Collapsible truck

Abstract

To provide a folding type truck capable of safely performing folding work.SOLUTION: The foldable truck 1 is provided with a plurality of upper and lower stages of a pair of left and right article loading members 2, 2 whose opposite free end parts are pivotally attached in the vertical direction by movable parts 7, 7', and the base end parts of the left and right article loading members 2, 2 are pivotally attached to a pair of front and rear leg columns 3 having wheels 4 at the lower end parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a foldable cart that can carry an item and can be folded and stored when not in use. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, carts are used to transport products stored in the back yard into the store and stock them. In small urban stores where it is not possible to secure a large back yard, the storage space for the carts becomes wasted, which can lead to problems such as an inability to increase product inventory. To solve this problem, there are folding carts, such as those described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The folding cart of Patent Document 1 includes a pair of left and right article mounting members with multiple tiers arranged vertically. The opposing free ends of the pair of left and right article mounting members are pivotally attached to connecting rods extending vertically in either the front-to-rear direction, and the free ends are pivotally attached to each other in the other front-to-rear direction. An operating handle is located near the movable portion between the free ends and the connecting rod and the movable portion between the free ends, allowing the user to easily fold the cart by lifting the operating handle. This folding cart can be folded and stored when not in use, thereby saving storage space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-7258 A (page 5, Figure 6) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the folding cart described in Patent Document 1, the operating handle is located near the movable part formed by the opposing free ends of the pair of left and right item mounting members and the movable part formed by the opposing free ends of the pair of left and right item mounting members and the connecting rod, making it easy for the user's fingers to get caught in the movable part, raising the risk of injury if the fingers get caught during the folding operation.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and has as its object to provide a folding cart that can be folded safely. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the folding cart of the present invention comprises: A foldable cart includes a pair of left and right article placement members each having opposing free end sides pivotally attached to a movable part so as to be rotatable in the up and down direction, and the base end sides of the left and right article placement members are pivotally attached to a pair of front and rear legs having wheels at their lower ends, thereby enabling the cart to be folded in a mountain fold, At least one of the article placement members has a vertically penetrating opening formed on the free end side thereof, through which a hand can be inserted during folding. According to this feature, the user can move away from the movable part and insert their fingers into the opening formed in the item placing member to lift the free end side of the item placing member, thereby allowing the folding cart to be safely folded.

[0008] The openings are formed in the pair of left and right article placement members, respectively. According to this feature, by simultaneously lifting the pair of left and right article placement members, the necessary force can be distributed and the folding cart can be easily folded.

[0009] the article placement member includes a rectangular plate member in which the opening is formed, and a reinforcing member having a metal frame portion that conforms to the outer shape of the plate member, The reinforcing member is characterized by having a linear portion that follows the edge of the opening on the back side of the plate material. According to this feature, by inserting a finger into the opening and hooking it on the linear portion, the stress generated when lifting the free end of the article placement member does not act directly on the plate material, thereby preventing damage.

[0010] The opening is characterized in that it is formed at approximately the center of the article placement member in the front-rear direction. This feature makes it easy to access the opening from either the front or back of the item placement member, and the force applied when lifting the free end of the item placement member is not biased towards the front or back, allowing for smooth folding operations.

[0011] the movable portions of the pair of left and right article placement members are made up of a pair of hinge members that are stacked on top of each other in the front and rear and are each rotatably supported by a pivot shaft, A plate body is supported on the pivot shaft so as to overlap the pair of hinge members. According to this feature, the plate material that is similarly supported on the pivot axis on which the free ends of the item placement members are supported prevents the user's fingers from accessing the space between the pair of hinge members, effectively preventing fingers from getting pinched.

[0012] The movable portions of the pair of left and right article placement members are made up of a pair of hinge members that are stacked on top of each other in the front and rear and are each rotatably supported by a pivot shaft, and one of the hinge members has a protrusion that abuts against the other hinge member in the rotation direction, A plate body is supported on the pivot shaft in the direction in which the protruding piece projects. According to this feature, the protruding pieces of the hinge member can maintain the pair of left and right item placement members horizontally, and the plate material that is similarly supported on the pivot axis on which the free ends of the item placement members are supported prevents the user's fingers from accessing the protruding pieces, effectively preventing fingers from getting pinched.

[0013] The free ends of the pair of left and right article placement members in the plurality of stages are pivotally attached to connecting rods extending in the up-down direction in either the front-rear direction or the rear direction, The folding chair is characterized by including a locking member that is installed between the leg pillar and the connecting rod when the chair is in the folded state. According to this feature, the locking member installed between the leg pillar and the connecting rod in the folded state can reliably maintain the folded state, and because it is installed between the leg pillar and connecting rod that are close to each other in the folded state, the locking member can be made short and is less likely to get in the way when the folding cart is moved.

[0014] The pair of left and right article placement members on the lower stage are characterized in that a tension spring is stretched between the opposing free ends. According to this feature, the free end side of the article placement member can be lifted with a small force, assisted by the restoring force of the tension spring. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a folding cart according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the rear. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the folding cart as seen from the front. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a restricting means of the article placing member. [Figure 4] 10(a) and 10(b) are diagrams illustrating the operation of the landing strut and the abutment block when deployed. [Figure 5] 10 is an exploded perspective view of a pivotal connection portion between the upper and lower article placement members and the connecting rod. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a hinge member. [Figure 8] 1A is a perspective view of the folding cart when unfolded, showing a state in which a finger is inserted into an opening, and FIG. 1B is a view showing the free end of the article placing member being pulled up. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a view looking up at the free ends of the left and right article placement members on the upper level, as seen from below. [Figure 10] 10 is a top view showing the biasing means provided on the lower surfaces of the left and right article placement members of the lower stage. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing the locking member installed between the leg pillar and the connecting rod in the folded state. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing modified examples of openings formed in the article placement member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of a folding cart according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11. The front, rear, left and right directions of the folding cart are indicated by arrows in Figure 1. [Example]

[0017] 1 and 2, the folding cart 1 according to the embodiment includes a pair of upper and lower article mounting members 2, 2, pivotally attached at their base ends so that their opposing free ends can move up and down relative to one another, and a pair of front and rear metal legs 3, 3, 3, 3, to which the left and right ends, which are the base ends of the left and right article mounting members 2, 2, are pivotally attached. Casters 4, which are wheels, are attached to the lower ends of each leg 3.

[0018] The article placement member 2 is composed of a rectangular plate 20 made of thin resin and a reinforcing member 5 with a truss structure made of metal wire. More specifically, rectangular frame-shaped reinforcing members 5 are fixed facing downward to the underside of the peripheral edges of the four sides (front, back, left, and right) of the plate 20, reinforcing the plate 20. Although not shown here, the reinforcing members 5 are fixed by having horizontal metal pieces with screw holes in the four corners, and bolts inserted from above into the four corners of the plate 20 are screwed into the screw holes in the metal pieces. The plate 20 may be made of a material other than a resin molded product, such as metal.

[0019] The free ends of the left and right article placement members 2,2 on two upper and lower tiers are pivotally connected to a connecting rod 6 made of a metal square tube extending vertically at the rear side in the following manner. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the horizontal pieces 7a, 7a of a pair of left and right hinge members 7,7' made of metal plates are fixed by welding to the reinforcing members 5,5 on the rear side of the left and right article placement members 2,2 on two upper and lower tiers. In this fixed state, the ends 7b, 7b of the hinge members 7,7' overlap each other in the front and rear, and are located rearward of the plate members 20,20 and the reinforcing members 5,5. These hinge members 7,7' constitute movable parts that pivotally connect the free ends of the opposing left and right article placement members 2,2 so that they can rotate vertically.

[0020] In addition, the horizontal pieces 7a, 7a of the hinge members 7, 7' of the upper item placing members 2, 2 are welded to the reinforcing members 5, 5 at a position that separates the opposing ends slightly when unfolded, thereby preventing fingers from getting pinched between the free ends of the item placing members 2, 2 when unfolded or stored.

[0021] A bolt-like pivot shaft 9 is inserted into a shaft hole 8 extending in the front-rear direction formed in the upper and lower ends of the connecting rod 6 and into a shaft hole 8 formed in the end portions 7b, 7b of the left and right hinge members 7, 7' and passing through in the front-rear direction, and a nut 10 is screwed onto the pivot shaft 9 on the back side of the end portion 7b, so that the left and right hinge members 7, 7' are rotatably attached to the upper and lower ends of the connecting rod 6. As a result, when the connecting rod 6 is moved in the vertical direction, the left and right article placement members 2, 2 on the upper and lower two tiers rotate in the vertical direction in unison around the pivot shaft 9 of the hinge members 7, 7'.

[0022] A rectangular cylindrical slider 13 is fitted to the connecting rod 6 so as to be movable up and down, and protrusions 13a, 13a protruding left and right are fixed to both left and right surfaces of the slider 13. The protrusions 13a and the free ends of the horizontal pieces 7a, 7a of the left and right hinge members 7, 7' are connected to each other by a pair of left and right arm members 14. Specifically, bolt-shaped pivot shafts 9 are inserted into shaft holes 8 formed in the upper and lower ends of the protrusions 13a, the horizontal pieces 7a, and the arm members 14, 14, respectively, and nuts 10 are screwed onto each pivot shaft 9 at the back sides of the horizontal pieces 7a, 7a and the back sides of the lower ends of the arm members 14, 14, so that the ends of the arm members 14, 14 are rotatably connected to the slider 13 and the left and right hinge members 7, 7' in an inverted V-shape when viewed from the front. When the connecting rod 6 is moved up and down, the slider 13 moves relatively in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the connecting rod 6, and the left and right arm members 14, 14 rotate relatively in the left and right directions.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the free ends on the front sides of the left and right upper article placement members 2, 2 are pivotally connected to each other by hinge members 7, 7' similar to those on the rear sides, which are fixed to the left and right reinforcing members 5, 5. Although not shown, the free ends on the front sides of the left and right lower article placement members 2, 2 are pivotally connected to each other only by a pair of left and right hinge members 70, 70. As a result, when the connecting rod 6 is moved up and down, the left and right upper and lower article placement members 2, 2 rotate up and down at approximately the same time around the pivot shafts 9 of the hinge members 7, 7'.

[0024] An opening 21 that penetrates vertically is formed on the free end side of the plate material 20 that constitutes the article placing member 2. The opening 21 is an elongated hole that is long in the front-to-rear direction and short in the left-to-right direction, and a user can insert their fingers into the opening 21 when folding the article placing member 2. The user can insert their fingers into the opening 21 in the plate material 20, which is formed away from the hinge members 7, 7' that are movable parts, and lift the free end side (the hinge member 7 side) of the article placing member 2. When the free end side is lifted, the connecting rod 6 is pulled upward via the hinge members 7, 7' that are fixed to the free end side of the article placing member 2.

[0025] 3, metal spacer members 15 are fixed to reinforcing members 5 at the base ends of the left and right upper and lower article placing members 2 (the right article placing member and the base end on the front side are not shown as the left and right have the same structure), and a bolt-shaped pivot shaft 9 is inserted from the outer surface side of the pedestal 3 and passed through the spacer member 15, and a nut (not shown) is screwed onto the pivot shaft 9 on the back side, whereby the base ends of the upper and lower article placing members 2 are pivotally attached to the pedestal 3. In this way, the article placing members 2 are attached so as to be rotatable around the base ends.

[0026] Metallic rectangular parallelepiped abutment blocks 16, which act as restricting means for restricting the rotation of the left and right article placement members 2 in the valley fold direction, are fixed by welding to the front and rear outer surfaces of the base ends of the upper and lower reinforcing members 5. When the folding cart 1 is unfolded for use, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), the abutment blocks 16 abut against the inner surfaces of the leg posts 3 in the left-right direction (i.e., in Figure 4(b), the right end face of the abutment block 16 abuts against the left end face of the leg post 3), thereby restricting the rotation of the left and right article placement members 2 in the valley fold direction and maintaining them in a horizontal state. For ease of explanation, the cover plate 17 is shown in Figure 4 by a two-dot chain line.

[0027] At the pivot points of the upper and lower article placing members 2, cover plates 17 that cover the contact points between the contact blocks 16 and the leg columns 3 from the outside are attached by the pivot shafts 9 to the front and rear outer surfaces of the leg columns 3, preventing fingers and the like from getting caught when the unit is unfolded. To prevent the cover plates 17 from rotating up and down around the pivot shafts 9, the upper cover plate 17 is provided with a contact piece 17a that contacts the upper surface of the leg column 3, and the lower cover plate 17 is provided with a contact piece 17b that contacts the outer surface of the leg column 3 in the left-right direction.

[0028] The hinge members 7, 7' are provided with a restricting means for restricting the rotation of the article placement members 2, 2 in the valley-folding direction. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 7(a) and (b), a protruding piece 7c protruding inward is provided at a lower part of the end portion 7b of one hinge member 7 located on the outer side in the front-to-rear direction. When the horizontal piece 7a of one hinge member 7 and the horizontal piece 7a of the other hinge member 7' are in a horizontal position, the protruding piece 7c abuts against the underside 7d of the end portion 7b of the other hinge member 7' located on the inner side in the front-to-rear direction, thereby restricting the rotation of the left and right article placement members 2 in the valley-folding direction and maintaining them in a horizontal position. In other words, the protruding piece 7c of one hinge member 7 and the underside 7d of the end portion 7b of the other hinge member 7' form the restricting means.

[0029] To fold the folding cart 1 configured as above, as shown in Figures 8(a) and (b), the user simply inserts their fingers into the openings 21, 21 formed in the left and right plate members 20, 20 and lifts them. That is, when the user lifts the plate members 20, 20 with their fingertips touching the backsides of the plate members, the connecting rod 6 moves upward, and the upper and lower left and right article mounting members 2, 2 pivotally attached to the connecting rod 6 via hinge members 7, 7' are folded in a mountain fold at the same time. At the same time, the left and right legs 3, 3 move toward each other, allowing the folding cart 1 to be folded compactly. To unfold the folding cart 1 into its usable state, the user simply pushes down on the plate members 20, 20.

[0030] As described above, in the folding trolley 1 according to the embodiment, the article placing member 2 has an opening 21 that penetrates vertically and that is formed in the article placing member 2 away from the hinge members (movable parts) 7, 7', through which the user can insert their hand during the folding operation, so that the user can insert their fingers into the opening 21 and lift up the free end side of the article placing member 2 to safely fold the folding trolley 1.

[0031] Furthermore, since the openings 21 are formed in each of the pair of left and right article placement members 2, 2, by lifting the pair of left and right article placement members 2, 2 simultaneously, the necessary force can be distributed and the folding cart can be easily folded.

[0032] Furthermore, since the opening 21 is formed approximately in the center of the article placing member 2 in the front-to-back direction, the opening 21 is easily accessible from either the front or the back of the article placing member 2, and the force applied when lifting the free end side of the article placing member 2 is not biased towards the front or back, allowing for smooth folding operations.

[0033] When the left and right article placing members 2, 2 are unfolded, the four abutment blocks 16 on the front, back, left and right sides abut against the four leg pillars 3, and the protrusion 7c of one hinge member 7 abuts against the underside 7d of the end 7b of the other hinge member 7', reliably restricting the rotation of the upper and lower article placing members 2 in the valley fold direction and maintaining them in a horizontal state.

[0034] 9 is a view looking up from below at the left and right article placement members 2, 2 on the upper level. The reinforcing members 5, 5 are configured to include rectangular frame portions 5a, and linear portions 50 extending in the front-rear direction and metallic linear portions 51 extending in the left-right direction that are bridged between the opposing frame portions 5a.

[0035] The linear portions 50 and 51 are arranged close to or abutting each other along the underside of the plate members 20, 20. In particular, the linear portions 50 extending in the front-to-rear direction are arranged parallel to the opening 21, which is longitudinal in the front-to-rear direction, and are arranged on both sides of the opening 21. This allows the user's fingers inserted into the opening 21 formed in the plate member 20 to be applied to the strong linear portions 50, i.e., the user can lift the plate member 20 by holding the reinforcing member 5. Therefore, stress generated when lifting the free end of the article placement member 2 does not directly act on the plate member 20, preventing damage. In particular, deformation and damage can be effectively prevented when the plate member 20 is made of lightweight resin. In addition, because the linear portions 50, which are stronger and less likely to deform than the plate member 20, are lifted, the user's force is used efficiently and quickly for the folding operation.

[0036] Furthermore, the rectangular frame portion 5a of the reinforcing member 5 has a substantially truss structure, ensuring strength and vertical width while achieving weight reduction. Therefore, the user's fingers inserted into the opening 21 formed in the plate material 20 can easily rest against the back side of the strong frame portion 5a.

[0037] Furthermore, a metal plate 52 (see FIG. 8(b)) is welded and fixed to the rectangular frame 5a of the reinforcing member 5 at a location facing the other reinforcing member 5. The plate 52 is positioned so as to overlap with the opening 21 in the front-to-rear direction, i.e., at approximately the center of the frame 5a in the front-to-rear direction, so as to cover the hole in the truss structure of the frame 5a, and this prevents the user's fingers inserted into the opening 21 formed in the plate 20 from being inserted into the hole in the truss structure of the frame 5a, making it easy to lift the reinforcing member 5 by holding it.

[0038] In this embodiment, the user inserts the fingers of both hands into the openings 21, 21 formed in the left and right plate members 20, 20 to lift the cart, but it is also possible to lift the cart by inserting the fingers of one hand into one of the openings 21. In this case, if the user stands sideways next to one of the article placing members 2 and inserts their fingers into the opening 21 formed in the plate member 20 of the other article placing member 2 and pulls it toward their body, they can support one of the article placing members 2 with their body, allowing them to fold the folding cart 1 efficiently even with one hand.

[0039] 7(a), a plate 19 is journaled on the pivot shaft 9 that journals the left and right hinge members 7, 7'. The plate 19 is disk-shaped, has a central shaft hole 81, and is arranged to overlap the inner side of the ends 7b, 7b of the left and right hinge members 7, 7' in the front-to-rear direction of the article placement member 2, in other words, in the protruding direction of the protruding piece 7c of the hinge member 7. As a result, the plate 19, which is similarly journaled on the pivot shaft 9 that journals the free ends of the pair of left and right article placement members 2, 2, inhibits access of the user's fingers to the protruding piece 7c of the hinge member 7, effectively preventing fingers from getting pinched.

[0040] Furthermore, plate 19 is formed with a hole 82 into which protrusion 7c of hinge member 7 is fitted, and plate 19 is synchronized with the rotational movement of hinge member 7. This prevents plate 19 from accidentally rotating relative to hinge members 7, 7' when the fingers of a user or the like touch plate 19, thereby preventing the fingers from getting caught between hinge member 7' and plate 19.

[0041] 10, a biasing means 25 is installed between the opposing free ends of the pair of left and right article placement members 2, 2 on the lower stage on their undersides. More specifically, base members 26, 26 are fixed to the undersides of the article placement members 2, 2, respectively, and both ends of a plurality of tension springs 27, 27, 27 are fixed to these base members 26, 26. The tension springs 27 are configured to have a natural length when the folding cart 1 is folded and to exert a biasing force in the pulling direction when the cart is unfolded. In this way, when the free ends of the article placement members 2, 2 are lifted from the unfolded state, the restoring forces of the tension springs 27, 27, 27 bring the article placement members 2, 2 closer to each other in the folding direction, allowing the folding operation to be completed with little force.

[0042] 11 and 3, a locking member 29 is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 29a on one of the leg pillars 3. The locking member 29 is formed by cutting out a metal plate, and a hook-shaped engaging portion 29b is provided at the free end of the locking member 29, and the engaging portion 29b can engage with an engaged portion 30 attached to the connecting rod 6.

[0043] According to this, the locking member 29 installed between the leg pillar 3 and the connecting rod 6 in the folded state restricts movement of the leg pillar 3 and the connecting rod 6 in the direction away from each other, thereby reliably maintaining the folded state. In addition, because the locking member 29 is installed between the leg pillar 3 and the connecting rod 6, which are close to each other in the folded state, the overall length can be shortened and it is less likely to get in the way when the folding cart 1 is moved. Furthermore, the locking member 29 is provided with a protrusion 29c that abuts against the inside of the leg pillar 3 in the folded state, so it does not flap when the folding cart 1 is moved and is less likely to get in the way.

[0044] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above based on the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and additions and modifications within the scope of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0045] For example, in the above embodiment, the rotation of the article placement member 2 in the valley-folding direction is restricted by the protrusion 7c of the hinge member 7, the underside 7d of the end 7b of the other hinge member 7', and the abutment block 16. However, the protrusion 7c of the hinge member 7 and the underside 7d of the end 7b of the other hinge member 7' may be omitted. In this case, for example, instead of the abutment block 16, the leg 3 and the reinforcing member 5 or the article placement member 2 may be allowed to abut against each other to restrict rotation. Also, instead of the protrusion 7c of the hinge member 7 and the underside 7d of the end 7b of the other hinge member 7', the left and right reinforcing members 5, 5 or the article placement members 2, 2 may be allowed to abut against each other to restrict rotation.

[0046] Furthermore, the shape of the pair of hinge members 7 that constitute the regulating means for regulating the rotation of the article placing member 2 in the valley fold direction is not limited to the shape of the above-described embodiment, and naturally, the shape of the protrusion 7c in the above-described embodiment and the underside 7d of the end 7b of the other hinge member 7' is not important.

