GB2130316A - Goods trolley - Google Patents

Abstract

The trolley has a load platform 10 and a folding platform 26 pivotally- mounted at one end of the load platform. The folding platform is pivotable between a stowed position (dashed lines in Fig. 1) and an operative position (full lines) in which it can be used as a step to assist in reaching a high shelf. Movement of the platform to its operative position actuates a brake- operating linkage 40,41; 48,52,62,64 (Fig. 2); 68 (Fig. 4) which applies brake blocks 70 (Fig. 4) to castors 20 at the opposite end of the trolley. The trolley is thus held stationary whilst the folding platform is used as a step. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Goods trolley This invention relates to goods trolleys, for example the type of trolleys which are used in warehouses and in stocking the shelves of a supermarket.

A known goods trolley of this type has a flat platform for goods and four castors for ease of manoeuvring. However, such a trolley is rather inconvenient in use because, when being used, for example to stock supermarket shelves, it is liable not to remain stationary and can be dangerous if an attempt is made to use it as a step to aid reaching a high shelf, for example in a warehouse area.

According to the present invention there is provided a goods trolley comprising a body mounted for movement on rolling elements and having a primary load-receiving surface, and a member which can provide a secondary load-receiving surface and which is movable between a first, inoperative position and a second, operative position in which a load may be placed upon its load-receiving surface, at least one rolling element of the vehicle having a brake operable by brake-operating means actuated to apply the brake by movement of the movable member from its first to its second position.

With such a trolley the movable member can be moved into its operative position when it is desired to load the primary load-receiving surface of the trolley with goods or to load shelves with goods from the trolley. The movement of the movable member causes application of the brake, to hold the trolley stationary, and the secondary load-receiving surface provides a step or platform to aid in reaching high shelves.

Advantageously, the movable member is stowed adjacent or within the outermost limits of the body in its first, inoperative position.

The rolling elements of the trolley are conveniently wheels, which may be of the castor type.

Conveniently, the movable member is pivotally-mounted on the body and in its stowed position lies with its load surface extending in a generally-vertical plane. In this case, the brake-operating means may comprise an arm mounted on the body for pivotal movement with the movable member and a sliding member, the arm having a cam surface in contact with the sliding member to move the sliding member to apply the brake. The movable member advantageously has legs which fold into an operative position in the operative position of the movable member.

However, alternative arrangements are possible: the movable member may be slidably mounted on the wheeled body and may then lie within the outermost limits of the body in its first position.

The movable member will usually be mounted at one end of the body. In such a case, and with the brake-operating means described above, the sliding member conveniently extends longitudinally, and preferably centrally, of the body of the brakes of two wheels at the opposite end of the trolley.

The brake may comprise a block of friction material movable into contact with the ground-contacting surface of a tyre of a wheel of the vehicle. Such a brake block may be operated by a ramped surface on a sliding member of the brake-operating means.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a goods trolley and shows a folding platform of the trolley in its operating position and, in dashed lines, in its stowed position.

Figure 2 is a plan view from beneath the trolley of Fig. 1, the castors of the trolley being omitted, Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of part of the brake-operating mechanism of the trolley, and Figure 4 is a fragmentary side view of part of a castor and its brake.

The trolley shown in the drawings has a chassis 10 providing a load platform and welded from box-section steel side rails 11, end rails 1 2 and longitudinal centre rails 1 3.

Vertical posts 14 at the rear end of the chassis 10 support a rectangular framework 1 5 which can be gripped manually to push and steer the trolley. The chassis 10 is supported on four castors 20 (omitted from Fig.

2) each mounted on a length of channelsection steel 1 8 extending between a side rail 11 and a centre rail 1 3 of the chassis 10, each castor 20 being secured to the channelsection 1 8 by means of a ball bearing arrangement (not shown) upon which the castor is pivotable about a vertical axis. Each castor 20 includes a wheel 1 6 having a solid rubber tyre 24 (Fig. 4).

A folding platform 26 is mounted on pivots 28 passing through brackets 30 attached to two of the vertical posts 14 at the rear of the trolley. The platform 26 can thus be swung into the stowed position shown in dashed lines in Fig. 1 where it lies adjacent the posts 14 and where it can be retained by a manually-operable spring catch (not shown) on one of the posts 14. The platform 26 has a pair of legs 30 which are attached by pivots 34 passing through brackets 36 (Figs. 1 and 2) on the underside of the platform 26. Thus, in the stowed position of the platform 26, the legs 30 swing into a position in which they lie adjacent the platform 26. In the other, operating, position of the platform 26, the legs 30 rest on the floor and support the platform 26.

A circular cross-member 38 extends tranversely of the trolley between the legs 30 at a height, in the operating position of the platform 26, similar to the height of the chassis 10. As shown in Fig. 3, a swing arm 40 of the brake-operating mechanism of the trolley is secured at its inner end to a cylindrical member 41 mounted to rotate eccentrically on an axle 42 secured in brackets 44 attached to the rear end rail 12 of the chassis 10. At its outer end the swing arm 40 has an eye 43 which embraces the cross-member 38. As the folding platform 26 is moved between its operating and stowed positions, the swing arm 40 pivots upon the axle 42.The cylindrical surface 45 of the member 41 forms a cam surface and is in contact with one end of a longitudinally-slidable operating rod 48 of the brake-operating mechanism which is supported adjacent its rearward end in a bush 50 in a cross-member 51 of the chassis 10 which extends between the centre rails 1 3 adjacent the rear end rail 1 2. The other end of the slidable operating rod 48 is pivotally connected to a transverse equalising bar 52 which has slotted apertures 54 adjacent its outer ends by way of which it can move longitudinally of the chassis 10 in pins 56 mounted on brackets 57 secured to the side rails 11 of the chassis 10 and passing through the slotted apertures 54.The transverse bar 52 is spring biassed into its rear-most position by adjustable return springs 58 extending between the outer ends of the bar 52 and braces 60 between the side and centre rails 11,1 3 of the chassis 10.

The transverse bar 52 has attached to its face opposite the return springs 58 left- and right-hand brake-operating rods 62 for operating brakes on the wheels 16 of the front castors 20 of the trolley. Each rod 62 carries a block 64 having a ramped lower surface 66 in abutment with the upper end of a pin 68 extending along the pivot axis of the wheel 16 centrally through the ball bearing assembly of the castor 20. The lower end of each pin 68 rests upon a brake block 70 for contacting the surface of the tyre 24 of the respective wheel 1 6. Each brake block 70 is mounted in its respective castor 20 on a sprung steel strip 72 which biasses the brake block 70 into an off position in which it is not in contact with the tyre 24.Sliding movement of the blocks 64 towards the front of the trolley causes the pins 68 to move downwardly and to press the respective brake blocks 70 into contact with the tyres 24 of the wheels 16. Movement of the blocks 64 in the opposite direction allows the sprung strips 72 to return the brake blocks 70 to their off positions.

Thus, when the platform 26 is folded into its operating position the swing arm 40 pivots on the axle 42 so that the cam surface 45 pushes the operating rod 48 and the transverse bar 52 towards the front of the trolley against the bias of the springs 58 to apply the brakes to the front wheels 16. The platform 26 forms a step which is available to assist in reaching high shelves and the brakes on the front wheels 1 6 remain applied until the platform 26 is folded into its stowed position. This stowing causes movement of the swing arm 40, operating rod 48 and transverse bar 52 in the opposite direction and the brake blocks 70 are urged out of contact with the wheels 1 6 by the springs 58 and sprung strips 72.

It should be noted that the operating rod 48, the transverse equalising bar 52, the springs 58 and the brake operating rods 62 do not protrude below the channel-sections 18 of the chassis 10.

To provide additional security of the plat form 26 in its operating position, the con struction described above may be modified by the inclusion of a spring-biassed locking bolt fitted to the underside of the platform 26 and slidable longitudinally of the trolley. The bolt is biassed to engage in a socket in an upward extension of the brackets 44 on the chassis end rail 12 when the platform 26 is in its operating position and prevents movement of the platform 26 towards its stowed position.

For stowing of the platform 26 the bolt is withdrawn manually from its socket. An upper surface of the extension of the brackets 44 form a cam surface which guides the bolt during movement of the platform 26 to its operating position into a position in which it is urged into its socket buy the spring bias.

Claims (14)

1. A vehicle comprising a body mounted for movement on rolling elements and having a primary load-receiving surface, and a mem ber which can provide a secondary load-re ceiving surface and which is movable between a first, inoperative position and a second, operative position in which a load may be placed upon its load-receiving surface, at least one rolling element of the vehicle having a brake operable by brake-operating means ac tuated to apply the brake by movement of the movable member from its first to its second position.

2. A vehicle according to clam 1, in which the movable member is stowed adjacent or within the outermost limits of the body in its first, inoperative position.

3. A vehicle according to either preceding claims, in which the movable member is sli dably mounted on the body.

4. A vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the movable member is pivotally mounted on the body.

5. A vehicle according to claim 4, in which the load-receiving surface of the mov able member lies in a generally-vertical plane in its first position.

6. A vehicle according to claim 4 or claim 5, in which the movable member has legs which fold into an operative position in the operative position of the movable member.

7. A vehicle according to any one of claims 4 to 6, in which the brake-operating means comprises a sliding member and an arm mounted on the body for pivotal move ment with the movable member, the arm having a cam surface in contact with the sliding member to move the sliding member to apply the brake.

8. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, in which the movable member is mounted at one end of the body.

9. A vehicle according to claim 8, in which the brake operates on a rolling-element at the end of the body distant from the movable member.

10. A vehicle according to claim 7, in which the movable member is mounted at one end of the body and the sliding member extends longitudinally of the body to apply the brake of at least one rolling element at the opposite end of the body.

11. A vehicle according to claim 10, in which the brake-operating means includes a transverse member connected to the end of the sliding member distant from the movable member, the transverse member moving long itudinally of the body upon actuation of the brake-operating means to apply respective brakes to two laterally-spaced rolling elements at the distant end of the body.

1 2. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, in which the rolling elements are wheels.

1 3. A vehicle according to claim 12, in which the brake comprises a block of friction material which is movable into contact with a tyre of one of the wheels.

14. A vehicle according to claim 13, in which the wheel is a wheel of a castor and the block is movable in the direction of the axis of pivotation of the castor to contact the ground contacting surface of the wheel.

1 5. A vehicle according to claim 14, in which the block is mounted on a rod extend ing centrally through a bearing on which the castor is pivotally-mounted.

1 6. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, having releasable locking means for holding the movable member in its second position.

1 7. A vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.