GB2143481A

GB2143481A - A trolley

Info

Publication number: GB2143481A
Application number: GB08418338A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Francis Alfred Carroll
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-07-19
Filing date: 1984-07-18
Publication date: 1985-02-13
Also published as: GB8418338D0

Abstract

The trolley has a frame 10 with a pair of wheels 12 at one end and a handle 16 at the other end. A pair of spaced apart, radially disposed load engaging hooks 14 are provided at the base of the frame for engaging beneath and supporting a load having a downwardly projecting rim such as a cylinder containing liquefied fuel gas. A retaining chain 18 and plastics clip 40 are used to secure the load to the frame 10. A support 50 may be placed on the hooks 14 for use in transporting other domestic loads such as refuse bins. To put the trolley in its collapsed position, locking bar 32 is released and the upper sub-frame 10b is pivoted about the hinges 26 to overlie the lower sub-frame 10a. A shopping bag can also be secured to the trolley. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A trolley The present invention relates to a trolley.

Standard sized cylinders containing liquefied fuel gas, used for domestic heating and cooking, are generally difficult to handle and difficult to carry and are too heavy for some people to carry. The cylinders are particularly difficult to carry up and down steps.

It is an object of this invention to provide a trolley for transporting a cylinder and which is simple and easy to operate. The invention provides a trolley comprising a frame having a pair of wheels at one end and a handle at the other end, the frame being provided with a pair of spaced apart load engaging hooks at the base of the frame for engaging beneath a load having a downwardly projecting rim and for supporting the load and means on the frame for securing the load to the frame.

Advantageously, the trolley is designed primarily for cylindrical loads and the load engaging hooks are radially disposed to facilitate engagement underneath the base of a cylindrical load.

Preferably, the load engaging hooks function as feet enabling the trolley to be freestanding in a substantially vertical position.

Conveniently, part of the frame is part cylindrical to accommodate a cylindrical load.

To enable the trolley to transport a cylinder over steps, the wheels and the load engaging hooks extend from opposite sides of the base of the trolley.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of example only, a trolley according to the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trolley in its operative position for transporting a cylinder; Figure 2 is an perspective view of the trolley shown in Figure 1 converted into a general purpose trolley: Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the trolley show in Figure 2 converted into a shopping trolley and; Figure 4 is a perspective view on of the trolley as shown in Figure 2 in its collapsed position.

Referring to the drawings, and initially Figure 1, the trolley comprises a frame 10 having a pair of wheels 1 2 and a pair of load supporting hooks 1 4 at the base of the frame.

At the apex of the frame is a handgrip 1 6 and intermediate the apex and base of the frame is a load retaining chain 18. The frame 10 is constructed from mild steel tubing to provide a lower subfframe 10a and an upper subframe 1 0b which is pivotally attached to the lower sub-frame 1 0a. The upper subframe lOb is generally U-shaped and has a handle 22. The pivotal attachment of the upper subframe 1 0b to the lower sub-frame 1 0a is achieved using two hinges 26. The lower subframe 10a comprises a U-shaped member 28 adjacent the open end of which is welded a bracket 30.

To secure the trolley in its operative position, i.e. with the longitudinal axis of the upper sub-frame lOb linear with the longitudinal axis of the lower sub-frame 1 0a, locking bar 32 which is pivotally attached to the upper sub-frame, is engaged with the closed end of the U-shaped member 28 of the lower sub-frame.

The bracket 30 is profiled in order to accommodate a standard sized cylinder of liquefied fuel gas.

To assist in the lever action of the frame 10 when loading the trolley, the wheels 1 2 are spaced rearwardly from the load supporting hooks 14 on wheel support brackets 36 provided on the bracket 30. The positioning of the wheels 1 2 in this manner also allows the trolley to be used to transport a load over steps.

The load supporting hooks 14 are-integral with and extend from the U-shaped member 28 of the lower sub-frame 1 0a. The hooks 14 are formed by flattening the ends of the mild steel tubing and bending the flattened tube into the hook shape. The corners of the hooks 14 are trimmed so as to remove any sharp edges and a plastic sleeve 38 is placed over each hook. The hooks 14 support a cylinder of gas by engaging the base of the cylinder.

