Freight accommodation on freight carrier – Load lashing retainer or load lashing adjunct – Wraparound
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-05
2003-12-16
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Freight accommodation on freight carrier
Load lashing retainer or load lashing adjunct
Wraparound
C410S096000, C410S034000, C410S051000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06663328
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices for securing articles or material in or upon a conveyance or vehicle for transport, and more specifically comprises various embodiments of a device which may be removably or permanently secured to the upper side walls of a utility cart (garden cart, wheelbarrow, etc.), and which may be extended across the cart body or bin to secure a load therein. The present binder comprises a series of elastic or non-elastic lines, all of which removably connect to a central attachment positioned atop the general center of the load.
2. Description of the Related Art
Relatively small, lightweight, unpowered utility carts (e.g., pony carts, etc.) capable of being pulled and/or maneuvered by a single person, have been known since the earliest of times. While the use of such carts has been largely supplanted by more modern technology in day to day life, such devices are still practical for use in general yard work, gardening, and similar activities.
Such small, unpowered utility carts have a variety of different configurations, from the small, two or four wheeled utility trailer having a hitch for towing behind a riding mower, garden tractor, or the like, to wheelbarrows with their single forward wheel and two rearwardly disposed legs for supporting the wheelbarrow at rest. A number of additional related configurations are known, but the key point that such utility vehicles possess universally, is that they all have a load carrying body or bin with side walls and an open top. The present load binder invention is adaptable to any light cart or similar device having such a configuration, with the term “utility cart” as used in the present disclosure encompassing all such vehicles and devices having such an open top bin configuration.
The open top of such carts and the like provides numerous benefits, e.g., simplified loading and unloading, less restriction of load capacity, economy of purchase and operation, relatively lower maintenance and greater durability than would be the case with a device having a movable top, etc. However, such convenience is not without its drawbacks. The lack of a top over the open bin of such carts, creates an additional difficulty in securing a load within the bin. While this may not be a significant problem in certain limited circumstances (e.g., relatively small but dense loads carried in a stable cart over smooth and level surfaces), it often results in difficulties in many instances, as when maneuvering a relatively unstable wheelbarrow having a high load stacked therein, over rough and/or uneven terrain.
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration which occurs after loading a wheelbarrow or similar appliance, and then losing a good percentage or perhaps all of the load as the wheelbarrow is inadvertently tipped for some reason. The instability of the single forward wheel, when combined with the high center of gravity of a tall and heavy load, make the wheelbarrow a most difficult device to use efficiently. Even with lighter loads, it can be difficult to secure such cargo positively even in more stable carts, where the cargo or load comprises very lightweight materials which are subject to blowing away in the wind. The problem is exacerbated with such lightweight materials, as there is a tendency to stack such materials well above the height of the upper edges of the bin walls in order to transport as large a load as possible.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a device for temporarily securing a load within a utility cart or similar device or appliance. The present invention provides a load binder for such utility carts and the like, comprising a series of ties, cords, or the like which are removably or permanently secured adjacent the upper edge of the opposite side walls of the load carrying bin of the appliance. The ties or cords may be elastic (e.g., bungee cords, etc.), or may be non-elastic, as desired. Each of the cords or lines includes a removable fastener end which secures to an attachment which is generally centrally disposed atop the load. The user quickly and easily connects the lines to the central attachment to secure the load, with disconnection also being easily accomplished when the load is to be removed from the cart.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventors are aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,404 issued on Mar. 12, 1974 to Charles J. Shields, titled “Apparatus For Alternatively Securing Irregular Cargo And Standard Shipping Containers,” describes a deck plate having a cruciform slot therein. The slot may accept either of two attachments, with one comprising an upwardly extending arm to which a tiedown rope or line is secured, and the other comprising a chock for fitting to the conventional receptacle of a standard shipping container. Shields does not disclose any central attachment disposed atop the cargo for connecting a series of separate lines thereto, as provided by the present load binder invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,974 issued on Mar. 15, 1977 to Dominick F. Scarola, titled “Vehicle Cargo Strap,” describes an assembly comprising a flexible line having a guarded hook at one end and a threaded adjuster mechanism at the opposite end. The hook is secured to one side of the vehicle (e.g., to a rain gutter, etc.), the line is passed over the cargo atop the vehicle, and the adjuster is secured to the opposite side of the vehicle. The adjuster is then tightened to tighten the line across the cargo and vehicle roof. Scarola provides a single unbroken line which extends from one side of the vehicle to the other, with the adjuster at one end thereof. In contrast, the present load binder comprises a series of shorter lines, which removably and adjustably attach to a fitting disposed across the upper center of the load.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,225 issued on Feb. 24, 1987 to Mack W. Eubanks, titled “Wheelbarrow Enlargement Insert,” describes a multi-piece insert for removable installation within the bin or body of a wheelbarrow. The Eubanks device essentially comprises a solid shell which fits within the wheelbarrow and extends upwardly and outwardly therefrom, to provide a larger volume. Eubanks correctly notes the utility of such a device for carrying cargo having relatively low density (e.g., dry leaves, etc.). However, he is silent regarding any means for securing such a load within the load carrying body of the wheelbarrow itself, or within his insert. In contrast, the present load binder secures across the load, to secure the load positively within the wheelbarrow or cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,236 issued on Jun. 27, 1989 to James T. Yonts, titled “Spring-Loaded Tiedown Apparatus For Boats, Campers And Other Cargo,” describes a cargo strap having a fixed hook at one end and a tension spring at the opposite end. The spring applies an essentially constant tension to the load, in combination with the non-elastic tiedown strap. While Yonts provides an adjuster essentially in the center of his strap, over the top of the load, the Yonts strap is a single, continuous length between the hook at one end and the spring at the opposite end. It is not possible to disconnect the hook and strap ends of the Yonts strap from one another across the center of their span, whereas the multiple straps of the present load binder removably secure to one another at the general center across the top of the load.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,204 issued on Feb. 13, 1990 to Robert M. Summers, titled “Elastic Spider Web Cargo Restraint Devices,” describes a cargo net comprising a series of radial and concentric elastic cords, having a configuration resembling that of a conventional spider web. The radial cords all attach at their mutual center ends to a steel ring, plate, or other central attachment. However, the Summers net differs from the present load binder in that Summers provides attachment and adjustment only at the outer periphery of his net assembly. The inner ends of t
Schmidt Christopher K.
Schmidt Gail E.
Gordon Stephen T.
Litman Richard C.
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