A patient transport apparatus comprises a support structure. The support structure comprises a base, a frame, and a patient support surface to support a patient. The patient transport apparatus also includes a first and a second caster assembly respectively coupled to the support structure to facilitate movement of the support structure along a floor surface, with the first caster assembly comprising a first brake assembly and the second caster assembly comprising a second brake assembly. The patient transport apparatus also includes an actuator assembly operatively coupling the first and second brake assemblies, with the actuator assembly comprising a first and second actuator respectively operatively coupled to the first and second brake assemblies. The actuator assembly further comprises a cable assembly interconnecting the first and second actuator that places the operatively coupled first and second brake assemblies in the braked state or the unbraked state.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wheeled transport device featuring at least one castor which has a wheel and a brake system which has a contact member with one opening which is defined by an edge. The contact member is configured to be manipulated between an applied state, where the edge is in contact with the wheel, and a released state where the edge is not in contact with the wheel.

A laundry treatment apparatus including a plurality of swivel casters. Two of the swivel casters are braked swivel casters. One of the swivel casters other than the braked swivel casters is a vertically adjustable swivel caster. The braked swivel casters restrain translational movement of the laundry treatment apparatus across a floor. The vertically adjustable swivel caster can help fix the position of the laundry treatment apparatus so as to restrain rocking and twisting of the laundry treatment apparatus.

The invention relates to a caster for movable objects, and more particularly a bed caster, and at least comprises: a running wheel; a fork receiving said running wheel; a guide tube which is designed to be swivelable relative to the fork via at least one bearing; locking means provided on the fork side; and a braking system which can be brought into operative connection with the running wheel and is designed to block rotation of the wheels, characterised in that the braking system includes a brake shoe, a brake spindle, a guide pin and a cup-shaped guide element, wherein the brake spindle has groove-shaped guides, the cup-shaped guide element is provided with projections, and the projections can be brought into operative connection with the guides of the brake spindle in order to form the anti-rotation means.

A patient transport apparatus comprises a support structure and at least one caster assembly coupled to the structure to facilitate movement of the structure along a floor. Each caster assembly comprises a wheel, an actuator moveable between three actuator positions, a steer lock assembly moveable by the actuator between a steer and non-steer locked state, and a brake assembly movable by the actuator between a braked and unbraked state. The brake assembly includes a plunger, a retainer coupled to the plunger, a brake pad for sliding movement along the retainer, and a brake biasing element disposed between the plunger and the brake pad to urge the brake pad away from the plunger such that movement of the actuator to place the brake assembly in the braked state simultaneously brings the brake pad into engagement with the wheel and slides the brake pad along the retainer to compress the biasing element.

An anti-tilt device for a caster that includes a wheel, rotatably mounted in a frame, for rotation about a rotation axis. The anti-tilt device, comprising first and second face plates; first and second flanges extending from opposing edges of said first plate, each of the first and second flanges wrapping beside the first face plate; first and second flanges extending from opposing edges of said second face plate, each of the first and second flange extending beside the first face plate, to prevent rotation of the first and second face plates when mounted to the caster frame; first and second legs extending from the first second face plates, respectively; and a bar, extending between the first and second legs across a tread face of said caster wheel when mounted to said frame, at a defined angle of the tread face, as measured from a vertical axis extending through said rotation axis, when said caster is level. Each of said first and second legs includes a defined bend to place said bar at said defined angle.

An article movement system includes an article and at least one ball wheel. The article has first and second article surfaces meeting at a first article edge. The ball wheel is located along the first article edge and includes a ball, a bearing arrangement and a shell. The ball engages a surface underlying the article, the bearing arrangement supports the ball for omni-directional rotational movement, and the shell is located along the first article edge and contains the ball and the bearing arrangement. The shell defines a non-circular ball opening through which a portion of the ball extends to contact the underlying surface. The article, the bearing arrangement and the shell are configured such that the ball wheel is able to support the article for omni-directional rolling motion over the underlying surface with either of the first and article surfaces parallel thereto, and at any orientation therebetween.

An anti-tilt device for a caster that includes a wheel, rotatably mounted in a frame, for rotation about a rotation axis. The anti-tilt device, comprising first and second face plates; first and second flanges extending from opposing edges of said first plate, each of the first and second flanges wrapping beside the first face plate; first and second flanges extending from opposing edges of said second face plate, each of the first and second flange extending beside the first face plate, to prevent rotation of the first and second face plates when mounted to the caster frame; first and second legs extending from the first second face plates, respectively; and a bar, extending between the first and second legs across a tread face of said caster wheel when mounted to said frame, at a defined angle of the tread face, as measured from a vertical axis extending through said rotation axis, when said caster is level. Each of said first and second legs includes a defined bend to place said bar at said defined angle.

A caster includes a running wheel, a fork and an assembly journal, wherein the fork is pivotable in relation to the assembly journal and a braking device is arranged in the fork and can be displaced into the braking position via a tappet actuated by a trip cam. A direction lock can be set without a braking action on the running wheel. Two tappets are movable independently of each other, wherein only the direction lock without a braking action can be set via one of the tappets. Another caster includes a running wheel, a fork and an assembly journal, wherein a braking device is provided in the fork and can be displaced into the braking position via a trip cam. The braking device has a first braking part for friction-locking action on the running wheel and a second braking part for the interlocking lock of the running wheel.

A wheel assembly includes: a wheel set unit including a wheel bracket and a wheel; and a brake unit including a brake element disposed between the wheel bracket and the wheel, a threaded member sleeved movably on the brake element, and a screw extending threadably through the threaded member, extending through the brake element so as to prevent movement of the threaded member on the brake element, and pushable downwardly such that the brake unit moves downwardly to press resiliently against the wheel, so as to arrest rotation of the wheel. Only a single tool is needed to be accessed to a lower end of the screw so as to adjust a distance between the brake unit and the wheel.