Apparatus for transporting firewood

An apparatus and method for transporting firewood are provided. The apparatus includes a container having an upright portion and a lower portion extending outwardly from the upright portion. Edges of the upright portion define an upper opening, and edges of the lower portion define a lower opening. Firewood is placed in the upper opening and removed from the lower opening. Doors are provided to cover the upper and lower openings. Wheels are provided to transport the container from one location to another, and belt and sprocket assemblies are provided for enabling smooth transport of the container over obstacles.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates to hand-propelled two-wheeled carts and 
methods for using same. 
BACKGROUND ART 
With the recent increases in the price of fossil fuels, wood has regained 
its popularity as a home heating fuel. This fact is evidenced by the 
current popularity of cast iron wood stoves and fireplaces in areas where 
wood is plentiful. 
Transporting firewood from an outside wood pile to the wood stove, or 
fireplace, is a major chore, because firewood is bulky and heavy, and 
several trips may be required just for a single day's use. In addition, 
the bark of the firewood is often loose, and the area around the stove or 
fireplace often becomes littered with such debris. When more than a few 
pieces of firewood are brought inside, the stacking and storage of such 
wood can also present a problem. 
Thus it can be seen that a need has arisen for a safe and convenient means 
for transporting firewood which alleviates these problems. In particular, 
a need has arisen for an apparatus and method for transporting relatively 
large quantities of firewood and storing such quantities of firewood in an 
easy to retrieve and neat manner. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for transporting 
firewood which provide solutions to the aforementioned difficulties 
inherent in the transportation of firewood. The apparatus includes a 
wheeled container having an upright portion and a lower portion extending 
from the upright portion. Openings are provided in the upright and lower 
portions for the loading of wood and removal of wood from the container. 
Once the container is loaded with wood the container may be transported to 
the desired location. Then, the wood can be removed from the lower 
opening. As individual pieces of wood are removed, the remaining wood 
shifts downward into the lower portion of the container to present a fresh 
supply of wood to the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, apparatus 10 includes container 
12, upper and lower doors 14 and 16, grip 18, wheels 20 and belt and 
sprocket assemblies 22. Apparatus 10 is generally in the form of a 
two-wheeled cart adapted for propulsion by the user grasping grip 18. 
Container 12 is a hollow body having a rectangular upright portion 30 and 
an extended lower portion 32 joined by a curved portion 34. Lower portion 
32 extends from upright portion 30 at approximately a 90 degree angle. As 
shown in FIG. 2, upright portion 30 is characterized by dimension H, and 
lower portion 32 is characterized by dimension L. In the preferred 
embodiment, H is approximately twice as large as L. 
Container 12 includes first and second planar sides 40 and 42, each of 
which includes a vertical portion 44, sectoral portion 46 and horizontal 
portion 48. Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, vertical portions 44 are 
approximately twice as long as horizontal portions 48. As shown in FIG. 4, 
a planar back 50 extends between back edges of vertical portions 44, lower 
cylindrical surface 52 extends between outer circular edges of sectoral 
portions 46 and bottom 54 extends between lower edges of horizontal 
portions 48. Lower cylindrical surface 52 extends between back 50 and 
bottom 54. Referring now again to FIGS. 2 and 3, planar front 56 extends 
between front edges of vertical portions 44 and upper cylindrical surface 
58 extends between inner circular edges of sectoral portions 46. End 60 
extends between the outer edges of horizontal portions 48 and is joined to 
an outer edge of bottom 54. 
Upper door 70 is a planar element pivotally attached to the upper edge of 
back 50 by means of hinges 72. Upper door 70 is sized to cover an opening 
formed by the upper edges of horizontal portions 44, back 50 and front 56. 
Handle 74 extends outwardly from the medial front edge portion of upper 
door 70. 
