Patent attributes
A caster wheel braking system for braking rotation of a caster wheel includes a caster having a caster plate, a horn base coupled with the caster plate and rotatable about a vertical axis, a pair of legs extending downwardly from the horn base, and at least one caster wheel coupled with the pair of legs and rotatable about a horizontal axis defined by a wheel axle. A mounting plate is spaced from the caster by a spacer. A movable plunger is disposed between the caster plate and the mounting plate and is horizontally movable through a slot provided in the spacer. A brake shoe is vertically movable by the movable plunger between a non-braking position in which the at least one caster wheel is permitted to rotate and a braking position in which the brake shoe exerts a braking force on the at least one caster wheel to at least partially hinder rotation of the at least one caster wheel. A pin may be coupled with the movable plunger and be configured to convert horizontal movement of the movable plunger to vertical movement of the brake shoe. Additionally, a biasing element may be provided adjacent to the brake shoe and be configured to bias the brake shoe toward the non-braking position or the braking position. One or more of the caster wheel braking systems may be provided on a transport vehicle configured to move along a ground surface.
