Levelling Combination Wheel and Leg Assembly for a Refuse Compactor

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to appliance supports, and more particularly to a levelling wheel and leg assembly for refuse compactors.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In one form of refuse compactor, the appliance cabinet is installed under-the-counter or in a similar confined space. The appliance is positioned for service by rolling it on a pair of rear wheels into position under the counter, then levelled by adjusting the lengths of a pair of legs at the front corners of the cabinet. The appliance thus requires two different kinds of cabinet supports, i.e., wheels and legs, which increases production costs.

Combination wheels and legs for various apparatus are known to exist. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,683,277, for example, a footplate pivots on a cross member between a first orientation having a horizontal axis of rotation for operation as a wheel and a second orientation having a vertical orientation for operation as a leg. The foot plate is secured in the first orientation by a manually operated latch. This device is relatively complex and there is no means for adjusting its length so that it cannot be used for appliance levelling.

Mechanisms provided heretofore for controlling the mounting disposition of an appliance wheel or leg include screws, levers, ratchets or cams as provided, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,158,142; 3,753,400; 3,844,578 and 3,858,270. These mechanisms, however, besides being relatively complex, do not operate as both an adjustable wheel and adjustable leg.

An object of the invention is to provide a combination adjustable wheel and leg assembly suitable for application to a household appliance.

Another object is to provide a new and improved support for a refuse compactor that is operative alternatively as a wheel or leg.

A further object is to provide an appliance support that is economically manufactured and easy to install and operate.

A still further object is to provide an appliance support that is rugged and reliable.

The above and other objects are satisfied in accordance with the invention by a rotatable member mounted in a predetermined location on a baseplate at each lower corner of the appliance. The rotatable member is pivotable between and secured into a first orientation having a horizontal axis of rotation for operation as a wheel and a second orientation having a vertical axis of rotation for operation as a leg. Means are provided for adjusting the location of the rotatable member on the baseplate to provide levelling of the appliance.

Preferably, the rotatable member is mounted to the baseplate by a bearing support which in accordance with one embodiment comprises a block and in another comprises an angle bracket. In each, the baseplate contains first and second slots within which the bearing support is adjustably mounted. A screw extending through one of the slots into the bearing support secures the support and baseplate together. A tab formed on the bearing support interfits with either one of the slots in the baseplate to provide the two orientations of the rotatable member as a wheel or as a leg.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the rotatable member is formed with an axle that snap-fits to the bearing support. Preferably, the rotatable member is in the form of a nylon disk or disk wheel and has an integral axle.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, one of the slots in the baseplate is formed as a series of small apertures that receive the locating tab of the bearing support to provide discrete levelling heights for the appliance.

Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein only the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described, simply by way of illustration of the best modes contemplated of carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refuse compactor having combination wheel and leg supports embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention, with the rotatable member oriented to operate as a wheel;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment with the rotatable member oriented to operate as a leg;

FIG. 4 is an end view of a rotatable member and support bearing, in accordance with the first embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 4, with a mounting screw inserted in the support bearing;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rotatable member of the first embodiment, with a rubber insert therein;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a combination wheel and leg assembly in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, with the rotatable member oriented to operate as a wheel;

FIG. 8 corresponds to FIG. 7, with the rotatable member oriented to operate as a leg;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a rotatable member and support bearing in accordance with the second embodiment;

FIG. 10 is an end view corresponding to FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the rotatable member in accordance with the second embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a refuse compactor 10, which may be adapted for installation in an under-the-counter space of a kitchen counter is shown. The appliance 10 is adapted to be moved along a supporting surface on wheels 12 at the rear corners of the appliance and then fixed in position and levelled by legs 14.

The invention is concerned with a combined wheel and leg assembly that is operative alternatively as wheels 12 or legs 14 and in either case is vertically adjustable for appliance levelling. Thus, in accordance with one embodiment of a combined wheel and leg assembly shown in FIGS. 2-6, a baseplate 16 (FIGS. 2 and 3) of structural steel formed with an L-shaped section has an upper surface 18 welded or otherwise suitably secured to the lower surface of the appliance and a front, downwardly extending, surface 20 supporting a rotatable member 22, preferably in the form of a disk wheel or disk, as shown. The disk 22, in turn, is journaled in a bearing support block 24, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, that is positioned on the baseplate 16 with either a horizontal axis of rotation of the disk 22 so that the disk operates as a wheel, as shown in FIG. 2, or a vertical axis of rotation, shown in FIG. 3, so that the disk operates as a leg.

The block 24, which preferably is made of nylon, has an integral tab 26 extending from one face 28 of the block, and an approximately centrally located, threaded bore 30 in the same face to receive a screw 32 (FIG. 5).

