Abstract:
The present invention is a self-unloading garden utility cart. A conveyor belt is located on the bottom of the cart and the tailgate is spring-loaded. A lever opens the tailgate and a crank turns the conveyor belt, which runs on pulleys. The hitch is attached via a trailer hitch to any lawn tractor or truck.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present invention was first described in Disclosure Document No. 60/468,499 filed on Feb. 7, 2000. There are no previously filed, nor currently any co-pending applications, anywhere in the world. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to material handling attachments for work vehicles and, more particularly, to a utility trailer with an opening tailgate assembly for a garden tractor or the like. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Maintenance of one&#39;s lawn, landscaping and garden is a seemingly never-ending task. Depending upon the size of the yard/garden, there are a countless number of chores that require the attention of the owner. Mowing the lawn, raking, trimming, mulching, pulling weeds, planting, the list goes on and on. One popular tool used by many to aid in the growth and beauty of one&#39;s lawn and/or garden is the garden tractor used with a utility trailer. This combination makes quick work of transporting mulch, topsoil, gravel and other similar products. Their use however requires the user to not only load the trailer with these products but unload them as well. Not only does this take time and physical effort for the homeowner, it also translates into increased operating time and cost for the professional. Additionally, those users who are elderly or physically disabled find it difficult to repeatedly bend over to open the tailgate, tip the trailer, empty the contents, reattach the trailer, close the tailgate and so on. 
     A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related. 
     The following patents disclose an electrically-operated material handling attachment for a garden tractor. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,013 issued in the name of Thompson et al. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,595 issued in the name of Thompson et al. 
     The following patents describe a dump cart. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,417,765 issued in the name of Wirsbinski 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,974 issued in the name of Stafford 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,474 issued in the name of Linn 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,224 issued in the name of Padgett discloses a portable, tiltable hopper assembly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,533 issued in the name of Holm et al. describes a tractor with an implement lift system. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,305 issued in the name of Friend discloses a cable-operated loader apparatus. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,197 issued in the name of Schweigert describes a multi-purpose cart and grass catcher. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,756 issued in the name of Merkel discloses a grass catching receptacle for dumping and bagging. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,141 issued in the name of Schweigert describes a multi-purpose cart and grass catcher. 
     Consequently, a need has been felt for a means by which the user of a garden tractor trailer can simply empty the contents of the trailer from the seat of the garden tractor with minimal physical effort. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide for. Briefly described according to one embodiment of the present invention, a trailer si provided for use with a garden tractor with an integral unloading mechanism. The floor of the container box consists of moving conveyor belt suspended between two rollers. The conveyor is connected to a hand crank located at the front corner of the box near the hitch. Also located near the crank is an actuating lever that opens the spring-loaded tailgate. Thus the driver of the garden tractor can operate the invention from the seat of the tractor, by simply turning around. The invention is particularly useful for those who may be physically impaired or find it difficult to repeatedly bend over to operate a conventional cart. 
     The use of the present invention allows the unloading of topsoil, mulch, gravel and other similar products from a garden tractor trailer in a simple, quick, and easy manner. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a utility trailer with a manually operated opening and closing tailgate assembly according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof; and 
     FIG. 3 is a partial side perspective thereof showing in greater detail the features and elements of the cargo container  12  for use therewith. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, a utility trailer with a manually operated opening and closing tailgate assembly  10  is shown, according to the present invention, comprised of a cargo container  12  having an anterior end  13  opposite a posterior end  14 , and forming a front side opposite a tailgate  15 , a first lateral side opposite a second lateral side and a bottom  16 , all intersecting to defining a cargo space. 
     The cargo container  12  is mounted on a wheel assembly  20  including a wheel support chassis  22 , an axle  24 , axle supports  26  and wheels  27 . The wheel support chassis  22  is generally of a rectangular, platelike configuration mounted on the bottom  16  of the cargo container  12  and converges forward to an apex. 
     The axle support  26  has generally a V-shape extending from an axle  24  to flanges  28 . The means for mounting the cargo container  12  on the wheel assembly  20  includes the flanges  28  coupled on the axle supports  26  which are slidably received into channels  29  coupled on the underside of the wheel support chassis  22 . The channels  29  and flanges  28  are substantially parallel to each other. The axle support  26  is secured to the bottom  16  of the cargo container  12  by fasteners, such as, by way of example and not by limitation, bolts and nuts. 
     The axle  24 , supporting a pair of wheels  27  rotatably mounted thereon, is rotatably mounted on the axle support  26 . 
     A drawbar  30  for attachment of the utility trailer  10  to a powered vehicle is of a linearly elongated cylindrical configuration and is secured at one end to the axle  24 , and extending forward therefrom medially of the sides of the cargo container  12  and further extending through the apex of the wheel support chassis  22 . Positioned midway along and on an upper surface of the drawbar  30  is a support member  32  interposed between an upper surface of the drawbar  30  and the cargo container  12 . The support member  32 , being of an elongated tubular configuration and extending a length between 2 and 3.5 inches, is designed to elevate the anterior end  13  of the cargo container  12  to allow for easier unloading of the contents contained in the cargo space  12 . 
