Caster

A caster wherein a U-shaped metallic or plastic frame has a vertically extending web and two parallel prongs which support the shaft for the wheel. The upper portion of the space between the prongs is occupied by a block-shaped supporting member which stiffens the frame and is secured to the prongs by a transversely extending bolt. A portion of the supporting member which is adjacent to the upper portion of the web has one or more projections which are received in complementary sockets or holes of the web. That portion of the supporting member which is adjacent to the inner side of the web has a vertical hole for a kingbolt which is held in the supporting member against axial movement and the upper portion of which is externally threaded to be received in the leg of a piece of furniture or the like. The supporting member can be assembled of several mirror symmetrical sections and can further support or can be made integral with a brake shoe and/or a device for releasably locking the supporting member and the frame against rotation about the axis of the kingbolt.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES 
The caster of the present invention constitutes an improvement over and a 
further development of casters which are disclosed in commonly owned 
copending patent applications Ser. Nos. 675,525 of Sachser, 699,795 of 
Vollberg et al., and 723,249 of Vollberg et al. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to casters, and more particularly to 
improvements in those portions of casters which support the wheel or 
wheels and enable the wheel or wheels to swivel about a substantially 
vertical axis, for example, relative to the leg of a piece of furniture, 
relative to the leg of a hospital bed or the like. Still more 
particularly, the invention relates to improvements in casters wherein the 
wheel or wheels are mounted between, and are rotatable relative to, prongs 
which are connected to each other by a substantially vertical web. 
In many conventional casters, the wheel or wheels are rotatably mounted in 
a one-piece bifurcated frame having a pair of spaced-apart prongs and a 
vertically extending web which is integral with the prongs to form 
therewith a substantially U-shaped body. Such frames can be produced by 
deep drawing. Except in those instances when the caster is a so-called box 
runner or fix caster, the web of the U-shaped frame can constitute a 
component part of the swivel bearing which connects the caster to a leg or 
the like so that the frame and the wheel therein can swivel about an axis 
which extends at right angles to the axis of the wheel. To this end, the 
web of the frame can be provided with one or more circular tracks for 
balls or otherwise configurated rolling elements of one or more 
antifriction bearings which are interposed between the web and the 
supporting leg. The thus deformed web cooperates with a similar component 
at the lower end of the leg to form therewith a pair of races for one or 
more annuli of rolling elements. Alternatively, the web of the U-shaped 
frame which rotatably supports one or more rollers can be provided with a 
ring-shaped housing for one or more antifriction bearings surrounding a 
customary kingbolt extending upwardly beyond the bearing and being affixed 
to the leg of a piece of furniture or the like. 
A drawback of frames which define tracks for rolling elements is that they 
must be made of an expensive material which is capable of being shaped in 
a deep drawing machine. The web deforming operation to provide therein one 
or more tracks for rolling elements is an expensive and time-consuming 
procedure. The situation is aggravated if the frame must be made of 
stainless steel or an equivalent high-quality material which presents 
additional problems in connection with the deformation of the web. 
In accordance with a further earlier proposal, the prongs of the U-shaped 
frame forming part of a caster are integrally connected to each other by a 
substantially semicircular web or bridge which is welded to a bearing eye. 
Such solution is not entirely satisfactory because it is not possible to 
preassemble all component parts of the caster except by utilizing 
specially designed holding means which must be applied and remain applied 
until after the establishment of a connection between the prongs and the 
semicircular web. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved caster 
wherein the wheel or wheels are rotatably supported in a simple, compact 
and inexpensive frame. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a caster whose frame and the 
parts which are attached thereto can be mass-produced in available 
machinery. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a caster whose components 
can be assembled in automated machinery and without the need for specially 
designed holding means. 
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved 
supporting member which can be used to secure the U-shaped frame for the 
wheel or wheels of a caster to the leg of a piece of furniture, of a bed 
or the like. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide novel and improved 
means for anchoring the kingbolt of a caster in the frame which carries 
the wheel or wheels. 
