Abstract:
A motorized cart for lifting and transporting a drum. The cart includes a frame defining at its forward end a rearward-extending frame recess for receiving a drum, a feature for engaging the lower end of a drum and supporting the drum within the frame recess, another feature for engaging an upper end of the drum when received in the frame recess, first wheels at the lower extent of the frame, and non-driven wheels above and rearward of the first wheels. At least one of the first wheels is a drive wheel disposed adjacent the left or right side of the frame. A drive system includes a motor, a clutch for selectively engaging the motor with the drive wheel, and a battery for providing power to the motor and clutch. The motor is controlled to vary the rotational speed and direction of the drive wheel, and power from the battery can be controlled to enable the cart to be manually or self-propelled.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/074,835, filed Jun. 23, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to barrel carts (also known as hand trucks and drum trucks) of the type adapted to lift and transport drums, and more particularly to a barrel cart that is motorized to facilitate the movement of very large drums. 
         [0003]    Manually-operated four-wheel barrel carts are known in the hauling and transportation industries. A particular example is a barrel cart manufactured by Valley Craft Inc. under the name Four-Wheel EZY-Rol™ Automatic Drum Truck. Carts of this type may be capable of lifting and moving large drums of conventional sizes (for example, thirty and fifty-five gallons (about 100 to about 200 liters)) that may weigh 1000 pounds (a mass of about 450 kg) or more. Barrel carts are typically equipped with a device for securing a drum to the cart. A typical example is a hook for engaging a drum&#39;s chime, which is conventionally present as a protruding annular lip at the top and bottom of a drum and specifically intended to serve as a structural feature to aid in handing a drum with mechanized equipment. Alternatively or in addition, a barrel cart can be equipped with a hook adapted to engage the rim or bung hole projection of a drum, or with cables adapted to wrap around a drum. While two-wheeled barrel carts are available, four-wheeled versions are often preferred for handling larger and heavier drums. 
         [0004]    Conventional barrel carts require that an operator manually push the cart, which in the case of very heavy drums can be very tiring to the operator and raise the risk of excessive strain on the operator&#39;s back and legs. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides a motorized cart for lifting and transporting a drum, barrel, or similar object. 
         [0006]    According to a first aspect of the invention, the cart includes a frame having upper and lower extents, a forward end and an oppositely-disposed rearward end, and a left side and an oppositely-disposed right side. The frame defines at its forward end a rearward-extending frame recess adapted to receive a drum, and more preferably a drum having a capacity of at least one hundred liters (about thirty gallons). The cart further includes handles disposed at the upper extent of the frame, and lower engaging means disposed at the forward end and the lower extent of the frame for engaging a lower end of a drum received in the frame recess and thereafter lifting and supporting the drum within the frame recess. An upper engaging means is disposed at the forward end of the frame for engaging an upper end of the drum received in the frame recess and supported by the lower engaging means. First wheels are disposed at the lower extent of the frame, of which at least one is a drive wheel disposed adjacent the left or right side of the frame. Non-driven wheels are disposed closer to the upper extent of the frame and closer to the rearward end of the frame than the first wheels, and include left and right non-driven wheels disposed adjacent the left and right sides, respectively, of the frame to define with the first wheels a four-point support for the frame. The cart further includes a drive system comprising a motor supported by the frame and adapted to drive the drive wheel, a clutch supported by the frame and adapted to selectively engage and disengage the motor with the drive wheel, and a battery supported by the frame and adapted to provide power to the motor and to the clutch. Means is provided for controlling the motor to vary the rotational speed and rotational direction of the drive wheel and thereby control the ground speed and travel direction, respectively, of the cart. Means is also provided for selectively delivering and interrupting power from the battery to the motor and to the clutch to enable the cart to be self-propelled by the motor under the control of an operator or manually propelled by an operator. 
         [0007]    In view of the above, it can be seen that the invention provides a motorized cart capable of supporting very large containers, and provides the flexibility of operating the cart manually or under the power of a motor to self-propel the cart in both the forward and rearward directions. The cart also provides multiple alternatives for providing stable multi-point supports for the frame. 
         [0008]    Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be better appreciated from the following detailed description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a motorized barrel cart in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of a motorized barrel cart in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention. 
