US3982768A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dolly
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-10-10
•
Granted: 1976-09-28
•
Expires: 1992-10-10
Abstract
Abstract A dolly for moving automobiles has structure stably mounted on a plurality of casters which defines first and second horizontally aligned and laterally spaced apart cradles for receiving and supporting an axle or other structural member on the underside of an automobile. An additional caster may be mounted on the dolly in an extended position to prevent the dolly from tipping over while moving an automobile when the dolly is rolled across a crack or other obstruction. The dolly may be designed for selectively adjusting the lateral distance between the defined first and second spaced apart cradles.
Inventors
- 👤 Alvin Dean Getman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 14:25
CPC Classifications
B; B62; B62B; B62B3/00; B62B3/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
295 words
A dolly for moving an automobile, comprising: a planar rigid substantially rectangular platform member, said platform member having a forward edge, a rear edge and two end edges, said platform member having a longitudinal axis extending through the midpoints of said end edges, said platform having an upper and lower surface; a caster mounted on the lower surface of said platform member in each of its four corners to project vertically downward therefrom, said two casters mounted along the forward edge of said platform member being of the same size, said two casters mounted along the rear edge of said platform member being of the same size; first and second cradle members, each of said cradle members defining a channel along an axis, said channel being open at its ends and along its length for receiving a structural member on the underside of an automobile; first and second brace structure mounted on the upper surface of said platform member adjacent one and the other end edges thereof, said first and second brace structure extending upwardly in a substantially vertical plane; means mounting said first and second cradle members on said first and second brace structures, respectively, in laterally spaced apart positions vertically above the longitudinal axis of said platform member with their channels opening upwardly and their axes aligned along a horizontally extending line substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said platform member; and a cutout defined centrally in the rear edge of said platform member for fitting around an automobile jack so as to permit the positioning of said dolly below the lateral frame member or axle of an automobile when the frame member or axle is jacked up by an automobile jack engaging the center portion of the axle or frame member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
295 words
A dolly for moving an automobile, comprising: a planar rigid substantially rectangular platform member, said platform member having a forward edge, a rear edge and two end edges, said platform member having a longitudinal axis extending through the midpoints of said end edges, said platform having an upper and lower surface; a caster mounted on the lower surface of said platform member in each of its four corners to project vertically downward therefrom, said two casters mounted along the forward edge of said platform member being of the same size, said two casters mounted along the rear edge of said platform member being of the same size; first and second cradle members, each of said cradle members defining a channel along an axis, said channel being open at its ends and along its length for receiving a structural member on the underside of an automobile; first and second brace structure mounted on the upper surface of said platform member adjacent one and the other end edges thereof, said first and second brace structure extending upwardly in a substantially vertical plane; means mounting said first and second cradle members on said first and second brace structures, respectively, in laterally spaced apart positions vertically above the longitudinal axis of said platform member with their channels opening upwardly and their axes aligned along a horizontally extending line substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said platform member; and a cutout defined centrally in the rear edge of said platform member for fitting around an automobile jack so as to permit the positioning of said dolly below the lateral frame member or axle of an automobile when the frame member or axle is jacked up by an automobile jack engaging the center portion of the axle or frame member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
55 words
The invention defined in claim 1, including: a rigid planar extension member mounted to extend centrally from the forward edge of said platform member substantially in the plane thereof, said extension member having an upper and lower surface; and a caster mounted on the lower surface of said extension member to project vertically downward therefrom.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The invention defined in claim 2, wherein said casters mounted on said platform member are the same size and said caster mounted on said extension member is of a smaller size than said casters mounted on said platform member.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The invention defined in claim 2, wherein: said casters mounted along said forward edge are larger than said casters mounted along said rear edge; and said casters mounted along said rear edge are larger than said caster mounted on said extension member.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the channels defined by said cradle members are semicylindrically shaped.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the channels defined by said cradle members are rectangularly shaped.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
94 words
The invention defined in claim 1, wherein said means mounting said cradle members on said brace structures includes a structural member mounted to extend between said brace structures, said structural member defining a horizontally extending guide channel, said mounting means also including first and second carriage members mounted in said guide channel for lateral movement therealong, said first and second cradle members being rigidly secured to, respectively, said first and second carriage members, said mounting means further including key means for securing said carriage members in place at selected locations in said guide channel.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
76 words
The invention defined in claim 1, including: an additional caster; and means mounting said additional caster on said dolly in a position centrally ahead of the forward edge of said platform member to project downwardly to a point a selected distance above the common plane defined by said casters mounted in the corners of said platform member whereby said additional caster prevents said dolly from tipping over when rolled forwardly across a crack or other obstruction.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
231 words
A dolly for moving an automobile, comprising: structure defining along a substantially horizontally extending axis a pair of upwardly opening laterally spaced apart cradles for receiving and supporting a structural member on the underside of an automobile, said structure also defining a cutout substantially equidistant from said spaced apart cradles for fitting around an automobile jack so as to permit the positioning of said dolly below the lateral frame member or axle of an automobile when the frame member or axle is jacked up by an automobile jack engaging the center portion of the axle or frame member; a plurality of casters, said structure being mounted on said casters for stably supporting an automobile while being rolled across a floor surface and the lowermost positioned wheel portions of said plurality of casters defining a common plane, said horizontally extending axis of said cradles extending over the area enclosed by imaginary lines drawn between adjacent ones of said plurality of casters; and an additional caster mounted on said structure a selected distance outside of the area enclosed by the imaginary lines drawn between adjacent ones of said plurality of casters, said additional caster being mounted on said structure to extend downwardly to a selected distance above said common plane and being for preventing said dolly from tipping over when rolled across a crack or other obstruction with said additional caster positioned ahead.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
231 words
A dolly for moving an automobile, comprising: structure defining along a substantially horizontally extending axis a pair of upwardly opening laterally spaced apart cradles for receiving and supporting a structural member on the underside of an automobile, said structure also defining a cutout substantially equidistant from said spaced apart cradles for fitting around an automobile jack so as to permit the positioning of said dolly below the lateral frame member or axle of an automobile when the frame member or axle is jacked up by an automobile jack engaging the center portion of the axle or frame member; a plurality of casters, said structure being mounted on said casters for stably supporting an automobile while being rolled across a floor surface and the lowermost positioned wheel portions of said plurality of casters defining a common plane, said horizontally extending axis of said cradles extending over the area enclosed by imaginary lines drawn between adjacent ones of said plurality of casters; and an additional caster mounted on said structure a selected distance outside of the area enclosed by the imaginary lines drawn between adjacent ones of said plurality of casters, said additional caster being mounted on said structure to extend downwardly to a selected distance above said common plane and being for preventing said dolly from tipping over when rolled across a crack or other obstruction with said additional caster positioned ahead.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The invention defined in claim 9, wherein said additional caster is mounted substantially equidistant from said spaced apart cradles.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-09-28 | 1980-03-29 | 1980-09-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-09-28 | 1984-03-29 | 1984-09-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-09-28 | 1988-03-29 | 1988-09-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |