AU602989B2 - Mobile camping equipment unit - Google Patents

Description

2 9 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952-1962 COMPLETE ,SPECIFICATION (Original) FOR OFFICE USE.

Class Int. Class 0 C C 0o 0 o00 0 0 C q0 0 Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: Name of Applicant: ARTHUR MEZUPS and LESLIE WILLIAM THURKETTLE o CC CC a Address of Applicant: "Timben", Pejar Road, GOUL31jRN, N.S.W. 2580 and "Bimbi", Pejar Roace, GOULBURN, N.S.W.2580 Actual Inventor(s): AR~THUR MEZUPS and LESLIE WILLIAM THURKETTLE L4 Address for Service: DAVIES COLLISON, Patent Attorneys, I~ Little Collins Street, Melbourne V 3000, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: 'MOBILE CAMPING EQUIPMENT UNIT" The following statement is a full description of this invention, includingi the best method of performing it known to us 1- Jnseri place ana a.e u1 sIgn aure.

a seclaru at UNBERRA, IRlS 26th Signature of declarant(s) (no attestation required) Note: Initial all alterations.

DAVIES COLLISON, MELBOURNE and CANBERRA.

I 2 Field of the Invention This invention concerns trailers of the type designed to be towed behind a car, station wagon, van, light commercial vehicle or the like. More particularlyr it concerns trailers for use by campers.

Background oo Most campers who use a motor vehicle to gain access 0 0 to a campsite carry their camping eqil.u;-ent in the Bback of their van or station wagon, or in the boot of o 00 ooo 10 their car. When a group of people go camping, the oo0 0 volume of the equipment required usually exceeds the 0 00oo o storage capacity of a station wagon or car, and a oooooo roof rack or a box trailer is used to transport the camping equipment.

o 00 00 0 0 0" oo00 15 A major problem with using a roof rack and/or a 0 00 conventional box trailer is that access to a 0 o0 particular item of equipment is often awkward, and usually involves unpacking other equipment to reach the required item. In addition, considerable time is 0 20 spent in packing equipment and (if a roof rack is used) in tying it down securely for transport. These disadvantages can mar what should be a relaxing holiday. Indeed, they are often the reason why parents are deterred from taking their family on a camping holiday especially if the holiday would involve moving from one campsite to another.

3 Disclosure of the Present Invention It an object of the present invention to provide a convenient storage and transport trailer for use by campers.

The objects -e is achieved by building a compartment ised storage locker on a trailer 0 o chassis, with the compartments of the locker designed o0 C to store specific items of camping equipment and to Sbe readily accessible, individually, by campers using o0 10 the trailer. In this way, items of camping equipment o° can be conveniently stored until required, and both locating equipment and packing it up after use 0 C present no problem to a camper.

00 0°oO Thus, according to the presert invention, a camping o°o 15 trailer comprises: o 00 a) a trailer chassis comprising a base frame and a 0 aC o a" drawbar, a pair of wheels on an axle attached to the base frame, and coupling means mounted on the end of the drawbar which is remote from the o°f, 20 base frame for coupling the drawbar to a towbar o"0 of a vehicle; and b) a storage locker having a floor and a roof mounted on the base frame; characterised in that the storage locker is divided by a vertical, sideways extending wall into a forward portion and a rearward portion, and is further characterised by -r L~ 4 c) a first horizontal wall in the forward portion dividing the forward portion in a deep, lower first compartment and a shallow, upper second compartment; d) a first door hingedly connected to or adjacent to the forward edge of the roof to provide access to the first and second compartments; o o e) second and third doors hingedly connected, 000 0 Akaa respectively, to or adjacent to the vertical front edges of the locker, to provide additional ooo access from the sides of the locker to the first o 0 and second compartmerts; oo f) a second horizontal wall dividing the rearward portion into an upper rear compartment and a lower rear compartment; a 0 g) fou-th and fifth doors hingedly connected, 0°o"0 respectively, to or adjacent to the opposed side edges of the roof above the upper rear D 00 compartment to provide access thereto; and h) a sixth door, hingedly connected to the rear of the locker to or adjacent to the floor thereof, IoDso to provide access to the lower rear compartment.

