Patent ID: 8191909

Claim:
A support cart for traversing an underlying surface, comprising: a frame; a plurality of castor wheels interconnected to the frame; a braking mechanism interconnected to at least one of the castor wheels, wherein the braking mechanism includes: a wheel mount interconnected to the support cart; a plate member interconnected to the wheel mount, the plate member including a swiveled attachment to the wheel mount and at least a first hole aligned with an axis of rotation of the wheel mount, wherein the plate member includes a plurality of mounting points, at least some of the plurality of mounting points defining an area through which the axis of rotation passes; a brake arm pivotally connected to the wheel mount, the brake arm having a first end and a second end, the first end adapted for engaging a wheel carried by the wheel mount, the first end including a contact area; a spring disposed between the second end of the brake arm and the plate member, the spring causing the brake arm to be normally in a position wherein the first end of the brake arm is disengaged from the castor wheel; a brake cable having a first end and a second end, the first end connected to the second end of the brake arm, the first end having a first portion extending from the second end of the brake arm through the first hole in the plate member, the first portion of the brake cable being substantially aligned with the axis of rotation of the wheel mount; wherein a tensioning of the cable causes the brake arm to pivot, causing the contact area at the first end of the brake arm to engage the castor wheel, causing a braking action on the castor wheel; and a transmission system interconnected to said frame, the transmission system providing a number of user selectable modes, the user selectable modes comprising at least a stop mode, and a roll mode, wherein in the stop mode each braking mechanism is engaged, and in the roll mode each braking mechanism is disengaged.