Lower door 80 is constructed in similar fashion to upper door 70, being a 
planar element pivotally attached to the lower edge of upper cylindrical 
surface 58 by means of hinge 82. Handle 84 extends outwardly from the 
medial front edge portion of lower door 80. Lower door 80 is sized to 
cover a lower opening formed by the upper edges of horizontal portions 48 
and end portion 60 and the lower edge of upper cylindrical surface 58. 
Wheels 20 are rotatably attached at approximately the junction between 
lower cylindrical surface 52 and bottom 54. Each wheel 20 is carried by a 
stub axle 90. 
First and second belt and sprocket assemblies 22 each include a pair of 
sprockets 100 and a toothed resilient belt 102. In preferred form, belt 
102 is a timing belt and sprockets 100 are conventional timing belt 
pulleys. Sprockets 100 are attached to container 12 by means of shafts 
attached to container 12 at approximately the intersection of back 50 and 
lower cylindrical surface 52. Each belt 102 has a belt surface 104 spaced 
outwardly from container 12. 
Grip 18 comprises arms 110 extending from opposite sides of the upper edge 
of back 50. Cross member 112 extends between the uppermost ends of arms 
110. 
As shown in FIG. 2, upper door 70 is disposed at an angle of .theta..sub.1 
with respect to front 56. In preferred form, .theta..sub.1 is 120.degree.. 
Lower door 80 is disposed at an angle of .theta..sub.2 with respect to 
front 56. In preferred form .theta..sub.2 is 60.degree., such that when 
doors 70 and 80 are in the closed positions, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, 
they are parallel. End 60 slopes outwardly with respect to the bottom at 
an angle .theta..sub.3. In preferred form .theta..sub.3 is 120.degree., 
such that door 80 and end 60 are at an angle of 90.degree. when door 80 is 
in the closed position. Grip 18 is disposed at an angle .theta..sub.4 with 
respect to back 50, and in preferred form, .theta..sub.4 is 155.degree.. 
Magnet 120 is attached to front 56 and positioned to contact a portion of 
lower door 80 when it is swung to the open position. 
In the preferred embodiment of apparatus 10, container 12 is constructed of 
sheet steel welded to a tubular frame. Sides 40 are constructed of a 
continuous piece of steel, such that vertical portions 44, sectoral 
portions 46 and horizontal portions 48 are contiguous. Similarly, back 50, 
lower cylindrical surface 52 and bottom 54 are constructed of one piece. 
Front 56 and upper cylindrical surface 58 are likewise constructed of one 
piece. 
In operation, apparatus 10 is used to transport firewood from a first 
location to a second location. At the first location, container 12 is 
loaded with firewood pieces 130 until it is substantially full, as shown 
in FIG. 5. When upper door 70 is in the open position, an upper opening is 
exposed having the dimensions W.sub.1 and W.sub.2. W.sub.1 and W.sub.2 
are sized to accommodate individual pieces 130 of wood, and in the 
preferred embodiment, W.sub.1 is 30 inches and W.sub.2 is 11 inches. 
Similarly, when lower door 80 is in the open position, a lower opening is 
exposed having dimensions W.sub.1 and W.sub.3 chosen to accommodate 
removal of pieces 130. In preferred form, W.sub.1 is 30 inches and W.sub.2 
is 12 inches. 
An important feature of the invention is the gravity feed of firewood from 
the upright portion of the container to the lower portion. As pieces 130 
are removed from the lower opening, gravity causes the remaining pieces of 
firewood to shift downwardly. Whenever a piece 130 is removed from the 
lower opening, a fresh piece 130 takes its place. 
As shown in FIG. 6, belt and sprocket assemblies 22 aid in transporting the 
apparatus over obstacles, such as stairs 140. Surface 104 of belt 102 is 
translatable relative container 12 and engages the apex of each stair 
step, allowing the smooth ascent or descent of stairs 140. 
While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in 
detail herein and shown in the accompanying drawings, it will be evident 
that various further modifications are possible without departing from the 
scope of the invention.