CA2248990A1 - Coupling device and coupling assembly - Google Patents

Coupling device and coupling assembly Download PDF

Info

Publication number
CA2248990A1
CA2248990A1 CA002248990A CA2248990A CA2248990A1 CA 2248990 A1 CA2248990 A1 CA 2248990A1 CA 002248990 A CA002248990 A CA 002248990A CA 2248990 A CA2248990 A CA 2248990A CA 2248990 A1 CA2248990 A1 CA 2248990A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
coupling
trolleys
engagement means
coupling device
trolley
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002248990A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Johannes Kortleve
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of CA2248990A1 publication Critical patent/CA2248990A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60DVEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60DVEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • B60D1/48Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by the mounting
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60DVEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • B60D1/48Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by the mounting
    • B60D1/481Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by the mounting adapted for being mounted to the front and back of trailers, carts, trolleys, or the like to form a train
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60DVEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • B60D1/48Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by the mounting
    • B60D1/483Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices characterised by the mounting adapted for being mounted to the side of a vehicle
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62BHAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
    • B62B5/00Accessories or details specially adapted for hand carts
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60DVEHICLE CONNECTIONS
    • B60D1/00Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices
    • B60D2001/001Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices specially adapted for use on vehicles other than cars
    • B60D2001/005Traction couplings; Hitches; Draw-gear; Towing devices specially adapted for use on vehicles other than cars for carts, scooters, or the like
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62BHAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
    • B62B2207/00Joining hand-propelled vehicles or sledges together

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mutual Connection Of Rods And Tubes (AREA)
  • Handcart (AREA)

Abstract

Coupling device for, at one end, coupling two trolleys positioned along side one another and, at the other end, for providing a connection for trolleys located behind or in front of said device and optionally also positioned alongside one another. In order to improve the stability of the coupling but, on the other hand, to provide simple fixing, it is proposed to make a connection which extends over approximately the width of a trolley. In the case of a construction which has two openings for engagement means of the coupling device per trolley, this means that, in contrast to what is known, non-adjacent openings of trolleys are used, but in each case these are corresponding openings of two trolleys. That is to say, for example, the left-hand seating of one trolley in combination with the left-hand seating of the other trolley.

