GB2153195A - Transporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a transporting device comprising a pointed front end and a wider rear end formed from flexible sheet material, the pointed front end having a longitudinally extending tuck (3) formed in it to raise the front side edges, each front side edge affording a passageway (5) through which a drawstring (1) is threaded, the drawstring or strings emerging from the front ends of these passageways and being fixed at, adjacent or rearwardly of the rear ends of the passageways so that the drawstring is accessible at the rear ends of the passageways as well as at the front ends and whereby when a load is placed on the sheet material and the drawstrings pulled forwards one or more folds are formed in the front side edges and the side walls are thereby pulled up around the load. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Transporting device This invention relates to a transporting device particularly but not exclusively intended for the transporation of household and garden refuse.

The traditional method of transporting garden refuse is with the aid of a wheelbarrow.

This method has several disadvantages, namely that only small amounts of refuse can be carried, that wheel marks are generally left on soft surfaces such as grass, and that it is generally not possible to transport the refuse through narrow openings such as doorways or gateways. Wheelbarrows, furthermore, are normally metallic, and thus both are relatively expensive to make and have a tendency to rust in normal use. The present invention is an attempt to alleviate these problems.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a transporting device is constructed substantially of a sheet of flexible material and includes a raised front portion, the external edges of which are threaded with a drawstring, the centre of the drawstring forming a handle by which the device may be dragged along the ground. The front portion is preferably formed by a pleat in the sheet material so as to be pointed or rounded, the handle being disposed at the apex and the external edges extending back along the sheet from the apex and outwardly.

The pleat has the effect of raising the apex relative to the rest of the sheet and in use pulling on the handle at the apex will cause the front to rise up further and in effect form a bow shape for the sheet. The rear end of the sheet is preferably also provided with one or more e.g. two pleats one on either side of the centre line so as to give the sheet a disk or boat like shape in use. The drawstring preferably consists of a strip of webbing, although this is not essential.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the device is so constructed such that, when tension is applied to the handle, the sides of the device. rise to retain the contents within the area of the device. Preferably, also, the external edges through which the drawstring is threaded are straight.

According to a preferred form of the invention a transporting device comprises a pointed front end and a wider rear end formed from flexible sheet material. the pointed front end having a longitudinally extending tuck formed in it to raise the front side edges, each front side edge affording a passageway through which a drawstring is threaded, the drawstring or strings emerging from the front ends of these passageways and being fixed at adjacent or rearwardly of rear ends of the passageways so that the drawstring is accessible at the rear ends of the passageways as well as at the front ends and whereby when a load is placed on the sheet material and the drawstrings pulled forwards one or more folds are formed in the front side edges and the side walls are thereby pulled up around the load.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways, but two specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the transporting device; Figure 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view showing the front end of the device in more detail, and illustrating the way in which the pulling-handle is attached; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the front end of the device, illustrating the use of flat webbing as a pulling-handle; Figure 5 is a plan view of a blank for making a second and preferred embodiment of the invention;; Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration adopted when a load is placed in the device (the load here has been artifically flattened out so that the shape adopted by the device in use can readily be understood); and Figure 7 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the front end of the device.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the device is generally disk-shaped, and is designed to have refuse piled onto it and to be dragged along the ground in the direction of the arrow by means of a front or pullinghandle 1. The main body 2 of the device is made of any suitable flexible material. which could be a single sheet or strips welded or otherwise attached to each other, for example heavy-duty PVC sheeting. The material chosen should be sufficiently robust to withstand rough handling and heavy loads, yet sufficiently flexible to allow easy folding for storage and ready passage over rough ground. Flexibility will also assist passage of the device through narrow openings. The material also preferably has a lower surface giving a fairly low coefficient of friction with the ground, to reduce the force needed to move a given load.The material is preferably a plastics material reinforced with a woven fibre e.g.

PVC reinforced with nylon yarn e.g. in a plain weave open mesh pattern.

One material which is satisfactory for a transporter 6 feet (1.83 m) long by 4 feet (1.22 m) wide is about 0.1 to 0.2 mm thick and has about 20 threads per cm and is made of PVC reinforced with nylon yarn. This material weighs 0.03 gr/cm2. This has a drape value of 21 mms on the self-support drape test defined hereinbelow.

Another material of this type is about 0.4 to 0.6 mm thick and has about 4 to 10 threads per cm, and is suitable for a transporter 8 feet (2.44 m) by 1 2 feet (3.66 m). This material weighs 0.06 gr/cm2. This has a drape value of 8 mms. Both these materials are satisfactory and thus more broadly a material having a drape value in the range 3 or 5 to 30 or 35 is preferred.

