GB2419329A

GB2419329A - Folding collapsible golf cart

Info

Publication number: GB2419329A
Application number: GB0423651A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Wu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-10-25
Filing date: 2004-10-25
Publication date: 2006-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 2024-10-25
Also published as: GB2419329B; GB0423651D0

Abstract

A collapsible golf cart, or trolley, comprises upper and lower frame members 1, 2 which are pivotally linked by means of coupling link 6, which in turn is pivotally attached to a folding control rod member 8. The control rod member is also attached to a transverse lower frame member 5 located between wheel assemblies 30. A locking device 80, also provided on the lower frame member, is linked to the upper and lower frame members by means of upper and lower links 71, 72, and when locked prevents the control rod member from moving to a collapsed position (see figures 7 to 10). When the cart is collapsed to its storage position the control rod member, and the upper and lower frame members, lie parallel with, and adjacent to, the transverse lower frame member. The golf cart may be powered by means of a motor 31, or it may be hand propelled (figure 11).

Description

24 1 9329

COLLAPSIBLE GOLF CART

The present invention relates to a collapsible golf cart and more particularly, to a collapsible golf cart with a folding longitudinal main shaft assembly.

Conventional golf carts include motor-driven type golf carts and handpush type golf carts. Figure 1 shows a conventional motor-driven type golf cart 91.

Due to the arrangement of an additional front wheel 911 and a motor drive 912, this construction of motor-driven type golf cart 91 is bulky and heavy, and not lo convenient for packing and delivery. When the upper main shaft 913 and the lower main shaft 914 are folded, the collapsed golf cart 91 still occupies considerable storage space.

Figure 2 shows a conventional hand-push type golf cart 92. According to this design, the upper main shaft 921 and the lower main shaft 922 can be folded Is up when the lock 920 is unlocked. When the upper and lower main shafts 921 and 922 are folded, the links 923 and 924 pull the two wheel holder frames 925 and 926 toward each other. The folding operation of this construction of golf cart is still not convenient. Further, when folded up, the collapsed golf cart still occupies considerable storage space.

so It is an object of the present invention to overcome or alleviate at least some of the above disadvantages and provide a folding golf cart which can be conveniently and smoothly folded.

The invention in one aspect is defined in the independent claims.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a folding golf cart comprises a folding-control rod member and a locking device adapted to lock the folding-control rod member. When the locking device is unlocked, the folding control rod member can then be turned and received to the bottom frame, for enabling the upper and lower main shafts and the links to be received against the folding-control rod member and the bottom frame between the wheels.

so The above golf cart has the advantage that major parts can be received in between the wheels to minimize space occupation.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a folding collapsible motor-driven type

golf cart according to the prior art;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a folding collapsible hand-push type golf

cart according to the prior art;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a folding collapsible golf cart according to the present invention; Figure 4 is an enlarged view of a part of the folding collapsible golf cart lo according to the present invention; Figure 5 is an enlarged view of another part of the folding collapsible golf cart according to the present invention; Figure 6 is a perspective view of still another part of the folding collapsible golf cart according to the present invention; is Figure 7 is an assembly plan view in an enlarged scale of a part of the folding collapsible golf cart according to the present invention; Figure 8 corresponds to Figure 7, showing the locking ring disconnected from the hook of the locating device, and the folding-control rod member turned downwards toward the bottom frame; Figure 9 corresponds to Figure 8 showing the foldingcontrol rod member received to the bottom frame; Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the folding collapsible golf cart collapsed according to the present invention; Figure 11 is a perspective view of an alternate form of the present invention.

Referring to the various drawings attached herewith, a detailed description of the structural features of one folding collapsible golf cart in accordance with the present invention is as follows: Referring to Figures 3 to 6, a folding collapsible golf cart is shown JO comprising a hollow upper main shaft 1, a handle 11 axially slidably inserted into the upper main shaft 1 from the front side and locked by a lock 10 at the upper main shaft 1 (see Figure 6), having a grip 111 disposed at one end outside the upper main shaft 1, and an upper beg cradle 12 fixedly provided at the upper main shaft 1.

The golf cart further comprises a lower main shaft 2, the lower main shaft s 2 having one end longitudinally pivotally coupled to one end of the upper main shaft 1 remote from the handle 11 and the other end provided with a front wheel assembly 22, a wheel axle 3 holding a pair of wheels 30 and rotatable by a motor drive 31, two connecting blocks 4, a bottom frame 5, a lower bag cradle 21 fixedly provided at the lower main shaft 2 near the front wheel assembly 22, a lo coupling frame 6, and upper and lower links 71 and 72.

The upper main shaft 1 has a lower part coupled to one end 711 of the upper link 71, a bottom end pivoted to the upper end of the coupling frame 6 by a pivot 13, and an upper part coupled to one end 721 of the lower link 72, and an upper end pivoted to the lower end of the coupling frame 6 by a pivot 23.

A folding-control rod member 8 is provided having one end 81 pivotally connected to a middle part 61 of the coupling frame 6, the other end 82 fixedly provided with a side lug 820, which is pivotally coupled to a middle part of the bottom frame 5 by a pivot 821 for enabling the foldingcontrol rod member 8 to be turned and received to the bottom frame 5, and a locating device 83, which can be locked by a locking device 80 to stop the folding-control rod member 8 from moving toward the bottom frame 5.

The links 71 and 72 each have one end 711 or 721 respectively pivoted to the upper main shaft 1 and lower main shaft 2, and the other end 712 or 722 respectively pivoted to two opposite sides of the locking device 80. The connecting blocks 4 each have a bottom end 41 respectively sleeved onto the wheel axle 3, and a top end 42 respectively fastened to the two distal ends of the bottom frame 5.

