Land vehicles – Wheeled – Extensible
Patent
1993-10-13
1994-12-13
Camby, Richard M.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Extensible
280 4731, 298 3, B62B 120
Patent
active
053723767
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a wheelbarrow, and relates in particular to a foldable wheelbarrow.
Due to its rigid construction, a conventional wheelbarrow is difficult to transport as it does not fit conveniently into the trunk of a domestic motor vehicle. Furthermore, modern trends in housing throughout the world are moving towards smaller, more compact dwellings in which storage space is at a premium. In the light of this, it would be desirable to provide a wheelbarrow which, while being sturdy and robust and having a similar load capacity to a conventional wheelbarrow, is nevertheless also able to be stored compactly and transported more easily.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided a wheelbarrow comprising a load bin, a wheel for supporting the wheelbarrow, and a connecting structure which connects the wheel to the load bin, the connecting structure being pivotally displaceable with respect to the load bin,
characterized in that:
the connecting structure comprises first and second components, the wheel is mounted on the first component, the second component is connected to the first component by means of a first pivot connection, and the second component is connected to the bin by means of a second pivot connection.
The first component may, in the operative condition of the wheelbarrow, extend from the wheel rearwardly underneath the load bin to form a support for the bin, and the second component may, in the operative condition of the wheelbarrow, extend upwardly and rearwardly from the bin, to form handles for the wheelbarrow.
The wheelbarrow may have legs which form part of either the first or the second component of the connecting structure.
The arrangement may be such that, by pivoting the first and second components about the first and second pivot connections, the first component with the wheel is displaced from its operative position to an inoperative position in which it is at least partly accommodated in the bin, and the second component is displaced from its operative position to an inoperative position in which it is also at least partly accommodated in the bin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a wheelbarrow in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the wheelbarrow with the load bin thereof being shown in phantom outline;
FIGS. 3(a) 3(b), 3(c) and 3(d) sequentially illustrate how the wheelbarrow of FIGS. 1 and 2 is collapsed from the operative conditions to the inoperative condition;
FIG. 4 is a side view of a wheelbarrow in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, showing exploded views 4(a) and 4(b) respectively of a clip 19 and connector bar 13;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the wheelbarrow of FIG. 4, the load bin thereof being shown in phantom outline;
FIGS. 6(a) 6(b) and 6(c) sequentially illustrate how the wheelbarrow of FIGS. 4 and 5 is collapsed from the operative condition to the inoperative condition;
FIG. 7 is a view showing the underneath of the load bin; and
FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of the wheelbarrow on its side.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10.1 generally designates a wheelbarrow comprising a load bin 12, a wheel 14, and a connecting structure 16 which connects the wheel 14 to the bin 12. The connecting structure 16 comprises a first component 16.1 and a second component 16.2. The wheel 14 is mounted on the first component 16.1. The second component 16.2 is connected to the first component 16.1 by means of a pair of first pivot connections 18, and is connected to the bin 12 by means of a pair of second pivot connections 20. The second pivot connections are defined by the ends of a pair of side arms 13 of a connector bar 15, which is mounted rotatably to the handles of the wheelbarrow at 20.
The connector bar 15 can be seen more clearly in FIGS. 4(b), 7 and 8. It wi
REFERENCES:
patent: 2973224 (1961-02-01), Well, Sr.
patent: 4471996 (1984-06-01), Primeau
patent: 4789171 (1988-12-01), Porter
patent: 4921305 (1990-05-01), Steer
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