US 8,091,916 B2Granted

Fold flat carrier wagon/cart with stowable walls, wheels and handle, and manufacturing methods

OwnerRichard N. Shapiroinventor

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Abstract

This application discloses a fold flat wheeled carrier/wagon/cart, adaptable for a wide array of carrying purposes, including but not limited to cargo, luggage, people, and supplies, featuring optional fold flat retaining walls, handle and wheels. The wagon/cart/carrier wheel assemblies may include simple manually manipulable grips, which the user simply moves to release the wheel assembly and tires, and upon release the wheel assembly and tire is pivoted by spring biasing preferably, and/or is movable to a fold flat profile within the wheeled carrier perimeter and side elevational profile. The application provides for simple internal mechanisms for the wheel assemblies as well as unique faceplates with finger grips. In the stowed, fold flat profile; the wheel assembly may serve to retain the optional retaining walls. Manufacturing construction methods are also disclosed.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A wheeled carrier device including at least a hand grasp, comprising:

a carrier base, defining at least a partial floor and a plurality of upright stub walls forming a side elevational plane and profile, the partial floor and walls are formed from a planar sheet of material having a pattern,
a series of slits are created in the pattern to permit bending of predetermined portions of the planar sheet of material;
and
wherein the predetermined pattern of the planar sheet of material is folded upwards near a peripheral edge of the carrier base, the upright stub walls forming a substantially vertical plane with free upper edges orthogonal to a substantially horizontal floor plane;
and
at least two wheel assemblies, each of the at least two wheel assemblies including a housing defining a substantially vertical plane, with at least one wheel interconnected to the housing by a wheel axle, and wherein the at least one wheel is movable between an operative position where the at least one wheel is oriented substantially parallel with the housing vertical plane, and a stowed position where the at least one wheel is oriented substantially orthogonal to the assembly housing vertical plane, and one of each of the at least two wheel assemblies are affixed to opposing sides of the carrier device;
and
in the operative position the at least two wheel assemblies, and their associated wheels, provide rolling support of the carrier device, and in a second, stowed position, each of the at least one wheel's of each of the at least two wheel assemblies are located within the interior carrier space, substantially within the side elevational profile of the stub walls, and wherein at least one movable retaining upright wall is formed with a shaped angle which corresponds to shaping of at least part of a receiving slot formed in the base near the carrier perimeter so that the shaping of the retaining upright wall is retained within the receiving slot when the upright wall is placed in a first, operative position, substantially vertical to a rolling surface, and in a second, stowed position of the movable retaining upright wall it is stowed within the side elevational profile and perimeter of the base.

5 more elements

A wheeled carrier device including a hand grasp, comprising:

a base defining a side elevational profile and a perimeter;
and
at least two pivoting wheel assemblies mounted on opposite sides of the base, each including at least one wheel;
and each of the at least two pivoting wheel assemblies includes at least one substantially horizontal support pivot, at least one substantially vertical tire support axle affixed to the substantially horizontal support pivot near a first end and near a second end the axle is interconnected to at least one wheel, at least one latch which retains each of the at least two pivoting wheel assemblies to the base in a first operative position, and the latch is interconnected at least partly to the wheel assembly, and a spring is mounted at least partly to one of the at least two wheel assemblies, wherein a spring biasing urges one of the at least two pivoting wheel assemblies the latch into releasable retention to the base by at least one male-female connection, and;
each of the at least two wheel assemblies are movable from the first, operative position wherein each of the at least two wheel assemblies provide rolling support to the carrier device and a second, inoperative position wherein the latch is released from the male-female connection, and the at least two pivoting wheel assemblies and their associated at least one wheels are folded so as to overlie the base and are situated substantially within the perimeter and side elevational profile of the carrier device;
and a spring biasing of at least one wheel assembly toward a flat surface of the base causes one of the at least wheel assemblies to be swept from the operative position, to the stowed position, when the latch is released from the first operative position, and including a face plate component, defining at least one latch connector connecting the face plate to the latch, and at least one retaining means connecting the face plate to at least one surface of each of the at least two pivoting wheel assemblies and also including at least one shaped face plate grip portion, and manual movement of the at least one face plate shaped finger grip portion releases the male-female latch connection between the wheel assembly and the carrier base, at least in the said first, operative position.

3 more elements

A wheeled carrier device including a hand grasp, comprising:

a base defining a side elevational profile and a perimeter;
and
at least two pivoting wheel assemblies mounted on opposite sides of the base, each including at least one wheel;
and each of the at least two pivoting wheel assemblies includes at least one substantially horizontal support pivot, at least one substantially vertical tire support axle affixed to the substantially horizontal support pivot near a first end and near a second end the tire support axle is interconnected to at least one wheel, at least one latch which retains each of the at least two pivoting wheel assemblies to the base in a first operative position, and the latch is interconnected at least partly to each vertical tire support axle, and a spring is mounted at least partly to the vertical tire support axle, which spring biasing urges each pivoting wheel assembly and at least one latch of each pivoting wheel assembly into releasable retention to the base by at least one male-female connection, and;
the at least two wheel assemblies are movable from the first, operative position wherein the wheel assemblies provide rolling support to the carrier device and a second, inoperative position wherein the latch of each pivoting wheel assembly is released from the male-female connection, and the wheel assemblies and their at least one associated wheel are folded so as to overlie the base and are situated substantially within the perimeter and side elevational profile of the carrier and
wherein manual pivoting movement of each of the at least two wheel assemblies from the stowed position to the operative position alignment, depresses the spring of the spring biased wheel assembly latch, thereby latching the wheel assembly in the operative position by male-female connection between the wheel assembly latch and the base.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/284,342Filed 22 Sep 2008
Published: US 2010/0072730 A125 Mar 2010
Granted: 10 Jan 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B62B 3/007
Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor: coaster wagons
B62B 3/02
Hand carts having more than one axis carrying transport wheels; Steering devices therefor; Equipment therefor: involving parts being adjustable,…
B62B 5/067
Hand moving equipment, e.g. handle bars: stowable or retractable handle bars
B62B 2205/12
Hand-propelled vehicles or sledges being foldable or dismountable when not in use: collapsible wheels