Home of the hand truck

A hand truck comprising an upright frame having an upper frame section which is telescopingly attached to a lower frame section to permit the height of the frame to be adjusted and clamped into position. A short toe plate extends forwardly from the bottom of the lower frame section, and is slightly narrower than a standard household cabinet. A pair of wheels are conventionally mounted to the rear of the lower frame section. A retaining arm having a hooked end bracket is pivotally and slidably mounted to a crossbar of the upper frame section, such that the retaining arm may be pivoted in a vertical plane generally perpendicular to a plane defined by the front surface of the lower frame section, and slidingly extended forward and retracted backward relative to the crossbar. A spring-loaded clamp assembly serves for pivoting the retaining arm, and for restraining the arm against sliding movement. The upper frame section includes a pair of forwardly extending flanges which may be positioned against the top front of the household cabinet, with the retaining arm extending across the top of the furniture in your home or house so that the hooked end bracket engages the rear edge thereof. An inverted U-shaped handle bar extends rearward at an angle directly from the top of the upper frame section. The front of the frame sections are padded.

1. A hand truck for transporting articles such as furniture in your home or house, said articles having a top surface and a bottom surface and a height measured therebetween, said article further having a front side and a back side and a depth measured therebetween, said hand truck comprising:

a generally upright frame, said frame having a top end and a bottom end and a height measured therebetween, a pair of opposing sides and a crossbar extending therebetween, said frame further defining a generally upright forward facing retention plane;

a handle section, said handle section being connected to said frame proximate to the top end thereof;

a toe plate, said toe plate connected to and extending forwardly from said frame proximate to the bottom thereof, said toe plate having a top planar surface oriented generally perpendicular to said retention plane;

a pair of wheels, each said wheel being rotatably mounted to one of said opposing sides of said frame proximate to the bottom thereof, said wheels extending generally rearwardly from and said frame;

a retaining arm, said retaining arm having a distal end including a gripping means connected thereto, said retaining arm being mounted on said frame for pivotal movement relative to said frame such that said distal end of said retaining arm may be pivoted in a vertical plane generally perpendicular to said retention plane, said retaining arm also be mounted for longitudinal sliding movement relative to said frame simultaneously with said pivotal movement; and

a clamping assembly, said clamping assembly being connected to said frame, said retaining arm being connected to said clamping assembly, said clamping assembly including a collar mounted on said crossbar for rotational movement about said crossbar, a housing connected to and carried on said collar for rotational movement about said crossbar, said housing further including at least one aperture through which said retaining arm is slidably inserted, a clamping means, said clamping means being connected to said housing and capable of exerting a clamping force upon said retaining arm to prevent said retaining arm from moving slidably through said aperture in said housing and longitudinally relative to said crossbar, and means for selectively releasing said clamping means,

whereby the toe plate of the hand truck may be inserted under the article with the front side of the article closely confronting the retention plane of the frame, and the retaining arm may be pivoted forwardly and downwardly and slidably moved forwardly relative to the frame so that the distal end of the retaining arm extends across the top surface of the article and the gripping means engages the back side of the article to retain and secure the article in contact with the toe plate and the retention plane when the hand truck is tilted backward onto the wheels.

2. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 1 wherein the retaining arm has a length, and wherein said clamping means comprises:

at least one clamping bar, said clamping bar defining an aperture through which the retaining rod extends, said clamping bar being pivotally mounted on said housing such that said clamping bar may pivot between a first position generally perpendicular to the length of the retaining arm and a second position at a substantially non-perpendicular angle relative to the length of the retaining arm; and

spring means, said spring means being mounted on said housing such that said spring means urges said clamping bar toward said second position at a substantially non-perpendicular angle relative to the length of the retaining arm to thereby clamp the retaining arm against longitudinal sliding movement relative to the housing, and such that said clamping force may be selectively released by pivoting said clamping bar to said first position generally perpendicular to the length of the retaining arm.

3. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 2 wherein the number of the bars is three, each of the bars being in generally parallel abutting contact with at least another one of the bars.

4. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 1 wherein the frame comprises an upper frame section and a lower frame section, said upper frame section being movably mounted to and carried on said lower frame section such that said upper frame section may be moved upwardly and downwardly relative to said lower frame section when the frame is in a generally upright position, and such that said upper frame section may be releasably secured in a selected position relative to said lower frame section, whereby the h eight of the frame may be altered.

5. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 1 wherein the handle section has a pair of generally parallel spaced apart legs, each of said legs being connected by a handgrip segment, said legs each being connected to the frame proximate to the top end thereof and extending rearwardly from the frame.

6. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 4 wherein the upper frame section includes a pair of flanges, each said flange being connected to and extending forwardly from said upper frame section proximate to the top end of the frame, such that the flanges may be disposed over and in abutting contact with the top surface of the article adjacent the front side thereof when the article is secured to the hand truck.

7. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 6 wherein the toe plate has a front edge which extends a distance forwardly measured from the retention plane, and wherein the flanges extend forwardly a distance measured from the retention plane approximately equal to the distance the front edge of the toe plate extends forwardly from the retention plane.

8. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 4 wherein the lower frame section includes a pair of generally parallel spaced apart lower side frame members and the upper frame section includes a pair of generally parallel spaced apart upper side frame members, said upper side frame members being connected by an upper crossbar, each said upper side frame member being movably mounted to and carried on one of said lower side frame members.

9. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 8 wherein the retaining arm is pivotably and slidably connected to said upper crossbar.

10. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 8 wherein each of the upper side frame members is mounted to and carried on an opposing one of the lower side frame members in a telescoping relation thereto.

11. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 8 wherein each of the lower side frame members defines a bore extending longitudinally therethrough, one of the upper side frame members being at least partially and slidably received within said bore of the lower side frame members.

12. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 1 wherein the toe plate has a width, said width being less than fifteen inches.

13. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 5 wherein the legs of the handle section are generally straight, and wherein the legs of the handle section extend rearwardly from the frame at an angle generally equal to or less than forty five degrees relative to a horizontal line when the frame is in a vertical upright position.

14. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 5 wherein the handgrip segment of the handle section connecting the legs is disposed more than eight inches rearwardly measured rom the top end of the frame.

15. The hand truck which can move furniture in your house or home 1 further comprising:

a clip, said clip being connected to said frame and positioned so as to receive at least a portion of the retaining arm when the retaining arm is pivoted to a generally upright position generally parallel with said retention plane, said clip releasably securing the retention arm against pivotal and sliding movement.

This invention relates generally to hand trucks and dollies, and particularly to an upright two-wheeled hand truck for use in transporting office household cabinets.

Conventional hand trucks of many designs are known to the art, the most common being the upright, two-wheeled hand truck such as disclosed in U.S. Pat No. 4,420,166 to Law. Such hand trucks can take on any one of several configurations, such as those shown in U.S. Pat Nos. 3,927,898 to Weyrauch and 3,997,182 to Mortenson.

The general drawbacks involved in using an upright, two-wheeled hand truck are the difficulty in lifting or tilting the truck when raising a heavy load into a balanced position on two wheels, providing a suitably stable support for the load when on the truck, and restraining that load when the truck is being moved and the operator cannot hold the load onto the truck manually.

To overcome these problems, many specialized hand trucks have been developed to handle particular types or shapes of cargo. Features such as pivoting toe plate extensions for additional leverage and balance have been added, as well as modifications or attachments for using the hand truck in certain environments such as on stairways or to make those hand trucks convertible for use as four-wheeled carts or office trolleys. Examples of such features are shown in U.S. Pat Nos. 3,079,168 to Monroe; 3,997,182 to Mortenson; and 3,193,123 to Wouden.

In order to secure the load to the hand truck, various cables, ties, and elastic cords have been used. Such securing means are also common to luggage carts, bicycle racks, and trailers. In the case of large furniture or appliances, webbed straps with adjustable buckles are frequently used by movers, both to secure the load to the hand truck and also within the van or truck. Representative examples of such cords and webbing straps are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,769 to Kazmark and 4,591,183 to Gordon.

The use of a telescoping or adjustable handle having a variable length has also proven desirable in some applications, representative examples of such hand trucks being shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,286,796 to Esposito and 4,570,953 to McPeak, and similar adjustable handles can also useful in collapsible luggage carts such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,040,642 to David or 3,827,707 to Bierman.

One particular area which has received much attention is the handling of barrels, drums, and similar cylindrical containers. Hand trucks having curved back frames to permit the drums to rest further back on the toe plate to increase leverage are well known, as are various hand trucks and fork lifts which carry the drums in a reclining or horizontal position.

Another development that has proven useful with handling drums is to place a clasp or claw on the frame of the hand truck which clips over and engages the upwardly projecting circumferential top rim of the drum, and prevents the drum from tipping forward when the hand truck is pivoted onto its wheels. Several various designs of these clasps or clamps are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,014,057 to Rogers; 2,447,300 to Williams; 2,797,832 to Weinmann; and 2,612,379 to Vogel. These clamps or clasps are generally pivotably mounted on and close to the main back frame of the hand truck, spring loaded, and may be adjusted vertically along the frame or a track to accommodate drums of differing heights. A similar type of clip structure is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,968 to Bateman, although its purpose is to retain the platform section of a coin operated baggage cart in its folded position.

Of particular interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,490,361 to Brown and 2,710,106 to Hanson. The Brown ‘361 and Hanson ‘106 patents each disclose hand trucks specially designed for use with drums or barrels, and have longer hooks for retaining a load against the rear frame.

In the Brown ‘351 patent, a “chime-hook” comprised of a flat bar with a curled, depending hook at each end is used to retain a load on the hand truck. The chime hook is slidably and rotatably mounted on a rod, the rod passing vertically through an aperture in the bar and through a hub or guide block which allows the height of the chime bar to be adjusted along the rod. The bar may then be pivoted over the rear edge of the drum, and lowered to engage the rim thereof.

In the Hanson ‘106 patent, the hook is longer and formed from a straight rod bent at one end to form a hook, and is normally stowed in an inoperable position with the hook end inserted through a hole in the angle irons of the frame. For use, the rod is removed from its stowed position and inserted through one of several central slots in the angle irons, with cross pins extending perpendicularly from the mid-portion of the rod being aligned axially with the slots. When the hook is in position, the rod is rotated so that hook end depends downwardly and catches the front edge of the load, and the cross pins depend downwardly and perpendicular to the slots so as to be engaged between the angle irons, thereby retaining the rod from forward or backward movement.

