WO2002036409A2

WO2002036409A2 - Multi-purpose trolley

Info

Publication number: WO2002036409A2
Application number: PCT/IB2001/002019
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pierre Johann Van Der Merwe
Original assignee: Merwe Pierre Johann V D
Priority date: 2000-10-30
Filing date: 2001-10-29
Publication date: 2002-05-10
Also published as: AU2002212574A1; WO2002036409A3

Abstract

A multi-purpose trolley (1) is provided with a wheel mounted, mobile base (2), and at least two operatively upright carrier frames (3) spaced apart along the length of the trolley. Each carrier frame includes at least one pair of elongate, upwardly extending carrier frame members (5) pivotally connected (6) together in their central regions. The carrier frame members are hingedly attached to the base at their operatively lower ends and to generally horizontal support means (4) at their upper ends. The height of the support means is variable according to the angle at which the carrier frame members of each pair thereof cross each other at the pivotal connection. The width of the base is variable to accommodate variations in spacing between the operatively lower ends of the carrier frame members corresponding to different heights of the support means and different angles at which the carrier frame members cross each other.

Description

MULTI-PURPOSE TROLLEY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a versatile multi-purpose trolley. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a multi-purpose trolley that can adopt different configurations to enable it to be used for different purposes at different times in commercial or industrial situations such as in the wholesale and retail trade, for example in wholesale and retail clothing outlets, or even in private situations.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Traditional stands and clothing rails used to display, transport and store garments and other items of clothing in stores are either stationary or, if mobile, usually have only one rail on which garments may be hung.

In the clothing industry, garments are generally delivered to a store in cardboard boxes or other containers that are heavy and, therefore, difficult to transport into the store or an associated storage facility. This difficulty may be aggravated in instances in which a box has become damaged. In cases in which the boxes are brought directly into the store, it is important that the boxes be immediately removed from the public eye since they are generally unsightly and may create a deleterious "warehouse" feel to the shopping environment.

In certain stores, the manner of displaying items such as socks and briefs is to place them in a trough-like structure where customers can search through the contents and select their purchase. These structures are large and occupy valuable floor space in stores and also in storage facilities when they are not in use.

Furthermore, many stores often stock a wide variety of items, such as garments and shoes, as well, very often, as other household items such as cutlery, crockery, bedding, towels and table linen. The display of such a wide variety of stock requires a variety of different display rails, bins and platforms. It is customary to display particular items for promotional purposes from time to time and the items displayed vary widely in nature. It is therefore not uncommon for a store to possess a number of different display facilities that are not in use at any particular time and are therefore kept in storage temporarily.

Numerous other situations exist in which a support or display stand, or a utility table, or elevated support rails as well as various combinations thereof are useful and wherein a wheel mounted trolley is an advantage in a number of different configurations, the situation outlined above simply being illustrative of a typical situation.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a multi-purpose trolley for the transportation, support, storage and display of items that is versatile to the extent that it can be used for different purposes at different times and thereby possibly diminish the variety of different storage or display facilities otherwise required for such purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention there is provided a multi-purpose trolley having a width and a length and comprising an operatively lower, wheel mounted, mobile base, at least two operatively upright carrier frames spaced apart along the length of the trolley wherein each carrier frame includes at least one pair of elongate, upwardly extending carrier frame members having lower and upper ends and a central region, the carrier frame members of each pair being pivotally connected together in their central regions and being hingedly attached to the base at their operatively lower ends, and having attached to their upper ends generally horizontal support means, the trolley being characterized in that the height of the support means is variable according to the angle at which the carrier members of each pair thereof cross each other at the pivotal connection and in that the width of the base is variable to accommodate variations in spacing between the operatively lower ends of the carrier frame members corresponding to different heights of the support means.

Further features of the invention provide for the support means to include an elongate and generally horizontal, longitudinal support member from which articles can be suspended, if required, or on which a platform can be supported bridging the width of the trolley between the two generally horizontal longitudinal support members, the support means optionally including elongate transverse support members; for the base to be a base frame having longitudinal base frame members and transverse base frame members; for the transverse base frame members and any transverse support members to be telescopically extensible; and for the telescopically extensible transverse base frame members to be resiliently biased towards a telescopically retracted position, conveniently by means of an optionally adjustable tension spring preferably located within tubular telescopically extensible frame members.

Still further features of the invention provide for at least a portion of the length of the carrier frame members to be telescopically extensible to further adjust the height of the support means above the base; for locking means such as catches, pins, a rack or other locking formations to be provided for locking the telescopically extensible carrier frame members in selected degrees of extension thereof according to the elevation required of the support means; and for the trolley to be collapsible by dismantling it, in particular into one or more parts constituting the support means, two pairs of crossed pivotally attached carrier frame members, and a base.

In a preferred form of the invention, the base frame members, the longitudinal and any transverse elongate supports, the carrier frame members and, where applicable, the telescopically extensible transverse base frame members, are manufactured from tubular material that may be a metal or a plastics material. In another form of the invention the various frame members and supports could be made of wood or wood based material as may be appropriate to its function.

