US2547930A - Sled - Google Patents

Description

April 1o, 1951 F, J, DEDRlCK 2,547,930

SLED

'Filed NV. 22, 1947 Qttmmep Patented Apr. 10, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLED Francis J. Hedrick, Coming, N. Y.- Application November 22, 1947, Serial No, V'787,574 8 Claims. (Cl. 280-12) The present invention relates to sleds and has for its object a simple form of sled having a single main runner and two auxiliary retractable side runners.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of the sled and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a front end elevation. Fig. 4 is en enlarged sectional elevation taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a tubular member I I forms the top bordering portion of the sled. Member II has transverse members I 2, I 3, and I4, secured thereto, which are suitably attached bed members I5, I6 and I1 respectively. Rigidly attached to the under sides of members I2, I3, and I4 are depending members 2I, 22, and 23 respectively, which, at their lower ends, are rigidly secured to a main runner 25 which is curved up at the front end into engagement with the tubular member I I and suitably fixed thereto, as by welding or the like. To brace the runner against lateral thrust members such as 26 and 21 are bridged between members 2I-23 and the associated members I2-I4.

Associated with the lateral runs of member II are sleeves 3| and 4I) to which are rigidly attached side runners 33 and 34, respectively. Since the side runner assemblies are alike a detailed description of one will suflice.

The section of member II occupied by an end 35 of transverse member I2 has arranged therein a corrugated leaf spring member 3B resiliently holding a ball 31 in an aperture in member II. The sleeve surrounds this section of member II and holds the ball depressed flush with the outer wall surface of member II except at such times that the sleeve is turned to either of two extreme positions. In one of these positions a groove 4I in the inner surface of sleeve 40 permits the ball 3'I to move out and lock the sleeve against free turning. A second groove 42 is occupied by the ball 3'! in the other eXtreme position of the sleeve for a similar purpose.

The sleeve 40 is permitted to occupy the same area of portion II occupied by member I2 because of the provision of a rectangular slot 43 thru the sleeve sidewall. This slot is of a width and so located that with the side runner 34 attached thereto in a sled supporting position, slot bordering portion 44 of the sleeve engages the transverse member I2; and when the runner 33 is in a fully retracted position slot bordering portion 45 engages such transverse member.

A bridge member or handle is arranged transverse the loop-formed by runner 33 parallel to the nearby portion of member II and may be readily seized and the sleeve turned to move the runner between its sled supporting and retracted positions at will by a sled occupant.

As will be noted the auxiliary runners 33 and 34 are toed in, so to speak, so that the load carried tends to hold them in sled supporting position. Use of the ball locks prevents uncontrolled swinging movements of the runners as might occasionally occur were they omitted; their most important function, however, is in positively holding the runners in their fully retracted position.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sled, a top bordering portion of circular cross section, a transverse member associated with said portion, a sleeve surrounding and turnable about said bordering portion and having surfaces engageable with said member for limiting the amount of possible turning movement thereof, and a runner fixed to said sleeve occupying a sled-supporting position when the sleeve is turned to one extreme position and occupying a non-supporting position when turned in the reverse direction.

2. A structure such as dened by claim l wherein a spring actuated member is arranged within the top bordering portion surrounded by said sleeve and cooperative with grooves in the inner surface of said sleeve to hold it in either of the extreme positions to which it is turned.

3. In a sled, a top including a tubular rail extending about the front and sides thereof, sled bed supporting members Xed to the side portions of said tubular rail, a sleeve surrounding and turnable about said rail and having a slot therein occupied by one of said bed supporting members, and a sled runner attached to said sleeve movable into and out of sled supporting position by turning said sleeve.

4. A structure such as defined by claim 3 wherein means is provided tending to hold the runner in either extreme position to which it is moved.

5. In a sled, a top bordering portion, a sleeve surrounding and turnable about said bordering portion, a member lixed to said bordering portion engageable by said sleeve to limit the arc through which said sleeve mai7 be turned, and a runner fixed to said sleeve occupying a sled supporting position when said sleeve is turned to one extreme position and occupying a non-supporting position when turned to the opposite extreme position.

6. In a land vehicle, a top bordering portion, xed members associated with opposite sides of said portion, a turnable member associated with each of said xed members, land-engaging elements one carried by each of said turnable members and each independently positionable between vehicle supporting and non-supporting positions by imparting a movement to its said turnable member, and means independently cooperative With each of said members to hold its turnable member in the position into which it is moved.

7. In a land vehicle, top-bordering side rails, xed and movable members associated with each of said rails, a vehicle supporting element independently attached to each of said movable members and each independently movable between vehicle supporting and non-supporting positions by movement of its said movable member, and means cooperative with said movable and xed members to hold said movable members in the positions to which they are moved.

8. In combination, a land vehicle having a loadsupporting bed, bed-supporting means arranged under said bed midway between the lateral borders thereof, and auxiliary vehicle bed-supporting means arranged on either side of said rst specied bed-supporting means and each pivoted in the vicinity of opposite lateral borders of the bed about axes parallel to a line drawn lengthwise of the bed and each turnable independently of the other into and out of bed-supporting positions.

FRANCIS J. DEDRICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,117,807 Diener et al Nov. 17, 1914 1,289,519 Nelson et a1 Dec. 31, 1918 2,099,731 Gelbman Nov. 23, 1937 2,188,080 Grimm Jan. 23, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 207,343 Germany Feb. 24, 1909 6.4,503 Austria Apr. 25, 1914

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