Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02668986 2011-10-24
LOW PROFILE REVERSIBLE DOLLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to a low profile dolly for transporting
office
furniture including filing cabinets and the like and various other articles.
BACKGROUND
[002] During a move or renovation project in an office or other setting, many
different
types of articles and pieces of furniture are often required to be moved. Such
items can
range from boxes to shelves, desks, filing cabinets and various other items.
Although
these items can be moved manually by a mover or contractor, a dolly or similar
type of
apparatus is generally preferred, as it makes the move less physically
demanding and is
often quicker.
[003] Depending on the nature of the article or piece of furniture to be
transported,
different types of dollies may be utilized. For example, a standard upright
vertical dolly
may be used for transporting boxes, whereas other larger items such as shelves
may be
placed on a horizontal cart-style dolly for transportation. By contrast,
lateral filing
cabinets or other items having wheels on the bottom and the ability to roll,
may be moved
with dollies similar to those which are disclosed in U.S. Patent No 6,880,837
to Nandram
et al. and U.S. Patent No. 3,024,036 to Reynolds, both of which essentially
consist of a
flat platform mounted on four wheels and having side walls to prevent the
filing cabinet
from sliding off the platform.
[004] Having to rely on several types of dollies to complete a move or to
transport and
relocate various items during a renovation project is not ideal, as it is
cumbersome and
time consuming for a tradesperson or mover to transport multiple pieces of
equipment to
a job site. Moreover, storage of such equipment is also a concern, as
additional
equipment requires additional space for storage purposes.
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[005] The use of multiple different dollies to perform tasks also reduces
efficiency, as
the user must constantly switch back and forth between different pieces of
equipment.
Moreover, having multiple pieces of equipment on site can create a cluttered
working
environment, which can be a safety concern and the way of ongoing renovations
and
work.
[006] Thus, there is a need to provide a more versatile dolly that is capable
of
supporting and transporting a variety of different types of articles by a user
so as not to
necessitate the use of numerous dollies or pieces of equipment to perform a
job.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[007] According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a low profile
dolly. A
plurality of wheels are mounted to the dolly. The wheels are configured to
contact a
surface so as to support the platform above the surface when the dolly is
placed on the
surface.
[008] In some embodiments, the dolly is reversible, such that the dolly is
useable either
in an upright position, wherein a first face of the load carrying upwardly to
support a load
or in an inverted platform faces position in which an opposed face of the
platform faces
upwardly so as to carry a different type of load. The dolly comprises a
generally planar
platform having opposed front and rear ends, lateral sides, an upper face and
a lower
face. It further comprises a bumper at least partially surrounding the
platform and
protruding above the upper face when the upper face is facing upwardly.
[009] In some embodiments, the dolly has a first and second mode. In the first
mode the
upper face faces upwardly and in a second mode the lower face faces upwardly.
The
platform is supported by the wheels above the surface when in either the first
mode or the
second mode so as to selectively carry a load.
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[0010] The wheels are configured such that the platform is relatively close to
the surface
in the first mode and the platform is relatively higher off the surface when
in the second
mode.
[0011 ] In the first mode, the dolly is capable of transporting items such as
filing cabinets
and the like which are relatively heavy and wherein a low to the ground
carrying surface,
with a bumper to prevent slippage of the load, is desirable. In its second
mode, the dolly
is adapted to carry a wide variety of other items ranging from boxes, to
shelves, desks,
partitions or other household or office items or pieces of furniture. In the
second mode, it
is desirable to provide a platform with unobstructed sides to permit a large
load to
overhang the sides and/or an end of the dolly.
[0012] In other embodiments of the invention, the dolly is not reversible as
it operates in
one mode only, namely that the carry surface is low to the ground. In this
embodiment,
the dolly does not have a bumper. The dolly is adapted to carry a wide variety
of loads as
the platform has unobstructed sides, thereby permitting the load to overhand
the sides and
or end of the dolly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0013] These and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon
reading
the following detailed description and upon referring to the drawings in
which:
[0014] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to the present
invention
in a first mode;
[0015] Fig. 2 is a first end view of an embodiment of according to the present
invention
in a first mode;
[0016] Fig. 3 is a second end view of an embodiment according to the present
invention
in a first mode;
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[0017] Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the wheel region of the an
embodiment
according to the present invention in a first mode;
[0018] Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to the present
invention
in a second mode;
[0019] Fig. 6 is a first end view of an embodiment according to the present
invention in a
second mode;
[0020] Fig. 7 is a second end view of an embodiment according to the present
invention
in a second mode;
[0021] Fig. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment according to the
present
invention;
[0022] Fig. 9 is a second perspective view of another embodiment according to
the
present invention; and
[0023] Fig. 10 is a third perspective view of another embodiment according to
the
present invention.
