GB2024116A

GB2024116A - Trolley intended especially for the customers of self-service shops

Info

Publication number: GB2024116A
Application number: GB7920468A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Ateliers Reunis SA
Current assignee: Ateliers Reunis SA
Priority date: 1978-06-23
Filing date: 1979-06-12
Publication date: 1980-01-09
Also published as: FR2429140B1; FR2429140A1; GB2024116B; DE7917862U1

Abstract

To increase the capacity of the basket 1 of a shopping trolley, the upper rim 1 is made approximately horizontal rather than inclined downwardly and forwardly and, to permit nesting of another trolley in such a trolley, the rear flap 8 is pivoted on a spindle 9 located in a handle 6 above the upper rim. The rear flap is bent along a line 16 so that, when the trolley is nested in another identical trolley, pivoting of the flap is not impeded or arrested by the handle 6 of the other trolley. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Trolley intended especially for the customers of self-service shops The present invention relates to a trolley intended especially for the customers of selfservice shops, to permit them to place therein various articles collected in the shop.

The known trolleys of this kind comprise a basket constituted by a framework of wires in the form of a cone frustum to permit the fitting of one basket into another, this basket being defined by an upper rim. The basket is mounted on wheels and provided with a steering handle situated above the upper edge of the rear face of the basket, this rear face being constituted by a flap articulated about a transverse spindle situated on the upper part of the rear face.

The more important is the fitting together of two baskets, the more the lateral faces of the basket are inclined and the less is the capacity of the trolley. In fitting together, the rear flap rises under the action of the upper part of the front face of the trolley fitted in, and pivots about its axis which is welded or screwed to the basket. Moreover the upper rim of the basket is inclined towards the front face of the latter precisely to permit fitting of one basket into the other. The forward inclination of this upper rim is determined by the inclination which the raised rear flap assumes in fitting together, these two inclinations being in effect practically equal when the rear flap is completely raised and arrested by the steering handle of the trolley into which the articulated flap penetrates.

The capacity of the basket of such a trolley depends of course upon the overall dimensions of the basket, and for a current type of trolley it is about 80 litres.

The invention has the purpose of increasing the capacity of a trolley of this kind without increasing its overall dimensions nor affecting the degree of fitting of one trolley into another of the same kind.

To this end according to the invention the upper rim of the basket is situated in a substantially horizontal plane and the articulation spindle of the pivoting flap is fixed in the vicinity of the upper face of the steering handle.

In fact to increase the capacity of the trolley without modifying its overall dimensions it is necessary to reduce or eliminate the inclination of the upper rim of its basket. However if one is content with effecting this modification of the structure of the basket it is seen that the steering handle and the articulation spindle of the rear flap of the trolley within which it is desired to fit a second trolley impede and limit the raising of the flap of the second trolley. The result is that the reduction or elimination of the inclination of the upper rim is possible only by correspondingly raising the articulation spindle of the flap.

Under these circumstances one arrives at an appreciable increase of the capacity of the basket of a trolley without reduction of the possibilities of fitting together of two trolleys.

Further features and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the following description. A form of embodiment of the trolley according to the invention is represented in the accompanying drawing given by way of non-limitative example, wherein: Figure 1 is a view in lateral elevation representing three trolleys according to the invention fitted one into the other, Figure 2 is a perspective view of an articulated flap forming part of one of the trolleys as represented in Fig. 1.

The trolley as represented in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a basket 1 constituted in a manner known per se by a framework of wires of cone frustum form to permit the fitting of one basket into the other. The basket 1, the bottom 2 of which is inclined in relation to the horizontal, is supported by rods 3 the lower extremities of which are fixed to a platform 4 resting on wheels 5.

The trolley is provided with a steering handle 6 situated above the upper edge 7 of the rear face of the basket 1, which rear face is constituted by a flap 8 articulated about a horizontal transverse spindle 9, this flap 8 pivoting about the spindle 9 towards the interior of the corresponding basket 1 when a trolley is fitted into the latter. The basket 1 is defined by an upper rim 11 which is situated in accordance with the invention in a substantially horizontal plane.

