AU718136B2 - Loading and distributing arrangement - Google Patents

Description

AUSTALIARegulation 3.2 Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 4 *0 a .00w 0 *0 @0 *0 00 0 0 0000 0 0 0400

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0000 0 0@ t 00 0 0 0 0 @0 Invention Title: Loading and Distribution Arrangement Applicant: John Francis Hunt The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 'Illy Document g -2 LOADING AND DISTRIBUTION ARRANGEMENT The present invention relates to a loading and distribution arrangement and in particular relates to such an arrangement for use in the trucking industry. It will be convenient to describe the invention in relation to that particular industry, although it should be appreciated that the invention has wider application and is not limited to use in that industry as hereinafter described. For example the invention also has application to shipping containers and railway containers.

In relation to the trucking industry, the arrangement of the invention has application for loading and unloading goods from the tray, platform or floor of a truck upon which goods can be loaded. Throughout this specification the term "tray" shall be defined to include not only a tray typically found on "tray trucks", but also platforms and floors of other types of trucks upon which goods are loaded for transport.

15 Typically, trucks are loaded/unloaded in one of several ways, depending on the type of truck in consideration and the facilities available for loading/unloading which may change from the point of loading to the point of unloading. In general, trucks can be loaded from either end of the truck, or from the sides of the truck depending on the type of truck being loaded and the loading facilities. A truck typically consists of a front cabin and a load supporting tray. In the majority of smaller trucks, the cabin is permanently attached to the tray and therefore, goods are not able to be loaded from the front end while in larger trucks the prime mover can sometimes be jack-knifed or removed, so that the tray portion or trailer portion can be loaded from both the front and rear ends. Trucks themselves vary, in as much as some trucks have a tray which is completely open or exposed, while other trucks include a rigid or flexible housing covering the tray, to protect goods from rain and hail etc and to retain the load. Trucks in which the trays are fully, or at least partially open can generally be loaded from one or both sides. However, fully enclosed trucks generally only have one opening for loading provided at an end or side. While some enclosed trucks include fixed openings in their sides, others that include flexible curtains as side walls instead of rigid walls, can be drawn back to create a large opening for loading.

JVP C:\WINWORDUANELLESPECIILOADIST.DOC -3- The difficulty with loading most trucks, and substantially all trucks of medium to large size with only one opening for loading, is that it is difficult to place goods along the full tray of the truck, without having to physically push goods into their desired position. Equally, it is also difficult to unload the goods because these have to be moved back to the position at which they can beunloaded. This is particularly the case with trucks that can only be loaded and unloaded from one end. With such trucks, the goods which are typically loaded by a forklift, must be manually pushed to the opposite end of the tray for loading, and for unloading those goods have to be dragged back to the open end of the truck. Dragging movement of the goods can cause damage either to the goods themselves or to the tray, while the manual effort exerted in moving the goods can result in injury.

.iWhere a forklift is used to load or unload the truck, the forklift may be located at ground level and lift goods onto the tray. This is the practice commonly used at warehouses or smaller factories where a loading dock is not provided. At 5 larger factories, a loading dock may be used. A loading dock comprises a raised platform that is level or substantially level with the height of the tray. The truck is positioned adjacent the platform so that a forklift can drive off the platform and directly onto the tray of the truck. By driving the loaded forklift onto the tray of the truck, goods can be taken by the forklift to the opposite end of the tray. However, this solution is generally not appropriate, given that the substantial weight of the forklift can damage the tray and the manoeuvrability of a forklift on the tray is limited. Also, the trays of many trucks, in particular medium to smaller trucks, overhang the rear wheels of the truck a substantial distance. It is therefore not possible to drive a forklift onto such an overhang, because it would not support the forklift. It may also not be appropriate to drive the forklift onto the tray as the mass of the forklift on an empty or partially loaded tray may raise the gross vehicle mass of the truck above an acceptable level. Thus, the earlier described method of manually dragging and pushing the goods is often the most practical solution.

The above problem is not always solved by using a truck having full side and end access for loading, such as may be found in fully open trucks, or flexibly walled trucks in which the walls can be completely drawn back, because it is often the loading and unloading facility that dictates how goods can be loaded and JVP C:\WINWORDUANELLE\SPECILOADIST.DOC unloaded. Where a loading dock is provided, it is often only possible for goods to be loaded at the rear end of the truck even though the truck may have side access for loading.

