Patent Abstract:
The water caddy includes a frame with a bottom end supported by a wheel and axle assembly. A handle is attached to the top end of the frame. A container is attached to the frame by a container retention assembly in a position which places most of the weight of the container and container contents on the wheels for transport. The top end of the frame is placed on the ground and the bottom end of the frame is lifted up to raise the water container to an elevated discharge position. A stabilizer leg, that is pivotally attached to the bottom end of the frame, has a ground engaging pad on its second end that sits on the ground and holds the bottom end of the frame in an elevated position.

Full Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The water caddy has a frame supported by two wheels that is manually moved to carry an attached container close to the ground and that is held in an upside down position by a stabilizer leg during discharge of water from the container. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Motor homes, travel trailers, and other vehicle mounted living enclosures used by campers are often equipped with a water storage tank. Electric pumps or hand pumps are provided for dispensing water from the tanks. When camping in camp grounds with water supplied to camp sites by hydrants, the water storage tank is not generally used. When camping in camp grounds without hydrants, the water storage tanks are needed. 
     Camp grounds in North America without hydrants at each camp site generally have one or more portable water supply sources. If the vehicle with a water storage tank can be moved to the water supply point, the storage tank can be filled and the vehicle can be returned to the camp site. However it is generally not desirable to move a vehicle with a water storage tank from a camp site just to fill the storage tank. Normally camping vehicles with sleeping accommodations are jacked up to level the floor and the beds and to eliminate movement of the vehicle permitted by vehicle suspension springs. Once a trailer or other vehicle is jacked up and leveled it is generally not moved again until it is decided to vacate the camp site and move to another location. 
     Water can be manually carried in containers from the water supply point to a camp site and poured into the water storage tank. This procedure has at least two problems. The water supply point may be hundreds of yards from the camp site. Many individuals who enjoy camping are not physically capable of carrying five gallons of water one hundred yards. Once a container of water is carried to a camp site, the water must be transferred to the water storage tank. The inlet cap for water storage tanks is generally small, raised some distance above the ground and may have a vertical inlet opening. It is hard to pour water from a container into such a storage tank. The portable water container must also be held up fairly high for some period of time while water is transferred from the portable container to the storage tank. 
     Many systems have been developed for transporting liquids in containers and transferring liquid from the containers following arrival at a dispensing location. Some of these systems require substantial physical strength and stamina. Systems that raise containers to dispense liquids are generally relatively complicated and therefore somewhat expensive. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The water caddy has a frame with a left side rail, a right side rail and a plurality of cross members attached to the left side rail and to the right side rail. The frame has a front side, a rear side, a top end, a bottom end, and a container support surface on the front side. A container support plate is attached to the frame adjacent to the bottom end and extends forward from the container support surface. A left side axle support is attached to the left side rail adjacent to the bottom end of the frame. A right side axle support is attached to the right side rail adjacent to the bottom end of the frame. A transverse horizontal axle is attached to the left side axle support and to the right side axle support. A left side wheel is journaled on the transverse horizontal axle outboard of the left side rail. A right side wheel is journaled on the transverse horizontal axle outboard of the right side rail. A stabilizer leg has a first end pivotally attached to the frame adjacent to the bottom end and a second end with a ground engaging pad. A stabilizer leg clip is attached to the frame. The clip holds the stabilizer leg adjacent to the rear side of the frame with the ground engaging pad adjacent to the top end of the frame for storage. The stabilizer leg clip releases the stabilizer leg for pivotal movement away from the rear side of the frame and for ground engagement by the ground engaging pad when the top end of the frame is resting on the ground and the bottom end of the frame is in an elevated position. At least one lateral retainer limits lateral movement between the container support surface and containers. At least one vertical retainer limits vertical movement between the container support surface and containers. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The presently preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the water caddy supported in an inverted position with parts broken away; 
     FIG. 2 is a reduced front plan view of the water caddy in a vertical position, and with parts broken away; 
     FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the water caddy with parts broken away; and 
     FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing an alternate pivotal connection between the stabilizer leg and the axle. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The water caddy  10  has a frame  12 , a support wheel assembly  14 , a stabilizer leg  16 , a container retention assembly  18 , and a handle  20 . The frame  12  has a front side  22 , a rear side  24 , a bottom end  26 , a top end  28 , a left side  30 , and a right side  32 . 
     The frame  12  is preferably made from a composite material but could also be made from a metal such as aluminum. With either material the frame  12  includes a left side rail  34  and a right side rail  36 . A bottom cross member  38 , a top cross member  40  and a center cross member  42  are shown in the drawing. These cross members are connected to the left side rail  34  and the right side rail  36  and hold both side rails spaced apart and parallel to each other. The bottom cross member  38  is larger than the other two cross members  40  and  42 . The center cross member  42  is half between the top end  28  and the bottom end  26  of the frame  12 . The top cross member  40  is spaced a short distance toward the center cross member  42  from the top end  28 . Additional cross members can be added if desired. 
     The top cross member  40  and the center cross member  42  are both tubular and have a square cross section. The left and right side rails  34  and  36  are also tubular and have a square cross section with the same outside dimensions as the top and center cross members  40  and  42 . The bottom cross member  38  is a rectangular tube and has the same outside thickness as the side rails  34  and  36 . 
