Abstract:
A portable cart/trailer containing a bin by which a landscaping supply company can deliver landscaping materials. The cart/trailer and bin being left at the job site until it is emptied and returned to the provider of the landscaping materials. The trailer includes a bin elevated off the ground so that a wheelbarrow can simply be placed under the hopper. A gate door is opened and material is able to directly flow into the wheelbarrow, thus saving the labor required to shovel the material from the ground into the wheelbarrow.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     I. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to trailers/carts, and more particularly to a labor saving trailer that can be used by people involved in residential or commercial landscaping endeavors to eliminate the need to shovel landscaping material off the ground into a wheelbarrow.  
         [0003]     II. Discussion of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Landscaping material suppliers typically deliver raw materials, such as dirt, rock, mulch, or the like in dump trucks and simply dump the material on a pile on a person&#39;s driveway or yard. A person then has to shovel the material up and into a wheelbarrow to transport the material to a location in the yard where the material will be deployed. Because of the strenuous work involved in performing such a task, there is a demand for some type of device that would aid in the transportation, storage, and distribution of this type of landscaping material.  
         [0005]     Bins for storing various materials are well-known in the art. Many of these bins are elevated or placed in overhead positions from which materials can be dispensed. Some existing bins of this nature are even portable.  
         [0006]     Prior art patents which disclose portable bin assemblies include U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,632 to R. E. McKinney, a pending patent application to Jackson et al., European Pat. No. 0 330 000, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,547.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention provides for a portable cart/trailer to be used for loading, hauling, storing and dispensing landscaping material. The invention comprises a trailer mounted, open-topped bin with four converging sidewalls into which landscaping material is loaded. One of the sidewalls of the bin has a passageway near its base through which the loaded landscaping material can flow. A gate is provided that can be positioned either to obstruct this passageway or open the passageway to permit material to flow from the bin and into a wheelbarrow for transport. The gate is opened and closed through the use of a lever which operates to govern the vertical movement of the gate.  
         [0008]     This arrangement allows landscaping materials to be loaded into the bin and then transported to a job site. The trailer is parked and the material is dispensed in small increments into a wheelbarrow through the opening in one of the bin&#39;s sidewalls. The gate is used to control the flow of material from the bin into the wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow is then used to move material from the bin to the desired location at the job site.  
         [0009]     The present invention is advantageous over the prior art due to new concepts included in its simplified, easy to use, and uniquely shaped design. Some differences include the construction of the cart, the hopper, and the gate. Additionally, this design is advantageous and unique because it specifically relates to a new method for delivery of landscaping materials.  
         [0010]     This design prevents the need for the end-user to shovel raw material from the ground into a wheelbarrow. The present invention reduces clean up efforts, as the raw material does not sit directly on the ground, which would typically be swept or raked. Finally, the present invention reduces waste, as any remaining raw material may be removed by the cart/trailer for use in another project.  
         [0011]     These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art through a review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the claims and accompanying drawings in which like numerals in several views refer to the same corresponding parts. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is an perspective view of the right side of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is an perspective view of the left side of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of trailer hitch of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective rear view of the present invention with the gate closed.  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective rear view of the present invention with a wheelbarrow ready for loading.  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective rear view of the present invention with the gate open demonstrating the filling of a wheelbarrow.  
         [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective rear view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention with the gate open.  
         [0019]      FIG. 8  is a perspective rear view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention with the gate partially closed and in the safety position.  
         [0020]      FIG. 9  is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 10  is a rear view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]     The present invention represents a broadly applicable improved trailer/cart suitable for storing, transporting, and distributing landscaping materials. The embodiments herein are intended to be taken as representative of those in which the invention may be incorporated and are not intended to be limiting.  
         [0023]     Referring first to  FIG. 1 , there is shown an perspective view of the cart/trailer design. The assembly itself is indicated generally by numeral  10  and includes a hopper assembly  12 , a hopper support assembly  13 , and a trailer assembly  14 . The hopper assembly  12  generally comprising bin  16 , the hopper support assembly  13  largely comprising vertical support bars  18  and horizontal support bars  20 , and the trailer assembly  14  largely comprising trailer frame  24 , wheel covers  26 , lateral supports  28 ,  30 ,  32 , and wheels  34 .  
