Collapsible cart

A collapsible cart comprising a collapsible storage basket which is mounted on a frame consisting of a longitudinal frame member and a horizontal cross frame member. A pair of wheels are rotatably mounted on the opposite ends of the cross frame member. The frame includes supporting means for supporting the storage basket on the frame members when the basket is in the expanded state and when it is in the collapsed state.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to a multi-purpose hand cart and 
more particularly to a collapsible hand cart which can be broken down into 
a compact package which can be transported and stored very easily. 
Carts have been developed for a variety of purposes and for transporting a 
variety of goods or products. Despite their usefulness, carts present a 
storage problem when not in use and are difficult to transport because of 
their bulk. Some carts have been developed with features for obviating the 
storage and transportation problems. These features include foldable, 
telescopic or detachable frame elements which are effective in reducing 
the overall bulk of the cart. However, in all cases, the storage portion 
of the cart is an integral rigid structure which can not be broken down. 
Since the storage portion represents a substantial portion of the cart, 
storage and transportation of the cart remains a significant problem. 
These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art carts have 
been obviated by the present invention. 
It is, therefore, a principle object of the invention to provide a 
collapsible cart which utilizes a collapsible storage basket. 
Another object of this invention is the provision of a collapsible cart 
which utilizes a collapsible storage basket and which includes basket 
supporting means which automatically support the basket in either its 
expanded state or its collapsed state. 
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a collapsible 
cart which utilizes a collapsible storage basket and which is capable of 
being disassembled into a compact package. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible cart 
which has a simplified framework which consists essentially of two 
elongated elements which are detachably connected. 
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a collapsible 
cart which utilizes a collapsible storage basket and detachable elements 
which are connected by a minimum of finger actuated connecting elements. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a collapsible cart which 
is simple in construction, which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which 
is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of maintenance. 
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled 
in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in 
the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention consists of a collapsible cart having an elongated 
longitudinal frame member, an elongated horizontal frame member, a pair of 
wheels which are rotatably mounted on the ends of the cross frame member, 
a collapsible storage basket having planar rectangular walls which are 
adapted to be folded into a compact stack and means for supporting the 
storage basket on the frame members in the expanded state and the 
collapsed state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the collapsible cart of the present invention is 
generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and is shown as being of 
the type intended for use as a hand cart. The hand cart 10 comprises an 
elongated horizontal tubular frame member, generally indicated by the 
reference numeral 12, and a tubular cross frame member 14 which is 
detachably connected to the longitudinal frame member 12. A collapsible 
basket, generally indicated by the reference numeral 16, is supported on 
the frame members 12 and 14 and a pair of wheels 18 are rotatably mounted 
on the ends of the cross member 14. 
The collapsible basket 16 is a commercially available collapsible storage 
basket and comprises a bottom wall 19, a front wall 20, a back wall 22, 
and a pair of side walls 24. The bottom wall 18 is horizontal and the 
walls 20, 22, and 24 are all vertical when the basket 16 is in the 
expanded condition or state as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. The horizontal 
frame member 12 consists of a horizontal rearward portion 26 which is 
located beneath the bottom wall 19 and a vertical forward portion 28 which 
extends in front of the front wall 20. The rearward portion 26 and the 
forward portion 28 are connected by an intermediate portion 30 which is 
formed into a curved supporting foot 32 where the intermediate portion 30 
joins the forward portion 28. A freely extending horizontal handle portion 
34 extends forwardly from the top of the forward portion 28. 
The longitudinal frame member 12 is detachably connected to the cross frame 
member 14 by means of a flat plate 36 which is fixed (as for example by 
welding) to the horizontal rearward portion 26 and which extends freely 
beneath the cross frame member 14 as shown in FIG. 5. A pair of bolts 38 
extends through the bottom wall 19, the cross member 14 and the plate 36 
for receiving a pair of wing nuts 40. The bolts 38 and wing nuts 40 
detachably connect the plate 36 to the cross member 14 and also connect 
the rearward portion of the collapsible basket 16 to the cross frame 
member 14. Additional bolts 42 also connect the collapsible basket 16 to 
the cross member 14 as shown in FIG. 4. Washers 44 are preferably employed 
between the heads of the bolts 38 and 42 and the bottom wall 18 to provide 
a larger bearing surface against the upper surface of the wall 19, 
particularly when the basket is made of a soft material, such as plastic. 
