Foldable lawn and garden cart

Claim 2

A foldable lawn and garden cart comprising a hopper-type barrow provided with ground engaging wheels and inverted U-shaped prop-equipped handle means, said barrow embodying a pair of like doWnwardly converging rigid panels defining companion front and back walls and having complemental lower ends aligned and hingedly foldably joined, load confining side walls, spanning the spaces between said front and back panels and embodying paired triangular panels which are rigid and have adjacent inner vertical edges hingedly joined to each other and outer marginal edges hingedly and foldingly joined to coacting marginal edges of said front and back wall panels, readily accessible and manually usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined upper edges of said triangular panels and adapted when in use to position and retain said triangular panels in coplanar in-use position and also adapted to release said triangular panels at will for compact and convenient inward face-to-face folding, and second readily accessible and manually usable retaining means operatively mounted on a median upper edge portion of said back panel and releasably engageable with an upper edge portion of said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of said panels in compact folded and portable relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage.

Claim 3

A foldable lawnand garden cart comprising a hopper-type barrow provided with ground engaging wheels and handle means, said barrow embodying companion downwardly converging panels defining front and back walls and having opposed lower ends which are foldably hingedly joined, load confining side walls, said side walls embodying paired triangular panels which have adjacent inner vertical edges hingedly joined to each other and outer marginal edges hingedly and foldingly joined to coacting marginal edges of said front and back panels, readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage, said opposed lower ends being provided with angled coplanar flanges which have confronting and abutting marginal edges, said edges being joined by hinge means, said front and the coordinating marginal edges of said side wall panels being hingedly joined with their respectively cooperable side marginal flanges.

Claim 4

A foldable lawnand garden cart comprising a hopper-type barrow provided with ground engaging wheels and handle means, said barrow embodying companion downwardly converging panels defining front and back walls and having opposed lower ends which are foldably hingedly joined, load confining side walls, said side walls embodying paired triangular panels which have adjacent inner vertical edges hingedly joined to each other and outer marginal edges hingedly and foldingly joined to coacting marginal edges of said front and back panels, readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage, said opposed lower ends being provided with angled coplanar flanges which have confronting and abutting marginal edges, said edges being joined by hinge means, said front and the coordinating marginal edges of said side wall panels being hingedly joined with their respectively cooperable side marginal flanges.

Claim 5

The lawn and garden cart defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein said handle means comprises an inverted U-shaped frame embodying a pair of like legs joined at their upper ends by a bridging handle, said back panel having marginal portions positioned and resting atop and being fixed to said legs.

Claim 6

A foldable lawn and garden cart comprising a hopper-type barrow provided with ground engaging wheels and prop-equipped handle means, said barrow embodying companion downwardly converging panels defining front and back walls and having opposed lower ends which are foldably hingedly joined, and load confining side walls, said side walls embodying paired triangular panels which have adjacent inner vertical edges hingedly joined to each other and outer marginal edges hingedly and foldingly joined to coacting marginal edges of said front and back panels, readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage, said first retaining means comprising an open-ended clip which is channel-shaped in cross-Section and is designed to fit applicably and removably over upper edges of coacting ones of said triangular panels in a manner to bridge the adjacent and cooperable inner vertical marginal edges of said panels and, in so doing, serving to maintain said panels in coplanar wall-forming relationship, and a link having one end pivotally connected with an end of said clip and its other end pivotally anchored on an oriented interior surface of a cooperating one of said panels.

Claim 7

A foldable lawn and garden cart comprising a hopper-type barrow provided with ground engaging wheels and prop-equipped handle means, said barrow embodying companion downwardly converging panels defining front and back walls and having opposed lower ends which are foldably hingedly joined, and load confining side walls, said side walls embodying paired triangular panels which have adjacent inner vertical edges hingedly joined to each other and outer marginal edges hingedly and foldingly joined to coacting marginal edges of said front and back panels, readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage, said first retaining means comprising an open-ended clip which is channel-shaped in cross-Section and is designed to fit applicably and removably over upper edges of coacting ones of said triangular panels in a manner to bridge the adjacent and cooperable inner vertical marginal edges of said panels and, in so doing, serving to maintain said panels in coplanar wall-forming relationship, and a link having one end pivotally connected with an end of said clip and its other end pivotally anchored on an oriented interior surface of a cooperating one of said panels.

Claim 8

A foldable lawn and garden cart comprising a hopper-type barrow provided with ground engaging wheels and prop-equipped handle means, said barrow embodying companion downwardly converging panels defining front and back walls and having opposed lower ends which are foldably hingedly joined, and load confining side walls, said side walls embodying paired triangular panels which have adjacent inner vertical edges hingedly joined to each other and outer marginal edges hingedly and foldingly joined to coacting marginal edges of said front and back panels, readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage, said second retaining means comprising a J-shaped hook which has a shank portion and a hook portion which is such in shape and size that it can be retentively but releasably hooked over the upper marginal edges of the front and back walls when these walls are folded into opposed compact position and relationship for storage needs, and an adapter bracket fixed on an exterior surface of an upper part of said back wall and provided with a socket member, said shank being mounted for operation in said socket member.

