Patent Application
20130200582
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to handles for wheelbarrows or carts and, more particularly to a handle which can be telescoped to a desired length in step less increments.
2. Description of Related Art
Telescoping handles for wheelbarrows and carts is known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2004/0026899 to Shapiro discloses a cart having handles which may telescope or extend between two positions or may pivot about 180 degrees to fold along the underside of the cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,337,495 to Jung, et al. discloses a replaceable telescoping handle having a release and retaining mechanism in a base to which the telescoping handle is installed. A user can obtain a replacement telescoping handle, release and remove a broken telescoping handle using the release and retaining mechanism, and then install the replacement telescoping handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,254 to Graff, et al. discloses a handle which is attached to a straight wheelbarrow handle. The handle has a specially designed flared end which engages the wheelbarrow handle and is curved downward and away from the wheelbarrow handle to form semi-circular shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,706 to Mosley discloses a wheelbarrow having tubular handles which are slideably and rotatively adjustable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,375 to Hoffarth, et al. discloses a wheelbarrow handle having a closed loop hand-grip which can be an integral portion of the handle, or retrofitted to existing wheelbarrow handles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,116 to Donze, et al. discloses telescoping handles where each handle has a tubular member slideably mounted on a fixed arm which has holes for receiving cotter pins. The telescopic adjustment of the length of the tubular members permits the height of the hand grips to be adjusted to avoid an uncomfortable working position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,610 to Richards, et al. discloses an extension for a handle having a hollow cylindrical shaped tube formed with a series of circumferentially spaced slots that provide intervening strips of tube material adjacent to but spaced from an open end of the tube. A manually operated clamping band encircles the strips of tube material and clamps the strip against a handle inserted into the tube bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,996 to Primeau discloses an elongated handle pivotally movable between a first position where the handle extends rearwardly of a frame, and a second position whereat the frame support means is retracted from its supporting position. A releasable locking means is provided for interlocking the handle means with the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,595 to McLeary discloses a wheelbarrow with handles having extensions which are in telescoping engagement with the handles and are releasably held in adjusted positions by latches and may be entirely removed from the handles.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,202,601 to Snyder discloses tubular members which are open at their rear ends to slidably receive tubular telescopic members. By moving the members inwardly and outwardly, the effective lengths of the handles may be varied as a variation in a load requires.
U.S. Pat. No. 559,001 to Stone discloses telescoping handles which have defined stop positions for adjusting the handles to the height of the user.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a wheelbarrow or cart with a forwardly located wheel and two rearwardly located stand guards having a first tubular support leg adapted to be attached to one of the stand guards, a first tubular leg member having an outside diameter slidably coupled in telescoping arrangement with the inside diameter of the first tubular support leg, a second tubular support leg adapted to be attached to other of the stand guards and a second tubular leg member having an outside diameter slidably coupled in telescoping arrangement with the inside diameter of the second tubular support leg. A first twist clamp means is coupled to frictionally engage and selectively lock the first tubular support leg relative to the first tubular leg member to set the total length of the first telescoping tubes and a second twist clamp means coupled to frictionally engage and selectively lock the second tubular support leg relative to the second tubular leg member to set the total length of the second telescoping tubes.
The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may better be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception and specific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.
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Referring to the sectional half of the U shaped handle, leg member 17 has an overall length of about twenty two inches, an outside diameter of about three-quarters of an inch, and is slidably coupled to support leg 19 which has an overall length of about fifteen and one-half inches and an outside diameter of about one inch. Support leg 19 has an inwardly protruding ring 22 with an inside diameter that is slightly greater than the outside diameter of leg member 17 to provide a close tolerance sliding fit with leg member 17. The inwardly projecting ring is located about one and one-quarter inches in from the end of the tube. A hard rubber or plastic stop member 24 having a shoulder 26 is force fit into the end of the leg member 17. The shoulder 26 has a diameter that is less than the inside diameter of support leg 19 but greater than the inside diameter of the inwardly projecting ring 22. Thus, support leg 19 can freely slide along the length of leg member 17 but the shoulder 26, which has an outside diameter that is larger than the inside diameter of the inwardly protruding ring, prevents support leg from sliding off the end of leg member 17. A three-eighths of an inch clearance opening 27 located about seven-eighths of an inch back from the end of support leg is provided for receiving a bolt for connecting the handle to a mounting sleeve on a wheelbarrow or cart. Looking now at leg member 16 and support leg 18, a twist clamp member 20 is positioned to slide along and selectively frictionally engage the leg member 16 while frictionally engaging the upper end of the support leg 18 to control the length that the support leg extends from the leg member.
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While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled.
