Patent Publication Number: US-2004057821-A1

Title: Stone and boulder conveying apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates generally to wheeled, hand-operated article carriers or carts and more specifically to a hand-cart apparatus which is especially advantageous for conveying boulders and large rocks such as those used in landscaping applications.  
       [0003] 2. Background Art  
       [0004] There are a host of patents which relate to various apparatus for use in conveying articles. These devices are variously referred to as carts, dollies, hand trucks, carriers and the like. Generally, they tend to provide a platform for receiving articles, a support structure connecting the platform to at least one handle, and at least two wheels located in opposed relation to the platform on the lower portion of the support structure. The wheels support the platform and articles during transport and provide a fulcrum or pivot for rotating and elevating the platform around a common wheel axis to lift the articles. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,480 to Butzen discloses a two-wheeled dolly of the type commonly used for moving large heavy objects such as refrigerators and stackable storage boxes.  
       [0005] Unfortunately none of the prior art apparatus known to the applicant herein is suited to conveying boulders or significant quantities or large stones. Prior art apparatus do not adequately accommodate the high weight of stones such as those stones used in landscaping applications, particularly pond building, stone wall building and stone walkway construction. While such stones could be loaded into a standard wheel barrow, the height of the barrow dictates much more lifting than is desirable and the standard structure of such prior art apparatus is generally inadequate to hold and convey heavy boulders or a large quantity of stones. As used herein, the term “stones” refers to rocks having a mean diameter of at least six inches and the term “boulder” refers to rocks having a mean diameter of about fifteen inches to about forty inches. A typical stone weighs a minimum of about twenty pounds and a typical twenty inch boulder can easily weight at least two hundred pounds. In loading and conveying articles of such weight and girth, certain structural characteristics of the conveying apparatus can become critical and can determine whether the loading and conveying is a modest task or a monumental one. For example, if one can simply roll a stone or boulder into a cart at ground level or at pallet level, it is far easier and requires significantly less effort than if it were necessary to lift the rock or boulder a foot or two to load it into the cart. Sometimes the difference in that effort can be determinative of whether or not one man or woman alone can do the job. In another example, once a cart is loaded with say fifteen or twenty stones, simply pivoting the cart can become a very difficult task.  
       [0006] Based upon the foregoing, it can be seen that the conveying of landscaping stones and boulders presents very unique problems which can only be properly addressed by an apparatus especially designed for such a task. It is the applicant&#39;s belief that there are no prior art conveyors which are adequately designed to solve those unique problems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] The present invention comprises a wheeled, hand-cart that has been uniquely configured to facilitate loading and carrying landscaping stones and boulders while overcoming many of the deficiencies of prior art carts used for that purpose. Two embodiments are disclosed herein. A first embodiment is most suited to carrying stones and smaller boulders. A second embodiment is more suited to carrying larger boulders. Unlike the prior art, both embodiments have a structure that is adequate to the task, in regard to both strength and capacity.  
       [0008] The first embodiment is configured to have the maneuverability of a hand cart, and at least twice the capacity of a wheel barrow. It employs narrowed spaced handles located closer to the center of gravity of the rock-load cart to prevent injury to the hands while passing through gates and the like. A long V-shaped cage is configured with a deep angular receptacle with steep side walls to safely hold a large quantity of stones with minimal risk of fall-through. The cage is preferably made with flat steel welded cross members. One end of the cage terminates in a platform preferably having a “home plate” shape which extends beyond the cage. A pair of opposed receptacles just outside the cage perimeter on the platform can receive a pair of fork members to increase the effective capacity of the platform. An extension having a T-shaped handle is slideably received at the bottom of the cage and may be extended beyond the handles to provide a selectable increased moment arm to facilitate rotation of a heavily burdened cage around two large wheels. An upper third wheel permits easy loading of the cage in a cart-like position. This wheel is mounted to provide a forward tilt or lean, keeping the rocks stable while being loaded.  
       [0009] The second embodiment is configured primarily for conveying a large boulder. It employs a longer platform which provides a horizontal plane that is elevated several inches to be even with wheel axle height and to be pallet height to permit a boulder to be slid onto the platform. The platform provides an open center pipe into which an elongated bar can be inserted to increase leverage to elevate the platform and boulder around the wheel axle. Two sets of double wheels increase weight capacity. A plurality of cross-members near the wheels spread the weight of the boulder across the entire structure. This embodiment also provides an upper additional wheel. Each of the embodiments is preferably configured to be sufficiently narrow to pass through opened gates (i.e., about 34 inches maximum).  
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0010] The aforementioned objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood herein after as a result of a detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which:  
     [0011]FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a first embodiment of the invention shown with its platform on the ground;  
     [0012]FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, but shown with fork members installed in platform notches for receiving a large boulder;  
     [0013]FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment shown in its barrow position for receiving a quantity of stones;  
     [0014]FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view of a second embodiment of the invention shown with its platform on the ground; and  
     [0015]FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, but shown with a boulder on the platform and with a leverage bar installed to facilitate elevation.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0016] Referring to the accompanying figures and particularly FIGS.  1 - 3 , it will be seen that a first embodiment  10  comprises a platform  12  and a rock cage  14 . Cage  14  is of a generally angular V-shape and is formed by a plurality of long members  16  and cross members  20 . The outer long members  16  are integral to a pair of handles  18  which are configured to be more closely spaced and to extend beyond cage  14  for easy access. Handles  18  are interconnected by a crossbar  19 . Cage  14  bottoms out at a channel spine  21 . A pair of large wheels  22  are rotatably mounted on a common axle  24  which is, in turn, connected to long members  16  by respective long struts  28  and to platform  12  by short struts  30 . An upper wheel  26  is mounted by a wheel yoke  27  to the exterior surface of channel spine  21  as seen best in FIG. 3. A pair of fork members  34  are nominally stored as shown in FIG. 1 on the exterior of cage  14  in storage brackets  29  or may be deployed as shown in FIG. 2 in a pair of receptacles  32  on the margins of platform  12 . The interior surface of channel spine  21  receives an extension  36  having a handle  37 . Extension  36  may be slid out of channel spine  21  to provide a mechanically advantageous lever arm to rotate the cage around axle  24  to move a boulder  40  or stones  42  into the cage for conveying them to a different location.  
     [0017]FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a second embodiment  50  used primarily for conveying large boulders such as boulder  80  of FIG. 5. A platform  52  comprises a pair of rails  54  connected to a horizontal beam  56  at their forward ends and to vertical members  58  at their other ends. Vertical members  58  on front and back of wheels  68  extend integrally into handles  60  and are interconnected by a horizontal reinforcing strut  64 . A vertical reinforcing strut  62  extends from strut  64  to a pipe  72  which extends the length of platform  52 . Pipe  72  receives a cylindrical lever bar  74  to assist in elevation of boulder  80  around wheels  68  and axle  70 . A pair of boulder guard members  66  is affixed to each of the vertical members  58  on the platform side of wheels  68  to spread the load equally across the structure. It will be observed that the surface of platform  52  is elevated by virtue of the curved terminations  55  of rails  54 . This elevation is designed to permit a boulder  80  to be slid from a pallet (not shown) directly onto the platform without a need to lift the boulder. An additional wheel  65  is positioned between handles  60  and attached to strut  64  to add versatility.  
     [0018] Based upon the foregoing, it will now be understood that the present invention provides a boulder and stone conveying apparatus having various unique features to facilitate loading and transport of such articles. While exemplary embodiments have been disclosed herein, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.  
     [0019] I claim: