Patent Publication Number: US-2011052356-A1

Title: Multidimensional Lifting Handtruck

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to devices that assist a user in moving materials, and more particularly to a multidimensional lifting handtruck. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Handtrucks are often used to move light objects from one location to another. Often the objects are placed on the legs of the handtruck and the handtruck is tilted slightly backwards to allow smooth rolling of the wheels across a surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one embodiment, a handtruck is provided. The handtruck may have wheels. Legs, approximately parallel to the ground, are coupled to the wheels. The legs may also be moved within a plane that is approximately parallel to the ground. A back is coupled approximately perpendicular to the legs. A payload coupler is coupled to the back and allows the coupling of a payload to the handtruck. 
     According to another embodiment, a handtruck with wheels is provided. Legs, approximately parallel to the ground, are coupled to the wheels. A back is coupled approximately perpendicular to the legs. A payload coupler is coupled to the back and allows the coupling of a payload to the handtruck. A lifting mechanism is provided to raise and lower the payload coupler along the back. 
     Technical advantages of certain embodiments of the present invention include the ability to move heavy payloads without the use of electricity. Other advantages may include providing a wide range of adjustability for the positioning of the payload on the handtruck. This may provide the ability for a single user to perform installation tasks in confined spaces or lifting and positioning of the payload that previously required two or more users. Other technical advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, descriptions, and claims. Additionally, while specific advantages have been enumerated above, various embodiments may include all, some, or none of the enumerated advantages. The following technical advantages may be achieved by some or all of the embodiments of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for further features and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a view of an embodiment of a multidimensional lifting handtruck; 
         FIG. 2  is a reverse view of the multidimensional lifting handtruck of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the attachment of a payload to the multidimensional lifting handtruck in a particular embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates certain degrees of movement of the multidimensional lifting handtruck; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a backstop feature of particular embodiments of the multidimensional lifting handtruck; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a tilting mechanism of particular embodiments of the multidimensional lifting handtruck. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     It should be understood at the outset that although example implementations of embodiments of the invention are illustrated below, embodiments of present invention may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The present invention should in no way be limited to the example implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below. Additionally, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
     In an industrial environment, particularly with respect to electronic and mechanical equipment, equipment will need to be repaired or replaced. If the equipment is in a remote location, often a single operator is sent to remove and replace the equipment. The equipment is often heavy and bulky, which makes it difficult for one person to safely remove or replace. Additionally, the equipment may be located in a space where two people physically cannot be present. The transport of the equipment to and from the installation site may also be difficult for a single person to carry and/or support during the installation process. What is needed is a tool that can assist an installer in the transport and installation process of such equipment. 
       FIG. 1  is a view of an embodiment of a multidimensional lifting handtruck. In particular embodiments handtruck  10  may comprise legs  12 , back  14  with payload lifter assembly  16 . Legs  12  may be coupled to wheels  18 , feet  20  and backstop  22 . Backstop  22  may be on the opposite end of feet  20 . Leg locker  24  may act as a locking mechanism for legs  12 . Back  14 , may be coupled approximately perpendicular to the plane of legs  12 . 
     Coupled to back  14 , payload lifter assembly  16  may comprise a payload coupler  26 , crank  28 , and screw  30 . Additionally pipes  32  may be used as part of the mechanism to raise and lower the payload lifter assembly  16 . Moreover, payload lifter assembly may be coupled to a payload tilter comprising a knob  34  and groove  36  (not illustrated in  FIG. 1 ). 
     In particular embodiments, legs  12  may comprise two rods of any suitable material such as aluminum, steel, plastic, wood, and/or carbon fiber. Alternatively legs  12  may have more or less rods, be a solid or semi-solid sheet of material or of any other suitable shape. Legs  12  are positioned generally parallel to the ground when handtruck  10  is in an upright position. 
     Wheels  18  may be attached to legs  12 . Wheels  18  may made of any suitable material and provide the ability to permit movement of the handtruck when tilted from the upright position. Wheels  18  may be made of any suitable material and should be capable of supporting the weight of the payload on handtruck  10 . 
     Feet  20  may be attached at the one end of legs  12  or at other suitable areas of legs  12 . Feet  20  may be attached in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of legs  12 . Feet  20  may be height adjustable by a user. Height adjustment of feet  20  may be accomplished using a rotational motion or other suitable methods. Together with wheels  18 , feet  20  help to maintain legs  12  in a plane generally parallel to the ground when handtruck  10  is in an upright position. 