Description

Coupling device a~d coupling assembly The present invention relates to a coupling device for, at one end, coupling two trolleys, such as auction trolleys, positioned alongside one another and, at the other end, providing a connection to one or more fur-ther trolleys positioned in front or behind, comprising a coupling rod and at least two engagement means, which are provided for fixing to said trol-leys.
A device of this type is disclosed in Netherlands Patent Application 9302072.
To enable as many trolleys as possihle to be transported, for example at auctions and nurseries, it is known not only to link these one behind the other but also to position them alongside one another and to couple them to one another. In this way a large number of trolleys can be moved at one and the same time by forming a double train.
However, with this aLlang~ ~t the length of such a train is restricted by the stability of the connection between the trolleys. On the one hand, a connection of this type must be as simple as possible to produce with the aid of a coupling device and, on the other hand, a connection which is as stable as pos-ci hl e must be produced.
The coupling device according to Netherlands Application 9302072 con-sists of a coupling rod to which two hook-shaped parts are fixed, engaging from below in the relevant op~nings in the auction trolleys.
The auction trolley used as standard always has two such cpen;ngs on the end faces. With the structure according to Netherlands Application 9302072 it is proposed that the distance between the engagement means be so chosen that these means, on the one hand, can be used for transporting a single trolley by engaging on open; n~S located alongside one another and, on the other hand, can be used by two auction trolleys positioned alongside one another. In the latter case, the adjacent openings must be used.
It has been found that although a s~ LUC~ULe of this type is adequate in practice, it is not possible to make up long trains because the steering behaviour bec ~s unstable and the required "road width" increases to an inadmissible extent.
It is the aim of the present invention to OVeL~ e this disadvantage and to provide a more stable construction so that it is also possible to make up relatively long double trains.
This aim is achieved with a coupling device as described above in that W O 97/33764 PCTnNL97/00120 the distance between said engagement means is essentially equal to the width of said trolleys.
The insight on which the invention is based is not to use the adjacent openings of the trolleys for the engagement means but, instead, to use two 5 cp~n i ngc which are located relatively far apart.
It is true that the length (in the transverse direction) of the attach-ment increases as a result, but, on the other hand, a much greater stabi-lity is achieved. Such an increase in stability can be achieved without special measures having to be taken to modify the engagement means together with the op~n;ng~ in the trolleys.
It is obvious that the coupling device described above can be used for all trolleys known from the prior art which have been ~QS~ ~led to form a double train. The field of auction trolleys is particularly important. Such auction trolleys have a width of about 59 cm. By coupling two such trolleys, the width of a Europallet can be obtained and this can be trans-ported easily.
Third engagement means which engage in the as yet unused seating in the trolley concerned can be arranged in the space between the two eng~g~ - t means. The stability can be even further i 1, ~ved in this way.
With the construction according to Netherlands Application 9302072 pro-vision was made for hinging of the auxiliary bar because the engagement means, which in said construction were rigidly connected to the latter, were able to move in a hinged manner in the op~ningq in the auction trol-leys. Especially in the case of constructions where such open; ng~ do not permit such a hinging ~ t, and in order to prevent wear of such open-ings, it is pLoposed to fit the coupling rod in a hinged manner to an auxiliary bar, in which case the engagement means are fitted on the auxi-liary bar.
The engagement means can be constructed in various ways ~p~n~- ng on the trolleys to be transported.
If auction trolleys with a U-section are used, which U-section is pro-vided with inward-facing flanges at the free ends, hook-shaped parts are preferably used, which hook-shaped parts are placed in the downward direc-tion into such vertically extending U-sections.
Especially at auctions, it is customary to "dismantle" the auction trol-leys after use. This means that the vertical sections, that is to say the uprights, are separated from the horizontal section, that is to say the frame to which the wheels are attached. The vertical sections are then W O 97/33764 PCTnNL97/00120 taken away separately and the horizontal sections are stacked one inside the other. With a structure of this type it is not possible to fit the engag~ ~ t means in the manner described above. In such a case preference is given to constructing the engagement means as an arm which extends in a horizontal plane. An arm of this type then Png~ge- on the free studs into which the uprights are subsequently slid.
The invention also relates to â coupling assembly comprising a coupling device of the type described above and an atta. --t for fitting between said further trolley and the coupling rod, wherein the attar~ t is pro-vided with engagement means which engage on said further trolley.
Such an att~ -t will be embodied according to the way in which the engagement means of said att~ t are constructed. The Pngas~ t means can be realized as in the prior art, that is to say on two adjoining ope-nings of two adjacent trolleys. Of course, it is also poss;hle to construct these engagement means as in the case of the coupling means described above, that is to say that there is a distance between the engagement means which approximately correspon~c to the width of an auction trolley.
If the engagement means are lowered vertically downwards into upright sections of the trolley, it is possible to provide locking which y~events upward ~ t. Loc~ing of this type can be gravity assisted.
The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an illustrative ~ 'D~; -t shown in the drawing. In the drawing:
Fig. 1 shows, diagrammatically, a side view of trolleys coupled to one another;
Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of part of two trolleys, which are located alongside one another and coupled to one another, and the attach-ment according to the invention;
Fig. 3 shows a top view of the construction according to Figs 1 and 2 in the coupled position;
Fig. 4 shows a per~eoLive view of a variant of the coupling;
and Fig. 5 shows a coupling assembly for transport of auction trolleys - placed on top of one another.
Parts of auction trolleys are shown in the figures. Auction trolleys of this type are available, for PY ILle, from the 'Containercentrale Neder-land' (Netherlands Container Centre), Amstelveen. It must be understood that there are many other trolleys with which the invention can be realized.

