Background of the invention

More and more people in cities are using Public Transport to deliver their own bulky consumer goods because it's cheap, quick, and means you get what you want, when you want it. It also avoids the problem of waiting at home for slow, expensive deliveries.

Many consumers do not think about the practicalities of transporting their purchases home until they are faced with the weight and bulk of them. The present invention offers a practical solution, which caters for the consumers' inherent behaviour, enabling them to make light work of the journey home, then recycle or reuse the invention as they see fit.

US 4772035 discloses a wheeled carrier for attaching to packages, the carrier being made out of metal or plastic. The carrier includes a support for attaching to the package, which may be by means of adhesive, spikes or tape, a pair of legs extending downwardly from the support having bearings therein and a roller having a shaft is rotatably journaled in the bearings.

US 3135527 discloses a wheeled market cart having a container for holding purchased items. Wheels are attached at one edge of the cart either by rotatably fixing them to a wooden cleat that extends along the cart's edge or by fixing them to a rotatable axle that is journaled at the cart's edge.

GB 2390082 discloses a collapsible container having wheels secured at opposed corners of the container by means of an axle that passes through the wall of the container and is fixed in position using a threaded nut.

Summary of Invention

The present invention is defined in the accompanying claims.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a wheel made wholly or substantially of cardboard that has a variety of applications, one of which is particularly illustrated herein, namely the transport of packages but the wheels of the present invention have many other applications and indeed can be used in many applications where simple wheels and castors are currently used. Steps can be taken to waterproof the wheel to substantially improve its lifespan, especially if the wheels are exposed to harsh weather, typically rain and standing water on the ground it travels over.

The present invention also provides a kit for transporting packages which may be used in conjunction with the wheel of the present invention or not.

The invention, by nature of its design and materials, is so inexpensive that it can be considered disposable by the user.

The invention provides a simple, inexpensive, easy-to-use solution for transporting cardboard packages, e.g. those weighing up to 20 kg, from retail outlets to the user's home. Because the invention is so inexpensive, it can be considered disposable by the user, and given away free, or sold at a low or nominal price by retail outlets so as to provide a helping hand to those customers removing their goods themselves.

The present invention described herein provides wheels and a system of two different handle designs that allows the user to carry almost any shape or size of box with ease; substantially every part is or can be made of cardboard; so wheel, axle, chassis and handle can all be recycled with other used cardboard and made into new cardboard products.

According to some embodiments, the wheels and kit are such that they can readily be recycled and can be made such that they do not contaminate the cardboard recyclate ; a water-soluble adhesive can be used, rather than the ubiquitous staples, plastic tapes and straps that adorn the majority of cardboard products, and so can be made completely pulpable during recycling. However, the present invention is not limited to wheels and kits that are wholly recyclable and they may use components that are not in themselves recyclable but preferably such materials do not preclude the recycling of the rest of the wheels and kits.

The kits of the present invention offer superior stability compared to other personal goods carriage systems such as steel trolleys, because the wheels can be attached to two corners of the load giving the widest possible track. The wheels can also be attached to the bottom edge of the package. The system of the present invention is also extremely light, by nature because of the use of the light, stiff cardboard material, which means the user is not disadvantaged if they have to lift the package. Cardboard is also of course a relatively cheap material. The cardboard material is also uniquely suited to the design, due to its springy-cushioning qualities.

Many metal trolleys with plastic wheels create a substantial noise when travelling over a hard surface, e.g. a pavement. Because the wheels of the present invention are made of cardboard, which absorbs vibrations, they are quiet; likewise because the handles are made of cardboard, it does not vibrate either or amplify road noise.

An important feature of the kits of the present invention is that the user can assemble and attach them to a package without the need for tools of any kind, and that it provides its own temporary fixing to adhere to the package, which can be such that it does not damage the package when removed.

The kits include handles for pulling, pushing or lifting (or otherwise manipulating) a package and these handles the may be die cut out of a cardboard sheet.

The handles can be flat packed and assembled in-store by customers or store staff, before being fitted to packages by customers. The wheels will generally be assembled in a factory and, when used in the kits, may be fitted by retail staff, or by customers.

In one embodiment, the handle includes a 'C section back or neck that lies under the package between the wheels and a hand grip and a strap part that extends from the C-section back over the top of the package. The strap part may be wider, e.g. almost twice the width, of the 'C section neck, which consequently keeps the rain off the C- section neck, which is a vital structural part.