The problems with loading and unloading trucks is particularly evident in the case of transporting rolls of carpet. Rolls of carpet are generally quite heavy and normally only take up approximately half the length of a standard rear entry truck. Thus, for rolls of this kind, the present method is to load a first roll, or pair of rolls through the rear entry of the truck by a probe forklift. But these rolls can only be loaded into the rear end of the truck, as the probe cannot extend to the front of the truck. Thus, a roll loaded at the rear end of the truck is then manually pushed or dragged to the front end of the tray to make space for another roll or rolls to be loaded at the rear end. As already mentioned, this has the effect of damaging the rolls which have to be dragged, as well as creating an injury risk for the workers.

:...Additionally, most large carpet manufacturers have loading docks so that loading 15 can only take place from rear end of the truck.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved or at least'alternative arrangement for the loading of trucks.

Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention there is provided a loading and distribution arrangement for a tray of a truck, said arrangement including a load supporting means suitable for mounting on the tray and when mounted being movable from a loading position where goods are loaded onto the load supporting means to a transport position displaced from said loading position where said means supports the load during transport of the truck.

The load supporting means, when mounted on a tray of a truck, enables goods to be loaded through a rear door or other opening in the wall of an enclosed truck, or on the tray of an open truck, and to be moved from that loading position to a transporting position remote or displaced from the loading position, thus enabling other goods to be loaded into the vacated loading position and/or to enable the goods to be optimally positioned for stability in transit by ensuring an even weight distribution over the axles of the truck.

In one form of the invention, the load supporting means includes a movable trolley which can traverse at least a portion of the length of the tray. In this form of JVP C:\WNWORDUANELLE\SPECILOADIST.DOC the invention, the trolley is moved to the loading position of the tray and goods are loaded on the trolley. When the trolley is fully loaded, or is loaded to a sufficient extent relative to the total final load, the trolley is then moved to the transport position and the space vacated by the trolley can then be loaded with the remaining portion of the goods.

The trolley of the invention can take any suitable form and in one form includes one or more supporting surfaces which are supported by any suitable means which enable movement of the trolley from the loading position to the transport position, such as by wheels, castors, rollers, ball bearings or the like.

The wheels should be of a suitable material to bear the weight of a load on the trolley and suitable wheels include wheels made from teflon or hardened plastic.

Preferably, the trolley has a single planar supporting surface which can have any aooo suitable size and shape. Preferably the trolley will have a similar width to the S-width of the truck tray on which it is located. Preferably also, the trolley will have a 15 length equal to approximately half the length of the tray. Alternatively the length of the trolley can be less than half the length of the tray or greater than half the length of the tray as necessary. The supporting surface can also have any suitable surface contour as may be necessary for the transport of certain goods.

Suitable materials for use in the manufacture of the trolley include steel and aluminium.

It is also preferred that the trolley not be steerable or at least resists sideways movement. For example, where the trolley has wheels or castors or the like, the wheels etc may be configured so that they cannot swivel or turn about the point of connection to the trolley. This feature helps prevent the trolley from moving sideways from the straight forward/backward path it is intended to travel on the tray.

When mounted on the tray of the truck, the trolley preferably supports the loaded goods during transport thereof. This advantageously allows goods loaded on the trolley to remain on the trolley for the duration of transport and to be unloaded therefrom upon reaching the transport destination. In such an arrangement, the trolley is preferably substantially restrained from movement relative to the truck tray during transit of the truck. For this purpose, the trolley JVP C:\WINWORDUANELLESPECI LOADIST.DOC -6can be provided with restraining means to anchor the trolley to the truck tray, or to other anchor portions provided on the truck, such as on the cabin or on a board which generally exists between the rear of the cabin and the front end of the tray, which is generally known as a front free board. The trolley may be provided with restraining means in the form of brackets which have one or more apertures to receive bolts or loading pins. A plurality of such brackets may be provided as required. Other arrangements may equally be provided. In another embodiment, there may be provided a plurality of apertures positioned along the length of the tray and one or more apertures located in the trolley. The trolley may be positioned to align the apertures to allow a locking pin to be positioned in an aperture in the trolley and an aligned aperture in the tray, thereby preventing the *itrolley from moving along the length of the tray. The plurality of apertures allows the trolley to be fixed in different positions using the arrangement. Where bolts or locking pins are provided with brackets, or other arrangements to provide a means for securing the trolley in a position relative to the tray, the bolts or locking pins may be spring loaded or operated by other means such as air operated or electronically operated to move to and from a locking position.

