Device for transporting items

Abstract

A device has a cuboidal basket portion defining a cavity. A front pair of legs is attached to the basket portion such that the front legs are pivotable about a first axis, and each front leg has a wheel. A rear pair of legs is attached to the basket portion such that the rear legs are pivotable about a second axis, and each rear leg has a wheel. A handle is attached to the basket portion and is pivotable around a third axis. The device has a basket configuration in which the handle is located across and above the basket portion and the legs are collapsed with the wheels located adjacent to a base of the basket portion. The device has a trolley configuration in which the handle is located rearward of the basket portion and the legs are extended for supporting the basket portion.

Claims

1. A device for transporting items, comprising: a generally cuboidal basket portion defining a cavity for receiving items, the basket portion having a base, an open top, two side walls spaced apart by a width of the basket portion and a front wall and a rear wall spaced apart from each other by a length of the basket portion; a front pair of legs pivotally attached to the basket portion at a first end of each front leg such that the front pair of legs is pivotable about a first axis, and wherein each of the front legs has a front leg length and wheel at a second end of each front leg, spaced from the first end by the front leg length; a rear pair of legs pivotally attached to the basket portion at a first end of each rear leg such that the rear pair of legs is pivotable about a second axis, and wherein each of the rear legs has a rear leg length and wheel at a second end of each rear leg, spaced from the first end by the rear leg length; and a handle pivotally attached to the basket portion such that the handle is pivotable around a third axis; wherein the device is configurable in a basket configuration and a trolley configuration; wherein in the basket configuration: the handle has a horizontal portion located across the width of the basket portion and above a central portion of the open top, the handle being configured for carrying the device; and the front and rear pairs of legs are collapsed so that the wheels of the front and rear pairs of legs are located adjacent to the base of the cuboidal portion; and wherein in the trolley configuration: the handle has a horizontal portion located rearward of the midpoint of the length of the basket portion, spanning the width of the basket portion, the handle being configured for pushing the device; and the front and rear pairs of legs are extended for supporting the basket portion and the wheels of the front and rear pairs of legs spaced away from the base of the cuboidal portion by the front and rear leg lengths respectively such that each of the four wheels lies in a single plane.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein an internal surface of the base of the basket portion is planar and wherein the plane of the internal surface of the base slopes relative to the plane in which the wheels lie when the device is in the trolley configuration.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein a distance between the front wheels and the internal planar base surface is shorter than a distance between the rear wheels and the sloping base when the device is in the trolley configuration.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the front and rear pairs of legs are pivotable independently of one another.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the transition from the trolley configuration to the basket configuration includes the front and/or rear wheels swinging rearward and towards the base.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the base has at least one recess for receiving the front and/or rear wheels when the device is in the basket configuration, wherein the recess is located on an external surface of the base.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein an external region of the front edge of the base of the basket portion is adapted to engage with the lip of a car boot.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the external region has a portion which slopes upward towards the front of the device, relative to the plane in which the wheels lie when the device is in the trolley configuration.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the external region includes a padded portion for inhibiting damage to the car boot.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the external region includes a textured portion for gripping the car boot.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein a portion of the front pair of legs is adapted to engage with the lip of a car boot.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the third axis is the same as one of the first or second axes.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the handle is attached adjacent to the base of the basket portion.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the spacing between the pivotal attachment point of the handle and the horizontal portion of the handle is adjustable when the device is in the basket and/or the trolley configuration.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising selective leg locking means for selectively locking the front and/or rear legs in their position for the basket configuration and/or the trolley configuration.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of: the front pair of legs; the rear pair of legs; and the handle is biased towards its location in the trolley configuration.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the rear legs has a handle for pulling the leg towards its location in the basket configuration.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the cavity is subdivided into compartments, optionally wherein the compartments are individually removeable and/or replaceable from the device, optionally wherein at least one compartment is provided with a lid and is lined with a thermally insulating material.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising a pocket on the exterior of the basket.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the legs has an adjustable length.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The device will now be described in detail with reference to the Figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1A shows an example of a device in the trolley configuration;

(3) FIG. 1B shows an example of the device of FIG. 1A part way through transitioning from the trolley configuration to the basket configuration;

(4) FIG. 1C shows an example of the device of FIGS. 1A and 1B in the basket configuration;

(5) FIG. 2A shows a further example of a device in the basket configuration having removeable compartments; and

(6) FIG. 2B shows an example of the device of FIG. 2A in which some of the removeable compartments have been removed.