These hand truck designs, however, have failed to solve several of the problems or drawbacks with attempting to use a hand truck with a load such as furniture in your home or house. Household furniture is often placed in close contact side-by-side and against side or back walls, making them difficult to jockey, and even shorter home cabinets may contain extremely heavy loads of papers and households. Because household cabinets are often transferred without removing the contents, it is desirable to have a method of securing the household cabinet to the hand truck while it is in place between other household cabinets or a wall, lifting that household cabinet from this restricted position, and transporting the household cabinet without resecuring the household cabinet to the hand truck or placing additional padding to protect the front of the household furniture.

It is therefore one object of this invention to design a hand truck which may be used to lift fully loaded household cabinets from a restricted position between other household cabinets or a wall.

It is a related object of this invention to design the above hand truck such that the household cabinet may initially be secured to the hand truck and lifted without requiring the user to reach to the rear of the household cabinet or resecure the household cabinet to the hand truck for transporting after it has been removed from the restricted position.

It is an additional object of this invention to design the above hand truck such that it may lift the household cabinets from the front end rather than the rear end, and such that household cabinets of varying heights and numbers of drawers may be transported.

It is yet another object of this invention to design the above hand truck such that it may alternately be used for other types of loads, but remains constantly ready for the specialized use in lifting and transporting household cabinets without complicated adjustments or modifications of the components, and such that the elements of the hand truck do not interfere with this normal use.

Briefly described, the hand truck of this invention comprises an upright frame having an upper frame section which is telescopingly attached to a lower frame section to permit the height of the frame to be adjusted and clamped into position. A short toe plate extends forward from the bottom of the lower frame section, and is slightly narrower than a standard household cabinet. A pair of wheels are conventionally mounted to the rear of the lower frame section. A retaining arm having a hooked end bracket is pivotably and slidably mounted to a crossbar of the upper frame section, such that the retaining arm may be pivoted in a vertical plane generally perpendicular to a plane defined by the front surface of the lower frame section, and slidingly extended forward and retracted backward relative to the crossbar. A spring-loaded clamp assembly serves both as the means for pivoting the retaining arm, and for restraining the arm against sliding movement. The upper frame section includes a pair of forwardly extending flanges which may be positioned against the top front of the household cabinet, with the retaining arm extending across the top of the furniture in your home or house so that the hooked end bracket engages the rear edge thereof. An inverted U-shaped handle bar extends rearward at an angle directly from the top of the upper frame section. The front of the frame members are padded.

A special duty hand truck for maneuvering tables and chairs in the home having a wheeled base with a transverse shaft, a handle extending outwardly from said shaft, a pair of support arms mounted for pivotal movement on said shaft between an upright position extending away from said base and a folded position extending along the handle, an auxiliary arm pivotally mounted on the shaft between an upright position extending away from said base and a folded position along said handle, and standards extending down from the handle operable to engage the ground surface and provide a fulcrum for the handle which is effective to permit the wheels to be lifted off the surface when the free end of the handle is displaced towards the surface.

This hand truck is ideal for moving all sorts of furniture in the home or when moving home.

1. A hand truck for maneuvering tables having a top and folding legs adapted when unfolded to support the table on a floor, comprising:

at least one floor-engaging wheel mounted on said base;

an elongated main prop assembly having a first end pivotally mounted on said base, and a second end extending outwardly from said base and having at least two spaced apart main table perches, said assembly being capable of being pivoted from a first stored position to a second active position;

an auxiliary prop assembly having a first end pivotally mounted on said base independently of said main prop assembly adjacent the first end of said main prop assembly and a second end extending outwardly from said base and having at least one auxiliary table perch, said auxiliary prop capable to pivot from a first stored position to a second active position; and

an elongated handle, having a first end and a second end, said first end mounted on said base adjacent the first ends of said main prop assembly and said auxiliary prop assembly and extending outwardly from said base, said at least two main table perches and said at least one auxiliary table perch, when said main and auxiliary support props are in their second active positions, providing at least a three-point support for the table top.

2. The hand truck of home 1, including floor-engaging standards extending in one direction transversely from said handle intermediate said first and said second ends of said handle, wherein said second end of said handle includes a terminal portion extending in a direction opposite to said one direction, such that when said terminal portion is pressed toward the floor, the said at least one wheel is lifted off the floor as the handle is levered about the standards as a fulcrum.

3. The hand truck of home 1, wherein said base includes a hollow shaft pivotally mounting said main and auxiliary prop assemblies and an extension projecting beyond said base for engaging an edge of said table top when the top is in an upright position.

4. The hand truck of home 3, wherein said extension includes an extension shaft slidably disposed within said hollow shaft such that said extension shaft is capable of projecting beyond either side of said base.

5. The hand truck of home 1 for maneuvering a table having a flange depending from the periphery of the table top, wherein said main prop assembly includes a first support shaft and a second support shaft coplanar with and diverging outwardly relative to said first support shaft from said first end to said second end, said first and second support shafts terminating in said two main table perches, said perches being adapted to engage the flange of the table.

6. The hand truck of home 5, comprising a support strut connected to said first support shaft and second support shaft to maintain said first and second support shafts coplanar during pivoting.

7. The hand truck of home 6 comprising:

a first standoff shaft perpendicularly mounted on said first support shaft;

a second standoff shaft perpendicularly mounted on said second support shaft;

said first and second standoff shafts adapted to engage the underside of the table top when the table is supported by the perches engaging the flanges.

