Patent Publication Number: US-4223818-A

Title: Wood carrier

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With many people burning more wood in stoves and fireplaces, it becomes of benefit to provide an easily manipulated carrier that also may act as a storage bin. Also in the present case, it is provided with a removable pin that allows the parts of the carrier to swing apart or separate and to drop the load of wood in a pile or wood box. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A pair of similar parts are made of spaced rod or tubing and are bent to present facing floor engaging elements and spaced concave uprights. Each part is provided with an exterior projecting handle engaging the floor at each end of the carrier, and the parts are articulated by a removable pin at the center of the carrier. The carrier, full of wood, can be set on the floor and the curved uprights stay upright due to the fact that the connected portions rest on the floor centrally of the carrier and the projecting handles aid in maintaining this condition even though the carrier should be empty. 
     Extra handles are available for carrying, and the members are made in spaced side runs with curved ends for the uprights, and these may be used for handles also. 
     The carrier may be set on the floor in another condition, i.e., resting on the first-named handles with the articulated center raised, increasing the wood storage capacity of the device. 
     The weight of the contents cause the uprights to tend to swing toward each other about the pin as a center, rendering the carrier easier to transport. The carrier can be placed on the floor forming its own storage, or the pin can be pulled and the entire load dumped. The curvature of the uprights creates forces clamping the contents, when carried. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view looking in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1, and 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a different disposition of the carrier. 
    
    
     PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     A pair of generally U-shaped, curved members of rod or tubing as at 10 and 12 face each other and gradually diverge downwardly as at 14, 16, 18 and 20. They each have an end 22 by which they can be lifted and are provided at their wider ends, opposite parts 22, with angle-irons 24 welded thereto. Each angle-iron has a horizontal flange 30, 32 and a vertical flange 34 to which are connected rings or cylinders 36, 36 through which extends a selectively removable pin 38 articulating the parts. 
     There are ground-engaging handles 40, 40 secured intermediate the ends of the U-shaped parts, these handles forming the closed ends of U-shaped members 42, 42, and still further handles 44, 44 on U-shaped members 46, 46 are secured to the parts 10 and 12 intermediate handles 40 and 22. 
     With the device in the FIG. 1 position it can be filled with logs and grasped by handles 22, the parts 10 and 12 tend to swing in towards each other, see arrows 48. The handles 44 can be used the same way, or may be grasped by two persons. 
     The handles 40 engage the ground and hold the carrier upright whether it is in the FIG. 1 position or the FIG. 3 position. In the latter case, more wood can be held and carried, it being noted that the flanges 30, 32 also engage the ground in FIG. 1, but do not do so in the FIG. 3 position. 
     When the pin 38 is pulled, the load of wood is not merely dumped but is deposited in a parallel orderly configuration, greatly increasing its usefulness.