Claim 9

A foldable lawn and garden cart comprising a hopper-type barrow provided with ground engaging wheels and prop-equipped handle means, said barrow embodying companion downwardly converging panels defining front and back walls and having opposed lower ends which are foldably hingedly joined, and load confining side walls, said side walls embodying paired triangular panels which have adjacent inner vertical edges hingedly joined to each other and outer marginal edges hingedly and foldingly joined to coacting marginal edges of said front and back panels, readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage, said second retaining means comprising a J-shaped hook which has a shank portion and a hook portion which is such in shape and size that it can be retentively but releasably hooked over the upper marginal edges of the front and back walls when these walls are folded into opposed compact position and relationship for storage needs, and an adapter bracket fixed on an exterior surface of an upper part of said back wall and provided with a socket member, said shank being mounted for operation in said socket member.

Claim 10

The lawn and garden cart defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein said hinge means comprises an elongated tubular sheath which is commensurate in length with the length of said coplanar but oblique angled flanges, said sheath being C-shaped in transverse cross-section and having a longitudinal keying slot on one side, the slotted portion of said sheath contacting and being located underneath and partly bridging the respective flanges, and the confronting marginal edges having angularly bent lips which are directed through said slot into the hollow portion of said sheath and are provided with lip assembling and retaining beads.

Claim 11

A foldable lawn and garden cart comprising an inverted U-shaped frame embodying a pair of like coplanar legs having free lower ends provided with free-turning ground engaging wheels and upper ends structurally joined by a bight portion providing a push-pull handle, a foldable hopper-like barrow embodying downwardly converging companion panels providing front and back walls, said back panel spanning the space between and being fixedly mounted atop said legs and having a lower end terminating in an angular assembling flange and also having side marginal edges provided with additional assembling flanges, said front panel, like said back panel, also having a lower end terminating in an angular assembling flange which is directed toward said first named assembling flange, said assembling flanges having abutting edges connected by hinge means which allows the front panel to be swung toward and compactly folded atop the back panel, said front panel also having its side marginal edges provided with additional assembling flanges which are directed toward and aligned with said first mentioned assembling flanges, and a pair of spaced parallel side walls situated between the respective side marginal edges of said front and back panels, each side wall comprising a pair of triangular panels which hAve adjacent inner vertical edges which are foldably joined by hinging means and have outer marginal edges which are oriented with and are joined by hinge means which functions to allow said side walls to be folded inwardly and sandwiched between the front and back walls when the latter walls are folded and collapsed for compact storage readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage.

Claim 12

A foldable lawn and garden cart comprising an inverted U-shaped frame embodying a pair of like coplanar legs having free lower ends provided with free-turning ground engaging wheels and upper ends structurally joined by a bight portion providing a push-pull handle, a foldable hopper-like barrow embodying downwardly converging companion panels providing front and back walls, said back panel spanning the space between and being fixedly mounted atop said legs and having a lower end terminating in an angular assembling flange and also having side marginal edges provided with additional assembling flanges, said front panel, like said back panel, also having a lower end terminating in an angular assembling flange which is directed toward said first named assembling flange, said assembling flanges having abutting edges connected by hinge means which allows the front panel to be swung toward and compactly folded atop the back panel, said front panel also having its side marginal edges provided with additional assembling flanges which are directed toward and aligned with said first mentioned assembling flanges, and a pair of spaced parallel side walls situated between the respective side marginal edges of said front and back panels, each side wall comprising a pair of triangular panels which hAve adjacent inner vertical edges which are foldably joined by hinging means and have outer marginal edges which are oriented with and are joined by hinge means which functions to allow said side walls to be folded inwardly and sandwiched between the front and back walls when the latter walls are folded and collapsed for compact storage readily accessible and usable first retaining means operatively mounted on predetermined ones of said triangular panels and adapted to position and retain said triangular panels in an in-use position and to release the same at will for folding, and second readily accessible and usable retaining means operatively mounted on said back panel and releasably engageable with said front panel in a manner to temporarily position and retain all of the panels in compact folded relationship for storage and subsequent erected usage.

Claim 13

The lawn and garden cart defined in and according to claim 7, and wherein said first retaining means comprises an openended clip which is channel-shaped in cross-section and is designed to fit applicably and removably over upper edges of coacting ones of said triangular panels in a manner to bridge the adjacent and cooperable inner vertical marginal edges and, in so doing, serving to maintain said panels in coplanar wall-forming relationship, and a link having one end pivotally connected with an end of said clip and its other end pivotally anchored on an oriented interior surface of a cooperating one of said panels.

Claim 14

The lawn and garden cart defined in and according to claim 7, and wherein said second retaining means comprises a J-shaped hook which has a shank portion and a hook portion which is such in shape and size that it can be retentively but releasably hooked over the upper marginal edges of the front and back walls when these walls are folded into opposed compact position and relationship for storage needs, and an adapter bracket fixed on an exterior surface of an upper part of said back wall and provided with a socket member, said shank being mounted for operation in said socket member.

Claim 15

The lawn and garden cart defined in and according to claim 7, and wherein the lower free ends of the legs of said U-shaped frame are arcuately curved upwardly and have opposed terminal extensions projecting to predetermined positions beyond the outside peripheral tread portions of said wheels in a manner to act as means capable of lifting the wheels off the supporting surface when the cart is folded and propped against a stationary wall for storing and also to prevent rolling of the cart when thus stored.