Abstract:
A stowable wagon includes a collapsible frame having a plurality of wheels operably connected to the frame, a handle operably connected to the frame, a case operably connected to the frame such that the frame and wheels in a first mode of operation support the case in a manner to permit articles to be carried within the case and a second mode of operation wherein the frame and wheels are contained within the case for storage thereof.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to wagons. More particularly, the invention relates to a wagon small enough to be pulled by hand, strong enough to carry a significant load, and collapsible into units which can be easily stowed in a case that can be hand-carried and, when opened, serves as the body of the wagon. 
         [0003]    2. Prior Art 
         [0004]    There are many occasions when it is desirable to have a small, easily steerable, load-carrying wagon available for transporting small but heavy loads over terrain that may be far from smooth. There are numerous hand operated load-carrying devices equipped with wheels and capable of moving relatively small loads. Some devices can be broken down into separate components parts, but are not easily carried or storable in a user friendly manner. 
         [0005]    The present invention over comes the deficiencies of the art by providing a wagon small enough to be easily packed into a container that can be hand-carried. Additionally the present invention overcomes the problem of stowing the wagon in a collapsible manner which can easily be stowed in a space saving manner. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    It is a primary object to improve wagons. 
         [0007]    It is another object to provide a wagon that can be hand carried. 
         [0008]    It is still another object to provide a wagon small enough to be towed by hand. 
         [0009]    A further object is to provide a durable wagon which can be readily separated into sections small enough to be stowed in a hand held container. 
         [0010]    It is another object to provide a collapsible wagon which breaks down into multiple components such that some components of the wagon serve a dual purpose of a container for other components in a storage mode and as the body for the wagon when the components are reassembled into a wagon. 
         [0011]    It is another object to provide a wagon with a telescoping tow rod comprising of a universal swivel mount at the front frame, and a hinged handle that, when the wagon frame is stowed in its case, also serves as a handle for the case. 
         [0012]    Persons skilled in the technology with which this invention is concerned may find that, after they have reviewed the following description, together with the drawings, still further objects will become apparent. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an orthographic view of the framework and wheels of a stowable wagon according to this invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the structure in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the structure in  FIG. 1  with its front and rear frame assemblies separated from each other. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the front left frame assembly showing some of the structure for controlling the position of the front wheel between its operating position and its stowed position. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the structure shown in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a orthographic view of one embodiment of a wagon body for mounting on the structure in  FIG. 1  with side rails in the extended and locked position. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the wagon body shown in  FIG. 6   
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a side view of one embodiment of a wagon body mounted on the structure in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a front view of the wagon body as shown in  FIG. 6  body mounted on the structure in  FIG. 1  and one front wheel is turned 90 degrees. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a rear view of the wagon body as shown in  FIG. 6  body mounted on the structure in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0023]      FIG. 11  is a front view of the frame and wheels as shown in  FIG. 1  with the wheels pivoted inwardly to allow the frame assembly to be placed into a front section of the wagon body for storage. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12  is a rear view of the frame and wheels as shown in  FIG. 1  with the wheels pivoted inwardly to allow the rear frame assembly to be placed into a rear section of the wagon body for storage. 
           [0025]      FIG. 13  is a top view of the wagon body forming a storage case with the other components of the structure separated and stowed therein. 
           [0026]      FIG. 14  is an orthographic view of the wagon body in a storage case mode. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0027]      FIG. 8  generally depicts a stowable wagon according to the invention which is generally designated by the numeral  10 .  FIG. 1  shows frame  11  of wagon  10  constructed according to this invention. The frame  11  has longitudinal strengthening means in the form of cylindrical side members  12  and  13  which are joined to its left and right sides. Wheels  15 ,  16 ,  17  and  18  are operably connected to the members  12  and  13  and shown in their operating positions in which they provide rolling support for the frame  11 . 
         [0028]    Portions of the side edges of the frame  11  are formed with, or are rigidly joined to, tubes  20 ,  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 ,  26 ,  27 ,  28  and  29  that receive the cylindrical side members  12  and  13  and impart great strength to the frame  11 . The wheels  15 - 18  are hingedly connected to pivoted about the axis to the members  12  and  13  from there operating positions to storage positions on the underside of the frame  11 . 