(7) In each of these Figures, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same or similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) Consider FIGS. 1A to 1C, which shows a device 100 according to the present disclosure as it transitions from the trolley configuration in FIG. 1A to the basket configuration in FIG. 1C. Starting with FIG. 1A, it can be seen that the device 100 has a basket portion 102 at its top, that is to say the basket portion 102 is spaced apart from the ground (which is denoted by dashed line (A), representing, for example, the plane of the ground). The basket portion 102 has a generally cuboidal shape, having a front wall 112, rear wall 114, side walls 110 and an open top 108. A base 106 provides closure to the lowermost part of the basket portion 102. The entire basket portion 102 is tilted with respect to the ground, as is shown by dashed line (B), representing the location of the plane of the base 106 of the basket portion 102, which clearly slopes with respect to the plane of the ground (A). The base 106, side walls 110, front wall 112 and rear wall 114 define a cavity 104 which is arranged for receiving items, for example which a user can take from shelves in a shop and wishes to take to a cashier for payment. The cavity 104 has a length which is the distance between the front wall 112 and the rear wall 114. The cavity 104 also has a width which is the horizontal distance between the pair of side walls 110.

(9) The basket portion 102 is supported above the ground (A) by a front pair of legs 116 and a rear pair of legs 122. At a lower end of each of the legs 116 of the front pair of legs 116, in contact with the ground (A), is a pair of front wheels 120 (one front wheel 120 per front leg 116). Similarly, at a lower end of each of the legs 122 of the rear pair of legs 122, in contact with the ground (A), is a pair of rear wheels 126 (one rear wheel 126 per rear leg 122). The rear legs are provided with a handle 138 to assist in transitioning the device 100 to the basket configuration. Since the base 106 of the basket portion 102 slopes so that the front of the basket portion 102 is lower than the rear of the basket portion 102, and the wheels 120, 126 are on the plane (A) representing the ground, this means that the front wheels 120 in FIG. 1A are closer to the base 106 than the rear wheels 126 are to the base 106. The wheels 120, 126 contact the ground at four points in a plane (A), forming a rectangle or trapezium on that plane (A).

(10) Beneath the basket portion 102 is an irregularly shaped element 131 having as a top surface the plane (B) of the base, and as a lower surface a plane (C) which runs broadly parallel to the plane of the ground (A). This provides a broadly wedge- or trapezium shape to this element 131. This element 131 provides a point at which the front and rear legs 116, 122 attach to the device 100. Specifically, the front legs 116 are pivotally attached to the device 100 at a first axis 118 running horizontally through the element 131, about which the front legs 116 are rotatable in order to transition between basket and trolley configurations. In addition, the rear legs 122 are pivotally attached to the device 100 at a second axis 124 running horizontally (i.e. parallel to the first axis) through the element 131, about which the rear legs 122 are rotatable in order to transition between basket and trolley configurations. This irregularly shaped element 131 is provided with a recess 132 towards the rear of the element 131 (the wider end of the wedge/trapezium) for storing the wheels 120, 126 when the device 100 is in the basket configuration.

(11) It can be seen that the front legs 116 are angled such that the front wheels 120 are located forward of the first axis 118 around which the front legs 116 pivot. This means that in order to rotate the front legs 116 backwards towards the base (for folding the front legs 116 and wheels 120 into the recess 132), the spacing between the first axis 118 and the ground (A) must increase a little, which requires lifting the front end of the basket portion 102 away from the ground (A). In other words, the weight of the basket portion 102 keeps the front legs 116 pushed forwards and thus provides stability to the trolley configuration. The front legs 116 are provided with a stop inside the irregular element 131 to prevent the legs 116 rotating forward indefinitely. This provides a simpler design than requiring a separate lock for the front wheels 116, although in some cases a lock can be provided to provide further stability. The rear legs are provided with a locking mechanism, which ensures that they maintain the position shown for as long as the user wants to retain the device 100 in the trolley configuration. The locking mechanism is actuated using an actuator 136 located on the rear of the device, although this can be located in any convenient location, depending on the exact design.

(12) The front wheels 120 as shown are swivel castor wheels, meaning that the wheels 120 are able to rotate about a vertical axis (as well as rolling about their axles in the usual way for a wheel), for example to help steer. In other words, the wheels 120 can undergo a yawing motion relative to the rest of the device 100, while keeping horizontal the axis of rotation of the wheel 120 about which the wheel is able to roll over the ground (A). Although shown on the front wheels 120, swivel castor wheels could equally be applied to the rear wheels 126 as well or alternatively. While not shown in the Figures, one or more of the wheels 120, 126 can be provided with a brake to prevent the wheels 120, 126 from rotating, for example to rest the device 100 on sloping ground.

