GB2324070A - Adjustable trolley - Google Patents

Abstract

A trolley comprises at least one wheel 10, handle means 14 for propelling the trolley and a flat load platform 12 bounded on at least one side by a restraint or barrier 26, 32 which is adjustable to vary the area of the platform. The load platform and barrier may be formed from a tubular framework, eg of two sizes of square section tubing one being a close siding fit in the other. Barriers may be provided on three or four sides of the platform. The barriers may be locked in a variety of positions laterally spaced from the platform, eg by means of screws 22. Upright parts of the barriers may be hinged to lie flat on the load platform (fig 2). A height adjustable pillar 34 with a V-shaped cradle 36 at its upper end may be provided at the rear of the platform. Detachable handles and legs 20 may be provided. Straps (44 fig 3) may be provided to secure objects to the platform. The trolley is particularly intended for fishermen.

Description

Trolley This invention relates to a trolley, particularly a trolley to be propelled by a user who walks behind and pushes the trolley.

A conventional wheelbarrow is an example of such a trolley. Wheelbarrows however are primarily designed for transporting loose material, and are not especially suitable for transporting large objects, particularly when those objects are larger than the dimensions of the barrow bucket, or when they are long and thin.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a trolley having at least one wheel, a load platform, and means for propelling the trolley with the wheel in contact with the ground, wherein the load platform has a substantially flat area bounded on at least one side by an upright barrier which is movable relative to the platform to increase or decrease the area of the platform.

The load platform can be bounded on one side (eg the front) or on at least three sides by upright barriers which are movable laterally relative to the platform to increase or decrease the area of the platform. The barrier or barriers can be locked in place in a range of different lateral positions.

The flat area of the load platform can be formed by a tubular framework, and the upright barrier or barriers can be tubular constructions which have tubular extensions in the plane of the load platform, with the extensions sliding in tubes in the plane of the load platform to enable the barriers to move laterally relative to the platform. The tubular extensions can be locked in any desired position in the tubes.

Screws with large heads which can be manually turned and which are threaded through threads formed in or on the tube walls can be used to lock the tubular extensions in the tubes.

In one embodiment, the upright barriers can be hinged between their upright positions and lowered positions in which they lie substantially flat on the load platform.

There will normally be upright barriers at the sides and front of the trolley, but the load platform may be on four sides, with the rear side being bounded by a height adjustable pillar which may have a V-shaped cradle at its upper end.

The load platform will normally have legs and handles, and the legs, the handles and supports for the wheel can all be detachable from the load platform, so that the trolley can be dismantled for storage. The trolley can be constructed from two different sizes of square section tubing, one size of tubing being a close sliding fit within the other, and the legs, handles and wheel supports can then all connected to the load platform by sliding one piece of tubing over another and then locking it in place.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a trolley having at least one wheel, a load platform, and means for propelling the trolley with the wheel in contact with the ground, wherein the load platform has a substantially flat area bounded on at least one by an upright barrier which is movable laterally relative to the platform to increase or decrease a dimension of the platform, and which can be locked in place in a range of different lateral positions, and at least one pair of straps extending from opposite edges of the platform and arranged to be connected across the platform to secure objects to the platform.

Straps in place of upright barriers can be preferable in some cases, depending on the nature of the loads to be carried.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a trolley in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a detail of a second embodiment of trolley in accordance with the invention; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a trolley in accordance with the invention.

The trolley shown in Figure 1 has a single wheel 10, a load platform 12 and two handles 14. A load carried on the platform 12 can be moved around by a user in the manner of a wheelbarrow.

The trolley has a frame formed from hollow tube (square section tube is easiest but not essential), and the frame makes up the platform 12, wheel support arms 18, legs 20 and the handles 14. The trolley can be dismantled so that it can be packed away in a flat form for stowage for example in a car boot. To achieve this, the frame can be made up of tube of two different sizes with the inner dimension of one tube being slightly greater than the outer dimension of the other tube so that tubes can be connected by sliding one inside the other. Once the tubes are connected in this way, further sliding movement is prevented by tightening a screw (eg screw 22) passing through a tapped hole in an outer tube against the inner tube. The screw can have a butterfly or similar head 24 so that it can be tightened by hand.

The platform 12 is formed by a number of longitudinal and transverse tubes. At either side of the platform 12, there is an upright barrier 26, also formed from tube and in the shape of an inverted letter U. The barriers 26 can be formed from round tube or square tube. The lower ends of each barrier end in inwardly directed arms 28, and these arms slide inside transverse tubes 30 forming part of the load platform. Figure 1 shows in dotted lines the barriers pulled out to an extended position, and in solid lines the barriers pushed in to a retracted position. the barriers can be locked in position by a screw lock 22 as described above.

