CHILD'S CART

VOITURETTE D'ENFANT

English Abstract

A cart for infants includes a front wheel bogie steerable by means
of a handle for the cart. The cart is provided with rear wheels and runners.
The wheels are removable without the use of tools and without removal of the
handle, whereby the cart may be used as a sled.

Claims

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CLAIMS:
1. A child's cart comprising:
a cart body having a forward end and a rearward end;
said body including runners extending between proximate each said end
for supporting said cart from a ground surface for sliding movement thereover;
a pivot unit pivotably coupled to said cart body adjacent said forward end
for rotating about a general vertical axis;
a front wheel unit possessing a pair of front wheels, detachably couplable
to said pivot unit;
a steering handle for pulling said cart, connected to said pivot unit;
a rear wheel unit detachably secured to said body adjacent the rearward
end thereof; and
said front wheel unit and pivot unit, and said rear wheel unit supporting
said body from said ground surface with said runners raised thereabove.
2. The child's cart as defined in claim 1, said pivot unit having a protruding
post
member positioned within a recessed portion of said cart body for pivotably
coupling said
pivot unit to said cart body.
3. The cart as defined in claim 2, wherein said handle is connected to said
pivot unit
by hinge to permit said handle to move in a generally vertical planes
independently of
said pivot unit.

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4. The cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said pivot unit and said front
wheel unit
are detachably couplable through a joint, and wherein a releasable locking
member is
provided to lock and unlock said joint.
5. The cart as defined in claim 4, wherein said locking member comprises a
generally U shaped clip slidable in openings therefor provided in said
mechanical joint.
6. The cart as defined in claim 5, including a spring latch for releasably
latching said
U shaped clip in a locking position.
7. The cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said pivot unit and said body are
provided
with cooperating means to limit the rotation of said pivot unit about said
generally
vertical axis.
8. The cart as defined in claim 7, wherein said cooperating means comprises a
slot
and finger arrangement.
9. The cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said runners are unitarily formed
with said
body.
10. The cart as defined in claim 1, wherein said body comprises a bottom wall,
a pair
of laterally spaced apart side walls upstanding from said bottom wall, and a
rear wall
interconnecting said side walls, and wherein said rear wall serves to divide
said body into

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a major, forwardly locating child transporting portion and minor, rearwardly
locating
carrier transporting portion.
11. The cart as defined in claim 10, further comprises a carrier basket
located in said
carrier transporting portion.
12. The cart defined in claim 11, wherein said carrier basket and said carrier
transporting portion are provided with generally vertically arranged
cooperating fingers
a grooves to permit the detachable securement of said carrier to said body.
13. The cart as defined in claim 10, wherein said each of said walls comprises
an
interior facing side and an exterior facing side spaced apart from said
inwardly facing
side to form a hollow structure.
14. The cart as defined in claim 13, wherein the spacing between the inwardly
facing
side and the exterior facing side forming said bottom wall is decreased
adjacent the
forward end of said body by upwardly deforming said outwardly facing side
thereof to
thereby form a wheel arch for each of said front wheels.

Description

CA 02032281 2000-07-06
r
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CHILD' S CART
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a cart for the amusement and perambulation of
infants and
young children (hereinafter referred to as children). It particularly relates
to a cart which may be in
a wheeled form for rolling over ground surfaces, or in a sled form for sliding
thereover.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Perambulators for children usually include a rigid handle attached to a
carrying body
in which the child is placed, so as to permit a pushing or pulling force to be
transmitted to the body
whereby it may be controlled on inclined surfaces. It is desirable that
wheeled perambulators have
steerable wheels, to provide for greater manoeuvrability. Generally it is
desirable that steering forces
are transmitted through the handle, which necessitates the handle being
secured to the steerable
wheels. Where, as herein, it is desired that the perambulator be
interconvertible between a wheeled
form and a sliding form, it is desirable that the handle function be retained
even though the wheels are
removed. It is also desirable that the interconversion be accomplishable
without necessitating the
use of any tool.

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~~~iC.'a~t~ ~.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a child's cart
includes a cart body having a forward end and a rearward end; the body
includes nanners extending between proximate each end for supporting the cart
for sliding movement in its sled form. The cart also comprises a bogie which
includes a pivot unit pivotally attached to the body adjacent the forward end,
and
a front wheel unit detachably secured to the pivot unit. A handle is secured
to
the bogie, preferably to the pivot unit portion thereof, so as to be retained
there~n irrespective of the presence or the absence of the front wheel unit. A
rear wheel unit is detachably secured to the body adjacent the rearward end;
the
front wheel unit and rear wheel unit together serving to support the body from
the ground surface with the runners raised therefrom.
Desirably, the front wheel unit and the pivot unit are couplable
together by a mechanical joint through which controlling forces may be
transmitted, and the joint is locked together by means of a releasable locking
member. Suitably the locking member is in the form of a clip, and the joint is
provided with openings in which the clip is slidable.
Also desirably, the runners are unitarily formed with the body of
the cart, which may conveniently be hollow walled and formed far example by
rotational molding; so as to be stiff but have a light weight.
Preferably the body includes a forward, child transporting
compartment and a rearward compartment fdr transporting a basket.

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RrARaA w .
Conveniently the rearward compartment and the basket are provided with
cooperating means to permit the mechanical retention of the basket.
These foregoing objects and aspects of the invention, together with
other objects, aspects and advantages thereof will be more apparent from the
following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction
with the following drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 - shows in perspective view from the front left side a
child's cart in its wheeled form in accordance with
the invention;
FIG. 2 - is similar to Fig. 1, but in exploded form;
FIG. 3 - shows in exploded perspective view the front end of
the cart in greater detail;
FIG. 4 - shows front end components in still greater detail in
perspective fragmentary exploded view as seen from
the bottom right side;
FIG. 5 - shows in longitudinal section the elements shown in
Fig. 4 in assembled relation with surrounding
fragmentary portion of the bady of the cart, which
is broken away to reveal detail;
z0 FIG. 5 shows t'ne body of the cart in mid-longitudinal
sec;; ..,y, and
FIG: 7 - is a sectional view on 7-7 of Fig. 6.

