Industrial transportation and storage cart

• US 6,669,213 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2001
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hafele America Comapany
• Original Assignee: Hafele America Comapany
• Inventors: Woerner, Axel G.
• Primary Examiner(s): VANAMAN, FRANK BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US09/919,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20030030239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 280/47.34, 280/47.35, 280/79.11, 280/79.2, 280/79.3, 280/79.7, 280/35, 211/182, 211/189, 211/191, 211/206, 248/127, 248/129, 403/169, 403/176, 403/217, 403/383
• US Class Current: 280/47.35
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2205/006 dismountable
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/002 characterised by a rectangular shape, involving sidewalls or racks
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/005 Details of storage means, e.g. drawers, bins or racks
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/006 for stacking objects like trays, bobbins, chains
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/02 involving parts being adjustable, collapsible, attachable, detachable or convertible

Abstract

A portable storage and transportation cart that is easy to assemble, disassemble, and reassemble, and a kit for constructing same. The cart includes a plurality of elongated hollow frame members having substantially uniform outer profiles and at least one series of incrementally spaced transverse holes along their length. The frame members may have various lengths. The cart also may include a plurality of three-way couplings, a plurality of unions, a plurality of cylindrical shelf tubes, a plurality of casters, and a plurality of wheel adapters. The various components of the cart or a portion thereof are configured and suited for non-permanent assembly together in a variety of combinations and configurations to form various portable utility and transportation carts.

Claims

1. A kit for constructing a variety of easy-to-assemble portable storage and transportation carts comprising:

(a) a plurality of elongated hollow frame members having substantially uniform outer cross-sectional profiles, wherein each frame member includes a first and a second end, sidewalls, and at least one series of incrementally spaced pairs of aligned holes through opposite sidewalls of the frame member along the length thereof, where each pair of holes has an axis that is perpendicular to the sidewalls and passes through a longitudinal centerline of the frame member;

(b) a plurality of three-way couplings for connecting up to three frame members together at right angles to each other, each of said couplings comprising three hollow segments formed of a plurality of sidewalls and having an inner cross-sectional profile similar in shape to and slightly larger than the outer cross-sectional profiles of the frame members, at least one pair of sidewalls having at least one pair of aligned holes therein;

(c) a plurality of cylindrical shelf tubes having outer diameters slightly smaller than the diameters of the incrementally spaced holes in the sidewalls of the frame members such that the shelf tubes can be fittingly received in the holes in the side walls of the frame members, and means for retaining the shelf tubes within the holes in the side walls of the frame members;

(d) a plurality of casters, each caster including a mounting plate; and

(e) a plurality of wheel adapters configured for mounting the casters to the frame members, each wheel adapter including a plate and an upstanding socket, the plate being suited for attachment to the mounting plate of a caster, and the upstanding socket having an outer profile the same as the outer profile of the frame members and at least one pair of opposed sidewalls having at least one pair of opposed and aligned holes therein;

wherein the frame members, three-way couplings, shelf tubes, casters, and wheel adapters or a portion thereof are configured and suited for non-permanent assembly together in a variety of combinations and configurations to form various portable utility and transportation carts.

2. A kit according to claim 1 further including a plurality of unions for connecting two frame members end-to-end, each union comprising a hollow body having a first end for mating engagement over an end of a first frame member, a second end for mating engagement over an end of a second frame member, and having a suitable cross-sectional shape and size to provide close, fitting engagement with the ends of the frame members.

3. A kit according to claim 2 wherein the plurality of frame members includes at least two different lengths of frame members.

4. The kit according to claim 2 wherein:

(a) the elongated hollow frame members have substantially uniform square cross-sections and include first and second pairs of opposing sidewalls, wherein each pair of opposing sidewalls includes a series of incrementally spaced pairs of aligned holes, the longitudinal positions of the aligned holes along one pair of opposing sidewalls being staggered from the longitudinal positions of the aligned holes along the other pair of opposing sidewalls; and

(b) the three-way couplings, unions, and wheel adapters have square sidewalls for mating assembly with the square cross-sectional shape of the frame members.

5. The kit according to claim 4 wherein each three-way coupling, union, and wheel adapter includes aligned holes in opposed sidewalls which are suitably located and spaced for matching alignment with the incrementally spaced holes in the sidewalls of the frame members at assembly, where the matching holes may be used to connect a coupling, union, or wheel adapter to a frame member or each other.

6. The kit according to claim 5 further including a plurality of cylindrical connector tubes for connecting a frame member to a coupling, a union, a wheel adapter, or to another frame member, each connector tube having an outer diameter sized for fitting engagement in the incrementally spaced holes in the sidewalls of the frame members when aligned with the series of holes in the couplings, unions, and wheel adapters;

and wherein the connector tubes include aligned cross holes adjacent to their ends for receiving locking pins to lock the connector tubes in place at assembly.