The vertical limbs of the barriers are also telescopic, so that the top section can be raised or lowered relative to the bottom. Again, a smaller diameter tube will slide in a larger diameter tube, with the junction between the tubes shown at 41. The telescopically slidable tubes will be locked in position by screws 22.

A similar barrier 32 is located at the front of the load platform, and is adjustable in and out in a similar manner. This barrier is shown in only one position in the drawing.

At the back of the load platform, there is a vertically adjustable pillar 34 which has a V-shaped cradle 36 at the top.

In use, the upright barriers 26,32 are pulled a fair way outboard, and one or more flat items, for example a folded chair, are placed on the platform 12. The barriers 26,32 are then slid inwards until they contact the edge of the chair, and screws 22 are tightened to lock the barriers in place. The trolley can then be loaded further, with the chair or other first loaded item forming a floor to the load platform. Long objects, such as fishing rods, can be laid with one end resting on a cushioned sleeve 38 on the front barrier 32, and the other end resting in the Vshaped cradle 36.

To dismantle the trolley for transport and storage, the screws 22 are undone so that the barriers 26,32 can be completely separated from the platform. Similar telescopic connections exist between the handles and the edges of the platform, at 40, between the top ends of the legs and stub tubes welded to the underside of the platform, and between the top ends of the wheel supports and other stub tubes welded to the underside of the platform. These other connections can be dismantled in a similar way.

Figure 2 illustrates an alternative method of stowing the upright barriers 26, 32. Instead of a single, continuous bent tube to form these barriers, the barriers may be hinged at the foot of the U-section limbs so that the barriers can be folded flat over the platform. The hinges are indicated in Figure 2 at 42, and the folded position is shown in dotted lines. When the barriers are hinged in this way, they are likely to be formed from square section tubing.

Figure 3 illustrates another alternative. Here flexible straps 44 are used as lateral barriers, to secure objects from sliding sideways off the platform, in place of the rigid barriers 26. These straps have buckles 46 at their other ends, and the free ends of the straps are placed in the buckles and pulled taut over whatever load is placed on the platform. Figure 3 shows a rigid front barrier, but this could also be replaced by straps.

The trolley described here will find application in a number of different fields. It has been designed in particular with the needs of fishermen in mind who have to transport a quantity of bulky and heavy equipment from a car to a river bank, over ground which may be quite uneven. The trolley itself of course also has to stow in the car at the beginning and end of the fishing trip.

Claims (16)

Claims

1. A trolley having at least one wheel, a load platform, and means for propelling the trolley with the wheel in contact with the ground, wherein the load platform has a substantially flat area bounded on at least one side by an upright barrier which is movable relative to the platform to increase or decrease the area of the platform.

2. A trolley as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the flat area of the load platform is formed by a tubular framework.

3. A trolley as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the flat area of the load platform is bounded on at least three sides by upright barriers.

4. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the barriers can be locked in place in a range of different lateral positions.

5. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upright barriers are tubular constructions which have tubular extensions in the plane of the load platform, and the extensions slide in tubes in the plane of the load platform to enable the barriers to move laterally relative to the platform.

6. A trolley as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the tubular extensions can be locked in any desired position in the tubes.

7. A trolley as claimed in Claim 6, wherein screws with large heads which can be manually turned and which are threaded through threads formed in or on the tube walls are used to lock the tubular extensions in the tubes.

8. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upright barriers can be hinged between their upright positions and lowered positions in which they lie substantially flat on the load platform.

9. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upright barriers are at the sides and front of the trolley.

10. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the load platform is bounded on four sides.

11. A trolley as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the load platform is bounded at its rear side by a height adjustable pillar.

12. A trolley as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the pillar has a V-shaped cradle at its upper end.

13. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the load platform has legs and handles, and the legs, the handles and supports for the wheel are all detachable from the load platform.

14. A trolley as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the trolley is constructed from two different sizes of square section tubing, one size of tubing being a close sliding fit within the other, and the legs, handles and wheel supports are all connected to the load platform by sliding one piece of tubing over another and then locking it in place.

15. A trolley having at least one wheel, a load platform, and means for propelling the trolley with the wheel in contact with the ground, wherein the load platform has a substantially flat area bounded on at least one by an upright barrier which is movable laterally relative to the platform to increase or decrease a dimension of the platform, and which can be locked in place in a range of different lateral positions, and at least one pair of straps extending from opposite edges of the platform and arranged to be connected across the platform to secure objects to the platform.

16. A trolley substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.