Patent Application
20080265537
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wheelbarrow, more particularly to a wheelbarrow that includes a tiltable container.
2. Description of the Related Art
In operation, with further reference to
The conventional wheelbarrow 1 is effective, but has numerous drawbacks. For example, since the unloading of the contents of the container 14 requires the operator to manipulate the wheelbarrow frame 11 and the container 14 as discussed above, this may lead to back strain. Additionally, since the conventional wheelbarrow 1 is balanced over the wheel 13 during the transport operation thereof, it becomes difficult for the operator to maneuver the conventional wheelbarrow 1 when an attempt is made to operate the conventional wheelbarrow 1 over rough terrain. Moreover, the operator must maintain the conventional wheelbarrow 1 in balance during such maneuvering over rough terrain. The strains experienced by the operator to perform such maneuvering and balancing may be such that the operator suffers from serious arm injury.
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a wheelbarrow that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
According to the present invention, a wheelbarrow comprises a wheelbarrow frame, a wheel, a bracket, and a container. The wheelbarrow frame has opposite front and rear end portions, and an intermediate portion that interconnects the front and rear end portions thereof. The wheel is mounted rotatably on the front end portion of the wheelbarrow frame. The bracket is mounted rotatably on the front end portion of the wheelbarrow frame. The container is mounted on the bracket so as to be co-rotatable therewith, and is supported on the intermediate portion of the wheelbarrow frame.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Referring to
The wheelbarrow 2 of this embodiment is suitable for use either on smooth or rough terrain.
The wheelbarrow frame 21 includes left and right frame parts. In this embodiment, each of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21 has opposite front and rear end portions 211, 212 (only the front end portion 211 of the left right frame part is shown in
The intermediate portion 213 of each of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21 has a first segment that extends inclinedly and upwardly from the front end portion 211 of the respective one of the left and right frame parts, and a second segment that extends horizontally from the first segment of the intermediate portion 213 of the respective one of the left and right frame parts.
The rear end portion 212 of each of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21 has a first segment that extends inclinedly and upwardly from the second segment of the intermediate portion 213 of the respective one of the left and right frame parts, and a second segment that extends horizontally from the first segment of the rear end portion 212 of the respective one of the left and right frame parts.
The wheel 22 is disposed between and is mounted on the front end portions 211 of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21, and defines an axis of rotation.
The bracket 24 is generally U-shaped, and includes first and second bracket members 241, 242, each of which is mounted rotatably on the front end portion 211 of a respective one of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21, and a third bracket member 243 that interconnects the first and second bracket members 241, 242.
In this embodiment, the bracket 24 is rotatable relative to the wheelbarrow frame 21 about the axis of rotation of the wheel 22 between loading and unloading positions. The bracket 24 undergoes a substantially ninety-degree change in angle between the loading and unloading positions thereof.
The container 25 has a bottom surface 250 that is mounted on the third bracket member 243 of the bracket 24 so as to be co-rotatable therewith.
It is noted herein that when the bracket 24 is disposed at the loading position, the bottom surface 250 of the container 25 is supported on the second segments of the intermediate portions 213 of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21, i.e., the container 25 is disposed at a substantially horizontal position. On the other hand, when the bracket 24 is disposed at the unloading position, the container 25 is disposed at a tilted position, as best shown in
The wheelbarrow 2 further includes a stand 23 that is mounted to the intermediate portions 213 of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21 and that supports the wheelbarrow frame 21 on the ground (G), as best shown in
The wheelbarrow 2 further includes a grip 271 that is provided on a rear end of the bottom surface 250 of the container 25.
The wheelbarrow 2 further includes a driving member 291 and a hand lever 292. In this embodiment, the driving member 291, which includes an engine (not shown), is mounted on the intermediate portions 213 of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21, is coupled to the wheel 22, and is operable so as to drive rotation of the wheel 22 when actuated. On the other hand, the hand lever 292 is mounted on the rear end portion 212 of the right frame part of the wheelbarrow frame 21, is coupled to the driving member 291, and is operable so as to actuate the driving member 291. Since the construction of each of the driving member 291 and the hand lever 292 is known to those skilled in the art, a detailed description of the same will be dispensed herein for the sake of brevity.
In operation, when it is desired to transport contents (not shown) of the container 25 from one location to another, the rear end portion 212 of the wheelbarrow frame 21 is first lifted so that the stand 23 no longer rests on the ground (G). When the rear end portion 212 of the wheelbarrow frame 21 is lifted, the wheelbarrow frame 21 rotates about the wheel 22. In this state, the hand lever 17 may be operated to move the wheelbarrow 2. Once a desired location is reached, the stand 23 is rested on the ground (G). Thereafter, the container 25 is lifted via the grip 271 until the container 25 is disposed at the tilted position. Hence, the contents are unloaded from the container 25. As the container 25 is lifted, the bracket 24 rotates about the wheel 22.
The wheelbarrow frame 21 further includes a bumper 26. In this embodiment, the bumper 26 is generally U-shaped, and includes first and second bumper members 261 (only the second bumper member 261 is shown in
The stand 23 includes upper and lower members 231, 232. In this embodiment, the upper member 231 of the stand 23 is generally U-shaped, and has first and second segments 2311, 2312, each of which is tubular in shape and extends downwardly, and a third segment 2313 that interconnects the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 and that is mounted on the intermediate portions 213 of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21. The lower member 232 of the stand 23 includes first and second segments 2321, 2322, each of which extends removably into a respective one of the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 of the stand 23, and an inverted V-shaped third segment 2323 that interconnects the first and second segments 2321, 2322 of the lower member 232 of the stand 23.
The stand 23 further includes left and right retaining members 233, each of which retains a respective one of the first and second segments 2321, 2322 of the lower member 232 of the stand 23 in a respective one of the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 of the stand 23. In this embodiment, as best shown in
Since the construction and operation of the left retaining member 233 are similar to those of the right retaining member 233, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.
From the above description, when it is desired to detach the lower member 232 of the stand 23 from the upper member 231 of the stand 23, the resilient clamp 235 of each of the left and right retaining members 233 is first disengaged from the respective one of the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 of the stand 23. Then, the shank 234 of each of the left and right retaining members 233 is pulled out from the respective one of the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 of the stand 23 and the respective one of the first and second segments 2321, 2322 of the lower member 232 of the stand 23. Thereafter, each of the first and second segments 2321, 2322 of the lower member 23 of the stand 23 is pulled out from the respective one of the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 of stand 23.
The wheelbarrow 2 further includes a latch 272 for securing the rear end of the bottom surface 250 of the container 25 on the second segments of the intermediate portions 213 of the left and right frame parts of the wheelbarrow frame 21. In particular, with further reference to
With further reference to
From the above description, when it is desired to improve maneuverability of the wheelbarrow 2 of this invention over rough terrain (not shown), the lower member 232 of the stand 23 may be replaced with the wheel assemblies 28. To perform such replacement, the lower member 232 of stand 23 is first detached from the upper member 231 of the stand 23. Then, the post 281 of each of the wheel assemblies 28 is inserted into a respective one of the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 of the stand 23. Thereafter, the retaining members 233 are used to retain the post 234 of each of the wheel assemblies 28 in a respective one of the first and second segments 2311, 2312 of the upper member 231 of the stand 23.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
