Abstract:
An apparatus for attachment to a wheel, a coupling device for attachment to a wheel, a wheeled cart, and a method for using the apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus has a sliding surface and a coupling system for releasably attaching the sliding surface to the wheel.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to the field of wheels and, more particularly, to an apparatus which attaches around a wheel thereby protecting the wheel and improving the wheel&#39;s mobility over rough surfaces such as snow, slush, etc.  
         BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    Carts, whether they are grocery, shopping, or other types of wheeled carts, typically have numerous wheels. Whether the wheels are a standard (i.e., non-steerable) wheel, or a steerable wheel such as a caster wheel, the wheel and its parts frequently wear out due to the rough conditions they are submitted to. Being that the carts are often outside, the various parts of the wheels are submitted to all types of inclement weather, temperature, moisture, surface conditions, UV, as well as abuse by the end user. As a result, the most frequent maintenance and cost item for carts is, far and away, the repair or replacement of the wheel assembly.  
           [0003]    In northern climes, in particular, wheeled carts are subjected to an additional impediment. Namely: snow. Whether it is a freshly fallen snow or a poorly maintained parking lot, snow and slush, in any amount, makes the locomotion of a wheeled cart certainly more difficult, if not impossible. Frequent is the sight in a parking lot of a consumer struggling to plow their cart through the snow with much consternation and frustration. Still other consumers will, in time, simply abandoned their cart, leaving the carts cluttered throughout the parking lot, leaving additional work for employees to retrieve the carts, etc. Rather than attempting the fool&#39;s errand of trying to get their cart from store to vehicle, many consumers merely retrieve their parked vehicle from its parked location and drive it to the front of the store to load their goods. This results in the all to common occurrence of a plethora of vehicles jammed in front of a store, with or without their emergency flashers “on”, creating the classic parking lot bottleneck, which aside from being disruptive to the flow of traffic and commerce, often occurs in a “no parking” fire lane. Still, other consumers altogether forego potential trips to the market in order to avoid this unnecessary, time consuming physical labor at the entrance of a store.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, there is a need in the field of wheels, caster wheels, and wheeled carts for improvement in both protecting the various parts of the wheels and in traveling over rough surfaces, such as snow.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0005]    The present invention provides an apparatus and method for use with wheels.  
           [0006]    A first general aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for attachment to a wheel comprising:  
           [0007]    a sliding surface; and  
           [0008]    a coupling system for releasably attaching said sliding surface to said rotatable wheel.  
           [0009]    A second general aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for releasable attachment to a caster wheel comprising:  
           [0010]    a coupling for releasable attachment to said caster wheel; and  
           [0011]    a housing operatively attached to said coupling for substantially surrounding said caster wheel.  
           [0012]    A third general aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for attachment to a wheel, said wheel having a first axis of rotation about an axle, said wheel further having a collar attached to a flange operationally attached to said axle of said wheel, said collar having a second axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to said first axis, said apparatus comprising:  
           [0013]    a coupling device operationally attached to said housing;  
           [0014]    said housing having a first substantially planar surface, wherein said wheel rotates freely about said first axis of rotation within said housing; and  
           [0015]    said housing and said wheel, in combination, rotate freely about said second axis.  
           [0016]    A fourth general aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for attachment to a wheel, said wheel having a first axis of rotation about an axle, said wheel further having a collar attached to a flange operationally attached to said axle of said wheel, said collar having a second axis of rotation perpendicular to said first axis, said apparatus comprising:  
           [0017]    a coupling device operationally attached to said collar and to a housing;  
           [0018]    said housing having a substantially planar surface, said planar surface having an opening therein through which a portion of said wheel extends;  
           [0019]    said planar surface having a first end and a second end, at least one of said first and second ends having an upturned portion;  
           [0020]    said wheel rotating freely about said first axis of rotation within said housing; and  
           [0021]    said housing and said wheel, in combination, rotating freely about said second axis.  
           [0022]    A fifth general aspect of the invention provides a coupling device for attachment to a wheel, said wheel having a first axis of rotation about an axle, said wheel further having a collar rotatably attached to a flange operationally attached to said axle of said wheel, said collar having a second axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to said first axis, wherein said coupling device is operatively attached to a wheel housing;  
           [0023]    wherein said wheel rotates freely about said first axis of rotation with said wheel housing;  
           [0024]    said wheel housing and said wheel, in combination, rotate freely about said second axis; and  
           [0025]    wherein said coupling device straddles said flange.  
           [0026]    A sixth general aspect of the invention provides a wheeled cart comprising:  
           [0027]    a plurality of wheels;  
           [0028]    a container attached to said plurality of wheels;  
           [0029]    at least one ski; and  
           [0030]    a coupling device for releasably attaching said at least one ski to at least one of said plurality of wheels.  
           [0031]    A seventh general aspect of the invention provides a wheeled cart comprising:  
           [0032]    a plurality of wheels;  
           [0033]    a container operatively attached to said plurality of wheels;  
           [0034]    said plurality of wheels having a first axis of rotation about an axle, said plurality of wheels further having a collar attached to a flange operationally attached to said axle of said plurality of wheels, said collar having a second axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to said first axis;  
           [0035]    a coupling device operatively attached to said flange and to a housing;  
           [0036]    said housing having a substantially planar surface;  
           [0037]    at least one of said plurality of wheels being able to rotate freely about said first axis of rotation within said housing; and  
           [0038]    said housing and at least one of said plurality of wheels, in combination, being able to rotate freely about said second axis.  
           [0039]    An eighth general aspect of the invention provides a method to facilitate movement of a wheeled cart across a traveling surface comprising:  
           [0040]    providing a plurality of wheels;  
           [0041]    attaching a container to said plurality of wheels;  
           [0042]    providing at least one ski; and  
           [0043]    releasably attaching a coupling device to said at least one ski and to at least one of said plurality of wheels.  
           [0044]    The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of various embodiments of the invention.  
         BRIEF DESCRIPTION of DRAWINGS  
         [0045]    Some of the embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:  
           [0046]    [0046]FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of shopping cart with two wheel attachment apparatuses attached thereto, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0047]    [0047]FIG. 2 depicts a side elevation view of a caster wheel in the related art;  
           [0048]    [0048]FIG. 3A depicts a front elevation view of a portion of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0049]    [0049]FIG. 3B depicts a rear elevation view of a portion of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0050]    [0050]FIG. 4 depicts a side elevation view of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0051]    [0051]FIG. 5 depicts a front sectional view of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0052]    [0052]FIG. 6 depicts a bottom plan view of wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0053]    [0053]FIG. 7A depicts a front elevation view of an embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0054]    [0054]FIG. 7B depicts a front elevation view of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0055]    [0055]FIG. 7C depicts a front elevation view of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0056]    [0056]FIG. 7D depicts a front elevation view of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0057]    [0057]FIG. 7E depicts a front elevation view of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0058]    [0058]FIG. 8A depicts a partial top plan view of a portion of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0059]    [0059]FIG. 8B depicts a partial top plan view of a portion of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0060]    [0060]FIG. 8C depicts a partial top view of a portion of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0061]    [0061]FIG. 8D depicts a partial top view of a portion of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
           [0062]    [0062]FIG. 9 depicts a side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and  
           [0063]    [0063]FIG. 10 depicts a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0064]    Although certain embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment. Although the drawings are intended to illustrate the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.  
         [0065]    As shown in FIG. 1, a top perspective view of an embodiment present invention, a wheel attachment apparatus is generally designated as  10 . A typical shopping or grocery cart  5  is shown in phantom wherein at least one of the wheel attachment apparatuses  10  are attached thereto. The cart  5  typically includes a container of some sort for holding objects. Alternatively, any number (e.g., one, four, etc.) of wheel attachment apparatuses  10  may be attached to the cart  5 .  
