Metering brake

Claim 2

A metering brake to be coupled with a support wheel of a shopping cart, or the like, and to be actuated by an actuating device, said brake comprising: drive means for being coupled with said support wheel; stop means for being mounted on said support wheel; a relatively compact housing for being mounted from said cart adjacent said wheel; lock means carried from said housing for being moved into engagement with said stop means; metering means in said housing and connected with said drive means; trip means engageable by said metering means to actuate said lock means to engage said stop means; and an actuator carried by said housing and responsive to said brake passing adjacent said actuating device to actuate said metering means whereby said cart may be propelled past said actuating device to cause the actuator means to actuate said metering means to, after said support wheel has traveled a predetermined distance, actuate said trip means to trip said locking means to engage said stop means and restrict further rotation of said support wheel.

Claim 3

A metering brake as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said metering means includes a metering wheel including a plurality of peripherally spaced holes; and said trip means includes distance selecting pin means selectively insertable in said respective holes to engage said locking means when said support wheel has traveled different distances after passing said actuating device depending on which hole said pin means is inserted in.

Claim 4

A metering brake as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said lock includes a mounting fitting mounted on said housing and formed with a central passage having longitudinal slots in opposite sides thereof, a locking pin slidably received in said passage and including a lifting arm projecting from one side and through one of said slots and a holding arm projecting from one side and through one of said slots and a holding arm projecting from its opposite side and through said other slot and projecting from said fitting; said locking means includes a lockpin biased into engagement with said stop means and a holder including a bracket pivotally mounted on said housing and formed with a spacer flange for receipt under said holding arm; and said brake includes said reset means including a reset cam pivotally mounted on said housing and formed with an inclined cam surface disposed under said lifting arm whereby said cam may be rotated to engage said lifting arm and raise said lockpin sufficiently to disengage said lockpin from said stop and enable said spacer flange to be moved under said holding arm to hold said lockpin disengaged from said stop.

Claim 5

A metering brake as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said lock means includes lockpin means for engaging said stop means, biasing means biasing said pin means into engagement with said stop means, a pivotable holder for normally holding said lockpin means out of engagement with said stop means; and said trip means includes a trip pin for engaging said holder and pivoting it out of engagement with said lockpin means to free said lockpin means to be biased into engagement with said stop means.

Claim 6

A metering brake as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said metering means includes a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted on said housing and coupled with said drive means and coupled with said trip means, a holding pawl for restricting rotation of said ratchet wheel in one direction and a drive pawl carried from said housing and pivotable to engage said ratchet wheel and rotate it in the direction opposite said one direction; and said drive means includes cam means mounted on said wheel for engaging said drive pawl a selected number of times each revolution of said support wheel to rotate said drive pawl and advance said ratchet wheel in said directiOn opposite said one direction.

Claim 7

A metering brake as set forth in claim 5 wherein: said metering means includes biasing means urging said pawls into engagement with said ratchet wheel; said actuating means includes an actuating bracket pivotally mounted from said housing and formed with flange means pivotable into engagement with said pawls to hold them out of engagement with said ratchet wheel; and said actuator is operable on said bracket to pivot said bracket and move said flange means out of engagement with said pawls to enable said biasing means to engage said pawls with said ratchet wheel. 7 A metering brake as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said stop means includes plate means for being nonrotatably mounted on said support wheel and formed with a lockpin-receiving opening; and said lock means includes a lockpin for engaging in said opening to lock said support wheel against rotation in either direction.

Claim 8

A metering brake as set forth in claim 7 wherein: the periphery of said plate means is contoured to form a projection; said drive means includes a cam follower for following the periphery of said plate means; and said metering means includes ratchet means connected with said cam follower and driven thereby.

Claim 9

A metering brake as set forth in claim 8 wherein: said lock means includes biasing means for biasing said lockpin into engagement in said opening and said lockpin includes a pair of transversely projecting arms; said brake includes a pivotable holder mounted from said housing and including flange means for engagement under one of said arms to hold said lockpin in engagement with said stop means; and reset means including reset cam means for engagement with the other of said arms and manually rotatable to retract said lockpin from said opening to enable said holder to be pivoted to pivot said flange means in engagement with said one of said arms to limit movement of said lockpin toward said hole.

Claim 10

A metering brake as set forth in claim 8 wherein: said metering means includes a ratchet wheel and a pair of cooperating pawls biased into engagement with said ratchet wheel and connected with said cam follower; and said actuator includes a pivotable actuator bracket carried from said housing for normally engaging said pawls to hold them out of engagement with said ratchet wheel and responsive to actuation of said actuator to release said pawls for engagement with said ratchet wheel.