The trolley may also be provided with means to prevent the sideways movement of the trolley relative to the tray when mounted to the tray. For example, it may be provided with side restraint members such as one or more downwardly extending members located on opposite ends of the trolley such that ooeach member extends adjacent a side of the tray when the trolley is located on S a.

the tray. Thus one or more of the downwardly extending members may be brought into abutment with the sides of the tray when it is attempted to move the trolley sideways, thereby stopping the sideways movement.

Advantageously, in the general construction of trucks, the side edges of the tray are supported by C-channel beams. In this embodiment it is preferred for the downwardly extending members to extend from the trolley edge into the void of the channel when the trolley is located on the tray.

It is to be noted that this sideways support may not be required when the restraining means are actively restricting movement of the trolley, however when the restraining means are released to allow lengthwise movement of the trolley, JVP C:AWfNWORMUANE1E SPECILOADISTDOC -7sideways support may be necessary particularly if the truck is positioned on uneven ground.

The skilled addressee will appreciate that other types of arrangements can be provided to prevent sideways movement of the trolley.

It is also advantageous that the trolley, when located on the tray of a truck, be restrained from moving toward and away from the tray in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the tray. Accordingly if the truck were to roll in an accident, the trolley is prevented from coming away from the truck. The brackets and locking bolt arrangements described above, as well as the downward extending members locatable in side channels, are suitable for preventing this perpendicular movement.

**In a further alternative, the trolley may be adapted for movement by external means, such as by a forklift fitted with a suitable attachment, to push or pull the trolley as required when the trolley is mounted to the tray of a truck.

In another embodiment, braking means are located on the trolley to halt or slow its movement along the length of the tray. It is envisaged that such braking means could be provided in addition to any other arrangement as described above for locking the trolley into a certain position. For example, if the trolley had anchor points as described above and the truck was parked on a slope, the trolley may be free to move down the tray towards the lower point of the tray as soon as the anchors on the trolley were released. By providing braking means on the trolley this movement could be prevented and controlled by the operator.

The trolley may have one or more frames to assist in holding goods loaded on the trolley and to ensure that goods loaded on the trolley arecorrectly positioned on the trolley. The skilled addressee will appreciate that the location and dimensions of these frames may vary depending on the type of goods to be loaded on the trolley. Furthermore, these frames may be removable to assist in the loading and unloading of goods from the trolley. It is preferable that the frames be formed by one or more upwardly extending members located adjacent one or more sides of the trolley.

JVP C:\WNWORDUANELLE\SPECI\LOADIST.DOC -8- It is also preferred that the trolley have a wall extending across the width of the trolley and located at the front of the trolley. This prevents goods loaded on the trolley from falling off or being moved past the front end of the trolley.

Preferably, the trolley is removable when it is not required.

It is preferred that the trolley of this invention be used to support and move rolls of carpet. Carpet typically weighs 10 kilograms per lineal metre. Accordingly, a roll of carpet of 50 metres will weigh 500 kilograms. It is envisaged that the trolley of this application could carry 10 or more such rolls. Accordingly, it is preferred that the trolley have sufficient strength to support and distribute a load of 5-6 tonnes.

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a truck having a *•loading and distribution arrangement as described above fitted to it. Accordingly, the invention is also directed to a combination of a truck having a tray and a *loading and distributing arrangement mounted to said tray and including a load 4 15 supporting means movable from a loading position where goods are loaded onto said load supporting means to a transport position displaced from said loading position where said means supports the load during transport of the truck.

In this combination, the load supporting means and truckmay have any of the preferred features as described earlier. Accordingly, the load supporting aoll 20 means may be a trolley, or more preferably a trolley having one or more supporting surfaces and means to permit movement of the supporting surfaces.

The trolley may include means to restrain the movement of the trolley located.on the tray. Such restraining means may be as earlier described. A particularly preferred embodiment of the restraining means is one or more brackets mounted to the trolley, each bracket having one or more apertures for receiving one or more locking pins. It is also preferred that each locking pin is locatable in an aperture located on the truck, such as in the tray of the truck. When the locking pin is located in the one or more apertures of a bracket and in the aperture located on the truck, the pin may thereby operate to prevent the movement of the trolley relative to the tray of the truck.

