Furniture Caster Marking Readability via Segmented Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing caster wheels for furniture have markings on the visible side that become unreadable when the furniture is moved or stationary, as the wheel rotates and changes direction, making it difficult to display branding or information effectively.
Innovation Solution
A caster design featuring a wheel housing with a shaft and orifice system that allows the wheel to rotate independently of the shaft, incorporating a plug and disc to secure the wheel, enabling a fixed position for branding while allowing the wheel to pivot and rotate freely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a marking is affixed on the visible side face of a roulette wheel, then branding or information can be displayed, but the marking becomes unreadable when the furniture is moved or stationary as the wheel rotates and changes direction
Solution Approach 1:
The marking surface is segmented from the rotating wheel component. The marking is placed on the stationary housing rather than on the wheel itself, separating the information display function from the motion function. This allows the wheel to rotate freely while the marking remains fixed and readable.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing acts as an intermediary carrier for the marking. Instead of placing the marking directly on the rotating wheel, it is placed on the stationary housing that mediates between the wheel's motion and the need for stable information display. The housing remains stationary while the wheel rotates around it.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the wheel is designed to pivot and rotate freely for furniture movement, then mobility is improved, but any fixed marking on the wheel becomes difficult to grasp and read
Solution Approach 1:
The functions of mobility and information display are segmented into separate components. The wheel handles mobility through free rotation and pivoting, while the housing provides a stable surface for branding. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking is relocated from the two-dimensional rotating wheel surface to the stationary housing structure, effectively changing the spatial dimension where the marking exists. This allows the marking to remain in a fixed reference frame while the wheel operates in a different dimensional space for movement.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a caster essentially characterised in that it comprises: a wheel casing (10); a hole (20) provided in the casing along an axis (21); at least one wheel (30-1, 30-2); a shaft (40) mounted in the hole (20) and designed to have one portion (41-1, 41-2) that projects from the side wall (11) of the casing (10) that contains the hole (20) opening; means for securely attaching the shaft (40) to the casing (10); means (32) for rotatably mounting the wheel (30) on the projecting portion of the shaft (41-1, 41-2); an opening (42-1, 42-2) provided in the free end (43) of the projecting portion of the shaft, said opening extending along an axis (44) parallel to the aforementioned axis (21) and opening onto the end face (45) of said portion of the shaft, and a plug (50) inserted into the opening.