US-12617441-B2 - Storage transport apparatus

US12617441B2US 12617441 B2US12617441 B2US 12617441B2US-12617441-B2

Abstract

A storage transport apparatus is disclosed that includes a single wheel member and a main frame. An outer shell of the single wheel member comprises a pair of shell members secured to a central member, which has a pair of pin structures internally secured at diametrically opposite ends and extending at least towards the inner shell. An inner shell of the single wheel member comprises a pair of shell bearing members positioned at diametrically opposite ends, each being rotatably secured to inner member of a corresponding pin structure extended towards the inner shell. The inner shell is formed and configured to fit within the outer shell, the outer boundary of the inner shell preferably conforming in shape with the inner boundary of the outer shell, proximally tracing the contour of the inner boundary of the outer shell. The inner shell and the outer shell are hollow in construction, with the inner shell further including a lid configured to open and close for storing a plurality of items for transportation. The inner shell is disposed within the outer shell and adapted to remain upright when the outer shell rolls in a circular motion along a ground surface. The main frame comprises a handle and is rotatably engaged with the single wheel member. Each end member of the main frame comprises a corresponding frame bearing member, and extends inwardly to rotatably engage with corresponding pin structure of the central member.

Inventors

Marco Nunez

Assignees

Marco Nunez

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20221024

Claims (20)

