BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a kayak mounted on a cart and tilted for loading onto a vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred cart.
FIG. 3 is a top view of a preferred cart.
FIG. 4 is a detailed side view of the anti-reverse mechanism.
FIG. 5 is a detailed side view as seen from the wheel side of an alternative anti-reverse mechanism in which the pawl is separated from the ratchet when the cart is horizontal.
FIG. 6 is a detailed side view of the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 5, but with the cart tilted upward to show locking engagement of the pawl with the ratchet to prevent the cart from rolling backwards.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following description, terms such as horizontal, upright, vertical, above, below, beneath, and the like, are used solely for the purpose of clarity in illustrating the invention, and should not be taken as words of limitation. The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating the invention and are not intended to be to scale.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, cart, generally 10, is comprised of side frame members 12 and 14, padded support bar 16, padded bracing bar 18, axles 20 and 22 supporting wheels 24 and 26, respectively, and anti-reverse mechanism 28.
As illustrated in detail in FIG. 4, anti-reverse mechanism 28 is comprised of ratchet wheel 30 affixed to axle 22 and rotatable therewith, and a pawl 32 pivotally mounted onto frame member 12 by pin 34 to engage the teeth of ratchet wheel 30. Spring 36 mounted between pawl 32 and frame 12 urges pawl 32 to its forward position.
In use, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the rear section of kayak (K) is positioned onto support bar 16 with bracing bar 18 being urged downwardly against the top of kayak K by the weight of the kayak. When loading the kayak onto a vehicle, the user raises the front of the kayak to the desired height, tilting the kayak and the cart. Rearward movement of the kayak is prevented by the anti-reverse braking mechanism 28. Specifically, cart 10 can be rolled forward with pawl 32 riding on the tops of the teeth of ratchet wheel 30. However, when cart 10 is urged rearwardly, pawl 32 engages the rear surface of one of the teeth preventing ratchet wheel 30 and attached axle 22 from rearward rotation. Therefore, the user is able to tilt the kayak without the danger of rearward movement.
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative anti-reverse braking mechanism, generally 40, designed to engage when the cart is tilted upward, thereby preventing backward movement of the cart, e.g., during loading of a kayak onto a vehicle. Mechanism 40 is comprised of ratchet 42 rotatable with axle 44, and pawl 50 pivotally attached at its upper end to frame 52 in front of axle 44.
As shown in FIG. 5, pawl 50 hangs forward of ratchet 42 when frame 52 is substantially horizontal. However, as illustrated in FIG. 6, pawl 50 pivots relative to frame 52 to remain in a vertical orientation as frame 52 is tilted upward, moving pawl 50 into locking engagement with ratchet 42. As a result, the cart is prevented from rearward movement by engagement of pawl 50 with the teeth of ratchet 42. However, the cart can still be rolled backward when not tilted.
Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It should be understood that all such modifications and improvements have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and readability but are properly within the scope of the following claims.
Patent Application
20080048407
