Foldable trolley making it possible to support office equipment, computer equipment or the like in a functional way

© Holder (s):

© Agent (s): Cabinet Plasseraud.

© Foldable cart to support office equipment, IT or similar equipment in a functional manner.

(57) Foldable cart to functionally support office equipment, computer equipment, such as a microcomputer. or the like, comprising: an inverted T-shaped main support 2 with a lower transverse bar 3 and an inclined main leg 5 comprising a fixed base 6 secured to the cross bar 3, a slide 7 movable in this base and adjustment means and / or blocking 8 to adjust the height of the leg 5; a strut 11 integral, in an articulated manner in rotation of the base 6; a support plate at the upper end of the slide 7; and ** a removable plate 16 capable of supporting the aforementioned equipment 20 I and provided, on its underside, with releasable securing means to the support plate

FR 2 625 718

<img file="FR2625718A1_D0001.tif" />

D

Sale of booklets at IMPRIMERIE NATIONALE. 27. rue de la Convention - 75732 PARIS CEDEX 15

Foldable cart to support office equipment, IT equipment or the like.

The present invention relates to a foldable cart for supporting functionally office equipment, computer equipment such as a microcomputer, or the like.

There are currently many types of carts or trolleys to support equipment such as computer equipment. However, these trolleys or trolleys are in principle intended to equip offices or laboratories and their arrangement does not allow them to be used reliably in other places. In particular, most of them have a height suitable for working in a seated position; their rolling means only allow movement over a short distance, for example inside a room; furthermore, none of these materials is arranged so that it can be folded under a small volume and so that it can be easily transported at the same time as the apparatus (for example the microcomputer) which they accompany.

However, the ever-increasing development of the field of use of computer equipment, and in particular microcomputers, has led to using it outside offices, directly in certain places for taking information having large dimensions. Thus, for example, the statement of replenishments of the departments, in supermarkets and hypermarkets, begins to be carried out by means of microcomputers which are used in situ and which must be moved in the store between the departments for a direct entry of the replenishment data. . However, although qualified as “light or portable, the microcomputers used for these purposes are however too heavy to be able to be carried permanently by the person in charge of the statement, who must also keep the freedom of his hands. · '

Known trolleys or trolleys are not designed to be moved continuously over such great distances.

In addition, it is possible that a person attached to a supplier makes the statement of replenishments necessary only for his own products in many stores. It must then move with its equipment, microcomputer and support trolley thereof, which current trolleys or trolleys do not allow to do easily.

The invention therefore essentially aims to provide a carriage of the aforementioned kind which better meets certain requirements than known equipment, and in particular it provides a carriage which is easily transportable, which can be moved without difficulty, over significant distances, which easily lends itself to various layouts to meet varying usage requirements, and yet remains light, stable, easy to handle and move, and inexpensive.

For these purposes, the trolley according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises in combination:

- A main support in inverted T comprising a lower transverse frame provided with rollers or the like at its ends and a main inclined leg comprising a fixed lower part or base secured to the cross bar, an upper part or slide movable longitudinally relative to this base and carried by it, and adjustment and / or blocking means for adjusting the height of the leg to a desired value,

a strut secured in an articulated manner in rotation to the base of the leg of the main T-shaped support, this strut being provided with at least one caster at its lower end,

- a support plate at the upper end. lower of the main T-support slide, and

- A removable tray capable of supporting the above-mentioned equipment and provided, on its underside, with releasable securing means to the support plate of the slide of the main T-shaped support. '

Advantageously, the strut is in the form of an inverted T, the bar of the T being situated at the lower part of the strut and being provided with rollers at its ends.

So that the carriage, once folded, is of modest dimensions while having good stability in the position of use, the articulation of the strut on the base of the main T-support is located approximately at the lower third of 1 'base and length of. the strut is approximately two thirds of the length of the base, this strut being foldable upwards.

To simplify its handling, provision may be made for the adjustment means to be arranged to allow height adjustment of the plate while the latter is loaded with an apparatus.

Desirably, the tray is arranged in the form of a box having at least one lower rack and / or folding or sliding panels for accessories.

To increase the field of use, there may also be provided a flying plate capable of cooperating with the securing means located under the plate, this flying plate being provided with attachment means capable of authorizing the mounting of the plate (and of the tray it supports) on a supermarket cart or the like.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment given solely by way of illustrative example; in this description, reference is made to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carriage according to the invention shown in the use position loaded with a microcomputer;

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of the carriage of Figure 1 in the folded position;

- Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a part of the carriage of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of another element of the carriage;

- Figure 5 shows in perspective from below an accessory usable with an element of the trolley of the invention; and

- Figure 6 is a side view of the accessory of Figure 5 shown in position, functional.

