Abstract:
A collapsible, wheeled dolly designed for enhanced portability and storage capabilities having at least one axle member, one frame member, a mechanism for carrying a load and at least one wheel.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention generally relates to a dolly for transporting cargo. More particularly, the present invention relates to a portable dolly that collapses or disassembles into a container that may be strapped to a backpack, bicycle or just carried.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     It is well known that carts or dollies are able to supplement human strength and endurance in transporting various types of heavy or ungainly loads over varied terrain. However, hikers, backpackers and hunters tend to encounter situations where they may be required to move heavier loads than are easily carried, such as downed game, camping supplies, firewood, fishing or hunting equipment and supplementary food. In order to accommodate their requirement to move such heavy or ungainly loads over terrain, it would be advantageous over portions of the trail to use a cart or dolly, terrain permitting. In such utilization, movement of the cargo on the cart or dolly would allow the user to transport the cargo easily. But, when rough terrain is encountered that does not permit the use of the cart, the cargo must be carried or dragged by the user and the cart becomes additional weight to carry or is left and returned for after the user has transversed the rough area. Carrying the cargo and the cart or dolly over rough terrain may not be easily accomplished or comfortable considering the size of the cargo transporting equipment or the portability of the cart or dolly.  
         [0003]     It is also common that backpackers, hunters or hikers may not anticipate having to use a cart or dolly prior to beginning an excursion.  
         [0004]     It should be noted that the foregoing background information is provided to assist the reader in understanding the instant invention. Accordingly, any terms of art used herein are not intended to be limited to any particular narrow interpretation unless specifically stated otherwise in this document.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     In one aspect, the invention generally features a collapsible wheeled dolly comprising at least one axle member engaged with at least one frame member, a means of carrying a load at least partially engageable with at least one frame member and, at least one wheel, rotatably engaged with the axle member or axle members. When assembled the wheeled dolly provides a framework supported by at least one wheel and enables transport of ungainly or heavy cargoes over some terrains.  
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A primary object of the present invention is to provide a cart or dolly to transport heavy or ungainly materials or objects.  
         [0007]     Another object of the present invention is to provide cart or dolly that is portable.  
         [0008]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable cart or dolly that is compact and easily carried.  
         [0009]     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a portable cart or dolly that can be stored in a container adapted from components that make up the cart or dolly.  
         [0010]     In addition to the objects and advantages of the present invention set forth above, various other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent to persons skilled in the art from a reading of the detailed description section of this document. Such other objects and advantages will become particularly apparent when the detailed description is considered in conjunction with the attached drawings and with the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a top view of two wheels, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , being used to form a storage compartment for a disassembled dolly wherein disassembled members of the portable dolly are shown.  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a side view of two wheels, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , being used to form a storage compartment for a disassembled dolly wherein disassembled members of the portable dolly are shown.  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of a disassembled component of an axle, a frame member or a cross-member in a preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view of three interconnecting components as shown in  FIG. 4 , comprising a structural member of the dolly when assembled.  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention showing the assembly as it folds.  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  is a cross sectional view of the assembly stored in a tube or box.  
         [0020]      FIG. 10  is a is a cross sectional view of the assembly stored in a bag.  
         [0021]      FIG. 11  is a a front view, partially in cross section, showing the storage of the dolly in one wheel with a lid.  
         [0022]      FIG. 12  is a side view, partially in cross section, of the storage of the dolly shown in  FIG. 11 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 13  is a front view of a portion of the framework showing the telescoping means. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     Before describing the present invention in detail, for the sake and clarity of understanding, the reader is advised that identical components having identical functions in each of the accompanying drawings have been marked with the same reference numerals throughout each of the several Figures illustrated herein.  
         [0025]     A cart or dolly capable of supplementing transportation of a cargo but small enough and light enough to unobtrusively fit on a backpack or over a shoulder would be an item backpackers, hunters or hikers would find extremely useful. In urban situations, it would be handy to have a compact cart or dolly stored away in a corner of the trunk of a car.  
         [0026]     Illustrated in  FIG. 1  is a collapsible dolly, generally designated  10 , depicting the preferred embodiment of the present invention, such collapsible dolly has two wheels  2  and  2   a , rotatably engaged to opposing ends of an axle  3 . Two frame members  4  are engaged with and extend outwardly from axle  3 . Two cross-members  5  are shown attached at right angles to the frame members  4 . Attached to frame members  4  is strap  6  for securing the intended cargo to the frame  4 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment of the invention wherein only one wheel  2  is used. As in  FIG. 1 , two frame members  4  are engaged with and extend outwardly from axle  3  and two cross-members  5  are engaged with frame members  4 .  
         [0028]     In embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  7  included herein as well as other embodiments not illustrated herein, cross-member  5  is an embodiment of a means for carrying a load upon the assembled dolly. A means of carrying a load may be that two frame members are directly secured together, as in  FIG. 7 , the securing means being a bolt or pin that connects the two intersecting frame members to make the structure of the cart more rigid and supportive of loads that are carried. Generally, a cross-member intersects one or more frame members to make the dolly more stable.  
         [0029]     Another means of carrying a load is to secure a net  12  to the dolly, as depicted in  FIG. 7 . The net  12  serves to hold an irregularly shaped load to the cart in order to facilitate movement of the cart.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  depicts the wheels  2  and  2   a  fitted together to form a compartment  20  for storage. Each wheel  2  and  2   a  is open on one side to form a bowl-like configuration of a wheel with one side open. Wheel  2   a  fits inside wheel  2  with the open sides of wheel  2  and  2   a  facing. Each wheel  2  and  2   a  acts as a lid to complete the compartment  20 . When the dolly is disassembled structural members  7  and threaded rods  8  are placed inside the compartment  20 . Strap  6  may be used to provide a carrying strap for the storage compartment  20  or as a binding strap for compartment  20 . Strap  6  may have a dual purpose with compartment  20  as a carrying and binding strap or strap  6  may be stored in compartment  20 .  
         [0031]     In  FIGS. 1, 2  and  7 , frame members  4 , cross-members  5  and axle members  3  are constructed of interconnecting sections  7  that, when connected to a desired length, comprise respectively the frame members  4 , the cross-members  5  and the axle member  3 . The components of the frame  4 , cross-member  5  and axle  3  are illustrated in  FIG. 5  as a structural member  7 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a detail of a structural member  7  which is, combined with additional structural members  7  as required, comprising frame members  4 , axle member  3  and cross-members  5  in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Each structural member  7  is threaded internally to allow a correspondingly sized threaded rod  8  to be screwed into one or both ends of structural member  7 . Each threaded rod  8  is screwed into the internally threaded portion of a second structural member  7  to bring the two structural members  7  together axially aligned. The process of end-to-end connection of structural member  7  is repeated as required to assemble each of the required frame members  4 , cross-members  5  and axles  3  for a desired length.  FIG. 6  illustrates three structural members  7  threadably connected with threaded rods  8  to form the basic structure of any one of the frame members  4 , cross-members  5  or axle members  3 .  
         [0033]     When the frame members  4  and cross-members  5  are engaged to the axle  3  and the wheel  2  or wheels  2  and  2   a  are rotatably attached to the axle  3 , the dolly  10  is ready for transporting suitably shaped and sized cargo. When dolly  10  is disassembled the structural members  7  and the threaded rods  8  are stored in the container  20  for transport or storage.  
         [0034]     Such storage can be accomplished by using a bag  16  as seen in  FIG. 10  or a tube/box  14 , with lid  18 , as is evident in  FIG. 9 . As with the storage in the compartment formed by the wheel/wheels all of the parts of the dolly are stored therein. Illustrated in  FIGS. 11 and 12  is the storage accomplished using the compartment formed by one wheel  2  along with a lid  18 .  FIGS. 8 and 13  show alternate embodiments of the invention in which the collapsible dolly  10  is collapsed by means of folding and telescoping.  
         [0035]     It can be seen from the above description that the present invention provides a collapsible wheeled dolly in a collapsed state, capable of compactly fitting into a container that is easily carried. More particularly, the container is created from at least one wheel that is hollow and, in conjunction with a lid or a second wheel used as a lid, provides a convenient container to store the parts of the dolly when not in use in the assembled state.  
         [0036]     While the presently preferred embodiment of the collapsible wheeled dolly has been set forth in detail according to the Patent Act, those persons of ordinary skill in the technical art to which this invention pertains will recognize various alternative ways of practicing the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will also recognize that the foregoing description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit any of the following claims to any particular narrow interpretation.