GB2127357A - Trolleys - Google Patents

Abstract

A shopper's trolley (10) comprises four upright members (12) with respective wheels (14) at their lower ends. The upper ends of two members (12) are formed into hooked handles (15) and near the upper end of each member (12) there is a hook catch (16) for attachment of a carrier bag. Upright members (12) are interconnected by articulated members (18) provided with hinges (19) and are capable of supporting substantial loading when in the open position. A flexible fabric covering (21) is provided on the frame (20) formed by articulated members (18) when in the open position and covering (20) acts as a support for removable carrier bags (30). When folded into the out-of-use position members (12) move towards each other to form a group around which a tie member may be provided. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Trolleys This invention relates to trolleys.

Nowadays the purchase of family provisions is effected at a supermarket which provides a wheeled trolley incorporating a wire-mesh basket for collection of provisions and for transport of collected provisions to a check-out station where the provisions in the supermarket trolley are purchased. This method of shopping permits large quantities of provisions to be purchased at a single supermarket on a single occasion but leaves the shopper with the problem of transporting the purchased provisions from the supermarket since the supermarket trolley is the property of the supermarket and available for a shopper's use only in the immediate vicinity of the supermarket.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shopper's trolley which is convenient to use when loaded and convenient to carry when unloaded.

According to the present invention there is provided a shopper's trolley comprising four upright members each carrying a wheel or castor at one end, the upright members being interconnected by a plurality of articulated members which are foldable between an in-use position in which the articulated members define a generally horizontal rectilinear frame holding the upright members in separation and an out-of-use position in which the upright members are grouped together, a flexible fabric being secured to the articulated members to provide a support surface, in the in-use position, for a plurality of carrier bags.

Preferably at least one of the upright members has a handle at the end remote from the wheel or castor.

Preferably also the length of each upright member is less than the height of the handle of a supermarket trolley whereby when the shopper's trolley is out-ofuse it can be hooked onto the supermarket trolley for ease of transport in a supermarket.

Conveniently the shopper's trolley comprises a plurality of releasably secured carrier bags made of a flexible fabric and provided with carrying handles.

By virtue of the present invention a shopper can easily wheel the shopper's trolley in its out-of-use position around a supermarket or attach it to a supermarket trolley during the process of selecting provisions to be purchased and at the supermarket check-out station where the selected provisions are necessarily unloaded from the supermarket trolley the shopper's trolley can be folded to its in-use position in order to receive the purchased provisions. Thereafter the shopper's trolley can conveniently be wheeled to the shopper's car or other transport and the carrier bags containing the purchased provisions off-loaded. Because there is more than one carrier bag the weight of purchased provisions is readily accommodated by the shopper in the individual movements required to off-load each carrier bag.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a shopper's trolley 10 which comprises four upright members 12A, 12iB, 120, 12D having respective wheels 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D at their lower ends. The upper ends of members 12C and 12D are each formed into hooked handles 15 and the upper end of each member 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D is provided with a small hook catch 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D respectively for attachment of a carrier bag as will be explained.

The upright members 12A, 128, 12C, 12D are interconnected by articulated members 18A, 18B, 18C, 1 8D which of necessity are pivotally mounted on members 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D.Articulation of members 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D is provided by a respective hinge 19A, 19B, 19C, 19D each of which is capable of supporting substantial loading when in the position shown in Figure 1.In this position the articulated members 18A, 188, 18C, 18D define a generally horizontal rectilinear frame 20 which holds the members 12A,12B,12C,12D in separation and this is the in-use position ofthetrolley 10.Aflexible fabric covering 21 is provided for frame 20 to act as a support surface for the carrier bags to be placed thereon. In order to stabilise the trolley 10 in its in-use position articulated struts 22 and 23 are provided between members 12A, 128 and 12C, 12D respectively each such strut incorporating a hinge 22A, 23A of the same type as hinges 19A,19B,19C, 1 9D and of course the struts are pivotally connected to the pertaining upright members.

In order to place the trolley 10 in its out-of-use position each hinge 19A, 19B, 19C, 19D, 22A, 23A is actuated so that the pertaining member or strut folds upwardly in the direction of the hook catches 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D. Because covering 21 is flexible there is not inhibition to this folding action and as a consequence of the folding action all four upright members 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D move towards each other until they are grouped together. A tie member may be provided to wrap around the grouped members 12A, 128,120, 12Dto keep them in this position if so desired and in this position it will be evident that handles 15 can be used as previously described.