7. The kit according to claim 2 wherein each three-way coupling and union includes at least one transverse set screw for setting a frame member that is respectively engaged in the coupling or union.

8. The kit according to claim 1 wherein each three-way coupling comprises:

(a) a hollow vertical socket for mating engagement over an end of a first frame member;

(b) a hollow channel for fitting engagement over a second frame member; and

(c) a hollow lateral socket for mating engagement with the end of a third frame member;

wherein the vertical socket, the lateral socket, and the channel are connected to each other and have longitudinal axes which are perpendicular to each other.

9. The kit according to claim 1 wherein the wheel adapters further include a horizontal channel for fitting engagement over a horizontally oriented frame member.

10. The kit according to claim 1 further including a plurality of plastic sleeves, each sleeve comprising a cylindrical body having a diameter that is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shelf tubes and an axial slit in the body, wherein the sleeves can be mounted over the shelf tubes to provide discrete support points along the lengths of the shelf tubes.

11. An easy-to-assemble, easy-to-disassemble, and reconfigurable storage/transportation cart comprising:

(a) a plurality of elongated hollow frame members having substantially uniform outer cross-sectional profiles, wherein each frame member includes a first and a second end, sidewalls, and at least one series of incrementally spaced pairs of aligned holes through opposite sidewalls of the frame member along the length thereof, where each pair of holes has an axis that is perpendicular to the sidewalls and passes through a longitudinal centerline of the frame member;

(b) a plurality of three-way couplings for connecting up to three frame members together at right angles to each other, each of said couplings comprising three hollow segments formed of a plurality of sidewalls and having an inner cross-sectional profile similar in shape to and slightly larger than the outer cross-sectional profiles of the frame members, at least one pair of sidewalls having at least one pair of aligned holes therein;

(c) a plurality of cylindrical shelf tubes having outer diameters slightly smaller than the diameters of the incrementally spaced holes in the sidewalls of the frame members such that the shelf tubes can be fittingly received in the holes in the side walls of the frame members, and means for retaining the shelf tubes within the holes in the side walls of the frame members;

(d) a plurality of casters, each caster including a mounting plate; and

(e) a plurality of wheel adapters configured for mounting the casters to the frame members, each wheel adapter including a plate and an upstanding socket, the plate being suited for attachment to the mounting plate of a caster, and the upstanding socket having an outer cross-sectional profile the same as the outer cross-sectional profile of the frame members, and at least one pair of opposed sidewalls having at least one pair of opposed and aligned holes therein;

wherein the frame members, three-way couplings, shelf tubes, casters and wheel adapters or a portion thereof are assembled together to form a portable storage and transportation cart.

12. A storage/transportation cart according to claim 11 wherein pairs of the shelf tubes are assembled in a cantilevered array on the cart such that each pair of shelf tubes delineates substantially horizontal support plane for supporting a substantially planar object.

13. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 12 further comprising a plurality of sleeves movably mounted on the cantilevered shelf tubes, the sleeves thereby providing adjustable support points on the shelf tubes for supporting substantially planar objects at discrete points on the shelf tubes.

14. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 12, wherein the cart comprises:

(a) a base including;

(i) a pair of foot rails, each foot rail comprising one of the frame members;

(ii) a cross rail comprising one of the frame members;

(ii) a pair of the three-way couplings; and

(iv) four of the casters; and

(v) four of the wheel adapters

wherein the cross rail has a first end connected to one foot rail by one three-way coupling and a second end connected to the other foot rail by the second three-way coupling such that the two foot rails are parallel to each other and the cross rail is perpendicular to each foot rail, and wherein the casters are mounted on the base at the ends of the foot rails by the wheel adapters;

(b) a pair of opposed vertical stanchions, each vertical stanchion comprising one of the frame members and having a top end and a bottom end, wherein each vertical stanchion is mounted to the base by one of the three-way couplings connecting the cross rail to the foot rails;

(c) a cross beam comprising;

(i) one of the frame members; and

(iii) a second pair of three-way couplings;

wherein each end of the cross rail is connected between the top ends of the vertical stanchions by use of the two three-way couplings; and

(d) a plurality of pairs of shelf tubes arranged in a cantilevered array on the vertical stanchions wherein the shelf tubes are engaged in the holes of the frame members comprising the vertical stanchions and are fixed in the frame members by locking pins such that each shelf tube is substantially parallel to the foot rails and each pair of shelf tubes delineates a substantially horizontal support plane for supporting a substantially planar object.

15. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 14 wherein the shelf tubes are cantilevered from a forward side of the vertical stanchions.

16. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 15 further including a pair of stanchion braces, each stanchion brace comprising a frame member connected at one end to a vertical stanchion and at a second end to a foot rail that is connected to the stanchion, where each stanchion and associated brace form an acute angle.

17. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 14 wherein the shelf tubes extend through the holes in the frame members comprising the vertical stanchions so that the shelf tubes extend through the vertical stanchions, such that first portions of the shelf tubes are cantilevered from a front side of the vertical stanchions and second portions of the shelf tubes are cantilevered from a back side of the vertical stanchions, thereby forming a front cantilevered array and a back cantilevered array of substantially horizontal support planes.

18. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 14 wherein each vertical stanchion further includes a second frame member and a union, wherein the first and second frame members are connected end-to-end by the union to make the cart taller.

19. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 11, the cart comprising:

(a) a rectangular base having a top, a bottom and four corners, the base comprising;

(i) four of the frame members;

(ii) four of the three-way couplings;

(iii) four of the casters; and

(iv) four of the wheel adapters;

wherein ends of the frame members are connected together by the three-way couplings to form a rectangle wherein each frame member forms a side of the rectangle and each three-way coupling forms a corner of the rectangle, and each caster is mounted on the bottom of the base, each caster being mounted to the base at each corner by a wheel adapter connected to a coupling;

(b) a vertical post mounted to the top of the base at each corner, each post comprising one of the frame members and being connected to the corner of the base by the three-way coupling at the respective corner of the base;

(c) a first plurality of the shelf tubes engaged at their ends in the holes of two opposing frame members forming the base and disposed between the two opposing frame members, where the shelf tubes are spaced and arranged to form a horizontal support surface; and

(d) a second plurality of the shelf tubes, the shelf tubes comprising pairs of shelf tubes, each pair of shelf tubes being vertically supported on the base to form a vertical support plane, the shelf tubes being supported in at least a portion of the holes in the sidewalls of the frame members comprising the base.

20. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 19 further including a platform supported on the first plurality of shelf tubes.

21. The storage/transportation cart according to claim 19 further including an additional one of the shelf tubes vertically mounted on the base between each pair of shelf tubes, where each additional shelf tube and its associated pair of shelf tubes combine to form a vertical support plane.

22. A storage/transportation cart according to claim 11, the cart comprising:

(a) a rectangular base having a top, a bottom and four corners, the base comprising;

(i) four of the frame members;

(ii) four of the three-way couplings;

(iii) four of the casters; and

(iv) four of the wheel adapters;

wherein ends of the frame members are connected together by the three-way couplings to form a rectangle wherein each frame member forms a side of the rectangle and each three-way coupling forms a corner of the rectangle, and each caster is mounted on the bottom of the base, each caster being mounted to the base at one of the corners by a wheel adapter connected to a coupling at the corner;

(b) a vertical post mounted to the top of the base at each corner, each post comprising one of the frame members and being connected to the corner of the base by the three-way coupling at the respective corner of the base;

(c) at least one pair of shelf supports comprising two of the shelf tubes, wherein the shelf tubes are supported between opposed pairs of vertical posts such that the shelf tubes are parallel to each other and combine to form a horizontal shelf support plane; and

(d) a shelf supported on each pair of shelf supports.

23. A cart according to claim 11, the cart comprising:

(a) a rectangular base having a bottom and four corners, the base comprising;

(i) four of the frame members; and

(ii) four of the three-way couplings;

wherein ends of the frame members are connected together by the three-way couplings to form a rectangle wherein each frame member forms a side of the rectangle and each three-way coupling forms a corner of the rectangle;

(b) four of the wheel adapters mounted on the bottom of the base, wherein each wheel adapter is mounted to a three-way coupling at a corner of the base; and

(c) four of the casters mounted on the bottom of the base, wherein each caster is mounted to a wheel adapter at a corner of the base.

24. The cart according to claim 23 further comprising a plurality of the shelf tubes, where the shelf tubes are disposed in the holes in the sidewalls of two opposing frame members forming the base, and extend between the opposing frame members, thereby forming a horizontal support surface on the base.

25. The cart according to claim 24 further comprising:

(a) two opposing pairs of vertical corner posts, where each corner post comprises one of the frame members having a top end and a lower end, the lower end being connected to a corner of the base by a the three-way coupling at the corner; and

(b) one of the shelf tubes connected between the top ends of each pair of corner posts thereby forming opposed handle bars for pushing, pulling, and steering the cart.