This invention relates to wheelbarrows. In this specification, a wheelbarrow is considered to be a handbarrow having a single axis for the load-bearing ground wheels, a bin for the load, and means serving as handles. The invention is particularly concerned with the type of wheelbarrow disclosed in International Patent Application No. W085/01024, published 14 March 1985, which has a bin for the load, a ground wheel at a front end of the bin and a handle at a rear end, the handle having a cam shaped extension which forms a leg for the bin rear end and which is mounted on a pivot carried on the bin.

The handle can be released from its normal position and then pivoted forward in the direction of the wheel, this action causing rotation of the cam and the bin rear end then being lowered to near ground level to allow easy loading of the bin. When loaded the handle can be returned to its position at the bin rear end and the cam simultaneously lifts the bin and load. The load may then be carried and emptied as with a conventional wheelbarrow.

The present invention is concerned with a catch means for the wheelbarrow handle which can be arranged to lock automatically when the handle is returned to its normal position.

According to the invention, there is provided in a wheelbarrow having a bin for the load, a ground wheel at a front end of the bin, and two handles at a rear end of the bin, each handle having a cam- shaped extension at its inner end which extension extends beneath th bin to form leg means at the bin rear end, each handle being mounted on a pivot which is fixed relative to the bin and being further

secured by a catch capable of locking the handle when the said extension is positioned to serve as the leg means, in which the said catch comprises a catch arm mounted on the bin which is capable of engaging a catch member located on the handle. Where the bin is supported in a frame, the catch arc ^* nay conveniently be carried on this frame. Preferably, a catch arm is located at both sides of the frame, each of these catch arms being capable of engaging respective catch members located on parts of the handles at each side of - the wheelbarrow. When two catch arms are present, the two arms may be connected together by a linkage such that both arras Eay be moved together for locking or unlocking the catches.

The or each catch arm may be mounted on a pivot such that locking or unlocking of the catch is effected by moving the arm about its pivot. Conveniently, each catch arm pivot is associated with a spring such that the catch arm will always tend to be moved towards a catch-locked condition when no deflecting force is present. The or each catch arm may include a ramp portion such that as the catch member on the handle approaches its respective catch arm, the catch member will strike the ramp portion and cause the catch arm to be deflected about the pivot before the arm engages the member to effect the locking action.

The catch arm may be associated with stop means such that it nay only be deflected about its pivot through an angle of predetermined magnitude.

By way of example, particular embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the wheelbarrow of the aforementioned Patent Application in side view,

Figure 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the frame for supporting the ground wheel and bin,

Figure 3 is ε view from the left side on Figure 2 showing the catch -.arranger-en , and Figures 4 to 6 are further views showing the catch arrangement. The wheelbarrow depicted in Figure 1 had ε bin 1 with a ground wheel 2 rigidly fixed at a front end thereof. The wheel 2 was supported in a frame 3 which was attached to the bin 1 and the frame also had means ^* for securing handles 4 by which the wheelbarrow could be used to transport a load of material carried in, the bin.

The frame 3 was provided with ε catc 6 at eεch side and by releasing these catches, the handles 4 -could be folded forward upon pivots 7 in the direction' of the wheel as described in the aforementioned Patent Application. This action allowed the cam-shaped wheelbarrow legs below the handles to lower the rear end of the bin 1 to ground level to allow eεsy loading of the bin. Returning the wheelbarrow handles 4 to the position shown in the Figure caused the loaded bin to be restored to the conventional wheelbarrow position. The loεd could then be carried awεy and subsequently emptied from the bin in the usual wheelbarrow manner.

Figure 2 shows details of the wheelbarrow frame 3 and cεtch arrangement. The frame wεs constructed of ε steel tube having an outside diameter of one inch and which had been bent into a generally U-shaped fore. Across the arms of the U-shape, a bracket S had been welded and the bracket ends 9 of this bracket, bent in a direction awεy from the remainder of the frame 3, formed supports for the cεtches 6. The frεme 3 εlso included lugs 11 for mounting high tensile bolts

(not shown) which formed the pivots 7 for the handle 4 of the wheelbarrow.

As shown particularly in Figures 3 to 6, each catch 6 included a catch arm 12 which was secured by means of a metal pin 13 to one end of a shaft 14 carried in a beεring 16 in eεch one of the bracket ends 9. At one side, the catch arm 12 was provided with a cut-out recess 17 and the arm was thus able to be moved through a predetermined angle about a stop 18 protruding from the bracket end 9. Since both of the catch arms 12 were connected together rigidly by means of the shaft 14, the single stop 18 served to control the permitted angular movement of both arms.

At an opposite end of the shaft 14, a spring 19 was arranged to ensure that both catch arms 12 tended to. ove towards one position where the catches were in a 'locked' condition. In this 'locked' condition, the stop 18 is pushed up against one preferred end of the recess 17.

