This invention relates to trolleys.

According to the present invention there is provided a trolley having wheels that are detachable from a body part of the trolley, wherein the wheels are mounted on a chassis part that for the purposes of attaching the wheels to the body part, engages within a channel defined in said body part, and wherein the trolley includes means that is operable for selectively locking said chassis part engaged within the channel.

The chassis part of the trolley, which may involve an arched tube or other elongate member that carries the wheels at either end, may have at one or more projections which enter respective apertures of the body part when the chassis part is received within the channel, and which are trapped therein in locking the chassis part to the body part. More particularly, two pins may project from the chassis part to engage in respective slots of the body part, and pivoted lever-arm means may be provided for trapping the pins in their slots. As an alternative, one of the pins may engage in the bore of a hole defined in the body part, and the other in a slot, as the chassis part is entered into the channel; in this case the body part may have means that is selectively operable simply to trap the latter pin within its slot such that the chassis part is locked to the body part by this and the engagement of said one pin within said hole. The bore of the hole may be angled to facilitate entry of the chassis part into the channel.

The body part may have spaced, substantially-parallel side-bearers, and the channel may then be defined in a cross-piece that extends between the side-bearers. In this respect and more generally, the body part may

comprise one piece of tubing that is configured to have an elongate, narrow U-shape. The tubing in this latter case may be turned up at the bottom of the U-shape to provide a load-bearing step of the trolley.

A trolley having detachable wheels, in accordance with the present invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the assembled trolley;

Figure 2 is a front view of the assembled trolley taken in the direction of the arrow II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view taken on the line III-III of Figure 2, of a cross-piece of a body part of the trolley, showing a portion of a wheeled chassis part as locked to it in the assembled trolley;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-piece and chassis part locked together, taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to that of Figure 4 and illustrating a stage in engagement of the chassis part with the body part for assembly of the trolley; and

Figures 6 and 7 are a plan and front view, respectively, of a form of cross-piece that may be used as an alternative to that of Figures 3 to 5, in the trolley of Figures 1 and 2.

The trolley to be described is a two-wheeled golf-trolley for use in transporting a golf-bag loaded with clubs and other items, by hand. The two wheels of the trolley are

readily detachable together to enable the trolley to be conveniently and quickly stowed for transport in a vehicle.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the body part 1 of the trolley is formed of tubular metal (for example, aluminium alloy) , being of one piece bent to the form of an elongate, narrow U-shape that is turned up at the bottom in a step 2. The arms of the U-shape above the step 2, form parallel side-bearers 3 for load-support on the trolley, and a U-shape tubular handle 4 for pulling or pushing the trolley on its two wide-tyred wheels 5, telescopes into the open ends of the bearers 3. The handle 4 is secured within the bearers 3 by thumb-screw clamps 6; by way of modification, the clamps 6 may be replaced by lever devices that clamp directly onto the tubing of the handle 4. The length of the handle 4 projecting from the body part 1 can ad;, ^\' sted simply by relaxing the clamps 6, and sliding tae handle 4 ir r out before re-tightenin - them.

The side-bearers 3 are held spaced apart and parallel to one another, by cross-pieces 7 and 8 (for example, of metal or plastics) that are threaded onto the bearers 3. The cross-piece 7 engages the bearers 3 frictionally so that it can be slid up and down by hand, whereas the cross-piece 8 is rivetted to them to form an attachment for a chassis part 9 of the trolley carrying the wheels 5. In the latter respect, the two wheels 5 are mounted on the chassis part 9 at either end of an arched, metal tube 10 that is engaged in the cross-piece 8 to retain the body and chassis parts 1 and 9 in assembly with one another.

Referring now also to Figures 3 to 5, the tube 10, which is arched to an almost semi-circular configuration, is engaged within an arched, downwardly-open channel 11 that

is defined (by spaced webs) within the cross-piece 8 to extend transversely of the body part 1 between the bearers 3. More particularly, a central region of the length of the tube 10 is received within the channel 11 as a close, but easy, fit, and metal pins 12 and 13 that project transversely centrally of the tube 10 are engaged to lock the tube 10 firmly to the body part 1 within the cross-piece 8.

