BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION US patent 4438940 presents a sled which comprises a container, runners which extend backwards over the container and a supporting leg extending from the rear wall of the conainer essentially as long as the runners for setting the sled on the back ends of the runners and the supporting leg for using it as a shelter in ice fishing, for example. The support leg is fixed permanently to the rear wall of the container, and it has no other use than supporting the sled in the shelter position.

US patent 4526391 presents a shelter portable on ice or snow comprising an integral body or shell having a shape of a jolly or deep sled and including a planar rear wall. Runners united into the integral body have been formed on the bottom. The meaning is to set the body into a shelter position on the rear wall. Besides that, the solution includes parts with which sheltering walls or a tent may be formed in connection with the body. The device is provided for being pulled and is meant particularly for use as a shelter. Besides that, some amount of goods may be transported with it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide an improved multipurpose sled which may be used also as a shelter.

To achieve this object, a multipurpose sled according to the invention which comprises an upwards open container, which includes a bottom, a rear wall, side walls and a front wall, runners which extend backwards over the container, and supporting means extending essentially as long as the runners for setting the sled on the back ends of the runners and the supporting means for using the sled as a shelter, is characterised in that what is defined in the independent claim 1. Other claims define various embodiments of the invention.

The sled according to the invention suits well for transporting e. g. camping or fishing equipment, tools or firewood by pushing the sled. A rambler or winter fisher or an outdoor

worker, like a forest worker, for example, may transport his or her equipment with the sled and at the same tima use it as a shelter and seat. The handles may be designed so that they extend far enough from the runners whereby the sled is well supported in the shelter position. On hard snow or ice, the sled may be used also as a kick sled. The sled may also be pulled by a snow mobile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention and some embodiments thereof are described in further detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 presents an embodiment of the sled according to the invention in perspective; Fig. 2 presents schematically in side view the sled of Fig. 1 and a possible use of it; Fig. 3 is a perspective view presenting the sled of Fig. 1 in a shelter position; Fig. 4 presents schematically in side view the use of the sled of Figs. 1 and 3 as a shelter; Fig. 5 presents the sled of Figs. 1 and 3 in rear view the handles being in a further possible position; and Fig. 6 presents a possible realization of the handle in side, front and end views, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A sled described in detail in Figs. 1 to 6 comprises an upwards open container 1 having generally a shape of a jolly or deep sled and including a bottom 15, a rear wall 16a, 16b, 16c, side walls 17 and a front wall 18. Runners 2 have been attached to the bottom having ends 2a which extend over the rearmost part 16a of the rear wall. The runners include backwards extending beams 13 attached to the planar part of the bottom and sliding bottoms 14 fixed under the beams and extending at the front over the curved front wall.

Handles 3 have been attached to the rearmost upper part 16a of the rear wall. The lower part 16b, 16c of the rear wall is retracted whereby the sled may better be used also as a kick sled (Fig. 2). A rail 8 is attached to the upper edge of the rear wall 16a from which sleeves 7 extend downwards at both ends. The attachments to the rear wall have been made with plates 9,11 and screws 10, 12.

The section of the sleeves 7 is a square. The handles 3 include an attachment portion 6 with the dimensions and shape which make it to fit the sleeve. From the attachment portion extends a round bar 5 curved to form a grip portion 4. The grip portion is coated with suitable plastic material, for example. The handle 3 may be set into four different positions

in the sleeve. In Figs. 1 and 2, the the grip portions are directed forward. In Figs. 3 and 4, the grip portions are directed backward whereby the ends 3a of the handles extend essentially as long backwards as the ends 2a of the runners. In the example of Fig. 5, the grip portions 4 and the ends 3a of the handles are directed towards each other. The handles may be set also so that they are directed to the sides (not shown).

In the rear portion of the container 1, at a certain distance from the rear wall 16a, there have been formed inwards directed corners 20 against which a plate 22 may be set. From there forward also the lower portion of the container has been retracted so that narrow support surfaces 21 have been formed on the side walls. The plate 22 may be set also on these surfaces. The sled being in the pushing position, the plate 22 may be set also in upright position against the corners 20 whereby holders 23 support it on the other side. The plate is then separating a rear compartment for keeping there certain equipment, for example.

Preferably, the structures described above have been designed for the purpose that the plate 22 and the retracted portion 16c of the rear wall aligned with it form in the shelter position of the sled a seat at a suitable height (Fig. 4). On the other hand, in the pushing position of the sled the plate 22 set on the supporting surfaces 21 and the horizontal portion 16b of the rear wall form a seat, and the sled may be used for transporting a person either by pushing or by pulling the sled.

In the example of Fig. 2, a person H is using the sled as a kick sled on ice or hard snow S by holding the grip portions 4 of the handles directed forward (position Pl). In the example of Fig. 4, the sled is in the shelter position and a person H is sitting partly inside the container 1 on the seat formed by the plate 22 and the wall 16c.

The invention is not restricted in the embodiments described above. It is obvious that the shape and the attachments of the handles may be realized in many different ways. The handles may be settable into more positions or freely into various positions, and their detachable attachment may be provided with suitable means for locking the handle into a desired position. Also in the examples presented above, the attachment of the handles is advantageously provided with locking which may be realized in various ways. The shape and the technical realization of the handles may vary widely. The angle between the attachment portion and the grip portion of the handle may be other than the right angle. The ends of the handles may be bent or otherwise suitably shaped.

The invention may vary within the scope of the accompanying claims.