An additional object of the invention is to provide novel and improved 
means for holding the frame of the wheel or wheels against swiveling 
movement about the axis of the kingbolt. 
A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means 
for braking the wheel or wheels of the caster. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method 
of assembling the component parts of the aforedescribed caster. 
A further object of the invention is to provide a piece of furniture, a 
bed, a conveyance or another device which embodies or carries one or more 
casters exhibiting the above outlined features. 
The invention is embodied in a caster which comprises a frame having two 
spaced-apart prongs and a web which connects the prongs to each other. The 
caster further comprises a substantially block-shaped supporting member 
which is disposed between and is affixed to the prongs. The web and the 
supporting member have cooperating male and female coupling means. Such 
coupling means can comprise one or more projections on the supporting 
member and one or more complementary sockets in the web. The frame is 
preferably bifurcated and the supporting member preferably extends 
substantially at right angles to the web. When the caster is in use, the 
web is substantially vertical and the supporting member is substantially 
horizontal. Portions of the prongs then extend downwardly beyond the 
supporting member, and such portions flank the wheel or wheels which are 
rotatably mounted in the prongs. The means for affixing the supporting 
member to the prongs can include at least one bolt which extends 
transversely of and through the supporting member and the prongs. The end 
portions of such bolt can be provided with rivet heads at the outer sides 
of the prongs. 
The caster further comprises a kingbolt which is rotatably journalled in 
the supporting member, and means (for example, a split ring or a nut) for 
holding the kingbolt against axial movement relative to the supporting 
member. 
The supporting member preferably includes or carries a brake shoe which is 
adjacent to the periphery of the wheel, and means for moving the brake 
shoe toward and into engagement with the periphery of the wheel. Such 
moving means can comprise a lever having a fulcrum which is mounted in the 
supporting member and is pivotable with reference to the supporting member 
between a first position in which the brake shoe is free to be disengaged 
from the periphery of the wheel (for example, under the action of one or 
more springs or analogous biasing means or due to innate elasticity of the 
brake shoe) and a second position in which the brake shoe is in frictional 
engagement with the periphery of the wheel. The caster can also comprise 
means for releasably locking the kingbolt and the supporting member 
against rotation relative to each other. Such locking means is preferably 
mounted in and is movable relative to the supporting member between 
operative and inoperative positions, and the caster can further comprise 
means (for example, one or more coil springs) for biasing the locking 
means to its inoperative position. In accordance with a presently 
preferred embodiment of the invention, the locking means is reciprocable 
in the supporting member between operative and inoperative positions, and 
the moving means can include means (such as the aforementioned fulcrum) 
for moving the locking means to the operative position in response to 
movement of the brake shoe toward and into frictional engagement with the 
periphery of the wheel. Thus, the moving means can perform the dual 
function of actuating the brake shoe simultaneously with movement of the 
locking means to its operative position. 
The supporting member can contain or can carry one or more antifriction 
bearings (such as radial and/or axial bearings) for the kingbolt. 
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the means for 
moving the brake shoe of the braking means into engagement with the 
periphery of the wheel can include an elongated displacing element which 
is non-rotatably mounted in the kingbolt and is movable longitudinally of 
the kingbolt between a first position in which the displacing element 
maintains the brake shoe in engagement with the periphery of the wheel and 
a second position in which the brake shoe is free to move away from the 
wheel, for example, under the action of biasing means. Such biasing means 
can react against the frame and can bear against the brake shoe to move 
the latter away from the periphery of the wheel as soon as the displacing 
element is retracted. The displacing element can be provided with a bevel 
gear, and the brake shoe can be provided with a complementary internal 
gear which mates with the bevel gear when the displacing element is moved 
downwardly toward the periphery of the wheel. 