The design of the handles can be such that they are largely unaffected by bad weather. The parts of the handle that, in use, are under tension simply pull themselves straight when softened by rain. These parts (the strap parts) will generally extend over the package to keep the package and handle together. The package and the strap parts tend to keep the rest of the handle dry from falling rain, and so they retain their strength. Double wall corrugated cardboard can be used, which means when the outer layer is softened by rain, the inner layer remains dry, and its structural integrity is preserved. The cardboard wheels may have a solid cardboard rim which is durable and slow to absorb water due to its high density; it may also have a water-resistant outer and/or side and/or inner coating.

The kit and wheels of the present invention may be fitted to a package by adhesive (preferably water-soluble adhesive) that, according to one embodiment, is pre- applied to the wheels and the handle (and protected by peel off release papers). The adhesive may be a layer of adhesive applied directly on the handle and/or wheels or may alternatively be a tape applied to the handle and/or the wheels having an externally facing layer of adhesive; in both cases, the adhesive should be protected until use with release papers. The tape, which may for example be made using a tissue carrier, may be a double-sided tape with adhesive on both sides, the adhesive on one side being used to adhere the tape to the wheels/handles when these parts are manufactured and the other side provides the adhesive that is used by a user to adhere the handles/wheels to a package or other object.

In order to transport a package, the release papers are removed from the adhesive on a handle and the handle is first stuck to the box, then the release papers are removed from the wheel(s) (if used) which are then stuck to each corner to form a convenient cardboard trolley.

However, as mentioned above, the present invention is not limited to wheels used to transport packages and can be used in other applications, e.g. in childrens' toys. Also the handles of the present invention can be used with wheels or without wheels.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, a side view and a perspective view of a wheel assembly that can be adhered to packages and for other uses;

Figure 1 a is a side view of an alternative wheel assembly that can be adhered to packages and for other uses;

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the wheel assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figures 4 and 5 show flat blanks for two parts of the wheel assembly, namely the bracket section and the optional base plate that can be adhered to packages. Figure 6 shows a blank for the 'C section handle that can be adhered to packages;

Figure 7 shows the 'C section handle in the first stage of assembly;

Figures 8, 9 and 10, show the base of the 'C section handle being folded;

Figure 1 1 shows the handhold cut-outs in the 'C section handle;

Figures 12 and 13 are a perspective view and a side view of a package to which wheels and a handle have been applied; the handle is made from the blank shown in Figure 6.

Figure 14 shows a blank for a further handle (the strap handle) that can be adhered to packages;

Figure 14a shows an alternative blank to the further handle (the strap handle) that can be adhered to packages;

Figure 15 shows a perspective view of the assembled strap handle of Figure 14, adhered to a package;

Figures 16, 17 and 18 show three stages of fitting the strap handle of Figure 14 to a typical package.

Referring now to the drawings, the wheel assembly 54, which is shown in FIGS. 1-3, typically consists of a number of parts including a tubular cardboard axle 8, an inner wheel sleeve 6, and an outer tyre part 5. The inner diameter of the tyre 5 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the sleeve 6; the tyre 5 is pushed onto the sleeve 6 to form the rotatable part of the wheel assembly, i.e. the wheel. The axle 8 extends through the bore in the sleeve/tyre, which can rotate freely on the axle 8. The axle 8, sleeve 6 and tyre 5 are contained within a rigid cardboard bracket section 3. Each bracket arm of the bracket section 3 includes a socket in the form of a hole 4 and the axle 8 is held at its two ends in the holes 4 via an interference fit. Because of the interference fit, the axle 8 is static, i.e. it does not rotate with the wheel 5,6. The interference fit may be brought about simply by sizing the hole 4 to the diameter of the axle or with the assistance of adhesive, grommets or any other means that holds the axle firmly in the bracket arms 3 without allowing it to rotate.