To collapse the golf cart, the lock 10 is unlocked to enable the handle 11 to be received in the upper main shaft 1, and then the locking device 80 is unlocked to release the locating device 83 of the folding-control rod member 8 (see Figure 8), to enable the rod member 8 to be folded against the bottom frame (see Figure 9), so that the upper and lower main shafts 1 and 2 are folded together about coupling frame 6 and with the links 71 and 72 and the folding control rod member 8 are moved downwards in a transverse direction towards the bottom frame 5. The resulting collapsed configuration is shown in Figure 10.

s Referring to Figures 5 and 7 to 9, the locating device 83 of the folding control rod member 8 is provided with a catch or hook 831. The locking device comprises a casing 84 fixedly fastened to one side of the bottom frame 5 adjacent to the folding-control rod member 8, a pair of lugs 841 extended from the front side of the casing 84 and arranged in parallel, an actuation frame 851, lo which has two cam portions 8511 pivotally coupled to the lugs 841 with a pivot 842, a locking ring 86 pivoted to the actuation frame 851 for hooking on the hook 831 of the locating device 83, and a locking lever 85 fixedly connected to one end of the actuation frame 851 for turning the actuation frame 851 relative to the lugs 841 between a horizontal position, i.e., the locking position as shown in Is Figure 7 and the vertical position, i.e., the unlocking position as shown in Figures 8 and 9. When the folding-control rod member 8 is turned from the collapsed position shown in Figure 9 to the extended position shown in Figure 7, the locking ring 86 is then engaged by the hook or catch 831, and then the locking lever 85 is turned downwards from the unlocking position to the locking position so to lock the locking ring 86 to the hook or catch 831, and therefore the folding control rod member 8 is locked (see Figure 7). On the contrary, when the locking lever 85 is turned to the unlocking position, the user can disconnect the locking ring 86 from the hook or catch 831 for enabling the folding-control rod member 8 to be folded against the bottom frame 5 (see Figures 8 and 9).

Figure 11 shows an alternate form of the present invention. This embodiment eliminates the aforesaid connecting blocks, front wheel assembly, motor drive, and wheel axle, and has two wheel holders 40 respectively provided at the two distal ends of the bottom frame 5 to hold the wheels 30.

As indicated above, the described embodiments of the invention have the so following advantages: 1. When released from the locking device 80, the folding-control rod member 8 can then be received against the bottom frame 5, for enabling the assembly of upper and lower main shafts 1 and 2 and the links 71 and 72 to be turned transversely and downwards towards the bottom frame 5 and collapsed against the folding-control rod member 8.

2. When folded up, the collapsed golf cart requires less storage space, which is convenient for carrying. Because the major parts of the golf cart are received in between the wheels 30 when collapsed, the collapsed golf cart can conveniently be packed for delivery.

JO 3. The folding design is applicable to a motor-driven golf cart as well as a hand-push type golf cart.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A folding collapsible golf cart comprising: an upper main

shaft; s a handle mounted on an upper end of said upper main shaft; an upper bag cradle mounted on said upper main shaft; a lower main shaft, said lower main shaft having one end longitudinally pivotally coupled to one end of said upper main shaft remote from said handle and having an opposite end provided with a front wheel assembly; lo a bottom frame; a lower bag cradle fixedly provided at said lower main shaft near said front wheel assembly; a coupling frame; an upper link; and a lower link; wherein said upper main shaft has a lower part coupled to one end of said upper link, a bottom end pivoted to an upper end of said coupling frame by a pivot, and an upper part coupled to one end of said lower link; a foldingcontrol rod member is provided having one end pivotally connected to said coupling frame, an opposite end coupled to said bottom frame by a pivot for enabling said folding-control rod member to be turned and received to said bottom frame, and a locating device; a locking device arranged to lock said folding-control rod member, stopping said folding-control rod member from moving toward said bottom frame; said links each having one end pivoted to said upper main shaft and lower main shaft respectively and each having an opposite end pivoted to said locking device.
2. A folding collapsible golf cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locating so device of said folding-control rod member comprises a catch; said locking device comprises a casing fixedly fastened to one side of said bottom frame adjacent to said folding-control rod member, a pair of lugs extended from a front side of said casing and arranged in parallel, an actuation frame, said actuation frame having two parallel cam portions pivotally coupled to said lugs with a pivot, and a locking ring pivoted to said actuation frame for engaging said catch of said locating device, and a locking lever fixedly connected to one end of said actuation frame for turning said actuation frame relative to said lugs between a first position to lock said locking ring to said catch and a second position to unlock said locking ring from said catch.

lo
3. A collapsible golf cart comprising a longitudinal main shaft assembly carrying a wheel assembly at one end and a handle at the other end, said longitudinal main shaft assembly comprising a first main shaft and a second main shaft pivotally connected by a coupling link to allow the first and second main shafts to fold together, the coupling link being connected to an upper end of an elongate folding-control rod member, the lower end of the folding control rod member being pivotally connected to a transverse elongate lower frame member to enable the control rod member to be folded against the transverse elongate lower frame member, the first and second main shafts being pivotally connected to and supported by respective pivoting links, a locking device mounted on said so transverse elongate lower frame member, said locking device being lockable to said folding control rod member to lock the main shaft assembly and pivoting links In a rigid extended configuration and releasable from said folding control rod member to allow the folding control rod member to be folded towards said transverse elongate lower frame member away from said locking device and thereby collapse the linkage constituted by said pivoting links, folding control rod member and first and second main shafts to a folded configuration in which the first and second main shafts are folded together and extend transversely.
4. A folding golf cart substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 3 to 10 of the accompanying drawings, optionally as modified in accordance with Figure 11.

4. A folding golf cart substantially as described hereinabove with reference to so Figures 3 to 10 of the accompanying drawings, optionally as modified in accordance with Figure 11.