GB2264088A

GB2264088A - Convertible trolley.

Info

Publication number: GB2264088A
Application number: GB9302395A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Frost
Original assignee: Jani Jack Ltd
Current assignee: Jani Jack Ltd
Priority date: 1992-02-11
Filing date: 1993-02-08
Publication date: 1993-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 2013-02-08
Also published as: GB9202801D0; GB2264088B; ITMI930098V0; ITMI930098U1; IT229623Y1; GB9302395D0; DE9301763U1

Abstract

Separable frames (2, 42) are securable together to form a larger trolley, with wheels or castors (10) mounted on each frame remote from the other frame. The individual frames can be used independently with the wheels or castors removably attached to the appropriate vertical members 6, 42, 44. The frames have means for detachably mounting supports and/or carriers such as 34, 20, 16 for equipment loaded on the trolley. The trolley is suitable for transporting cleaning equipment. <IMAGE>

Description

TROLLEYS This invention relates to trolley constructions, in particular but not necessarily exclusively for carrying cleaning equipment and materials, eg. for use in cleaning floors and the interiors of buildings generally.

The efficient cleaning of the interiors of large buildings such as offices and hospitals requires the cleaning operators to be able to have heavy and bulky loads of equipment and materials at hand as they move about the building. It is known to provide purpose-built trolleys for this purpose, equipped for example with water buckets and other material containers as well as tools such as mops, wringers and polishers.

If further tasks are added to a particular cleaning routine it may be become necessary to carry greater loads but this may require the previous trolley to be replaced by a trolley with greater carrying capacity.

For this reason it is known to provide a relatively simple and small form of trolley satisfying basic requirements and extension means for that trolley so that the user can upgrade the vehicle using many of the original parts. The extent to which this has been made possible is relatively limited, however.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement in which a more extended range of trolley size can be provided in which many if not all the parts of a smaller size trolley can be re-employed in a larger size trolley.

According to the invention, there is provided a trolley construction comprising at least two separable frames provided with means for removably mounting ground engaging wheels or castors, the mounting means of at least one of said frames comprising longitudinally spaced locations for receiving said wheels or castors to permit said one frame to be used independently of the other as a trolley, the further frame being securable to the first frame with respective wheel or castor mounting means on each frame located remotely from the other frame whereby to provide a stable base for the assembled frame through the wheels or castors mounted at said mutually remote locations.

Preferably, the two frames are secured together through adjoining upright elements of the respective frames.

By way of example the invention will be illustrated with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings which illustrate respectively successive trolleys in a series of trolleys of increasing size sharing many of the same components.

The trolleys illustrated are all intended to carry cleaning equipment such as buckets, mops, wringers, polishers and materials for cleaning but for clarity are shown unloaded. In Fig. 1 the smallest trolley of the range is shown. It has a tubular metal frame 2 comprising an inverted-U front member 4, a pair of vertical rear members 6 and a pair of side members 8 joining the front and rear members. The open bottom ends of the tubular front and rear members 4,6 receive castors 10 which are secured in place by bolts 12. The frame includes supplementary cross-ties 14 to provide an appropriate support for the load the trolley is designed to carry, such as a cleaning bucket resting on the bottom of the frame 2. Extending between members 8 are a top crossbar 16 and supplementary bar 18 for suspending and locating a wringer hooked onto the crossbar 16.Below the bars 16,18a projecting cross bar 20 locates the bucket on the bottom of the frame in correct relation to the wringer.

Optionally, an inverted-U push bar 22 can be secured by plug and socket connections into the vertical frame members.

The trolley of Fig. 1 can be extended, as shown in Fig. 2, by hinging onto the frame front member 4 a subframe 30 on which a second liquid container, for example, can be stood. Also, to permit further loads to be suspended overlapping the rear of the frame, extension bars 32 are attached to the bottom of the frame 2 in place of the castors which are themselves mounted at the ends of the bars 32 to extend the wheelbase both forwards and rearwards. The push bar 22 can of course be mounted on the frame 2 as before.

Fig. 3 shows further extension of the trolley of Fig. 2 obtained by hinging further sub-frames 34,36 to the rear of the main frame 2.

The forms of trolley shown in Figs. 1 to 3 are themselves known and it has been economic for many users to be able to increase the carrying capacity of a trolley they have already purchased when the need arises to carry a more extensive range of equipment and materials. The arrangement shown in Fig. 3 has, however, previously represented a maximum limit with the components shown.

In order to allow greater loads of equipment and material to be carried a further development of the range is now provided in the form shown in Fig. 4. The trolley of Fig. 4 employs the main frame 2 of the trolleys of Figs. 1 to 3 as a first frame which has coupled to it a second frame 42 comprising a pair of inverted-U vertical members 44,46 the lower ends of which are connected by a horizontal H-member 48. As with the first frame, the members 44,46 can receive castors 10 so that when separated each frame 2,42 can form a separate trolley.

The front vertical member 42 of the second frame and the vertical members 6 of the first frame 2 are secured together by pairs of bolts 50 to give a rigid assembly and the open ends of the rear U-member 46 receive the rear pair of castors 10. In the specific configuration illustrated, the second frame 42 provides accommodation at bottom, intermediate and top levels 52,54,56 respectively, for three trays. Optionally, as in the examples of Figs. 2 and 3, hinged sub-frames 30,34,36 can be added to the front and rear of the trolley The trolley of Fig. 4 reuses all the parts of the trolley of Fig. 1 except the optional push bar 22. In comparison with the trolleys of Figs. 2 and 3 the extension bars 32 are the only further parts to become redundant. The configuration of Fig. 4 thus offers an extremely economical way for a user of the smaller trolleys to upgrade these for more extended duties.

If required, the trolley construction shown in Fig. 4 can be modified to accept extension bars 32, if it is necessary to extend the wheelbase. The provision of load supporting elements such as the crossbar 16 or subframes 30,34,36 can of course be varied to suit a user's particular requirements.

A further advantage achieved by the invention is the manner in which the range of sizes of trolley is extended without requiring any large increase in the number of different parts to be produced or stored.

Claims

1. A trolley construction comprising a frame structure supported on ground-engaging wheels or castors wherein the frame structure comprises at least two separable frames provided with means for removably mounting the ground engaging wheels or castors, the mounting means of at least one of said frames comprising respective longitudinally spaced locations for receiving said wheels or castors to permit said one frame to be used independently of the other as a trolley, the further frame being securable to the first frame with respective wheel or castor mounting means on each frame located remotely from the other frame whereby to provide a stable base for the assembled frame through the wheels or castors mounted at said mutually remote locations.

2. A trolley construction according to claim 1 wherein the two frames are secured together through adjoining upright elements of the respective frames.

3. A trolley construction according to claim 2 wherein a removable pushbar is attachable to the top of said adjoining upright elements of at least one of the frames.

4. A trolley construction according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said uprights are provided with means for attaching mounting members for supporting articles on the trolley.

5. A trolley construction according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein in at least one configuration of the construction intermediate members extending longitudinally beyond one said frame are provided for the mounting of the ground-engaging wheels or castors at a spacing greater than the attachment of said intermediate members to the frame structure.

6. A trolley construction according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein each frame has mounting means for receiving wheels or castors so that each frame can serve for a separate trolley.

7. A trolley frame for a trolley construction according to any one of the claims 1 to 6 wherein said frame has means for the removable attachment of groundengaging wheels or castors and means at one end of the frame for securing a further frame rigidly thereto.

8. A trolley frame according to claim 7 wherein means are provided at said one end of the frame for the cantilevered attachment of equipment support elements in place of said further frame.

9. A trolley construction arranged and adapted for use substantially as described herein with.reference to the accompanying drawings.