Space saver cart

Described herein is a movable cart of the "push" type, adapted to carry various items of hardware or building material such as lumber, carpentry materials, plumbing supplies, and the like. The cart comprises a base frame including a split level deck or platform member which consists of a rear deck member and a front deck member, the rear deck member being of slightly larger dimensions than, and positioned slightly above, the front deck member. Both front and rear deck members are rectangular, and may be (and preferably are) provided with decking. The base frame is provided with small wheels or casters, are rollably moving the cart. The cart also includes a pair of parallel upstanding members attached to the ends of the base frame and inclined slightly forwardly from the vertical, to the upper ends of which members is secured an open-ended tray member of rectangular outline, which projects forwardly a predetermined distance form the upstanding members and a connecting member joining their upper ends. The split level deck construction of the cart is such that when the front of a first cart of this type is pushed against the rear of a second cart of the same type the two carts will "nest" together by virtue of the front deck member of the first cart sliding beneath the rear deck member of the second cart, thus enabling the carts to be stored in a minimum of floor space when not in use.

The present invention relates generally to movable carts of the "push" 
type, and more particularly to movable carts of a type suitable to carry 
various items of hardware, and which are adapted to nest together so that 
two or more such carts will occupy a minimum of floor space. 
Movable carts of various types are well known and have been extensively 
used; and likewise, various types of nestable or interlocking carts and 
carriages have been described in the art, and have found practical use, as 
for example in retail stores, supermarkets, and warehouses. For instance 
it is known to utilize carts in the food distribution industry which are 
foldable or collapsible in some manner, to save floor space. 
An example of a known cart is described in Canadian Pat. No. 985,715 of 
Harold Isaacs, issued Mar. 16, 1976. This patent describes a 
self-supporting nesting cart which is free standing and has conventional 
running gear including swivel mounted wheels. In the Isaacs' cart, as 
described in Canadian Pat. No. 985,715, a pair of parallel main frame 
members extend vertically from a lower shelf and are supported by a 
horizontally extending main frame member connecting to and between the 
main frame members. A second shelf is located above the lower shelf and 
the horizontal support beam (see particularly FIG. 9). Both shelves are 
split and each half is hinged to their respective vertically extending 
main frame member. This arrangement and the spatial relationship of the 
running gear facilitates the nesting function wherein the cart is capable 
of being compactly fit into or within another cart of the same type (see 
FIG. 7). 
In a somewhat similar manner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,702 to Wilson discloses a 
warehouse transport cart having a wheeled base from which four parallel 
uprights extend vertically. A pair of horizontal support beams 20 and 22 
extend between each parallel pair of vertical uprights. The cart has a 
hinged bottom, the hinge running along the length of the cart such that 
the bottom shelf may be turned up when the cart is empty to permit the 
cart to be nested with similar carts when not in use to conserve space. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,928,681 (Wilson) describes a nestable wheeled tray carrying 
rack having a generally U-shaped bottom member. 
Canadian Pat. No. 525,186 to Breitenbach discloses an adjustable and 
expansible all-purpose rack mounted on wheels. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,081 to Becker relates to a busing cart for use in 
restaurants, cafeterias or the like having S-shaped side frame members 
supporting conventional running gear and having variable shelf 
arrangements. 
Canadian Pat. No. 1,067,535 to Romero relates to a store merchandising 
apparatus for storage and display of retail merchandise. This mobile 
merchandising cart is comprised of a U-shaped base means having a pair of 
substantially parallel upright posts and extending vertically from the 
base. The upright posts are supported by a tubular cross brace. A 
plurality of removable shelves may be suspended by a series of notches 
located along each upright post and allows for variable spacing of the 
shelves. 
Many of the movable carts which have been previously known and used, while 
they are satisfactory for the storage or transportation in stores or 
warehouses of goods such as grocery items, and also may be stacked or 
nested together to conserve space, are not ideally suited for storage of a 
variety of hardware items which typically are in a great variety of shapes 
and sizes--from small items such as fasteners (nails, screws, bolts, nuts, 
etc.) to elongated sheets, bars and the like, for instance, 8'.times.4' 
sheets of material. Furthermore, while movable carts are known which are 
generally adapted for the storage and/or transport of hardware items of 
the type referred to above, they are generally of a type or construction 
which is not adapted to being stored in a compact manner when not in use. 
The present invention provides a mobile cart which is suitable for the 
storage and transport of a variety of miscellaneous hardware items, and at 
the same time is designed so as to interlock or "nest" so that two or more 
such carts will occupy a minimum of floor space when the carts are not in 
use. 
