EP3010778A1

EP3010778A1 - Auxiliary trolley and a method using the auxiliary trolley for collecting shop articles

Info

Publication number: EP3010778A1
Application number: EP14739974.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marius Cornelis KARS
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-06-21
Filing date: 2014-06-23
Publication date: 2016-04-27
Also published as: WO2014204315A1; NL2011019C2

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for collecting shop articles to be shipped using a dolly (210), wherein - a crate (391') and the dolly are moved along the shelves, - one or more shop articles are put into the crate (391' ), and - the crate (391') on the dolly (210) is wheeled into a cargo space of a vehicle for shipping the shop articles According to the invention, the dolly (210) is received between arms (103) and coupled to an auxiliary trolley (100) to form a dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) that can be moved as one unit, wherein the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) is arranged for carrying at least one empty crate (391), and after the crate (391) on the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) has been provided with the shop articles the empty crate (391) of the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) is provided with shop articles.

Description

AUXILIARY TROLLEY AND A METHOD USING THE AUXILIARY TROLLEY FOR COLLECTING SHOP ARTICLES

The present invention relates to a method for collecting shop articles to be shipped using a dolly and a crate, wherein

- the crate and the dolly are moved along the shelves,

- one or more shop articles are put into the crate, and

- the crate on the dolly is wheeled into a cargo space of a vehicle for shipping the shop articles.

Delivering shop articles, such as with home deliveries, is getting more and more popular. Customers can order via the internet and a shop employee will collect the shop articles from the shelves. Because the shop articles can be scanned by means of a (portable) scanner, there is no need to empty the crate at the checkout and to put the shop articles back into the crate again. This saves time.

Handling orders of more than one customer, however, is still rather cumbersome since the employee will then have to carry multiple empty crates and will possibly have to handle heavy crates containing shop articles. With the known dolly this is rather impractical. The known dolly is a trolley that is arranged to carry a crate or a stack of crates, wherein the outer circumference of the dolly is substantially not larger than the crate in order to limit the space it takes up. This is particularly important during transport within the vehicle, also for proper shoring up of the cargo. To this end the dolly usually has an edge shaped as a strip extending along the circumference which protrudes above a horizontal base frame part on which the crate can rest so that it can act as a stop for the crate in order to prevent it from getting off the dolly. The stop for counteracting the shifting of the crate (the bottom crate in case of a stack) for a dolly is in general the highest point of the dolly when it has its wheels on the ground .

The object of the present invention is to facilitate collecting shop articles for more than one crate.

To this end, a method according to the preamble is characterized in that an auxiliary trolley has two arms and the dolly is coupled to the auxiliary trolley in order to form a dolly auxiliary trolley unit that can be moved as one unit, wherein the coupling of the auxiliary trolley to the dolly comprises receiving the dolly between the arms, wherein the dolly auxiliary trolley unit is arranged for carrying at least one empty crate, and after the crate on the dolly auxiliary trolley unit has been provided with the shop articles the empty crate of the dolly auxiliary trolley unit is provided with shop articles.

Thus, shop articles can be collected more quickly, which saves costs. For easy steering, wheels of the auxiliary trolley will be caster wheels. 3y receiving between the arms, the controllability of the dolly is increased. Also the likelihood of the dolly becoming disengaged from the auxiliary trolley can be reduced. Usually the end of the dolly where two caster wheels of the dolly are present will be received between the arms of the auxiliary trolley.

Coupling means that the dolly is at least partially received in the auxiliary trolley and optionally the auxiliary trolley is connected to the dolly by means of an organ; as a result of which the dolly auxiliary trolley unit can be moved as 1 unit, also when turning a corner. This can for instance be achieved using a hook on the auxiliary trolley which engages a lower edge of the dolly and retains the dolly at the side of the lower edge thereof against a side of the auxiliary trolley. For a comfortable steering of the dolly auxiliary trolley unit, rotation of the auxiliary trolley relative to the dolly around a vertical axis has to be avoided. To this end the arms are preferably at a distance which is at least equally large but only little larger (e.g. less than 1 cm larger) than the side of the dolly that is to be received between the arms. When the arms of the auxiliary trolley are relatively long, a larger distance can be feasible. A very small oversize, of e.g. 0,5 mm is indeed possible but is not preferred for easily receiving between the arms of the dolly.