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the supporting 
member can be assembled of a plurality of discrete sections. For example, 
the supporting member can be assembled of two sections which are 
substantially mirror symmetrical to each other with reference to a plane 
which extends at right angles to the axis of the wheel and is disposed 
midway between the prongs of the frame. Such sections have abutting 
surfaces and can be provided with complementary sockets which are machined 
into or are otherwise formed in the respective surfaces. A portion of the 
kingbolt can be mounted in such sockets for rotation relative to the 
assembled supporting member. At least one antifriction bearing can be 
interposed between the just mentioned portion of the kingbolt and the 
sections of the composite supporting member. Such portion of the kingbolt 
can be provided with a circumferential collar which is rotatably received 
in the sockets, and the sections of the supporting member are preferably 
provided with means (such as suitably configurated internal surfaces) for 
holding the collar against axial movement relative to the supporting 
member. The axis of the kingbolt is preferably normal to and crosses in 
space with the axis of the wheel. If the composite supporting member 
comprises two sections, the sections are preferably mirror symmetrical to 
each other with reference to the plane in which the surfaces of the two 
sections abut against each other. At least one section of the composite 
supporting member can be provided with one or more additional sockets, 
recesses, cavities or the like for one or more portions of means for 
braking the wheel or wheels and/or means for releasably locking the 
kingbolt and the supporting member against rotation relative to each 
other. 
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention 
are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved caster 
itself, however, both as to its construction and the mode of assembling 
the same, together with additional features and advantages thereof, will 
be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of 
certain specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a caster which comprises a 
U-shaped frame 10 including two spaced-apart parallel legs or prongs 11, 
12 and a web or bridge 13 which connects the front end portions of the 
prongs to each other (as considered in the direction of travel of the 
caster, namely in a direction from the right to the left, as viewed in 
FIG. 1). The frame 10 is a one-piece body made of sheet metal and obtained 
from a flat blank as a result of bending of the prongs 11 and 12 at right 
angles to the plane of the web 13. The prongs 11 and 12 are formed with 
cutouts in the form of rectangular windows 34 in order to reduce the 
overall weight and the cost of the frame 10. When the caster of FIGS. 1 to 
3 is in actual use, the web 13 is located in a substantially vertical 
plane ahead of the wheel 15 which is disposed between the prongs 11, 12 
and whose shaft (not shown) is mounted in registering circular holes 14 of 
the prongs. The frame 10 is open from below and from its rear side; the 
front side of the frame 10 is closed by the web 13; and the upper side of 
the frame 10 is closed by a substantially block-shaped one-piece 
supporting member 17 which extends into the space between the upper 
portions of the prongs 11 and 12 and is affixed thereto by a horizontal 
bolt 20 which traverses the supporting member and the upper portions of 
the prongs and whose end portions are deformed so as to constitute rivet 
heads (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The lower portions of the prongs 11 and 12 
extend downwardly beyond the supporting member 17. The latter is disposed 
in a substantially horizontal plane at right angles to the substantially 
vertical plane of the web 13. 
In accordance with a feature of the invention, the front portion of the 
supporting member 17 and the adjacent upper portion of the web 13 are 
provided with complementary coupling means for fixedly securing the member 
17 to the frame 10 in addition to the affixing means 20. The coupling 
means comprises an elongated narrow female coupling member or socket 16 
which is machined into or is otherwise formed in the web 13, and a 
complementary forwardly extending elongated projection 19 of the 
supporting member 17. The upper portion of the supporting member 17 is 
preferably provided with a ledge 18 which overlies the upper edge faces of 
the prongs 11, 12 and web 13. It has been found that the ledge 18, the 
projection 19 and the bolt 20 suffice to ensure reliable retention of the 
supporting member 17 in the upper portion of the frame 10, namely in the 
space between the web 13 and the prongs 11, 12. 
If the caster of FIGS. 1 to 3 is to constitute a so-called box runner, the 
upper right-hand portion of the supporting member 17 (as viewed in FIG. 1) 
is not rounded; the thus modified supporting member has a horizontal top 
surface which extends all the way to the planes of the right-hand edge 
faces of the prongs 11 and 12. The modified supporting member 17 is 
further provided with one or more holes for screws, bolts or other 
suitable means for non-rotatably securing the supporting member to the 
underside of a trolley, tray, or other receptacle which is to be capable 
of rolling along the ground or along the floor in a plant or the like. 