     The tailgate  15 , being pivotally secured to the posterior end  14  of the first side of the cargo container  12  via hinges, allowing a user to open and close the tailgate  15  in a swinging manner much like opening and closing a door on an automobile. The tailgate  15 , further having a fin portion  35  extending between 1.5 and 2 inches below the bottom  16  of the cargo container  12  for coupling an end of a linkage arm  34  thereto as described in greater detail below. 
     Mounted near the top and on the cargo area side of the tailgate  15  is a spring-loaded tailgate locking means  40  for allowing the tailgate  15  to be locked and unlocked. 
     Mounted on the front side of the cargo container  12  and oriented laterally to and above the drawbar  30  is a tailgate lock releasing means  42 . The tailgate lock releasing means  42  is of a linearly elongated cylindrical configuration extending the length of the cargo container  12  from the front side to the tailgate  15  being biased by a spring  44 . The tailgate lock releasing means  42  is adapted to coact with the tailgate locking means  40  to releasably maintain the tailgate  15  in a fixed position, i.e. an open position. The tailgate lock releasing means  42  being positioned in an easily accessible location thereby allowing a user to empty the contents of the cargo area  12  from the seat of a powered vehicle, such as a garden tractor (not shown) with minimal physical effort with a simple pull on the tailgate lock releasing means  42 . Upon closing the tailgate  15 , the tailgate lock releasing means  42  coacts with the tailgate locking means  40  so as to maintain the tailgate  15  in a releasably locked position. The aforementioned cycle is then repeated by a user for locking and unlocking the tailgate  15 . 
     As best shown in FIG. 2, in conjunction with FIG. 3, located underneath and extending the length of the cargo container  12  is a manually operated tailgate opening and closing assembly having an anterior pulley  50  coupled at the anterior end  13  of the bottom  16  of the cargo container  12  by an anterior pulley connecting rod  52 . The anterior pulley connecting rod  52  is coupled to the bottom  16  of the cargo container  12  to serve as a mounting bracket for the anterior pulley  50 . The anterior pulley  50  is positioned horizontally and is freely rotatable about its connecting rod  52 . 
     Located just behind the support chassis  22  is a first mesial pulley  54   a  a second mesial pulley  54   b . The first mesial pulley  54   a  and the second mesial pulley  54   b  rest in a horizontal position parallel to each other and have a pulley axle inserted and extending there through and coupling the first mesial pulley  54   a  and the second mesial pulley  54   b  to the bottom of the cargo container  12 . Being freely rotatable about the pulley axle, the first mesial pulley  54   a  and the second mesial pulley  54   b  are coaxially mounted on the pulley axle. 
     Located distal to the first mesial pulley  54   a  and the second mesial pulley  54   b  is a posterior pulley  56  positioned horizontally and coupled to the bottom  16  of the cargo container  12  by a posterior pulley connecting rod  58 . Similarly, the posterior pulley  56  is freely rotatable about the posterior pulley connecting rod  58 . The posterior pulley  56  is fixed to rotate with the posterior pulley connecting rod  58 , thereby rotating an L-shaped linkage arm  60  secured at a forward end and also fixed to rotate with the posterior pulley connecting rod  58 . The linkage arm  60  has an outer end coupled to the forward side of the fin portion  35  of the tailgate  15  and positioned between the posterior pulley  56  and the bottom  16  of the cargo container  12 . A primary belt  64  is operatively connected to anterior pulley  50  and extends from anterior pulley  50  to the second mesial pulley  54   b . A secondary belt  66  is operatively connected to the first mesial pulley  54   a  and extends from the first mesial pulley  54   a  to the posterior pulley  56 . 
     The tailgate opening and closing assembly is actuated by engaging a crank  68  in a rotating, clockwise fashion for opening tailgate  15 . Likewise, rotating the crank  68  in a counter-clockwise fashion operates to close the tailgate  15 . The crank  68  is envisioned as being of a linearly elongated cylindrical configuration resting in a vertical position having a handle and Z-shaped ends with Z-shaped ends extending just beyond the length of the front side of the cargo container  12 . 
     The lower end of crank  68  is coupled to a face of the anterior pulley  50 . Actuation of the handle of the crank  68  causes the lower end of crank to engage the anterior pulley  50  into a rotating fashion which causes the second mesial pulley  54   b  to rotate in the same direction; in turn causing the first mesial pulley  54   a  to rotate, being coaxially connected. Rotation of the first mesial pulley  54   a  actuates rotation of the posterior pulley  56  in the direction relative to the first mesial pulley. Rotation of the posterior pulley  56  causes the linkage arm  60  to be extended forward when the crank  68  is rotated in a clockwise manner, thereby opening the tailgate  15  and the linkage arm  60  is retracted when the crank  68  is rotated in a counterclockwise manner, thereby closing the tailgate  15 . 
     The tailgate opening and closing assembly allows a user to open and close the tailgate  15  and empty the contents of the cargo area  12  with minimal physical effort while remaining seated on a garden tractor (not shown). 
     The foregoing description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiment and is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. As one can envision, an individual skilled in the relevant art, in conjunction with the present teachings, would be capable of incorporating many minor modifications that are anticipated within this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be broadly limited only by the following claims.