         [0024]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the hopper assembly  12  comprises a bin  16 . Bin  16  has an open top  40  bordered by a rim  42  and four converging metal sidewalls: front sidewall  44 , left sidewall  46 , rear sidewall  48  (see  FIG. 4 ), and right sidewall  50  (see  FIG. 1 ). Front sidewall  44  and rear sidewall  48  both have a width of approximately 8-9 feet on the top on its respective side and converge to a common shorter width at the bottom  52 . The width of bottom  52  is slightly smaller than the width of a typical wheelbarrow. With respect to the horizontal plane, front sidewall  44  is much more steeply sloped than that of rear sidewall  48 . (See  FIG. 1 ) Front sidewall  44  is also much longer than rear sidewall  48  due to this design. The interior angle between the front and rear sidewalls  44  and  48  is approximately 90 degrees, although it is important to note that the rear sidewall  48 , while steeply sloped, is not vertical. The angle of the rear sidewall  48  is preferably between 30° and 80° with respect to the horizontal. Most preferably, this angle is at least 45°. The left and right sidewalls  46  and  50  are generally triangular in shape. The side of this triangular shape closest to the rim  42  is the longest. The other two sides of each of the triangular shaped sidewalls converging to a point which comprises the comers of bottom  52 , approximately a 90° angle between the two sides. One of the sides is congruent with the edge of the front sidewall  44 . The other side is congruent with an edge of the rear sidewall  48 . As such, the four sidewalls cooperate to form an open top enclosure. When material is loaded into the bin  16  and the trailer is placed on a relatively level surface, gravity will force the material toward the bottom  52 .  
         [0025]     The bin  16  is supported by the hopper support assembly  13 . The hopper support assembly has four horizontal housing support bars  20  surrounding housing bin  16  on all four sides of its perimeter a short distance beneath the bin&#39;s rim  42 . These metal support bars  20  are fixedly attached to the sidewalls of the housing  16  and are supported by four vertical support bars  18  which are bolted to the frame  24  of the trailer assembly  14 . Additionally, there are two diagonal support members  54  that extend from the center of the horizontal support bar  20  on the front sidewall  44  to one of the two vertical support bars  18  closest to the front of the trailer. These diagonal support members  54  are flat metal bars with holes for attachment on their ends.  
         [0026]     Also shown in  FIG. 2  is the trailer assembly  14 . The trailer assembly  14  has a frame  24  of a generally rectangular shape with a front member  56 , right side member  58 , a left side member  60  and three additional lateral supports  28 ,  30 , and  32  fixedly attached to the right and left side members  58  and  60  and in parallel, spaced apart relation to the front panel  56 . The lateral supports  28 ,  30 , and  32  reinforce the structural integrity of the trailer&#39;s design. It is also important to note that the lateral support  32  is located forward of the bottom of housing bin  16 , so as to allow a wheelbarrow, etc. to be wheeled in from the rear and placed underneath the bottom  52  of the bin  16 .  
         [0027]     The frame  24  is mounted on a pair of axles  68  which support the frame  24 . The axles  68  extend laterally across the width of the trailer frame  24 , parallel to the lateral supports  28 ,  30 , and  32 . A wheel  34  having a tire mounted therein is located at each end of each axle. The axles are spaced and positioned so they can support the trailer in a steady fashion even when the trailer is not hitched to a vehicle. The axles are also positioned with respect to each other so that the trailer can be turned without the wheels being steerable.  
         [0028]     Wheel covers  26  also are attached to approximately the back half of the side members  58  and  60 . These wheel covers  26  have an angled front panel  62 , back panel  64 , and a horizontal top panel  66 , which cooperate to surround the top half of the wheels  34 . The wheel covers  26  are slightly raised above the height of the side panels  58  and  60 , and the widths of the wheel covers  26  are wider than widths of the wheels  34 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 3  shows the tongue and hitch assembly  62  of the trailer. The tongue comprises a central post  70  which runs longitudinally down the center of the trailer starting from beneath the center of the foremost lateral support  28  and continues approximately 3-4 feet beyond the front member  56 . The tongue also has two diagonal supports  72  and  74  which extend outwardly and rearwardly from the central post  70 . Support  72  extends between central post  70  and side member  58 . Support  74  extends between the central post  70  and the side member  60 . The diagonal supports  72  and  74  converge to a point near the end of central post  70  where they are welded to the post. A standard hitch receiver  82  is attached to the front of the central post  70 . The hitch receiver allows the trailer to be coupled to any ball type hitch on a vehicle for towing of the trailer.  