The self-support drape test is as follows: a 1 cm wide square ended strip is cut parallel to the machine direction of the fabric (when the material has a machine direction) and is clamped between two rigid horizontal plates with 5 cms extending out unsupported at right angles from a right angle edge, and at least 5 cms of the strip being held between the rigid plates a weight of at least 1 Kg holding the plates together. The drape value is the value in mms of the vertical distance from the support surface to which the free end of the strip droops under its own weight.

The disked shape is constructed by folding a flat sheet of material and inserting in it a forward tuck 3 and two rear tucks 4, as may be seen from the plan view, Figure 2. The spacing between the inner ends of the rear tucks is preferably less than the distance from each of the inner ends of the forward tuck.

The amount of material taken in to these tucks is not critical, but a suitable angle between the two lines on the flat sheet which are brought together to form one of the tucks is 30 ; more broadly the tucks can be formed with angles in the range 10 to 50 e.g. 1 5 to 45 or 20 to 40'. In addition the front and rear tucks do not have to be equal, the front tuck could be shallower. The excess material of the tuck may be either removed, or folded against either the upper or the lower surface, and secured. If the material used is PVC, this may conveniently be achieved either by heatwelding or by stitching. In plan view the device is generally ovoid in outline except for the leading edges 5, which are straight.Along each of these edges the material is folded over and attached to itself to form a tube 10 open at the forward end, as may be more clearly seen in Figures 3 and 4. A rope, nylon cord or preferably flat nylon webbing 1 2 is attached to the material at the two points 11, passes along the tubes 10 and emerges at the front end to form the front handle 1. Secondary handles 6 are attached at other points along the circumference 7 of the device.

These are intended to assist in manoeuvring, and in emptying out the refuse. It is convenient for the pulling handle 1 and the secondary handles 6 to be formed from a single piece of rope or nylon webbing (padded, if necessary, in the relevant regions) which passes round, and is anchored to the circumference of the device: this has the advatage that the edge is thereby strengthened.

In use, the material to be moved (which may, for example, be household refuse, garden refuse or light industrial waste) is piled onto the device, and a forward and upward tension is applied manually to the pulling handle 1. This force causes the sides of the device to rise, which prevents the material being moved from falling off while the device is in motion. The handle 1 and the tubes 10 further act as a drawstring, and the front edges 5 pull together and partially over the material being moved, making it more secure.

The leading edges 5 pucker up and shorten due to the fixing point 11 being pulled towards the front end of the leading edges by the handle moving relative to the tubes 10 towards the front of the device The portion of the handle 1 outside the tubes 10 thus lengthens. This shortening of the front edges 5 causes the sides 1 3 to rise, most at the front handles 6 but also along the sides to the rear handles 6. The tucks 4 at the rear also help the shaping of the rear of the device when tension is applied to the handle 1 so that the rear edge also curls over and holds in loose material loaded onto the device. This design has the advantage that, when the drawstring is relaxed, a large surface area is presented (onto which, for example, earth may be shovelled). When in motion, however.

the surface area is decreased since the material is forced into the centre by the rising sides, allowing it to pass through relatively narrow apertures. On releasing the drawstring, at the destination, the device returns once more to its shallow, relaxed state allowing easy removal of the contents with the aid of the supplementary handles 6.

It should be noted that the two rear tucks 4 are not essential parts of the invention (though they are preferred) and a satisfactory transporting device could also be constructed in which the rear portion is essentially flat.

The rear tucks have the advantage of enabiing a greater load of particulate material e.g. soil or leaves to be carried by preventing the material flowing off the edge of the sheet.

If desired the forward tuck can be arranged to provide a pouch in which light tools such as secateurs can be carried without being lost in the refuse and such a pouch could even be provided with a closure flap.

The second embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6 is generally similar to the first embodiment but has a modification that reduces the number of components. This modification also improves operation of the drawstring when the heavier fabric mentioned above is used particularly with nylon webbing as the drawstring as mentioned for Figure 4, and especially when the transverse dimensions of the fabric tube is not much greater than the width of the webbing.

In this arrangement the drawstring 21 which affords the handle 1 is also arranged to provide handles 26 to replace the front handles 6 of the first embodiment. This is achieved by forming a slit 32 in the outer edge 31 of the tube 10 extending forwardly from the fixing point 11 or just in front of it.