The articulation spindle 9 is further fixed in the vicinity of the upper face 6a of the steering handle 6.

The latter, made in a manner known per se, is supported by two pairs of lateral wires 12, 13, only one of these pairs being visible in Fig. 1 for each trolley. The wires 12, 1 3 of a pair are placed one above the other, the wire 1 3 being the upper wire in the example as represented. The spindle 9 is welded to the two upper wires 1 3 and consequently situated at a level close to the upper face of the handle 6 as indicated above.

The fixing of the spindle 9 could equally be effected by screwing.

The flap 8 comprises two upper terminal clips 14 permitting its hooking over the spindle 9 and its pivoting on the latter when one trolley is fitted into another. The flap 8 is constituted by two elements 8 a, 8 b articulated to one another along their lower edges in a manner known per se so as to form approximately a reversed V when these two elements are spaced from one another, while a shelf 1 5 connects them at their upper part.

In the raised position the element 8b is applied against the element 8a provided with the hooking clips 14, while the shelf 1 5 pivots about transverse rods forming part of the elements 8a, 8tea.

According to one characteristic of the invention each of the component elements 8a, 8b of the flap 8 is bent along a horizontal transverse line, as may be seen clearly from Fig. 2.

The bend line 1 6 of the element 8a is represented in broken lines, the bending of the wires constituting the elements 8a and 8b being effected towards the interior of the associated basket 1.

Thus the articulated flap 8 is angled, its bend line being situated in its upper half.

When two trolleys according to the invention are fitted one into the other the front face 1 7 of the trolley which is pushed into the other raises the articulated flap 8 of the latter, so that this flap pivots about its articulation spindle 9. The part of the flap 8 situated below the bend line places itseif into a substantially horizontal position when the trolley under consideration is pushed into the desired position in the preceding trolley, as may be seen clearly from Fig. 1, without the pivoting of the flap being impeded or arrested by the steering handle 6 and the articulation spindle 9 pertaining to the previous trolley.

This result is rendered possible on the one hand by virtue of the raising the articulation spindle 9 in comparison with known trolleys, and on the other by virtue of the bending of the articulated flap 8. In fact in previous trolleys of this type the ariculation spindle of the flap is fixed slightly below the upper terminal part of the lower wires 1 2. Moreover the articulated flap has a flat and unangled configuration.

Under these circumstances the increase of height of the lateral walls and the front face of the basket 1 very appreciably increases the capacity of the basket. For example starting from a trolley of an initial capacity of 80 litres one obtains a trolley of a capacity of approximately 95 litres by modifying it in accordance with the invention, this being obtained without increase of the overall dimensions of the trolley nor impediment in its fitting together.

The invention is not limited to the example as described and can comprise variants of execution. Thus if the trolley should be without a steering handle such as 6 the bend provided in the flap 8 would nevertheless be desirable in order to avoid the flaps abutting against one another when fitted together.

Claims

1. A trolley intended especially for the customers of self-service shops, comprising a basket mounted on wheels and having an upper rim situated in a substantially horizontal plane and provided with a steering handle situated above the upper edge of the rear wall of the basket which rear wall is constituted by a flap articulated about a transverse spindle which is situated at the upper part of the rear wall in the vicinity of the upper surface of the steering handle.

2. A trolley according to Claim 1, wherein the articulated flap forming the rear wall of the basket is bent so that its forward part can slide beneath the steering handle of a second trolley into a substantially horizontal position when these two trolleys are fitted one into the other, the basket of the first trolley raising the articulated flap of the second to penetrate into the basket of the latter.

3. A trolley according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the steering handle is supported by two pairs of lateral wires, the wires of each pair being placed one above the other, and the articulation spindle of the flap is fixed to the upper wires.

4. A trolley substantially as described and substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.