         [0030]     This hitch element  82  is designed for easy attachment to a ball hitch of a truck. Also attached to the central post  70  are two safety chains  84  which hook to the vehicle as a safety precaution. An electrical connector and wiring  86  can also be seen along the central post  70  and around the frame of the trailer. This electrical wiring  86  is used to power and control the trailer brakes, found in the well of each of the wheels  34 , as well as the brake lights  88  (not shown).  
         [0031]     Latched to the central post  70  is a stand  76 . Stand  76  is an extendable metal pipe which has a foot member  78  on its end for resting on the ground. The stand may be placed in the up position as shown in  FIG. 3  when the trailer is being moved, or rotated into the down position if the trailer is to be unhitched from the truck and left at a jobsite. This stand  76  also includes a manual crank  80  which can extend or retract the stand  76  as necessary. The stand helps support the trailer when it is not hitched to a vehicle. At the end of central post  70 , a ball hitch attachment  82  is bolted to the post  70 .  
         [0032]     A key feature of the present invention is the gate  90 . The rear sidewall  48  has an opening  94  extending up from the bottom  52 . Gate  90  controls the flow of material from the bin  16  out of this opening. Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the back side of cart/trailer assembly  10  is shown with the gate  90  in the closed position. The gate  90  is generally a flat panel of metal which is capable of sliding up and down the rear sidewall  48  between a pair of rails  92 . When the gate  90  is in its lowest position, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the gate  90  covers the square opening or passageway  94  (not shown), cut through rear sidewall  48 . Protruding from the left side of the  FIG. 4  is a triangular panel extension  96  which is bolted to the side of the rear panel  48 . This triangular panel  96  is fixedly attached in two of its corners. The remaining corner, which protrudes from the housing bin  16 , has a bolt  98  mounted through a hole  100  within the triangular panel  96 . This bolt  98  serves as the pivot point for gate lever  22  used to open and close the gate.  
         [0033]     Gate lever  22  is a flat, rigid, metal bar which contains several bends to control the motion of the gate  90 . The gate lever  22  generally has a straight section  102  which angles from pin  98  to another pin  104  set within a slotted hole  106 . The pins  98  and  104  typically are bolts. The gate lever  22  next has a short horizontal section  108  followed by a section  110  which protrudes diagonally outward from the assembly. Next there is another horizontal section  112  and finally there is a section that slants horizontally downward and serves as a handle  114  for the operator. The gate lever  22  may be raised by a operator in a largely horizontal fashion to open the gate  90 . Because the lever  22  is pivoted around bolt  98 , the slotted hole  106  is somewhat oval shaped to accommodate some lateral movement of bolt  104 . The edges of the hole  106  serve as stops. For example, when the gate lever  22  is in the lowered position, the bolt rests against the right side of slotted hole  106 . When the lever is raised up, the bolt  104  slides until it reaches the left side of the slotted hole  106 . At this point, the gate can be raised no further. The assembly shown results in smooth movement of the gate  90  between the lowered to raised positions. (See  FIG. 6 )  
         [0034]     Now that the details of the mechanical construction of the cart/trailer assembly of the present invention have been described, its mode of operation will be described.  
         [0035]     Operation of the present invention begins when a landscaping material vendor loads landscaping material into the bin  16  through the open top. The cart/trailer assembly  10  is then transported to the desired worksite using a truck, car, or the like equipped with a trailer hitch to tow the trailer assembly  10 . Here the assembly  10  is unhitched, the stand  76  is deployed, and the assembly  10  is left on a driveway or other flat surface. Next, a wheelbarrow  116  is placed underneath the back end of the housing bin  16 , as seen in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 6  shows the next step, where the operator lifts the handle  114  of gate lever  22 . This causes the gate  90  to move upward along rails  92  and for landscaping material to flow from the bin through the passageway  94  in the rear sidewall  48 . When the wheelbarrow  116  is full, the gate lever  22  is lowered and the flow of landscaping material is stopped. The user may then deliver the material loaded into the wheelbarrow to the desired location before returning to the trailer for another load. This method of unloading and delivering material is repeated until the hopper is empty or the job is complete. Upon completion, the trailer may be picked up by a worker and used for another job.  
       Alternative Embodiment  
       [0037]      FIGS. 7 and 8  disclose an alternative embodiment of the present invention to further aid in the distribution of landscaping material by providing the option of placing gate  290  in a locked open position.  
