Patent ID: 6893201

Claim:
An improved hand cart assembly comprising: a lifting cart structure of generally L-shaped configuration having a lifting platform portion conforming generally to the short leg of said L-shape and a handle portion conforming generally to the longer leg of said L-shape, said short leg and said longer leg defining at their intersection an inner angle portion; a pair of axially spaced-apart wheels rotatably mounted on a substantially common axis on said lifting cart, proximate the juncture of said longer leg and said short leg, for rolling said cart from place to place; said lifting platform portion being tiltable about said common axis of said wheels to cradle a load on said lifting cart structure within said inner angle portion of said L-shape; a trailing cart structure comprising a support platform member having a forward end portion pivotally attached to said lifting cart structure for pivoting about an axis substantially parallel to said common axis of said wheels, and a rearward end portion having at least one swivel-caster-like wheel assembly supporting said rearward end portion for rolling from place to place together with said lifting cart structure; a releasable latching mechanism having a first separable latching element mounted on said lifting cart structure; and a second separable latching element mounted on said trailing cart structure for releasably latching said first separable latching element in a given position relative to said second separable latching element when said lifting cart structure is tilted about said common axis to bring said first and second latching elements into said given position relative to each other; said first separable latching element having a manually actuated latch release handle mounted proximate an end of said longer leg of said L-shape of said lifting cart structure remote from said common axis for manually unlatching said latching elements from each other; and said second separable latching element having a curved track surface curving about said common axis and having radially spaced-apart stop surfaces extending from said track surface for latching said second latching element therebetween.