Improvements in or in connection with Hand Trucks.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or in connection with Hand Trucks.
I, JOHN HERBERT HEBLETHWAITE, of Greenbank, Chester, in the County of
Chester, Managing Director North Western Co-operative Cold Storage Co.
Limited, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In platform trucks, such as those set forth in my Patent No. 24407 of 1898
and others, no means are provided for preventing the truck from moving when
not desired owing to the slope of the ground or otherwise, thus constituting an
element of danger, more particularly in the case of railway platforms, and in.
many other situations, as in the case for instance of a truck being hoisted or
lowered without an attendant on the floor of a lift cage. It becomes therefore
imperative for a truck of the kind mentioned to be provided with means for
locking it when not in use, so that no accident of such kind can occur.
The main object of my present invention is to provide an apparatus for attain-
ing this object, by providing such trucks with means whereby the locking
device shall be applied automatically immediately the attendant leaves the truck.
In carrying the invention into effect, I will describe my invention as applied
to trucks of the kind set forth in my Patent No. 24407 of 1898.
I provide the pair of wheels on the short axle at or near the centre with a
series of projections or bosses on their inside or outside faces with spaces
between into which locking bars engage so as to lock the wheels and prevent
them revolving. Adjacent to or between these locking bars is a sliding rod
operated by means of a lever which terminates in a handle, and to this sliding
rod the locking bars are coupled by means of links, 80 that they are kept parallel
with the rod and with each other. The under side of the truck is provided
with downwardly projecting studs or other device, so arranged that when the
sliding rod is moved in one direction the locking bars will close together unlock-
ing the wheels, while if moved in the opposite direction the bars are thrown into
engagement with the bosses on the wheels, thus locking them. A spring is
arranged in connection with the apparatus, so as to normally keep the locking
hars in engagement with the bosses on the wheels, the arrangement being such
that when the handles are grasped in pushing or pulling by the attendant in
the act of moving the truck along, the locking bars are removed out of engage-
ment with the wheels thus permitting the truck to move, but immediately the
attendant has finished with the truck and releases the handles, the spring afore-
said will instantly apply the locking bars to the wheels, and so lock them and
prevent the truck moving along the platform either by gravity, force of the
wind or an accidental push, as is so liable to be the case when the surface of
the platform is not level.
It will be noticed that the apparatus is especially designed for a truck having
the additional pair of wheels on the shart axle at or near the centre on which
the whole truck can be balanced and turned as on a pivot or axis, which axle
is provided with means for enabling it to slide or roll in the direction of the
length of the truck. For this purpose the locking bars are made long enough
80 as to engage the wheels. No matter therefore whether the axle is in the
centre of the slot or at either end the locking bars will engage the wheels in

page_text: whatever position they may happen to be in at the time when the locking
device is applied by the release of the handles.
In thus describing my invention however, it must be understood that I do
not confine it to trucks with sliding axles or to my Patent No. 24407 of 1898
as it may be applied to almost any truck which is required to be locked when
not in use. When applied to trucks with the ordinary tee handles, the act of
raising the handles by the attendant in the act of moving the truck along will
release the locking of the wheels, while the weight of the handle falling will
put the lock back into engagement therewith.
Dated this 1st day of September 1899
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6. Lord Street, Liverpool, l'atent Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or in connection with Hand Trucks.
I, JOHN HERBERT HEBLETHWAITE, late of Greenbank, Chester, in the County
of Chester, but now of 5, Castle Street, Linverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Managing Director, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
In platform trucks, such as those set forth in my Patent No. 24407 of 1898
and others, no means are provided for preventing the truck from moving when
not desired owing to the slope of the ground or otherwise, thus constituting an
element of danger, more particularly in the case of railway platforms, and in
many other situations, as in the case for instance of a truck being hoisted or
lowered without an attendant on the floor of a lift cage. It becomes therefore
imperative for a truck of the kind mentioned to be provided with means for
locking it when not in use, so that no accident of such kind can occur.
