Patent Application
20130207362
The present invention relates generally to shopping carts and, in particular, to a shopping cart that provides a tight nesting distance.
Shopping carts are typically shipped and stored in a retail store in a nesting fashion where the basket and frame of a cart are inserted into, and trapped within, the basket and frame of a cart in front of it. As a result, the carts fit together so that their nested length is much less than if the carts were merely placed nose to tail. With regard to the basket, this typically accomplished by providing a basket rear wall or gate that is attached to the handle or remaining portion of the basket by a hinge at the top so that the gate swings upward and rests upon the top edge of at least one of the rear cart's basket side walls as it is pushed into the basket of the forward cart.
The “nesting distance” of the carts is defined as the horizontal distance between the axes of rotation (i.e. axles) of the rear wheels/casters of the nested carts. The nesting distance of prior art shopping carts is typically in the range of ten to eleven inches.
A shopping cart having a reduced nesting distance would reduce the amount of retail floor space required for shopping cart storage. This would be particularly advantageous in smaller retail establishments such as pharmacies and dollar stores. In addition, a shopping cart having a reduced nesting distance would provide improved logistics with regard to packing, loading and shipping.
A need therefore exists for a shopping cart that provides a reduced nesting distance.
An embodiment of the tight nest shopping cart of the present invention is indicated in general at 8 in
The main tube member 10, and thus the handle, handle riser, frame side rail and nose portions, of the shopping cart is preferably constructed from a single piece of tubing with a butt weld securing the two ends of the single piece of tubing together. Preferred locations for the butt weld include the handle cross portion 14, as indicated in phantom at 21 in
Main tube 10 may alternatively be constructed of individual tubing sections that are joined together to form the handle, handle riser, frame side rail and nose portions, of the shopping cart
A rear caster support, indicated in general at 26 in
A pair of rear casters 34a and 34b are mounted to the bottom ends of the rear caster legs 32a and 32b. The rear casters stabilize the cart basket, as well as the rest of the cart, and provide the full function of a shopping cart. In addition, the crossbar 30 serves as a cross brace for the main tube member 10.
In an alternative embodiment, the rear caster legs 32a and 32b and the crossbar 30 of the rear caster support may be positioned between the handle riser portions 16a and 16b so that the joints 28a and 28b be are formed between outward-facing surfaces of the rear caster legs 32a and 32b and inward-facing surfaces of the handle riser portions 16a and 16b.
A pair of front casters 36a and 36b are secured to the front caster plate 24. The front caster plate 24 is preferably welded between the frame side rail portions 18a and 18b of the main tube member 10.
The cart basket 12 preferably features a conventional wire grid construction with rim wires and a pivoting gate rear wall of conventional design. With regard to the latter, rear wall or gate 38 of the basket is pivotally supported at the top so as to swing forward and up during nesting, as illustrated in
In addition, the shopping cart preferably features a bottom tray 42 that features a leading end portion connected to front caster plate 24. The bottom tray also features a trailing end portion that is secured to tray rim wire 44. Tray rim wire 44 is connected to outward-facing surfaces of the handle riser portions 16a and 16b and inward-facing surfaces of the rear caster legs 32a and 32b via welding. Alternative fastening arrangements known in the art may optionally be used instead. The bottom tray provides additional storage capacity to the cart and preferably features a conventional wire construction. As is illustrated in
As is clear from
The shopping cart 8 may be stiffened with a “tube smash” at the radius between the handle riser portions 16a and 16b and the frame side rail portions 18a and 18b, and extending a few inches vertically and horizontally. This is a proven method to increase stiffness without the additional material cost of thicker gauge tubing or added gussets and may be accomplished as shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,230 to O'Quin, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
As illustrated in
In addition to providing additional stiffness, as described above, the tube-smashed trailing sections 54a and 54b of the frame side rail portions reduce nesting distance. More specifically, as illustrated in
The shopping cart of
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/594,131, filed Feb. 2, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61594131 | Feb 2012 | US |