8. The hand truck of home 6, comprising a retainer capable of displacement from a first position to a second position, in said first position said retainer retaining said first and second support shafts in the first stored position, and in said second position allowing said first and second support shafts to pivot freely to the second active position.

9. The hand truck of home 1, wherein said handle comprises a socket for receiving said auxiliary prop assembly when said auxiliary prop assembly is in the first position.

10. The hand truck of home 9, wherein said handle includes a first shaft and a second shaft, and a reinforcing strut spanning between said first and second shafts, said socket being positioned in said reinforcing strut.

11. The hand truck of home 10, including a latching mechanism attached to said reinforcing strut to hold said support strut against said reinforcing strut when said main prop assembly is in said first stored position.

12. The hand truck of home 1, wherein sold base includes a first side plate and a second side plate and a second wheel, said at least one wheel being journaled for rotation on said first side plate of said base and said second wheel being journaled for rotation on said second side plate of said base.

13. The hand truck of home 1, wherein said elongated auxiliary prop assembly includes a stop mounted adjacent the first end of said elongated auxiliary prop assembly, said stop adapted to engage said base to prevent said elongated auxiliary prop assembly from pivoting beyond said second position.

14. The hand truck of home 1, wherein said handle comprises:

a first shaft, having a first end mounted on said base and a second end extending outwardly therefrom;

a second shaft generally parallel to said first shaft of said handle, having a first end mounted on said base and a second end extending outwardly therefrom; and

a cross connection having a first end and a second end, said first end of said cross connection connected to said second end of said first shaft of said handle, and said second end of said cross connection connected to said second end of said second shaft of said handle, said cross connection section being perpendicular to said first and second shafts of said handle;

said first and second shafts of said handle each comprising a reversely curved section intermediate said base and said cross connection section, said reversely curved sections providing a grip point for gripping said handle when said cross connection is in contact with the floor.

15. A hand truck for maneuvering tables, comprising:

a base;

a pair of wheels journaled on said base;

an extension extending transversely outward from said base for supporting a table in the longitudinal direction;

a handle, said handle comprising a first shaft, having a first end mounted on said base and a second end extending outwardly therefrom, a second shaft generally parallel to said first shaft of said handle, having a first end mounted on said base and a second end extending outwardly therefrom, and a cross connection having a first end and a second end, said first end of said cross connection section connected to said second end of said first shaft of said handle, and said second end of said cross connection section is connected to said second end of said second shaft of said handle;

a prop assembly comprising a first support shaft, having a first end and a second end, said first end pivotally mounted on said base a second support shaft, diverging slightly from said first support shaft, having a first end and a second end, said first end pivotally mounted on said base and a support strut extending between said first and second support shafts, said prop assembly capable of being pivoted from a first position generally parallel to said handle to a second position generally perpendicular to said handle, and extending outwardly from said base;

an auxiliary support assembly comprising a third support shaft, having a first end and a second end, said first end pivotally connected to said base, and being capable of pivoting from a first position generally parallel to said handle to a second position to form a three-point arrangement with said first and second support shafts;

a first floor support leg, mounted on said handle intermediate said first and second ends, and extending transversely therefrom;

a second floor support leg, mounted on said handle intermediate said first and second ends, and extending transversely therefrom;

a reinforcing strut extending between said first and second shafts of said handle;

a socket in said reinforcing strut, for retaining said third support shaft in said first position;

a latch, mounted on said reinforcing strut for latching said prop assembly in the first position; and

a retaining bar capable of displacement from a first position to a second position, said retaining bar retaining said prop assembly when said retaining bar is in the first position, and allowing said prop assembly to pivot freely when said retaining bar is in the second position.

16. A hand truck for maneuvering tables comprising a base having wheels journaled thereon, a handle extending outwardly from said base, a transverse shaft mounted on said base, a pair of support arms mounted for pivotal movement on said shaft between an upright position extending away from said base and a folded position extending along said handle, said support arms diverging outwardly from said transverse shaft, and an auxiliary arm pivotally mounted on said base between an upright position extending away from said base and a folded position along said handle, said auxiliary arm being mounted on said base between said diverging support arms, each of said support arms and said auxiliary arm having a perch adapted in the upright positions thereof to provide a three-point support for a table.

17. A hand truck according to home 16 wherein said handle extends away from said shaft in a radial direction and said support arms are disposed at an obtuse angle to said handle in said upright position of the support arms and said auxiliary arm forms an acute angle with said handle in the upright position of the auxiliary arm.

18. A hand truck according to home 16 wherein said shaft includes an extension projecting outwardly from said base to provide a support for the folded table.

19. A hand truck according to home 16, said wheels being adapted to roll on a floor surface, said handle having a proximal end portion extending outwardly from said base and terminating in a free end portion, said truck including standards projecting downwardly from the proximal end portion of said handle between said base and said free end portion, said free end portion projecting upwardly from the proximal end portion of said handle, and then downwardly with a reverse curve, said standards operable to engage the floor surface and provide a fulcrum for the handle which is effective to permit the wheels to be lifted off the surface when the free end of the handle is displaced towards the surface.

The present invention relates to hand trucks and more particularly to a special duty hand truck for maneuvering tables and chairs in the home.