The front portion of the supporting member 17 is provided with a vertical 
hole 21 for the lower portion of a kingbolt 22 which is rotatably mounted 
in the hole close to the inner side of the web 13 and is held against 
axial movement by a split ring 27 or a like device. The split ring 27 is 
received in a circumferential groove 26 which is machined into or is 
otherwise formed in the lower end portion of the kingbolt 22. The kingbolt 
22 defines a vertical swivel axis about which the frame 10, the supporting 
member 17 and the wheel 15 can turn with reference to the leg of a piece 
of furniture, the leg of a hospital bed or the like. The axis of the 
kingbolt 22 extends at right angles to and crosses in space with the axis 
of the wheel 15. The axis of the wheel 15 is located behind the axis of 
the kingbolt 22, as seen in the direction of travel of the caster. 
The median portion 23 of the kingbolt 22 has a hexagonal outline with 
facets 24 which can be engaged by a wrench or by another suitable tool to 
rotate the kingbolt relative to a piece of furniture or the like whereby 
the externally threaded upper end portion 25 of the kingbolt penetrates 
into a tapped bore of the leg of a hospital bed, the leg of a piece of 
furniture or the like. 
It will be readily appreciated that the illustrated mode of holding the 
kingbolt 22 against axial movement relative to the supporting member 17 
and of installing the upper portion 25 of the kingbolt in a piece of 
furniture or the like constitutes but one of numerous solutions all of 
which can be resorted to with equal or similar advantage without departing 
from the spirit and scope of the invention. Other modes of installing the 
kingbolt 22 in the supporting member 17 are shown in FIGS. 8-9 and in 
FIGS. 11-18. 
An important advantage of the improved caster is that its frame 10 can be 
made of inexpensive metallic material which need not be capable of being 
deformed in a deep drawing machine. It is further possible to make the 
frame 10 and/or the supporting member 17 from a suitable synthetic plastic 
material which can be shaped in a casting or injection molding machine. 
Another advantage of the improved caster is that its component parts can be 
mass-produced and are readily distinguishable from each other by automatic 
scanners or sensors so that they can be classified in automatic machinery 
to ensure automatic assembly of the parts with each other as well as with 
pieces of furniture or the like. The frame 10, the supporting member 17 
and the kingbolt 22 can be properly oriented on conventional conveyors for 
delivery to an assembly line. The configuration of component parts of the 
improved caster is simple which also contributes to convenience of 
automatic assembly. The supporting member 17 reinforces the frame 10 so 
that such frame can be readily treated in automatic assembly plants. 
The making of sockets 16 and windows 34 in a long or short series of frames 
10 presents no problems and can be carried out in automatic machinery. The 
same applies for installation of the bolt 20 and the mounting of the 
kingbolt 22 in the supporting member 17, either prior or subsequent to 
assembly of the supporting member with the frame 10. 
A further advantage of the improved caster is that its frame 10 can be 
readily used as a means for carrying one or more wheels 15 for angular 
movement about a vertical axis (of the kingbolt 22) or that the caster can 
serve as a box runner whose supporting member is non-rotatably affixed to 
the underside of a container for discrete commodities or the like. 
FIGS. 4 and 5 show a modified caster wherein all such parts which are 
identical with or clearly analogous to the corresponding parts of the 
caster of FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by similar reference characters. The 
kingbolt has been omitted for the sake of clarity. The supporting member 
17 is made from a resilient metallic material or from an elastomeric 
synthetic plastic material and is formed with an integral brake shoe 28 
having a serrated, corrugated, toothed or otherwise roughened underside 
for proper frictional engagement with the periphery of the wheel 15. The 
brake shoe 28 tends to move upwardly so as to become disengaged from the 
wheel 15. The means for moving the shoe 28 into frictional engagement with 
the wheel 15 comprises a foot-operated lever or pedal 30 having an 
inverted U-shaped arm 32 which extends away from the supporting member 17 
and a fulcrum 31 which is integral with the arm 32 and extends into a 
complementary socket 29 in the upper portion of the supporting member 17. 
