FR2876072A1 - Cart for e.g. hiking, has wheels fixed in detachable manner to support plate, and control arm whose end has gripping unit allowing handling and association of gripping unit to mobilization unit at end of movement of cart - Google Patents

Abstract

The cart (C) has two wheels (200a, 200b) fixed in a detachable manner to a support plate (100), where the wheels are in contact with the ground and with an end (310) of a control arm (300). An end (320) of the arm has a gripping unit (400) e.g. handle, to allow handling and association of the unit to a mobilization unit at the end of the movement of the cart. The arm has parts whose space adjustment allows length adjustment of the arm.

Description

RIDING TROLLEY

  FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of hiking and in particular the means of transport likely to help the hiker to wear the various equipment that he classically carries in his bag. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The hiker classically carries in a bag the various equipment that he will need during his journey. This bag can considerably increase in volume and weight when the length and therefore the duration of the course, increase.

  This weight and this congestion make the hike can become a particularly trying activity, the fatigue with the load brought to add to that related to the distance traveled.

  In addition, the transport capacity is dependent not only on the volume of the bag but especially the muscular capacity of the hiker to bear on his shoulders a weight for a period that can be particularly long.

  Also, the content of a hiker's bag is the result of a draconian choice that takes into account the criteria mentioned above leading to sacrificing the comfort of the hiker thus reserving this activity to enthusiasts.

  In addition, particularly heavy loads carried by the shoulders for a long time, have long-term adverse effects on the back of the hiker or even on his breathing during the effort.

  Wearing a backpack also results in significant sweating of the back which moistens clothes. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Based on this state of affairs, the applicant has conducted research aimed at relieving the backs of hikers while providing a means of transport capable of adapting to the different situations which the hiker faces before, during and after the hike.

  This research led to the design of a hiking trolley that overcomes the disadvantages of using a backpack while retaining the ease of movement that this use brings.

  According to the main characteristic of the invention, the trekking trolley is remarkable in that it is constituted by a plateeausupport which are fixed in a detachable manner, two wheels coming into contact with the ground and the first end of at least a control arm whose second end comprises a gripping means allowing its handling or its association with a moving means for moving the carriage.

  The use of a trolley makes it possible to make the load constituted by the bag or the contents of the bag support the wheels of the carriage thus freeing the shoulders of the hiker. In addition, the carrying capacity of a trolley are much greater than those of the shoulders of a single hiker thus allowing, the transport of a load greater than the charge usually carried individually by means of a bag giving consequently the possibility to support the bags of several hikers.

  The hiker therefore no longer has to make a draconian choice in the content of what he has to carry. In addition, several hikers released from their back load can simultaneously participate in the setting in motion of the carriage.

  The presence of two wheels provides a very high stability to the truck avoiding any overturning and allowing it to rest, that is to say without the user grasping the carriage, to present an inclined position in support between one end of the tray and the points of contact of the wheels with the ground.

  The absence of the bag on the shoulders of the hiker - 3 - avoids the inconvenience especially with regard to the sweat of the back of the hiker. The means for moving the carriage can be indifferently one or more hikers or a bicycle type "mountain bike" or any means of travel used for hiking. The gripping means may be constituted by one or more handles, one or more means of attachment one or more straps, all being likely to come subject to a belt, a strap or a harness provided for this purpose worn by the user. To ensure this versatility, the end of the control arm is preformed to serve as a standard home interface to a plurality of gripping means.

  The possible disassembly of the various elements that constitute the carriage thus allows its transport in disassembled configuration and allows to retain all the mobility necessary for the hiker for his passage in places where the carriage would be likely to hinder.

  In addition, disassembly can reduce the size of such equipment.

  Another component of the invention relates to the transport bag of the disassembled carriage whose dimensions allows the reception of the tray and the various components of the carriage. This bag can, once the carriage mounted, be associated with the tray and / or the elements carried by the carriage. This bag can be equipped with at least one strap to allow its transport on the shoulders of its user.

  According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the carriage of the invention comprises a single control arm. This feature is made possible only by the stability provided by the presence of the two removable wheels constituting the carriage of the invention. In addition, apart from the fact that the absence of a second arm avoids the transport of its mass and its volume, it also frees a hand from its user which, in hike, is particularly important. Thus, the carriage of the invention is likely to be towed and pulled with one hand. In addition, the applicant by providing for fixing the gripping means to the belt of the user, proposes to tow the carriage of the invention by freeing both hands of the user.

