GB2172249A

GB2172249A - Trolley for facilitating movement and or laying of paving slabs or flags

Info

Publication number: GB2172249A
Application number: GB08600890A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Henry Jones
Original assignee: JONES MARY FREDA
Current assignee: JONES MARY FREDA
Priority date: 1985-03-16
Filing date: 1986-01-15
Publication date: 1986-09-17
Also published as: GB8506878D0; GB8600890D0; GB2172249B

Abstract

A trolley comprising parallel levers 20 pivotally mounted on wheeled axle 12 and manoeuvrable by means of handles 24. An abutment plate 32 extends transversely between the front ends of the levers 20, and arm 42 of beam 40, pivotally mounted on the axle 12, carries an angled thrust plate 44 substantially parallel to the abutment plate. When the beam swings anticlockwise about the axle 12, the spacing of the thrust plate 44 from the abutment plate 32 diminishes. Thus, when the device is offered to a slab 10 and downward pressure is applied to the handles 24, the slab 10 will be picked up, the weight of the slab 10 serving to increase the grip on itself. When lowered the slab 10 can be released by pressure applied to the beam by means of pedal 54. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for facilitating movement and/or laying of paving slabs or flags This invention concerns a device for facilitating movement and/or laying of paving slabs or flags.

Precast paving slabs or flags are produced in various sizes. Whilst the smaller of such slabs or flags (hereinafter referred to generally as "slabs" for convenience) may be relatively light and easy to move about and lay in place, larger sizes (for instance of the order of 90cm by 60cm) may weigh as much as 50 kilograms or more, and usually are not simple to move about and lay in place. Shifting of each slab from a stack to a position in which it is to be laid usually involves stepping the slab forwards whilst it is in a substantially upright disposition, by pivoting it alternately about the one and then the other of its two lower corners, until it is approximately in the position where it is to be laid, and then lowering the slab to a horizontal disposition by swinging about its lower edbge and thereafter manoeuvring it into its required position.All of this is very hard work involving considerable exertion, so that even a very robust operative in a high degree of physical fitness can shift and lay only a relatively small number of slabs in a day. The same applies, of course, to paving slabs or flags of natural stone.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device which minimises, in a very simple, convenient and reliabie manner, the labour involved in moving and/or laying slabs as aforesaid, so that an operative can shift and/or lay a very much greater number of slabs in a given period of time than has hitherto been possible.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a device for facilitating movement and/or laying of paving slabs or flags in the form of a trolley comprising a wheeled axle carrying an abutment plate for abutment of a first slab edge thereagainst, and a thrust member spaced from the abutment plate so as to be further away from the axle than is the abutment plate so as to be engageable with a second slab edge, opposite to said first edge, the thrust plate being so swingable about an axis that downward movement thereof reduces its spacing from the abutment plate, the trolley having, to the side of the axle remote from the thrust plate, handles whereby it may be manoeuvred.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic detached fragmentary section taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1; Figure 5 is a view, comparable with Fig. 2, showing the device being applied to a slab, preparatory to lifting the same for moving it about; Figure 6 is a view comparable with Fig. 5 but showing the slab lifted by the device, so that it can be moved about; and Figure 7 is a view comparable with Figs. 5 and 6, but showing the slab being laid in position.

The illustrated embodiment of the device of the invention, which is for facilitating movement and/or laying of paving slabs or flags, such as slab 10 shown in Figs. 5 to 7, is in the form of a trolley, and comprises essentially an axle 12 having wheels 14 at each end thereof. Adjacent each wheel 14, the axle 12 extends through a respective bearing 16 provided on a respective hollow block-like mounting piece 18 to the top of which is secured one end of a respective inverted-channel-sectional main lever 20 the other end of which has secured to it a substantially upright socket 22. The two sockets 22 accommodate the lower ends of tubular handles 24 which extend upwardly and rearwardly relative to the axle 12, are separated by a crosspiece 26 and have, on their upper ends, respective hand grips 28.

To the front of each mounting piece 18 is secured a respective spacer 30, conveniently in the form of an upright tube, and these spacers 30 serve for the mounting, substantially parallel to the axle 12, of a transverse abutment plate 32. This plate 32 is quite robust and is so disposed that when the levers 20 are substantially horizontal its plane is substantially vertical and its bottom edge is (as shown in Fig. 2) spaced a short distance, e.g.

2 to 3 cms, from the ground.