     A container support plate  44  of the frame  12  is attached to the bottom ends of the side rails  34  and  36 , the bottom edge of the bottom cross member  38 , and extends forwardly from the bottom cross member  38  a short distance to expose a transverse container support surface  46 . The left and right side rails  34  and  36 , the bottom cross member  38  and the center cross member  42  have container support surfaces  48  that are coplanar and that are normal to the transverse container support surface  46 . 
     A left side axle support block  50  that is attached to the lower end of the left side rail  34 . A right side axle support block  52  is attached to the lower end of the right side rail  36 . The left and right axle support blocks  50  and  52  both extend rearward from the rear side  24  of the left and right side rails  34  and  36  respectively. Both axle support blocks can be an integral part of the frame  12  or they can be separate parts attached to the frame by bolts. 
     An axle  54  of the wheel assembly  14  passes through the left side axle support block  50  and the right side axle support block  52 . A left wheel  56  and a right wheel  58  are journaled on the ends of the axle  54 . Both wheels  56  and  58  are outboard from the adjacent left side rail  34  and the right side rail  36  a short distance as shown in FIG.  2 . The wheels  56  and  58  are preferably journaled on the axle  54  by ball bearings (not shown). Bushings could be used in place of the ball bearings. The axle  54  can rotate or it can be fixed relative to the frame  12 . 
     The handle  20  as shown in the drawing is a flexible rope that passes through bores  60  through the left and right side rails  34  and  36 . The rope  20  can be made from fibers such as nylon or it can be made from steel. 
     The stabilizer leg  16  is a pole that is approximately the same length as the left and right side rails  34  and  36 . Stabilizer leg  16  has a first end  62  pivotally attached to the frame  12  near the bottom end  26  by a pivot pin  66  for pivotal movement about a transverse horizontal axis as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The second end  68  of the stabilizer leg  16  is covered by a cap  70  with a ground engaging pad  72 . A stabilizer leg clip  74  is attached to the top cross member  40 . The clip  74  has two spring legs that receive the stabilizer leg  16  between them and hold the stabilizer leg in a storage position generally parallel to the left and right side rails  34  and  36 . The stabilizer leg  16  is manually pulled from the clip  74  and the cap is pivoted away from the top cross member  40  to a position shown in FIG.  1 . The ground engaging pad  72  on the stabilizer leg  16  forms one of the three ground engaging members that support the water caddy  10  in the inverted position shown in FIG.  1 . The top ends  28  of the left and right side rails  34  and  36  form the other two legs of a tripod when they are in engagement with the ground. By providing the stabilizer leg with a length that is about the same as the length of the left and right side rails  34  and  36 , a substantial portion of the weight of any cargo carried by the water caddy is supported by the left and right side rails. Weight supported by the stabilizer leg  16  is minimized. 
     FIG. 4 shows a stabilizer leg  16  with a first end  62  that is pivotally attached to the axle  54  by a sleeve  75  journaled on the axle. With this arrangement, the pivot pin  66  is eliminated. 
     The container retention assembly  18  includes two lateral retaining straps  76  and  78  with male end connectors  80  and female end connectors  82 . These straps  76  and  78  are preferably flat nylon straps. The strap  76  passes through slots  84  and  86  through the left and right side rails  34  and  36 . The strap  78  passes through slots  88  and  90  through the left and right side rails  34  and  36 . A vertical retainer strap  92  passes through a slot  94  through the center cross member  42  and through a slot  96  through the container support plate  44  and the bottom cross member  38 . A male fastener  98  and a female fastener  100  are provided on the ends of the vertical strap  92 . The number of lateral retainer straps  75  and  78  as well as the number of vertical straps  92  can be changed as desired. 
     A water container  102  is held against the transverse container support surface  46  and the container support surface  48  by the straps  76 ,  78  and  92  of the container retention assembly  18 . Strap length adjusters (not shown) are provided to accommodate containers  102  with different dimensions as well as to accommodate strap stretch and strap contraction. By securing the container  102  to the lower half of the frame  12 , most of the weight is carried by the wheels  56  and  58 . The weight to be carried by the handle  20  is minimized making it easier to transport five gallons or more of water over grass and other unpaved surfaces. 
     The water container  102  includes a cap  104  that is removed for filling. A discharge valve  106  is also provided. A hose  108  of adequate length is secured to the discharge valve  106 . 
     During use of the water caddy  10 , the handle  20  is employed to pull the unit to a water point. The cap  104  is removed, the container  102  is filled and the cap is replaced. The water caddy  10  is then pulled using the handle  20 . The wheels  56  and  58  support most of the weight of the water as the caddy is pulled to a camp site. The top ends  28  of the left side rail  34  and the right side rail  36  are placed on the ground near a storage tank that is to receive the water. The wheels  56  and  58  are manually lifted upward until the frame  12  is upside down. The stabilizer leg  16  is released from the stabilizer leg clip  74  and pivoted away from the top cross member  40 . The ground engaging pad  72  is lowered to the ground as shown in FIG.  1 . The hose  108  is inserted into the storage tank inlet and the valve  106  is opened. In the event that the wheels  56  and  58  and the full water container  102  are too heavy to lift manually, the container  102  is partially filled to reduce the total weight. 
     The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but is intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1