GB2121735A

GB2121735A - A foldable hand-truck

Info

Publication number: GB2121735A
Application number: GB08314722A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Marc L Joseph
Original assignee: Ateliers Reunis SA
Current assignee: Ateliers Reunis SA
Priority date: 1982-06-15
Filing date: 1983-05-27
Publication date: 1984-01-04
Also published as: FR2528372B1; FR2528372A1; DE8221255U1; GB8314722D0; GB2121735B

Abstract

The truck is reduced in bulk when not in use by retracting wheels 5 to a withdrawn position above the load bearing end plate 3 by means of wheel- supporting members 6 and associated sleeves 7 pivotally mounted on the side members 1 of the hand-truck. The wheels and supporting members can be releasably locked in the service position by means of stirrup-pieces 11 which are capable of downward pivotal displacement to a position astride a flat cross-bar and the wheel-supporting members, thus rigidly fixing the supporting members to the cross-bar. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A hand-truck for handling and transporting various objects This invention relates to a hand-truck for handling and transporting various objects.

As is already known, a hand-truck has two side members, a transverse plate which is fixed at the ends of the side members and on which the objects or goods are intended to bear, a support such as a grid fixed between the side members for carrying said objects, as well as two wheels secured to the ends of the side members in the vicinity of the bearing plate and beneath this latter.

The wheels are so designated as to be set back towards the rear in order to ensure better stability of the hand-truck as well as good distribution of the load as it is being transported.

As a result of the above-mentioned set-back arrangement of the wheels, hand-trucks of this type take up substantial space when they are not in use.

This drawback is particularly marked in the case of private individuals who have only limited storage space at their disposal.

The aim of the invention is therefore to provide a hand-truck which is so designed as to have an appreciably smaller bulk when it is not in use.

In accordance with the invention, the hand-truck comprises means for retracting the wheels to a withdrawn position above the bearing plate when the hand-truck is not in use in order to reduce its overall size.

In a preferred embodiment, the means aforesaid comprise a wheel-supporting member pivotally mounted on the contiguous end portion of the corresponding side member and so arrange ' as to be capable of pivotal displacement from a first service position of the hand-truck in which the wheel is located beneath the side members to a second out-of-service position of the hand-truck in which the wheel is retracted to a withdrawn position above the plate after rotation of the pivotal wheel-supporting member and of the associated wheel.

Thus, when the hand-truck is not in use, the two wheels are displaced in pivotal motion about the end portions of the side members in order to place the said wheels above the transverse bearing plate, with the result that the width of the ground surface area occupied by the hand-truck when this latter is placed vertically in the out-of-service position is reduced by at least the diameter of the wheels.

In one embodiment of the invention, the wheelsupporting member is bent-back in such a manner as to provide a first arm on which the wheel is mounted and a second arm terminating in a sleeve, the said sleeve being mounted so as to be capable of rotating about the side member. A sleevesupporting end shoulder is preferably provided on the side member and the two arms are bent at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, with the result that the second arm is abuttingly applied against a cross-bar which connects the two side members to each other when the hand-truck is in the service position.

The changeover from one end position of the wheels to the other and of the pivotal wheelsupporting members does not present any difficulty, with the result that this arrangement is particularly convenient for the user.

Further distinctive features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which one form of construction is illustrated solely by way of non-limitative example, and in which Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a handtruck as constructed in accordance with the invention for the purpose of handling and transporting various objects; Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective to a larger scale than in Figure 1 and showing the lower portion of the hand-truck and in particular the method adopted for mounting the wheels on the side members; Figure 3 is a top view to a smaller scale than in Figure 2 and showing the two possible end positions of the hand-truck wheels and of their supporting members;; Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the cross-bar providing a connection between the side members, a member for supporting one wheel, and a releasable device which serves to locket: . pivotal member and the associated wheel in the service position of the hand-truck.

The hand-truck shown in the drawings is intended to be used for handling and transporting various objects such as packing-cases or crates containing goods. The hand-truck is made up of two parallel side members 1 joined to each other at one end by a U-shaped handle 2. Said side members are joined to each other at the other end by a transverse bearing plate 3 which is perpendicular to the side member 1 and on which the objects to be transported are intended to rest.

A grid 4 for supporting the objects is attached to the side members 1 in known manner and the hand-truck is fitted with two wheels 5.

In accordance with the invention, the hand-truck com; isles means for retracting the wheels 5 to a withdi .4wn position above the bearing plate 3 when the hand-truck is not in use and therefore placed in a vertical position with the plate 3 applied flat on the ground (as shown in Figure 1).

In the embodiment described, the said retracting means comprise in the case of each wheel 5 a wheel-supporting member 6 which is pivotally mounted on the contiguous end of the corresponding side member 1 and is so arranged as to be capable of pivotal displacement between a first position of use of the hand-truck or so-called service position in which the wheel 5 is located beneath the side members 1 (as designated in Figures 1 and 3 by the reference 5a) and a second position of the hand-truck or so-called out-of-service position in which the wheel 5 is retracted to a withdrawn position above the bearing plate 3 after a rotational displacement of the associated pivotal supporting member 6 (this position being designated by the reference Sb in Figure 3).The supporting member 6 of each wheel 5 is bent-back in such a manner as to form a first arm 6a on which the wheel 5 is mounted, and a second arm 6b terminating in a sleeve 7 rotatably mounted on the side member 1. Thus the assembly constituted by the sleeve 7, the arms 6a and 6b and the corresponding wheel 5 is capable of pivoting about the end of the associated side member 1. A terminal bearing shoulder 8 for the sleeve 7 is provided on the end portion of the side member 1 and consequently between the plate 3 and the sleeve 7.