The lower portion of the fulcrum 31 is adjacent to the upper side of the 
brake shoe 28. When the pedal 30 is depressed by the foot of a person in 
charge so that it is pivoted from the solid-line to the phantom-line 
position of FIG. 4, the lower portion of the fulcrum 31 slides along the 
upper side of the brake shoe 28 and flexes the brake shoe downwardly 
toward and into proper frictional engagement with the periphery of the 
wheel 15. The pedal 30 comes to a stop when it reaches the phantom-line 
position in which the left-hand side of the fulcrum 31 abuts against the 
adjacent inclined surface bounding the left-hand portion of the socket 29 
in the supporting member 17. The socket 29 is a simple recess which is 
machined into or is otherwise formed in the supporting member 17 at a 
level above the brake shoe 28. The arm 32 of the pedal 30 comprises two 
spaced-apart legs (see FIG. 5) which are integral with the respective ends 
of the fulcrum 31. The fulcrum 31 can be introduced into or withdrawn from 
its socket 29 upon detachment of the wheel 15 from the lower portions of 
the prongs 11 and 12. The ends of the socket 29 are open, as at 33, so as 
to allow for insertion of the junctions between the ends of the fulcrum 31 
and the adjacent portions of the two legs of the arm 32. 
FIG. 4 shows the brake shoe 28 in its raised or inoperative position in 
which its underside does not contact the periphery of the wheel 15. The 
resiliency of the brake shoe 28 suffices to maintain the fulcrum 31 in the 
illustrated end position or in the other end position to which the fulcrum 
is moved in response to depression of the pedal 30 so that the pedal 
assumes the phantom-line position of FIG. 4. Maximum braking action is 
produced when the fulcrum 31 is substantially vertical, i.e., when it 
assumes the dead-center position between its two end positions. The brake 
shoe 28 automatically urges the fulcrum 31 to the one or-to the other end 
position as soon as the fulcrum leaves its dead-center position and the 
pedal 30 is free to move toward the solid-line position or toward the 
phantom-line position of FIG. 4. The pedal 30 extends rearwardly from a 
level substantially above the shaft for the wheel 15 and counter to the 
direction of travel of the caster. 
An important advantage of the caster of FIGS. 4 and 5 is that it need not 
be provided with a discrete (separately fabricated) brake shoe. Thus, the 
brake shoe 28 can constitute an integral part of the supporting member 17. 
Such supporting member can be made of a suitable metallic or synthetic 
plastic material. The material of the supporting member 17 may but need 
not be identical with the material of the frame. It has been found that 
many available highly wear-resistant synthetic plastic materials can be 
used for the making of the supporting member 17 and that such materials 
ensure that the supporting member can stand long periods of use. 
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a caster constituting a first modification of the 
caster which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The pedal 30' of the caster of 
FIGS. 6 and 7 is a rectangular frame-like member whose composite leg 35 
extends forwardly along the sides of the frame 10 so that it can be 
depressed in front of the web 13. Thus, both sections of the arm 35 extend 
forwardly and rearwardly of the vertical hole 21 which is provided in the 
supporting member 17' for the kingbolt, not shown. The rear end portion of 
the frame-like pedal 30' comprises the fulcrum 31 which is received in the 
socket 29 of the supporting member 17', and a transversely extending wall 
member 36 which is integral with the rear end portions 32' of the two 
sections of the arm 35. As can be seen in FIG. 7, the portions 32' extend 
into recesses 33 provided in the rear portion of the supporting member 17' 
so that such rear portion constitutes the pintle of a hinge permitting 
pivotal movements of the pedal 30'between the solid-line and phantom-line 
positions of FIG. 6. The construction, configuration and mode of operation 
of the brake shoe 28, which is an integral part of the supporting member 
17', are preferably the same as described in connection with FIGS. 4 and 
5. 
If desired, the illustrated frame-like pedal 30' can be replaced with a 
pedal which has two arms at the opposite sides of the fulcrum 31. An 
advantage of such pedal is that it can be actuated from the front side or 
from the rear side of the caster. 
FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a second modification of the caster which is shown 
in FIGS. 4 and 5. The pedal 30 is similar to or identical with the pedal 
of the caster which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The prongs 11 and 12 of the 
frame are reinforced by elongated ribs 47, 48 and 49 so as to adequately 
stiffen those portions of the prongs which carry the shaft for the wheel 
15. Similar or otherwise configurated reinforcing ribs or the like can be 
provided at the outer side and/or at the inner side of the lower portion 
of the web 13. 
In addition to the brake shoe 28 for the wheel 15, the caster of FIGS. 8 
and 9 further comprises means for releasably locking the kingbolt 22 
against rotation relative to the supporting member 17' and vice versa, 
i.e., for holding the caster against swiveling movements about the axis of 
the kingbolt 22. Such locking means comprises a reciprocable device 37 
which is mounted in a horizontal hole or bore 40 of the supporting member 
17' and has a toothed front end portion 41 which is movable into 
engagement with the annulus of external teeth 42 of that portion of the 
kingbolt 22 which is installed in the hole 21 of the supporting member 
17'. The rear end portion of the reciprocable holding or locking device 37 
includes an enlarged head 38 which is biased rearwardly by a coil spring 
39 mounted in an enlarged portion of the hole 40 in the supporting member 
17' and tending to disengage the teeth 41 from the adjacent teeth 42. The 
arrangement is such that the head 38 is automatically shifted forwardly to 
activate the device 37 and to thus hold the supporting member 17' against 
rotation relative to the kingbolt 22 as soon as the pedal 30 is depressed 
in order to move toward its phantom-line position, i.e., in automatic 
response to deformation of the brake shoe 28 into frictional engagement 
with the periphery of the wheel 15. This means that mere depression of the 
pedal 30 suffices to apply the brake as well as to prevent any swiveling 
of the caster about the axis of the kingbolt 22. The median portion of the 
device 37 is preferably polygonal or otherwise deviates from a circular 
shape so that it cannot be rotated in the complementary hole or bore 40 of 
the supporting member 17'. The bore 40 has a smaller portion for the 
non-circular portion of the device 37 and a larger portion for the front 
part of the head 38 and coil spring 39. 
FIG. 8 further shows that the kingbolt 22 is mounted in two antifriction 
bearings 43, 44 which are installed in the front portion of the supporting 
member 17'. The upper bearing 43 is a thrust bearing which is recessed 
into a groove provided in the ledge 18 of the supporting member 17'. The 
lower bearing 44 is a radial bearing with one or more annuli of balls or 
otherwise configurated antifriction rolling elements. The races of the 
lower bearing 44 are held in the illustrated positions by a split ring 46 
which simultaneously holds the kingbolt 22 against axial movement relative 
to the supporting member 17'. The upper bearing 43 is overlapped by a 
washer-like cap 45 which prevents penetration of foreign matter into the 
hole 21. It is clear that the positions of the bearings 43, 44 can be 
interchanged and that the kingbolt 22 can be surrounded by two or more 
thrust bearings or two or more radial bearings. 
The caster of FIGS. 8 and 9 exhibits the advantage that a single actuating 
device (pedal 30) suffices to operate the means for releasably locking the 
supporting member 17' against rotation relative to the kingbolt 22 as well 
as for actuating the brake shoe 28. Moreover, the operation of the locking 
means is automatically synchronized with the operation of the brake, i.e., 
the brake is disengaged in automatic response to disengagement of the 
locking device 37 from kingbolt 22 and vice versa. 
The bearings 43 and 44 constitute an optional but highly desirable feature 
of the caster. It is often sufficient if the kingbolt 22 is mounted in a 
simple friction bearing. This depends on the circumstances under which the 
caster is to be put to use. 