         [0029]    In order to facilitate stowing the wagon  10  away or transporting it as luggage from one place to another, the frame  11  is arranged to be separated into front and rear assemblies (parts)  36  and  37  which, when joined together as shown in  FIG. 2 , have a small gap  38  between them. Separation of the frame  11  is accomplished by the cylindrical side members  12  and  13  also being separated into left and right front cylindrical parts  40  and  41  and left and right rear cylindrical parts  42  and  43 . This allows the wagon  10  to be transformed into a carrying case as seen in  FIG. 14 . 
         [0030]    Two front wheel brackets  31  and  32  are operably connected to the front cylindrical side parts  40  and  41  via bearing  45  and  46  which connect to plates  47  and  48  which rigidly attach to the front cylindrical parts  40  and  41 , respectively. When the wheels  15  and  16  are in their operating positions, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the bearings  45  and  46  allow the brackets  31  and  32  to be pivoted, or swiveled, left and right to facilitate guiding the wagon  10  as it is being pulled along. 
         [0031]    It will be noted that the front wheel brackets  31  and  32  are generally U-shaped, in that the bracket  31  comprises an outer panel  50  extending down alongside the outwardly facing side of the wheel  15  and joined by flat side  49  which joins to an inner panel  51  that extends down alongside the inwardly facing side of that wheel  15 . These panels  50  and  51  provide stable supports for an axle  52  of the wheel  15 . The front wheel bracket  32  for the other front wheel  16  is a mirror image of the front wheel bracket  31  and includes a flat side  53  joining outer and inner panels  54  and  55  together to support axle  56 . The axles  52  and  56  for the front wheels  15  and  16 , respectively, can be preferably offset from being directly under the centers of the bearings  45  and  46  so that the front wheels  15  and  16  can caster, allowing the wagon to be easily pulled around a left or right curve as straight ahead. 
         [0032]    The rear wheels  17  and  18  need not be configured to caster. The bracket  33  includes an outer set of struts  58  and  59  integrally joined together and an inner set of struts  60  and  61 , which are also integrally joined together, both of which being arranged in a V configuration to hold the axle  62  for the wheel  17  and spaced wide enough to accommodate the width of the wheel  17 . The outer struts  58  and  59  are shown as being bent 90 degrees at their top ends to form horizontal top plates  63  and  64 , which is wider than the diameter of the cylindrical side member  12 . The top plate  63  and  64  include a terminal connecting tube  65  and  66 , respectively, that are rigidly spaced apart and have the same axial length along the rear cylindrical parts  42  as the plates  63  and  64 . Similarly, the upper ends of the inner struts  60  and  61  include terminal connecting tubes  67  and  68 , respectively, that are also rigidly spaced apart. The tubes  65 ,  66 ,  67 , and  68  form parts of the bracket  33  and are operably connected on the rear cylindrical part  42  yet loose enough to allow bracket  33  to be pivoted from the operating position in which it is shown to a folded position under the rear part  37  of the frame  11  as seen in  FIG. 12 . 
         [0033]    The rear wheel bracket  34  is a mirror image of the rear wheel bracket  33  and comprises similar V-shaped pairs of outer and inner sets of struts. However, very little of the outer set is visible in this drawing except for the horizontal top plates  69  and  70  that have tubes  71  and  72 , respectfully, encircling the rear cylindrical part  43 . The inner struts  73  and  74  of the rear wheel bracket  34  have tubes  75  and  76  at their upper ends. The tubes  71 ,  72 ,  75 , and  76  are operably connected sufficiently loosely on the rear cylindrical part  43  to permit the rear wheel bracket  34  to pivot. It will be shown on later figures that each of the sets of struts in the rear wheel bracket  34  is arranged in a V configuration to hold the axle  77  for the wheel  18 . In order to hold the rear wheels  17  and  18  in their side operating positions, the rear wheel brackets  33  and  34  are provided with folding diagonal braces  78  and  79 , respectively. 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  shows an underside of the frame  11  depicted in  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 3  shows the top of the frame  11  save for the front and rear parts  36  and  37  separated from each other and with the wheels  15 - 18  in their operating positions. The folding diagonal brace  78  comprises a straight, flat inner member  80  connected by a first hinge  81  to the rear part  37  of the frame  11  and by a second hinge  82  to a straight, flat outer member  83 . The outer end of member  83  is connected by a third hinge  84  to the inner struts  60  and  61 . An inner end of the outer member  83  is not visible in the drawing and overlaps part of the inner member  80  adjacent the second hinge  82 , and a sleeve  85  is provided to slide over these overlapping parts to hold the inner and outer members  80  and  83  in alignment so as to keep the wheel  17  in its operating position. 
