Land vehicles – Wheeled – Stable vehicles – handle-propelled
Reexamination Certificate
1998-01-09
2001-03-27
Vanaman, Frank (Department: 3611)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Stable vehicles, handle-propelled
C280S079300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206385
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of flatbed carts for carrying and supporting elongated or wide products such as lumber, plywood and similar articles.
2. Related Art
Flatbed carts with vertically extending handles and other structures useful for manipulating the carts are generally known and can be seen in exemplary U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,245 (co-owned with this invention); U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,282; 4,863,179; and 3,689,098.
Such carts are versatile for carrying various products but have much to be desired with regard to carrying, storing and supporting elongated and wide products (e.g., products that are longer and/or wider than the cart bed). Carts that can be used for such purposes find great utility in do-it-yourself or self-service home improvement merchandising establishments that continue to grow in popularity and diversity.
Prior art carts utilize various handles and product support structures at the opposed end sections of the carts, but such structures are not universally usable for elongated articles such as boards or posts, angle iron stock, trim, moldings, etc., as well as wider articles such as wall board, plywood, panels, and the like, all of which are usually longer and/or wider than the cart bed. Moreover, the product support structures used in prior art carts may not permit ready manipulation of the cart when the structures are carrying long and wide products. It is also highly desirable to provide product support and manipulating handles integrated in a single sturdy design that can withstand the rigors of self-service, home improvement merchandising establishments, while still being economical to manufacture.
Prior art carts also are constructed with dedicated handle arrangements that may not be conveniently interchanged with other handle arrangements. However, because of problems associated with inventories of different flat bed carts, repair parts availability, higher costs, and so forth, users of flat bed carts are not inclined to place orders with cart manufacturers each selling carts having different handle arrangements. It is highly desirable, therefore, to provide a universal modular flat bed cart that accommodates different product support handles and maneuvering handles for the cart.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a modular, universal flatbed wheeled cart having variable product carrying and maneuvering handle arrangements, including supporting end structures located at opposed ends of the cart bed. The end structures may also function as handles for manipulating the cart, even when the end structures are carrying or supporting products extending beyond the cart ends at which the structures are located. The end structures in one embodiment each include at least two spaced apart vertical central post members that define open product support central channels extending upwardly from the cart bed to an area above the top ends of the central post members and without any interfering structure located between the post members or above the central post members.
The handle end structures in the one embodiment also preferably include a pair of laterally spaced side post members, with a single side post member spaced laterally from each one of the central post members. A generally horizontal interconnecting bar extends between a central post member and the adjacent side post member with the horizontal interconnecting bar located approximately midway along the length of the central post member. The horizontal interconnecting bar extending between a side post member and a central post member defines an upwardly extending open side channel for supporting elongated products above the bed of the cart, each side channel being defined by the horizontal interconnecting bar and the upper end sections of the central and side post members connected to and extending above the horizontal interconnecting bar.
The handle end structures are connected to the cart body so as to provide a robust structure for supporting large heavy products and to enable manipulation of loaded carts. Preferably the cart bed is formed of molded synthetic resin and includes longitudinally extending metal reinforcing members beneath and on either side area of the bed of the cart that provide rigidity to the cart bed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,245. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the handles are metal and are connected to the reinforcing members of the cart by socket connectors in a manner to be described below.
The handles preferably are connected to a single lower horizontal post support bar that in turn spans and is rigidly connected to the ends of the reinforcing members by tubular metal connector sockets welded to the opposed ends of the reinforcing members so as to provide a strong structural arrangement of metal components integrated with the molded resin cart bed.
The handle end structures may comprise central vertical post members, laterally spaced side post members extending parallel to the central post members, interconnecting horizontal bar members between the side post members and the central post members, continuous bent metal handles, and a bent handle including a folding tray.
Generally horizontally extending rails may be provided that span the upper ends of the vertical post members located at each end of the cart bed. Also, a brake system for the cart bed may be provided with a brake actuator connected to an assembly of the vertical post handles and the horizontal reinforcing members spanning the vertical post members transversely of the cart bed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 155847 (1874-10-01), Zimmerman
patent: D. 162230 (1951-02-01), Sasser
patent: 1239498 (1917-09-01), Madigan
patent: 1247822 (1917-11-01), Gregg
patent: 1563057 (1925-11-01), Williams
patent: 1991397 (1935-02-01), Lampman
patent: 2070095 (1937-02-01), Shepard, Jr. et al.
patent: 2712452 (1955-07-01), Hallowell et al.
patent: 2833550 (1958-05-01), Prick
patent: 3102648 (1963-09-01), Hughes
patent: 3137250 (1964-06-01), Hutchinson
patent: 3689098 (1972-09-01), Rubin
patent: 3744812 (1973-07-01), Langhausen
patent: 3762739 (1973-10-01), Tabet
patent: 3887207 (1975-06-01), Gotsch, Jr.
patent: 4018449 (1977-04-01), Anderson
patent: 4077644 (1978-03-01), Roby et al.
patent: 4165088 (1979-08-01), Nelson
patent: 4169607 (1979-10-01), Reese
patent: 4349213 (1982-09-01), Hirsch
patent: 4458906 (1984-07-01), Lamson
patent: 4512591 (1985-04-01), Plante
patent: 4749209 (1988-06-01), Edmonds
patent: 4772153 (1988-09-01), Huang
patent: 4826186 (1989-05-01), Hagelin
patent: 4850604 (1989-07-01), Le Marchand et al.
patent: 4863179 (1989-09-01), Isaacs
patent: 5228716 (1993-07-01), Dahl
patent: 5409245 (1995-04-01), Kern et al.
patent: 5476282 (1995-12-01), Dahl
patent: 5484150 (1996-01-01), Yasutomi
patent: 5531295 (1996-07-01), Kopman et al.
patent: 2343424 (1975-03-01), None
patent: 3604657 (1987-08-01), None
patent: 0 487 147 A1 (1992-05-01), None
patent: 1422668 (1965-11-01), None
patent: 2596718 (1987-10-01), None
patent: 936390 (1963-09-01), None
patent: 1405602 (1975-09-01), None
patent: 2043549 (1980-10-01), None
patent: 6-1353 (1994-01-01), None
Sales Brochure. D.I.Y. Transport Trolley, Code No. 05.09 776.73 (undated).
Henry Scottlan R.
Kern Alan R.
Porter Terrill M.
Schwichtenberg Brad R.
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Rehrig International Inc.
Vanaman Frank
LandOfFree
Modular universal flat bed cart with variable support and... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Modular universal flat bed cart with variable support and..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Modular universal flat bed cart with variable support and... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2527709