(13) It can be seen that the basket portion 102 is tilted with respect to the ground (compare plane (B) with plane (A)). The tilt shown is around 20°, but anywhere between 10° and 45° may be possible depending on the design. The exact shape of element 131 plays a role in the angle the basket portion 102 makes with respect to the ground. Additionally, in some cases, the angle between the basket and the ground can be adjusted by a user by adjusting the length of the front 116 and/or rear 122 legs, and/or the angle at which they lock in place relative to the lower plane (C) of the irregular element 131.

(14) Also provided to the device 100 is a handle 128 extending upwardly past the near side wall 110 from a pivot point at third axis 130 to above the open top 108, rearward of the centre of the length of the cavity 104. This handle 128 is used for pushing the device 100 when in the trolley configuration, for example causing the wheels 120, 126 to roll over the ground. The handle 128 extends horizontally across the whole width of the open top 108, and then down the far side wall 110 to another pivot point on the third axis 130. The handle 128 thus attaches at the base 106 of the basket portion 102, thereby providing support to the basket portion 102 when in the basket configuration as will become clear. In the example shown the third axis 130 is the same as the second axis 124, but in some cases, the rear legs 122 and the handle 128 may pivot around different axes. In some examples all of the first 118, second 124 and third 130 axes are the same. The handle is shown having an adjustable length (i.e. distance between the third axis 130 and the horizontal portion of the handle 128) to adapt the device 100 to different users' body shapes and sizes. In addition, pivoting the handle 128 around the third axis 130 can allow a user to adjust the location of the horizontal part of the handle 128, to make it easier for them to grip the handle 128 when the device 100 is in the trolley configuration. The handle may be lockable at particular preselected lengths and/or angular locations, or freely at any length or angular location in some examples. The handle can be locked into its angular position by virtue of a locking mechanism. In some cases this can be actuated using the same actuator 136 as for locking the rear legs. In other examples, the handle may have its own separate locking actuator.

(15) At the front of the irregular element 131 is a boot engaging portion 134. This is shaped and textured to allow a user to roll the trolley up to a car boot and rest it on the sill of the car boot. For example, the boot engaging portion 134 slopes upwards towards the front, meaning that car boots of different heights can be accommodated under the boot engaging portion 134, as they simply contact the sloping portion 134 at a different horizontal location. The boot engaging portion 134 is also provided with a textured rubber overmould to help grip the car boot and to soften the impact of pushing the device 100 (which is typically made of rigid, durable plastics or metals) into the car boot, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to the car boot, such as scratching the paintwork, denting the metalwork, breaking light covers, etc.

(16) Consider now FIG. 1B with reference to FIG. 1A, which shows the device 100 of FIG. 1A part way between a trolley and a basket configuration. Here, the front wheels 120 and front legs 116 have been folded backwards and upwards towards the base 106. The front legs 116 and wheels 120 are not visible in FIG. 1B as they have been stored in a recess 132. Comparing briefly FIG. 1A with FIG. 1B, the device 100 is intended to be rested at the front on a car boot lip (car boot not shown in FIG. 1A) while the front legs are extended as in FIG. 1A, for example by pushing the device 100 towards a car boot and continuing to push until the front of the basket portion 102 is resting on the lip of the car boot. Resting the front edge of the device 100 on the car boot in this way can help to support the weight of the device, since the lowest point of the basket portion 102 is resting on the boot.

(17) Further pushing causes the front legs 116 to contact the car boot. At this stage, where one is installed, a user may use the actuator for the front legs 116 to release any locking. Once the legs have been unlocked (or indeed where no locking mechanism for the front legs 116 is present), further pushing causes the front legs to be pushed backwards relative to the device, causing them to swing backwards and towards the base, as indicated by arrow (D) in FIG. 1B. This results in the situation shown in FIG. 1B, where the front of the basket portion 102 is supported by the car boot. To assist in this process, the front legs 116 may have a portion, for example at the upper end of the front legs 116 close to the first axis 118, which is adapted for engaging the car boot. Similarly to the portion 134 at the front of the basket portion 102, this may be padded to prevent damage to the car, for example. The bottom edge (C) of element 131 may be smooth, in order that it can slide easily in order to move further into the boot.