         [0066]    [0066]FIG. 2 shows a side elevation view of a caster wheel in the related art, similar to those typically used on grocery or shopping carts  5 . The wheel is denoted as  80 . The tread  81  of the wheel  80  contacts a surface  100 . The wheel  80  rotates around an axle  82 , which, via a flange  84 , is connected to a bearing  83  and threaded rod  85 . A bolt  86  is attached to the threaded rod  85 . The flange  84  is typically made of stamped metal, and often has a horizontal flaring between its connection with the axle  82  and its transition into a predominantly horizontal element. Resting atop and connected to this horizontal element is a collar  87  of some configuration. Typically, the collar  87  includes a horizontal bearing  83 . Various types of bearings  83  may be used. The wheel  80  is typically attached to a cart  5  via the threaded rod  85  and bolt  86 . The direction of travel of the caster wheel  80 , when the wheel  80  is operating correctly, is denoted by directional arrow “T”. On the rear portion of the flange  84 , above the tread  81 , is typically a horizontal bearing shelf  88 . The use of the bearing shelf  88  in the present invention will become apparent in subsequent discussion.  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are front and rear elevation views, respectively, of a portion of the present invention. Extending from the top of the bearing  83  and flange  84  is a threaded rod  85 , or stud, and bolt  86 . The wheel  80  is typically attached to a connector plate (not shown) on a cart  5  at the threaded rod  85  and bolt  86 . A caster wheel  80 , such as the one shown in FIG. 2, is able to steer (i.e., rotate about a vertical axis) because of the addition of the bearing  83 . Other wheels  80  are not steerable, but are fixed (not shown). That is while the tread  81  of a fixed wheel certainly can rotate around a horizontal axis and travel on a surface  100 ; they cannot steer and rotate freely about a vertical axis as a caster wheel  80  can. These non-steerable wheels  80  (not shown) do not require a bearing  83  at the top of the flange  84 . Typically, a cart  5  has four wheels  80  attached. Often, the front two wheels  80  are caster wheels  80 , while the back two wheels of the cart  5  are of the non-steerable configuration. Attached to the wheel  80  is a coupling  15 . The coupling  15  is attached to the flange  84  portion of the wheel  80 . The coupling  15 , which can be many shapes including cylinder or square-shaped, has a notch  16  removed from each side (i.e., front and back) of the coupling  15  in order to more accurately fit over the flange  84  and tread  81 . For example, on the front portion of the wheel  80  (see FIG. 3A) the notch  16  is removed, in part, to allow clearance for the tread  81  and thus free and full rotation of the wheel  80 . On the rear portion of the wheel  80 , the removed notch  16  (See FIG. 3B) allows a portion of the coupling  15  to bear upon the bearing shelf  88 . An additional bearing  25 , such as a needle roller thrust bearing, can optionally be added to the top of the coupling  15  to further enhance rotation of the wheel  80  between the cart  5 . The coupling  15 , or coupling means, is a coupling system which allows other features of the apparatus  10  to attach to the wheel  80 . The coupling  15  can be fixed to the wheel flange  84  (e.g., welded, bolted, etc.) or releasably attached to the wheel flange  84 . Alternatively, the coupling system  15  could be attached to the wheel  80  at other locations, including the axles  82 . In another embodiment, the coupling  15  could have a quick release device (not shown) whereby the coupling  15  can be attached to the wheel  80 , and, if desired, can be quickly released from its attachment to the wheel  80 . With the caster wheel  80  configuration the coupling  15 , while being adjacent to the bearing  83 , typically should not touch or impinge on the free rotation of the bearing  83 . This spacing between the bearing  83  and coupling  15  allows the caster wheel  80  to still freely steer (i.e., rotate about the vertical axis). While the configuration of the coupling  15  in FIGS. 3A and 3B is shown as a pipe-shaped cylinder, the coupling  15  can be other shapes that fit around the flange  84 . For example, the coupling  15  may be molded and form fitted around the shape of the flange  84 . The coupling  15  allows for various elements, such as a housing, ski, etc. to be connected to the wheel  80 , without impeding the rotation and steering of the wheel  80 .  
         [0068]    [0068]FIG. 4 depicts a side elevation view of an embodiment of the wheel attachment apparatus  10 , in accordance with the present invention. A housing  20  is attached to the coupling  15  by various means such as welding, bolts, removable attachments, etc. The housing  20 , which can be a plurality of shapes, either partially or substantially surrounds the wheel  80  and the various components of the wheel  80 . In order to improve the capability of the wheel  80  to travel through snow, slush, sand, and the like the housing  20  can extend around the wheel  80  both fore and aft. For example, the housing  20  can be navicular (i.e., boat-shaped) in shape, or in the alternative, could be an upside-down navicular shape. The housing  20  can be round or any shape that helps protect the wheel  80  and improve the wheel&#39;s  80  travel through snow, slush, etc. Attached to the bottom of the housing  20 , is a sliding surface  30 . As with the housing  20 , the sliding surface  30  can have a plurality of shapes all designed to cut and slide through snow, slush, and the like. The combination of the housing  20  and sliding surface  30  surround the wheel  80  further protecting it from the various elements (i.e., UV, temperature, moisture, physical contact, etc.). The sliding surface  30  can have a front portion which is upturned thereby improving mobility through the snow. Alternatively, the sliding surface  30  can have its entire perimeter upturned, thereby improving mobility regardless of which direction the apparatus  10  is pointed. To further improve steering and control in snow, a skeg  35 , or rudder, can extend off of the ventral surface of the sliding surface  30 . The sliding surface  30  can extend longitudinally along the direction of travel of the wheel  80  in substantially rectangular shape, such as a ski. In an alternative embodiment, the sliding surface  30  rather than being predominantly rectangular or square in shape, can be circular or elliptical. The full perimeter, or outside edge, of the sliding surface  30  would be upturned. Thus, in this embodiment of the apparatus  10 , the sliding surface  30  would look similar to a children&#39;s plastic snow sledding disks (i.e., sometimes referred to as a “coaster” or a “disk”). Although the housing  20  and sliding surface  30  are shown in FIG. 4 as discrete elements, the housing  20  and sliding surface  30  can be formed such that they are one continuous unit.  
