GB2223460A

GB2223460A - Trolley

Info

Publication number: GB2223460A
Application number: GB8822772A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Raymond Dennis Newton-Shimpe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-09-28
Filing date: 1988-09-28
Publication date: 1990-04-11
Also published as: GB8822772D0

Abstract

A trolley, especially for supporting motor vehicle panels to be sprayed, comprises a base and a plurality of arms (33) which are capable of telescopic, rotational and pivotal adjustment to enable them to hold panels and other bodywork members in a variety of positions. Adaptors such as 37, 38 may be employed to hold a fender or a door on the trolley, and magnetic holders may be used to hold the panels etc in position. The trolley may be collapsed for storage by telescoping the arms and wheel bearing members 18a, b. <IMAGE>

Description

TROLLEY SPECIFICATION This invention relates generally to trolleys, and is particularly concerned with a trolley which is adapted to support motor vehicle panels, particularly in order to enable them to be sprayed.

The conventional means for supporting motor vehicle panels for spraying have very limited scope for adjustment and are not readily adaptable for panels of different shapes, sizes and models.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a panel trolley which is capable of supporting a wide range of different types and sizes of panel, and which is also capable of a wide range of adjustment in order to facilitate the spraying of panels mounted on the trolley.

Broadly in accordance with the present invention there is provided a panel trolley comprising a base and a plurality of arms, at least some of the arms being capable of movement rectilinearly and/or pivotally, and at least some of the arms being arranged to carry adaptor means for the mounting of panels thereon.

Preferably, one or more of the arms are rotatable about their longitudinal axis/axes.

Preferably, the panel trolley of the present invention is such that one can mount a vehicle bonnet, boot lid, tailgate, wing or door on the trolley, and in many instances two such panels at once.

In order to facilitate the spraying of motor vehicle panels it is important that one should be able to gain easy access to both sides of the panel, and the trolley of the present invention enables that object to be achieved.

The basic trolley of the present invention is preferably designed to accept a range of adaptors and/or extension members in order to increase the range of panels which can be mounted thereon.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, one presently preferred embodiment of panel trolley in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an illustration of the trolley without any'panels mounted thereon; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig.1 but illustrating two forms of adaptor for use with the trolley; Fig. 3 shows the trolley with a vehicle bonnet supported thereon; Fig. 4 shows a vehicle tailgate mounted on the trolley; Fig. 5 shows a vehicle wing panel mounted on the trolley; and, Fig. 6 shows a vehicle door mounted on the trolley.

Referring first to Fig. 1, there is shown the universal panel trolley of the present invention. This comprises a trolley base assembly, indicated generally at 10, and consisting of a longitudinally extending strut 11, a transverse front strut 12, a rearwardly upwardly inclined strut 13, a forwardly inclined linking strut 14, a short upright tube 15 at the rear of the longitudinally extending strut 11 and a transverse rear strut 16. The upright tube 15 receives the lower end of a removable handle 17 by means of which the trolley can be moved around. The transverse front strut 12 is fitted with a pair of extension arms 18a, 18b which carry wheels 19 at their outer ends and which are arranged to be slidingly telescopically displaceable relative to the transverse front strut 12.

Thus, for storage purposes, the extension arms 18a, 18b can be telescoped into the transverse front strut 12.

T-bar locks 20 are provided in order to lock the extension arms 18a, 18b in place.

A pivot arm assembly, indicated generally at 22, is fitted to the trolley base assembly 10 by an arm 23 being slidably received within the rearwardly upwardly inclined strut 13 of the base assembly. The arm 23 carries at its upper end a transversely extending tube 24 which receives ah elongate arm 25, extending therethrough and projecting to each side thereof.

Extending from the arm 25, are a pair of upwardly extending stays 27, 28 which are connected at their upper ends to a common tube 29.