The main object of my present invention is to provide an apparatus for attain-
ing this object, by providing such trucks with means whereby the locking
device shall be applied automatically immediately the attendant leaves the truck.
The invention will be understood from the following description, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a truck (of the kind set forth in my Patent
No. 24407 of 1898) fitted with my locking apparatus:
Figure 2 an end view;
Figure 3 a plan.
Referring to these figures, I provide the pair of wheels A on the short axle B
at or near the centre with a series of projections or bosses C on their inside
faces with spaces between into which locking bars D engage so as to lock the
wheels and prevent them revolving. Adjacent to or between these locking
bars is a sliding rod E operated by means of a lever F which terminates in a
handle, and to this sliding rod the locking bars are coupled by means of
links G. so that they are kept parallel with the rod E and with each other.
The under side of the truck is provided with downwardly projecting studs H
engaging in slots I in the links G and so arranged that when the sliding rod E
is moved in one direction the locking bars will close together unlocking the
wheels, while if moved in the opposite direction the bars are thrown into engage
ment with the bosses on the wheels, thus locking them. A spring J is
arranged in connection with the apparatus, so as to normally keep the locking
bars in engagement with the bosses on the wheels, the arrangement being such
that when the traction handle K and the lever bandle F are grasped in push-

page_text: ing or pulling by the attendant in the act of moving the truck along, the lock-
ing bars are removed out of engagement with the wheels thus permitting the
truck to move, but immediately the attendant has finished with the truck and
releases the handles, the spring aforesaid will instantly apply the locking bars
to the wheels, and so lock them and prevent the truck moving along the plat-
form either by gravity, force of the wind or an accidental push, as is so liable
to be the case when the surface of the platform is not level.
It will be noticed that the apparatus is especially designed for a truck having
the additional pair of wheels on the short axle at or near the centre on which
the whole truck can be balanced and turned as on a pirot or axis, which axle
is provided with means for enabling it to slide or roll in the direction of the
length of the truck. For this purpose the locking bars are made long enough
so as to engage the wheels. No matter therefore whether the axle is in the
centre of the slot or at either end the locking bars will engage the wheels in
whatever position they may happen to be in at the time when the locking device
is applied by the release of the handles.
In thus describing my invention however, it must be understood that I do
not confine it to trucks with sliding axles or to my Patent No. 24407 of 1898
as it may be applied to almost any truck which is required to be locked when not
in use.
When applied to trucks with the ordinary tée handles, the act of raising
the handles by the attendant in the act of moving the truck along will release
the locking of the wheels, while the weight of the handle falling will put the
lock back into engagement therewith.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In hand trucks, a device for locking the truck when not in use so as to
prevent it moving, comprising a locking bar or pair of bars arranged in prox-
inity to a wheel or wheels of the truck, in combination with bosses or studs
projecting laterally from the wheels and means for moving the bars into or
out of engagement with said studs so as to lock the wheels and prevent them
revolving substantially as described.
2. In hand trucks, the arrangement for locking the truck when not in use
so as to prevent it accidentally moving, which consists in providing laterally
projecting bosses or pins on one or more of the wheels of the truck, and in
mounting in proximity to the said wheels a pair of locking bars which can
be moved into or out of engagement with the bosses, a sliding rod located
adjacent to or between these locking bars, which is actuated by a suitable hand
lever and links adapted to couple the sliding rod and locking bars together, in
combination with studs engaging with the aforesaid links in such a manner as
to act as pivots on which the links can turn, whereby if the sliding rod be
actuated the locking bars can be moved into or out of engagement with the
bosses or projections on the wheels so as to lock the same, substantially as
described.
3. The apparatus for preventing hand trucks from accidentally moving when
not desired, constructed, arranged and operating substantially as herein before
described with reference to and shown in the drawings annexed.
T
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London.