Abstract:
A vehicle wheel dolly is provided that includes a generally flat first plate, a first side wall, said first side wall extending generally upward from said first plate at a first side edge, a second side wall, said second side wall extending generally upward from said first plate at a second side edge, a rear wall, said rear wall extending generally upward from said first plate at a rear edge and intersecting said first side wall and said second side wall, a second plate, said second plate extending generally horizontally outward from said first side wall at a top edge, a third plate, said third plate extending generally horizontally outward from said second side wall at a top edge, at least one caster and wherein said first plate, said side first wall, said second side wall, and said rear wall create a well for accepting a tire and wheel assembly of a vehicle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit of priority based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/022,321 filed on Jan. 19, 2008, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    The present invention relates generally to apparatuses for elevating and moving vehicles about a surface, and, more specifically to a vehicle wheel dolly that may be used to elevate a vehicle without the use of a vehicle lifting device. 
         [0006]    2. Background Art 
         [0007]    There is often a need to manually move vehicles about a service garage or storage area without operating and moving the vehicle under its own power. One such way to move vehicles is to manually push the vehicles about the garage on its own four wheels and tires. Because these vehicles may weigh several thousand pounds, moving vehicles manually in this manner may be time consuming and cumbersome. Often the vehicles may only be moved easily in one direction, forward and rearward. Many times a second or third individual may be needed to steer the vehicle in the intended direction of movement. 
         [0008]    Another means used to move vehicles about the garage is with a motorized vehicle dolly. A single individual may operate the motorized dolly and move the vehicle. The motorized dolly may engage two or four of the wheels of the vehicle and can be used to move the vehicle easily about any area. While these motorized dollies are useful, they are often expensive and not practical for everyday use by small repair shop operators or individual vehicle owners that do their own repair work or vehicle modifications. 
         [0009]    Another possible means of moving vehicles about a garage or storage area is with the use of wheel dollies. Wheel dollies are generally constructed of metal plates having casters or rollers that are capable of supporting a wheel assembly of a vehicle. These casters or rollers are capable of rotating 360 degrees so that the dolly may move easily in any direction. Individual dollies may be positioned under each of the four wheels or either the two front or two rear wheels such that the vehicle may be elevated from the surface on the dollies. Once elevated on the dollies, the vehicle may be moved easily in any direction by simply pushing the vehicle about an area. The smaller casters or rollers have much lower frictional forces to over come than the larger wheels of a vehicle, thus allowing for the vehicle to be easily moved when positioned on the dollies. 
         [0010]    The difficult aspect with this mode of moving vehicles is that the vehicle must be lifted off the floor or ground and a dolly positioned under each of the wheels to be elevated. Many times a mechanized floor lift may be used to elevate a vehicle weighing several thousand pounds so that the dollies may be positioned under each wheel and the vehicle lowered onto them. Often, individual car owners who work on their own cars or small shop owners can not afford these expensive and space consuming lifts to raise a vehicle to a point where dollies may be placed under each wheel. These individuals must resort to “jacking up” or raising a single wheel at a time and sliding a dolly under the tire, then move to the next wheel to repeat the process. This process may be very time consuming, and, more importantly, a safety risk to the individual performing the operation. 
         [0011]    Therefore, a need exists for a vehicle wheel dolly having wheels or casters that not only allows an individual to move a vehicle with ease in any direction, but also allows the individual to position the dolly under each wheel without having to first raise the vehicle off the ground with a lift or jack. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    In accordance with the present invention, a vehicle wheel dolly is provided that includes a generally flat first plate, a first side wall, said first side wall extending generally upward from said first plate at a first side edge, a second side wall, said second side wall extending generally upward from said first plate at a second side edge, a rear wall, said rear wall extending generally upward from said first plate at a rear edge and intersecting said first side wall and said second side wall, a second plate, said second plate extending generally horizontally outward from said first side wall at a top edge, a third plate, said third plate extending generally horizontally outward from said second side wall at a top edge, at least one caster and wherein said first plate, said side first wall, said second side wall, and said rear wall create a well for accepting a tire and wheel assembly of a vehicle. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The features and inventive aspects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings, of which the following is a brief description: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a wheel and tire assembly of a vehicle positioned on the vehicle wheel dolly according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3A  is a side view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3B  is a top view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3C  is a front view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3D  is a rear view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4A  is a side view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4B  is a side view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 4C  is a top view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4D  is a front view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4E  is a rear view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 4F  is a front view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 4G  is an enlarged view of the hinge assembly of  FIGS. 4C and 4F  according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4H  is an exploded view of the hinge assembly of  FIG. 4G  according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5A  is a side view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to still another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5B  is a top view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6A  is a side view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0031]      FIG. 6B  is a side view of the wheel and tire assembly of the vehicle positioned on the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to still another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 8A  is a side view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to another embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 8B  is a top view of the vehicle wheel dolly according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0035]    Referring now to the drawings, several preferred illustrative embodiments of the present invention are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent several embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain the present invention. Further, the embodiments set forth herein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise to limit or restrict the invention to the precise forms and configurations shown in the drawings and disclosed in the following detailed description. 