1 . A storage transport apparatus, comprising: a single wheel member formed having an inner shell and an outer shell, wherein the outer shell comprises a pair of outer shell members assembled and secured together with a central shell member disposed intermediate of the outer shell members and fitted therebetween at the middle of the outer shell, the central shell member further having a pair of pin and shell bearing assemblies internally secured therein at diametrically opposite ends and extending at least towards the inner shell and into rotatable engagement therewith, wherein the inner shell is formed to fit within the outer shell with a space provided therebetween, and wherein the rotatable engagement of the inner shell provided by the pair of pin and shell bearing assemblies positioned within the central shell member at diametrically opposite ends allows the inner shell to maintain an upright position without being affected by rolling motion of the outer shell; and a main frame comprising a handle and a pair of end members rotatably engaged with the single wheel member, wherein each end member of the main frame comprises a corresponding frame bearing member, each end member extending inwardly to rotatably engage with a corresponding pin and shell bearing assembly of the central shell member.
2 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inner shell is formed having an outer boundary substantially conforming with an inner boundary of the outer shell, proximally tracing the contour of the inner boundary of the outer shell.
3 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inner shell is formed in the shape of a rectangular body or cube.
4 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inner shell is formed in the shape of a truncated sphere.
5 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inner shell and the outer shell are hollow shells.
6 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inner shell further comprises: a lid configured to open and close for storing a plurality of items for transportation, wherein the inner shell remains upright when the outer shell rolls in a circular motion along a ground surface.
7 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the outer shell is configured to protect the inner shell and the plurality of items stored in the inner shell while being rolled along the ground surface for the transportation.
8 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the main frame comprises a plurality of holders, when opened, are configured to hold additional items for the transportation.
9 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of shell members of the outer shell are secured to the central shell member using one or more fastening mechanisms.
10 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the handle of the main frame is designed to be anchored to ground for stabilization when the storage transport apparatus is not in motion.
11 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein outer members of the pin and shell bearing assemblies extend outwards from outer wall of the central shell member, and wherein the end members of the main frame are engaged with the outer members of the pin and shell bearing assemblies external to the outer wall of the central shell member.
12 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein outer members of the pin and shell bearing assemblies do not extend outwards from outer wall of the central shell member, and wherein end members of the main frame are engaged with the outer members of the pin and shell bearing assemblies within two walls of the central member.
13 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pin and shell bearing assemblies extended into the inner shell are configured to hold the inner shell such that rolling motion of the outer shell is free from any friction induced by the inner shell.
14 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of shell members of the outer shell have a plurality of indentations that provides gripping points for a user to disengage one or both of the pair of shell members from the central shell member.
15 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inner and the outer shells are insulated to maintain temperature of a plurality of items stored in the inner shell.
16 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the main frame defines a continuous handle between a pair of spaced-apart longitudinal arm portions, wherein the end members of the main frame extend inwards along a first axis, wherein the first axis is distant from and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the continuous handle, and wherein the pin structures internally are permanently secured at the diametrically opposite ends along the first axis.
17 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the pair of spaced-apart longitudinal arm portions extend parallelly with respect to each other towards the handle, length of the handle being equal to diameter of the central member.
18 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the pair of spaced-apart longitudinal arm portions extend non-parallelly with respect to each other towards the handle, length of the handle being less than diameter of the central shell member.
19 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the main frame further defines a crossbar having a crossbar axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the continuous handle and disposed between the first axis and the longitudinal axis of the continuous handle.
20 . The storage transport apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein, with respect to the first axis, the crossbar is disposed at a distance that exceeds radial length of the single wheel member, and wherein an additional storage unit is mounted on the crossbar using one or more fastening mechanisms.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/360,788 filed Oct. 28, 2021 for a Storage Transport Apparatus. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to utility carts for moving articles held thereon, and more specifically, to a storage transport apparatus having a single wheel member. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION People look forward to a variety of recreational activities to relax, rejuvenate, and make their leisure time more interesting and enjoyable. However, many of such recreational activities require various accessory items to be brought along so that one can further enhance the experience of that particular recreational activity and enjoy to the fullest. One of the most popular recreational activities is spending a day with family and/or friends at the beach. Basking in the sun, swimming for hours and enjoying the outdoors, a day spent beside the water can help ease the stresses of daily life and can leave one tanned and well rested. Avid beach goers need to pack all sorts of accessory items, such as towels, paperback books, extra dry clothes, umbrellas, coolers filled with food and drinks, suntan lotion, while families with children also must pack an arsenal of toys, skin boards, buckets, and shovels in order to keep their tots happy and engaged. Additionally, most beach goers find it necessary to carry along a large blanket and one or two beach chairs before heading off to the beach. These items are particularly useful in that they provide them comfortable spot to sit back and enjoy the sun's rays, as well as an area free of sand or debris on which belongings can be neatly stored. However, the burden of transporting all of these accessory items to the beach from the car to a particular spot on the sand and at the same time, ensuring that none of such items is damaged in anyway, can quickly become a time consuming and frustrating task. Trekking across hot sand and making multiple trips to the car in order to transport heavy accessory items, such as coolers, blankets, boogie boards, skin boards, toys, and beach chairs, all while trying to keep an eye on the tots and unattended goods on the beach, can leave one feeling exhausted before the day's activities have even begun. Furthermore, after spending long hours soaking up the sun, riding the waves and swimming, packing up the heavy accessory items and dragging them back to the car is the last thing most people want to do. A set of existing prior art solutions accomplish the task of transporting the accessory items by using bags and backpacks. However, in such bags and bag packs, the accessory items may not be conveniently stored in an organized manner. Accordingly, the user is prevented from gaining a quick access to any one of these accessory items when required, as the user has to resort to rooting through this common hodgepodge collection until the particular desired accessory item is found. Such a lack of organized storage may also lead to an increased chances of damaging or even breaking fragile accessory items. Consequently, the user has an additional task of cleaning or disinfecting the bags or the bag packs. Another set of existing prior art solutions accomplish the task of transporting the accessory items by using manual transport apparatuses, such as dollies, utility carts, or hand carts. However, such transport apparatuses do not always roll easily over soft sandy terrain and thus, attempting to manually steer a loaded transport apparatus across sand, pebbles or gravel can be extremely difficult. In most of such manual transport apparatuses, large wheels and broad footprints add to the overall size of the apparatus itself, making it bulky and difficult to handle. Motorized transport apparatuses may help the user to save on their efforts of steering the load from the car to the desired spot and vice versa. However, such motorized transport apparatuses are often very high on the cost factor. Further, due to added weight of the motor in addition to the load of the accessory items may cause the tires, that already have insufficient surface area, sink into the soft sand. In spite of these various prior art alternatives, there remains a continuing need for improved storage transportation in a mobile form of apparatus that can move a variety of stored articles more easily and efficiently over different terrains with varied surfaces. All patent applications cited throughout this application are incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION Accordingly, it is a general purpose and object of the present invention to provide an improved storage transport apparatus capable of moving a variety of stored articles held thereon from place to place on land with ease and maneuverability despite the surface of the terrain. A more particular object of the present invention is to provide an improved storage transport apparatus