Transport cart

A cart for transporting at least one dolly to facilitate off-loading and on-loading of the dolly into and from a compartment having an entry edge, said cart comprising, in combination, a frame having means enabling movement of the frame along a support surface, said frame defining forward and rearward ends and having at least one pair of laterally spaced guide tracks extending longitudinally of the frame and adapted to receive a wheeled dolly thereon, said guide tracks having forward and rearward ends and being positioned for substantially horizontal alignment with the entry edge of the compartment when the cart is in confronting relation with the compartment, latch means operatively associated with said frame for releasably latching the cart in confronting relation with the compartment, bridge means carried by said frame adjacent the forward ends of said guide track, said bridge means including a bridge plate moveable relative to said frame between a retracted position operative to limit movement of a dolly on the guide tracks, and an extended position adapted to bridge between the forward end of said guide tracks and the entry edge of the compartment so as to facilitate off-loading and on-loading of a dolly from the cart into and from the compartment, and dolly retaining means including at least one retainer member operatively associated with the rearward end of at least one of said guide tracks and having a ramp surface adapted to be engaged by a dolly wheel axle during loading of a dolly onto said guide tracks, said ramp surface having a locking recess to receive the axle so as to releasably retain a dolly in fixed longitudinal relation on the guide tracks, said retainer member being movable to release the axle and enable off-loading of the dolly.

A cart for transporting at least one dolly to facilitate off-loading an on-loading of the dolly into and from a compartment having an entry edge, said cart comprising, in combination, a frame comprising a generally open framework having four generally vertically disposed corner frame members, each of said corner frame members having a wheel means mounted at its lower end to facilitate traverse of the frame over a support surface, said frame defining forward and rearward ends and having track means including upper and lower pairs of laterally spaced substantially parallel guide tracks extending longitudinally of the frame and adapted to support a dolly, said guide tracks having forward ends adapted for substantially horizontal alignment with compartments of an appliance when the forward end of the cart is in confronting but spaced relation with the compartments, latch means operatively associated with said frame for releasably latching the cart in confronting relation with the compartments, and bridge means including a bridge plate pivotally supported by said frame and extending substantially between the corner frame members adjacent the forward ends of each pair of guide tracks, each of said bridge plates being supported adjacent one end for movement relative to said frame between a retraced position operative to prevent movement of a dolly on the corresponding guide tracks in an off-loading direction, and an extended position adapted to bridge between the forward ends of the corresponding guide tracks and the entry edges of the compartments so as to facilitate off-loading and on-loading of dollies from the cart into an from the compartments, each of said bridge plates having guide means thereon adapted for alignment with the forward ends of the corresponding pair of guide tracks when the bridge plate is in an extended position relative to said frame so as to guide a dolly from the corresponding guide tracks into a compartment when the cart is in confronting relation therewith.