Engagement and locking of the tube 10 in the channel 11 is effected by entry of the pin 12 within a block 14 on one side of the cross-piece 8 and the pin 13 within a slot 15 on the other side. As illustrated in Figure 5, the pin 12 is inserted into a hole 16 of the block 14 as the tube 10 is brought up to enter the channel 11. The bore of the hole 16 is angled to enable the pin 12 to be inserted slantwise from outside the channel 11 and to turn into line as the tube 10 enters the channel 11 with the pin 13 entering the slot 15.

Once the tube 10 has fully entered the channel 11, two locking levers 17 that are pivoted to the cross-piece 8, are swung by hand (in opposite directions to one another) across the slot 15, to engage the pin 13 resiliently, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, trapping it in the slot 15 and thereby securing the tube 10 firmly to the cross- piece 8. In this condition, the chassis part 9 carrying the wheels 5, is held fast to the body part 1, and the trolley is assembled ready for use in carrying a golf- bag.

The golf-bag (not shown) is loaded on the trolley to lie along the bearers 3 over the cross-pieces 7 and 8, with its bottom resting on the step 2. The bag is retained securely attached to the body part 1 in this way by means of an elasticated strap 18 that is passed over the bag below the cross-piece 8, and a webbing belt 19 that

passes around the upper end of the bag at the cross-piece 7. More particularly, the strap 18 has clips 20 at either end, for clipping onto the bearers 3 respectively, and the belt 19 has a buckle fitting (not shown) for tightening the belt 19 on the bag; the location of the belt 19 on the bag can be adjusted by sliding the cross- piece 7 up or down the bearers 3.

The assembled trolley is of lightweight construction making it easy to push or pull, and when parked (as illustrated in Figure 1) is stable and presents the bag at a convenient angle for withdrawal of clubs from the bag and their return. Small resilient feet 21 are provided beneath the step 2 for ground contact.

There is no need to release the bag from the body part 1 when loading the bag and trolley into a vehicle. More particularly, economy of the space required for stowage and significant convenience for transporting the bag and trolley, can be achieved simply by detaching the chassis part 9 from the body part 1, leaving the bag attached. In this regard, the screws 6 are first slackened and the handle 4 pushed down to reduce the length of the assembly. Once this has been done, the body part 1 with the bag secured to it, can be pivoted upwardly about the feet 21 to relieve the load on the wheels 5. The levers 17 are then swung away from one another to unlock the pin 13 from the slot 15. This enables the tube 10 to be removed from the channel 11 and the pin 13 withdrawn from the hole 16 to detach the chassis part 9 from the body part 1 for loading separately into the vehicle. The body part 1 is loaded with the bag attached.

Re-assembly of the trolley is carried out simply by inserting the tube 10 in the channel 11 with the pins 12 and 13 entered in the hole 16 and slot 15 respectively. The levers 17 are then closed upon one another to lock

the pin 13 in, and retain the chassis part 9 secure to the body part 1.

The use of the two levers 17 to lock the pin 13 in the slot 15 from both directions, and to hold each other engaged to a degree by frictional interaction with one another, has been found particularly advantageous in avoiding the likelihood of release of the pin 13 under extremes of use of the trolley. However, use of a single lever may be found entirely adequate. Furthermore, whereas assembly of the trolley and the provision of robust restraint on the tube 10 are both facilitated by use of the block 14, its use is not an essential; it may be replaced by a single or double locking-lever arrangement so that the pin 12 is locked in, in the same way as the pin 13. An arrangement in which both pins 12 and 13 are locked in by single levers is illustrated by Figures 6 and 7.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the cross-piece 8\' in this case is slotted (in the manner of the slot 15) on both sides so that both pins 12 and 13 enter an individual slot 15\' (as illustrated by the arrow in Figure 6) during assembly. Each pin 12 and 13 is trapped in its slot 15\', so as to hold the trolley in the assembled condition, by means of an individual pivotally-mounted locking-lever 17\' that is swung across the slot 15\' and held there by friction and its resilient engagement with the pin.

The construction of trolley described above with reference to the drawings, is of particular advantage in the use of a single tube to provide the step 2 and side- bearers 3 as one, and in the avoidance of the need for welding parts together. Moreover, the use of the elongate U-shape with parallel side-bearers 3 for the body part 1, enables the essential support items such as the cross-pieces 7 and 8, to be more easily and securely

attached than where, as in prior-art gol: trolleys, a single, central spine is used. The double side-bearers 3, furthermore, enhance the support afforded to the bag and its lifting into a vehicle.