- 4 - P 128-67 CA
Referring to the drawings in detail, a child's cart in its wheeled
form, is identified generally therein by the numeral 10. Cart 10 comprises a
body 12, a bogie 14 including front wheels 16 and, rear wheels 18. Bogie 14
comprises two major portions namely a pivot unit 26 and front wheel unit 28,
the latter including an axle 30, an axle housing 32 thxough which the axle
passes, and front wheels 16 seciured to the axle ends by jam fasteners 34 or
any
other convenient means.
Pivot unit 26 includes a platform 36 from which is upstanding a
hollow gudgeon post 38. Body 12 is centrally provided adjacent the forward
end thereof with an opening 40 therethrough into which gudgeon past 38 is
rotatably receivable. The upper end of opening 40 is enlarged to provide a
seat
for a cap 42. A machine screw 44 clamps cap 42 to gudgeon post 38, thereby
rotatively capturing platform 26 on body 12.
Platform 36 is provided on the underside thereof with a blind
mortise opening 46 therein concentred on the axis of gudgeon post 38. Axle
housing 32 has a tenors 48 raised thereon which is cooperatively receivable in
mortise opening 46. A small post 50 upstanding from tenors 48 is receivable
within the hollow interior of gudgeon pica 38 to facilitate the location of
tenors
48 within mortise opening 46 and t~ enhance the strength of the coupling
therebetween. Tenors 48 is provided on each lateral side thereof with a groove
52; a pair of laterally spaced apart openings 54 are provided in platform 36
to
align with grooves 52 when the tenors 48 is inserted into mortise opening 46.

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A U shaped clip 56 having legs 58 interconnected by a bight 60 is receivable
in openings 54 and grooves 52 to capture front wheel unit 28 in pivot unit 26.
Clip 56 is releasably latched to platform 36 by a small resilient tongue 64
which engages bight 60 when clip 56 is fully inserted into openings S4. A
S anger 66 is upstanding from platform 12 rearwardly of gudgeon post 38. An
arcuate slot 70 is provided in the underside of body 12 concentred on the axis
of opening 40, into which slot anger 66 is received, the arrangement serving
to
. limit the rotation of bogie 14. A handle 72 is secured to bogie 14 by a
hinge
74 locating at the forward end of platfoxm 36 to permit the handle to move in
vertical planes. Handle 72 is rigid and relatively long, so as to permit the
cart
10 to be pulled or pushed by an adult, and simultaneously to be steered.
Cart 10 is supported adjacent the rearward end thereof by a rear
wheel assembly comprising axle 76 which pu~s~s through openings 78 in side
walls 80 of body 12, and rew wh4~ls 18 journalled on the ends of axle 76.
Wheels 18 are retained on axle 76 by means of spring clips 86. A wheel trim
cover 88 is used to enclose the hub of each wheel 18 and clips 86, front
wheels
16 being similarly trimmed. Cover 88 is retained in place by tabs 90 which
engage in openings 92 provided thexefor in wheels 84 and a post 94 which is
xeceivable in a friction fit in a further opening 96 parallel with axle 76 and
v~rhich is in communication with each side of wheel 18. t~penings 96 have a
diameter to permit a small finger, or a pencil or the like to be inserted
therein
to urge post 94 outwardly from its engaged position. Accordingly, the rear

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- 6 - P 128-67 CA
wheel assembly may be mounted on body 12 and dismounted therefrom without
the use of any tool, as may be front wheel unit 28, whereby cart 10 may be
easily interconverted for use as a sleigh and for use as a wheeled cart.
Body 12 comprises in addition to side walls 80 a bottom wall 98
S and a rear wall 100 interconnecting the side walls and bottom wall.
Conveniently and preferably, body 12 is formed by rotational molding and each
of the walls is hollow and comprises an interior facing wall portion and an
exterior facing wall portion, which portions are differentiated where it is
necessary to distinguish between them by the addition of the letter "I" or "E"
to
the numeral corresponding to the element. The rear wall 100 serves to divide
body 12 into a major, forwardly locating portion 104 to provide a compartment
within which a child may be transported, and a minor, rearwardly locating
portion 106 to provide a compartment for mounting a carrier basket 108. The
rearward portion 106 is provided with upstanding fingers 110 on the interior
1S facing portion 80-I of each side wall 80, and carrier basket 108 is
provided with
cooperating grooves 112 to retain the basket in position.
Bottom wall 98 secures to side walls 80 above the lower
peripheral extremity thereof, whereby such lower extremities form runners 114
for cart 10 when used without wheels. The exterior facing portion 98-B of the
bottom wall is inwardly indented at intervals identified by the numeral 116 so
as to provide a reinforcing support for the interior portion 98-I thereof. The
forward portion of at least the exterior facing portion 98-E thereof is

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substantially upwardly arched at 118 to provide a wheel arch 120 for bogie 14.
The spacing between the interior and exterior portions 98-I and 98-E of the
bottom wall is substantially reduced in the vicinity of wheel arch 120 whereby
the intrusion of the wheel arch within the child transporting compartment 104
is minimized.
It will be apparent that many changes may be made to the
illustrative embodiment, while falling within the scope of the invention and
it is
intended that all such changes be covered by the claims appended hereto.

Representative Drawing