At each outer end of the elongate arm 25 there projects a reduced size portion of the arm which is substantially semicircular in cross-section. Attached to each of these projecting portions is an extension member comprising a flat central plate 30 and cylindrical tubular portions 31, 32 at each end thereof. These cylindrical tube portions 31, 32 carry respective accessory arms 33. A similar accessory arm 33 is fitted into the upper end of the tube 29 at the top of the pivot arm assembly. A lock 34 is provided at the middle of each connecting plate 30 in order to enable the extension arms 30, 31, 32 to be pivoted in a horizontal plane and then locked in any desired angular position.The horizontally extending arm 25 of the pivot arm assembly 22 which is a single length of tube housed within the larger diameter tube 24 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis in order to increase the range of adjustment of the positions of the five accessory arms 33. Each of the accessory arms 33 is provided with a notched end in which a panel can be located. The accessory arms 33 associated with the extension arms 30, 31, 32 can be moved in and out relative to the extension arms 30, 31, 32 and can also be rotated about their longitudinal axes, with positive location and lock off.

On the longitudinally extending base strut 11 there are provided two spaced bars 36 which are positioned to receive a tray (not shown) which can be used to hold accessories and tools relevant to the use of the trolley.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a fender adaptor 37 and a door adaptor 38 which are designed to be fitted to the trolley for the mounting of fenders and doors respectively. The fender adaptor is also appropriate for use for the mounting of wing panels, as shown in Fig. 5. Here the wing panel is indicated at 39 and the U-shaped portion of the fender adaptor 37 is shown as being fitted around the end of the pivot arm 25. The fender adaptor 37 comprises a pair of arms projecting from the U-shaped central portion and adapted to grip the wing panel 39.

The door adaptor 38 is shown in use in Fig. 6. The door adaptor 38 comprises a central spigot 40 which is fitted over the pivot arm 25 after removal of the pivot arm extension 30, 31, 32. The adaptor 38 includes two projecting arms 41 which locate in the glass channel aperture between the inner and outer skins of the door. An equivalent door adaptor 38 can be fitted to the other side of the trolley, thus giving the facility for the mounting of two doors concurrently.

Fig. 3 shows the panel trolley with a bonnet or boot lid 42 mounted thereon. As will be appreciated, both sides of the panel 42 are readily accessible with it mounted in the upright position as shown.

Fig. 4 shows the mounting of a tailgate panel 44 on the trolley. The tailgate panel 44 is held by locating the notches at the ends of the accessory arms 33 within the aperture for the glass. The trolley can also be used with a tailgate with the glass in place, by locating in any holes or apertures in the inner panel of the tailgate. Particularly when mounting a tailgate with the glass in place, locator pins can be fitted to the accessory arms to facilitate accurate location of the panel. One can gain access to both sides of the panel without difficulty, and, additionally, the panel is held rigid and can therefore be metal-finished on the fixture without being removed from the trolley.

The panel trolley of the present invention is preferably made up from lengths of pipe or tube, welded together. The longitudinally extending base strut 11 can be made telescopic if desired. One of the important features of the trolley of the present invention is that it can readily be closed down and/or folded into a compact unit for storage or transportation. Additionally, in place of the accessory arms 33 as shown, one could alternatively use magnetic holders for the location of the panels on the trolley.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A panel trolley comprising a base and a plurality of arms, at least some of the arms being capable of movement rectilinearly and/or pivotally, and at least some of the arms being arranged to carry adaptor means for the mounting of panels thereon.

2. A trolley as claimed in claim 1, in which one or more of the arms is/are rotatable about its/their longitudinal axis/axes.

3. A trolley as claimed in claim I or 2, in which the base comprises a mobile assembly having an upwardly extending strut which carries said arms, said strut being telescopically adjustable.

4. A trolley as claimed tn claim 3, in which the base includes a horizontally extending front strut with lateral extension members which are telescopically adjustable.

5. A trolley as claimed in claim 3 or 4, in which said upwardly extending strut carries a horizontally extending elongate member which supports five accessory arms, two pairs of which are arranged at the respective ends of the elongate member.

6. A trolley as claimed in claim 5, in which each of the accessory arms is capable of telescopic movement and rotational movement about its longitudinal axis.

7. A trolley as claimed in claim 6, in which said pairs of accessory arms are also each pivotable in a horizontal plane about respective vertical axes.

8. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, in combination with panel adaptors which are attachable to and detachable from said arms.

9. A panel trolley substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.