The bracket section 3 is attached to a cardboard base plate 2 using an adhesive 9, which should ideally be water-soluble. In the present invention, adhesive may be in the form of a layer of adhesive applied to a substrate and then covered until use by a release paper or in the form of a tape having adhesive on both sides ("double-sided tape) that can be adhered to a substrate using the adhesive on one side of the tape, while retaining the adhesive covered by release paper on the other side of the tape until use. For simplicity, we will not state the alternatives of using either directly applied adhesive or double sided tape on each occasion that an adhesive is mentioned but it will be implicit that such alternatives can be used. The base plate 2 includes a side flap 56, a back flap 58 and a wrap around tab 60 that can be folded into a corner shape. The upper face of the base plate 2 (including the inside surfaces of the flaps 56-60) is coated with a contact adhesive 1 which enables it to stick effectively to the corners of packages; this adhesive should also ideally be water- soluble and repulpable, which means it should not leave any gummy or sticky taint in the new recycled material when it is mashed up with its cardboard host in the hydropulper at the recycling facility. The contact adhesive 1 is protected by a release paper 10 until it is to be used. The release paper 10 may be printed with fitting instructions, enabling the user to remove the paper, thus readying the wheel assembly for use, whilst providing a convenient instruction sheet, separate from the wheel assembly; alternatively the instructions may be printed on the wheel assembly itself or on the box the wheels are packaged, delivered and vended in. Following removal of the release paper 10, the wheel assembly FIG. 1 - 3 is ready to be fixed to the base of a package 52.

It is possible to dispense with the base plate 2 and adhere the bracket section and directly onto the package by means of adhesive on the connecting piece 3a of the bracket section 3, in which case, the connecting piece 3a acts as the base plate. Other means of attaching the wheel assemblies to the package (or other substrate) are possible.

The inner wheel sleeve 6, is held on the outer tyre part 5 via an interference fit, and so together they form an integral rotatable wheel that turns on the stationary axle 8. The use of both an inner wheel 6 and an outer tyre 5 is desirable to get a required thickness for the wheel. However, a single tube could be used instead if it had a sufficient wall thickness. The tubular cardboard axle 8 may have a special low friction coating 7, typically a coated, shiny paper, e.g. vegetable parchment and/or tracing- style paper, which enables the inner wheel sleeve 6 to rotate freely around the axle 8, even when a heavy load is applied. Alternatively, a dry lubricant e.g. graphite, may be applied to the inner surface of the wheel sleeve 6 or the outer surface of the axle 8. Liquid or gel lubricants, e.g. grease, could in theory be used instead but grit from the road tends to adhere to it which damages the axle 8 and the wheel 5,6. Inner wheel sleeve 6, outer tyre part 5 and the axle 8 may be made of known wound "board-standard" cardboard tubing. In such tubing, the side tube surfaces are prone to allow water to penetrate, causing the tube to delaminate; to avoid this, the side walls may be coated with water repellent (e.g. Acrylex, which is an acrylic based single component, fast-drying, semi-gloss acrylic finish; or a lacquer or varnish); the coating can be applied by dipping the wheel in a bath of the water repellent. The other walls of these parts can also be coated in this way. However, the outer circular surface of the wheels may be provided by an outer layer formed during the tube winding process, which may be wear-resistant and water-proof. Vegetable parchment would be suitable for this outer layer.

The cardboard bracket section 3, (see FIG. 4) is made of a necessarily thick, sturdy cardboard, e.g. high fibre triple corrugated fibreboard made from virgin woodpulp, which is cut in the factory with two 'V sections in order that the bracket can easily be folded to form the bracket arms and the connecting piece 3a. The cardboard base plate 2, which is provided when flaps are wanted (see FIG. 5) is made from a lighter grade of cardboard, which is creased in the factory (see creases 1 1 shown in FIG. 5) facilitating easy folding of the flaps 58-60, which the user wraps around the corners of the package, in order that the wheel assembly's contact adhesive makes a good purchase on the package.

The outer tyre part 5 of the wheel assembly gives suitable clearance from the ground's surface, so that the lowest part of the bracket 3, see FIG. 4, clears any small obstacles on the ground. The entire wheel assembly FIG. 1 , 2, 3, gives suitable ground clearance that the lower protruding parts of the handle clears the ground and clears kerbs when pulled up or down them.

Turning now to consider the handles; FIG. 6 shows a flat blank in plan view of a first embodiment - the 'C section handle - as it would be cut out at the factory. All the creases shown in the plan view of Figure 6 are forward creases 13, i.e. form valleys when folded (see FIG. 7), apart from the two axial reverse creases 14 that run up the length of a neck part 15 of the handle, which form ridges when folded. As explained below, creases 14 make up a 'C section part of the handle, see FIG. 6 - 10. The handle should ideally be shipped in this flat state shown, to allow the most economical transportation, then vended in the store either flat or assembled.

To assemble the 'C section handle, the blank as shown in FIG. 6 is laid flat on the ground or a table; instructions may be printed on the handle and if so, they should facing upwards. The handle has a cut-out end section 16, which when folded (see below) forms a platform for a package being transported, (b) a neck 15 that in the folded form has a C-section, and (c) a strap portion 27 that assists in holding the package, as explained below.

