US2429034A - Foldable basket carriage - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1947. A s' r AL 2,429,034

FOLDABLE BASKET CARRIAGE Filed Jan. 1,1945

BY hQL/AM f. EV /v8,

Arr-02m Patented Oct. 14, 1 947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDABL'E BASKET CARRIAGE Adrian J. Smith and William I. Evans, Los Angeles, Calif.; said Smith assignor to Rollaway Equipment Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application January 1, 1945, Serial No. 570,924

9 Claims.

This invention relates to basket carriers, and particularly to a pickup perambulator type of carrier which is readily collapsible and suitable for use in serve-yourself types of markets and stores.

Carriers of the general type of this invention are well-known, as evidenced by U. S. Patent No. 2,154,800 of April 18, 1939, and U, S. Patent No. 2,155,896 of April 25, 1939, the primary features of these pickup basket carriers being their simplicity of construction, adaptability to supporting removable baskets, and their collapsibility. Although the prior inventions have these features to a certain degree, the present invention is directed to a carrier which has a minimum of parts in its construction and may be used as a pickup carrier with or without baskets. That is. the platforms or trays for supporting the baskets may in themselves be used as carriers for the material or merchandise to be transported. Also, the particular manner of pivoting and hinging the trays or platforms to facilitate collapsing. and opening the perambulator is a feature of the present invention, since it is only necessary to place ones foot on an axle and raise or lower the handle respectively.

The principal object of the invention, therefor, is to facilitate the loading,transporting, and unloading of material and merchandise.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved basket carriage for the pickup and transportation of merchandise.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved perambulator which is adapted to directly carry merchandise or to support baskets in which the merchandise is placed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved basket carrier which has a minimum of parts and which may be quickly collapsed and opened.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention. will be pointed out with particularity in the appended claims, the manner of its organization and the mode of its operation will be better understood by referring to the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which: 1

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention in open position showing the manner in which the baskets are placed on the two platforms thereof.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the carriage when collapsed, and

Fig. 3 is a side view of the invention taken along the line 3-3 of Fig 1.

Referring now to the drawings in which the same numerals identify like elements, the main parts of the carriage are U-shaped' scissor frames 5 and. 6, frame 5 being longer than frame 6 to serve as a handle. The lower portions of frame 5 are bent to a vertical position and on the ends of which are mounted castor rollers 8 and 9. The lower ends of U frame 6 are joined by an axle H on which are wheels l3 and M. The mini-- mum ofcross bracing members are employed. one being shown spanning the central portion of the frame 5 as a strap at I6, and the other spanning the lower end of frame 5 as a strap H.

For supporting either the material directly or for supporting baskets, an upper tray 20 and a lower tray 2| are provided, these trays having screen bottoms 22 and 23, respectively, and edge railings 25 and 26, respectively. The front edge of upper tray 20 is mounted for rotation on the upper end of frame 6 and is supported at its rear on a cross rod 21 just above the brace 56. The tray 20 is strapped to the rod 21 by pivotal connecting bars 29 and 30 (see Fig. 2). A basket 32, shown in the broken lines, may be placed in the tray 20.

The lower tray 2| is similarly mounted to the frames, but in reverse order. That is. the front edge of the tray 2| is mounted for. rotation on a cross rod 33 immediately above the brace I1 and is supported at it rear on a cross rod 34 between the lower ends of the frame 5; Two pivotal straps 36 and 3'! connect the tray 2| to the rod 34. A basket 39. shown by the broken lines, may be supported by the tray 2 This carriage, as above described, will trans port merchandise in the trays themselves or the trays may have baskets, such as 32 and 39, placed thereon, the baskets being held in a stable man ner by the railings 25 and 26 around the trays. The frame members 5 and 6 are preferably tubular to obtain a large strength ratio per pound of material used, such material being preferably steel, aluminum, or an alloy of the latter. To collapse the carriage, it is only necessary to place the foot on the axle and raise the frame 5 by upward pressure on its handle end. When this is done, the connectin bars 29, 33, 36, and 31 raise the rear ends of the respective trays 20 and 2| upwardly, rotating them about their forward attachments, with the result that the carriage appears as shown in Fig. 2 and occupies a minimum of space for storage. It will be noted that the baskets may be placed on and removed from the carriage with the optimum convenience, since there are no cross bars to interfere. The above carriage is capable of safely transporting 150' pounds on each tray.