[0024] While the invention will be described in conjunction with the
illustrated
embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the
invention to such
embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives,
modifications and
equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as
defined by
the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The term "dolly" as used herein refers to any type of wheeled, non-
motorized cart
capable of carrying cargo. Directional references such as "upper", "lower",
"upright" etc.
are purely for ease of description and are not limitative.
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[0026] As shown in Figs. 1 to 7, one embodiment according to the present
invention is a
reversible dolly that is operational in both a first mode and a second mode.
As will be
seen, the first and second modes consist of upright and inverted positions. It
will be
further understood that such terms are for convenience of description, in that
either mode
may be considered the "upright" orientation.
[0027] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, the dolly 10 comprises a generally planar
platform 12
having opposed front 14 and rear 16 ends and lateral sides 18, an upper face
20 and a
lower lace 22. The platform may consist of a single solid rectangular sheet,
as shown in
Fig. 2 or, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to 7, it may have one or more cut out
portions 24, to
reduce the overall weight of the dolly and decrease the physical demand on the
user. It is
contemplated that the platform comprises a flat rectangular panel. However, it
may take
on a different configuration depending on the needs of the user.
[0028] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the platform 12 is at least partially
surrounded by a
bumper that protrudes above the upper face of the platform when the dolly is
in a first
mode and the upper face 20 is facing upwardly as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The
bumper may
consist solely of a single end wall member 26a located at an end of the
platform or it may
further include a first side wall member 26b and a second side wall member 26c
which
extend upwardly from one or both of the lateral sides 18 of the platform, when
the
platform is in the first mode and the upper lace 20 is facing upwardly. In
general terms,
the bumper may protrude from between one and three ends and/or sides of the
platform.
The bumper may protrude from any of the sides or ends of the platform. It is
contemplated that at least one side or end remain unobstructed to permit an
object to be
pushed onto the platform, although for certain specialized uses it may be
desirable for the
bumper to protrude from all ends and sides of the platform.
[0029] A plurality of wheels are mounted to the dolly. The wheels are
configured to
contact the ground or a surface so as to support the platform 12 above the
ground or
surface when the dolly is positioned in either a first mode when the upper
face 20 faces
upwardly or in a second mode inverted from the first mode, when the lower face
22 faces
upwardly. In this manner, the wheels above the surface or the platform is
supported by
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ground when the dolly is in either the first mode or the second mode, so as to
selectively
carry a load, on either face of the platform.
[0030] The wheels are configured such that the platform is relatively close to
the ground
or surface when the dolly is in the first mode, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and
such that the
platform is relatively higher off the ground or surface compared to when the
dolly is in
the second mode, as shown in Figs. 5 to 7. Preferably, the upper face 20 of
the platform is
no more than 3/4 to 1 inch above the ground or the surface when the dolly is
in the first
mode. The first mode can be said to be a low profile mode. However, the
elevation of the
platform in either mode is based on the desired use of the dolly and may
depart from this
range.
[0031] The plurality of wheels preferably includes two rear wheels 32 located
at
opposing lateral sides 18 at the front end 14 of the platform, which are
mounted to the
first side wall member 26b and the second side wall member 26c, respectively
of the
bumper or directly to the platform itself. The rear wheels are relatively
large and protrude
beyond both the upper face and bumper, and the lower face of the platform and
the
bumper so as to contact the ground or a surface when the dolly is in either
the first mode
or the second mode. A pair of spaced apart side members 34 provide structural
support to
the dolly and hold the large wheels. The large wheels are formatted on an axle
which
horizontally spans the spaced apart side members. The wheels can be pneumatic
or solid.
[0032] The plurality of wheels preferably further includes one or more
vertically
opposing wheel sets 36. Each wheel set comprises a first wheel positioned and
configured to support the dolly in the first mode and a second wheel being
configured to
support the dolly in the second mode. The first and second wheels each only
protrude
above a single respective face (and bumper, where present), respectively. The
one or
more vertically opposing wheel sets 36 are attached to a horizontal shelf 38
which
protrudes from the platform at a mid-point on the exterior of the bumper. The
axes of
rotation of the first wheel and the second wheel of each vertically opposing
wheel set 36
are parallel to one another. The wheels may be vertically displaced or as
shown in Figs. 1
to 7, they may be directly opposed to one another in a stacked vertical array.