         [0035]    When the wheel  17  is to be folded against the under surface of the rear part  37  on the frame  11 , the sleeve  85  can be slid along the inner member  80  toward the hinge so that the outer member  83  can fold towards the inner member  80 . The rear part  37  has two generally trapezoidal cutouts  86  and  87 , each of a size and shape to accommodate the inner struts  60  and  61  of the bracket  33  and the inner struts  73  and  74  of the rear wheel bracket  34  to allow these brackets to fold flatter under the rear part  37 . The folding diagonal brace  79  is similarly constructed to the folding diagonal brace  78  and, therefore need not be described in detail. 
         [0036]    The rear part  37  of the frame  11  has a large open areas formed by relatively narrow slats. Slats  89  and  90  define part of the trapezoidal cutout  86 , and slats  91  and  92  define part of the trapezoidal cutout  87 . A slat  93  extends across a front edge of the rear part  37  and joins ends of the slats  89  and  91  at junction areas  94  and  95 . The junction area  94  includes a joined tube  26 , and the junction area  95  includes a joined to tube  27 . 
         [0037]    The rear part  37  of the frame  11  is lock to the rear cylindrical parts  42  and  43  of the cylindrical side member  12  and  13  by machine screws  97  and  98  that pass through the tubes  28  and  29  and are threaded into the rear cylindrical parts  42  and  43 . This prevents any longitudinal or rotational movement of the tubes and, indeed, of the entire rear part  37 , including the fronts tubes  26  and  27  with respect to the rear cylindrical parts. 
         [0038]    The tubes  26  and  27  when operably disposed on rear cylindrical parts  42  and  43  are long enough to enclose and extend beyond the forward ends of the rear cylindrical parts  42  and  43 , leaving space into which rear ends of the front cylindrical parts  40  and  41  can telescope and be received therein. When the front part  36  of the frame  11  is to be rigidly secured to the rear part  37  as in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the rear ends of the front cylindrical parts  40  and  41  are inserted into the front ends of the tubes  26  and  27  and are then secured by spring biased locking pins  99  and  100  that extend through holes  129  in the tubes  26  and  27  and holes  127  aligned therewith in the front cylindrical parts  40  and  41 . The locking pins  99  and  100  are mounted in tabs  101  and  102  rigidly attached to the junction areas  94  and  95 , and substantial tabs  134  and  135  rigidly attach to proximate a mid point of slat  93  and are provided with rings to pull out both pins  99  and  100  at the same time, at least far enough to be disengaged from both sets of cylindrical parts. 
         [0039]    The plates  47  and  48  and the front cylindrical parts  40  and  41  to which they can be rigidly attached to pivot as a unit about the axes of these cylindrical parts to change the positions of the front wheels  15  and  16  to their storage positions from the upright, or operating, positions in which they have thus far been shown. The front part  36  of the frame  11  has two cutouts  103  and  104  shaped to receive the inner panels  51  and  55  of the front wheel brackets  31  and  32  when the wheels  15  and  16  are in their storage positions. Two spring-biased locking pins  106  and  107  mounted in tabs  108  and  109 , respectively, which are rigidly attached on the front part  36  adjacent the rear tubes  24  and  25  in positions to extend through holes  110  in tubes  24  and  25  and into holes  128  in the front cylindrical parts  40  to hold the wheels  15  and  16  in their operating positions. To allow the front cylindrical parts  40  and  41  and the wheels  15  and  16  to pivot to their storage positions, locking pins  106  and  107  are pulled back far enough to disengage from the front cylindrical parts  40  and  41 . 
         [0040]    At the center of the leading edge of the front part  36  of the frame  11  is a tube  111  that holds a collapsible handle  112  by which the wagon  10  may be pulled. The handle  112  comprises several telescoping sections of graduated sizes with latching means on each section to hold the section extended relative to each other. A handgrip  113  is pivotally attached to a forwardmost section  114  and a cross member  115  at a predetermined distance behind the handle  112 . A section  116  at the other end of the handle  112  is attached to the preceding section  117  by a universal joint  118  to permit the handle  112  to be pivoted in any direction as the wagon  10  is being pulled along. The section  116  has a flange  119  at its rear end to prevent the handle  112  from being pulled free of tube  111 . 