         [0038]      FIG. 7  shows a rear end view of a cart/trailer assembly similar to the one earlier described, but additionally containing an apparatus for gate control including a spring loaded pin  218 . The spring loaded locking pin  218  is L-shaped, mounted on rail  292  and contains a handle  220 . The spring loaded locking pin is designed so one can partially insert its longitudinal length across rail  292  into either an upper receiver slot  223  or a lower receiver slot  224  on the gate  290 .  
         [0039]     Additionally, this embodiment contains a U-shaped bar  226  which is mounted on the rear sidewall  248  of the assembly from bottom  252  to a location about two-thirds the length up rail  292 . The gate lever  222  extends through the passageway formed between the U-shaped bar  226  and rail  292 . The lowermost end  228  of the U-shaped bar  226  serves to stop the gate lever  222  in a position which corresponds to the closed position of gate  290 .  
         [0040]     The operation of the alternative embodiment is now described. The hopper is first loaded with landscaping material, delivered to the job site, and deployed in the manner previously disclosed. The operator places a wheelbarrow underneath the opening  294  and prepares to unload the material from the bin. During the discharge operation the operator must use both hands to control the flow of material. One hand must pull the rod  220  of spring loaded pin  218  away from the gate  290  while the other hand must lift the gate lever  222  to raise the gate  290 . The gate  290  will slide upward within rails  292 . If the operator so desires, he may release the rod  220  of spring loaded pin  218  when it aligns with lower slot  224 . This procedure will lock the gate  290  and gate lever  222  in their highest position and allow material to freely flow from inside the bin  216  without any further effort of the operator. When the operator desires, he again may pull the spring loaded pin  218  away from the gate  290  with one hand and slowly lower the gate lever  222  with the other hand. In the case that the operator inadvertently drops the gate lever  222  too quickly, there is a safety precaution in the form of an upper slot  223  into which the rod  220  of spring loaded pin  218  inserts to stop the gate  290  from free falling down onto a user or his limbs.  
         [0041]     The safety precaution of the upper slot  223  is illustrated in  FIG. 8 . When the rod  220  is inserted into upper slot  223  it leaves a gap of a few inches between the lower edge of gate  90  and bottom  52 . The gate lever  222  is lowered against U-shaped bar  226  to fully close the gate  290  when the desired amount of material is dispensed. The U-shaped bar is responsible for stopping the gate  290  rather than the slotted hole  106  disclosed in the preferred embodiment. The procedure of opening the gate  290  is repeated until the desired amount of landscaping material is dispensed.  
       Second Alternative Embodiment  
       [0042]      FIGS. 9 and 10  disclose an alternative embodiment of the present invention to further aid in the distribution of landscaping material by providing additional means for stabilizing the assembly and a simplified bin design for manufacture.  
         [0043]      FIG. 9  shows a side view of a cart/trailer assembly similar to the one earlier described, but additionally containing two outriggers  301 . The outriggers are each made up of both a body portion  303 , a foot piece  305  and a shaft  307 . The foot piece  305  is capable of vertical displacement relative to the body portion  303 . Thus, shaft  307  and foot piece  305  are coupled to the shaft  307 . The shaft  307  is in slidable engagement with body portion  303 . These outriggers  301  have their body portion  303  fixedly attached to the rear of trailer assembly  314 , one located inside each of the rearmost wheels  334 . The feet  305  are normally in a raised position during transport. Once the invention is transported to a jobsite and is read) for distribution of landscaping material, the feet  305  of the outriggers  301  are lowered to engage the ground. These feet  305  provide further stability and support for the assembly by reducing any movement that might take place. A suitable locking mechanism can be used to secure the feet  305  in either the raised or lowered position.  
         [0044]     Another modification to previously disclosed embodiments includes additional metal panels  308  surrounding the bin  316  that extend vertically upward from the top of the bin&#39;s sloping sidewalls. These metal panels  308  eliminate the need for the metal rim  42  of previous embodiments and provides a simplified design for manufacture.  
         [0045]      FIG. 10  shows a rear view of the cart/trailer assembly. This figure shows both the location of the outriggers  301  and the vertical metal panels  308  surrounding the upward opening of the bin  316 .  
         [0046]     It can be seen, then, that the present invention provides an improved, versatile, and efficient trailer assembly. The result is a device which is easy to operate and a real labor savor when performing doing landscaping jobs.  
         [0047]     This invention has been defined herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required. However, it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices, and that various modifications, both as to the equipment details and operating procedures, can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself.