Abstract:
A folding fishing cart including a collapsible box-like structure mounted on a pair of ground engaging wheels with a handle having telescoping portions being receivable in the rear wall of the box-like structure, and a plurality of fishing pole carrying tubular members carried by the front wall of the box-like structure with the axis of the tubular members being slanted relative to the front wall so that the tops of the tubular members are farther from the wall than the bottom.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1) Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates to carriers for fishing equipment generally and more particularly to a folding cart with a storable handle, which cart has formed therewith a structure for carrying fishing rods.  
           [0003]    2) Description of Prior Art  
           [0004]    Prior art devices for carrying fishing equipment and fishing poles are well known, such as seen in Pat. No. Des.378,456. However such devices are not collapsible, nor is its handle storable so as to provide a compact structure when not in use for easy transportation in the trunk of a vehicle. A device as seen in U.S. Pat. No. Des 264,888, while being collapsible, does not have storable handles nor does it provide a suitable imperforate container when unfolded so as to contain and convey small loose parts. Devices like that seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,777, are collapsible, but do not have storable handles, and the storage container portion, while being imperforate, is not collapsible.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a folding fishing cart with a storable handle and a storage container portion which can be unfolded to provide an imperforate container having an open top, which container portion can be folded to a collapsed condition, and wherein a portion of the container forms the structure in which the handle can be stored and which structure has mounted thereon ground engaging wheels. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a folding fishing cart of this invention in its unfolded operative position;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the fishing cart of FIG. 1 with the handle in its stored position and with the bottom wall of the container partially folded up;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device of FIG. 1 showing the clamps for holding the container in its folded condition;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 with the container partially folded; and  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 4 with the container completely folded and the clamps in place. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0011]    Referring now to the drawings, a folding fishing cart is shown generally at  10 , and includes a container portion  12 , a handle portion  14 , and a pair of laterally spaced ground engaging wheels  16 . The container portion  12  includes a front wall  18 , a left and a right foldable side wall  20  and  22 , respectively, a rear wall  24  and a bottom wall shown at  26  in FIGS. 2 and 3. The side walls  20  and  22  are divided vertically into fore and aft portions  20 A and  20 B and  22 A and  22 B, respectively, with a pair of vertically spaced hinges  28  hingedly securing the fore and aft sections so that the sections can pivot inwardly relative to the front wall  18  and the rear wall  24 . This pivoting movement is enabled by a pair of vertically spaced hinges  30 (only the top hinge  30  being shown) pivotly connecting the portion  20 A to the front wall  18 , and a pair of vertically spaced hinges  32  (only the top hinge  32  being shown) pivotly connecting the portion  20 B to the rear wall  24 . Likewise, the portion  22 A is pivotly connected to the front wall  18  by a pair of vertically spaced hinges  34  (only the top hinge  34  being shown), and the portion  22 B is pivotly connected to the rear wall  24  by a pair of vertically spaced hinges  36  (only the top hinge  36  being shown. When the container is in its open position shown in FIG. 1, a first elongated channel member  40 , of generally “U” shaped cross section, is placed on top of the portions  20 A and  20 B, thereby holding them in their open-aligned position, and a second channel member  40  is placed on top of the portions  22 A and  22 B, thereby holding them in their open-aligned position.  
         [0012]    As seen in FIG. 2, the bottom wall  26  is hingedly connected at its lower or forward end to the front wall  18  by a laterally extending pivot pin  42 A, whereby the wall  26  can be pivoted from its horizontal-open position, as seen in FIG. 3, wherein the bottom thereof is supported at its lateral edges on support shoulders  20 C formed medially on the inside lower edge of the wall portions  20 A and  20 B and on support shoulders  22 C formed medially on the inside lower edge of the wall portions  22 A and  22 B, to its folded position as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5; FIG. 2 showing wall  26  in its intermediate position. The front wall  18  is countersunk as shown at  18 A in FIGS. 4 and 5, so that the bottom wall  26  and the support shoulders  20 C and  22 C can be received within the countersunk area  18 A when the container  12  is folded flat as seen in FIG. 5, and the rear wall  24  is countersunk as shown at  24 A to receive the support shoulders  20 C and  22 C on wall portions  20 B and  22 B. A pair of “U” shaped clamp members  42  are pivotally secured to the laterally opposed sides of the front wall  18 , and extend over and overlie the rear wall  24  when the container  12  is folded closed, as seen in FIG. 5, to thereby secure the closed position of the container  12 .  
         [0013]    The pair of ground engaging wheels  16  are mounted for rotation on the laterally opposed ends of an axle shaft  44 ; the latter being mounted in the rear wall  24  near the bottom thereof. The handle  14  is of two piece construction, with an outer portion  14 A and an inner portion  14 B, and with the side rods  46  of the outer portion  14 A being telescopically received in the tubular rods  48  of the inner portion  14 B. A hand grip portion  50  connects the top of the rods  46  of the upper portion  14 A of the handle  14 . The lower end of each of the tubular rods  48  is telescopically received in one of a pair of laterally spaced vertically extending openings  52  located within a depression  54  formed in the top of the rear wall  24 , which depression is sized and shaped to receive most of the hand grip portion  50  when the latter, along with the remainder of the handle  14 , are in their fold position.  
         [0014]    Holders for the handles of fishing rods shown generally at  56  are provided to carry fishing rods on the carrier  12 . The holders may be formed unitarily with the front wall  18  of the container  12 , or may be formed separately and then securely attached to the front wall in a suitable manner, as by adhesives, screws, bolts, and the like. The holders  56  have a plurality of tubular portions, shown at  58  and a base portion  60  formed integrally with each of the tubular portions, and with the base portions secured to or formed integrally with the front wall  18 . The base portion  60 , as clearly seen in FIG. 2, is wider at the top than it is at the bottom, so that the tubular portion  58  is slanted outwardly with the top of the base portion extending farther from the tubular portion than the bottom thereof. Thus the vertical axis of the tubular member slants outwardly with respect to the vertical and the wall  24 , and when a user of this device pulls the same along behind themself, the upper ends of any fishing rods carried by the device  10  will have a lesser tendency of hitting the user in the back of his or her head. With the handle  14  in its lower position, as seen in FIGS.  2 - 5 , and the fishing cart  10  in its folded and clamped position shown in FIG. 5, the cart can easily be place in the trunk of a vehicle or into some other confined space, while, when unfolded into its open position, as seen in FIG. 1, it is operative to carry fishing rods and supplies with ease.  
         [0015]    While only a single embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it is apparent that many changes can be made therein without departing from the scope of this invention as define by the following claims.