  In order to adapt to all user sizes as well as to provide comfort in its use, the length of the control arm is adjustable. To do this, the control arm of the carriage of the invention consists of two parts whose adjustment of the spacing allows the adjustment of the length of said arm. This adjustment also provides a certain flexibility in the length of the hitch that can constitute this arm when it is fixed, for example, the frame of a bicycle. This setting can be held in position by means of a flexible link.

  The applicant has devised a simple, light and robust design for his touring trolley, limiting as far as possible the number of pieces, their volume, mass and complexity. Thus, according to another particularly advantageous feature of the invention, the aforesaid support plate is constituted by the arrangement in the same plane of a plurality of parallel tubular elements each fixed to at least one cross at both ends of which comes removably attaching one of said wheels. The use of tubular elements contributes to the lightening of the structure.

  The removable attachment of the wheels is implemented by positioning means and holding means in position. To do this, according to a particularly advantageous characteristic, each wheel is pivotally connected to the end of a shaft whose other end is bonded to the end of said cross.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the shaft and the cross member are preformed so that their shapes can fit into each other for positioning purposes.

  Keeping in position responds to the applicant's concern not to use fixing screws. According to a particularly judicious technological choice, a flexible link ensures the positioning of the shafts on the crosspiece. This soft link can be shared for both trees. In order to facilitate the tightening of the flexible link connecting the two shafts with each other so as to keep them in position on the crosspiece, the shafts are equipped with a lug protruding transversely from the shaft and on which the flexible link is supported when tightening. This flexible link can be linked and tightened with that ensuring the holding in position of the control arm.

  Another characteristic involved in the lightening is the material chosen judiciously for the plate and the control arm which are made of aluminum.

  In addition, by choosing a welding attachment mode for the constituent parts of the plate, the applicant reduces the number of hardware, another constant concern of the applicant in its design of the carriage.

  The basic concepts of the invention having been described above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with reference to the appended drawings, giving nonlimiting example, an embodiment of a touring carriage according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

  FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of an exploded top view of an embodiment of a touring carriage according to the invention. FIG. 2a is a schematic drawing of a side view of the embodiment of the invention. trolley illustrated in Figure - 6 - a first position for its arm of 1 adopting order, Figure 2a with position Figure exploded top of hiking compliant Figure 4 is below the assembled carriage.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of a view of FIG. 3 in configuration. A schematic drawing of a view of 2b is the same drawing as an adopting control arm 3 is a schematic drawing of one of FIG. second of a view of another embodiment of a carriage side of the embodiment of the carriage shown in Figure 3 adopting a first position for its control arm and in which appears an exploded view of the control arm, La Figure 6 is the same drawing as that of Figure 5 with a control arm adopting a second position and in which appear several gripping means.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

  As illustrated in the drawing of FIG. 1, the touring trolley referenced C as a whole, is remarkable in that it consists of a support plate 100 to which are fixed in a removable manner, two wheels 200a and 200b coming into contact with the ground and the end 310 of at least one control arm 300 whose second end 320 comprises a gripping means 400 allowing its handling or its association with a means of movement not shown in FIGS. end of movement of the carriage C. As illustrated, the aforesaid support plate 100 is constituted by the arrangement in the same plane of a plurality of parallel tubular elements 110 each attached to a cross 120 at both ends 120a and 120b which one of said 35 - 7 wheels respectively 200a and 200b is detachably fastened to. According to a preferred technological choice, consistent with the desire of the applicant to avoid as much as possible the presence of hardware elements, the plurality of tubular elements 110 is fixed to said cross member 120 by welding. According to the illustrated embodiment, said tubular elements 110 are oriented parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage.

  According to the illustrated embodiment, these tubular elements 110 are positioned on the cross member 120 at a regular spacing which contributes to the lightening of the plate 100 and provides catches to the straps and straps for fixing the bag or bags to carry or any equipment on said tray 100.

  Another feature appearing in the illustrated embodiment relates to the ends of said tubular members which are closed and protected by means of plugs 111 preferably made of plastics material.

  As illustrated, the end of said tubular elements accommodates a first end 310 of said control arm 300. For this purpose, this first end 310 comprises one or more portions of tube 311, here two, whose section has been chosen to form a slide with the end of said tubular elements 110 forming the plate 100. Thus, the first end of the control arm 300 is fitted into the plate 100 which facilitates assembly. According to the illustrated embodiment, the section of the portions of tubes 311 has been defined so as to allow their introduction into the tubular elements 110 at the end of which the plugs have been removed. The spacing of the tubular elements being constant, the control arm 300 can be placed over the entire width of the carriage, to provide a plurality of fixing solutions may be chosen according to the moving means. According to a preferred embodiment, the tube portions 311 are welded to the lower end 310 of the control arm 300. As illustrated, this attachment is made so that the handle formed by the control arm 300 forms an angle relative to the plane constituted by the plate 100. This angle makes it possible not only to bring the handle or the gripping means 400 within reach of the user but also to keep the handle above the ground even when the carriage is at rest, ie when it is stopped and not handled by the hiker thus leaving total freedom to the latter.