The multi-purpose trolley provided by this invention is extremely versatile and can adopt different configurations to enable it to be used for different purposes. In one particular configuration of the trolley, an industrial bag may be suspended from the longitudinal supports.

In another configuration of the trolley, a detachable platform or the like can be fitted to the longitudinal supports and optionally also to the base frame thereby allowing the multi-purpose trolley to be used as a conventional catering trolley or a display platform.

In a still further configuration of the trolley, the longitudinal supports are elevated to a maximum height (in the case of the clothing industry to a height of approximately 1 ,5 to 2,0 meters) and the transverse frame members of the base frames are telescopically retracted to a minimum length. Coat-hangers from which long items of apparel are hung may be suspended from the longitudinal supports. In this way, the multi-purpose trolley functions as a double mobile clothing rail. In a still further configuration the longitudinal supports are lowered to a minimum height corresponding to a maximum length of the telescopically extensible transverse base frame members and in such a configuration a platform is supported on the longitudinal supports to provide a low-level elevated display platform.

In order that the above and other features of the invention may be more fully understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a perspective illustration of one embodiment of the invention in which the trolley supports a platform in an elevated (not maximum height) position such as may be used for catering purposes;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the trolley configured to function as a pair of low-level hanger rails;

Figure 3 is an end view of the trolley configured to support a flexible bag as a container for goods or bulk materials;

Figure 4 is an end view of the trolley configured to function as a low- level display platform;

Figure 5 is an end view of the trolley showing the telescopically extensible transverse base frame members fully retracted; Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the carrier frame members extended;

Figure 7 is a detail showing the attachment of the upper ends of the carrier frame members to the longitudinal supports;

Figure 8 is a similar detail but showing the attachment of the lower ends of the carrier frame members to the longitudinal base frame members;

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional elevation through a telescopically extensible transverse base frame member in a fully retracted condition;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 but showing the base frame member in a fully extended condition; and,

Figure 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the collapsible nature of the trolley of this embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a multipurpose trolley, generally indicated by numeral (1), comprises an operatively lower, mobile base frame generally indicated by numeral (2) that supports, by way of a pair of longitudinally spaced carrier frames generally indicated by numeral (3), an operatively elevated pair of longitudinal supports (4) extending along the length of the trolley.

Each carrier frame comprises a pair of elongate carrier frame members (5) pivotally connected together intermediate their ends, generally in a central region, by way of a pivot (6). In a preferred arrangement the carrier frame members are tubular and are flattened somewhat, as indicated by numeral (7), at the regions that are pivotally connected for purposes of stability and an additional purpose that will be described below.

The upper ends of the elongate carrier frame members are each hingedly attached to the associated longitudinal support conveniently, as illustrated in Figure 7, by providing the upper end of each carrier frame member with a transverse sleeve (8) that receives an end portion (9) of the associated longitudinal support coaxially passing therethrough so that the sleeve can rotate about the elongate support which, in this embodiment of the invention, is tubular and of circular shape in cross-section. A flange (10) is fixed to the relevant elongate support to prevent the sleeve (8) from moving along the longitudinal support (4) beyond its predetermined position. The flanges thus locate the longitudinal supports in the longitudinal direction relative to the carrier frame members, whilst the latter can be disengaged from the longitudinal supports simply by sliding them off the adjacent end of the longitudinal support.

The lower end region of each of the carrier frame members is received telescopically in a tubular carrier sleeve (11) forming the bottom part of each carrier frame member and rendering the lower half of the carrier frame member telescopically extensible, to some extent. Simple holes (12) that receive pins (not shown) can be used to fix the carrier frame members in a required degree of telescopic extension thereof as may be necessary. In this embodiment of the invention only two degrees of extension are provided for, namely, a maximum and a minimum length of the carrier frame member.

Each of the carrier sleeves (11) is hingedly connected to a longitudinal frame member (13) of the base frame (2) and, as illustrated in Figure 8, this is achieved by providing a transverse tubular sleeve (14) through which an inner frame member (15) passes. The tubular sleeve is thus rotatable about the axis of the inner frame member which is of circular shape in cross- section. It is preferred that the longitudinal base frame member (13) have an outer sleeve (16) of the same outer diameter as that of the sleeve (14) attached to the carrier sleeves (11). An end piece (17) having the same outer diameter is fixed to the free end of the inner frame member (15) so that the overall aesthetic effect is one of a continuous frame member of that diameter.

The base frame has two transverse frame members (18) each of which is telescopically extensible and comprises a single inner tube (19) on which two outer terminal sleeves (20) slide. The telescopically extensible transverse frame members are illustrated in greatest detail in Figures 9 and 10 and each is fitted at its outer end with a caster type of wheel (21). Figure 9 illustrates a transverse frame member in its minimum degree of extension and Figure 10 illustrates it in its maximum degree of extension. The transverse frame members are biased to their minimum degree of extension or fully retracted condition by means of a tension spring (22) contained within the tubular members. Screw threaded bolts (23) are provided at each end of the spring to enable adjustment of the tension in the spring to be achieved.