The slit is desirably 20 to 40% of the length of the leading edge 5 e.g. 25 to 35% especially about 30%.

Thus as can be seen in Figure 6 when tension is applied to the handle 1 and a load 40 is present in the device the portion of the side wall at the rear of the leading edge forms an outwardly extending fold 35 and the drawstring 11 emerges from the slit 32. This results in the front edge shortening with no other puckering having to occur and brings the side edges up to hold the load in. The free portion 33 of the drawstring which has thus emerged from the slit 32 can thus be used as a handle when it is wished to unload the device.

Referring now to Figure 5 the blank has a centre point 51 on a longitudinal axis 52; the distance from the centre point to the rear edge 53 along the axis 52 is 100 units as is the distance to the front edge 54. The transverse width through the centre point 51 is 1 50 units. The leading edges 5 are straight and are formed from flaps 55 on either side of the centre line which are folded under the blank and stitched along the lines 56 to form a fabric tube 10 in which the nylon webbing drawstring is located with its ends stitched to the blank at the fixing points 11. Each unit is 1 cm e.g. in the range 0.5 to 2 or 3 cms.

The front tuck 3 is 60 units long, e.g. 40 to 80 or 50 to 70 and has an included angle of 20 e.g. 10 to 30.

The front end is shown as assembled in Figure 7 and this assembly is preferably as follows. The blank is cut along the lines 64 and then sewn together along the lines 66, the front end is folded down around the fold line 65, the side flaps 55 are then folded under and stitched along the lines 56. Extra stitching or inserts or eyelets may be used at 62. This arrangement provides a double thickness of material at the nose of the device.

Each leading edge 5 is slit for 30 units e.g.

10 to 50 or 20 to 40 extending forwardly from just in front of the fixing point 11 to afford the outwardly facing slit 32 in the tube 1 0. Alternatively the flap 55 can be made to terminate short of the fixing point 11 so as to leave the drawstring open and accessible for an appropriate length forward of the fixing point. In this arrangement the fold 35 will probably extend inwardly. The edge of the blank rearwardly of the fixing points 11 is provided with a 5 e.g. 2 to 8 unit wide turned over hem 57.

The rear tucks 4 are positioned at an angle of 55 e.g. 40 to 70 or 45 to 65 from the transverse line through the centre point 51 and include an angle of 40 e.g. 30 to 50 each about 20 units e.g. 10 to 30 long and extend inwards at right angles to the edge or at an angle of 10 or 20 on either side of this, and thus may be directed backwardly of a radius through the centre point by 1 5, e.g.

5" to 20 .

The device can be reinforced with metal eyelets e.g. to hold the rear handles in place at 60 and to strengthen the ends of the slit 32 at 61 and the front ends of the tubes 10 at 62.

An additional such tuck or tucks may be formed in the rear edge of the device e.g. at the point 53 and/or evenly disposed around that point. Additional handles 6 can also be provided e.g. at 53 and elsewhere if desired.

Claims (11)

1. A transporting device constructed substantially of flexible material and including a front portion, the external edges of which are threaded with a drawstring, the centre of the drawstring forming a handle by which the device may be dragged along the ground.

2. A transporting device as claimed in Claim 1 in which, when tension is applied to the handle, the sides of the device rise to retain the contents within the area of the device.

3. A transporting device comprising a pointed front end and a wider rear end formed from flexible sheet material, the pointed front end having a longitudinally extending tuck formed in it to raise the front side edges, each front side edge affording a passageway through which a drawstring is threaded, the drawstring or strings emerging from the front ends of these passageways and being fixed at, adjacent or rearwardly of the rear ends of the passageways so that the drawstring is accessible at the rear ends of the passageways as well as at the front ends and whereby when a load is placed on the sheet material and the drawstrings pulled forwards one or more folds are formed in the front side edges and the side walls are thereby pulled up around the load.

4. A transporting device as claimed in Claim 3 in which the drawstrings are accessible through slits formed in the rear ends of the passageways.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 in which the drawstring is a strip of webbing.

6. A transporting device as claimed in Claims 1, 2, 3 or 4 in which the external edges through which the drawstring is threaded are straight.

7. A transporting device as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 5 which is constructed substantially of a single sheet.

8. A transporting device as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 6 which is generally diskshaped.

9. A transporting device as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7 in which the passages for the drawstring are formed by folding over the material along the edges.

10. A transporting device as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7 which includes supplementary handles to aid manoeuvrability.

11. A transporting device substantially as specifically described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.