Convertible hand truck
AssigneeLiberty Diversified Industries
InventorCarl J. Schoberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A convertible hand truck including a pivotable handle member which may be stowed or selectively used as an extension of the toe plate when the hand truck is in an upright two-wheeled position, and may serve as the push handle for the hand truck when used in an horizontal four-wheeled position. The pivoting handle member is releasably coupled to the toe plate of the hand truck when in the horizontal position by a bracket which wraps partially around and slides along the handle member and extends between the two opposing upright handle segments. The bracket remains flush with the frame when in the stowed position, and has an offset tang which engages the top edge of the toe plate when the handle member is in the upright and secured position.
Claims8
In a hand truck for use by a user in transporting an article, said hand truck comprising a frame which may be oriented in a generally upright position or a generally horizontal position, said frame having a bottom end, said hand truck having two pair of wheels rotatably mounted to said frame and being carried on one said pair of said wheels when in said upright position and by both said pairs of wheels when in said horizontal position, a toe plate extending generally perpendicularly from said frame adjacent said bottom end, a handle member having a pair of legs spaced apart a distance and a handgrip segment, said handle member being pivotably mounted to said frame adjacent said bottom end such that said handle member may pivot between a retracted position proximate to and generally parallel with said frame and an extended position proximate to and generally parallel with said toe plate, the improvement comprising:
- means for selectively and releasably securing the handle member to the toe plate in the extended position, said means including a bracket member having a crosspiece, said crosspiece having a pair of ends and a length measured therebetween approximately equal to the distance the legs of the handle member are spaced apart, a pair of guide means, one of said guide means connected to and associated with each of said ends of said crosspiece for slidably receiving one of the legs of the handle member therein, such that said bracket member may be selectively and completely removed from the handle member, and tang means connected to and extending downwardly from said crosspiece for engaging said toe plate, said guide means being positioned and disposed so as to permit said crosspiece and said tang means to be completely and selectively removed from said handle member and selectively remounted thereon,
- whereby the handle member may be selectively pivoted between the extended position and the retracted position with the frame in the generally upright position for rolling movement of the hand truck on one of said pair of wheels, and the handle member may be pivoted to the extended position with the frame in the generally horizontal position for rolling movement of the hand truck on both of said pair of wheels and with the handle member releasably secured to the toe plate such that the user may grip the handgrip segment of the handle member to propel the hand truck.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.