It will be understood that the trolley described above can be configured in many different ways. As the carrier frames are rotated to different relative angular positions, generally by raising or lowering the longitudinal supports, the longitudinal supports adopt different heights relative to the base and the transverse base frame members extend or retract telescopically accordingly. The width of the base frame thus varies with the height of the longitudinal supports (4).

For use, there may be provided different accessories as will be apparent from the following description of some of the configurations that the trolley can assume. Referring to Figure 1 , the carrier members are positioned relative to each other so that the longitudinal supports adopt an intermediate height, for example of the order of 1 ,5 meters in the case of a trolley suitable for use in the clothing industry. The angle between the carrier members of each pair thereof can be maintained by means of a removable stay (24). As illustrated in Figure 1 the longitudinal supports could be used to support a platform (25) that is preferably hinged along its centre (26) in which case the hinge extends transversely in this position. In an identical configuration, apart from the height, with the platform at a lower height, the trolley can be used as a catering or tea trolley.

Figure 2 illustrates the same configuration apart from the fact that the platform has been folded and placed on the base frame. In this condition the longitudinal supports (4) of the trolley can be used to hang short articles of clothing such as shirts, skirts or other relatively short articles of apparel.

In the condition illustrated in Figure 3 the longitudinal supports (4) have a flap (27) attached to them that supports the upper edges of a flexible bag (28) to provide a container for goods. In this configuration the platform (25) can be used to support the bottom of the bag. The flaps can simply be passed around the longitudinal supports and fastened upon themselves for example by means of areas of hook and loop type of fastener such as that sold under the trade name "VELCRO".

Figure 4 illustrates the platform (25) in a condition used as a display stand with the trolley in a minimum height configuration and the transverse base frame members in a maximum degree of extension. In this particular configuration the interference between the ends of the flattened regions (7) supports the carrier members in this substantially lowermost position.

It will, of course, be appreciated that the spring loading of the transverse base frame members assists in supporting the longitudinal supports in any of the aforesaid positions and the tension in the springs can be adjusted as may be required. It will thus be easy to change the trolley from one configuration to another even if it is loaded in a suitable manner.

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the effect of extending the carrier frame members to the maximum degree of extension. The condition in which they are extended to their maximum height is illustrated in Figure 6. The height of the longitudinal supports (4) may thus be about 2 meters in the case that the height illustrated in Figure 5 is about 1 ,5 meters. In this configuration the trolley can be used to suspend the longest types of the garments, for example, from the longitudinal supports.

Figure 11 illustrates the manner in which the trolley collapses, this being by extracting the carrier frame members (5) from the carrier sleeves (11); sliding the sleeves (8) at the upper ends of the carrier frame members off the end regions (9) of the longitudinal supports (4); and folding the carrier sleeves down onto the base frame. The carrier frame members can be rotated about the pivot to be substantially parallel and the various components can be easily stored or transported, as may be required.

It will be understood that numerous variations may be made to the embodiment of the invention described above without departing from the scope hereof. In particular, the construction of the various frame members and carrier members could be varied widely and the various frame members need not be of tubular construction. Even the telescopically extensible members could be of a different cross-sectional shape, for example, square or channel shape. Also the various configurations indicated above need not all be made available in one trolley assembly depending on the variety of functions that it is intended to perform. Additional and alternative configurations are also possible.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A multi-purpose trolley (1) having a width and a length and comprising an operatively lower, wheel mounted, mobile base (2), at least two operatively upright carrier frames (3) spaced apart along the length of the trolley wherein each carrier frame includes at least one pair of elongate, upwardly extending carrier frame members (5) having lower and upper ends and a central region, the carrier frame members of each pair being pivotally connected (6) together in their central regions and being hingedly attached to the base at their operatively lower ends, and having attached to their upper ends generally horizontal support means (4), the trolley being characterized in that the height of the support means is variable according to the angle at which the carrier members of each pair thereof cross each other at the pivotal connection and in that the width of the base is variable to accommodate variations in spacing between the operatively lower ends of the carrier frame members corresponding to different heights of the support means.

2. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in claim 1 in which the support means includes elongate and generally horizontal, longitudinal support members.

3. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in claim 2 that includes a platform (26) adapted to be supported bridging the width of the trolley between the generally horizontal longitudinal support members.

4. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in claim 3 in which the platform is hinged (26) along its center.

5. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the base includes a base frame having longitudinal base frame members (13) and transverse base frame members (18) that are telescopically extensible.

6. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in claim 5 in which the telescopically extensible transverse base frame members are resiliently biased towards a telescopically retracted position.

7. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in claim 6 in which the telescopically extensible transverse base frame members are resiliently biased by means of an optionally adjustable tension spring (22) located within tubular telescopically movable frame members (19, 20).

8. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which at least a portion of the length of the carrier frame members is telescopically extensible to further adjust the height of the support means above the base.

9. A multi-purpose trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the trolley is collapsible by dismantling it into one or more parts constituting the support means, two pairs of crossed pivotally attached carrier frame members, and a base.