It is also preferred that in this combination the trolley have means to prevent sideway movements of the trolley when mounted to the tray of the truck.

JVP C:\WINWORDUANELLE SPECILOADIST.DOC -9- As described earlier a particularly preferred means for achieving this includes the one or more downwardly extending members located on opposite sides of the trolley which extend past a side of the tray when the trolley is located on the tray.

It is further preferred in this embodiment that the tray have located on each opposite side a channel having a void and the downwardly extending members of the trolley are configured such that an end of each downwardly extending member extends into the void of the channel when the trolley is located on the tray. This arrangement restricts the sideways movement of the trolley relative to the tray. It also prevents the trolley from separating from the tray in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the tray.

The skilled addressee will appreciate that other types of means can be provided to prevent sideways movement of the trolley. For example, railway type tracks can be provided along the top surface of the tray for receiving the wheels of the trolley. Alternatively, walls can be located along the side of the tray with the 0 trolley adapted to travel up and down the length of the tray between the side walls.

It is also preferred that the trolley have one or more frames to assist in holding good in position when loaded onto the trolley. For example, the one or more frames may be constituted by one or more upwardly extending members located at the sides of thetrolley.

Various alternative arrangements can be utilised to secure the trolley in place and also provide means for moving the trolley along the tray. The securing :means could, for example, comprise a pneumatic or hydraulic strut or plurality of 9o struts secured at one end to the tray and at the other end to the trolley, which govern lengthwise travel of the trolley. For example a pneumatic or hydraulic ram may be provided. Control of such a strut or struts could advantageously be provided at any suitable position or positions, for example inthe cabin of the truck, at the front free board and/or at the loading position. Alternatively, control could be by remote means.

The above described strut arrangement could also be sufficient to provide resistance against movement of the trolley during transit of the truck by locking the strut in a particular position, such that additional means by way of locating JVP C:\W1NWORDUANELLESPECI\LOADIST.DOC brackets are unnecessary. However, such means may still be provided for enhanced stability.

Still alternatively, a motor is provided to control lengthwise travel of the trolley. Such motor can be electrical or mechanical, or electromechanical. In addition to the motor, there may be an arrangement such as a rope, chain or cable connected to a winch or pulley arrangement which is mechanically or electrically operated by the motor. Where movement is effected by a motor, the motor can be located on the truck or on the trolley itself with a drive wheel or similar arrangement being provided to transmit force from the motor to the trolley or tray to move the tray.

The skilled addressee will appreciate that where the truck has a front free board, this prevents the trolley travelling past the front of the tray and coming away from the tray. To prevent the trolley travelling past the back end of the tray where the trolley is not secured to the tray in another manner, a similar board may be provided at the rear end of the tray or other stop means may be provided.

A trolley as above described can be used for a rear entry, front entry or side entry trucks, whether they have open or enclosed trays. The trolley of the invention facilitates movement of goods about the tray of a truck, specifically to improve the ease with which goods loaded at one part of the tray can be moved to another part. Also, the trolley of the invention can be used to facilitate weight distribution across the tray of the truck in a manner which optimises stability of the l* truck in transit, or when stationary.

In order to assist in arriving at an understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment is illustrated in the attached drawings. However, it should be understood that the following description is illustrative only and should not be taken in any way as a restriction on the generality of the invention as described above.

Figure 1 is a side view of a truck having a trolley located thereon.

Figure 2 is a top view of the trolley of this invention.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view through line A-A of Figure 2 showing details of the wheel of the trolley.

Figure 4 is a side view showing details of the wheel of the trolley.

JVP C:\WlNWORDUANELLE\SPECI\LOADIST.DOC -11 Figure 5 is a top view showing the bracket located at the front of the trolley.

Figure 6 is a side view of the bracket located at the rear of the trolley.

Figure 7 is a rear view of the trolley.

Figure 8 is a side view of the sideways restraining means of the trolley.

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention, in which a truck includes a trolley 11 according to the present invention. The truck 10 has a tray 12 upon which goods (not shown) can be loaded for transport. The truck 10 as illustrated includes a frame member 13 which extends vertically from the tray 12 at the front end of the truck 10 adjacent the cabin 15. The frame member 13 represents the forwardmost position of the tray at which point goods can be loaded. A front free board 13A is also provided at the front of tray 12.