The handle is folded as follows. Firstly, the angular cut-out end 16 is lifted up and folded forward about lateral creases 13a and 13c, see FIGS. 6 and 7. The neck 15 has two side panels 15a and a central panel 15b. The bending of the cut-out end 16 about crease 13c causes the side panels 15a of the neck 15 to fold back about creases 14 and about the gusset creases 13b to form a 'C cross-section; this assembly process is shown in further detail with reference to FIGS 8 to 10; FIGS. 8 to 10 show the handle supported on its end 16, which is the usual orientation of the handle and is shown in this orientation for consistency with FIGS 12 and 13 showing the handle in use. When the C-section has been formed, the arrangement is as shown in Figure 8. The end panel 16a of angular cut-out end 16 is folded back further about crease 13a toward the 'C section 15 (FIG 9) until the angular cut-out of end panel 16a engages with the 'C section 15, locking it in place via three male tab parts 17 in the angular cut-out fitting into three corresponding female slots 18 at the base of the 'C section neck 15. This operation is made possible by creases 13a which are applied in the factory during the die-cutting process. The section 15 bent over and secured in this way forms a platform 50 for supporting a package to be transported, as explained below.

The forming of the C-section shape of the neck 15 causes the strap portion 27 to bend over about gusset creases 13d and lateral crease 13e (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Handhold cut-outs 19, 20 are formed in the neck 15 which can be pushed out and bent along the edges of the cut-outs that are nearest to the crease 13e; creases (not shown) may be provided for this purpose. The cut-outs 19,20 are folded inwards, as shown in FIG. 1 1. First the smaller handhold cut-out 19 in the neck 15 is folded in, then the second, larger handhold cut-out 20 in the strap portion 27 is folded in so that it overlaps the cut-out 19. This second handhold cut-out 20 has a male locking tab 21 which fits through a female slot 22 on the first, smaller handhold cut-out 19, which locks the strap portion 27 in place relative to the top end of the 'C section neck 15 (see FIG. 1 1 ), thereby making the structure rigid and stable. The strap 27 forms an angle e.g. of about 40-65 ⁹ to the neck 15 (see Figure 12). The cut-outs 19,20 in the above handhold arrangement provide a flat surface that is comfortable for the user to pull on when transporting a package. The locations of the two handhold cut-outs may be reversed, e.g. the large cut-out 19 can be provided in the neck portion 15 and the smaller cut-out in the strap section 27, if desired.

The whole handle can then be fitted to a package. The central panel 15b of the neck 15 has a layer of contact adhesive 23 covered by a release paper that may be formed by applying a patch of adhesive or by a length of double-sided adhesive tape adhered on one side to the panels (the top adhesive surface being protected until use by release paper). The central panel 15b also has a large tab 26 that lies within the adhesive area 23 and that is secured to the central neck panel 15b by perforations that extend all round the tab except for end 26a. A further area of adhesive 30 is provided on the strap 27, which is again protected by a release paper; there are several creases 13f in this area that allows the strap 27 to be bent over a corner of a package (see below).

Fitting a package 52 to a handle assembled as described (Figures 7-1 1 ) above involves (see FIGS 6, 10,12,13):

• peeling the release paper on the contact adhesive 23 on the central panel 15b of the neck 15; (the 'C section handle assembly instructions may be printed on the release paper or on the blank of the handle itself) to expose the patch of adhesive 23,

• tilting the package up and sliding the base platform 50 of the handle (see FIG. 10) underneath a central position of the package 52,

• then pressing together the package 52 and the adhesive 23 on the central panel 15b of the neck so that the central panel is firmly bonded to the package.

• If the package is shorter than the top of the large tab 26 in the central panel 15b of the 'C section neck (see FIG 13), the top of the tab 26 is then pulled out from its perforated moorings and attached to the top of the package. The tab 26 is within the area of the adhesive patch 23, and therefore uses this same adhesive to attach it to the package. The tab 26 is pressed firmly into place.

• The front 'strap' part 27 of the 'C section handle is then employed to complete the fitting. To do this the remaining release paper 28, located on the adhesive area 30 (see Figure 6) on the underside of the 'strap' part 27 is removed. The area of contact adhesive 30, and the end of the 'strap' part is folded over the top edge of the package using the creases 13f. The end of the 'strap' part 27 is then pressed firmly into place (see FIG. 13).