According to a favourable embodiment, the crate is placed on the dolly for the crate and one or more shop articles are put in the crate placed on the dolly for the crate.

Thus, it is avoided that the crate has to be lifted. This saves time and/or reduces the required physical burden for the employee. On the dolly a stack of crates can be placed. In that case it will be the upper crate into which one or more shop articles will be put.

According to a favourable embodiment, the auxiliary trolley is magnetically coupled to the dolly for forming the dolly auxiliary trolley unit .

Thus, a coupling between the auxiliary trolley and the dolly can be accomplished quickly and easily.

According to a favourable embodiment, the auxiliary trolley comprises a steering organ and the dolly auxiliary trolley unit is moved along the shelves by steering using the steering organ.

The steering organ may essentially just be a rod and makes it easier for the employee to guide the dolly auxiliary trolley unit along the shelves since there is no need for the employee to bend down in order to push and/or pull the dolly auxiliary trolley unit forward.

According to a favourable embodiment, the auxiliary trolley comprises an organ for carrying a folded empty crate, and the empty crate is unfolded from a folded state and is placed onto the crate that has already been provided with shop articles .

This makes it possible to move the crates along while they take up less space. This facilitates manoeuvring the dolly auxiliary trolley unit as a result of which shop articles can be collected more quickly. The organ can be a bracket for retaining folded crates. The organ can also be a platform onto which a stack of one or more empty crates can be placed.

Finally, the present invention relates to an auxiliary trolley suitable for collecting shop articles using a dolly, wherein the auxiliary trolley is arranged to be coupled to a dolly, wherein the auxiliary trolley has two arms for receiving the dolly between the arms .

Such an auxiliary trolley can be suitably used in the method of the invention. Thanks to the arms the controllability of the dolly is increased. Also the likelihood of the dolly becoming disengaged from the auxiliary trolley can be reduced. The trolley's arms have a length of for instance at least 1 cm, such as at least 3 cm en usually at least 5 cm such as for instance at least 10 cm. Preferably the arms along part of the length thereof (e.g. for a distance of 25-75% of the length of the arms) are designed tapering out, as a result of which a dolly can be received between the arms more easily.

Preferably the wheels of the auxiliary trolley are caster wheels. According to a favourable embodiment, the auxiliary trolley comprises a coupling organ for coupling the auxiliary trolley to the dolly.

Thus, the dolly can be pulled and/or it is avoided that it continues rolling during pushing when the auxiliary trolley comes to a halt .

According to a favourable embodiment, the coupling organ comprise a magnet for magnetically coupling the auxiliary trolley to the dolly.

According to a favourable embodiment, the auxiliary trolley has at least a coupling organ for enabling both pushing and pulling the dolly.

This is for instance a lever with which a magnet is moved forward or backward, wherein the magnet in the frontmost position can be coupled to the front side of the auxiliary trolley to a dolly and can be brought in the backmost position for decoupling thereof, vice versa .

According to a favourable embodiment, the auxiliary trolley comprises a steering organ.

According to a favourable embodiment, the auxiliary trolley has an organ for carrying folded empty crates.

The organ can be a bracket for retaining folded crates. The organ can also be platform onto which a stack of one or more empty crates can be placed.

The present invention will now be illustrated with reference to the drawing where

Fig. 1 shows a perspective front view of an auxiliary trolley according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective front view of a dolly auxiliary trolley unit;

Fig. 3 shows a perspective side view of the dolly auxiliary trolley unit of Fig. 2 provided with crates;

Fig. 4 shows a perspective rear view on the dolly auxiliary trolley unit provided with three crates;

Fig. 5a shows a detail of an auxiliary trolley according to the invention with a coupling organ in a releasing position;

Fig. 5b shows a detail of an auxiliary trolley according to the invention with a coupling organ in a coupling position; and Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B show a front view of an alternative auxiliary trolley with a coupling organ in a first position respectively in a second position.