Approximately at the middle of the axle 12 is a bearing 34 which is located in place by a screw 36 therethrough engaging into a groove (not visible) around the axle 12 so that it is turnable about the axle 12. Extending in the front to rear direction of the trolley, through a socket 38 carried by the bearing 34, is a swingable beam indicated generally by the numeral 40 and the forwardly-extending part of which constitutes a first arm 42 to the forward end of which is secured a thrust plate 44 provided by a downwardly-projecting web of an angie member 46. The extent of the first arm 42 is adjustable by selective engagement of a removable peg 48 into one or the other of a plurality of alternative holes 50 through the beam 40 and a registering hole in the socket 38, as has been shown in the fragmentary view of Fig. 4.This enables the device to be adapted for use with different sizes of slab in a very simple and convenient way.

Behind the axle 12, the beam 40 extends as a second arm 52 on the free end of which is a pedal 54.

The manner of use of the device will readily be understood from the foregoing description and consideration of Figs. 2. 5. 6 and 7.

When it is desired to pick up and move a paving slab or flag, such as the slab 10 of Fig. 5, one will start with the device substantially in the inoperative condition shown in Fig.

2, in which the thrust plate 44 is resting on the ground so that the device stands stably.

For manoeuvring the device, one presses down on the handles 28, to turn the levers 20 (in the clockwise direction as viewed in the figures) until the abutment plate 32 engages with the arm 42 and lifts the thrust plate 44 up clear of the ground. The device can then be wheeled around as desired and can be brought to a position with the abutment plate 32 abutting one edge (the rear edge) of the slab 10 as shown in Fig. 5, and the thrust plate 44 above the opposite or front edge of the slab 10. The user then allows the handles 24 to rise, with the result that the thrust plate 44 is lowered over and engages against the front edge of the slab 10 as shown in Fig. 5. This position having been achieved, the user once again applies weight to the handles 28 to tip the device again.

When this is done, the slab 10 becomes gripped between the thrust plate 44 and the abutment plate 32 as shown in Fig. 6. Because of the frictional engagement between the slab 10 and the thrust plate 44, the latter is effectively caused to swing downwards in such a way that its spacing from the abutment plate 32 tends to diminish very slightly.

As a result, the weight of the slab 10 is effective to ensure proper and efficient gripping of the slab 10. As can be seen, this is with the rear edge of the slab 10 projecting by a few centimetres below the lower edge of the abutment plate 32.

In the Fig. 6 condition, the device, with its gripped slab 10, can be moved about quite easily for shifting the slab, for example to bring it to a position, as is shown in Fig. 7, where it is to be laid adjacent previously-laid slabs 60, 62, on a suitably prepared foundation 64. Because the rear edge of the slab 10 projects slightly downwards below the abutment plate 32, the device can be brought to a position, as shown, where the projecting slab part is butting right against the respective edge of the previously-laid slab 60, whereupon the whole device can be allowed to tilt, under the weight of the slab 10, to the position shown in Fig. 7. The slab 10 can then simply be released, to descend lightly into its properly required position, by light foot pressure applied to the pedal 54, which disengages the thrust plate 44 from the front edge of the slab by raising the thrust plate and thereby increasing its spacing from the abutment plate.

It will thus be appreciated that the device of the invention provides a particularly simple, convenient and easy means for moving heavy slabs, and if desired, laying them in predetermined positions, e.g. relative to already-laid slabs. The energy and strength required for these operations are, of course, many times less than the conventional handling and shifting of such slabs.

Claims

1. A device for facilitating movement and/ or laying of paving slabs or flags in the form of a trolley comprising a wheeled axle carrying an abutment plate for abutment of a first slab edge thereagainst, and a thrust member spaced away from the abutment plate so as to be further away from the axle than is the abutment plate so as to be engageable with a second slab edge, opposite to said first edge, the thrust plate being so swingable about an axis that downward movement thereof reduces its spacing from the abutment plate, the trolley having, to the side of the axle remote from the thrust plate, handles whereby it may be manoeuvred.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the thrust plate is carried by an arm pivotally mounted on the axle.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the spacing of the thrust plate from the abutment plate is adjustable.

4. A device as claimed in claims 2 and 3 wherein the arm is pivotally mounted upon the axle by means of a peg through a selected one of a plurality of spaced-apart complementary holes through the arm.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4 wherein the arm is adapted to enable the thrust plate to be raised to increase its spacing from the abutment plate.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein the arm is provided by a beam pivoted at or about its mid point relative to the axle, a pedal being provided on the beam at its end remote from the thrust plate.

7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the thrust plate is in the form of an angle-iron.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the abutment plate extends between the front ends of a pair of main levers mounted on bearings for the wheeled axle, the levers extending rearwardly of the axle and having the handles connected thereto.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8 wherein the handles locate into respective sockets on the levers.

10. A device for facilitating movement and/or laying of paving flags or slabs, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.