The truck 10 as shown is an open truck, which does not include a solid or flexible housing. Goods to be loaded on such a truck would normally be tied down .i and covered with a tarpaulin. A truck of this kind can therefore be loaded from a either side or the rear by a forklift located at ground level. However, it is common at large industrial sites, that a loading dock is used in which the floor of the loading *~dock is at the same level as the tray. In this arrangement, the truck will reverse into the loading dock and goods are loaded onto the rear end of the tray. For goods to be loaded toward the front end of the tray, the forklift can drive straight 4ieG 20 onto the tray, but this is not often suitable due to the damage that can be done to the tray. One often used alternative is to simply push or drag the goods manually to the front end.

By utilising the trolley 11 of the invention, the manual work in pushing or dragging the goods can be substantially eliminated. The trolley 11 can be moved from the front of tray 12 to the rear and at the rear, the trolley 11 is in a loading position LP suitable to receive goods thereon. In Figure 1, only an end portion of the trolley 11 is illustrated at the loading position LP. At the loading position, the supporting surface 19 of the trolley can be loaded in the normal manner. Once the trolley 11 is fully loaded, it can be moved to a position toward the front end of the truck, at or adjacent the frame member 13 and front free board 13A and the trolley 11 is fully illustrated in this position in Figure 1. This is designated the transport position or TP. Having moved the trolley 11 to the transport position, the JVP C:\WlNWORDUANELLXSPECI\LOADIST.DOC -12vacated portion of the tray 12 of the truck 10 can then be loaded with goods, with the result that the full tray can be loaded with goods without requiring manual pushing or dragging of goods to the front end of the tray 12.

As is shown in Figure 1, the trolley 11 includes a pair of wheels 20 and such a pair of wheels is provided on either side of the trolley as shown in Figure 2.

Additional supporting wheels may be provided as required. The wheels 20 are shown in detail in cross section in Figure 3 and are fixed to a shaft 21 and rotate about that shaft on a bearing 22. A side view of a wheel 20 is shown in Figure 4.

The trolley 11 includes means to resist movement thereof both lengthwise and sideways of the tray 12. Considering first lengthwise movement, the trolley includes anchoring brackets to anchor the trolley 11 to the tray 12 and the frame S. member 13. The anchoring brackets are shown in Figures 1 and 2 and are designated front brackets 24 and rear brackets 25. Details of these brackets are shown in Figures 5 and 6.

15 Turning to Figure 5, the front brackets 24 extend outwardly from the front end of the trolley 11. Each front bracket 24 includes an extending member 27 which extends from the front end of the trolley 11 and a right-angle channel 28 welded to the extending member 27. The extending leg 29 of the channel 28 includes an opening for receiving a bolt 30, which is also received through an S 20 opening provided in a 'complementary bracket 31 extending from the frame member 13. The bolt 30 screws into a nut 32 welded to the bracket 31. Front brackets 24 are provided at either side of the trolley 11.

The rear anchoring brackets 25 are shown in Figures 1 and 2 and these are shown in more detail in Figure 6. The rear anchoring brackets comprise a Cchannel member 33, welded to the rear end of the trolley 11. The C-channel is mounted to have the opposed webs 35 vertically spaced from one another and each web includes an opening to receive a securing bolt 36, which engages in the opening provided in an anchor 37.

The front anchoring brackets 24 maintain the trolley 11 in the transport position and are easily released when necessary to allow movement of the trolley 11 to the loading position. It is quite within the scope of the invention to provide a JVP C:\WINWORDU\JANELLE\SPECI\LOADIST.DOC -13plurality of anchoring brackets at positions in addition to those shown in order to more securely hold the trolley, or to allow for a plurality of secured positions.

The trolley 11 also includes means to prevent sideways movement of the trolley and such means are shown in Figures 1 and 6 to 8. Side restraint is provided by side restraint members 38. The side restraint members are bolted to the outer side edges of the trolley 11 and extend downwardly and inwardly to extend into the C-channel 39 which extends lengthwise of the tray 12. Figure 7 shows the side restraint members 38 on either side of the trolley 11, while Figure 8 shows this arrangement in more detail. It can be seen from this arrangement that side restraint members 38 also prevent movement of the trolley 11 toward and away from the tray 12 in a direction perpendicular is the plane of the tray 12.

