Patent ID: 8100430

Claim:
A multi-mode hand truck comprising a rolling base including a load carrier and a carrier wheel unit coupled to the load carrier a rolling load-carrier stabilizer including an outrigger wheel unit and outrigger-wheel deployment means for moving the outrigger wheel unit from a retracted storage position located in close proximity to the load carrier and away from ground underlying and engaging the carrier wheel unit and arranged to cause the rolling load-carrier stabilizer to cooperate with the rolling base to establish a two-wheel hand truck mode to an extended carrier-stabilizer position located in spaced-apart relation to the load carrier and in contact with ground underlying and engaging the carrier wheel unit and arranged to cause the rolling load-carrier stabilizer to cooperate with the rolling base to establish an outrigger-wheel hand truck mode in response to movement of the outrigger wheel unit in an inward direction toward the carrier wheel unit wherein the outrigger-wheel deployment means includes an extensible wheel-support frame coupled to the outrigger wheel unit and the extensible wheel-support frame is also coupled to the load carrier for pivotable movement about a first carrier pivot axis and is configured to vary in length to vary distance between the outrigger wheel unit and the carrier wheel unit during movement of the outrigger wheel unit between the retracted storage position and the extended carrier-stabilizer position and the carrier wheel unit and wherein the outrigger-wheel deployment means further includes a pivotable carrier-recline support link coupled at one end thereof to the load carrier for pivotable movement about a second carrier pivot axis and at another end thereof to the extensible wheel-support frame for pivotable movement about a frame mount pivot axis and wherein the pivotable carrier-recline support link is configured to pivot about the second carrier pivot axis and the frame mount pivot axis during movement of the outrigger wheel unit between the retracted storage position and the extended carrier-stabilizer position and to provide means for supporting the load carrier in a reclined position relative to the extensible wheel-support frame in response to movement of the outrigger wheel unit to the extended carrier-stabilizer position.