Fig. 1 shows an auxiliary trolley 100 which comprises a frame 101 that at the underside thereof is provided with four caster wheels 102. The frame 101 comprises two arms 103 between which a short side of a dolly can be received, as will be explained below at Fig. 2, in order to form a dolly auxiliary trolley unit .

For easily controlling the dolly auxiliary trolley unit and without the need to bend down, it is provided with a steering bar 110. The use of a steering bar 110 is not strictly necessary. In order to avoid bending down also a stack of empty crates can be placed onto the auxiliary trolley 100, and the dolly auxiliary trolley unit can be moved forward by pushing the stack of empty crates.

The frame 101 provides a platform 120 for placing empty crates that are either folded or unfolded, as stock.

With the embodiment shown the auxiliary trolley 100 also comprises a work platform 130 upon which for instance a list can be placed showing the shop articles to be collected, and having a recessed section 131 for safely placing a scanner for scanning the shop articles to be placed in the crate.

Fig. 2 shows a dolly auxiliary trolley unit 200 which comprises the auxiliary trolley 100 as well as a dolly 210 for a crate. A trolley for a crate, as visible in Fig. 2, is designated a dolly in the art. With it, a crate (or a stack of crates) can be moved without the need to lift the crate. Such a trolley for a crate comprises essentially a substantially flat basis with wheels at the underside. The flat basis is generally provided with stops at or near the circumference thereof in order to prevent the crate from slipping off the basis. The stops then form the highest part of the dolly.

At a short side thereof the dolly 210 is received with little play between the arms 103. Thus a coupling between the auxiliary trolley 100 and the dolly 210 can be achieved in a simple way with which the dolly 210 can be carried in a forward direction (in the direction of the auxiliary trolley 100 to the dolly 210) without rotation of the dolly 210 relative to the auxiliary trolley 100.

Dollies 210 for crates in practice often have 2 wheels 211 that can swing and two fixed wheels 212. For optimal controllability, the side with the 2 wheels 211 that can swing will be received between the arms 103.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective rear view wherein the auxiliary trolley is provided with a stack of empty crates 391, and on the dolly 210 a crate 391' is placed that is filled with shop articles by moving the dolly auxiliary trolley unit 200 along the shelves.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective rear view on the dolly auxiliary trolley unit 200 wherein the dolly 210 comprises a stack, of three crates 391 ' .

Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b show a detail of the auxiliary trolley 100 with a coupling organ 550, which showing a hook 551 that can be moved in a vertical direction, a guidance tube 552 and a lever 553.

In Fig. 5a the hook 551 is in a relatively low position in which the hook 551 is below an edge of a dolly 210 that extends downwardly. In Fig. 5b, the hook 551 has been moved upwardly by operating the lever 553 as a result of which it can catch behind the edge of a dolly 210 that extends downwardly and in this way can accomplish a coupling between the auxiliary trolley 100 and the dolly 210 in order to form the dolly auxiliary trolley unit 200.

The hook 551 is located at a first (lowest) end of a rod 554 which is arranged moveably within the guidance tube 552.

At a second (highest) end of the rod 554, the lever 553 is rotatably connected with a scissor construction 555 having three pivots 556. Once the hook 551 is in the locking position (shown in Fig. 5b), it will be maintained by the weight of the lever 553.

The auxiliary trolley according to the invention can be designed in a variety of ways. Thus the dolly can also be coupled at the backside of the auxiliary trolley, for instance between two legs provided with the wheels 102, and be carried along by pulling. This will render a more compact dolly auxiliary trolley unit. With the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 the horizontal frame member between the two rear wheels 120 can for instance be left out. At this side the coupling organ can also be provided with a hook, as a result of which the device can be used for either moving a dolly 210 with one or more crates by pulling, or moving such a dolly 210 by pushing, or both.

The auxiliary trolley can be arranged for receiving more than 1 dolly, wherein the arms extend beyond a first dolly for receiving a second dolly. Such arms can be carried out foldably so that these do not protrude when only 1 dolly is carried.

Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B show a front view on an alternative auxiliary trolley 100 with the coupling organ 550 in a first position (low) respectively in a second (high) position of the hook 551.

The hook 551 is located at the lower end of a plate-shaped arm

654 which is movable transverse to a base formed by the underside of the caster wheels 102 of the auxiliary trolley 100 when this is on a floor. To this end, the plate-shaped arm 654 in the embodiment shown here has guiding slots 660 which extend in the longitudinal direction of the plate-shaped arm 654 and the frame 101 has a cam 661, which taken together form a guide for the plate-shaped arm 654.

The lever 553 is rotatable about an axis 656 and at a distance of the axis provided with an additional cam 671, and the plate-shaped arm 654 further comprises a guiding slot 670 which extends transverse to the longitudinal direction of the plate-shaped arm 654. The additional cam 671 is received in the additional guiding slot 670 to form an additional guide wherein the distance of a first end of the additional guiding slot 670 is closer to the axis 656 than the other, second end of the additional guiding slot 670. Hereby a rotational movement of the lever 553 about the axis 656 can be translated into a movement of the plate-shaped arm 654 transverse to said base. Thus the hook 551 can release a dolly 210 or engage behind a lower edge of the dolly 210. In this embodiment, the axis 656 also acts as a cam for the upper guiding slot 660. The additional guiding slot 670 may along part of the length thereof be in the shape of a circle segment, through which in that part movement of the lever 553 will not lead to a movement of the plate-shaped arm 65 . In this circle segment the lever 553 can go through the highest point of the free end of the lever 553, through which the centre of gravity of the lever 553 is taken to beyond the axis 656. Thus a bi-stable state of the hook 551 is achieved.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A method for collecting shop articles to be shipped using a dolly (210) and a crate (391'), wherein

- the crate (391') and the dolly (210) are moved along the shelves ,

- one or more shop articles are put into the crate (391'), and

- the crate (391') on the dolly (210) is wheeled into a cargo space of a vehicle for shipping the shop articles

characterized in that an auxiliary trolley (100) has two arms (103) and the dolly (210) is coupled to the auxiliary trolley (100) in order to form a dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) that can be moved as one unit, wherein the coupling of the auxiliary trolley (100) to the dolly (210) comprises receiving the dolly (210) between the arms (103), wherein the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) is arranged for carrying at least one empty crate (391), and after the crate (391') on the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) has been provided with the shop articles the empty crate (391) of the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) is provided with shop articles.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the crate (391') is placed on the dolly (210) for the crate (391') and one or more shop articles are put in the crate (391') placed on the dolly (210) for the crate (391 ' ) .

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) is magnetically coupled to the dolly (210) for forming the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) .

4. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) comprises a steering organ (110) and the dolly auxiliary trolley unit (200) is moved along the shelves by steering using the steering organ (110) .

5. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) comprises an organ for carrying a folded empty crate (391) , and the empty crate (391) is unfolded from a folded state and is placed onto the crate (391') that has already been provided with shop articles.

6. An auxiliary trolley (100) suitable for collecting shop articles using a dolly (210), wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) is arranged to be coupled to a dolly (210), wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) has two arms (103) for receiving the dolly (210) between the arms (103) .

7. The auxiliary trolley (100) according to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) comprises a coupling organ (550) for coupling the auxiliary trolley (100) to the dolly (210) .

8. The auxiliary trolley (100) according to any of the claims 6 or 7, wherein the coupling organ (550) comprise a magnet for magnetically coupling the auxiliary trolley (100) to the dolly (210) .

9. The auxiliary trolley (100) according to any of the claims 7 or 8, wherein the auxiliary trolley has at least a coupling organ (550) for enabling both pushing and pulling the dolly (210) .

10. The auxiliary trolley (100) according to any of the claims 6 to 9, wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) comprises a steering organ (110) .

11. The auxiliary trolley (100) according to any of the claims 6 to 10, wherein the auxiliary trolley (100) has an organ for carrying folded empty crates (391) .