WO1989003785A1

WO1989003785A1 - A towable trolley

Info

Publication number: WO1989003785A1
Application number: PCT/GB1988/000906
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven Edmondson
Original assignee: Steven Edmondson
Priority date: 1987-10-24
Filing date: 1988-10-24
Publication date: 1989-05-05
Also published as: GB2231016A; GB9009218D0; AU2604888A; GB8724935D0

Abstract

There is disclosed a towable trolley (10) having a wheel supported frame (11), a container body (12) mounted on the frame (11), a forward prolongation (15) of the frame including a forwardly and upwardly extending support tube (16) merging into a horizontal handle (17), and a towing hitch (18) for coupling the handle to a towing connection on the frame of a two or three wheeled towing vehicle. Handle (17) is located above the general level of the trolley frame so as to be capable of being attached in the general region of the seat of the towing vehicle, but when uncoupled from the towing hitch the handle enables the trolley to be manually propelled. The hitching device (18) is semi-permanently attached to the towing connection on the towing vehicle, but has a releasable coupling engagement with the handle (17) and also includes a rotary coupling (20) permitting relative rotation between the handle (17) and the hitching device (18). The towable trolley of the invention therefore can be readily coupled and uncoupled from the towing vehicle, can enable the coupled combination of vehicle and trolley readily to negotiate bends, and can be readily uncoupled and then manually propelled via handle (17), which also forms part of the releasable engagement between the trolley and the towing hitch.

Description

A TOWABLE TROLLEY

This invention relates to a towable trolley of the type having a support frame, and a container body mounted on the support frame, the trolley frame having means for attaching the trolley to a towing vehicle.

The invention has been developed primarily, though not exclusively, in connection with a towable trolley for attachment to a two wheeled towing vehicle, such as a bicycle, moped or motocycle.

It is envisaged that a trolley according to the invention will be particularly suitable for use in the delivery of articles to individual addresses within a relatively limited area surrounding a central storage and/or despatch depot. For example, the trolley may be used for delivering items of mail, when the towing .vehicle will usually be a bicycle.

It is known to provide a towable container-type trolley for attachment to the rear axle mounting of a bicycle, e.g. as disclosed in EP 0010933. The trolley is primarily intended for use by touring cyclists (or shoppers) who can transport all of their baggage or purchases in the container body carried by the trailer, and usually the trolley will be coupled-up at the commencement of a journey, and will remain so at least until the required destination is reached, when the contents of the container can be removed. The trolley may then be uncoupled, if there is insufficient space for parking the coupled combination.

However, by attaching the trolley frame to the rear axle mounting of the bicycle, the trolley design does not lend itself to ready coupling and uncoupling, as it may be necessary to bend or kneel down in order to complete fastening and unfastening of bolts etc. This is not a major problem with the type of use for which the known trolley is primarily intended, but would be a major inconvenience for any prospective use in which it may be desirable, at repeated intervals throughout the day, for the trolley to be coupled, and then uncoupled.

A typical prospective use in which this repeated coupling and uncoupling may be needed is in the delivery of articles, such as items of mail, on a door to door basis, such items being transported from a central depot. In the delivery of mail, the trolley would be coupled-up with the bicycle at the central depot, and then towed to the street or streets for which the rider is responsible. Depending upon the nature of the street, on occasions it may be helpful for the rider to be able to uncouple the trolley and then to propel the trolley manually from door to door. This would not be readily possible with the known trolley for two reasons. First of all, it would be inconvenient to have to uncouple the trolley frame from the rear axle mounting on a repeated basis, and secondly the bicycle attachment device on the trolley frame is formed by a forward prolongation of the frame which is in the same general horizontal plane as the remainder of the frame (when attached to the bicycle) , and which does not lend itself readily to manual propulsion (by pulling or pushing) of the trolley. In particular, the forward prolongation does not have any ready means for manual engagement, and further the prolongation would need to be raised somewhat to enable convenient propulsion of the trolley, which would involve partial tilting of the container body, with risk of the contents being tipped-out.