, W O 97/33764 rCTnNL97/00120 In Fig. 1 the pulling trolley is indicated by 2 and the pulled trolley by 1. It can be seen from Figs 2 and 3 that there is always a further trol-ley alongsi~e trolley 1 and trolley 2, les~e~Lively, which trolleys are likewise designated by 1 and 2, respectively.
Between the trolleys there is a coupling Acs~ ~ly 3 according to the invention, which consists of a coupling device 4 and an attar'- - ~ 5 con-nected by a pin 14.
Further details of the coupling device 4 can be seen in Fig. 2.
This coupling device 4 consists of a coupling rod 6 which is hinge-hly fixed to an att~c t 11, to which engagement pins 7 are fixed. The enga-gement pins 7 are designed to fit in U-sections 18 with flanged sides. Said U-sections 18 are part of the trolley, as can be seen from Fig. 1. With this arra.lg t the width of the engagement pins 7 is equal to the sp~ci nq between the flanged sides of the U-sections 18. Rec~llce said U-sections 18 are fitted in studs 19 which are closed on all sides and the lower parts of engagement pins 7 drop into said stubs 19, there is no risk that the enga-gement pins will come loose after being inserted vertically ~es ~rds.
It can be seen from Fig. 2 that the distance between engagement pins 7 corrPspon~c to the width of a trolley. An additional engagement pin 9 is located betwee.l the pins 7.
In structure according to the prior art, only the right-hand pin 7 and pin 9 were present. With the structure according to the invention, in which the att~ t has an appreciable length, connection takes place over a much greater distance. It has been found that, as a result, much greater stability is obtained during transport.
The att~- t 5 is provided with corr~spon~1 ng engagement pins 7, 9. It is also possible to provide the att~-' ~ t 5 with an auxiliary bar 11 such as is used in the coupling device 4. Reca~e it has been found that, despite the fact that the att~ t 5 is pushed down over some distance, jolts can cause upward ,v~ t of the att~ t 5 such that the latter jumps out of the stub 19, locking means 13 are fitted. These locking means are a hinged arm, and as a result of the effect of gravity and the hook-shaped construction of the arm, disengagement of pins 7, 9 is prevented.
This can be seen from Fig. 1.
If uncoupling is desired after use, all that is required is to move arm 13 into the position shown in Fig. 2, after which the attat' t 5 can be ~- ~ved.
A top view of the various features is shown in more detail in Fig. 3.

W 097/33764 PCTnNL97/00120 Fixing between coupling rod 6 and attaf - t 5 is by means of pin 14, as is shown in Fig. 1. It is also possible to use a coupling as is shown in Fig. 4. In this case a pin 17 which has a thickened lower section 20 and narrower upper section 21 is fitted on the att~rl t 16. The diameter of section 21 is smaller than the slot 22 of opDning 23 in coupling rod 6, which is not shown in more detail.
Locking can be obtained by pnching coupling rod 6 against section 21, guiding the latter through slot 22 and placing pin 17 in opening 23 and then allowing rod 6 to drop down over section 20.
It has been found that particularly good stability can be achieved with the coupling according to the invention, so that it is pos.s;hle to make up longer trains of trolleys positioned in front of and behind, as well as alongsi~e, one another than is possible in the prior art.
Fig. 5 shows a structure which is used in particular where there are no metal sections 18 present. This is the case, for example, if a number of trolleys are stacked on top of one another, the sections 18 having been .. -vad. In such a case only the studs 19 are present and these cannot be engaged from above. In the case of the construction shown in Fig. 5, the engagement means act laterally, i.e. e~ga~ t arms 8 are present which enclose the stubs from the sides.
In the illustrative ~ t shown in Fig. 5, not only the coupling device, which is provided with an auxiliary bar 10 and coupling rod 12, is constructed to extend over the width of an auction trolley, but the attach-ment is also constructed with appreciable width and the atta:' - t is indi-cated by 15. 24 indicates a locking arm which prevents lateral ~ -t of part 15 or part 10.
It can i -~iAtely be seen from the ~pp~n~e~ figures that a large number of variants of the inventive thought are possible.
Many more further variants are possihle and these will be ~ ~'iAtely obvious to those skilled in the art and all of these variants are con-sidered to fall within the scope of the A~p~n~e~ claims.

