Dished caster wheel pocket for a platform or dolly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10279830-B2
Application number	US-201715806035-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2017
Priority date	Nov 8, 2016
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

The present invention provides a dolly having a polygonal-shaped platform having an upper surface, a lower surface, a peripheral edge having four corners, a torus-shaped pocket positioned at each corner and dimensioned to receive a wheel from an adjacent dolly, and a plurality of wheels extending from the lower surface and attached thereto.

First claim

We claim:

1. A dolly comprising a platform having an upper surface, a lower surface, a peripheral edge, a torus-shaped pocket dimensioned to receive a wheel from an adjacent dolly and mounted for rotational movement about an axis generally perpendicular to the upper surface, and a plurality of wheels extending from the lower surface and attached thereto.

2. The dolly of claim 1 wherein the torus-shape has an aspect ratio within the range of from 3:2 to 2:3.

3. The dolly of claim 1 wherein the torus-shape has an aspect ratio of 1:1.

4. The dolly of claim 1 further comprising a stop wall positioned proximate the pocket.

5. The dolly of claim 4 wherein the stop wall extends above the upper surface.

6. The dolly of claim 5 wherein the stop wall is moveable from a deployed position to a stowed position.

7. The dolly of claim 1 wherein the pocket is generally D-shaped.

8. The dolly of claim 7 further comprising a raised edge in the pocket.

9. The dolly of claim 1 having a plurality of corners and a plurality of pockets one of each of the plurality of pockets being positioned at one of each of the plurality of corners.

10. The dolly of claim 1 wherein the wheel is a caster wheel attached to the lower surface with a swivel for rotation about a first axis perpendicular to the lower surface and the wheel is mounted for rotation about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis.

11. The dolly of claim 10 wherein the first axis of rotation is coaxially disposed with a centerline of the pocket.

12. The dolly of claim 11 wherein the first axis of rotation if extended through the wheel is spaced from a diameter line through the wheel to define a swivel radius.

13. The dolly of claim 1 wherein the wheels are caster wheels mounted for rotation about an axis from 180° to 360°.

14. A dolly comprising a polygonal-shaped platform having an upper surface, a lower surface, a peripheral edge having four corners, a torus-shaped pocket positioned at each corner and dimensioned to receive a wheel from an adjacent dolly and mounted for rotational movement about an axis generally perpendicular to the upper surface, and a plurality of wheels extending from the lower surface and attached thereto.

15. The dolly of claim 14 further comprising a first stop wall positioned proximate the pocket.

16. The dolly of claim 15 wherein the first stop wall is moveable between a deployed position and a stowed position.

17. The dolly of claim 16 further comprising a second stop wall spaced from the first stop wall.

18. The dolly of claim 17 wherein the second stop wall is moveable between a deployed position to a stowed position.

19. The dolly of claim 18 wherein the pocket is mounted for rotational motion about an axis perpendicular to the top surface.

Assignees

• Orbis Corp

Inventors

• Stahl Edward L
• May Eric P
• Thompson Benjamin Joel
• Buss Scott James

Classifications

• B62B2301/04

  comprising a wheel pivotable about a substantially vertical axis, e.g. swivelling castors · CPC title

• B62B3/1492

  Wheel arrangements · CPC title

• B62B3/1476

  the main load support being a platform · CPC title

• B62B5/0093 Primary

  Flat dollys without hand moving equipment · CPC title

• B62B3/16

  vertically stackable · CPC title