Patent ID: 7798501

Claim:
An apparatus for transporting and storing a plurality of stands, each having an elongate, vertically oriented pole having a longitudinal axis and a base supporting the pole with a plurality of legs extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pole, comprising: a substantially planar base having a front end and a rear end; a plurality of wheels supporting said substantially planar base; at least one shelf assembly supported above said substantially planar base, and said at least one shelf assembly having a first half and a second half; a substantially unobstructed slot extending upward from said substantially planar base wherein said first and second halves of said at least one shelf assembly are disposed on opposite sides of said slot; said plurality stands receivable on said substantially planar base and said at least one shelf assembly, and said poles of said stands receivable in said slot for arranging said stands on said substantially planar base and said at least one shelf assembly in a vertically staggered configuration and for retaining said stands on said substantially planar base and said at least one shelf assembly; an end wall at said front end of said substantially planar base for retaining said stands on said substantially planar base and said at least one shelf assembly; a handle attached to said substantially planar base and moveable between a first position and a second position; and a cover member that is connected to said handle portion, wherein said cover member is positioned along said rear end of said substantially planar base and adjacent to said at least one shelf assembly to restrain the stands from leaving said substantially planar base and said at least one shelf assembly at said rear end of said substantially planar base when said handle is in said first position, and said cover member does not restrain movement of the stands off of said substantially planar base and said at least one shelf assembly at said rear end of said substantially planar base when said handle is in said second position.