Claims (8)

Claims
1. Coupling device (4) for, at one end, coupling two trolleys (2, 2), such as auction trolleys, positioned alongside one another and, at the other end, providing a connection to one or more further trolleys (1) positionedin front or behind, comprising a coupling rod (6, 12) and at least two engagement means (7, 8), which are provided for fixing to said trolleys, the distance between said engagement means is essentially equal to the width of said trolleys, characterised in that a single coupling rod (6,12) is provided being hingeably mounted on an axuiliary bar (10,11), said engagement means being fixed to said axuliary bar.
2. Coupling device according to Claim 1, wherein said distance between said engagement means is greater than about 50 cm.
3. Coupling device according to one of the preceding claims, comprising third engagement means (9) arranged between said first and second engagement means.
4. Coupling device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said engagement means comprise hook-shaped components which in the position of use have downward-pointing free arms (7, 9).
5. Coupling device according to one of Claims 1-4, wherein said engagement means comprise hook-shaped components which in the position of use have free arms (8) which extend horizontally.
6. Coupling assembly comprising a coupling device according to one of the preceding claims as well as an attachment (5, 15, 16) for fitting between said further trolley and the coupling rod, wherein the attachment is provided with engagement means which engage said further trolley.
7. Coupling assembly according to Claim 6, wherein said engagement means in the position of use engage from above on said further trolley.
8. Coupling assembly according to Claim 7, wherein the attachment is provided with locking means (13) which prevent upward movement of the attachment(5, 16).
******
CA002248990A 1996-03-11 1997-03-11 Coupling device and coupling assembly Abandoned CA2248990A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL1002573A NL1002573C2 (en) 1996-03-11 1996-03-11 Coupling device and coupling assembly.
NL1002573 1996-03-11

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2248990A1 true CA2248990A1 (en) 1997-09-18

Family

ID=19762472

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002248990A Abandoned CA2248990A1 (en) 1996-03-11 1997-03-11 Coupling device and coupling assembly

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0886585A1 (en)
AU (1) AU2045597A (en)
CA (1) CA2248990A1 (en)
NL (1) NL1002573C2 (en)
WO (1) WO1997033764A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL1011191C2 (en) * 1999-02-02 2000-08-03 John Kortleve Coupling device.
DE10330637A1 (en) * 2003-07-07 2005-02-03 Robert Wenzler Coupling for attaching trailer to vehicle has spring-loaded jaws which open when pressed against cross-beam on trailer and close automatically over it
DE102006020921B4 (en) * 2006-05-05 2008-04-10 Lke Gesellschaft Für Logistik- Und Kommunikations-Equipment Mbh Coupling for transport trailer

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3675945A (en) * 1970-10-16 1972-07-11 Int Harvester Co Duplex implement hitch
JPS62149504A (en) * 1985-12-24 1987-07-03 Yokohama Yuso Kk Truck for cargo handling
US5364117A (en) * 1993-08-10 1994-11-15 Keith Peter G Method and apparatus for connecting a tow vehicle to a trailer having a front axle assembly which pivots about a verticle axis
DK168857B1 (en) * 1993-09-13 1994-06-27 Laurids Andersen Jessen A roller wagon, especially for the movement of heavy objects over short distances
NL9302072A (en) * 1993-11-30 1995-06-16 Alkas B V Wageningen Triangle and assembly comprising triangle and carriage(s)

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2045597A (en) 1997-10-01
EP0886585A1 (en) 1998-12-30
WO1997033764A1 (en) 1997-09-18
NL1002573C2 (en) 1997-09-12

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
FZDE Discontinued
FZDE Discontinued

Effective date: 20010312