Since the two arms 6a and 6b are bent-back substantially at 90 degrees, the second arm 6b is abuttingly applied against a cross-bar 9 which is secured to the base of the grid 4 at the level of the sleeves 7 (as shown in Figures 3 and 4) when the wheels 5 are in the service position of the handtruck.

In accordance with another particular feature, the invention proposes means for releasably locking the pivotal supporting members 6 in the first position aforesaid, that is to say in the service position of the hand-truck.

In the example of utilization herein described, the locking means aforesaid consist, in the case of each wheel 5, of a stirrup-piece 11 pivotally mounted astride the edge of the cross-bar 9. Said stirrup-piece 11 is formed buy a U-section member 12, one flange 12a of which has an extension 13 which is directed away from the associated side member 1. Said extension is rotatably mounted on the cross-bar 9 by means of a pivot-pin at right angles to said cross-bar, for example by means of a rivet passed through a hole 14 of the extension 13. This axis of rotation of the stirrup-piece 11 is located beyond the elbow between the arms 6a and 6b.

The stirrup-piece 11 is capable of taking up two positions by pivotal displacement about its axis of rotation : a first position shown in full lines in Figure 4 in which the U-section member 12 is mounted astride the cross-bar 9 and also the arm 6b, thereby locking the member 6 and the wheel 5 which is supported by this latter in the service position of the hand-truck, and a second position 1 lea shown in chain-dotted lines in Figure 4, in which said stirruppiece is lifted and releases the corresponding wheelsupporting member 6. Said supporting member is then capable of pivoting together with the wheel 5 about the side member 1 until it reaches its withdrawn position above the plate 3 as illustrated in Figure 3.

The wheel-supporting members 6 can consist of suitably bent flat bar-iron members in the same manner as the cross-bar 9, the ends of which are attached to the side member 1 by welding, for example. The stirrup-pieces 12 can be formed by sheet-metal elements bent back in the shape of a U, one arm of which is provided with the extension 13.

The practical application of the hand-truck which has just been described is very simply and clearly brought out by the foregoing description. When the hand-truck is in use, the wheels 5 are in the position 5a and the stirrup-pieces 12 are in their downwardlydisplaced positions on the cross-bar 9 and on the arms 6b which are therefore coupled together. In order to retract the wheels 5 to their position Sb above the transverse plate 3 (as shown in Figure 3), the stirrup-pieces 12 need only be lifted to their position 11 a in order to release the wheel-supporting members 6 which are pivotally displaced together with the wheels 5 about the side members 1 (as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3) by means of the rotatable sleeves 7 until the wheels reach their retracted position Sb.

The depth ofthe hand-truck for storage purposes, or in other words the ground area occupied by the hand-truck, is therefore considerably reduced in comparison with the usual designs, namely by a distance which is appreciably greater than the diameter of the wheels 5.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinabove described and can include alternative forms of construction. Thus the wheel-supporting members 6 can be replaced by any other equivalent means and the same applies to the releasable locking stirrup-pieces 12.

Claims

1. A hand-truck for handling and transporting various objects, comprising side members, a transverse plate which is fixed at the ends of the side members and on which the objects are intended to bear, a support fixed between the side members for carrying the said objects, as well as two wheels secured to the ends of the side members in the vicinity of the bearing plate, characterized in that the said hand-truck comprises means for retracting the wheels to a withdrawn position above the said bearing plate when the hand-truck is not in use in order to reduce its overall size.

2. A hand-truck in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that in the case of each wheel, the means aforesaid comprise a wheel-supporting member pivotally mounted on the contiguous end portion of the corresponding side member and so arranged as to be capable of pivotal displacement from a first service position of the hand-truck in which the wheel is located beneath the side membern to a second out-of-service position of the hand-truck in which the wheel is retracted to a withdrawn position above the bearing plate after rotation of the associated pivotal wheel-supporting member.

3. A hand-truck in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the wheel-supporting member is bent-back in such a manner as to provide a first arm on which the wheel is mounted and a second arm terminating in a sleeve, the said sleeve being mounted so as to be capable of rotating about the side member, a sleeve-supporting end shoulder being preferably provided on the side member and the two arms being bent at an angle of approximately 90 degrees so that the second arm is abuttingly applied against a cross-bar which is secured to the base of the support when the hand-truck is in the service position.

4. A hand-truck in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that means are provided for releasably locking the pivotal wheel-supporting members in the aforementioned first position of the said members.

5. A hand-truck in accordance with claim 4, characterized in that in the case of each wheel, the locking means consist of a stirrup-piece pivotally mounted on the cross-bar which is secured to the support and capable of pivoting between a position in which the said stirrup-piece is mounted astride the cross-bar as well as the arm which is contiguous to the said cross-bar and consequently locks the wheelsupporting member in the service position of the hand-truck and a raised position in which the said stirrup-piece releases the said wheel-supporting member.

6. A hand-truck in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the stirrup-piece is formed by a U-section member, one flange of which has an extension which is directed away from the associated side member and is rotatably mounted on the cross-bar, the axis of rotation of the said stirruppiece being located beyond the elbow between the arms of the wheel-supporting member.

7. A hand-truck for handling and transporting various objects, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.