Abstract:
A hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier is disclosed. The combination is a portable and collapsible unit that converts into a hand truck having two wheels, a stepladder having the wheels raised and locked into place and a basket carrier attached to the hand truck. The basket is collapsed into the hand truck frame when not in use.

Description:
“The present application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending Provisional Patent Application, Serial Number 60/105/737 filed Oct. 26, 1998 for Tri Utility Step Ladder” No new Matter has been added. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates in general to a multi-use hand truck, and more specifically, the invention discloses how a hand truck can be converted into a stepladder or a basket carrier. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Various combination of lifting and moving devices have been known in the past. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,826 to Murray discloses a hand cart that can be converted to a stepladder and further disclosing a winch type that can raise a load to a higher level. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,626 to Ast discloses a hand truck that converts into a stepladder. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,058 to Larsen discloses a combination show shovel, wheel barrow and dolly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,436 to Frank et al discloses a combination hand truck and stair climber. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,761 to Marshall shows a combination luggage carrier and cart. 
     What is needed is a combination hand cart, stepladder and basket carrier. None of the above patents describe the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to provide a combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier, which is readily convertible from a hand truck into a stepladder or readily convertible from a hand truck into a basket carrier. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide means for elevating the hand truck wheels above the supporting surface so that the stepladder will not move or slip. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a pivotally mounted support plate member which normally carries a load when used as a hand truck but can be pivoted upward and locked in place to provide a compact structure for storage. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a basket that sits on the support plate when in use but can be collapsed toward the frame of the hand truck and locked in place when not in use to provide a compact structure for storage. 
     Briefly, in accordance with the invention, there is provided a combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier. The stepladder can be converted easily from the hand truck configuration in that the support plate in the front of the hand truck that normally carries the load can be pivoted upward and locked into place. The hand truck wheels can be rotated and locked in place such that the wheels are above the supporting surface of the stepladder. When the stepladder sides are opened the steps rotate to a horizontal position. The top step also rotates forward and is fastened to the opposite leg of the stepladder to provide holding means such that the two legs of the stepladder will only open to a given amount. The hand truck configuration can be converted to a basket carrier configuration by releasing the lock on the basket frame which when unfolded will sit on top of the hand truck plate to provide support to any load that is placed into the basket. 
     The foregoing summary of the invention outlines some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. The objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. The summary outlines rather broadly more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. 
     Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the Claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiments disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended Claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier in the hand truck usage condition. 
     2. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier in the hand truck usage condition, the right side being a mirror image. 
     3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier in the basket carrier usage condition. 
     4. FIG. 4 is a left side view of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier in the basket carrier usage condition, the right side being a mirror image. 
     5. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier in the stepladder usage condition. 
     6. FIG. 6 is a cut-away perspective view of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier showing a support step assembly that is used to lock the stepladder members in the stepladder usage condition. 
     7. FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the wheel assembly of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier to show how the wheel can be placed in an elevated position. 
     8. FIG. 8 is an isolated I view of a locking mechanism showing both the support plate assembly and the basket carrier locked in the up position. 
     9. FIG. 9 is an isolated view of a locking mechanism showing only the basket carrier in the locked up position, the support plate assembly being in the down position. 
     10. FIG. 10 is a detailed side view that shows the locking mechanism that holds the support plate assembly in a down position. 
     11. FIG. 11 is an isolated view of a latch mechanism that holds the hand truck support frame assembly and stepladder support frame assembly together in the storage condition. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent upon detailed consideration of the following description of a preferred embodiment with references to the accompanying embodiment. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning now to FIG. 1 there is seen a perspective view of the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier apparatus in the hand truck usage condition generally shown as  10 , which includes a stepladder support frame assembly  12 , a connecting member  14  which also serves as a handle, a hand truck support frame assembly  16  which is pivotally connected to the stepladder support frame assembly  12 , a wheel support assembly  18  which is connected to the lower portion of the stepladder support frame assembly  12 , a support plate and locking assembly  20  which is pivotally connected to the lower portion of the hand truck assembly  16 . Also seen in this view is a top step  26  and a notch  22  which together form a lock plate assembly which is part of the stepladder support frame assembly  12 . This lock plate assembly which includes notch  22  is connected to the hand truck support frame assembly  16  by rod  38  to provide the inverted “I” shape in the stepladder usage condition. FIG. 1 also shows the basket assembly  24  and  25  folded into the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . A locking mechanism which will be shown later holds the basket assembly in the folded position into the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . The stepladder support frame assembly  12  includes a top step member  26  and lower step members  28  and  30 . Also seen in this view is a connecting member  32  that provides a rotation of steps  26 ,  28  and  30  when the stepladder support frame assembly  12  and the hand truck assembly  16  is configured to the stepladder usage condition. 
     FIG. 2 is a left side view that shows the present invention in the hand truck usage condition. In this view there is seen the stepladder support frame assembly  12  and the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . Connecting member  14  is also seen in this view. In the hand truck usage condition the wheel support assembly  18  has been rotated to provide a rolling member on the surface  35 . Also seen in this view is the support plate and locking assembly  20  which is pivotally mounted to the bottom of the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . The support plate and locking assembly  20  is in a down position for the hand truck usage condition. 
     FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the present invention in the basket assembly usage condition. The basket assembly, which is made from heavy gage steel rod  24  and  25  pivots on the joints  35  that are pivotally fastened to the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . The basket assembly also pivots on joints  36  whereby the folded basket assembly stays folded when there is a locking mechanism (not shown) in place which will be described later. 
     FIG. 4 is a left side view of the configuration as seen in FIG. 3 which is the basket assembly configuration. The right side being a mirror image. 
     Turning now to FIG. 5 there is seen the present invention in the stepladder usage condition. As the hand truck frame assembly  16  and the stepladder support frame assembly  12  are spread apart and the two assemblies  12  and  16  pivot around pivot pin  15 . As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting member  32  that is rotatably attached to rod  38  on one end and rotatably attached to the stop step  26  on the other end provides a rotation of top step  26  and simultaneously the rotation of steps  28  and  30  which are pivotally attached to the stepladder support frame  16  on both ends as seen on FIG. 5 Also on FIG. 5 a connecting rod  40  is pivotally attached to each step on both sides. When top step  26  rotates, subsequently steps  28  and  30  also rotate until top step  26  and steps  28  and  30  are parallel to the surface  35  as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. The top step  26  also pivots around a pin (not shown) and is part of the lock plate assembly as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. As top step  26  rotates, as seen in FIG. 3, notch  22  engages rod  38  to lock the hand truck support frame assembly  16  and the stepladder support frame assembly  12  in place. Also seen in FIG. 5 the wheel support assembly  18  has been rotated 90 degrees such that the wheels are no longer engaged with surface  35  as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. 
     FIG. 6 provides a cut away view of the lock plate assembly. As the stepladder support frame assembly  12  and the hand truck support frame assembly  16  is moved apart and rotate around pin  15 , the connecting member  32  that is rotatably attached to rod  38  on one end and rotatably attached to the center of the top step  26  on the other end provides the rotation of step  26  about rod  42  such that step  26  rotates until the notch  22  engages rod  38  and prevents the stepladder support frame assembly  12  and the hand truck support frame assembly  16  from moving further apart and provides a lock in the stepladder usage condition. Also seen is handle  43  to assist in folding the present invention from the stepladder usage condition. 
     FIG. 7 shows the details of the wheel support assembly  18 . As seen in FIG. 7 the wheel support assembly  18  is in the hand truck usage condition as shown in FIGS. 1,  2 ,  3  and  4 . Wheel  44  is sufficiently wide in order that the hand truck can be maneuvered over a soft surface easily. Wheel  44  rotates around axial  46  when moving on surface  35  as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. The wheel support assembly  18  is fixed in a position by sleeve  48  being rotated and forced upward by spring  50  such that pin  52  fits into a notch (not shown) in sleeve  48 . In order to obtain the wheel support assembly  18  in an elevated position for the stepladder usage condition, sleeve  48  is rotates 90 degrees such that spring  50  forces notch  54  upward whereby wheel  44  is above the surface where the stepladder is resting. It is noted that a pin  56  holds the spring  50  on members  12 . 
     Turning now to FIG. 8, there is seen a locking mechanism  58  to keep the support plate  20  and the basket carrier as seen by members  25  of the basket carrier in an up position. This locking mechanism is used when the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier is in the stepladder usage condition. The locking mechanism  58  rotates about member  26  and captures the upper part of support plate  20  and basket carrier rods  25  in place. 
     FIG. 9 shows the same locking mechanism  58  such that locking mechanism  58  now captures rods  60  and  62  to hold the basket carrier represented by rods  25  in a locked position. The locking mechanism  58  as seen in FIG. 9, is used when the combination hand truck, stepladder and basket carrier is in the hand truck usage condition. 
     FIG. 10 shows a locking mechanism to hold the support plate and locking assembly  20  in a down position. This mechanism detail is not shown in any of the previous drawings. The support plate  20  rotates around rod  64 . A type of flexible plastic  68  is fastened to plate  20  by fastening means  70 . A rod  72  is fixed to the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . The top of the flexible plastic  68  has a “U” shaped groove  74  fixed thereon such that when support plate  20  is forced to the down position, rod  72  will fit into groove  74  and hold support plate  20  in the down position. Also seen in this figure is rubber anti-skid means  76  that attach to the bottom ends of the stepladder support frame assembly  12  and the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . FIG. 11 shows a latching mechanism that holds the hand truck support frame assembly  16  and the stepladder support frame assembly  12  together when in the storage condition. As seen in FIG. 11 a latch  80  rotates around member  38 . Pin  78  is fixed in member  80 . Pin  78  rotates in slot  79  in the hand truck support frame assembly  16 . Spring  77  is biased to hold pin  78  in the top of slot  79 . When the hand truck support frame assembly and the stepladder support frame assembly are closed to be in the storage condition, member  80  is rotated around member  38  until the hand truck support frame assembly and the stepladder support frame assembly are closed. The notch  81  then fits over member  42 , and when released, the spring  77  forces member  80  onto member  42  to hold the hand truck support frame assembly  16  and stepladder support frame assembly  12  together for the storage condition. 
     The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as the foregoing description. Although this description has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.