[0047] Furthermore, the article placement member 2 may be made up of only the plate material 20, omitting the reinforcing member 5. Furthermore, since the reinforcing member 5 has a truss structure, it is lightweight and can be hung from a hook or the like, but it may be in the form of a plate, in which case the reinforcing strength can be further increased.

[0048] Furthermore, the plate body 19 overlapping the hinge members 7, 7' may be of any shape other than a disk shape, and may also have a structure that is not synchronized with the hinge member 7', in which case the plate body 19 may not be able to rotate around the pivot shaft 9.

[0049] The opening 21 may be formed only in the plate material 20 of one of the article placement members 2, and the position of the opening 21 is not limited to the center in the front-rear direction, but may be located unevenly either in the front or rear.

[0050] Furthermore, the opening 21 is not limited to being disposed on the free end side in the left-right direction of the plate material 20, but may be disposed approximately in the center of the plate material 20 in the left-right direction.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the opening 21 has been described as having the shape of an elongated hole extending in the front-to-rear direction of the plate material 20, but the shape is not limited to this and may be, for example, circular or rectangular, or may be an elongated hole extending in the left-to-right direction of the plate material 20. Furthermore, the opening 21 has been described as having the shape of a through hole, but as shown in Fig. 12, the opening 210 may have the shape of a notch that is open across the left and right ends.

[0052] Furthermore, the locking member 29 is not limited to being made of a metal member as in the above embodiment, but may be, for example, a chain or the like.

[0053] Furthermore, the biasing means 25 that assists in folding the article placing members 2,2 together is not limited to being provided on the underside of the pair of left and right article placing members 2,2 on the lower tier, but may also be provided on the pair of left and right article placing members 2,2 on the upper tier, or may be provided between the connecting rod 6 and the slider 13 or on the arm member 14, etc.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the article placement member 2 is provided in two stages, one above the other, but it goes without saying that it may be provided in more than two stages. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 Folding cart 2. Item placement member 3 pillars 5 Reinforcing members 5a Frame 6 connecting rod 7,7' Hinge member 7a horizontal piece 7b End 7c Projection piece (regulating means) 7d Bottom surface (regulatory means) 8 shaft holes 9 Pivot 13 Slider 19 Plate 20 Board material 21 Aperture 25 Actuation means 29 Locking member 50 Linear part 51 Linear part 52 plate body 82 Hole Section

Claims

1. A foldable cart includes a pair of left and right article placement members each having opposing free end portions pivotally mounted so as to be rotatable in the up and down direction in multiple upper and lower stages, and the base end portions of the left and right article placement members are pivotally mounted to a pair of front and rear legs having wheels at their lower ends, thereby enabling the cart to be folded in a mountain fold shape, A folding cart characterized in that at least one of the article placement members has an opening formed on the free end side that passes through vertically and allows a hand to be inserted during folding.

2. 2. The folding cart according to claim 1, wherein the openings are formed in the pair of left and right article placement members, respectively.

3. the article placement member includes a rectangular plate member in which the opening is formed, and a reinforcing member having a metal frame portion that conforms to the outer shape of the plate member, 2. The folding cart according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member has a linear portion that follows the edge of the opening on the back side of the plate.

4. 2. The folding cart according to claim 1, wherein the opening is formed at approximately the center of the article placement member in the front-rear direction.

5. the movable portions of the pair of left and right article placement members are made up of a pair of hinge members that are stacked on top of each other in the front and rear and are each rotatably supported by a pivot shaft, 5. The folding cart according to claim 1, wherein a plate body is supported on the pivot shaft so as to overlap the pair of hinge members.

6. The movable portions of the pair of left and right article placement members are made up of a pair of hinge members that are stacked on top of each other in the front and rear and are each rotatably supported by a pivot shaft, and one of the hinge members has a protrusion that abuts against the other hinge member in the rotation direction, 5. A folding cart according to claim 1, wherein a plate body is supported on said pivot shaft in the direction in which said protrusions protrude.

7. The free ends of the pair of left and right article placement members in the plurality of stages are pivotally attached to connecting rods extending in the up-down direction in either the front-rear direction or the rear direction, 5. The folding cart according to claim 1, further comprising a locking member that is installed between the leg pillar and the connecting rod when the cart is folded.

8. 5. The folding cart according to claim 1, wherein a tension spring is provided between the opposing free ends of the pair of left and right article placement members on the lower stage.

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