When the trolley 10 is in its in-use position the support surface provided by covering 21, which preferably measures about 30 inches by 18 inches, is available to releasably receive a pair of carrier bags 30A, 30B as illustrated in Figure 2 each bag having carrying handles 32 and conveniently being made of a flexible material. The open end of each bag also has a draw cord 34 to provide a closure facility and to permit attachment to the hook catches 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D of the trolley 10. Also the two bags 30A, 30B may be interconnected by a loop and hook fastener (i.e. Velchro) 35. The bags 30A, 30B are each about 15 inches by 18 inches in base area and accordingly fit covering surface 21. The height of each bag may be about 15 inches and for this reason at least this dimension requires to be available between handles 15 and frame 20 of trolley 10.

Furthermore it is preferred that the total length of each upright member 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D be about 30 inches (the wheels being extra) to enable the trolley 10 to be hooked onto a standard sized supermarket trolley.

The flexible material which is used for covering 21 and bags 30A, 30B may conveniently be industrial nylon cloth but it could be of open weave since the requirements are strength sufficient to hold provisions and, in respect of the bags 30A, 30B, the capability of folding into very small bulkwhen out-of-use. As regards the structural elements of the trolley 10 these may be made from light-weight alloy or aluminium giving light weight with corrosion resistance. Wheels 1 4A, 14B, 1 4C, 14D may be conventional supermarket trolley wheels or castors.

CLAIMS (Filed on 13 Sept 83) 1. A shopper's trolley comprising four upright members each carrying a wheel or castor at one end, the upright members being interconnected by a plurality of articulated members which are foldable between an in-use position in which the articulated members define a generally horizontal rectilinear frame holding the upright members in separation and an out-of-use position in which the upright members are grouped together, a flexible fabric being secured to the articulated members to provide a support surface, in the in-use position, for a plurality of carrier bags.

2. Atrolley as claimed in claim 1,wherein at least one of the upright members has a handle at the end remote from the wheel or castor.

3. A trolley as claimed in either preceding claim, wherein the length of each upright member is less than the height of the handle of a supermarket trolley whereby when the shopper's trolley is out-ofuse it can be hooked onto the supermarket trolley for ease of transport in a supermarket.

4. Atrolley as claimed in any preceding claim, including a plurality of releasably secured carrier bags made of a flexible fabric and provided with carrying handles.

5. A trolley as claimed in claim 4, wherein adjacent carrier bags are interconnected by fastening means.

6. Atrolley as claimed in claim 5, wherein said fastening means comprises a loop and hook fastener.

7. A shopper's trolley as claimed in claim 1, and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. trolley 10 to be hooked onto a standard sized supermarket trolley. The flexible material which is used for covering 21 and bags 30A, 30B may conveniently be industrial nylon cloth but it could be of open weave since the requirements are strength sufficient to hold provisions and, in respect of the bags 30A, 30B, the capability of folding into very small bulkwhen out-of-use. As regards the structural elements of the trolley 10 these may be made from light-weight alloy or aluminium giving light weight with corrosion resistance. Wheels 1 4A, 14B, 1 4C, 14D may be conventional supermarket trolley wheels or castors. CLAIMS (Filed on 13 Sept 83)

1. A shopper's trolley comprising four upright members each carrying a wheel or castor at one end, the upright members being interconnected by a plurality of articulated members which are foldable between an in-use position in which the articulated members define a generally horizontal rectilinear frame holding the upright members in separation and an out-of-use position in which the upright members are grouped together, a flexible fabric being secured to the articulated members to provide a support surface, in the in-use position, for a plurality of carrier bags.

2. Atrolley as claimed in claim 1,wherein at least one of the upright members has a handle at the end remote from the wheel or castor.

3. A trolley as claimed in either preceding claim, wherein the length of each upright member is less than the height of the handle of a supermarket trolley whereby when the shopper's trolley is out-ofuse it can be hooked onto the supermarket trolley for ease of transport in a supermarket.

4. Atrolley as claimed in any preceding claim, including a plurality of releasably secured carrier bags made of a flexible fabric and provided with carrying handles.

5. A trolley as claimed in claim 4, wherein adjacent carrier bags are interconnected by fastening means.

6. Atrolley as claimed in claim 5, wherein said fastening means comprises a loop and hook fastener.

7. A shopper's trolley as claimed in claim 1, and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.