Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WELDING CART
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wheeled cart for supporting a welder
thereon and more particularly to a cart which is suited for supporting both a
MIG
welding unit and an arc welding unit thereon.
BACKGROUND
In numerous small work shops or in the work area of a home hobbyist, it
is common place to find both Arc welding units and MIG (metal inert gas)
welding
units as each as desirable characteristics for different welding applications.
Each
welding unit requires its own accessories in the form of grounding clamps and
electrical supply cables which typically requires that each welding unit be
supported at
a fixed station or be contained on its own welding cart which can occupy
considerable
space and be cumbersome to use in smaller work areas.
SUMMARY
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cart
for supporting a pair of welding units thereon in which one of the welding
units
includes a gas tank associated therewith, the cart comprising:
a tower supporting surface supported for rolling movement along the
ground for supporting a first welding unit thereon; and
an upper supporting surface supported on the lower supporting surtace
spaced thereabove for supporting a second welding unit thereon;
the lower supporting surFace including a tank portion extending generally
horizontally outward beyond the upper supporting surface for supporting a gas
tank
associated with one of the welding units thereon.
According t~ a second aspect of the present invention there is provided
a cart for supporting a pair of welding units thereon iin which one of the
welding units
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includes a gas tank associated therewith, the cart comprising:
a lower supporting surface extending in a longitudinal direction between
respective first and second ends and being supported for rolling movement
along the
ground for supporting a first welding unit thereon;
an upper supporting surface supported on the lower supporting surface
spaced thereabove for supporting a second welding unit thereon, the first end
of the
lower supporting surface including a tank portion extending generally
horizontally
outward in the longitudinal direction beyond the upper supporting surface for
supporting a gas tank associated with one of the welding units thereon; and
a handle mounted on one of the supporting surfaces opposite the tank
portion of the lower supporting surface, the handle exaending generally
upwardly from
the respective supporting surface and including at least one hook member
thereon for
suspending cables associated with one or both welding units therefrom.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there may be
provided a cart for supporting a pair of welding units thereon in which one of
the
welding units includes a gas tank associated therewith and each of the welding
units
includes an electrical plug for receiving electrical power from a conventional
electrical
supply socket, the cart comprising:
a lower supporting surface supported for rolling movement along the
ground for supporting a first welding unit thereon;
an upper supporting surface supported on the lower supporting surface
spaced thereabove for supporting a second welding unit thereon; and
an electrical function box including a pair of electrical supply sockets for
connection to respective electrical plugs of the first and second welding
units and an
electrical extension cord coupled to the pair of electrical supply sockets and
having a
conventional electrical plug at a free end thereof.
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The upper and lower supporting surfaces may include respective
mounting means for fixedly mounting the first and second welding units
respective
thereon.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a method of supporting a pair of welding units for rolling movement
along the
ground in which one of the welding units includes a gas tank associated
therewith, the
method comprising:
providing a cart comprising a lower supporting surface supported for
rolling movement along the ground, and an upper supporting surface supported
on
the lower supporting surface spaced thereabove, the lower supporting surface
including a tank portion extending generally horizontally outward beyond the
upper
supporting surface;
supporting the pair of welding units on the upper and lower supporting
surfaces respectively;
supporting a gas tank associated with one of the welding units on the
tank portion of the lower supporting surtace.
The use of a welding cart including both upper and lower supporting
surfaces permits both a IVIIG welder and an arc welder to be supported on the
same
cart with associated gas tanks for the MIG welder also being supported on a
tank
portion of the lower supporting surface. For optimum use of space and for
added
convenience, a common electrical junction box may be provided on the cart such
that
the welding units are movable together towards and away from a conventional
electrical wall socket while only requiring a single extension cord for
coupling thereto.
Providing a handle with mounting hooks at an opposite end of the cart from the
tank
portion ensures that the grounding cables and working ends of each welding
unit can
be stored in an organized manner away from thE; gas tanks. Providing a lower
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supporting surface which is longer than the upper supporting surface also
permits a
storage compartment to be supported therebetween for enclosing additional
welding
accessories.
SRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the welding cart illustrating the arc
welder, the MIG welder, the MIG welder and an associated gas tank supported
thereon.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the cart.
Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the handle end of the cart.
Figure 4 is an end elevational view of a tank portion end of the cart.
Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the storage compartment shown
with the door removed therefrom.
Figure 6 is an exploded isometric view of the handle for attachment to
the cart.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a cart
generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The cart 10 is particularly
suited for
supporting both an arc welder 12 and a MIG welder '14 thereon. In addition the
cart is
well suited for supporting the grounding clamps 16 of each of the welders and
the
working handle 18 thereof as well. One or more gas tanks 20 associated with
the
MIG welder 14 can also be supported on the cart 10.
The cart 10 generally comprises a lower supporting surface 22 in the
form of an elongate horizontal shelf extending in a longitudinal direction of
the cart
between a first end 24 and a second end 26 of the cart. An upper supporting
surface
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28 which also comprises a generally rectangular horizontal shelf is supported
on the
lower supporting surface 22 spaced thereabove by a series of upright supports
30
extending therebetween. The upper supporting surface 28 is shorter than the
lower
supporting surface such that the lower supporting surface extends in the
longitudinal
direction of the cart outwardly past the ends of the upper supporting surface
at both
first and second ends of the cart. At the first end 24, a tank portion 32 is
defined for
supporting one or more gas tanks thereon. The lower supporting surface 22 is
supported on a series of castor wheels 34 to support the cart for rolling
movement
along the ground.