         [0041]    The fact that the tubes  28  and  29  are held fixed on the rear cylindrical parts  42  and  43  provide that the tube  26  and  27  are also rigidly fixed on the rear cylindrical parts. The struts  58 - 61  that hold the axle  62  of the wheel  17  are held between the tubes  26  and  28 , and the corresponding arrangement is also true for the wheel  18 . As may be seen, the axial length of the tube  67  is such to permit it to fit on the rear cylindrical part  42  in the space between tube  26  and the tube  65  at inboard end of the plate  63 . The tube  66  at inboard end of the plate  64  on the end of the strut  59  is part of the one-piece V-shaped strut structure comprising the struts  58  and  59  and is therefore spaced from the tubes  65  and  66  by a fixed distance. The tube  68  at the end of the inner strut  61  fits between the tubes  28  and  66  that hold the tube  68  in a fixed position against the tube  28 . In addition, the tubes  67  and  68  are also parts of the one-piece V-shaped strut structure comprising the struts  60  and  61 , which further prevents their moving longitudinally along the rear cylindrical part  42 . Thus, the axles  62  and  77  of the wheels  17  and  18 , respectively, are held in fixed longitudinal positions relative to the rear part  37 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 4  shows an underside view of only one edge of the front part  36  of the frame  11  and the front cylindrical part  40  associated with it.  FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the same components seen in  FIG. 4  The plate  47  is joined to the front cylindrical part  40  at a location to place it between tubes  20  and  22  when the wagon  10  is assembled. This keeps the plate  47  from moving longitudinally, the tube  22  is formed with a small flange  121  and can be removably attached to the front frame part  36  by machine screws  122 . In addition, the cylindrical part  40  can preferably be formed as two separate members  123  and  124  that join together telescopically. In this embodiment, the rear end of the member  124  slides into the front end of member  123 , which is a tube, and can be frictionally retained by an Allen head screw  125  after the member  123  has been slid into tube  22 . The tube  22  has a slot  126  that extends about 90 degrees around the tube  22  and serves as a guide for the Allen head screw  125  to limit the movement of the front cylindrical part  40 , as well as the plate  47 , about the axis of that cylindrical part when the locking pin  106  is pulled out of engagement with the cylindrical part  40 . It should be noted that, in  FIG. 5 , the member  123  is shown rotated 90 degrees from its proper orientation in order to make holes  127  and  128  visible. Holes  127  and  128  receive the locking pins  99  and  106 , respectively. When rotated to this orientation, the location of the 120 that receives the Allen head screw  125  is such that the position of the screw would be indicated as dotted line  123 , 90 degrees removed from the orientation of the holes  127  and  128 . 
         [0043]      FIG. 6-7  show an orthographic view of the body  131 .  FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of the body  131 . The body  131  is comprised of a front section  132  and a rear section  133 . Construction and operation of body section  132  is identical to body section  133 . Body section  133  is comprised of telescoping U shaped top rail  151 , middle rail  152 , and bottom rail  153 . The top, middle and bottom rails  157 ,  158  and  159  differ from opposing respective rails  151 ,  152  and  153  only by notch  143 . The top rail  151  and bottom rail  153  have rigidly attached slide pins  155 . The middle rail  152  has four sets of elongated slots  156 . Each set of slots  156  has one recessed perimeter  162  on the inside of the rail and one recessed perimeter  162  on the outside of the rail to provide clearance for the heads  161  of the slide pins  155  when the rails are moved from the extended position to the collapsed position. The length and width of rails  151 ,  152  and  153  are graduated so that top rail  151  has an outside length and width slightly less than the inside length and width of middle rail  152 , and middle rail  152  has an outside length and width slightly less than inside length and width of bottom rail  153 . The rails  151 ,  152 , and  153  are attached to each other by means of 8 slide pins  155 . The slide pins  155  ride up and down in the elongated slots  156 . When rails  151  and  152  are extended up to the limits of the elongated slots  156  they can be held in place by 8 spring locks  160 . The spring locks  160  can be integrally molded into the middle rail  152  and bottom rail  153 . Spring locks  160  can be located near the inner part of each side of rail  152  and  153 , and two spring locks  160  along the inner part of the end of rail  152  and  153  placed on each side of a centerline of the body  131 . 