         [0069]    A section elevation view taken along line “ 5 - 5 ” of FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5 depicting the one embodiment of the apparatus  10 . In this embodiment, there is not the optional additional bearing  25  above the coupling  15 . The coupling  15  is attached to the flange  84  of the wheel  80 . The coupling  15  is attached to the housing  20 , which, in turn, connects to the sliding surface  30 . The tread  81  of the wheel  80  extends partially beyond the sliding surface  30  in order to contact the surface  100  (e.g., pavement) in good weather. In the event of snow, or other poor surface conditions, the sliding surface  30  would alternatively contact the surface  100 . An attachment  28  can further be extended from the axles  82  in order to improve the rigid connection between the apparatus  10  and the wheel  80 . Alternatively, the housing  20  may extend to the edge of the sliding surface  30 .  
         [0070]    [0070]FIG. 6 depicts a bottom plan view of the wheel attachment apparatus  10 , in accordance with the present invention. The sliding surface  30  has an opening  31  from which a portion of the wheel  80  extends. A skeg  35 , or rudder, can be extended off the back of the sliding surface. The direction of travel of the apparatus  10  and wheel  80  is shown by directional arrow “T”. At the front end of the sliding surface  30  is an upturned portion, creating a sliding surface  30  similar to a ski. At the rear end of the wheel opening  31  a portion of the sliding surface  30  is slightly upturned into the housing  20  cavity thereby helping cut down on drag in the snow and lessening any intrusion of material (e.g., snow, slush, gravel, sand, etc.) into the cavity of the apparatus  10 . The sliding surface  30  in this embodiment is corrugated. That is, the center longitudinal portion of the sliding surface  30  (i.e., section closest to the wheel  80 ) is lower towards a driving surface than the two outer sections of the sliding surface  30 . This corrugated sliding surface  30  improves mobility of the wheel  80 . This configuration is similar to the ski attachment used on the front of some snowmobiles.  
         [0071]    [0071]FIGS. 7A, 7B,  7 C,  7 D, and  7 E depict front elevation views of numerous embodiments of the wheel attachment apparatus  10 , in accordance with the present invention. There are numerous configurations for the housing  20  and sliding surfaces  30 . FIG. 7A shows a housing  20  that blends into, or is integral with, the sliding surface  30 . The sliding surface  30 , in this embodiment, is not entirely flat, but is corrugated. FIG. 7A shows the same embodiment as depicted in FIG. 6. FIG. 7B depicts a sliding surface  30  which has an upturned front portion, resembling a snow ski. FIG. 7C depicts a housing  20  that flares and extends to the perimeter of the sliding surface  30 . FIG. 7D depicts a housing  20  and sliding surface  30  that are fully integrated. That is, the housing  20  and sliding surface  30  are one spheroid unit. FIG. 7E depicts an apparatus  20  wherein the sliding surface  30  is up-turned on its entire perimeter.  
         [0072]    [0072]FIGS. 8A, 8B,  8 C and  8 D depict top plan views of the front portion of various embodiments of the apparatus  10 . Although various triangular shapes with convex leading edges are depicted on the front, up-turned portion of the apparatus  10 , other shapes can be employed. For example, the up-turned portion can be square, or triangular with concave leading edges.  
         [0073]    [0073]FIG. 9 depicts a side elevation view of another embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus  10 , in accordance with the present invention. Similar to the above mentioned embodiments, this embodiment contains a coupling  15  (shown in phantom) connected to the flange  84  (shown in phantom) of the wheel  80 . In contrast, this embodiment is devoid of a sliding surface  30  of any kind and only has a housing  20 . The housing  20  similarly can have a myriad of shapes and configurations to facilitate the transport through snow, slush, etc. of the wheel  80  and cart  5  and to increase protection of the wheel  80 .  
         [0074]    [0074]FIG. 10 depicts a top perspective view of another embodiment of a wheel attachment apparatus  10 , in accordance with the present invention. In lieu of, or in addition to, a wheel  80 , a plurality of roller bearings  90  is placed along the ventral side of the apparatus  10  for rolling purposes. The wheel  80  may be fixed, retractable vertically within the sliding surface  30 , or omitted altogether.  
         [0075]    While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the embodiments of the invention as set forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.