We claim as our invention:

1. A carriage comprising two cross U frame members pivoted together at their center portions, wheels mounted at the lower ends of said frame members, a plurality of trays interposed between said frame members, one end of one of said trays being pivotally mounted on the closed upper end of one of the said frame members, and one end of the other of said trays being pivotally mounted adjacent the open lower end of the other of said frame members, and means for simultaneously raising the opposite ends of said trays upwardly when the upper end of said last mentioned frame member is raised upwardly with respect to the lower end of the other frame member.

2. A carriage in accordance with claim 1 in which one end of saidupper tray is supported near the center of said other frame member, and one end of said second tray is supported near the lower end of said first frame member.

3. A carriage comprising two cross U frame members pivoted together at their center portions, wheels mounted at the lower ends of said frame members, a plurality of trays interposed between said frame members, one of said trays being pivotally mounted on the closed upper end of one of the said frame members, and the other ofsaid trays being pivotally mounted adjacent the open lower end of the other of said frame members, and connecting means between said trays and said frame members, the connecting means for said upper tray extending from the m d-section of said tray to the mid-section of said other frame member, and the connecting means for said lower tray extending from the mid-section of 'said tray to the lower portion of said first frame member.

4. A carrier comprising a pair of crossed frame members, a pa r of trays between said frame members, said trays being rotatably mounted to said frame members along their front edges, and means for supporting the rear portions of said trays, said rear portions being adapted to be rotated upwardly when said frame members are brought together.

5. A carrier in accordance with claim 4 in which said frame members are U-shaped and one is longer than the other to form a handle, and wheels are provided on the ends of said frame members.

6. A carrier comprising a pair of crossed frame members, a pair of trays between said frame members, said trays being rotatably mounted to said frame members along their front edges, means for supporting the rear portions of said trays, said rear portions being adapted to be rotated upwardly when said frame members are brought together, and pivotal strap members connecting said trays and said rear portion supporting means for rotating said trays when said frame members are brought together.

7. A merchandise carriage comprising a pair of tubular U-shaped frame members pivoted together near the centers of their leg portions and making an angle of'substantially degrees with each other when in open position, one of said members having its lower ends bent to a vertical position, wheels at the ends of the leg portions of said members, a tray having one end thereof pivoted to the cross portion at the upper end of one of said frame members, a support for the other end of said tray on the other of said frame members, and interconnecting means between the central portion of said tray and said support for rotating said other end of said tray when the angle between said frame members is reduced.

8. A carriage comprising a pair of crossed U- shaped frame members, a tray having one end thereof pivotally mounted on the cross portion at the upper end of one'of said frame members, a support for the other end of said tray on the other of said frame members for maintaining said tray substantially horizontal, and connecting link means between the central portion of said tray and said support for raising and rotating the second mentioned end of said tray when the ends of said frame members are brought together.

9. A carriage comprising a pair of crossed U- shaped frame members, a tray pivotally mounted on the cross section of one of said frame members, a support for said tray on the other of said frame members for maintaining said tray horizontal, connecting link means between said tray and said support for raising and rotating said tray when the ends of said frame members are brought together, and a second tray, said second tray having one end pivotally mounted near the ends of one of said frame members, and its other end supported near the ends of the other of said frame members, connecting link means being provided between the central portion of said second tray and said last mentioned frame member for simultaneously raising the rear end of said second tray when the rear end of said first tray is raised.

ADRIAN J. SMITH. WILLIAM I. EVANS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,121,756 Heckert June 21, 1938 2,155,896 Goldman Apr. 1 2,294,752 Hatfield Sept. 1, 1942 2,377,815 Sides et a1 June 5, 1945 V FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 182,631 Great Britain July 13, 1922

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