         [0044]      FIGS. 8-10  show complete wagon  10 , including a body  131  mounted on the frame  11  and wheels  15 - 18  shown in  FIG. 1 . These body sections need not be centered fore aft on the body  131 ; the front section  132  extends farther beyond the frame  11  than does the rear section  133 , and the section  116  of the handle  112  extends far enough beyond the front end of the frame  11  to locate the universal joint  118  at the end of the handle section  116  beyond the front end of the body  131 . This assures that the front end of the body  132  will not interfere with movement of the handle  112 . 
         [0045]    A front plate  136  and rear plate  137  can be provided to extend down from the abutting ends of the front and rear sections  132  and  133 , respectively, through the gap  38  seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2  and are hinged together by hinge  138 . In this figure, the gap  38  is the space formed between tubes  24  and  26  and front part  36  and rear part  37 . The front plate  136  is attached to the rear edge of the front section  132  by hinge  139 , and the rear plate  137  is attached to the front edge of the rear section  133  by hinge  140 . 
         [0046]    As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , these plates  136  and  137  are not as wide as the body  131 ; for example, the opposite ends  141  and  142  of plate  136  fit between the cylindrical side members  12  and  13 .  FIG. 9  also illustrates that the wheels  15  and  16  can be swiveled entirely separately. To aid in this regard, the front wheels  15  and  16  do not include folding diagonal braces, such as braces  78  and  79  shown in  FIG. 10 , and are non-joined to the front cylindrical members  40  and  41  which rotate in the tubes  20 ,  22 ,  21 , and  23  that hold them, as shown in  FIG. 1 . In addition, the tube  111  that supports the handle  112 , which was shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , is seen in  FIG. 9  to have an elliptical cross section, as does the handle section  116 , itself, in this embodiment. 
         [0047]      FIG. 11  shows the way the front wheels  15 - 16  are folded inward to stow the wagon away. All four of the wheels in this embodiment are as large as will fit between the cylindrical side members  12  and  13  in frame  11 . As a result, the front wheels  15  and  16  fold to permit storage, but it may be that the tube  111  as seen in one embodiment will permit folding only far enough to engage the handle tube  111 . The rear view  FIG. 12  shows that the rear wheels  17  and  18  fold more nearly flat against the underside of the frame  11  limited only by the space required for the folding diagonal braces  78  and  79 . The height of the sides  151 - 153  and  157 - 159  of the body  131  are configured sufficiently high enough to contain the collapsed frame  11  and wheels  15  and  16  in storage in order to permit the body  131  to be fully closed. 
         [0048]      FIG. 13  shows the body  131  fully opened with the frame  11  and wheels  15  and  16  stowed in it. The front and rear parts  36  and  37  of the frame  11  are of equal width and, with the wheels  15  and  16  all folded inward, the width of these frame parts are slightly less than the interior widths of the body sections  132  and  133 . The front part  36  of the frame  11  and the front wheels  15  and  16 , along with the handle  112 , are fitted in front section  132 , and rear part  37  and the rear wheels  17  and  18  are fitted in the rear section  133 . The length of the front part  36  is substantially equal to the rear part  37  so that both the front and rear parts  36  and  37  just fit into sections  132  and  133 . 
         [0049]    The handle  112  is collapsed and pushed as far into the tube  111  as possible so that the forward most section  114  will fit into a notch  143  in the body section  132  with the handgrip  113  outside the body section  132  and the cross member  115  disposed inside the body section  132 . In this way when the sections are mated as seen in  FIG. 14  the cross member  115  holds the handle  112  from telescoping and the handgrip  113  can be used as a carrying handle for formed case  160 . The universal joint  118  at the other end of the handle  112  allows the section  116  at the other end of the handle  112  to be pivoted off to the side, as shown, so that the telescoping handle will fit in the case  160 . When the body sections  132  and  133  are folded together to form the case  160 , the plates  136  and  137  form a bottom that is almost fully closed. 
         [0050]      FIG. 14  shows the body closed up with the frame and wheels inside. Provided are two latches  144  such as are commonly found on attaché cases to latch the sections  132  and  133  together. The handgrip  113  is hinged to the forward most telescoping section  114  which allows the handgrip  113  to be folded flat against either section of the closed body  131 . 
         [0051]    While the invention has been described in terms of a specific embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in this art that modifications may be made without departing from the true scope of the invention as defined by the claims.