Tables and chairs in the home are designed to be opened and closed by an individual working alone, but tables are designed to be opened and closed while resting them on the one longitudinal edge of the table surface. However, erecting the table from the resting position to the setup position in the work area requires more than one person. Likewise, moving the setup table from one location to another requires more than one person, especially if the table has been set with linen and tableware such as cups, dishes, silverware, and centerpieces. Furthermore, moving the folded tables through narrow passageways between the work area and the storage area is a difficult task for a single person. Placing the tables on the storage rack in the storage area can best be done by more than one person.

Current methods of transporting tables do not provide a satisfactory means for the transport of a table in the setup position by one person, when set with tableware and linen. Furthermore, there is currently not a method of erecting a table from the resting position to the setup position, and vice versa, by a single person. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,085, for a “Handcart for Banquet Tables” issued to Thomas A. Rodriguez and Angelo J. Zavaglia, discloses a cart in which you tilt the table to load it on one side of the cart and raise a brace in the center, wherein you can then tip the table level by lifting the opposite side of the table off the floor and wheel the table to a new location. This would not be an acceptable method of carting a table that had already been set with tableware and provides no means to break down or setup the table from storage. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,117, for a “Folding Table Caddie” issued to Richard C. Hershberger discloses a device upon which tables may be stacked, stored, and transported when placed on their side; however, no way of setting up, breaking down, or transporting the tables while upright is provided, and it would take more than one person to conveniently place the tables on the caddie.

Since frequently it will only be one person who is available to perform the tasks for a banquet hall, there is a need for a hand truck table mover that can allow a single person to breakdown, setup, and transport a table whether it is in the stacked position, or if it is set up and set with tableware.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a hand truck which may be used to facilitate the setup of tables and movement of tables from one area to another by a single worker in a convenient manner. Furthermore, the present invention provides a hand truck which can move tables in either the folded position or the a setup position with minimum strength requirement by a table handler.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a means for an individual to transport a setup table, which may have tableware on top of it.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a means for an individual to set up and break down a table having folding legs.

It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a means for an individual to transport a folded table in the longitudinal direction through narrow doorways and passageways.

To this end, a hand truck table mover is provided. The hand truck table mover includes a base section, which has wheels journaled upon it. An elongated main prop assembly is attached to the base section and extends outwardly from the base section where it terminates in two spaced apart perches for supporting the table. The main prop assembly is capable of being pivoted from a first position to a second position. Also included is an elongated auxiliary prop assembly which is capable of pivoting from a first position to a second position, and is mounted on the base. The auxiliary prop assembly includes a table perch, which in conjunction with the main props assembly table perches, provides at least a three point table support for a table that is setup with tableware. An elongated handle is provided, which attaches to the base, extends outwardly to a distal end, and includes a ground engaging base extending downwardly from the handle to act as a fulcrum to lift the wheels off the ground when the distal end of the handle is pressed downward, allowing an individual to setup a folded table that is currently in the longitudinal direction, or to breakdown a currently setup table. An extension extends from one side or the other of the hand truck to rest a side of the table while transporting it longitudinally through narrow doorways and passageways.

A hand truck for carrying stacks of nested trays and other products in the home has a vertically disposed back frame with an upper handle surface, supported for travel by a pair of rearward spaced apart wheels. The back frame provides a pair of side rails joined by horizontal brace rails. The hand truck further has an elongate nose plate pivotally connected to the lower ends of the side rails and foldable from an operable horizontal position to a stowed position swung up to lie in a plane substantially parallel to and adjacent the back frame. The nose plate has a back plate which fits between the side rails when the nose plate is swung up to stowed position. A home member securing to the nose plate and pivotally secured on the interior side of each side rail has a back flange extending angularly outwardly and providing a rigid abutment stop engaging the rear side of the side rail on which it mounts when the nose plate is swung to operative position.

1. In a hand truck for carrying stacks of product containing nested trays and other products and having an elongated generally vertically disposed back frame with an upper handle surface, supported for travel by a pair of rearward spaced apart wheels, the back frame comprising a pair of side rails with upper and lower ends and vertically extending front, rear, interior and exterior sides joined by vertically spaced generally horizontal brace rails, the hand truck further having a pivotally mounted elongate nose plate having an outer edge and pivotally connected to said lower ends of said side rails and foldable from an operable position in which said noseplate extends generally horizontally in a plane substantially perpendicular to said back frame to a stowed position swung up to lie in a plane substantially parallel to and adjacent said back frame, the nose plate having a laterally extending back plate which is vertically disposed when the nose plate is in operative position; the improvement wherein:

a. a home member having a back flange projecting angularly is pivotally secured on each side rail and has a front portion securing to the back plate of the nose plate to pivotally mount said nose plate to said side rails; each back flange extending laterally and providing a rigid vertically extending abutment stop engaging the vertically extending rear side of the side rail when the nose plate is swung to operative position;

b. said home member being pivotally mounted to said side rail at a vertical location to permit said back flange to swing from a generally horizontal position when said nose plate is in operative position to a vertical position when said nose plate is in vertical stowed position.

2. The further improved hand truck of claim 1 wherein said back frame mounts a slide guide between said side rails extending vertically from a position near the upper end of said back frame to the position of the outer edge of the nose plate when the nose plate is in vertical stowed position, and a releasable retainer member is slideable vertically on said guide from a position engageable with the upper tray of a stack of nested trays when the hand truck is in use to a lower dual function position in which said retainer member is engageable with said outer edge of the nose plate when the latter is in stowed position.