A portion of the space defined between the upper and lower supporting
surfaces is enclosed by respective front and back walls 36, a side wall 38 and
a
pivotal door 40 which defines a compartment which can be selectively enclosed
when
the door 40 is shut. The compartment is positioned adjacent the first end of
the cart
by the tank portion 32 of the lower supporting surface such that spaced
between the
upper and lower supporting surfaces adjacent the second end permits the arc
welder
12 to be received therein. A series of mounting brackets 42 are secured to the
lower
supporting surface 22 adjacent the second end thereof for fixedly mounting the
arc
welder 12 thereon using suitable fasteners. Mounting brackets 44 are also
provided
on the upper supporting surface 28 for fixedly mounting the MIG welder 14
thereon
using suitable fasteners.
A pair of gussets 46 are mounted between the tank portion of the lower
supporting surface and the back wall 36 of the compartment which defines one
of the
uprights supports 30 between the upper and lower supporting surfaces, for
added
structural rigidity. The gussets 46 are sufficiently spaced apart on opposite
sides of
the cart for receiving one or more gas tanks therebe~tween to assist in
protecting the
tanks. A suitable chain 48 is provided with selective anchoring fasteners at
each end
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thereof for mounting at spaced positions on the upper supporting surface
spaced
upwardly from the lower supporting surface at the first end 24 of the cart to
permit the
chain to be wrapped about any tanks supported on the tank portion 32 for
proper
anchoring on the cart.
Cord apertures 50 are provided in the upper supporting surface 28
adjacent the first end of the cart and in the front wall 36 of the compartment
in the
space between the upper and lower supporting surfaces for receiving respective
electrical supply cords of the welding units therethrough. The electrical
plugs for each
of the welders are thus arranged to be received within the compartment between
the
upper and lower supporting surfaces for mating connection with an electrical
supply
junction box 52 supported within the compartment: between the upper and lower
supporting surfaces. The electrical supply junction box includes conventional
electrical sockets therein for mating with the plugs of the welders with both
sockets
being commonly connected to an electrical extension cord 54 which permits both
of
the welding units to be commanly plugged into a cowrentional electrical waBl
socket.
A handle 56 is mounted on the cart adjacent the second end 26 thereof
for convenience in handling the cart. The handle is a generally U-shaped
member
having a pair of side portions 58 and a base portion Ei0 connected
therebetween at an
upper free end of the handle. Each side portion is anchored to the lower
supporting
surface 22 centrally on the cart to extend upwardly and outwardly in the
longitudinal
direction towards the second end of the cart so as to be mounted at an
intermediate
position on the upper supporting surface 28 before extending beyond the end of
the
cart to the base portion 60 spaced longitudinally outwardly beyond the cart
and above
the upper supporting surface 28. A plurality of mounting apertures 62 are
provided at
spaced positions along the side portions 58 towards the upper free end thereof
to
permit one or more hook members 64 to be mounted therein using selective
threaded
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fasteners. The hook members 64 can thus be positioned at various longitudinal
positions along the handle or on either one of the side portions 58 depending
on
preference of the user for permitting the grounding clamps 16 and working
handles 18
of the respective welders to be supported therefrom in an organized manner.
In use, the arc welder 12 and MIG welder 14 are fixedly mounted onto
the respective supporting surfaces using the mounting brackets 42 and 44 as
described above. Preferably any associated controls of the welding units are
positioned at the second end of the cant to permit associated grounding clamps
and
working handles of the welders to be readily supported by the hook members 64
at
the handle on the second end of the cart. Only the tank is thus required to be
supported at the first end of the cart on the tank portion of the lower
supporting
surface and can be anchored in place using the chain 48 described above.
This cart is accordingly well suited for the home hobbyist or a small shop
that has one or both types of small welders, a MIG or arc welder.
The base or lower supporting surface is 33 inches long and 14 inches
wide. The base is divided into 3 sections, 7 inches at the back for the gas
tank for the
MIG defined as the tank portion, 12 inches ins the middle for the enclosed
compartment storage area, and 14 inches at the front for the arc welder. The
base sits
on 4-swivel castors 2 inches in diameter.
The top is 22 inches long x 14 inches wide. in the right rear comer is a
1 inches hole spaced inwardly 1 1/2 inches from both the back and side in
communication with the interior of the compartment therebelow. The hole has a
rubber grommet in it to protect the power cord from the MIG. The front of the
top is
supported by 2 L-shaped brackets defining the upright supports 30 noted above.
Attached at the back of the top is the safety chain with a hook to secure the
tank in
place.
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The storage area is 12 inches long x 14 inches wide x 13 inches high.
In the front panel in the upper right hand comer is a 1 inch hole 1 112 inches
from the
top and side. The hole has a rubber grommet in it to protect the power cord
from the
Arc welder. The back panel has a 1/2 inch hole in the upper left-hand comer
spaced
inwardly 1 inch from the top and side for the main power cord. This hole also
has a
grommet in it to protect the power cord. The door of the storage area is 12
inches
long x 12 7116 inches high. It is held on with hinges and held closed by a
rotating
knob. Inside the storage area in the upper left-hand comer is the power outlet
to plug
in the welders.
Attached to the back panel of the storage area and the base are 2 angle
braces to strengthen the unit.
The handle is 30 inches long and 15 inches wide to its outside edge. It
is attached to the cart in 2 places, one at the front of the storage unit, the
other at the
point where the top and the brace meet. There are 4 holes in the handle to
attach 2
hooks in various positions to hang up the cables frorr~ the welders.
The welders are held in place by 2 angle brackets each.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been described in
the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments are possible
within the
scope of the invention. For example, in some embodiments, the cart may
comprise a
kit of parts disassembled in a box and which could be easily assembled using
basic
hand tools and threaded fasteners. The invention is to be considered limited
solely by
the scope of the appended claims.