The surface 20 of baseplate 16 contains a pair of parallel slots 34 and 36 spaced apart from each other by a distance corresponding to the distance between tab 26 and threaded bore 30 on bearing support block 24. The tab 26 is adapted to interfit with slot 34, as shown in FIG. 2, and with screw 32 mounted to block 24 through slot 36, the disk 22 is oriented on a horizontal axis of rotation to operate as a wheel. An opening 38 within the surface 20 provides clearance for the disk 22 in this position. The vertical position of the disk on the baseplate 16, and hence the height of the corner of the appliance at which the combination wheel and leg assembly is located, is established by sliding the bearing within slots 34 and 36 to the proper location, and then tightening the screw 32.

To orient the assembly as a leg, the bearing support block 24 is pivoted by 90.degree. into the position shown in FIG. 3. This is done by removing screw 32, rotating the block 24 clockwise about tab 26 and until bore 30 is in alignment with the same slot, and then reinserting the screw through slot 34 into bore 30. The vertical position of the leg on the baseplate is adjusted by sliding the assembly within the slot 34 to the proper position, and tightening the screw.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2-6, the disk 22 preferably is formed of nylon with an integral, hollow axle 40 extending therefrom. At the end of axle 40 is a trapezoidal enlargement 42 having lateral or cross cuts 44 formed therein for resiliency. The axle 40 of disk 22 is adapted to extend into a bore 46 formed in one end of the bearing support block 24. A transverse opening 48, formed in the block 24, intersects the bore 46 to establish a region for retaining the enlarged portion 42 of the axle 40 therein. As the enlarged portion 42 is urged through the bore 46, it yields inwardly at cuts 44. When the enlarged portion reaches the opening 48 it springs open. This provides a "snap-fit" coupling between the disk 22 and bearing support block 24, with the disk 22 remaining free to rotate. The assembly is completed by a rubber hub or insert 50 retained within a lip 52 at the per- imeter of the disk 22, as shown in FIG. 6, to establish a high-friction, slip-free, surface for contact with the floor when the disk 22 is oriented in the position of FIG. 3 for operation as a leg.

In accordance with the second embodiment of the assembly, as shown in FIGS. 7-11, the baseplate is in the form of a piece of structural steel formed with an L-shaped section and having a front plate portion 54 extending downward from each corner of the compactor 10 (FIG. 7). The baseplate may be of rectangular shape or may advantageously have a rounded end portion removed as shown at 54a to facilitate access to the disk 60. Formed within the plate portion 54 are a pair of parallel slots 56 and 58 that correspond generally to slots 36 and 34, respectively, in the embodiment of FIGS. 2-6. In FIG. 7, however, slot 56 is slightly longer than slot 58, and slot 58 is formed of a series of smaller, linearly aligned, slots 58a-58c.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, disk 60 is journaled on a weld stud 62 extending from one face of an angle bracket 64 through bore 63 in the disk. The disk 60 is retained to the weld stud 62 by a push nut 66 within a recess 68 in the disc. At the opposite end of the angle bracket 64 is an arcuate locating tab 70 corresponding in function to tab 26 of FIG. 4. A threaded bore 72 (FIG. 10) receives a tightening screw 76 for mounting the assembly to the plate 54.

Referring to FIG. 7, with locating tab 70 within one of the openings 58a-58c and screw 76 mounted into the bore 72 of angle bracket 64 through slot 56, the disk 60 has a horizontal axis of rotation to operate as a wheel. The height of the wheel is adjusted by loosening screw 76, sliding the assembly until tab 70 is in registration with one of the other openings 58a, 58b and then tightening the screw. To convert the assembly into a leg, the screw is loosened and the assembly pivoted counterclockwise about the screw until tab 70 is located within slot 56, as shown in FIG. 8. The height of the leg is now established by loosening the screw 76, sliding the assembly in slot 56 to the proper position with tab 70 acting as a guide, and then tightening the screw.

The disk 60 preferably is formed of nylon. To provide a slip-free surface when the disk 60 is oriented as in FIG. 8 to operate as a leg, a rubber insert 86 (FIG. 11) is retained on the face of the disk by a lip 78 of the disk in the manner shown.

There has accordingly been described a support for a refuse compactor or other appliance that is operative selectively as a wheel or as a leg, and in either case, is adjustable in height to permit levelling of the appliance. The assembly is economical, rugged, easy to manufacture, install and operate. The lifetime of the assembly is expected to be at least as great as that of the appliance to which it is installed; the rotatable disk 22 or 60, which is the only component subject to wear, is readily replaceable.

In this disclosure, there are shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention, but, as aforementioned, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein.