opening / closing portion.

[0016] The caster stopper described in claim 6 is the caster stopper described in claim 5, characterized in that the overlapping portions overlap vertically.

[0017] Since the overlapping portions overlap vertically, when the caster wheels ride up onto the wall in the open section, the downward pressure exerted on the overlapping portions acts to prevent the opening / closing section from opening.

[0018] The caster stopper described in claim 7 is the caster stopper described in claim 5, wherein the overlapping portion has an interlocking structure.

[0019] The opening and closing part of the caster stopper has an interlocking structure, which effectively prevents the opening and closing part from opening even if the caster wheel hits the opening and closing part.

[0020] The caster stopper described in claim 8 is the caster stopper described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a hook-and-loop fastener is attached to the opening.

[0021] Since a hook-and-loop fastener is attached to the opening portion, the fastening force of the hook-and-loop fastener effectively prevents the opening portion from opening even if the caster wheels hit the opening portion.

[0022] The caster stopper described in claim 9 is the caster stopper described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an elastic member that biases the pair of knobs in a direction that increases the distance between the pair of knobs is provided.

[0023] Since an elastic member is provided that biases the pair of knobs in a direction that widens the distance between them, the opening portion is biased in a direction that closes, regardless of deterioration over time of the material of the caster stopper.

[0024] The caster stopper described in claim 10 is the caster stopper described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wall portion and the knob are made of a synthetic resin.

[0025] Since the wall portion and the knob are made of synthetic resin, they can be manufactured by integral molding. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a caster stopper equipped with a belt, (B) a side view, and (C) a plan view. [Diagram 2]1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which an opening portion is operated using a knob, with (A) no external force being applied, and (B) an external force being applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a detailed explanatory diagram of the caster stopper. [Figure 4] 1A is an explanatory diagram of a leaf spring and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram of a compression spring that biases the open portion in a direction to close the open portion. [Diagram 5] (A) A circular caster and caster stopper, (B) a perspective view of an opening with an overlapping portion of a square caster stopper, and (C) a perspective view from the side of the square caster stopper. [Figure 6] 1A is an explanatory diagram of how the upper and lower open ends overlap, and (B) how the upper and lower ends interlock. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a square caster stopper with high side walls, (B) is a perspective view from the bottom, and (C) is an explanatory diagram of the state in which a wheel is sandwiched between the side walls. [Figure 8] (A) is a perspective view of a square caster stopper, and (B) is an explanatory diagram of the state when a belt is hung on a wheel. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing (A) before the caster stopper is attached to the caster of a piece of furniture, (B) after it has been attached, and (C) the belt being hung on the wheel of the caster stopper. [Figure 10] (A) An explanatory diagram of a caster stopper attached to a diagonal caster on the bottom of a fixture, and (B) one end of the fixture lifted up when it vibrates. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1(A) shows a perspective view of a circular caster stopper. The caster stopper 10 of the present invention has a wall portion 1 that houses the wheel of the caster stopper and a knob 3 that drives the wall portion with an external force. A pair of belts 2 are provided that are hung between an opening portion 11 of the wall portion 1 and a connecting portion 30 that is a portion near the knob. The caster stopper is preferably integrally molded using an elastic synthetic resin.

[0028] Fig. 1(B) is a side view of the caster stopper 10, and Fig. 1(C) is a plan view of the caster stopper 10. It is preferable that the belt 2 has a height higher than the wheels of the caster and holds down the wheels from above.

[0029] Fig. 2(A) shows the state before the caster is attached, and Fig. 2(B) shows the state in which an external force is applied to the knob 3 to open the opening 33. When the caster wheel is inserted into the wall part 1 and closed with the opening 33 open, the wheel is pinched by the belt 2, and the caster stopper is connected to the caster, so that even if the wheel is lifted by vibration, it is difficult for the wheel to come off the caster stopper.

[0030] 3 shows a state in which a hook-and-loop fastener 8 is attached to the open end of the opening. When the opening is opened, the caster wheels are put away, and then the opening is closed, the hook-and-loop fastener 8 is connected, making it difficult for the open end to separate.

[0031] Figure 4 shows how an elastic body that biases the open section in the direction of closing the open section is attached to the connection section. In Figure 4(A), when an external force is applied to the knob, the bent leaf spring becomes flattened, so it tries to return to its original bent direction and acts in the direction of closing the open section. Figure 4(B) shows an example in which a compression spring is used. When an external force is applied to knob 3, the compressed compression spring tries to return to its original state and acts in the direction of closing the open section. By attaching an elastic body to the connection section, it becomes less likely that the open section will open when the wheel moves toward it.

[0032] Using Figure 5, we will explain the case where the opening has overlapping parts, which are enclosed by dotted lines 6 and 7. Figure 5(A) shows the appearance 6 of the opening of a caster stopper with a circular wall part. The thickness of the wall of the left overlapping part 33A and the right overlapping part 33B decreases toward the tip, and when the opening closes and overlaps, it becomes the same thickness as the other part of the wall part.

[0033] 5(B) and (C) show the appearance 7 of the opening of the caster stopper having a rectangular wall portion. The left overlapping portion 11A and the right overlapping portion 11B have the same thickness as the other parts of the wall portion when the opening portion closes and overlaps.

[0034] FIG. 6 shows states 9A and 9B in the open portion of a caster stopper having a circular wall portion, where the open ends overlap vertically. FIG. 6(A) shows a state where the upper overlapping portion 33C and the lower overlapping portion 33D overlap, closing the open portion. Here, FIG. 6(B) shows a structure with unevenness meshing with the overlapping portion. When the open ends overlap vertically in the open portion and the caster wheel rides onto the open portion, the vertical overlapping portions are difficult to separate due to the downward pressure.

[0035] A perspective view of a rectangular caster stopper 25 with high side walls is shown in FIG. 7(A). Different from the rectangular caster stoppers shown in FIGS. 5(B) and 5(C), the side walls for suppressing the caster wheel are configured to be high, and the distance D between the side walls is configured to be narrower than the width W of the wheel shown in FIG. 7(C), i.e., D < W.

[0036] FIG. 7(B) shows the bottom surface 23 of the rectangular caster stopper 25 with high side walls. The bottom surface is processed with unevenness or the like according to the type of floor (such as tiles or carpets) on which the caster stopper is placed.

[0037] FIG. 7(C) shows a state where the caster wheel 40 is sandwiched by the side walls 22. Since the distance D between the side walls is configured to be smaller than the width W of the wheel, the wheel 40 expands the side walls 22, and the caster is attached to the wheel. Due to the elastic force of the caster stopper, the wheel is fixed to the caster stopper and is difficult to come off.

[0038] FIG. 8 shows a state where a portion near the knob, which is the connection portion of the rectangular caster stopper 20, and the open portion are connected by a pair of belts 32. FIG. 8(A) shows the state before inserting the caster wheel into the caster stopper, and FIG. 8(B) shows the state after inserting the caster wheel into the caster stopper. This belt makes it difficult for the wheel to come off the caster stopper. Furthermore, if the distance between the wall portions sandwiching the wheel is made narrower than the width of the wheel, the wall portions will sandwich the wheel, making it difficult for the caster stopper to come off the wheel.

[0039] 9(A) shows the state before the caster stopper 10 is attached to the fixture 50. In order to attach the caster stopper to the wheel of the caster stopper that is in close contact with the floor, an external force is applied to the knob 3 to open the opening portion 11 of the caster stopper and the wheel 40 is inserted into the caster stopper.

[0040] Fig. 9(B) shows the caster stopper 10 attached to the caster wheel 40. The caster wheel 40 fits into the caster stopper 10 and cannot move. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 9(C), the caster wheel 40 is held in the caster stopper 10 by a belt.

[0041] Fig. 10(A) shows a caster stopper 10 attached to a caster located diagonally across from a fixture 50. When a large external vibration is applied, the opposite side of the fixture, whose movement is prevented by the caster stopper 10, rises up. With conventional caster stoppers, there is a risk that the caster stopper may come off the caster wheel. The caster stopper 10 of the present invention is tightened by a belt or side wall, making it difficult for the stopper to come off the wheel.

[0042] The above-described embodiment is a part of the present invention, and any embodiment including the technical idea of ​​the present invention is included in the technical idea of ​​the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Caster stopper 2 Belt 3 Knob 30 Connection 33 Connection 33C Upper overlapping part 33D Lower overlapping part 33E Upper engagement part 33F Lower Interlocking Part 4 Leaf spring 5 Compression spring 6 Horizontal overlapping part of circular caster stopper 7 Horizontal overlapping part of square caster stopper 8. Hook and Loop Fastener 9A Upper overlapping member 9B Lower overlapping member 11 Open area 11A Left open section 11B Right open part 20 Square caster stopper 21 Left side wall 22 Right side wall 23 Bottom 25 High-walled square caster stopper 32 Belt 33A Left overlapping member 33B Right overlapping member 40 wheels 50 Furniture

Claims

1. A caster stopper that limits the movement of a caster by surrounding the wheels of the caster with a pair of walls. The pair of wall portions are connected by a connecting portion and have an opening / closing portion for attaching and detaching the caster. a pair of knobs provided on the outside of the wall portion at the connection portion for applying an external force in a direction to widen the gap between the pair of open ends located in the open portion; The caster stopper is configured so that the wheel does not come off the caster when the wheel is raised.

2. 2. The caster stopper according to claim 1, wherein the pair of walls are erected perpendicular to the direction of rotation of the wheels, sandwiching the wheels of the caster.

3. The caster stopper according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a pair of belts connecting the opening / closing portion and the connecting portion.

4. 3. The caster stopper according to claim 2, wherein the distance between the pair of walls is set narrower than the width of the wheel.

5. 3. The caster stopper according to claim 1, wherein one wall material member and the other wall material member have an overlapping portion at the pair of open ends.

6. The caster stopper according to claim 5, wherein the overlapping portions overlap vertically.

7. The caster stopper according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the overlapping portion has an interlocking structure.

8. 3. The caster stopper according to claim 1, wherein a hook-and-loop fastener is attached to the open end.

9. 3. The caster stopper according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic member that biases the pair of knobs in a direction that increases the distance between the pair of knobs.

10. 3. The caster stopper according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion and the knob are made of a synthetic resin.

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