There is therefore a need to provide a towable trolley of the type referred to, in which the trolley can be readily coupled with and uncoupled from the towing vehicle, and can be readily propelled manually upon uncoupling.

According to the invention there is provided a towable trolley which comprises a wheel-supported frame, a container body mounted on the frame, and a forward prolongation of the frame having attachment means for attaching the frame to a towing connection on the frame and near to the seat of a two or three wheeled towing vehicle, in which: the attachment means is located above the general level of the trolley frame so as to be capable of being attached in the general region of the seat of the towing vehicle ; the attachment means takes the form of a handle to permit manual propulsion of the trolley when uncoupled from the towing vehicle; and, a hitching device is provided which is attachable to the towing connection on the towing vehicle, the hitching device being capable of releasable coupling engagement with said handle and including a rotary coupling permitting relative rotation between the handle and the hitching device .

Thus, in use of the trolley, it readily can be coupled with, and uncoupled from the towing vehicle, in that the hitching device will usually be secured semi -permanently to the frame of the towing vehicle, and the necessary engagement and disengagement takes place via the releasable coupling between the towing hitch and the handle, which is at a convenient height for easy operation. Therefore, it will be a simple matter to uncouple the trolley when the user wishes to propel the trolley manually.

A typical towing vehicle which may be used with the trolley will be a two-wheeled bicycle, though evidently a tricycle, moped or motorcycle may be used equally well.

Conveniently, the releasable engagement between the handle and the hitching device takes the form of a spigot and socket connection, and preferably the handle is hollow so as to form the socket.

The rotary coupling in the hitching device enables relative rotation to take place between the trolley and the towing vehicle about the general axis of the tewing hitch and the handle, and this will permit the rider of the towing vehicle (when it is a two-wheeled vehicle) to lean inwardly in order to negotiate bends in the road, while the wheels of the trolley remain in firm contact with the road.

Further freedom of relative rotation may be provided, if required, by arranging a universal type coupling in the hitching device.

The container body may be made of moulded plastics material having an upward opening for loading and unloading purposes, and preferably has a double folding lid arrangement which closes the opening. The lid arrangement comprises two cover plates hinged together and arranged so that partial opening of the lid arrangement can be obtained by folding one of the cover plates so as to overlie the other one. When full access is required to the interior of the container, the superposed cover plates can then be jointly raised about a pivot at one end of the opening.

The forward prolongation of the trolley frame preferably takes the form of a single upright support in the form of a rod or tube which extends forwardly and upwardly from a chassis frame on which the container body is mounted, and which also forms suitable pivot mountings for the wheels. When the double cover plate lid arrangement is folded to the fully open position, conveniently it comprises a stable position at rest on and alongside this upright support.

Preferably, to provide a stable rest position for the trolley, when uncoupled from the towing vehicle, a ground support is provided on the trolley frame, generally at a location of the connection between the upright support and the chassis frame, whereby a stable three point support is provided for the trolley in its rest position, when a two- wheeled trolley is provided.

One embodiment of towable trolley according to the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 us a side view of the towable trolley according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an end view;

Figure 3 is a plan view;

Figure 4 is a detail view of a universal joint type coupling for coupling the trolley to a towing vehicle;

Figure 5 is a side view of an alternative towbar arrangement; and,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the towbar arrangement of Figure 5.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, there is shown an embodiment of towable trolley according to the invention, which is designated generally by reference 10, and which has a support frame 11 and a container body 12 mounted on the support frame, the trolley frame having means for attaching the trolley to a two or three wheeled towing vehicle (not shown). The frame 11 is a wheel- supported frame, in that it has mountings 13 on which a pair of trolley wheels 14 are mounted, and a forward prolongation 15 of the frame includes a forwardly and upwardly extending support tube 16 which merges into a horizontal handle 17.

The handle 17 comprises attachment means for attaching the frame 11 to a towing connection (not shown) on the frame and near to the seat of a two or three wheeled towing vehicle.