One end of the load retaining chain 1 8 is secured to the locking bar 32. To retain a cylinder on the trolley the retaining chain 1 8 is placed through a handle on the cylinder and a plastics clip 40 is engaged with the lower subframe 1 0a. The operation of the trolley will now be explained more fully. To load a cylinder onto the trolley, the cylinder is tilted at an angle of approximately ten degrees. The trolley is then put into position with the load supporting hooks 1 4 engaging the base of the cylinder. The cylinder is then allowed to resume its normal standing position and the retaining chain 1 8 is secured in position.By using the frame 10 as a lever, the trolley and the loaded cylinder are tilted to enable the cylinder to be transported on the trolley. Tilting the trolley to an angle of approximately fifty degrees allows the cylinder to be transported comfortably. The manner in which the wheels 1 2 are positioned allows for the easy movement of the trolley over steps.

When it is desired to unload the cylinder into, for example, a heating appliance, the trolley is pushed up to the rear of the appliance and is tilted towards the appliance until the cylinder contacts the floor of the appliance. Removal of the retaining chain 1 8 and further tilting forward of the trolley disengages the trolley from the container.

As shown in Figure 2, the trolley may be converted into a general purpose trolley using a support 50 which is a piece of metal tubing bent into the shape shown in the drawing.

The support 50 engages beneath the bracket 30 and rests on the load supporting hooks 14 and the ends of the support lie underneath the bracket 30. Plastics sleeves 52 are provided on the ends of the frame element 50 to prevent marking the support 50 or the bracket 30. When the support 50 is in position, the trolley may be used to transport domestic loads such as refuse bins. The support 50 may be removed from the trolley by tilting the support upwardly from the front of the trolley.

To convert the trolley into a shopping trolley, as shown in Figure 3, a shopping bag 60 is secured to the trolley by means of VELCRO (Trade Mark) straps 62. The shopping bag is of a sufficient size to accommodate the trolley when in its collapsed position (as shown in the dotted view).

To put the trolley in its collapsed position, as shown in Figure 4, the locking bar 32 is released and the upper sub-fframe 1 0b is pivoted about the hinges 26 to overlie the lower sub-fframe 1 0a. The support 50 is then engaged with the locking bar 32 and is held in position by the retaining chain 1 8.

Claims

1. A trolley comprising a frame, having a pair of wheels at one end and a handle at the other end, the frame being provided with a pair of spaced apart load engaging hooks at the base of the frame for engaging beneath a load having a downwardly projecting rim and for supporting the load, and means on the frame for securing the load to the frame.

2. A trolley as claimed in Claim 1, designed primarily for cylindrical loads and in which the load engaging hooks are radially disposed to facilitate engagement underneath the base of a cylindrical load.

3. A trolley as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the load engaging hooks function as feet enabling the trolley to be freestanding in a substantially vertical position.

4. A trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which part of the frame is part cylindrical to accommodate a cylindrical load.

5. A trolley as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims, in which the wheels and the load engaging hooks extend from opposite sides of the base of the trolley to enable the trolley to transport a cylinder over steps.

6. A trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the load retaining means comprises a chain one end of which is connected to the frame and the other end of which is provided with a clip which is adapted to be removably secured to the frame.

7. A trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the frame comprises two sub-frames connected together, one of the subframes supporting wheels and the load engaging hooks, and the other having a handle, the handled sub-frame being movable from a collapsed position to an operative position in which it projects upwardly from and above the wheeled sub-frame, and means being provided to lock the two subframes together in the operative position.

8. A trolley as claimed in Claim 7, in which both of the subframes are elongated and substantially U-shaped, the open end of the wheeled sub-frame being bridged above the load engaging hooks by a bracket which supports the wheels and the open end of the handled U-shaped sub-frame being hinged to the wheeled sub-fframe adjacent the closed end thereof, the handled sub-frame having a U-shaped bar which, in the operative position of the trolley, engages over the closed end of the wheeled sub-frame and thereby holds the sub-frames together in the operative position.

9. A trolley as claimed in Claim 8, including a chain one end of which is fixed to the bar and the other end of which has a spring clip by means of which it may be detachably connected to the closed end of the wheeled sub-frame, the clip being adapted to be passed through a handle on a load to secure the latter to the trolley.

10. A trolley as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, including a detachable support for a flat bottom load, the detachable support including a pair of limbs which are shaped so as to rest in the load engaging hooks with the free ends located beneath the wheel supporting bracket.

11. A trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims having a shopping bag secured to the frame.

1 2. A trolley as claimed in Claim 11, in which the shopping bag is of a size sufficient to accommodate the trolley in its storage mode.

1 3. A trolley substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.