A wheel assembly having rolling and swiveling capability includes a wheel bracket configured for mounting one or more wheels, a swivel bracket configured for positioning with respect to an object with respect to which the wheel assembly is used, the swivel bracket including a main body and a spindle extending from one side of the main body of the swivel bracket into a receptacle in the wheel bracket, the spindle and receptacle being tapered at different angles to minimize surface to surface engagement during swiveling, a thrust bearing between the swivel bracket and wheel bracket to transfer force between the brackets while assisting to align the brackets, a retention mechanism at the distal end portion of the spindle configured to retain the spindle in the wheel bracket and aligning the spindle with respect to the wheel bracket while permitting the wheel bracket to swivel about the spindle relative to the swivel bracket.

A wheel float that articulates in multiple directions for efficiently and safely moving an object across a surface having a non-planar obstruction. The wheel float has a pair of walking beam assemblies, a crosstube assembly having a crosstube interconnecting the walking beam assemblies, a pedestal supported by the crosstube and a center pivot assembly that allows the crosstube assembly to pivot relative to the pedestal. The pedestal has a support surface that supports the object above the walking beam assemblies. Each walking beam assembly has a base plate, wheeled casters, a pair of spaced apart hangers and a bushing assembly associated with an articulation opening in each of the hangers. Pivot members at the ends of the crosstube assembly engage the hanger bushings to allow the respective walking beam assembly to pivot relative to the crosstube. Thrust blocks or locating plates position the walking beam assemblies on the crosstube assembly.

A castor includes a wheel support and at least one roller mounted on the wheel support. The at least one roller has a peripheral portion provided with a hollow air chamber which is provided with a plurality of hollow air columns. One of the hollow air columns is provided with an air inlet. The at least one roller is made of soft material that is made by a blow molding operation. The soft material is initially made into a tubular blank by a blow molding machine. A gas is then filled into the soft material to blow and shape the soft material in a die at a high temperature to form the at least one roller. The at least one roller is then stripped from the die.

Multi-wheel casters designed to traverse various obstacles are described herein. The multi-wheel casters can be used in various applications to transport various loads from a first location to a second location. The multi-wheel casters can be rotatable about a king pin to provide maneuverability or can be fixed about a king pin to provide beneficial straight-line transportation. A combination of identical and different casters can be used to create different load transportation platforms.

An autonomous floor cleaning robot includes a transport drive and control system arranged for autonomous movement of the robot over a floor for performing cleaning operations. The robot chassis carries a first cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arranged to suction loose particulates up from the cleaning surface and a second cleaning zone comprising cleaning elements arraigned to apply a cleaning fluid onto the surface and to thereafter collect the cleaning fluid up from the surface after it has been used to clean the surface. The robot chassis carries a supply of cleaning fluid and a waste container for storing waste materials collected up from the cleaning surface.

A castor includes a wheel support and at least one roller mounted on the wheel support. The at least one roller has a peripheral portion provided with a hollow air chamber which is provided with a plurality of hollow air columns. One of the hollow air columns is provided with an air inlet. The at least one roller is made of soft material that is made by a blow molding operation. The soft material is initially made into a tubular blank by a blow molding machine. A gas is then filled into the soft material to blow and shape the soft material in a die at a high temperature to form the at least one roller. The at least one roller is then stripped from the die.

A wheel guard or skirt is disclosed for use with a wheel of a machine or appliance. The wheel guard is designed to push an obstruction such as a wire, cable or other debris away from the wheel as the machine is moved along a floor. The wheel guard is designed to push objections away from the wheel to prevent the wheel from running over the obstruction. The wheel guard may be of one-piece construction or multiple-piece construction. The wheel guard includes means which causes the wheel guard to move upwardly with the wheel to which it is attached. The wheel guard includes means to limit the upward movement of the wheel guard with respect to the wheel.

The present disclosure relates to caster wheels having a skirt, specifically a skirt which fits over one side of the wheel only, and thus does not interfere with the actuation of a caster wheel locking mechanism.

A shopping cart wheel includes a braking apparatus, and electronics that control the braking apparatus in response to wireless signals. The wireless signals include low frequency electromagnetic signals within a low frequency band and high frequency signals within a high frequency band. The braking apparatus includes a moveable interposer and an interposer controller where the moveable interposer is moved between braking and non-breaking positions at least partially with magnetic force.

A wheel float that articulates in multiple directions for efficiently and safely moving an object across a surface having a non-planar obstruction. The wheel float has a pair of walking beam assemblies, a crosstube assembly having a crosstube interconnecting the walking beam assemblies, a pedestal supported by the crosstube and a center pivot assembly that allows the crosstube assembly to pivot relative to the pedestal. The pedestal has a support surface that supports the object above the walking beam assemblies. Each walking beam assembly has a base plate, wheeled casters, a pair of spaced apart hangers and a bushing assembly associated with an articulation opening in each of the hangers. Pivot members at the ends of the crosstube assembly engage the hanger bushings to allow the respective walking beam assembly to pivot relative to the crosstube. Thrust blocks or locating plates position the walking beam assemblies on the crosstube assembly.