The attachment means, in the form of handle 17, is located above the general level of the trolley frame, so as to be capable of being attached in the general region of the seat of the towing vehicle, which will be a saddle in the case of a two-wheeled bicycle, or a tricycle. The purpose of the handle 17, in addition to forming the attachment means, is to permit manual propulsion, by pulling or pushing, of the trolley when uncoupled from the towing vehicle.

The attachment of the trolley to the towing vehicle is also provided by means of a hitching device, designated generally by reference 18, and which will be semi¬ permanently connection to the towing connection on the towing vehicle by means of an inwardly deformable mounting sleeve 19. The hitching device 18 is capable of releasable coupling engagement with the handle 17, and also includes a rotary coupling 20 which permits relative rotation between the handle 17 and the hitching device 18. The releasable engagement between the handle 17 and the hitching device 18 takes the form of a spigot and socket connection, the handle 17 being hollow so as to form the socket in which a spigot 21 of the hitching device is received. Although not shown in detail in Figures 1 to 3, the rotary coupling 20 may be a universal joint type of coupling to permit independent universal movement as shown in Figure 4, so that 1) relative rotation about the axis of the handle 17 is permitted when the inclination of the towing vehicle to the vertical is varied to negotiate a bend in the road and 2) relative lateral displacement is permitted between the towing vehicle and the trolley when the towing vehicle undergoes a change in direction.

The container body 12 is made of moulded plastics material, having an upward loading and unloading opening, and has a double folding lid arrangement which closes the opening. The lid arrangement comprises first and second cover plates 22 and 23 which are hinged togther by a piano hinge 24, and arranged so that partial opening of the lid arrangement is obtained by folding of the first plate 22 so as to overlie the second plate 23. When full access is required to the interior of the container, the superposed cover plate arrangement can be moved bodily about a pivot 25 at one end of the opening, so as to rest in a stable position on and alongside the upright support post 16, as shown in dotted outline in Figure 1.

To provide a stable rest position of the trolley, when uncoupled from the towing vehicle, a support 26 is provided, at the junction between the main chassis frame 11 and the upstanding support post 15, 16, which forms a three point support for the trolley, with the wheels 14, when the handle 17 is uncoupled from the hitching device 18.

The embodiment of towable trolley disclosed herein provides a mobile container which is particularly suitable for use in delivering items, such as mail, on a door to door basis, after having been charged with these items at a central depot. The trolley can thus be readily coupled up with the towing vehicle at the central depot, and then ridden to the delivery area, and the rider can then uncouple the trolley from the towing vehicle (bicycle) when he reaches the general area of delivery, and can propel the trolley by hand, if he wishes.

The illustrated embodiment therefore has the following advantages :

1. The towable trolley has a dual purpose, namely it can be used as a towed trolley, or can be manually propelled as a separate item.

2. The trolley can readily be applied to a bicycle, to be propelled thereby, or maybe coupled-up to a motorcycle, with suitable modification, where requi red .

3. The tubular chassis design of the trolley offers various positions for tipping and storage, as well as incorporating a parking facility, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. The tubular chassis is designed to support a plastics container and acts as an all-round bumper. The chassis design also incorporates a pivot for the lid hinge.

4. The split folding rigid lid, as shown by references 22 and 23 in Figure 1, is water resistant and lockable, The lid will support loads when closed, half closed, or can be left open whilst in use.

5. The universal joint type coupling, shown generally by reference 20 in Figure 1, is shown in more detail in Figure 4, and includes a flexible tube

27, which can be made of rubber hose 2 ply fabric reinforced, with 5/8 inch bore and 1 inch outer diameter. The tube 27 permits a limited degree of univeral movement between connector tubes 28 and

29, which face the towing hitch 19 and the handle

17 respectively. The universal joint provides the following features:

(i) unrestricted movement;

(ii) acts as a vibration damper between the towing vehicle and the trolley; (iii) it is maintenance free; (iv) it is a low unit cost item; (v) it has a stabilising effect;