00 0 0 03 Preferably, the upper and lower rear compartments will have respective vertical fore and aft dividing walls within them, to divide them into left and right sub-compartments. Further sub-division of the upper sub-compartments may be effected with vertical, sideways extending walls located therein, and either or both of the lower sub-compartments may be divided into upper and lower regions by a respective horizontal wall located therein.

An elongate additional storage compartment may be mounted on the drawbar, forward of the storage locker.

0 QC 0 Q Q These and other features of the present invention will be illustrated in the following description of a o0 o preferred embodiment, in which reference will be made 0 00 o00 0 to the accompanying drawings.

0 oooo o o Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a top view of preferred construction of 04 C ,the present invention, with the roof of the storage locker and the top of the additional storage compartment removed.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the camping trailer of Figure 1, with the roof on the storage locker.

Figure 3 is a side view of the camping trailer featured in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a partly-schematic sectional view through the camping trailer, illustrating the division into compartments of the left side of the storage locker and the additional storage compartment.

4 4 6 Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiments The camping trailer shown in the drawings has a drawbar 10 and a base frame 11, wFth r onventional wheels 12 attached to an axle 13 which .s supported by springs 14, A goose-neck or similar coupling enables the trailer to be coupled to the towbar of a vehicle. Other conventional features include a a a C jockey wheel 16, brake cables 17, mudguards 18 and ao 0 a brush bars 19.

0 000000 0 0 10 The storage locker 20, mounted on the base frame, has 0 00 0o 00 a roof 21 and a floor 22. It is d.vided by a ooooo vertical wall 23: which extends over the full width 0 0 of the storage locker, into a forward portion and a rearward portion.

0 00 0 0 0 0 00 o0 15 The forward portion is divided into two compartments by a horizontal wall 24. The upper compartment 25 is 0 a relatively shallow compartment and the lower compartment 26 is deeper. Access to the compartments and 26 is by a front door 27 which is connected to 0 20 the storage locker by hinges on, or adjacent to, the 0 roof 21. Access to the compartments 25 and 26 is also provided by substantially full-height doors 28 which are connected, one on each side of the trailer, to or adjacent to the vertical front edges of the locker by hinges.

-3- 7 The rearward portion of the storage locker is divided into upper and lower rear compartments by a horizontal wall 29. Vertical walls 30, 31 and 32 and a further horizontal wall 33 divide the upper and lower rear compartments into sub-compartments.

The upper sub-compartments in the rearward portion of 0oo the storage locker are accessed by a pair of doors 34 0 0 0 which are hingedly connected, one at each nide of the storage locker, to (or adjacent to) the roof 21. The oooo o C 10 lower rear sub-compartments are accessible through a rear door 35 which is hingedly connected to, or 0ooooc adjacent to, the floor 22.

0 In the illustrated embodiment, the doors 27, 34 and °o°c 35 are each substantially half the height of the o" 15 storage locker and each extend over substantially the 0 t entire width of the compartments or sub-compartments o0:0' to which they provide access. It will be appreciated that the height and width of these doors and also the height and width of the doors 28 may be varied o 0 20 as required. Preferably each of the docrs 27 and 34 o C' C is mounted in such a manner that when it is fully 0 C opened, it lies flat on the roof 21 of the storage locker. The doors 28 may be provided, on their internal surfaces, with shelves or magazine racks.

Each door is preferably fitted with a lock. The doors or the door surrounds are preferably fitted with sealing strips, to prevent water (from rain) and dust from entering the compartments or sub-compartments to which the doors provide access.

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JI

u An additional storage compartment 40 is shown in the drawings, mounted on the drawbar 10 forward of the storage locker. The storage compartment 40 is intended to be used to store tools and miscellaneous camping equipment, and for this reason, it is preferably divided into sub-compartments by vertical internal partitions 41, 42, 43 and 44. In this o0 o configuration, clips and brackets may be attached to the internal partitions and the lid of the additional storage compartment to locate and/or secure specific o otools and equipment in position.

oco 0 0 00 o000 In embodiments of the present invention which include 0 0 the additional storage compartment 40, the drawbar may have to be made longer than is normal for a o 0 o0o 15 trailer.