         [0036]    A vehicle wheel dolly  10  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2  having a plate  12  that includes a rear wall  14  extending generally vertical from plate  12 . Rear wall  14  may include an aperture  68  sized large enough to be used as a handle for lifting dolly  10 . Plate  12  further includes a pair of side walls  16  and  18  that extend generally outward from plate  12  and intersect rear wall  14 . The intersections of plate  12 , rear wall  14  and side walls  16  and  18  create a well  20  for capturing a wheel and tire assembly  11  of a vehicle. In this particular embodiment, side walls  16  and  18  are shown extending from plate  12  at a particular angle. It is important to note that side walls  16  and  18  may extend from plate  12  at any angle. Extending generally horizontal from the top portion of side wall  16  and  18  respectively are flats  22  and  24 . Flats  22  and  24  intersect rear wall  14  near a top edge of rear wall  14 . 
         [0037]    A lip  26  extends generally vertical from a front edge of plate  12 . Lip  26  may be sized to allow wheel and tire assembly  11  to scale lip  26  rather effortlessly such that wheel and tire assembly  11  may move into or out of well  20  with minimal force (see e.g.  FIG. 2 ). Lip  26  may also extend slightly below plate  12  as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3A . Lip  26  protrudes below plate  12  to limit the amount of tilt or lift that dolly  10  will experience as wheel and tire assembly  11  enter well  20 . Similarly, rear wall  14  may also extend slightly below plate  12 . The extension of rear wall  14  below plate  12  may prevent dolly  10  from tipping upward excessively when wheel and tire assembly  11  contact rear wall  14  after entering well  20 . Limiting the excessive upward motion of dolly  10  as wheel and tire assembly  11  move into and out of well  20  will aid in preventing dolly  10  from contacting and possibly damaging the vehicle. 
         [0038]    Dolly  10  also includes wings  28  and  30  that extend generally outward from plate  12  at lip  26  to intersect side walls  16  and  18  and flats  22  and  24 . Wings  28  and  30  extend in such a manner from plate  12  such that an opening  46  is left at lip  26  to allow for the passage of wheel and tire assembly  11  into and out of well  20 . Dolly  10  may be fabricated in this manner to provide stability and strength to capture any size wheel and tire assembly in well  20 . 
         [0039]    Positioned at four corners of dolly  10  are four wheels or casters  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38 . Wheels  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  allow for dolly  10  to be rolled upon any generally flat surface. Wheels  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  may be any type of standard wheel or caster that are well known in the art and are capable of supporting the weight or partial weight of a vehicle. Wheels  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  may be secured to dolly  10  at flats  22  and  24  either by welding the wheel assemblies to the flats or by fastening wheel assemblies to the flats through a hole or holes in the flats and using a common nut and bolt assembly to securely fasten wheels  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  to flats  22  and  24 . 
         [0040]    Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS.  2  and  3 A- 3 D, rear wall  14  may include a roller assembly  40  to aid in absorbing any excess force that may be exerted by wheel and tire assembly  11  to overcome lip  26  when entering well  20 . Roller assembly  40  may also be used as a handle for easily carrying dolly  10 . 
         [0041]    Vehicle wheel dolly  10  may be operated in the following manner. Dolly  10  may be positioned either in front of or behind wheel and tire assembly  11  (the operational description will continue as though wheel dolly  10  were positioned in front of wheel and tire assembly  11 ). Once positioned, the vehicle may be pushed forward such that wheel and tire assembly  11  encounters lip  26  of dolly  10 . The distance between plate  12  and the surface wheel and tire assembly  11  is resting on is such that minimal force may be required for wheel and tire assembly  11  to climb lip  26  and enter well  20 . However, as wheel and tire assembly begins to climb lip  26 , some titling upward of the rear section of dolly  10  may occur as a large amount of vehicle weight is introduced at the front section of dolly  10 . The portion of lip  26  that extends below plate  12  will act to limit any upward tilting of the rear section of dolly  10  in an attempt to prevent the rear section of dolly  10  from contacting the vehicle. Similarly, as wheel and tire assembly  11  continues forward in well  20  and approaches rear wall  14 , the front section of dolly  10  may begin to tilt upward. As with lip  26 , the portion of rear wall  14  that extends below plate  12  will operate to limit the upward tilt of the front section of dolly  10 , thereby aiding in the attempt to prevent dolly  10  from contacting the vehicle. Wheel and tire assembly  11  will be seated about the middle of well  20  to distribute weight evenly throughout dolly  10 . The above is an illustrative example of how to position the wheel and tire assembly on vehicle wheel dolly  10 . Other means to position the wheel and tire assembly on dolly  10  may include operating the vehicle and driving the wheel and tire assembly into well  20  and onto dolly  10 . Once wheel and tire assembly  11  is elevated and seated in well  20  and the vehicle is secured (i.e. gear selector is placed in park, wheels chocked, brakes applied, etc.), the vehicle may be easily pushed about the surface in any direction on dolly  10  and casters  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38 . 
         [0042]    Vehicle wheel dolly  10  may be removed from the vehicle in much the same manner as dolly  10  was introduced. When the desired location is reached, wheel and tire assembly  11  may be removed from well  20  simply by pushing the vehicle in the opposite direction from loading wheel and tire assembly  11  into well  20 . The front section of dolly  10  may again tilt upward as wheel and tire assembly  11  encounters and climbs lip  26  on its way out of well  20 . As described above, the portion of lip  26  that extends below plate  12  may limit the upward tilt of the front section of dolly  10 . Once out of well  20 , wheel and tire assembly  11  will back resting on the surface once again and no longer elevated on dolly  10 . 
         [0043]    In another embodiment of the present invention illustrated by  FIGS. 4A-4H , dolly  10  may include a tailgate  42  and a hinge assembly  44 . Tailgate  42  may be secured to plate  12  of dolly  10  at opening  46  with hinge assembly  44 . As shown in  FIG. 4G , plate  12  may include cylinders  48  and  70  and tailgate  42  may include cylinder  50  such that when plate  12  and tailgate  42  are positioned, cylinders  48 ,  70  and  50  may be aligned so that a shaft  52  may be introduced through cylinders  48 ,  70  and  50  to secure tailgate  42  to plate  12 . Cylinders  48 ,  70  and  50  and shaft  52  are manufactured and positioned such that hinge assembly  44  is created and tailgate may be rotated from a lower position to upper position with respect to dolly  10 . 
         [0044]    Hinge  44  may include a locking mechanism  54  that will secure tailgate  14  in either the upper or lowered position. Cylinders  48  and  50  may be used in one such locking mechanism. In this particular locking mechanism  54 , cylinder  48  of plate  12  includes a first slot  56  and a second slot  58  for engaging a pin  60  of cylinder  50 . As tailgate  42  is in the upper position, pin  60  of cylinder  50  engages first slot  56  of plate  12 . When there is a desire to lower tailgate  42 , tailgate  42  may be slide transversely in a first direction about shaft  52  such that pin  60  of cylinder  50  disengages first slot  56 , tailgate  42  may then be lowered to the open position and slide transversely about shaft  52  in a second direction such that a front edge of pin  60  of cylinder  50  now engages second slot  58  thereby preventing tailgate  42  from being raised prematurely. When secured in the lower position, tailgate  42  allows wheel and tire assembly  11  to be easily rolled into or out of well  20  of dolly  10 . When tailgate  42  is secured in the raised or upper position, well  20  of dolly  10  is closed and secures wheel and tire assembly  11  in well  20 . 
         [0045]    Hinge  44  may also include a spring  62  that is positioned around shaft  52  between cylinders  70  and  50  to bias pin  60  of cylinder  50  to engage first slot  56  and second slot  58  of cylinder  48  depending on the position of tailgate  42 . Spring  62  may be used in this manner such that a higher amount of force is required to move tailgate  14  in a first direction to disengage pin  60  from first slot  56  and second slot  58  thereby adding a measure of safety when introducing and securing tire and wheel assembly  11  in well  20  of dolly  10 . 