(18) The final part of the transition of the device 100 to the basket configuration is seen in a comparison between FIGS. 1B and 1C. In FIG. 1C, the rear legs 122 have also been folded backwards and towards the base, such that the rear wheels 122 are located above the lower surface (C) of the irregular element 131 and below the rear part of the base 106. As can be seen in FIG. 1C, this leaves the lowest portion of the device 100 as being the lower edge of element 131. As this edge is planar, this provides a surface for resting the device 100 stably on a flat surface, such as the ground (A), a counter for paying a shopkeeper, the interior of a car boot, etc. As part of the transition into the basket configuration, the handle 128 can also be folded. In the example shown, the handle 128 is folded backwards behind the rear wall 114 of the basket portion 102, which can help keep the device 100 compact for transporting in a car boot, for example.

(19) In some examples, either or both pairs of legs 116, 122 and/or the handle 128 may be biased towards their position in the trolley configuration. This may include locking means to retain the legs 116, 122 and/or handle 128 in the basket configuration. Then the basket configuration can easily be obtained by unlocking the legs 116, 122 and/or the handle and allowing the biasing to drive the device 100 towards the trolley configuration.

(20) Turning now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the basket portion is shown in a little more detail. Identical reference numerals refer to similar elements as described in FIGS. 1A to 1C, and will not be described again in detail, for conciseness. As shown, the device 100 is in the basket configuration. In contrast to the basket configuration shown in FIG. 1C, the basket configuration in FIG. 2A has the handle 128 located with its horizontal portion located across the width of the basket portion 102 and above a central portion of the open top 108. This positioning makes it much easier to carry the device 100 as a basket as it helps to ensure that there is minimal torque on the horizontal portion of the handle 128 as the device 100 is lifted.

(21) Also provided on the handle in FIGS. 2A and 2B is an actuator 136. This can be used to trigger the handle 128 to lock in place or to be freely moveable, for example by use of a suitable internal mechanism. In some example the same actuator can be used to control locking of the front 116 or rear 122 legs.

(22) As can be seen in FIG. 2A, the cavity 140 is subdivided into three compartments 140. In the example shown two of the compartments 140 are simply cuboidal spaces separated from the other compartments 140 by internal walls and a third compartment has an internal structure formed from a flexible, durable material such as nylon, shaped so as to hold bottles. While three components 140 are shown, more or fewer is also possible. Similarly, compartments 140 with other internal features can be included, such as a covered, thermally insulating compartment for keeping food hot or cold.

(23) Consider now FIG. 2B, which shows a generally similar arrangement to that shown in FIG. 2A. Here, however, the compartments 140 may be filled with removeable and interchangeable compartments 142. These compartments 142 may be preferred by a user who can buy a modular kit of parts and select the compartments 142 which they expect to use during a given shopping trip. In some cases, a user may even take a selection of identical interchangeable compartments 142 with them, shop at a first shop and fill a first set of compartments. The user may then return these to a car, switch the compartments 142 for empty compartments 142 (effectively emptying the device 100 in a convenient manner as the good remain ordered in the compartments 142), and embark on a trip to a second shop. This process can be repeated until there are no more compartments 142 or the shopping is complete. In order to unload the car, essentially the reverse process can be followed.

(24) The device 100 is provided with notches 144 around the rim which defines the open top 108, in order that the compartments 142 can easily be lifted out of the cavity 104. The number and location of these notches 144 can vary with the number and type of insets 142 to be used with the device 100. As an alternative way of implementing this functionality, the legs 116, 122 may be detachable from the basket portion 102, for example if the basket portion 102 is selectively detachable from element 131, or if the legs 116, 122 are selectively detachable from element 131. In either case, straps, clips, clamps and so forth can be used to selectively couple and decouple the different parts of the device 100. Once detached, the basket portion 102 can be lifted onto a counter for paying for the items in the cavity 104, or into a car boot, for example, so that the legs can be collapsed without the complication of the weight of the basket portion 102 and any items retained in the cavity 104.

(25) Although not shown in the Figures, the device 100 may include hooks, straps, pockets, pouches, etc. on an external surface, for example on the basket portion 102, for holding small items, bags, coats, etc. within easy reach of a user rather than, for example, these things becoming buried as items are added to the cavity 104.

(26) As used herein, parts having an adjustable length may operate by any suitable means, for example telescoping. Adjustable lengths and/or angles may be provided in a way that allows any length or angle (as the case may be) between maximum and minimum values. In other examples, the possible lengths and angles may be constrained to certain preselected values, for example by the use of detents, ratchets, latches and the like.