The caster of FIG. 10 can be used with particular advantage on the legs of 
hospital beds and the like. This caster has a kingbolt 22' which is formed 
with a non-circular bore or hole 50 extending in parallelism with its axis 
and receiving an elongated displacing element 51 forming part of means for 
moving a reciprocable brake shoe 54 toward and from engagement with the 
periphery of the wheel. The shank of the displacing element 51 is 
non-rotatably mounted in the hole 50 and its lower end portion carries a 
bevel gear 52 which is receivable in a complementary internal gear 55 
provided in the upper side of the brake shoe 54. The latter is 
reciprocable between two retainers or stops 56, 57 at the inner side of 
the web 13 and is biased upwardly by one or more coil springs 58 tending 
to maintain the shoe 54 in its disengaged (raised) position. The hole 50 
can have a square or rectangular cross-sectional outline. The same applies 
for the shank of the displacing element 51. This displacing element is 
reciprocable relative to the kingbolt 22', for example, by a wheel or the 
like which is within range of the occupant of the bed. The brake shoe 54 
can extend all the way between the two prongs of the frame 10. When the 
shank of the displacing element 51 is moved downwardly so that the teeth 
53 of the bevel gear 52 mate with the teeth of the internal gear 55 of the 
brake shoe 54, the brake shoe is held in proper frictional engagement with 
the periphery of the wheel and, in addition, the frame 10 and the 
supporting member 17 are held against rotation about the vertical axis of 
the kingbolt 22'. 
An advantage of the caster which is shown in FIG. 10 is that it can be 
controlled from a location which is remote from the wheel. The brake shoe 
54 cooperates with the displacing member 51 to perform a simultaneous 
braking and locking action. This will be readily appreciated since, when 
the bevel gear 52 mates with the internal gear 55, the brake shoe 54 holds 
the wheel 15 against rotation and simultaneously holds the frame, the 
wheel and the supporting member against angular movement about the axis of 
the kingbolt. 
FIGS. 11 to 13 illustrate a further caster which utilizes a composite 
supporting member 17 including two mirror symmetrical portions or sections 
17.1 and 17.2. The two sections have abutting surfaces 61 which are 
located in a plane disposed midway between the planes of the prongs 11 and 
12 and halving the web 13. The surfaces 61 are formed with mirror 
symmetrical sockets 62 and 63 which together define a hole 21 for the 
kingbolt 22. The lower portion of the kingbolt 22 constitutes a 
larger-diameter collar or flange which is received in complementary 
enlarged portions of the sockets 62 and 63. The surfaces bounding the 
upper and lower sides of the sockets 62, 63 constitute a means for holding 
the kingbolt 22 against axial movement relative to the supporting member 
17. Each of the sections 17.1 and 17.2 comprises one half of the two-piece 
ledge 18 and one half of the composite projection 19. The projection 19 is 
received in an elongated socket or slot 16 of the web 13. The ledge 18 
preferably overlaps the upper edge of the web 13 but it can also overlap 
the upper edges of the prongs 11 and 12. The means for affixing the 
composite supporting member 17 to the prongs 11, 12 comprises a bolt 20 
which traverses the supporting member as well as the upper portions of the 
prongs and whose end portions can be enlarged to constitute rivet heads. 
In order to facilitate predictable assembly of the sections 17.1 and 17.2, 
one of the surfaces 61 can be provided with a suitable protuberance 60 
fitting into a complementary recess 59 of the other section or vice versa. 
FIG. 13 shows that the section 17.2 has an annular protuberance 60 
surrounding the hole for the bolt 20 and received in a complementary 
circular recess 59 in the surface 61 of the section 17.1. 
FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate a caster which constitutes a first modification 
of the caster of FIGS. 11 to 13. This caster comprises a two-piece 
kingbolt including a hollow cylindrical sleeve-like portion 64 which is 
received in the composite hole 21 of the two-piece supporting member 17 
and has a centrally located circumferentially extending collar received in 
complementary portions of the sockets 62, 63 (only the socket 62 is shown) 
provided in the abutting surfaces 61 of the sections of the supporting 
member 17. The tubular portion 64 receives a cylindrical pin (not shown) 
which constitutes the second part of the kingbolt and is threaded into the 
leg of a piece of furniture or the like. The manner in which the composite 
supporting member 17 is affixed to the prongs 11, 12 and to the web 13 is 
the same as described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 3 and 11 to 13. The 
collar of the sleeve 64 obviates the need for a washer or other discrete 
means for holding the kingbolt against axial movement relative to the 
supporting member 17. The surfaces surrounding the sleeve 64 constitute a 
friction bearing for the kingbolt. However it is equally possible to 
surround the sleeve 64 with one or more radial and/or axial antifriction 
bearings. 