Preferably,
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the dolly includes two opposing wheel sets, which are spaced horizontally
apart from one
another on the shelf 38. The wheels forming the opposing wheel sets are
preferably castor
wheels. Optionally, the wheels of the dolly may comprise any combination of
the smaller
opposed wheel sets and large unopposed wheels. However, an advantage of the
configuration described herein is that one or more of the upwardly facing
wheels of the
wheel sets can be positioned to assist in the loading of a heavy object onto
the platform.
[0033] When the dolly is in the first mode, with the upper face facing
upwardly and the
bumper protruding above the upper face 20, the dolly is suitable for carrying
filing
cabinets or other items of furniture, as the bumper serves to prevent the
cabinet or
furniture from sliding off the platform. In addition, when in the first mode,
the platform is
relatively close to the ground which makes it easier to tilt and roll a filing
cabinet or slide
another piece of furniture or article onto the platform to be transported. In
the first mode,
the dolly is configured to be used by one operator to arrange and transport
the load onto
the dolly.
[0034] if the platform is constructed so as to include one or more cut-out
portions 24 to
reduce the weight of the dolly, it may also include a pair of smooth runners
40, spaced
apart the distance between the feet of a standard filing cabinet as shown in
Fig. 3.
[0035] When the dolly is in the second mode, the platform has an at least
partially
unobstructed lower face to permit a load to overhang the edges of the lower
face. It is
also relatively higher off the ground to make it easier for the operator to
load boxes and
other articles onto the lower face of the platform for transportation.
[0036] As shown in Figs. 8 to 10, another embodiment according to the present
invention
is a low profile dolly 100 which operates in one mode. The dolly comprises a
generally
planar platform 112 having opposed front 114 and raised rear 116 ends, which
are
parallel to platform 112. Rear end 116 is bent or otherwise configured
upwardly from
platform 112, with an intermediate panel 127 approximately normal to platform
112.
Platform 112 may consist of a single solid rectangular sheet, as illustrated
in Figs. 8 to 10
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or it may have one or more cut out portions (not shown) to reduce the overall
weight of
the dolly and decrease the physical demand on the user.
[0037] Front end member 126 is bent or otherwise configured downwardly from
platform
112 to form a bumper. Optionally, additional bumpers may protrude from the
sides of the
platform for additional durability (not shown). Platform 112, front 114 and
raised rear
116 ends, front end member 126 and intermediate panel 127 may be formed from a
single, relatively thick (3/8") monolithic heavy plate of steel or other
suitable material.
Optionally, the surface of platform 112 has a non-skid finish in a diamond
pattern or
other pattern as is known in the art.
[0038] A plurality of wheels 132 are mounted beneath front end 114 and are
configured
to contact the ground or surface so as to support the platform 112 above the
ground or
surface. Wheels 132 can be pneumatic or solid. Front end 114 has a plurality
of slots 131
positioned above wheels 132, which enable wheels 132 to mounted such that the
upper
tread of wheels 132 is approximately '/4" below the surface of platform 112.
Advantageously, this reduces the overall profile of the dolly. As such, the
top surface of
platform 112 is about no more than 1 inch above the ground or surface.
[0039] Raised rear end 116 has a pair of wheels 136 located underneath at
opposing
lateral sides. Wheels 136 are preferably relatively large caster wheels, with
optional
braking means (not shown) such as conventional toe operated brake levers on
the axles.
Wheels 132 are preferably free rolling at all times and are not equipped with
brakes.
Raised rear end 116 optionally includes slot 137, which is configured to
accept a variety
of lifting levers.
[0040] The underside of platform 112 includes a plurality of support members
134 to
provide structural support to the dolly. The underside of raised rear end 116
also includes
a plurality of support members 135 for structural support.
[0041] This embodiment is readily suitable for use by a single operator and is
ideally
suited for carrying filing cabinets, appliances or other heavy items of
furniture. In the
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embodiment that does not have side bumpers, shown in Figs. 8 to 10, the dolly
can
support loads that extend past the dolly's width. As wheels 132 are clear of
platform
112, the load can sit atop slots 131 without hindering the dolly movement and
operation.
[0042] Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided in accordance with
the
embodiments of the present invention a dolly that fully satisfies the objects,
aims and
advantages set forth above. While the invention has been described in
conjunction with
illustrated embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives,
modifications and
variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the
foregoing description.
Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications
and variations
as fall within the spirit and broad scope of the invention.
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