     Backstop  22  may be attached to the opposite end of feet  12 . Backstop  22  may be a strip of material attached to the end of legs  12 . Backstop  22  may be of any suitable material including metals, rubber, or plastic. Additionally, backstop  22  may be formed as part of legs  12 . In general, backstop  22  may be in the same plane as feet  12  and approximately parallel to the ground when handtruck  10  is in an upright position. 
     Leg locker  24  may act as a locking mechanism for legs  12 . In particular embodiments, legs  12  may be movable with respect to back  14  of handtruck  10 . Leg locker  24  provides one method for securing the placement of legs  12  with respect to back  14 . In particular embodiments, leg locker  24  may be a lever that causes material to be pushed up against legs  12  preventing their movement. In other embodiments, legs  12  could be fitted with holes and instead of a lever. In such an embodiment, leg locker  24  could be a retractable rod that fits into the holes of legs  12  to keep legs  12  from moving. Regardless of the method of securing legs  12 , leg locker  24  is operable to prevent the legs from moving once secured by leg locker  24 . 
     Legs  12  are coupled to back  14 . Back  14  may be generally perpendicular to legs  12  and provides a structure for payload lifter assembly  16  and potentially grips for moving handtruck  10 . Payload lifter assembly  16  may be designed receive different payload couplers  26  or be designed to work with a specific payload. In particular embodiments payload lifter assembly  16  may raise and lower the payload by use of crank  28 , screw  30 , and pipes  32 . 
     To raise or lower a payload, the payload may be attached to payload coupler  26 . Crank  28  may be coupled to payload lifter assembly  16  through screw  30  through the threads of screw  30 . By turning crank  28 , screw  30  may rotate and cause payload lifter assembly  16  to be raised and lowered on back  14 . Pipes  32  may encase a portion of back  14  allowing payload lifter assembly  16  to be raised and lowered along the plane of back  14 . Although illustrated using a crank, a motor or other types of electrical or mechanical devices may be used to assist in raising or lowering the payload lifter assembly  16 . 
     As another degree of movement, payload lifter assembly  16  may provide tilting of the payload. Knob  34  and groove  36  (not pictured) in particular embodiments may provide  15  degrees of tilt for the payload. In some embodiments, greater or lesser degrees of tilt may be utilized. This mechanism will be discussed in greater detail with respect to  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  is a reverse view of the multidimensional lifting handtruck of  FIG. 1 . This view more clearly illustrates knob  34  and groove  36 . Knob  34  provides a securing mechanism for coupling payload lifter assembly  16  to payload coupler  26 . Knob  34  may be secured to payload lifter coupler  26  by means of a screw type assembly or other suitable securing mechanism. By loosening knob  34  and moving knob  34  along groove  36 , payload coupler  26  may tilt the payload up to fifteen degrees in either direction. Although fifteen degrees is described in this particular embodiment, other degrees of tilt could be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. 
     Moreover,  FIG. 2  provides a better view of backstop  22 . Backstop  22  provides a safety feature for handtruck  10 . Often, in operation of handtruck  10 , in order to move the payload from one place to another, handtruck  10  will be tilted backwards to prevent feet  20  from providing friction with the ground and allowing wheels  18  to roll smoothly. However, tilting of handtruck  10  backwards may cause handtruck to fall backwards potentially causing damage to the user, the payload and the handtruck itself. Backstop  22  provides an advantage of preventing handtruck  10  from falling backwards. In particular embodiments, backstop  22  is a piece of material that connects legs  12  with each other. In other embodiments, backstop  22  may be material that is part of legs. Moreover, the material for backstop  22  is not limited to any particular material or can be a combination of materials. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the attachment of a payload to the multidimensional lifting handtruck in a particular embodiment. In general, payload  38  is any device or object that may need to be removed, installed, transported, or otherwise manipulated to, from, or at a location. In particular embodiments, payload  38  is secured to handtruck  10  via payload coupler  26 . As previously described with respect to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , payload coupler  26  is coupled to payload lifter assembly  16  on back  14 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, payload  38  is secured to payload coupler  26  in two locations, one near the top of payload  38  and one near the bottom of payload  38 . Securing payload  38  to payload coupler  26  may be accomplished using screws, clamps, belts or other appropriate devices. Payload coupler  26  may be specifically designed for a particular type of payload  38  and have a payload specific coupling mechanism. 