         [0046]    In yet another embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , dolly  10  may include outriggers  64   a  and  64   b.  Outriggers  64  are positioned parallel to dolly  10  along side walls  16 ,  18  and extend past rear wall  14  and wings  28  and  30  of front wall  66 . Outriggers  64  include casters  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38  positioned at each end. Outriggers  64  may be attached to the four corners of dolly  10  by aligning holes in dolly  10  and outriggers  64  such that a bolt and nut fasteners may be used to assemble outriggers  64  to dolly  10 . Alternatively, outriggers  64  may be welded to dolly  10 . 
         [0047]    Wheel and tire assembly  11  may be introduced to dolly  10  in the same manner as the other described embodiments. In this particular embodiment, however, as wheel and tire assembly  11  enters well  20 , outriggers  64  prevent the rear of dolly  10  from tipping upward. The positioning of outriggers  64  is such that they extend outward away from dolly  10  and, more specifically, away from lip  26 . As wheel and tire assembly  11  cross over lip  26 , outriggers  64  prevent the rear of dolly  10  from tilting upward and as such prevent dolly from contacting the vehicle. In same manner, as wheel and tire assembly  11  move to the rear of dolly  10 , outriggers  64  prevent the front of dolly from tilting upward and contacting the vehicle. A ramp may be used (not shown) and positioned at lip  26  at the front of dolly  10  to aid wheel and tire assembly  11  as it enters well  20 . Alternatively, outriggers  64  may be used in conjunction with tailgate  42  to ease the entry of wheel and tire assembly  11  into well  20 . 
         [0048]    In still another embodiment of the present invention illustrated in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , dolly  10  is designed such that wheels or casters  32  and  34  are a fulcrum point for dolly  10 . In this particular embodiment, lip  26  extends generally vertically below plate  12 . In an unloaded position, lip  26  contacts the floor or other surface along with casters  32  and  34  as shown in  FIG. 6A . Caster  36  and  38  are lifted off the floor or other surface. As wheel and tire assembly  11  are introduced to dolly  10 , the tire encounters lip  26  as wheel and tire assembly  11  enters well  20 . As the wheel and tire assembly  11  passes casters  32  and  34 , dolly  10  begins to tilt forward until casters  36  and  38  contact the floor or other surface. As described in other embodiments, rear wall  14  extends generally vertical below plate  12  and will contact the floor or other surface to prevent the front end of dolly  10  from contacting the vehicle as wheel and tire assembly  11  settles into well  20 . With wheel and tire assembly  11  now seated in well  20 , lip  26  no longer contacts the floor or other surface and dolly  10  may be moved easily on casters  32 ,  34 ,  36  and  38 . 
         [0049]    Dolly  10  may be fabricated from any material that will provided adequate strength to support the weight or partial weight of an automobile while at the same time allowing for the vehicle to be easily moved when each of the wheels of the vehicle are seated in dolly  10 . In this particular example, a type of steel has been used to illustrate the fabrication process. It is important to note that any type of material may be used to fabricate dolly  10  and steel has been used merely for illustrative purposes. 
         [0050]    In the embodiments described above, dolly was described as being in the general shape of a rectangle. It is important to note that dolly  10  may be fabricated in any design while still maintaining an easy way to position a vehicle onto the dollies with out the use of a vehicle jack or other means of raising the vehicle. For example, dolly  10  may be designed in a generally triangular shape as illustrated in  FIG. 7A . Dolly  10 , in this configuration, still maintains the concepts of raising a vehicle off the floor without a jack or lift, yet is a different shape. 
         [0051]    Any number of wheels or casters may be added to the initial four casters of dolly  10 . For example, two more casters may be added to dolly  10  to accommodate heavier vehicles as illustrated in  FIGS. 8A and 8B . The heavier vehicles may be driven or pushed onto dolly  10  in much the same manner as described in the various embodiments above. 
         [0052]    The present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the foregoing embodiments, which are merely illustrative of the best modes presently known for carrying out the invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the method within the scope of these claims and their equivalents by covered thereby. This description of the invention should be understood to include all novel and non-obvious combination of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel non-obvious combination of these elements. Moreover, the foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application.