3. The further improved hand truck of claim 2 wherein said guide is a shaft on which said retainer member is revolvable, and said retainer member includes a hook swivelable from a forward retaining position to a non-engaging inoperative position.

4. The further improved hand truck of claim 1 in combination with a vertical stack of nested trays having a center of gravity, the nose plate extending forwardly well beyond said center of gravity, and extending laterally in front of said side rails.

5. The further improved hand truck of claim 1 wherein said side rails are generally channel shaped in cross-section and a fastener receiving fitting is received in and interfits with each side rails, each said fitting having a recess therein in its exposed face, a bracket received in each said recess to rigidly interfit therewith, a fastener extending to anchor each said bracket and fitting to each said side rail, and a pivot pin for pivotally securing one of said home members on each said bracket and each said side rail.

6. The further improved hand truck of claim 5 wherein a friction creating spring device is mounted to tend to hold said home member and thereby said nose plate in said nose plate’s stowed and operative positions.

7. The further improved hand truck of claim 1 wherein said home member is generally S-shaped in cross section and incorporates a front flange facially engaging said nose plate back plate.

8. The hand truck of claim 1 wherein said back plate is of a width to fit between said side rails when the nose plate is swung up to stowed position so that said back plate extends generally horizontally between said side rails; each said home member being pivotally secured on the flanges extending laterally outwardly.

9. In a hand truck for carrying stacks of product containing nested trays and other products, and having a generally vertically disposed elongate frame with an upper handle surface supported for travel by a pair of rearward transversely spaced apart wheels mounted on an axle, the frame comprising a pair of side rails, forwardly extending brackets mounted on said axle and extending forwardly to connect to said side rails, said side rails having upper ends and terminating in linear vertical lower ends and providing generally vertical front faces extending in a common substantially vertical plane, and vertically spaced spanning brace rails, the hand truck further having a pivotally mounted forwardly extending elongate nose plate having an outer edge and having an inner edge pivotally connected to said lower ends of said side rails and foldable from an operable position in which said nose plate extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to said lower ends of said siderails to a vertical stowed position swung up to lie in a plane substantially parallel to and forwardly of said front faces of said side rails; the improvement wherein:

a. pivots carried by said side rails are positioned to swing said nose plate from said operable position to said vertical stowed position in which said nose plate is vertically aligned with said side rails and extends in a plane spaced forwardly of said front faces of said side rails.

b. a slide guide is mounted by said frame between said side rails to extend vertically from a position near the upper end of said frame to the vertical position of said outer edge of said nose plate when said nose plate is in stowed position; and

c. a releasable retainer slide member on said slide guide comprises a slide body portion with a forwardly extending portion having a dependent latch portion spaced a predetermined distance forwardly of said side rails forwardly of said plane of said nose plate, said body portion being mounted on said slide guide to slide vertically on said, guide from a position in which said latch portion is engageable with the upper tray of a stack of nested trays when the hand truck is in use to a lower dual function position in which said latch portion is engageable with and latches over said outer edge of the nose plate when the latter is in vertical stowed position.

10. The further improved hand truck of claim 9 wherein said guide is a shaft and said retainer member comprises a hook pivotable on said shaft from a forward hooking position to a non-engaging inoperative position.

11. The further improved hand truck of claim 9 wherein said shaft extends between a pair of said brace rails.

12. A method of constructing an improved hand truck for carrying stacked nested trays and other products comprising:

a. providing a hand truck comprising a generally vertically disposed elongate frame having a pair of side rails, with vertically extending front, rear, interior, and exterior sides and upper and lower ends, joined by vertically spaced generally horizontal side rails spanning the side rails, the hand truck further having an elongate nose plate with an outer end pivotally connected to said lower ends of said side rails and foldable from an operable position in which said nose plate extends in a generally horizontal plane substantially perpendicular to said frame to a vertical stowed position swung up to lie in a plane substantially parallel to said frame, the hand truck further including a laterally extending back plate for said nose plate which is vertically disposed when said nose plate is in operative position and being of a width to fit between said side rails when said nose plate is swung up to stowed position so that it extends rearwardly between said side rails in the stowed position; the improvement comprising:

b. providing a home members having a back flange projecting laterally angularly, to be pivotally secured on the interior side of each side rail, said home member having a front portion adapted to be secured to the said back plate for the nose plate, said back flange extending laterally outwardly for providing a rigid vertically extending abutment stop engaging the vertical rear side of the side rail on which each said home member is mounted when said nose plate is swung down to operative position; and

c. securing said front portion of each said home members to said back plate and pivotally mounting each said home member on said side rail at a vertical location to permit said back flange to swing from a generally horizontal position when said nose plate is in generally horizontal operative position to a vertical position when said noseplate is swung to vertical stowed position.

13. The method of claim 12 comprising pivotally securing said home member by extending a pin bolt through to said side rail and providing a spring washer on said pin bolt to tend to hold said home member and thereby said nose plate in each of its stowed and operative positions.

14. The method of constructing an improved hand truck as defined in claim 12 comprising:

a. mounting a slide guide on said frame between said frame side rails to extend vertically from a position near the upper end of said frame to the position of said outer end of said nose plate when said nose plate is in stowed position; and

b. mounting a releasable retainer hook on said guide so as to be slideable and swivelable thereon, and to be moveable vertically on said guide from a position engageable with the upper tray of a stack of nested trays when the hand truck is in operative position to a lower dual function position in which it is engageable with the outer edge of said nose plate to hold said nose plate in stowed position when said nose plate has been swung up to stowed position.