  The wheels 200a and 200b are, for their part, be placed on shafts placed at each end of the cross 120 thus forming its ends 120a and 120b. Fixing said wheels on the crossmember can be achieved by any connection allowing an efficient and easy assembly / disassembly such as keying, pinching, fixing by pin, by screwing, etc. According to a preferred embodiment, said shafts are welded to both ends of the cross 120. In order to ensure good stability of the carriage during its use and facilitate movement, the applicant proposes a wheel diameter ranging from thirty to fifty centimeters in diameter.

  According to the embodiment illustrated and according to the invention, the carriage C is constituted by a single control arm 300. In order to facilitate handling, the gripping means 400 equipping in the illustrated embodiment the second end 320 of said arm 300, comprises a transverse handle 410 to the control arm 300. The shape of the arm 300 may be subject to an evolution to adapt to a use of the carriage.

  In order to provide several gripping possibilities, said handle 410 extends on either side of the vertical plane defined by said control arm. This handle - 9 - is in a preferred embodiment advantageously equipped with rubber tips or equivalent material to facilitate gripping.

  According to the invention, said arm 300 consists of two parts 300a and 300b, the adjustment of the spacing allows the adjustment of the length of said arm 300 as shown in the drawing of Figures 2a and 2b.

  According to a feature not shown, said gripping means 400 (and consequently here said handle) comprises fastening means cooperating with a strap or a belt placed on the user or with the frame of the means of movement such as that of 'a bike.

  As illustrated, the two parts 300a and 300b of the arm 300 form a telescopic structure by having a first portion 300b associated with the handle sliding in the second portion 300a, the first movable portion 300b having a finger 330 protruding outwardly and moving on the end of the fixed part 300a which is preformed to serve as a cam and allow, according to the angle of rotation of the movable part 300b with respect to the fixed part 300a, a longitudinal displacement of the movable part 300b with respect to the fixed part 300a, this displacement allowing an enlargement (cf Figure 2b) or a reduction (cf Figure 2a) of the length of the control arm 300. As illustrated, the end 340 of the fixed part 300a is beveled to form a cam with the projecting finger 330. In addition, according to a feature not shown, the fixed part 300a comprises two stops stops to position and hold in position, the finger in in of race thus proposing two lengths of sleeve.

  According to a feature not shown, the two parts 300a and 300b of the control arm 300 are interconnected by a flexible link (not shown) itself subject to said support plate 100. This fixation by 2876072 - 10 - flexible link avoids the presence of fasteners and the duration of the screwing / unscrewing operations to fix not only the arm 300 to the plate 100 but also to maintain in position the two parts 300a and 300b of the arm 300 between them. Thus, the passage of the carriage from a mounted configuration to a disassembled configuration and vice versa takes very little time eliminating any constraint to the use of the carriage. This flexible link can be implemented by a strap, a rope, an elastic link, a cable, a "bungee" type link, etc.

  The possibilities of a flexible link fixation have allowed the applicant to consider another embodiment where they are fully exploited.

  As illustrated in the drawing of Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6, the carriage C incorporates the basic features of the invention with a different implementation.

  For example, the removable attachment of the wheels 200a and 200b is implemented by positioning means and holding means in position. To do this, according to a particularly advantageous characteristic, each wheel 200a and 200b is pivotally connected to the end of a shaft 210a and 210b whose other end is connected to the end 120a and 120b of said cross member 120.

  According to another characteristic, the shafts 210a and 210b as well as the crosspiece 120 are preformed so that their shapes can fit into one another for positioning purposes as illustrated in FIG. 4.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the ends of the shafts cooperating with the ends of the cross member adopt a square section to be introduced into the recess of adapted profile arranged at each end of the cross. This profile participates in the positioning of the wheels on the cross. The maintenance in position is carried out by flexible link.

  - 11 - This holding in position responds to the applicant's concern not to use fixing screws. Thus, according to this technological choice, a flexible link referenced L maintains the position of the shafts 210a and 210b in the cross 120. This flexible link L can be shared for both trees. In order to facilitate the tightening of the flexible link L connecting the two shafts with each other so as to maintain them in position on or in the crosspiece 120, the shafts 210a and 210b are equipped with a lug 211a and 211b protruding transversely from the shaft and on which the flexible link L comes to rest during tightening. During this tightening, the action of the flexible link L on the lugs tends to bring the two lugs 211a and 211b closer together and consequently to keep the shafts 210a and 210b inside the crosspiece 120.