0 00 0 o G o o Normally, the storage locker 20 and the additional 0 6.

0 0 storage compartment 40 will be made from steel, but strong lastics materials, wood or other suitable materials may be used for specific components (for o0i.

0 20 example, the internal walls and partitions).

0 C Prototype trailers used by the inventors o this invention have been found to be especially useful for camping when a gas stove is stored in the compartment and a pair of coolers, separated by a tub of crockery and cutlery, are carried in the compartment 26. The upper rear sub-compartments have contained, respectively, sleeping bags (in two sub-compartments), pots and pans, and a folding table -1 9and folding chairs. Tents and poles have been carried in the lower, right-hand rear sub-compartment, while camp stretchers, a beach umbrella and additional folding chairs have been stored in the lower left-hand rear sub-compartments.

It is not essential, however, that the camping trailer of this invention should be used in this o a manner.

ooo SIt will be appreciated that although a specific, and o0 10 preferred, embodiment of the present invention has 0 oc 0000 been illustrated in the drawings and described above, 000oo0 variations to the camping trailer may be made without 0 0 departing from the scope of the followi-g claims.

0 00000 o 00oo 00 00 i 0 00 0 00 0 O0 0000 00 C 00C 0 C 0 0 C C 0 C i-r L -L

Claims (6)

1. A camping trailer comprising: a) a trailer chassis comprising a base frame and a drawbar, a pair of wheels on an axle attached to the base frame, and coupling means mounted on the end of the drawbar o 00 o which is remote from the base frame for coo 0 IA coupling the drawbar to a towbar of a vehicle; and o0 b) a storage locker having a floor and a roof 0 00 :0cc mounted on the base frame; o, characterised in that the storage locker is divided by a vertical, sideways extending wall into a forward portion and a rearward portion, 0 02 -00 °o and is further characterised by 0 o 0 c) a first horizontal wall in the forward 00 portion dividing the forward portion in a o c deep, lower first compartment and a shallow, upper second compartment; d) a first door hingedly connected to or 02 o000o adjacent to the forward edge of the roof to 0oo provide access to the first and second compartments; e) second and third doors hingedly connected, respectively, to or adjacent to the vertical front edges of the locker, to provide additional access from the sides of the locker to the first and second compartments; ~I C nq f) a second horizontal wall dividing the rearward portion into an upper rear compartment and a lower rear compartment; g) fourth and fifth doors hingedly connected, respectively, to or adjacent to the opposed side edges of the roof above the upper rear compartment to provide access 0 thereto; and 11) a sixth door, hingedly connected to the rear of the locker to or adjacent to the Q floor, thereof~ to provide -access to the a e 00 lower rear compartment.

2. A camping trailer as defined in claim 1, in which the upper and lower rear compartments are C,0a each sub-divided by a vertical wall, extending fore and aft, into left and right upper and lower rear compartments.

3. A camping trailer as defined in claim 2, i r 0 which the -,ef t upper rear compartment and the 0 right upper rear compartment are each further sub-divided by sideways extending vertical located therein.

4. A camping trailer as defined in claim 3 or claimi 4, in which either or both of the lef t lower rear compartment ani the right lower rear compartment are further subdivided by a respective horizontal wall located therein. 11 ~1_11 12 A camping trailer as defined by any preceding claim, including an additional storage compartment mounted on the drawbar forward of the storage locker.

6. A camping trailer as defined in claim 5, in which the additional storage compartment is o o0 sub-divided into storage regions by at least one Spartition located within the additional storage compartment.

7. A camping trailer as defined in any preceding 0, claim, in which each door is lockable and in which sealing strips are provided on each door or on the door surround regions of the storage Slocker to provide a water and dust seal for each I door when it is locked. 3. A camping trailer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED -his twentieth day of June 1988 ARTHUR MEZUPS and LESLIE WILLIAM THURKETTLE -A by their Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON z