A connectable steering assembly for a roll cage

Abstract

A steering assembly, suitable for steering a roll cage 8, comprising a hand grip 2 and two plates (4, 28, Fig. 4). The hand grip has a portion with a male hook connector 20. The first plate 4 has a fi

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to relates to a connectable steering assembly suitable for use in steering a roll cage. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Roll cages are well known for transporting products, for example around a warehouse or from a delivery vehicle to a supermarket or other type of shop. Each roll cage typically comprises an open mesh body section for receiving a large amount of products to be sold, and wheel means by which the roll cages are pushed or pulled. The wheel means are usually wheels, with there being two fixed wheels at one end of the roll cage and two swivel wheels at the other end of the roll cage. The swivel wheels swivel 360° and they enable direction to be imparted to the roll cage when the roll cage is being pushed or pulled. The roll cage should be pushed or pulled with the fixed wheels leading and the swivel wheels following. The swivel wheels are then able to provide rear steering. Often the roll cage is pushed or pulled incorrectly_so that the swivel wheels are leading rather than following. In this case, the swivel wheels have a tendency to swivel unexpectedly, and this may cause the roll cage to tip over. This is especially so if the roll cage is being manoeuvred onto a tail lift of a truck, or if the roll cage strikes a step between floor levels or strikes debris. The tipping over the roll cage may cause damage to the goods being transported in the roll cage. The damage may be in the form of broken goods and / or soiled goods, for example where broken goods have soiled other goods or where the roll cage has tipped over in non-hygienic conditions. The fixed and swivel wheels may be in the form of casters.

[0003] A further problem is that the roll cages themselves often cause injury to users pushing or pulling the roll cages due to the users doing the pushing and pulling with their fingers placed through the mesh of the roll cages. If a roll cage suddenly tips over, a user may get their fingers trapped and injured.

[0004] A yet further problem is that there is no particular position at which the roll cages should be pushed or pulled. Some users will push or pull a roll cage at a position which is higher up than other users. If the roll cage is pushed or pulled at a position which is too high up with respect to the centre of gravity of the roll cage, then this may cause an extra instability factor during pushing or pulling of the roll cage.

[0005] Applicant’s earlier application No. WO 2021 / 160983 describes a hand grip assembly suitable for steering a roll cage. This assembly described provides a hand grip with a first male connector in the shape of a hook which is connectable to a second female connector in the shape of a socket which is mounted on a vertical frame of the roll cage.

[0006] Whilst this provides an effective steering mechanism it does necessitate the need for a socket to be connected to, of formed integrally with, the roll cage frame.

[0007] The present invention seeks to alleviate the need to mount a socket on the roll cage and provides an improved steering assembly which is mountable centrally on a mesh wall of the roll cage. STATEMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a steering assembly for use in steering a roll cage, the assembly comprising: a hand grip having a hand grip portion comprising a male connector formed as a hook; a first plate member having: a first surface having mounted thereon a female connector formed as a socket; and a second surface opposed to the first surface having mounted thereon a plurality of hook members; a second plate member connectable to the second surface of the plate member; the first and second plate members being connectable when located either side of a mesh wall of the roll cage such that the hooks members extend through the mesh to secure the plate members to the roll cage.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an assembly for a roll cage, the assembly comprising: a first plate member formed with a first surface which includes means to secure a hand grip and a second opposing surface having a plurality of hook members extending therefrom; a second plate member adjacent but spaced from the first plate member and orientated parallel thereto; said hook members extending through slots in the second plate member such the ends of the hook members extend outwardly from an outer surface of the second plate member; wherein the second plate member is movable along the hook member towards and from the first plate member to alter the gap between the second plate member and the ends of the hook members. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

[0011] Figure 1 is a view from one side of a first plate member forming part of the steering assembly;

[0012] Figure 2 shows the plate member of figure 1 attached to a roll cage during use;

[0013] Figure 3 shows a hand grip secured to the plate member in use;

[0014] Figure 4 shows first and second plate members forming part of the steering assembly;

[0015] Figure 5 is a steering assembly constructed in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention showing the assembly in a first position; and

[0016] Figure 6 is a steering assembly of figure 5 showing the assembly in a first position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention relates to a steering assembly for a roll cage. The steering assembly comprises a hand grip 2 connectable to a first plate member 4 that is, itself securable to a meshed wall 6 of a roll cage 8.

[0018] The roll cage 8 has a generally conventional design having walls and door formed from a square lattice mesh.

[0019] The first plate member 4 is shown in figure 1. The plate member 4 shown has a generally square profile but could be of any suitable shape. The plate member 4 could be made of any suitable rigid material such as, for example and without limitation, hard plastic, metal or wood.

[0020] One surface 10 of the plate member 4 has a plurality of hook members 12 mounted and extending outwardly from the surface 10. The hook members 12 are spaced apart and provided in a patterned array. In the embodiment shown, there are nine hook members 12 arranged in three rows. There may be more or less hook members 12.

[0021] Each member has a simple structure having a curved L shape extending in a downward orientation.

[0022] As can be seen in figure 2, in use, the plate member 4 is attached to the mesh wall 6 of the roll cage 8 by orientating the plate member 4 vertically and placing it against the wall 6 so that hook members 12 extend through corresponding mesh apertures to hook over the horizontally orientated rails 14 of the mesh.

[0023] To this end, the gaps between each hook member 12 are sufficient such that each hook member 12 extends through a separate aperture of the mesh. Similarly, the gap between the downwardly orientated arm of each hook member 12 and the surface 10 of the plate member 4 is sufficient to receive the rail 14 therebetween.

[0024] The hook members 12 may be detachably attached to the plate member 4 such that their locations can be adjusted for different size meshes. The arms of the hook members 12 may be slightly flexible to accommodate thicker rails 14.

[0025] The other side 16 of the plate member 4 can be seen in figure 3. A female connector 18 is mounted generally centrally on the side surface 16. The female connector 18 has the general form of a socket, providing a generally vertically orientated channel into which can be received a male connector 20.

[0026] The male connector 20 takes the general form of a L-shaped hook which is secured to, and extends from, the end of the hand grip 2.

[0027] The hand grip 2 comprises a hand grip portion 22. There is at least one guide slot 24 in the hand grip portion 22. There is at least one slide portion 26 which extends into the guide slot 24. The guide slot 24 is curved as shown. The slide portion 26 and the guide slot 24 are configured such that the slide portion 26 is retained in the guide slot 24 and is slidable backwards and forwards in the guide slot 24.

[0028] The hand grip portion 22 is D-shaped. The guide slot 24 is curved by being part circular as shown. More specifically, the guide slot 24 is in excess of one half of a circle.

[0029] The hand grip 2 may be such that the hand grip portion 22, the guide slot 24 and the slide portion 26 may be generally as disclosed in our International Patent Application No. WO 2018 / 078310 A1.

[0030] The female and male connectors 18, 20 connect together as shown in figure 3 to secure the hand grip 2 to the plate member 4 and, consequently, the roll cage 8.

[0031] When connected, the hand grip 2 may be rotated relative to the female connector 18 to adjust the angle of the hand grip portion 22 to control movement of the roll cage 8 and provide counterbalancing to prevent tipping.

[0032] As can be seen in figure 4, the assembly also includes a second plate member 28 that is securable to the surface 10 of the first plate member 4 with the plate members either side of the mesh wall. The second plate member 28 may take the same or similar form as the first plate member 4.

[0033] The plate securing means comprise standard fixings such as nuts and bolts. Alternatively or additionally, they may be secured through complimentary connection members extending from the plates which may connect through ratchet mechanism to adjust the distance between the plates secured either side of the mesh wall.

[0034] The method of securing the steering assembly to the mesh wall 6 of the roll cage 8 will now be described.

[0035] Firstly, the first plate member 4 is orientated vertically and its hooked surface 10 is held against the mesh wall 6 to extend the hook members 12 through the mesh apertures. The plate member 4 is then lowered to hook the hook members 12 over the horizontal rails 14 of the mesh.

[0036] Secondly, the second plate member 28 is orientated vertically and secured to the hooked surface 10 of the first plate member 28 from the opposing side of the mesh wall 6.

[0037] The male connector 20 of the hand grip 2 is then inserted into the female connector 18 extending from the other side 16 of the first plate member 4 to secure the hand grip to the plate member 4 and, consequently, the roll cage 8.

[0038] The hand grip 2 can then be used to pull or push the roll cage 8 in a controlled manner.

[0039] Figures 5 and 6 illustrate an alternative embodiment for a steering mechanism. In this embodiment, the mechanism comprises first and second spaced plates 30, 32 movable towards and away from each other.

[0040] The first plate 30 has means to connect the hand grip 2 to one surface being the surface facing outwardly (towards the hand grip 2) in use.

[0041] The opposing surface ofthe first plate includes a plurality of hook members 34 each having a L-shape having a stem 36 protruding perpendicularly from the plate surface ending in a hook formation 38 with reentrant tip 40. The hook members 34 have a generally rectangular cross-section.

[0042] The second plate 32 sits parallel to the first plate and has a plurality of slots 42 that have a complimentary shape to allow for each stem 36 to extend therethrough such that the hook formations 38 extending outwardly from the outer surface of the second plate 32, being the surface that faces away from the hand grip 2 in use.

[0043] In use, the hook formations 38 are configured for placement over the horizontal bars of the mesh of a roll cage to secure the steering apparatus to the roll cage.

[0044] To this end, the second plate 32 is slidable along the stems 36 of the hook members 34 between a position wherein the second plate 32 is spaced from but adjacent to the first plate 30 (as shown in figure 5) and a position wherein the second plate 32 is spaced further from the first plate 30 (as shown in figure 6).

[0045] In the second position, the second plate member 32 is pushed closed to the hook formations 38 to secure the plate 32 tightly against the outside surface of the roll cage mesh.

[0046] To release the apparatus, the plate 32 is pulled away from the hook formations 38 back towards the first plate 30 to the first position of figure 5. The gap between the plate 32 and the hook formations 38 is increased allowing the apparatus to be lifted to release the hook members 34 from the mesh.

[0047] Movement of the plate 32 from or towards the first plate 30 is controlled by a 90 degree turn of the hand grip 2, as can be seen in the figures.

[0048] Anumber of different mechanisms could be used for this purpose. For example, rotation ofthe hand grip 2 could cause protrusion or retraction of an abutment member (not shown) from or into the housing 44 of the hand grip 2. In this case, the second plate 32 would have a further slot (not shown) through which the abutment member can extend when it is extended from the housing. Continued extension of the abutment member causes its end to abut the second plate 32 and push it towards the hook formations 38 to close the gap and lock the plate 32 securely against the roll cage mesh.

Claims

1. A steering assembly for use in steering a roll cage, the assembly comprising: a hand grip having a hand grip portion comprising a male connector formed as a hook; a first plate having: a first surface having mounted thereon a female connector formed as a socket; and a second surface opposed to the first surface having mounted thereon a plurality of hook members; a second plate connectable to the second surface of the plate member; the first and second plates being connectable when located either side of a mesh wall of the roll cage such that the hooks members extend through the mesh to secure the first plate to the roll cage.

2. A steering assembly according to claim 1 .wherein each hook member has a curved L-shaped profile.

3. A steering assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the hook members are detachable from the first plate.

4. A steering assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hooks members are flexible.

5. A steering assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the male connector takes the form of an L-shaped hook.

6. A steering assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the hand grip is rotatable relative the male connector, and the female connector when the male and female connectors are connected.

7. An assembly for a connection to a roll cage, the assembly comprising: a first plate member formed with a first surface which includes means to secure a hand grip and a second opposing surface having a plurality of hook members extending therefrom; a second plate member adjacent but spaced from the first plate member and orientated parallel thereto; said hook members extending through slots in the second plate member such the ends of the hook members extend outwardly from an outer surface of the second plate member; wherein the second plate member is movable along the hook member towards and from the first plate member to alter the gap between the second plate member and the ends of the hook members.A

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