Side restraint members 38 may be removable to allow trolley 11 to be removed from the tray 12.

ii It is to be noted that trucks which employ a canopy, or at least side walls, 15 do not facilitate the arrangement of Figures 1 and 6 to 8 in respect of the side restraint means. This is because the side walls prohibit the side restraint members 38 from extending outside the perimeter of the tray 12 to extend into the

S

C-channel 39. However, a similar arrangement can still be adopted by placing Cchannels on the supporting surface of the tray 12 within the side walls.

The trolley 11 can be moved from the loading position LP to the transport position TP upon release of the various anchors. The side restraining means have no restraining effect in relation to lengthwise movement of the trolley.

Movement can be achieved manually by pushing or pulling the trolley, with the effort required for this being much less than pushing or dragging for example, a carpet roll. However, to obtain the greatest advantage of the invention, movement will be by way of a mechanical or electromechanical arrangement, such as employing a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator, a winch, or a pulley arrangement.

Arrangements of this kind advantageously may allow the position of the trolley to be controlled so that it can be moved to various positions on the tray which assist loading and unloading, and positioning of goods for stability.

The trolley 11 can also include side frame members 41 if desired, in order to resist sideways movement of goods. Further it can include front board (not JVP C:\WNWORD\JANELLE\SPECIM.OADIST.DOC -14shown) that extends across the width of the trolley 11. Frame members 41 and front board are removable to assist in loading and unloading goods from the trolley 11.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there may be many variations and modifications of the configuration described herein which are within the scope of the present invention.

e S k JVP C:\WINWORDUANE-E SPECIXLOADIST.OOC

Claims (14)

1. A combination of a truck having a tray and a loading and distribution arrangement mounted onto said tray, said loading and distribution arrangement including a trolley suitable for supporting one or more carpet rolls, said trolley being movable from a loading position where carpet rolls can be loaded onto said trolley to a transport position displaced from the loading position where said trolley supports the carpet rolls during transport of the truck, the length of said trolley not exceeding half the length of said tray so that when said trolley is moved from said loading to said transport position, an area of said tray is vacated by said trolley to permit further carpet rolls to be loaded onto said area.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the trolley includes means to restrain the movement of the trolley relative to the tray of the truck.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein the restraining means I* t includes one or more brackets mounted to the trolley and one or more locking 9 pins, each bracket having one or more apertures to receive a locking pin. 20

4. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the trolley includes means to prevent sideways movement of the trolley relative to the tray.

The combination according to claim 4 wherein the means includes one or more downwardly extending members located on opposite sides of the trolley, each member extending adjacent a side of the tray.

6. The combination according to claim 5 wherein the tray has a channel having a void extending along the length of the tray and the downwardly extending members are configured such that an end of each member extends into said void.

7. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the trolley T ZN includes breaking means to halt or slow the movement of the trolley. WASPECILOADIST caims.doc 16

8. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the trolley has one or more frames to assist in holding the carpet rolls in position when loaded onto the trolley.

9. The combination according to claim 8 wherein the one or more frames includes one or more upwardly extending members located at the sides of the trolley.

The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the trolley has a wall extending across a width of the trolley and located at the front of the trolley.

11. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 10 including a motor to move said trolley from said loading position to said transport position.

12. The combination according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein the .e "•.'.trolley has a square or rectangular load supporting surface and a front end, a rear end and opposite sides and a pair of wheels located at or substantially at the periphery of each opposite side. S

13. A method of loading carpet rolls onto a truck having a tray and a loading and distribution arrangement as defined in any one of claims 1-12, said method including the steps of: locating said trolley in a loading position; placing said carpet rolls onto said trolley; and moving said trolley to a transport position located remote from said loading position.

14. A method according to claim 13 including the further step of locating additional carpet rolls in the space of the tray vacated by the trolley when moved from said loading position to said transport position. W:ASPECILOADIST claims.do 17 A combination of a truck and a load supporting means substantially as hereinbefore described as illustrated in any one of the figures. DATED: 3 February 2000 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: JOHN FRANCIS HUNT 9 9 *9 9*9* 9 9 9* 9 9* 9. 9. 9 9 9 S S S.. 9*9* S *9*S S *S 9 9* 9 9. W:ASPECMOADIST clsimsdoc