Abstract:
A transfer cart primarily designed for the beverage distribution industry permits the operator or driver to work at waist level when loading or unloading. The cart includes a lift plate mounted on a vertically movable carriage with a parallel pair of gas springs urging the plate to an elevated position so that the lift plate lowers or rises as weight is added or removed, respectively. The angle of the plate may be adjusted and folds out of the way when not in use to be held with a magnetic latch. The cart is designed for ergonomic transportation of both cases and kegs.

Description:
[0001]    This invention relates generally as indicated to an ergonomic cart and more particularly to a cart which helps the user avoid a series of deep back bends when loading or unloading the cart. The cart is particularly designed for the beverage industry and can accommodate cases or kegs. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Back injuries are often sustained when someone has to pick up or place a relatively heavy object either from, or on the floor. This is particularly so if the lifting or placing has to be done repeatedly. 
         [0003]    Many such objects or items are transferred from a truck, for example, to a customer, or sometimes to or from a warehouse. A two wheeled dolly or cart known as a hand truck is often used for such purposes. For example, a beverage distributor will remove cases or kegs from a truck and place or stack them one at a time on the projecting shelf at the bottom of the cart and build a stack on the cart. When the cart is full the stack is tilted back and wheeled into a customer&#39;s business, for example, usually to be stacked again in a storage area. The case at the top of the stack is the easiest to place or transfer because it can be removed or placed without bending over. 
         [0004]    It would accordingly be desirable particularly in the beverage industry if a cart or dolly could be provided where the stack on the cart or dolly is formed on or removed from the cart without bending over. It would also be desirable if heavy kegs could be transported without heavy lifting from or placement on the floor. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    A transfer cart primarily designed for the beverage distribution industry permits the operator or driver to work at waist level when loading or unloading. The cart includes a lift plate mounted on a vertically movable carriage with a parallel pair of gas springs urging the plate to an elevated position so that the lift plate lowers or rises as weight is added or removed, respectively. The angle of the plate may be adjusted and folds out of the way when not in use, and is held folded with a magnetic latch. 
         [0006]    The present invention has wide utility in the transfer of stackable items. A few of the examples are cardboard boxes used by movers, or for the storage or shipment of files, beverage cases or kegs, or bottles of water, luggage, sacks of cement, feed, or anything else stackable as discrete loads. It has particular utility as a beverage distribution cart for transportation of both cases and kegs. 
         [0007]    To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the cart of the invention accommodating a keg; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a similar view of the cart without the keg; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front elevation of the cart; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation of the cart; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation of the vertically movable carriage and the parallel gas springs; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is an elevation of the carriage and springs as seen from the right hand side of  FIG. 5 ; and; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged top view of the cart. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0015]    Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is illustrated an ergonomic cart shown generally at  10  in accordance with the present invention.  FIGS. 1 and 2  are identical except for the presence of the accommodated beverage keg  11  in  FIG. 1  and its absence in  FIG. 2 . The cart includes an upright frame  12  supported at the bottom by wheels  13  and  14  on the ends of axle  15 . The axle is in turn supported by rearwardly extending plates  17  and  18  at the bottom of the frame  12 , both of which are seen more clearly in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0016]    The bottom of the frame is provided with a generally horizontal plate  20  which is wider than and projects forwardly of the frame as seen at  21 . Such projection plate may be provided with weight reducing openings  22  and  23 . The plate is fixed with respect to the frame and enables the cart to stand up-right unsupported as shown. This plate as well as other components of the cart may be formed for example of an aluminum-magnesium alloy to provide a rugged light weight construction. 
         [0017]    The frame  12  extends upwardly from the plate almost perpendicular and includes two parallel channel-shape side frames  25  and  26  connected at the top by top frame member  27 . Handles  30  and  31  are secured to the back of the frame and the respective grips  32  and  33  splay outwardly slightly as seen more clearly in  FIG. 7 . The top of the frame may be provided with an optional inverted U-shape extension  34  as seen to facilitate the handling of the cart. The handles  30  and  31  are secured by fasteners  35  to a bracket  36  secured to frame  12  as seen more clearly in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0018]    The main frame also includes two spaced but parallel vertical bars  40  and  41  which extend the full height of the frame  12  from the bottom plate  20  to the top frame number  27 . The bars are at the back of the frame and rigidify the frame as well enclose the back of the frame protecting and further guiding the vertically removable carriage frame assembly  44 . 
         [0019]    Referring now to the other Figures and more particularly to  FIGS. 5 and 6  it will be seen that the carriage assembly  44  itself includes a frame  45  which is formed of wide channel shapes having parallel vertical edge flanges  46  and  47 . The front  48  of the carriage frame is provided with major rectangular openings seen at  49  and the horizontal spans between, above and below such openings are bent or dished rearwardly as seen at  50  to provide a nest or recess for a keg as seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         [0020]    Projecting outwardly from both the edge flanges  46  and  47  are top and bottom guide rollers  54  and  55 . All four rollers are provided with a center groove  56  which ride on facing rail projections  58  and  59  on the inside of each of the channel-shape vertical edges of the main frame. This relationship is most clearly seen in enlarged  FIG. 7 . The rollers are simply journaled idler rollers mounted on and projecting from the carriage frame edge flanges. 