The carriage 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4, and more generally as a whole in Figures 1 and 2, has a main support 2 in the form of an inverted T, with a crossbar 3, located at its lower part and supporting zones or rollers 4 at its ends, and a main leg 5 inclined. This main leg comprises, on the one hand, a fixed lower part or base 6, which is integral with the lower bar 3 and which is of tubular shape (for example in C), for example of section (in particular rectangular), and d 'other transverse and analogous quadrangular part, an upper part or slide 7, which is engaged in the tubular base € and which is capable of sliding longitudinally therein. Adjustment and blocking means 8 are constituted for example by a blocking screw 9 integral with the slide 7 and engaged through an oblong opening 10 in the base and allow the slide 7 to be blocked in any desired position relative to the 'base 6. In Figure 1, the slide 7 is partially extended from the tubular base 6 so that the main support has. a height suitable for the use of the carriage, while in fig. 2, the slide 7 is completely retracted into the base 6, the carriage being in the transport or storage position.

To ensure the stability of the carriage, a strut 11 is secured to the main support 2 and is fixed in rotation, at 12, to the leg of the main support. The pivoting articulation 12 can be arranged to provide a blocking of the strut 11, on the one hand, in its unfolded functional position (fig. 1) and, on the other hand, in its folded non-functional position (fig. 2).

Advantageously, to provide better stability, the strut 11 is also in the shape of an inverted T and its lower end is provided with a transverse bar 13 fitted with rollers 14, which preferably are of the idly pivoted type.

The rotary articulation 12 is located approximately at the first lower third of the base 6, while the length of the strut 11 is approximately equal to two-thirds of the length of the base 6, the strut being foldable up. In this way, with a sufficiently robust articulation 12, the functional carriage has satisfactory stability and can be moved easily. In the folded position, the strut 11 is pressed against the base 6 and, the slide being retracted into the base, the assembly is of sufficiently small dimensions to be able to be easily transported or stored.

The upper end of the slide 7 supports, unfolded, in position (possibly with a possibility of inclination adjustment) a support plate 15 constituted by a simple plate.

Finally, a plate 16 is intended to be removably mounted on the plate 15. For this purpose, the plate 16 can be equipped, on its underside, with two parallel slides 17 (see fig. 3) positioned and dimensioned for s¹ engage on the two opposite edges of the plate 15. Locking means, such as at least one locking screw 18, can advantageously be provided to block the plate 16 on the plate 15.

Preferably, to avoid any risk of slipping when the plate is slightly inclined, the positioning of the plate 16 on the plate 15 is carried out, not by an axial sliding (in other words facing the user), but by a transverse sliding (arrow 19 in fig. 1).

The plate 16 is configured to support the desired device 20, for example a microcomputer as shown in FIG. 1. To avoid any risk of the device 20 falling on the carriage, it is desirable for the device to be secured (for example screwed by its four feet) to the plate 16. This can then be designed to present a handle 21 and can, on the one hand, serve for easier transport of the apparatus 20 and, on the other hand, constitute the handle used to move the carriage 1 equipped with the device 20.

In Figure 1, the plate 16 is constituted by

<td colspan="2">a simple plate</td>

<td>In</td><td>a</td>

<td>fig. 4</td><td>(sure</td>

<td>of figs. 1</td><td>at 3</td>

<td>digital),</td><td>the</td>

<td>box 22</td><td>sure</td>

<td colspan="2">fixed the device</td>

alternative embodiment shown in which the members identical to those designated by the same references plate is formed in the form of an upper face of which is mounted and 20 and whose lower face is equipped with the aforementioned slides 17 for mounting on the plate 15. The box 22 can house in particular auxiliary equipment, for example batteries or cells making it possible to increase the operating autonomy of the device 20, and / or, for example still, a portable printer functionally associated with the microcomputer 20.

Eventually, . the tray, whatever its design, can be fitted with mobile auxiliary panels, foldable or sliding, to support additional devices in particular (not shown in the figures).

To increase the ease of use of the device 20, provision may also be made for a flying plate 23 (see FIG. 5) consisting of a plate 24 identical to the plate 15 fitted to the carriage 1 and provided on its face bottom of a hooking member 25 configured so that the assembly can be mounted on a supermarket trolley 26 (see fig. 6). To this end, the attachment member 25 includes a front hook 27 intended to cooperate with the handle 28 of the carriage 26 and a rear foot 29 intended to bear on the rear wall 30 of the carriage 26.

Thanks to the arrangements in accordance with the invention, a carriage of simple structure and use is obtained, capable of satisfying the aforementioned particular requirements, namely a carriage which can be easily transportable or^-stored while being able to be moved over large distances when it is in the functional position, and its original design also allows many variants adapted to various requirements.

As goes without saying and as it already follows from the above, the invention is in no way limited to those of its modes of application and embodiments which have been more particularly envisaged; on the contrary, it embraces all its variants.