           [0011]      FIGS. 3 through 7  are fragmentary cross-sectional views showing a drive system of the motorized barrel cart of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing the motorized barrel cart of  FIG. 1  rearwardly inclined. 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is a fragmentary perspective view showing the upper end of the motorized barrel cart of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]      FIGS. 1 through 9  depict a barrel cart (hand truck or drum truck)  10  configured in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. To facilitate the description of the cart  10 , the terms “vertical,” “horizontal,” “front,” “rear,” “side,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,” “below,” “right” and “left” are used in reference to the perspective of an operator during the operation the cart  10 , and therefore are relative terms and should not be interpreted as otherwise limiting the scope of the invention. Furthermore, for convenience the term “drum” will be used to identify fluid containers adapted to be lifted and transported by the cart  10 , though it should be understood that this term also encompasses containers that are commonly referred to as barrels. 
         [0015]    The cart  10  is represented as utilizing a substantially conventional manual cart frame, an example of which is commercially available under the name Four-Wheel EZY-Rol™ Automatic Drum Truck from Valley Craft, Inc. In this respect, the cart  10  is represented as including a frame  12  comprising a pair of front vertical frame members  14  that are interconnected with upper and lower horizontal frame members  16 , as well as a front bar  18  and a rear bar  20 . Each of the horizontal frame members  16  has an arcuate shape extending in a rearward direction of the frame  12  so that, in combination, the vertical and horizontal frame members  14  and  16  define a rearward-extending frame recess or concavity sized to receive a portion of a thirty to fifty-five-gallon (about 100 to about 200 liters) drum. A pair of rear vertical frame members  22  are connected to the front vertical frame members  14  near their upper ends, and are connected to the front vertical frame members  14  with side frame members  24 . 
         [0016]    For the purpose of lifting and supporting drums, barrels, and other large objects, the cart  10  is equipped with a chime hook  26  for engaging the chime of a drum (not shown), and shoes  30  located at the lower ends of the front vertical frame members  14  for engaging the bottom of a drum. The chime hook  26  is shown mounted on a vertical center post  28  attached at its upper and lower ends to the horizontal frame members  16 . The hook  26  is slidably coupled to the post  28  to enable the hook  26  to be raised and lowered as necessary to engage or disengage from the chime of a drum. While a manually-operated hook  26  is depicted, it is within the scope of the invention to provide the cart  10  with a power-operated hook. In addition or in place of the hook  26 , the cart could be equipped with cables or straps (not shown) to secure a drum to the cart  10 . The shoes  30  are configured to be slipped beneath a drum, barrel, etc., and thereafter support the drum, barrel, etc., within the frame recess defined by the frame members  14  and  16  of the frame  12 . The upper ends of the vertical frame members  14  form handles that terminate with grips  32  by which an operator can manipulate the cart  10 . An axle housing  34  is shown attached to the rear vertical frame members  22  near but above the lower ends of the frame members  22 . An axle (not shown) housed within the axle housing  34  mounts a pair of non-driven wheels  36  on the left and right sides of the cart  10 . The wheels  36  can be formed of polyurethane or another suitably strong and chemical-resistant structural material, and in a preferred embodiment have a diameter of about six inches (about 15 cm). The non-driven wheels  36  are located above and rearward of a pair of larger wheels  36  and  40  located on opposite sides of the cart  10 . Together the wheels  36 ,  38  and  40  provide a stable four-point support for the cart  10  and its cargo when the cart  10  is inclined rearwardly, as shown in  FIG. 8 . As evident from  FIG. 1 , the shoes  30  and wheels  38  and  40  also provide a stable four-point support for the cart  10  and its cargo when the cart  10  is upstanding (vertical) so that the non-driven wheels  36  are not supporting the cart  10 . 
         [0017]    In contrast to conventional manual barrel carts, the barrel cart  10  of this invention is configured for propelling the cart  10  while laden with a drum to reduce the possibility of injury to the operator of the cart  10 . A drive system  42  is mounted to the lower ends of the rear vertical frame members  22 . The drive system  42  includes a drive motor  43  enclosed within a motor housing  44 , a clutch  45  enclosed within a clutch housing  46 , and a drive gear assembly  48 . In the embodiment shown, the wheel  38  on the left side of the cart  10  is mounted on a spindle or axle  50   a  and is directly driven by the motor  43  through the clutch  45  and drive gear assembly  48 , while the wheel  40  on the right side of the cart  10  is preferably a non-driven idle wheel  40  mounted on bearings  50   b  that are mounted on the axle  50   a  of the drive wheel  38 . With a single drive wheel  38 , an operator is able to steer the cart  10  around objects while the clutch  45  is engaged. Suitable wheel configurations for the cart  10  include molded-on tires with diameters of about ten inches (about 25 cm), though other types of wheel constructions are foreseeable. 
         [0018]    The motor  43  is preferably a 24-volt DC, ¼ HP, 120 rpm electric motor powered by a 24-volt DC battery pack  52 . The battery pack  52  also preferably powers the clutch  45 , in which case the clutch  45  is a magnetic or electric clutch. The invention is not limited to any particular types of motors, clutches, and batteries, and suitable motors, clutches, and batteries are commercially available and therefore will not be described in any further detail. The clutch  45  is preferably energized with a switch  56  mounted on a control unit housing  54  attached to one or both of the right vertical frame members  14  and  22 . By energizing the clutch  45 , the motor  43  is able to drive the drive wheel  38  through the engaged clutch  45  and the drive gear assembly  48 . As such, when not powered by the battery pack  52 , the clutch  45  is disengaged and the drive wheel  38  is freewheeling, allowing the cart  10  to be manually operated in much the same manner as a conventional barrel cart. A battery charger  60  is shown mounted to one or both of the left vertical frame members  14  and  22 , allowing the battery pack  52  to be recharged without necessitating their removal from the cart  10 . 
         [0019]    A second switch  58  on the control unit housing  54  enables a speed control switch  62  to be energized to control the speed of the cart  10  when in operation. A lever  59  for controlling the rotation direction of the motor  43  is located above the switches  56  and  58  on the housing  54 . The control switch  62  is located adjacent the grip  32  on the right side of the cart  10 , and is preferably adapted to control the output of the motor  43 . In combination, the forward/reverse directional control lever  59  and the control switch  62  enable the motor  43  to deliver variable forward and reverse rotational speeds to the drive wheel  38 , and therefore variable forward and reverse (rearward) ground speeds for the cart  10 . Alternatively, the control switch  62  can be adapted to control the output of the motor  43  to provide one or more set speeds for the forward and/or reverse travel directions. The control  62  can be connected to the motor  43  with electrical cables or any other suitable connection. In view of the functions of the switches  56  and  58 , it should be understood that the control unit  54  is operable to selectively deliver and interrupt power from the battery pack  52  to the motor  43  and clutch  45  to enable the cart  10  to be self-propelled by the motor  43  under the control of an operator or manually propelled by an operator. 
         [0020]    A brake lever  64  is also shown mounted adjacent the right grip  32 , by which a cable  64   a  is operated to actuate a brake  66  into engagement with at least the drive wheel  38 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the brake  66  comprises two sets of brake shoes  67   a  tied together with tie rods  67   b  and adapted to engage a hub  67   c  of the drive wheel  38  at one end of the axle  50   a,  as well as a hub  67   d  of the idle wheel  40  at the opposite end of the axle  50   a.  Finally, the cart  10  is shown equipped with a kickstand  68  located at the rearward end of the frame  12  and rotatably coupled to the axle housing  34  to provide a two-position range of motion, enabling the kickstand  68  to be lowered into engagement with the surface beneath the cart  10  when the desire is to provide with the drive and idle wheels  38  and  40  at least a stable three-point support for the cart  10  when the cart  10  is upstanding, and more preferably a stable five-point support for the cart  10  as a result of the cart  10  also being supported with the shoes  30  at its forward end. The kickstand  68  can be rotated upward out of engagement with the surface beneath the cart  10  when the desire is to move the cart  10  manually or under the power of the motor  43 . 
         [0021]    Various optional features are shown in the drawings. For example, in applications such as water treatment systems and facilities in which various chemicals, gases, etc., may be dispensed from the cart  10 , the cart  10  may further include bottle holders  70  and  72  (for example, for nitrogen, water, etc.) and a gauge holder  74 . 
         [0022]    In use, a drum (or other object) can be transported with the cart  10  by moving the cart  10  forward on the drive and idle wheels  38  and  40  (either self-propelled or manually propelled) until the shoes  30  are inserted beneath the lower end of the drum while simultaneously positioning the chime hook  26  so that the hook  26  will engage the chime (or other suitable feature) of the drum. During this step, the kickstand  68  can be in its lowered position to prevent the cart  10  and drum from excessively tilting rearward toward the operator. Once the drum is secured between the hook  26  and shoes  30  and nested within the frame recess defined by the frame members  14  and  16  of the frame  12 , the kickstand  68  can be raised and the cart  10  tilted rearward so as to be simultaneously supported by the non-driven, drive and idle wheels  36 ,  38  and  40 , after which the drum can be transported under the power of the drive wheel  38  and/or manually by the operator of the cart  10  by selectively energizing and de-energizing the motor  43 , clutch  45  and speed control switch  62  with the switches  56  and  58 . During the transportation of the drum, the brake  66  may be actuated as necessary to slow the ground speed of the cart  10 . The drum can thereafter be released by reversing the order of steps described above. 
         [0023]    While the invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the physical configuration of the cart  10  and its components could differ from that shown, and materials and processes other than those noted could be used. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.