Bucket dolly

Abstract

The present invention includes a dolly with an upwardly extending edge about 3 to 5 inches high, that generally conforms to the size of a standard five gallon bucket. The purpose of the invention is to be able to push around whatever materials one is working with, without having to pick the bucket up to move it. The upwardly extending edge on the dolly prevents the bucket from tipping as it is being pushed or pulled. Also, additional wheels can be added to distribute the weight load more evenly, and the wheels can be raised or lowered to lower the center of gravity, to help avoid tipping of the bucket within the dolly. The dolly can be used by a person sealing a driveway with a five gallon pail bucket. Painters or spacklers can also benefit from the bucket dolly. Spacklers can stack pails on top of each other as they normally do so that they can reach into the uppermost pail and move their materials around without reaching down and getting down out of their elevated stilts or scaffolds.

Description

This application includes the subject matter of Applicant's Disclosure Document No. 349261, filed Mar. 1, 1994, entitled "Bucket Dolly".

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a wheeled dolly with an upwardly extending edge that conforms to the size of a standard five gallon bucket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When working with construction materials in a five gallon pail bucket, such as spackle or paint, it is necessary to move around whatever materials one is working with by picking up the pail up to move it. Placing the bucket upon a standard flat dolly undesirably enhances the possibility of tipping the pail and its contents as it is being pushed or pulled.

It is known to provide janitorial wash buckets with built in castors to move the buckets around a floor. However, it is not known to provide a dolly for insertion of buckets therein to move the buckets without having to actually pick up the buckets.

Moreover, while it is known to insert small bucket stacker shelved portions within a non-movable bucket, such as the "Stacker Packer" of Duluth Trading Co., St. Paul, Minn. 55107, the "Bucket Stackers" also of Duluth Trading Co. and the custom tray sets of Journeyman Products, Ltd. of Millersville, Md. 21108, it is not known to provide a movable dolly within which an entire bucket can be inserted for moving the bucket without having to pick up the bucket.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of this invention., as illustrated in FIG. 6.

To enable the bucket dolly 1 to be pushed around to carry bucket 5 without having to pick up bucket 5 up to move it, multi-directional wheels 11 of wheeled portion 9 are provided, wherein a holding portion 12 for axle 11a of wheel 11 has a neck 13 with a rod 14 insertable within an extension portion 15 of wheeled portion 9. Extension portion 15 may optionally have a means to raise or lower wheels to a desired height.

Platform 8 of base 7 may optionally be a circular ledge extending from inner edge 3 of bucket dolly 1, wherein there is provided a center gap 16 through which structural brace bars 17, 18 extend to stabilize platform 8 of bucket dolly 1, without the extra weight of a full, continuous platform.

It is understood that other modifications may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bucket dolly in combination with a bucket comprising:

an open upwardly extending container comprising an upwardly extending solid annular outer wall with an inner extending horizontal ledge for supporting the bottom of said bucket and forming a circular opening under said bucket;

a plurality of elongated bars extending fully across said opening for stabilizing said dolly without adding significant weight thereto;

means mounted on the outside of an extending outwardly from the outer surface of said annular wall for supporting wheeled members below the bottom of said dolly to permit said dolly and bucket contained therein to be wheeled around without tipping; and

means mounted on the inside of and extending inwardly from the inner surface of said annular wall for clamping said bucket against movement with respect to said dolly, said clamping means including a hand operated member extending through said annular wall to permit tightening of said clamping means from outside of said annular wall.

2. A bucket dolly in combination with a bucket comprising:

an open upwardly extending container comprising an upwardly extending solid annular outer wall with an inner extending horizontal ledge for supporting the bottom of said bucket and forming a circular opening under said bucket;

a plurality of bars extending fully across said opening for stabilizing said dolly without adding significant weight thereto;

means mounted on the outside of an extending outwardly from the outer surface of said annular wall for supporting wheeled members below the bottom of said dolly to permit said dolly and bucket contained therein to be wheeled around without tipping;

means for clamping and tightening said bucket against movement within said dolly,

said means for clamping and tightening said bucket being applied directly against an outer surface of said bucket,

wherein said means for clamping said bucket against movement within said bucket comprises an inside wall of said upwardly extending annular wall conforming snugly to an outside wall of said bucket.

3. A bucket dolly in combination with a bucket comprising:

an open upwardly extending container comprising an upwardly extending solid annular outer wall with an inner extending horizontal ledge for supporting the bottom of said bucket and forming a circular opening under said bucket;

a continuous platform extending fully across said opening for stabilizing said dolly without adding significant weight thereto;

means mounted on the outside of an extending outwardly from the outer surface of said annular wall for supporting wheeled members below the bottom of said dolly to permit said dolly and bucket contained therein to be wheeled around without tipping; and

means mounted on the inside of and extending inwardly from the inner surface of said annular wall for clamping said bucket against movement with respect to said dolly, said clamping means including a hand operated member extending through said annular wall to permit tightening of said clamping means from outside of said annular wall.