The next operation to be carried out is the fitting of the wheel assemblies 54. The 'C section handle 15, with its package 52 inside (see FIGS. 12, 13), can now be tipped on its bottom front edge 56 and a wheel assembly 54 is applied to each of the two bottom rear corners of the package nearest the base of the handle. This is done by removing the release paper 10 on the base plate 2 of the left and right sided wheel assemblies and applying them by pressing the base of the wheel assemblies 54 (FIG. 1 , 2 and 3) firmly into place, pressing the side flap 56 onto the package, then pressing down the back flap 58 and the wrap around tab 60. Alternatively, if no base plate 2 is provided, adhesive on the bracket connecting piece 3a is used to adhere the wheel assembly 54 to the package 52.

The package with the handle and wheels fitted is shown in Figures 12 and 13.

The handle may include one or more further cut-outs 16b at one or both ends of the blank of FIG 6 to enable a blank to be grasped and pulled out from a stack of blanks for use. In order to reduce the storage space for blanks, the blanks may be foldable laterally (shown by broken lines 62).

The present invention also provides a different handle arrangement, namely a 'strap' handle, which is shown in FIG. 14 to 18; it has much in common with the 'C section handle, in that it wraps around a package 52a (see FIG. 15) to facilitate the carriage and control of the package, it may be used in conjunction with at least one wheel assembly 54 (but this is not essential), and it uses contact adhesive 31 to secure it in place on the package.

A flat blank 70 of the strap handle is shown in plan view in FIG. 14, as it would be die-cut at the factory. As with the 'C section handle, it should ideally be shipped in this flat state, and folded in the middle about crease line 72 to allow the most economical transportation, then vended in the store either flat or assembled.

To assemble the strap handle, the blank (see FIG. 14) is folded in the middle about crease line 72, then handhold cut-outs 32,33 are folded inwards as described in the 'C section handle assembly paragraphs in connection with Figure 1 1. The first, smaller handhold cut-out 32 is folded in first, then the second, larger handhold cut- out 33 is folded in on top of it. This second handle cut-out has a male locking tab 34 which fits through a female slot 35 on the first, smaller handhold cut out, locking the middle of the strap handle in place, and making the structure rigid and stable, with the two parts of the handle being at an angle, e.g. 30° to 45°, relative to each other at crease 72.

The strap handle can then be fitted to a package 52a (FIG. 15). The inside surfaces of the two halves of the strap handle 70 carry adhesive 31 located over the whole or part of the area between a first series of closely spaced creases or score lines 38 and the end of the handle; the adhesive extends over a second series of more widely spaced lines of weakness 39. The adhesive is covered by release papers.

Fitting the strap handle 72 to a package 52a involves peeling release paper at the back of the assembled strap handle, and centralising the handle FIG. 16 using a numbered scale (37a) printed on the outer surface 37. The next step is to fold (see FIG. 17) one of the handle's two sides around the package using the exposed patch of contact adhesive to secure it in place FIG. 17. This process is facilitated by the series of shallow creases 38 and lines of weakness 39 on the underside (adhesive side) of the middle (handle part) of the strap handle. The same folding operation is then repeated with the other side of the strap handle FIG. 18, wrapping it fully around the package 52a and back around on to itself. Should the strap handle sides be too long, the ends can be torn off; this is facilitated by the series of perforated lines of weakness 39, making tearing easier, but not so easy the strap handle tears with a load on it. The strap handle can be used in many different configurations in order to wrap around all kinds of different shaped boxes.

An alternative strap 70a is shown in Figure 14a, which is much shorter than the strap 70 of Figure 14 and has smaller patches of adhesive 31 , which are located at the ends of the strap. The handhold cut-outs 33-35 are as described in connection with Figure 14, as are the creases 38. Because of its shorter length, the adhesive patches will generally adhere only to the sides of the package and the strap will not wrap around the package.

The next operation to be carried out is the fitting of the wheels as described above for the 'C section handle, although it is not necessary to use the wheels in this embodiment. The strap handle though, by nature of the variety of its fitting positions, enables wheel assemblies 54 (FIG. 1 , 2) to be fitted at the base of packages 52a in a variety of configurations. The wheel assemblies are otherwise applied in the same fashion as in conjunction with the 'C section handle, i.e. a wheel assembly is applied to the two corners at the base of the package 52a. This is done by removing the release papers 10 on the left and right sided wheel assemblies and applying them by pressing the base of the wheel assemblies firmly into place, pressing down the side flap 56, then pressing down the back flap 58 and wrap around tab 60. Obviously the "flapless" wheel assembly of Figure 1 a may be used.