FIG. 16 shows an embodiment wherein the composite hole including the 
sockets 62 and 63 (only the socket 62 is shown) of the two-piece 
supporting member 17 receives two axially spaced-apart radial antifriction 
bearings 66. The outer races of the bearings 66 are received in annular 
grooves 65 which are machined into the surfaces surrounding the sockets 62 
and 63. The kingbolt (not shown) has a collar which is disposed between 
the two bearings 66 to be thus held against axial movement relative to the 
composite supporting member 17. In all other respects, the caster of FIG. 
16 is identical with the caster of FIGS. 11-13 or FIGS. 14-15. 
FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate a further modification of the caster which is 
shown in FIGS. 11-13. The composite supporting member 17 of this caster 
has a composite hole 21 for the lower portion of the kingbolt 22 and the 
means for holding the kingbolt against axial movement comprises a toothed 
washer 67 having an annulus of external teeth which can cooperate with the 
adjacent end portion or pallet of an elastic tongue 128 forming one arm of 
a three-armed brake shoe 28. Another arm 68 of the brake shoe 28 is 
anchored in a socket 69 which is provided in the section 17.1 and/or 
section 17.2 of the composite supporting member 17. The manner in which 
the right-hand arm of the brake shoe 28 is pivotable by the fulcrum 31 of 
the pedal 30 is the same as described in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5. An 
advantage of this construction is that the means for locking the 
supporting member 17 against rotation about the axis of the kingbolt 22 is 
integral with the brake shoe, i.e., with the means for holding the wheel 
15 against rotation in response to depression of the pedal 30. In this 
embodiment of the caster, the washer 67 is held against rotation relative 
to the kingbolt 22. The configuration of the socket 29 for the fulcrum 31 
of the pedal 30 is the same as described in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5. 
The underside of the brake shoe 28 may be provided with teeth, serrations 
or other unevennesses in order to enhance the braking action which is 
initiated in response to depression of the pedal 30. The entire brake shoe 
28 can constitute a rectangular piece of resilient metallic material (such 
as sheet steel) the central portion of which has a U-shaped slot so as to 
permit for depression of a tongue which constitutes the anchoring portion 
68 in the socket 69 of the composite supporting member 17. FIG. 17 shows 
the brake shoe 28 in its inoperative position in which the wheel 15 is 
free to rotate about its axis relative to the prongs 11 and 12. Depression 
of the pedal 30 entails an engagement of the brake shoe 28 with the 
periphery of the wheel 15 as well as a movement of the pallet 128 toward 
and into mesh with the adjacent teeth on the washer 67 so as to lock the 
supporting member 17 against rotation relative to the kingbolt 22. The 
left-hand portion or pallet 128 of the brake shoe 28 can be provided with 
one or more teeth which are complementary to the teeth at the periphery of 
the washer 67. 
An advantage of the embodiments which are shown in FIGS. 11 to 18 is that 
the number of parts can be reduced to a minimum due to assembly of the 
supporting member from several sections. The supporting member can be 
assembled from more than two sections if such construction is desirable or 
necessary. The formation of sockets 62, 63 or similar recesses in the the 
surfaces 61 of the sections 17.1 and 17.2 renders it possible to readily 
install one or more collars, bearings, and/or other parts. The provision 
of the sockets 69 and 29 renders it possible to install a combined braking 
and locking device, for example, in a manner as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18. 
A single actuating means (such as the pedal 30) suffices to actuate the 
locking means simultaneously with actuation of the braking means. The 
composite supporting member 17 can be made from a metallic or synthetic 
plastic material. The same applies for the frame 10. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of our contribution to 
the art and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be 
comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the appended 
claims.