  According to another characteristic, the control arm is divided into several parts a first portion 350 of connection with the plate 100 and a second portion 360 of adjustable length at the second end of which is fixed the gripping means 400.

  According to the invention and as illustrated, the different parts of the control arm 300 fit into each other. According to a preferred embodiment, the constituent parts of the arm 300 coming together are tubular and adopt a square profile.

  This choice of profile associated with section changes serving as mechanical stops ensure the positioning of the various parts. According to the spirit of the invention, the holding in position is implemented by flexible link referenced L 'which not only binds the different parts of the control arm to each other but also the arm 300 to the plate 100. As illustrated on the 4, 5 and 6 in solid lines or in short broken lines, the flexible link L passes through the tubes constituting the different parts of the carriage C. More specifically, a first end is connected to the gripping means 400, the various elements are nested - 12 - and the link L 'is stretched then knotted to the plate 100. According to a judicious choice illustrated by the bottom view constituting FIG. 4, the end of the link L' is tied to the loop formed by the link L ensuring the positioning of the shafts in the beam. Thus, the links L and L 'are tight together.

  The adjustment of the height of the control arm 300 is also an evolution in this embodiment. Thus, as illustrated in the drawings of FIGS. 5 and 6, where the positioning of the second part appears in short broken lines, the second part 360 comprises, starting from an excess thickness 361, an asymmetrical structure, that is to say adopting on the one hand and else this excess thickness 361 a different length.

  As illustrated in the drawing of FIG. 5, the short side engages in the first part 350 the gripping means then being at a greater height than when the long side engages in the first connecting part 350, as illustrated in Figure 6.

  Figure 6 also illustrates various embodiments of the gripping means ranging from the axial handle 400 'to the bicycle hitch 400 ".

  Another feature illustrated in FIG. 5 is the presence of a retractable stand 500 which contributes to the stability of the carriage C. The carriage of the invention furthermore comprises a cover or a bag, not shown, for the storage and transport which has just taken place. place on transported equipment in order to protect them from the sun as well as the rain.

  It will be understood that the trekking cart which has just been described and shown above, has been for the purpose of disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements may be made to the example above, without departing from the scope of the invention.

  as defined in the claims.

  For example, although the carriage material shown in this preferred embodiment is aluminum, other rigid and lightweight materials may be exploited.

  Similarly, the section of the tubes constituting the carriage C, changes according to the size of the carriage and the use that is intended for it.

  In addition, although designed to meet the criteria of specifications related to use in hiking, biking etc ..., the cart of the invention can, of course, be used in less restrictive activities.

- 14 -

Claims (11)

  1. Hiking trolley (C), CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it consists of a support plate (100) to which are fixed in a removable manner, two wheels (200a and 200b) coming into contact with the ground and the first end (310) of at least one control arm (300) whose second end (320) comprises a gripping means (400) allowing its handling or its association with a moving means for the purpose of setting carriage movement (C).   2. trolley (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the aforesaid support plate (100) is constituted by the arrangement in the same plane of a plurality of parallel tubular elements (110) each fixed to the at least one cross member (120) at both ends (120a and 120b) from which one of said wheels (200a and 200b) is detachably fastened.   3. Trolley (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises a single control arm (300).   4. Trolley (C) according to claims 1 and / or 3, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said arm (300) consists of two parts (300a and 300b) whose adjustment of the spacing allows the adjustment of the length of said arm (300).   5. Trolley (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT that the gripping means (400) comprises a handle (410) transverse to the control arm (300).   6. Trolley (C) according to claim 5, characterized in that said gripping means (400) comprises fastening means cooperating with a strap or a belt placed on the user or with the frame of the means of implementation. movement.   7. Carriage (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the material of the arm (300) and the plate (100) is aluminum.   8. Trolley (C) according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the two parts (300a and 300b) of the control arm (300) are interconnected by a flexible link secured to said support plate (100) .   9. Trolley (C) according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT that the two parts (300a and 300b) of the arm (300) form a telescopic structure having a first portion (300b) associated with the gripping means (400) from slide in the second part (300a), the first movable part (300b) having a finger (330) protruding outwardly and moving on the end of the fixed part (300a) which is preformed to serve as a cam and allow according to the angle of rotation of the movable portion (300b) relative to the fixed portion a longitudinal displacement of the movable portion (300b) relative to the fixed portion (300a).   10. Trolley (C) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the diameter of the wheels (200a and 200b) is between thirty to fifty centimeters.   Trolley (C) according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of tubular elements (110) is secured to said crossmember (120) by welding.