The forward end of the basket 16 is supported on a rearwardly extending 
flange 47 of a first bracket 46 which is fixed to the vertical forward 
portion 28 of the longitudinal frame member 12. A second bracket 48 is 
also fixed to the vertical forward portion 28 about the first bracket 46 
and includes a rearwardly extending horizontal flange 54 which extends 
above the front wall 20 and terminates in a downwardly extending lip 52. 
The basket 16 also comprises a rectangular top frame 57 which includes a 
top edge 50. The bottom wall 19 is provided with a rectangular upwardly 
extending flange 59. The back wall 22 is pivotally connected to the rear 
end of the top longitudinal legs of the top frame 57 by means of pivot 
pins 58. The front wall 20 is pivotally connected to the longitudinal legs 
of the top frame 57 in the same manner as the back wall 22 by means of 
pivot pins not shown. Each of the side walls 24 is divided into upper and 
lower portions which are pivotally connected by hinges 62. The upper 
portion of each side wall 24 is pivotally connected to the cross legs of 
the top frame 57 by pivot pins 64. The lower portion of each side wall 64 
is pivotally connected to the cross legs of the rectangular flange 59 by 
means of pivot pins 66. When the collapsible basket 16 is in the expanded 
state as shown in FIGS. 1-5, the flange 50 of the second bracket 48 abuts 
the top edge of the forward leg of the top frame 57 and the lip 52 extends 
downwardly inside the top frame 57 as shown in FIG. 1. The second bracket 
48, thereby stabilizes the basket 16 and holds it firmly against the 
forward portion 28 of the frame. Each wheel 18 is rotatably mounted on a 
shaft 70 which is adapted to be inserted into the open end of the cross 
frame member 14 and locked in place by a thumb screw 72. The thumb screw 
72 is threaded into the cross frame member 14 and engages the shaft 70 
which is positioned within the cross member. 
The operation and advantages of the present invention will now be readily 
understood in view of the above description. FIGS. 1-5 show the cart 10 in 
the fully assembled with the collapsible basket 16 in the fully expanded 
state. The cart 10 is collapsed by first collapsing the basket 16. The 
first step in collapsing the basket 16 is to swing the front wall 20 and 
the rear wall 22 towards the middle of the basket so that both walls lie 
within the top frame 57. The side walls 24 are then folded about the 
hinges 62 as shown in FIG. 6 until the top frame 57 rests directly on the 
top edge of the flange 59 as shown in FIG. 7. The thumb screws 72 are then 
loosened so that the shafts 70 can be removed from the cross frame member 
14. The wheels 18 are removed from the ends of the cross frame member and 
positioned on top of the collapsed basket 16 so that the shafts 70 extend 
into appropriate apertures 78 in the front and back walls 20 and 22, 
respectively as shown in FIG. 8. The last step of disassembling the cart 
10 is accomplished by removing the wing nuts 40 from the bolts 38 and 
lowering the plate 36 away from the bolts 38 to remove the longitudinal 
frame member 12 from the cross frame member 14. The horizontal frame 
member 14 is then positioned on top of the wheels 18 to form a complete 
compact package for storage and transporting. The cart 10 is reassembled 
by following the steps of disassembly in the reverse order. After the 
longitudinal frame member 12 is attached to the horizontal frame member 14 
the wheels 18 are applied to the ends of the cross frame member 14. The 
basket 16 is expanded. When expanding the basket 16, the top frame 57 is 
raised absolutely vertically so that the top edge of a forward leg of the 
frame 57 passes in front of the lip 52 before abutting the rearwardly 
extending portion 50 of the second bracket 48. The front and back walls 20 
and 22, respectively, are then lowered about the pivot pins 60 and 58, 
respectively, so that they extend vertically as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction 
of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is 
not, however, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein 
shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly 
come within the scope claimed.