     In operation of handtruck  10  a user may couple a payload  38  to payload coupler  26 . In order to couple payload  38  to payload coupler  26 , the user may turn crank  28  to raise or lower payload lifter assembly  16  so that payload coupler  26  is aligned with the coupling points of payload  38 . Additionally, the user may utilize knob  34  and groove  36  to better align payload  38  with payload coupler  26 . Legs  12  may be moved forward or backwards and locked into place by using leg locker  24 . Adjustment of feet  20  may also provide forward or backwards tilt to align payload  38  with payload coupler  26 . Payload  38  may be secured in any appropriate fashion to handtruck  10 . 
     After coupling payload  38  to handtruck  10 , a user may tilt handtruck  10  backwards so that feet  20  are off the ground so that handtruck  10  may be supported by wheels  18 . The user may then wheel handtruck  10  to a location where the payload is to be installed. Alternatively, the user may wheel handtruck  10  to a location where payload  38  is to be dropped off for replacement or further transport. 
     If a user is going to a location where payload  38  is to be installed, handtruck  10  may provide assistance to the user in the installation process. At an installation site with only one technician or in tight spaces, handtruck  10  may provide assistance to the user for installation of payload. For example, equipment is often installed on racks. It would be difficult for a single technician to lift equipment weighing 50-70 pounds and also provide stability while installing the equipment into a rack. By using the lifting and tilting features of handtruck  10 , a single technician may be able to install the equipment without the assistance of another technician. Once payload  38  is at the installation site, the technician may use crank  28  to raise or lower payload  38  to the proper elevation on the rack. The technician may then adjust the height of feet  20  to achieve a forward or backwards tilt and adjust knob  34  to adjust a sideways tilt so that payload  38  may be positioned correctly into an installation rack. Once positioned, payload coupler  26  may continue to support payload  38  while the technician secures payload  38  into the rack. After securing payload  38  into its installation point, the technician may de-couple payload  38  from payload coupler  26 , completing the installation of payload  38  at its desired location. 
     Although particular uses of handtruck  10  have been illustrated, additional uses will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. For a more complete understanding of various features of handtruck  10  described above,  FIG. 4  illustrates certain degrees of movement of handtruck  10 .  FIG. 5  illustrates the backstop feature.  FIG. 6  illustrates the use of knob  34  in providing sideways tilt for handtruck  10 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates certain degrees of movement of the multidimensional lifting handtruck. In particular,  FIG. 4  illustrates a lifting and lowering of payload  38  and the adjustment of the position of legs  12 . In  FIG. 4 , payload  38  is illustrated at a higher position on handtruck  10 . The phantom outline illustrates payload  38  in a lower position on handtruck  10 . Although illustrated in two positions, payload  38  could be in any position between the higher and lower position and in certain embodiments be in higher or lower positions than those illustrated. 
     In particular embodiments, the position of legs  12  may also be adjusted. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the legs  12  are able to be moved perpendicularly with respect to back  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, legs  12  are shown with feet  20  at a height as to have legs  12  substantially parallel to the ground. This position generally provides a stable position for handtruck  10 . The phantom lines illustrate a position where legs  20  have been adjusted toward the rear of handtruck  10 . Additionally, feet  20  have been adjusted toward legs  12 . In this configuration, handtruck  10  would lean forward to achieve a stable position on flat ground. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a backstop feature of particular embodiments of the multidimensional lifting handtruck. In this illustrated embodiment, handtruck  10  is shown tilted rearward as would generally be done to move payload  38  from one location to another. In general, particularly with heavy payloads  38 , tilting of handtruck  10  rearward, may sometimes cause an operator to lose control of handtruck  10  and have it fall backwards to the ground. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , backstop  22 , provides a limit to the amount of rearward tilt of handtruck  10 . This limited tilt also provides a stable position for handtruck  10  should an operator lose control of handtruck  10  in a backwards tilt position while moving payload  38 . The amount of allowable tilt of handtruck  10  may be adjusted by the placement of legs  12 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a tilting mechanism of particular embodiments of the multidimensional lifting handtruck. In this illustrated embodiment, knob  34  is shown in the middle of groove  36 . In particular embodiments, this position would position payload  38  centered on handtruck  10 . Knob  34  may then be moved along groove  36 , thereby moving the anchor position of a portion of payload coupler  26  to provide a tilt to payload  38 . As illustrated by the phantom lines, knob  34  may be moved to either side of groove  36  thereby tilting payload  38 . In particular embodiments, payload  38  could be tilted fifteen degrees from the centered position. Providing additional or fewer degrees of tilt is considered within the scope of the disclosure. 
     Numerous other changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications may be ascertained to one skilled in the art and it is intended that the present invention encompass all such changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications as falling within the scope of the appended claims.