According to the present invention there is provided a movable cart 
comprising: 
(a) a base frame provided with means for rollably moving said cart, said 
base frame including a longitudinally extending beam member and two deck 
support members, each of generally rectangular outline, attached to said 
beam member and extending horizontally outwardly in mutually opposed 
directions from the points of attachment to said beam member, the first 
said member being positioned at a level slightly below that of the second 
said member; 
(b) elongated support means vertically extending from and connected to said 
base frame; and 
(c) an open-ended rectangular tray member secured to and projecting 
outwardly from said vertically extending support means at its upper end, 
said tray member being parallel to and vertically spaced apart from said 
first deck support member of said base frame; 
said cart being constructed and arranged such that when the first said cart 
is brought into juxtaposition with a second said cart the first deck 
support member of said base support means of said first cart will nest 
beneath the second deck support member of said second cart. 
More particularly, the present invention provides a movable cart 
comprising: 
(a) a base frame including a longitudinally extending beam member, said 
base frame also including a rear deck member of rectangular outline, said 
rear deck member being secured to one side of said longitudinally 
extending beam member, at the top thereof; and a generally rectangular 
front deck member secured to the opposite side of said beam member at the 
bottom thereof, and projecting outwardly a predetermined distance from 
said base frame member, said front deck member being of smaller dimensions 
than the rear deck member and being at a level slightly below that of said 
rear deck member; 
(b) said base frame being provided with means for rollably moving said 
cart, secured to the outer corners of said rear deck member and front deck 
member; 
(c) a pair of parallel elongated upstanding members secured to the ends of 
said base frame member; said upstanding members being inclined slightly 
forwardly from the vertical; 
(d) a connecting member integrally joined to the upper ends of said 
upstanding members; and 
(e) an open-ended tray member of rectangular outline, secured to said 
connecting member along one side thereof, and projecting forwardly 
therefrom a predetermined distance, said tray member being parallel to and 
vertically spaced apart from said front deck member; 
said cart being so constructed and arranged that when the front of a first 
such cart is brought into juxtaposition with the rear of a second said 
cart, the front deck member of said first cart will nest beneath the rear 
deck member of said second cart. 
Preferably there is also included at least one set of forwardly projecting 
members, each member of said pair being attached to a respective one of 
said pair of parallel upstanding members, said set of projecting members 
being vertically spaced from, and parallel to, said tray member and said 
front deck member. These forwardly projecting members serve as support for 
additional shelves or trays which may be attached to or placed on the 
front of the cart.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a movable cart 10 of the 
"push" type which comprises a generally rectangular base frame 12 
including a longitudinally extending beam member 14, and also including 
two members 16,18 each of generally rectangular outline, which are 
integrally attached to beam member 14 and extend horizontally outwardly 
therefrom in mutually opposed directions normal to the axis of beam member 
14. Member 16, which may be considered as a rear deck member, is 
constructed such that it is positioned at a level slightly above front 
deck member 18, and is integrally attached to the top of beam member 14. 
Front deck member 18, which is attached to the bottom of beam member 14, 
is of smaller dimensions than rear deck member 16, as can be seen from 
FIGS. 1 and 3. Secured to the base frame 12 in any suitable manner, at the 
outer corners of rear deck member 16 and front deck member 18, are means 
for rollably moving the cart, such as omnidirectional swivel casters 19,20 
and 21,22, respectively. 
Secured to the ends of base frame 12 such as by attachment to bracket 
members 24,26, fixed to the ends of base frame member 12, are a pair of 
parallel, elongated upstanding members 28,30. Members 28,30 extend 
upwardly from the base frame member and also forwardly at a slight angle 
.alpha. from the vertical (see FIG. 2). A connecting member 32 (see FIG. 
1) is integrally joined to the upper ends 27,29 of upstanding members 
28,30, respectively. An open-ended tray member 34 of rectangular outline 
is secured to the forward side of connecting member 32 and projects 
forwardly therefrom. Tray member 34 includes an outer flange member 35 
extending upwardly along its outer longitudinal edge, and also an inner 
flange member 33 integrally joined to connecting member 32 and to 
upstanding members 28,30. Tray member 34 is parallel to and vertically 
spaced apart from, front deck member 18, and is of such dimensions that 
its front longitudinal edge 37 is flush with the front longitudinal edge 
23 of front deck member 18--that is, front longitudinal edge 37 of tray 
member 34 is on a line l extending vertically upwardly from edge 23 of 
front deck member 18 (see FIG. 2). 
Cart 10 as illustrated also includes a pair of forwardly projecting members 
36,38 attached, respectively, to upstanding members 28,30. Forwardly 
projecting members 36,38 are vertically spaced from and are parallel to, 
both front deck member 18 and tray member 34, and they extend outwardly, 
from their points of attachment to upstanding members 28,30, such that 
their ends are flush with edge 23 of front deck member 18 and edge 37 of 
tray member 34. 
If desired, the cart may be provided with additional pairs of forwardly 
projecting members (not shown) similar to members 36,38, and in each case, 
being vertically spaced from and parallel to, front deck member 18 and 
tray member 34 and also members 36,38. 