15. A method of transporting a stack of product containing nested trays including an uppermost tray with a top edge on a two-wheeled hand truck comprising a generally vertically disposed elongate frame having an upper and lower end provided with an upper handle surface and supported for travel by a pair of rearward laterally spaced apart wheels mounted on said axle, the frame comprising a pair of side rails and forwardly extending brackets mounted on said axle and extending forwardly to mount to said side rails, said side rails having upper ends and terminating in linear vertical lower ends, with front, rear, interior, and exterior vertical sides, joined by vertically spaced generally horizontal brace rails, the hand truck further having an elongate nose plate with an outer edge extending forwardly in an operable position beyond the center of gravity of the trays stacked thereon and an inner end so pivotally connected to the linear lower ends of said side rails to be foldable from said operable position in which said nose plate extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to said frame to a vertical stowed position swung up to lie in a vertical plane substantially parallel to and spaced forwardly of said frame, said frame mounting a slide guide laterally between said side rails which extends vertically from a position near said upper end if said frame to the vertical position of said outer edge of said nose plate when said nose plate is in vertical stowed position, and there being a releasable hook retainer member having a dependent latch part spaced forwardly of said front sides of said side rails forwardly of said vertical plane of said nose plate when the nose plate is in stowed position and shiftable vertically on said guide, comprising:

a. loading the stack of nested trays to said nose plate of the hand truck when said nose plate is in operative position;

b. moving said releasable retainer hook member on said guide to a position above the stack of trays and lowering it to a position in which said latch part hooks over the top edge of the uppermost tray to retain said stack of trays when said stack of trays when said frame is tilted for transport;

c. transporting said stack and when said stack of trays has been transported, raising said latch part of said hook member to release said upper end of said stack of trays;

d. unloading said stack of trays from said nose plate; and

e. swinging said nose plate upwardly to a vertical stowed position and lowering said hook member along said slide guide and positioning said latch part to hook over said outer edge of the stowed nose plate and hold it in stowed position.

Packaged baked goods are often placed in large, open-topped transport trays which are designed to be stackable in nested relation, one upon the other, while leaving sufficient room between adjacent trays to accommodate the baked goods. Such trays typically are several feet across in width and length and are fairly shallow in height. While a person is able to carry a few stacked trays by hand, it becomes much more difficult to handle the trays in this manner when a large and heavier stack of trays is involved.

The current practice for handling such large stacks of trays in the baked goods industry, to applicant’s knowledge, is to load them onto the platform of a fork-lift truck, or onto a four-wheeled floor cart. However, the presently used equipment is fairly large and cumbersome when it comes time to store it, and when used to transport trays aboard a congested delivery vehicle of the type which is commonly used to deliver the baked goods to market. More maneuverable, conventional, two-wheeled hand trucks are not equipped to handle large stacks of such trays. Typically, the nose plate of such two-wheeled hand trucks extends forwardly of the side rails of the hand truck a distance far short of what is required to support such trays in a stable manner, and the trays would tip forwardly off the truck.

The invention is concerned with a two-wheeled hand truck having a nose plate that extends sufficiently forwardly of the side rails of the truck to support a stack of large baked goods trays in a stable fashion, and further provides a vertically positionable tray hook which is extendable from the frame of the truck to engage the edge of the top-most tray nearest the frame to secure the stack against forward tipping when it is supported on the nose plate. The vertical adjustment capability of the tray hook enables the hand truck to accommodate stacks of trays of different height, with the hook being moveable to any position along the frame to engage the uppermost tray.

The large nose plate and tray hook cooperate to provide the proper support and stability to the stack of trays which enables the operator to handle them in a safe and efficient manner.

According to another feature of the invention, the nose plate is mounted on a novel, frame-braced, rigidified hinge assembly and may be folded to a flush position against the frame when not in use. The tray hook uniquely has the capability of being moved from upper tray engaging position to a position to engage the end of the nose plate to secure it releasably in the folded position, lending further utility to the tray hook. The folded nose plate makes the hand truck more compact, enabling it to be more readily stored in a confined space, such as the cargo compartment of a delivery truck, or flush against a wall in a manufacturing or store setting, unlike the fork lift truck and four-wheeled cart mentioned previously.

A dual position hand truck includes a central frame having two side rails and a toe plate. Positioned at an upper end of the central frame is a U-shaped handle bar which has a hand gripping portion and two extended legs with castered wheels attached at their respective bottom ends. The handle bar is pivotally attached to the frame by a fixed shaft and a pair of support brackets. The support brackets also allow the extended legs to slide along their length. Attached to the support brackets is a spring biased locking bar which locks the handle bar against rotational movement relative to the frame.

A dual position hand truck which converts from a two-wheeled version to a four-wheeled platform truck comprising:

a pair of side rails having upper and lower ends joined by cross rails along their length and a toe plate for load supporting in the two wheel configuration joining the lower ends of the side rails;

an axle supporting a pair of wheels attached at the lower end of the side rails;

a U-shaped handle bar having a pair of extended parallel legs pivotally attached to the side rails at their upper ends;

a pair of casters mounted on the ends of said legs for use in the four-wheeled platform version;

a pair of support brackets each bracket being pivotally mounted on a side rail, each bracket supporting one of said legs for sliding movement therein and rotational movement relative to the side rails;

at least one latch plate mounted on one of said rails having at least two latching positions for rotational locking of said legs;

a locking bar rotatably mounted on said support bracket for engaging the two latching positions on the latch plate and locking the legs of the handle bar in at least two angular positions;

at least one locking pin mounted on said support bracket for engaging one of said legs and preventing the handle bar from sliding movement in the support bracket, the locking pin being actuated by movement of said locking bar.

