US1784240A - Collapsible basket support - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 9, 1930. w. A. LYNDS 1,784,240

COLLAPSIBLE BASKET SUPPORT Original Filed Dec. 12, 1927 alter a; 2% 4) f/ Patented Dec. 9, 1930 PATENT o-FFICE WALTER A. LYNDS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS COLLAPSIBLE BASKET SU'TPORT Application f led December 12,1927, Serial No. 239,353. Renewed April 24, 1930.

My invention relates to trucks and more especially to li 'ht portable trucks for holding a basket or the like. I r

The object of my invention is to provide an inexpensive, light and strong truck particularly adapted tohold Or carry a clothes basket or the like elevated from the ground so that its interior is conveniently accessible to a person standingerect alongside of the same and by means of which the basket can be easily shifted from one location to another. Another object of this invention is to provide a collapsible truck ofthe class indicated the parts of which, when the truck is not in I ,use,*can be folded or grouped into closely assembled or packed relationship so as to occupy very littlespace and so that the structure can be readily stored or transported.

T 0 these ends I haveprovided a truck of the class described having the peculiar features ofconstruction and mode of operation set forth'in the following description, thenovel features of the inventi'on being particul'arly pointed out and defined in the claims at the close thereof.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a perspective view of my improved truck. Figure 2 is a plan view of the truck in collapsed condition. I

Figure 3' is a side elevation of the parts of the truck in collapsed condition. r v

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the lower portion of one of the U-shaped frames hereinafter described. a p

The embodiment of my invention herein illustrated, comprises a pair of basebars l, 1 each provided at its opposite ends and upon its outer-"side with supporting wheels 2 adapte'dto rest upon the ground. At the opposite ends of each base bar' 1, and upon the top side thereof are alsoprovidedtwo end posts 3, 3; At its lower end each postB, 3 is provided with a bracket arm extension 4 a'jpivotally connected at 5 to its base bar '1. These bracket arms at are of approximately angle-iron shape in that their free end portions extend or projectlaterally from the bars 3. and it is a feature oi'the construction herein illustrated, thatthe pivots 5 of" the two outer ends are pivotally fastened at l0, 10

posts 3, at one end of the truck, are off-set laterally from their bars 1 1 a greater distance than are the pivots 5 of the posts -3, at the opposite end of the truck. As will be clear from Figure 3 the diiierence between 5.5 the lateral oli-set'of one pair of pivots 5 and the other pair of pivots is approximately equal to the thickness of the bars 3 that are equipped with the shorter bracket arms 4. It will thus be clear that when the structure '6 is collapsed, as described later, the two base bars 1, l and the four posts 3 may all be brought together into parallelism side by side.

The pair of posts at each end of the truck are providedat their upper ends with bracket arms 6 pivotally connected together by a pintle 7 which provides for relative swinging movement of the arms 3- on the axes of the 'pintles ,7, as indicated by the arrows CQQC, it

being understood that the axes of the two pintles 7 7 are in alignment or coincident. Each pintle 7 also serves to pivotally connect the shank of a hook 8 with the upper ends o1 its pair of posts. 3, 3, said hook being disposed upon the inner side of said pair. These hooks are provided as rests to receive upon them the handles of an ordinary clothes basket whereby the latter is held or supported in an elevated position where its interior is within easy reach of a person standing erect alongside of the'truck.

Near their upper ends the posts of each pair are connected by toggle links 9, 9 whose to said posts and whose inner ends are pivotally connected at 11. One of the links 901 each toggle is provided at its inner end with alaterally projecting lug 12 which, by engagement with the top of the other link 9, limits the downward movement of the middle portion of the toggle so'that' when the toggle is in its operative extended condition the pivot 11 is positioned just below a line intersecting the pivots 10, 10 by the engagement of the lug 12 with the topof the other toggle link. Thus, the connection between the two links 9, 9 of each toggle is a knuckle joint opening upwardly and whose mo ement oradjustment in the-opposite direc tion is limited by the lug 12 as just described. The toggles, therefore, serve to rigidly support the posts 3 of each pair in ,folded into collapsed positions the toggles en the two posts 3, 3 having the shorter bracket arms 4, are swung downwardly inthe direction-of the arrow A, the outer endsof said posts passing between the twoopposite osts operative extended relationship and serve to hold said posts against relative swinging movement in either direction.