These forwardly projecting members can serve as shelf support members and 
also to support elongated items such as for example boards, laths, strips 
of material, etc. 
The cart as illustrated further includes upstanding projections 40,42 
secured to the corners of rear deck member 16. Rear deck member 16 is 
provided with a suitably dimensioned deck or platform 15, and likewise 
front deck member 18 is provided with a suitably dimensioned deck or 
platform 17. Upstanding projections 40, 42 assist in holding material 
carried by the rear deck, and to keep such material from sliding off the 
deck. 
Cart 10 may be constructed of any suitable material, but a preferred 
material of construction is metal, e.g. steel. The decks or platforms 
15,17 may also be constructed of any suitable material; however preferably 
they are of wood 3/4" thick plywood is an especially preferred material 
for constructing platforms 15,17. The various component elements of the 
cart may be connected or joined together in any suitable manner. A 
preferred manner of connection, however, for the component elements of the 
cart (other than platforms 15,17) is by welding. 
A feature of the present invention is that, when the carts as described 
above are not in use for holding or transporting miscellaneous hardware 
items of varying shapes or sizes, they may be nested or interlocked 
together so as to save storage space. This feature will now be further 
described, with particular reference to FIGS. 5-7 of the drawings. 
Reference will be made herein to the "nesting" of two carts of this 
invention; however it is to be understood that any number of similar carts 
may be similarly nested together to conserve space. 
The various parts of the interlocked carts are identified by the same 
reference numerals, except that for a second cart a given part is 
identified by a "prime", viz. the first cart is denoted 10, the second 
cart 10'; the first rear deck member is denoted 16, the second 16', and so 
on. 
When it is desired to nest or interlock together two carts of the present 
invention, the forward part of cart 10 is pushed into contact with the 
rearward part of similar cart 10'. As previously mentioned, front deck 
member 18 is at a level slightly below rear deck member 16 and is of 
smaller dimensions than the rear deck member, and similarly, front deck 
member 18 of the first cart is positioned slightly below rear deck member 
16 of the second cart and is of smaller dimensions than said rear deck 
member 16'. Consequently, when first cart 10 is pushed forwardly into 
contact with the rear of a second similar cart 10', front deck member 18 
of the first cart, will slide beneath rear deck member 16' of second cart 
10' until the front edge 23 thereof abuts beam member 14' of base frame 
12' of the second cart, at which point the carts are in the nested or 
interlocked position. Since upstanding members 28,30 and 28',30' of the 
first and second carts, respectively, are inclined forwardly at a slight 
angle .alpha. from the vertical, there is still some clearance between 
outer flange member 35 of tray member 34 of the first cart and inner 
flange member 33' and connecting member 29' of the second cart 10', when 
the two carts are in the interlocked position; and likewise, there is some 
clearance between the forward ends of projecting members 36,38 of the 
first cart 10 and upstanding members 28',30' of the second cart when the 
two carts are nested together. Thus forwardly extending tray member 34 and 
projecting members 36,38 of the first cart 10 do not interfere with the 
nesting together of the two carts. 
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the cart has the following 
approximate dimensions: 
deck area: length 24", width 36" 
Height of cart: 393/8" 
The cart is constructed with a split level deck, as will be apparent from 
the preceding description and from the drawings. The longitudinal beam 
member 14 joining the rear deck to the front deck is 1".times.2". 
The rear deck is constructed on the top of beam 14, and has outside 
dimensions of 36".times.13", with an inside clearance of 28".times.11". 
This rear deck is 1" higher than the front deck. The front deck is built 
on the bottom of the common beam 14, which allows for the 1" difference in 
height. The outside dimensions of this deck is 263/4".times.11". This 
construction allows the front deck of one cart (i.e. the first cart 10) to 
nest within the rear deck of the second cart 10', and so on. With a 3/4" 
plywood floor on both decks (15,17) this would allow for a 1/4" clearance 
between the bottom of the rear deck of the second cart 10" and the top of 
the front deck of the first cart 10. When the carts are nested together 
the floor space of each nested 24" cart is reduced by 11". 
The movable carts of the present invention have numerous uses. In 
particular they are useful for transporting any of the following 
materials, or any combination thereof, inside and/or outside a building: 
lumber and mouldings 
carpentry materials and equipment 
plumbing materials and equipment 
electrical materials and equipment 
flooring materials and equipment 
roofing materials and equipment 
cement materials and equipment 
glass materials and equipment, etc. 
The carts may be used either with or without the deck tops (decks or 
platforms 15, 17); however, preferably, for maximum useability, they are 
provided with such deck tops or platforms. 
While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described 
herein, it will be appreciated, and will be obvious to persons skilled in 
the art, that various changes and modifications may be made therein 
without departing from the invention. It is therefore intended that this 
invention not be limited only to what is specifically described and shown 
in the drawings, but only by the claims which follow.