2. A dual position hand truck, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking bar includes a pair of arms normally positioned relative to the locking bar and a pair of pivot pins, each pin being mounted on one of said arms and offset from the locking bar, each pin being pivotally journaled in one of said support brackets to permit engagement of the latch plate in said latching positions.

3. A dual position hand truck, as set forth in claim 1 wherein there are two latch plates, each being mounted on the upper end of a side rail, the latching positions of each latch plate comprising at least two notches which can be releasably engaged by said locking bar.

4. A dual position hand truck, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking bar includes a pair of arms normally positioned relative to the locking bar and a pair of pivot pins, each pin being mounted on one of said arms and offset from the locking bar, each pin being pivotally journaled in one of said support brackets to permit engagement of the latch plate in said latching positions and the locking pins are each mounted on an arm which in turn is integral with one of said pivot pins whereby rotation of the locking bar also releasably engages the locking pins from the legs of the handle bar.

5. A dual position hand truck, as set forth in claim 1 wherein there are two latch plates, each being mounted on the upper end of a side rail, the latching positions of each latch plate comprising at least two notches which can be releasably engaged by said locking bar and the latch plates include an arcuate surface between the two notches and the locking pin is actuated by rotation of the locking bar which is spring biased against the arcuate surfaces.

6. A dual position hand truck, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the locking bar includes a pair of arms normally positioned relative to the locking bar and a pair of pivot pins, each pin being mounted on one of said arms and offset from the locking bar with the pins lying longitudinally parallel to the locking bar, with each pin being pivotally journaled in a support bracket to permit releasable engagement of the locking bar in at least two latching positions.

7. A dual position hand truck, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the two latching positions on the latch plate provide 90-degree rotation of the handle bar legs with one position of the legs lying parallel and juxtaposed to the side rails.

8. A dual position hand truck, as set forth in claim 1, wherein there are two latch plates, each mounted on the upper end of said side rails, the two latching positions comprise radial notches in the latch plates spaced substantially 90 degrees apart for engagement by said locking bar.

This invention relates to hand truck devices commonly called dual hand truck devices which can be used in two configurations–the conventional two-wheel configuration and the second configuration as a four-wheel platform truck with castered wheels on one end. Frequently users of hand truck devices require alternate uses of the same truck which prompted the design of dual hand truck devices at some time in the mid twentieth century. A conventional hand truck utilizes a toe plate on the bottom end of the truck and a pair of handles at the upper end for lifting and transporting a load by levering the toe plate under the load through manual use of handles and transporting the load balanced on the axle of the supporting wheels. Dual truck usage provides a horizontal load-carrying platform with four wheels, one at each corner, as a conventional platform truck is used.

Hand truck devices of varying designs have been around for the better part of the twentieth century as exemplified in applicants Catalog #190 published in January 1990. The design of hand truck devices has varied over the years depending upon a variety of factors such as load capacity and specialized use, as shown in the above-mentioned Catalog. Dual truck designs of the prior art are exemplified in applicant’s above-mentioned Catalog on page 12 where a design is shown where two removal pins lock the handle bar from both rotational and sliding movement of the handle bar in a DT series design. Another design is shown on page 12 of the same Catalog which is the EDT series wherein two pins lock the handle bar in one of a pair of fixed sleeves which are positioned 90° from each other. Another prior art design is shown on page 16 of said catalog which is an ADT series design which pivotally latches the lower ends of handle bar legs both to the side rails of the truck and also against any rotational movement of the handle bar relative to the side rails. This latter design compared to the present invention does not have the functional reliability of the design of the present invention and is subject to malfunction under heavy use.

All dual hand truck devices utilize a U-shaped handle bar with extended legs which, in its two-wheel configuration, the handle bar lies juxaposed and attached to the hand rails of the truck, while in the four-wheel configuration, the plane of the handle bar is positioned 90° to the plane of the side rails and the handle bar is fully extended so the castered wheels on the ends of the handle bar are so positioned that the side rails of the hand truck are parallel to the ground.

These two configurations of the hand truck require that the handle bar have two locked positions, one with the handle bar overlying and juxtaposed next to the side rails of the hand truck and a second position with the hand rail fully extended from the upper end of the hand truck and angled 90° to the side rails of the hand truck. This sliding and rotational movement is achieved in a variety of ways, some of which are discussed in the abovementioned prior art. The present invention achieves this sliding and rotational movement of the handle bar by latching and locking structure which is unique from the prior art designs. The latching assembly is positioned at the upper ends of the hand truck side rails approximate the hands of the operator which is most convenient when converting the hand truck from the two-wheeled configuration to the four-wheeled configuration.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a dual position hand truck which readily accommodates the hands of the operator when unlocking and converting the truck from its two-wheel configuration to its four-wheel platform configuration.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simplified latching and locking structure for a dual hand truck.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dual hand truck design which is less prone to malfunction.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent in the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.