         [0021]    Pivoted to the bottom of the carriage at  58  and  59  is a lift plate  60  as seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The lift plate  60  is approximately the size of the plate  20  and has a series of holes  62  for weight reduction as seen more clearly in  FIG. 3 . It is noted that the plate-carriage pivot  58 ,  59  is offset both from the plane of the plate and the front of the carriage. This enables the plate to be pivoted upwardly to the phantom line position  64  seen in  FIG. 5  flush with the front of the carriage and with no portion of the plate projecting horizontally beyond the bottom  65  of the plate. 
         [0022]    The plate is latched in its upright out-of-the-way position  64  by sets of magnetic latches  66  and  67 , one set at each side at the plate hinge. The latches are in the form of paired magnetic buttons  70  and  71 , one on the bottom of the arm at  72  and the other on the inside of top surface of carriage bottom flange brackets  74 . The very end of each arm  72  is provided with an adjustable semi-spherical button as seen at  75  and  76 . When the plate is in its down or horizontal position the buttons engage the back of the bottom of the carriage frame as seen more clearly in  FIG. 5 . The carriage frame may be beefed up at the pivots near the bottom by, for example, increased thickness and stiffening flanges seen at  78  and  79 , respectively. Again, other than the magnetic buttons the preferred material for construction is the aluminum-magnesium alloy providing ruggedness and yet light weight. It is noted that the magnetic latches will keep the plate in the upright phantom line position  64  when not in use, such as stored on a beverage truck. However, when the operator wants to use the truck, grabbing the top edge of the plate and pulling away from the frame provides more than enough leverage arm easily to open the latches. 
         [0023]    With continuing principal reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6  it will be seen that the main frame and carriage frame are inter-connected by a pair of long-stroke parallel gas shocks or springs seen at  82  and  83 , each comprising a piston-cylinder assembly. The cylinders of such assemblies are shown at  84  and  85 , respectively, and the projecting rods at  86  and  87 . 
         [0024]    The rod ends seen at  88  and  89  respectively are connected at  90  and  91  to the bottom of main frame vertical parallel bars  40  and  41 . Each rod is provided with a flattened tip and is secured to a spacer block  92  by the fasteners shown at  93 . This maintains the parallelism of the bar and rod. 
         [0025]    The blind end of each cylinder includes a projection seen at  95  and  96  fastened between clevis-like flanges  97  and  98  at the top of the carriage frame by the fasteners  99 . The gas springs or shocks are thus connected between the main frame and carriage frame and bias the latter upwardly. 
         [0026]    The stroke of the gas springs is on the order of about  20  inches or more and is designed to position the lift plate  60  in its elevated position approximately aligned with the bed of a beverage truck. This is also at about the waist level of the operator. This enables kegs or cases to be placed on the carriage plate without bending over. 
         [0027]    Since the gas springs normally bias the lift plate  60  to an up or elevated position when empty there may be occasions when the operator wants the plate in the down position and to keep it there. For this reason, the cart is provided with two pivot latches or dogs  110  and  111  fixed to and connected by pivot rod  112  pivotally mounted on the lower end of the frame as seen in  FIG. 3 . At the top the latches are connected by a kick-plate  113  confined at the top by angle bracket  114 . The bracket limits counter-clockwise movement of the latches and kick-plate but permits limited clockwise movement to release the latches when the plate is kicked. The latches or dogs are designed to engage the tops of flanges  78  and  79  seen in  FIG. 3 . With the latches above the flanges the carriage and plate will be held in its down position until the operator releases the latches with the kick-plate  113 . 
         [0028]    Also as seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4  the cart may be provided with stair glides  116  and  117  at each side. Each stair glide includes a frame  118  with a slide wear bar  119  such as certain wear resistant yet high lubricity plastics. The wear bars are positioned substantially tangent to the wheels. The stair glides may be removably secured to the back of the cart as indicated at  122  and  123 . 
         [0029]    It can now be seen that there is provided a simplified ergonomic cart which is particularly suitable for the beverage industry. The cart includes a plate which automatically raises or lowers as weight is removed or added, respectively. For example, as the operator places cases on the plate the plate lowers. The operator then can build a stack on the cart working only at waist height. As the operator removes cases from the stack the plate rises and thus the stack, so the operator is continually removing cases from the stack at waist height. 
         [0030]    Kegs can easily be placed on the plate when elevated and the weight of the full keg will cause the plate and keg to descend but still placing the upper handles  130  and  131  of the keg seen in  FIG. 1  at approximate waist height. A loaded keg can easily be removed from the down plate or if needed to be elevated, the gas springs will do most of the work or heavy lifting. Although useful in other application the cart is particularly beneficial for the beverage industry. 
         [0031]    Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification. The present invention includes all such equivalent alterations and modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the claims.