(vi) it acts as a safety feature, in that should the trolley be tipped-over or knocked in the event of an accident, the balance of the towing vehicle (bicycle) and the rider will not be adversely affected. Referring now to Figures 5 and 6. there is shown an alternative arrangement of towbar by means of which the trolley can be coupled with a towing vehicle. The towbar arrangement is designated generally by reference 30, and comprises an inclined mounting sleeve 31 for attaching the towbar 30 to the towing vehicle, at or near the seat thereof e.g. on the usual vertically adjustable tubular support of a bicyle seat, and an upstanding flange 32 is attached to the sleeve 31 and serves to mount a reflector. The towbar 30 also includes a connector tube 33 secured to sleeve 31 , a tubular connector stub 34 relatively rotatably mounted at one end of connector tube 33, and a spring loaded connector pin 35 mounted on connector stub 34.

At the right hand end of Figure 5 there is shown the free end 36 of tubular connector handle of a trolley (not shown) which is detachably mountable on a tubular extension piece 37 mounted within connector stub 34, in order to couple the trolley to the towbar 30. To complete the coupling, the connector pin 35 is movable under action of compression spring 38 into coupling engagement with handle 36 by engagement of its limb 39 into a receiving passage 40 provided in the handle 36.

The towbar arrangement 30 therefor also provides an arrangement which can be semi-permanently attached to the towing vehicle, but which can readily have the towing handle 36 of the trolley releasably coupled therewith, and in a manner which permits both relative rotation about the general a is of the coupled assembly of handle 36 and towbar 30, and also relative lateral displacement to take place between the towing vehicle and the trolley. This therefore enables the inclination to the vertical of the vehicle to vary, in order to negotiate bends in a road, while the two wheeled trolley remains with both its wheels in firm contact with the road. In addition, the ability for relative lateral displacement to take place also facilitates the negotiation of bends by the coupled assembly of towing vehicle and trolley. The releasable coupling pin 35 provides a secure coupling, and yet which can be readily released when it is required to detach the trolley for separate manual propulsion via handle 36.

Claims

1. A towable trolley which comprises a wheel- supported frame, a container body mounted on the frame, and a forward prolongation of the frame having attachment means for attaching the frame to a towing connection on the frame and near to the seat of a two or three wheeled towing vehicle, in which:- the attachment means is located above the general level of the trolley frame so as to be capable of being attached in the general region of the seat of the towing vehicle; the attachment means take the form of a handle to permit manual propulsion of the trolley when uncoupled from the towing vehicle; and, a hitching device is provided which is attachable to the towing connection on the towing vehicle, the hitching device being capable of releasable coupling engagement with said handle and including a rotary coupling permitting relative rotation between the handle and the hitching device.

2. A trolley according to Claim 1, in which a spigot and socket connection forms the releasable engagement between the handle and the hitching device.

3. A trolley according to Claim 2, in which the handle is hollow so as to form said socket.

4. A trolley according to any one of the preceding Claims, including a universal type coupling incorporated in the hitching device.

5. A trolley according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the containing body is made of moulded plastics material having an upward opening for loading and unloading purposes.

6. A trolley according to Claim 5, in which a double folding lid arrangement is mounted on the container body to close said opening.

7. A trolley according to Claim 6, in which the lid arrangement comprises two cover plates hinged together and arranged so that partial opening of the lid arrangement can be obtained by folding one of the cover plates so as to overlie the other one.

8. A trolley according to Claim 6 or 7, in which a pivot is provided at one end of said opening and about which the superposed cover plates can be jointly raised.

9. A trolley according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the forward prolongation of the trolley frame takes the form of a single upright support in the form of a rod or tube which extends forwardly and upwardly from a chassis frame on which the container body is mounted, and which also forms pivot mountings for the wheels of the trolley.

10. A trolley according to Claim 9, in which the fully open position of the double cover plate lid arrangement comprises a stable position at rest and alongside said upright support.

11. A trolley according to Claims 8, 9 or 10, in which a ground support is provided on the trolley frame, generally at a location of the connection between the upright support and the chassis frame, whereby a stable three point support is provided for the trolley in its rest position, and when a two wheeled trolley is provided.

12. A trolley according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the hitching device includes a spring loaded coupling pin for releasably coupling the handle to the hitching device.