Each wheel 2 is rotatably securedupon an axle stud 13 projecting obliquely from a bracket 14 secured in position against the outside of its bar 1. The axle stud 13 is disposed obliquely with relation to its bracket 14 so that when the apparatus or truck is in condition for use the axle stud will be substantially parallel with the ground and,

therefore, the wheelwill occupy a vertical position.v V I My new truck, as herein illustrated, is particularly designed for use by housewives in hanging out or taking in clothes. Hereclot-hes basket is hung by itsfhandles "upon the hooks 8 in' which, positionthe contents of said basket arejconveniently accessible without requiring stooping over. Moreover,

the loaded basket can be easily and readily trundled or transported fromone position to another.

7 When the parts of:the truck'are to be 9 are first buckled upward slightly and t 3, 3' before said two opposite posts are c osed together. As a matterv of fact, in practice the downward movementqof the upper free ends of the two posts 3, 3 having the shorter bracket arms4, tends to bring the two base bars 1, 1 toward each otherinthe directions 1 indicated by the'arrows C but said free ends 7 .with their book 8 will pass down between the opposite pair of postsbefore the latter close to ether .sufliciently to bar their passage. T e pair of posts 3 having the longer bracket arms 4, are then swung downzo'n top of the first pair after which the several bars and posts may be secured compactly together by means of a yoke latch'15. This yoke latch 15' is pivotally connected at'its .1niddle, by means of a bracket 16, with ,one'of the posts 3 and after the several bars and posts have been broughttogether into a bunch the yoke latch is free to be swung on its bracket 16 into a position where it straddles said bunch and its hooked free ends engage studs 17 rojecting from the outer sides of the base ars '1.

The above described truck, when equipped with a clothes basket, may also serve very' well as a crib for an infant. When used as a crib it may be desirable to provide means for preventing excessive swinging movement of the basket on the hooks 8 and to this end the oppositesi'des of the basket may be con nected with the base bars 1 by cords or the like. r 7 Q In adjusting theparts of the structure, above described, from their collapsed condition, shown in- Figs. 2 and 3, to their 0p,-

erative positions the yoke latch 15 is un-f fastened and then the two base bars 1, 1 are moved apart sufficiently to permit the posts .3 having the longer bracket arms 4, to be elevated after'which the opposite pair of posts 3 are swung upwardly into theiroperative positions. are sufliciently loose to permit of limited bodily movement apart of the base bars 1, 1 necessary in this opening operation. As will be clear from Fig. 1, the lower ends of .the posts 3 are brought to bear against the "topside of the base bars 1 when swung upwardly into their operative positions, and

thus, when the basket is in position on the hooks 8, the two pairs of posts are held against movement on their pivots 5.

It will also be clear from the above description that each base bar 1 with its two posts 3, 3 constitutes a U-shaped side frame equipped with wheels and pivotally connected at its: ends by the pintles 7 with the ends of the other U-shaped side frame.

What I claim is: 1. A truck of the character described comprising two side frames'eaeh consisting of a base bar and two posts one adjacent each end thereof,each post being provided at its lower end' with a rigid laterally extending arm pivotally. connected with its base bar with the laterally extending arm of one post -made longer than the laterally extending arm of the other and the difi'erencein the lengthsof said arms beingiapproximately equal tothe width of the latterpost; means .pivotally connecting the freeends' of the pair of posts ateach'end of the truck; means adjacent the pivotally connected free ends of said posts and upon theinner sides of the latter for supporting a clothes basket or the like so that thelatter holds. said posts 'in" upstanding positions against inward pivotal movement on the pivotal connwtions The joints at the pivots 5 between said arms and said base bars, and

means for holding said side frames in extended relationship with provision for folding the two side frames togetherwhen de sired, the lower ends of'said posts abutting said base bars to hold said posts against outward pivotal movement on said last mentioned pivotal connections when said posts are in their upstanding positions.

2. A truck of the character described constructed in accordance with claim 1, wherein each base bar is provided with a pair of wheels, one for each end thereof, by which it is supported clear of the ground.

' 3. A truck of the character described constructed in accordance with claim 1, wherein means is also provided for securing said side frames in fully collapsed positions, said means consisting of a yoke latch pivotally mounted on one of said'frames and adapted to straddle both pairs of posts and both base bars when the structure is in its fully collapsed condition, and means on said base bars engaging said yoke latch-to hold the p structure in its fully collapsed condition.

Signed by me at Boston, county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, this th day of November, 1927.

WALTER A. LYNDS.

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