Figure 3 particularly shows how the catches could be used to lock the handle 4 part of the wheelbarrow to the frame 3. The handle 4 (shown in cross-section) carried a catch member 21 which was of a U-shape with the ends of the long arms of the shape welded to the upper and lower surfaces respectively of the steel tube forming the handle. Figure 5 shows the catch arm 12 in the 'locked' condition with the catch member 21 located in a slot 22 of the arm. It will be noted that the ^" end of the slot 22 where the catch member is situated is slightly towards the right of a vertical line through the centre of the shaft 14. This provision ensured that an upwards pull on the catch member 21 would not tend to tilt the catch arm to the right and thus possibly release the member 21 from the slot 22.

Above the slot 22, the catch arm 12 was provided with a ramp portion 23 and it also carried a finger grip 24.

The shaft 14 further included two rollers 26 which were freely rotatable on the shaft and which acted as supports for the rear end of the bin of the wheelbarrow when the handles were folded and the rear end of the bin lowered to near ground level. The rollers 26 then allowed the rear end of the bin to be supported just clear of the ground surface on smooth ground and the bin could be rolled along to permit load materiel to be reεdily pushed or swept into the bin. The rollers 26 were mεintεined εt the outer ends of the shεft 14 by a tube 27 which was carried concentrically on the shaft and was a close fit thereto. The tube 27 thus gave some increased stiffness to the shaft as well as providing a simple way of correctly locating the rollers 26. The rollers 26 were formed of a solid plastics material to ensure a long life in service.

In operation of the wheelbarrow, from the condition depicted in Figure 1, the user was able to release the catches 6 by pulling the finger grip 24 on either side of the wheelbarrow in the direction of the handle 4. This action caused both of the catch arms 12 to be tilted since the εrms were connected together by the shεft 14 and on both sides of the bin 1 the catch member 21 was released from the slot 22 on its respective catch arm 12. The handles 4 of the wheelbarrow were then able to be folded about the pivots 7 so that the hεndles cε e to rest adjacent the wheel end of the bin and the rear end of the bin was lowered to near ground level. The wheelbarrow could then be rolled along the ground being supported on the two rollers 26 and the ground wheel 2. This position allowed easy loading of the bin since material could be pushed or swept into the bin without any significant lifting

of this material being necessary. When sufficient material had been loaded the handles could be pulled from the wheel end of the bin in the direction of the position shown in Figure 1. This action caused lifting of the load material in the bin but the action was not difficult to carry out because of the leverage provided by the length of the handles.

When the finger pressure had been releεsed from the finger grips of the catch arms 12, both of these arms returned to the catch locked condition where the preferred end of the recess 17 on the arm 12 was pressed up against the stop 18. The spring 19 ensured that the catch arm always returned to this position whenever any finger pressure on grip 24 had been releεsed.

As the hεndles carrying the catch members 21 moved εbove the catch arms, ^* the members 21 struck the ramp portions 23 of the arms and caused the arms 12 to be partially deflected against the pressure of the spring 19. Further movement of the handles caused the catch members 21 to slide along the ramp portions 23 and finally the members entered the slots 22 on the catch arms. There is then no force causing the catch arms 12 to be deflected and the arms moved under pressure from the spring 19 into their locked condition and the catch members were secured in the slots 22 of the arms. This action had taken place whilst the handles 4 had been pivoted into the position shown in Figure 1 and the locking effect had taken place automεtically without any attention from the user being necessary. The handles of the wheelbarrow could then be lifted as usual and the load carried away. Emptying of the wheelbarrow could be done by tipping the load materiεl over the front wheel or if one is cεrrying frεgile εterial such as paving stones the load may be emptied by releasing the catches 6 and lowering the bin to ground level. This

allowed the load to be slid out of the bin with ε minimum risk of breεkage εnd εlso with a minimum effort on the part of the wheelbarrow user.

Use of the catch means of the invention has been found to simplify operation of the wheelbarrow, particularly since the catch means can be unlocked readily from either side of the wheelbarrow to suit the convenience of the user. Unlocking can be effected easily with only fingertip pressure. After loading the wheelbarrow, when the handles are pivoted from their position over the ground wheel back to the normal configuration for the wheelbarrow, relocking takes plεce quite εutomεticεlly. This εvoids the need for εny further action on the part of the user and it thus offers a safety feature since there is no possibility of omitting the step of locking the handles.

The foregoing description of an embodiment of the invention has been given by way of example only and a number of modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined. For instance, in a different embodiment, the catch arms could be arranged to be releεsed from their locked condition by ε pushing rεther than ε pulling εction, if this wεs required. The rollers 26, insteεd of being of a solid plastics material could alternatively be of a hollow, blow-αoulded form. The spring 19, instead of being located at one end of the shaft 14 might be positioned at about the mid-point of the shaft. In this case, the tube 27 which had been located coaxially on the shaft could be omitted and the rollers 26 might be secured in their positions at each side by a metal washer and a split pin passing through a hole in the shεft 12.