GB2275895A

GB2275895A - A shopping trolley

Info

Publication number: GB2275895A
Application number: GB9404410A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Michael Abbott; John Graham Holloway
Original assignee: CLARES EQUIP Ltd
Current assignee: CLARES EQUIP Ltd
Priority date: 1993-03-09
Filing date: 1994-03-08
Publication date: 1994-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-08
Also published as: DE4407694A1; GB9304781D0; FR2703319B1; GB2275895B; GB9404410D0; FR2703319A1

Description

2275895 A Shopping Trolley The present invention relates to shopping

trolleys.

It is known to provide a shopping trolley with a seat f or a child which is pivotable from a stored position in which it is folded up so as to be disposed substantially flush with an end of the trolley and a child receiving position. Typically such trolleys are provided with apertures through which the childf s legs may extend. Such seats are not generally well suited to the transport of babies and are not particularly comfortable for a child.

An object of the present invention is to provide a trolley having at least one seat which is suitable for receiving a child or a baby.

Accordingly, the invention provides a shopping trolley comprising chassis means, goods receiving means mounted on said chassis means and a seat, which seat is adapted to receive a child or baby and is pivotable to more than one child or baby receiving position.

The invention further provides a shopping trolley comprising chassis means, goods receiving means mounted to said chassis means, a push handle mounted across an end of said goods receiving means and a seat 2 means mounted in the region of said end, said end having an opening providing access to the interior of said goods receiving means generally horizontally from said end.

In order that the invention may be well understood, an embodiment thereof, which is given by way of example only, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a shopping trolley; Figure 2 is a side deviation of the shopping trolley of Figure 1; Figures 3a and 3b show schematically a seat for the shopping trolley in two child receiving positions; Figure 4 is a perspective view from behind the seats, showing both seats in a relatively upright child receiving position and illustrating the seat supporting arrangement; Figures 5a and 5b illustrate schematically an alternative embodiment of the seat supporting arrangement, and Figures 6 is a rear perspective view illustrating the embodiment of Figures 5a and 5b.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a shopping trolley 10 comprises a chassis means 10 including two pairs of swivel castors 12 and a castor-supporting base frame 3 14 and a goods receiving means in the form of a wire basket 20 mounted thereon. The goods receiving means is provided at one end (hereafter called the rear end) thereof with a push handle 30 by means of which a user may propel the trolley.

A pair of seats 40 are mounted in the region of said push handle each being adapted to receive a child or baby and being pivotable to more than one child or baby receiving position. Each seat 40 comprises a rigid permanently seatshaped member in the form of a plastics moulding 42 (a so-called baby-cradle) and a substantially L-shaped frame 44 supporting the plastics moulding. Each seat is pivotable about a cross bar 50 which is mounted across the rear end of the goods receiving means beneath the push-handle 30.

As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2 the cross bar 50 is mounted to upwardly extending side frame bars 52 of the goods receiving means 20. It will be appreciated, however, that the cross bar is not limited to being so mounted and could, for example, be mounted to generally horizontally extending side members 54.

Each seat is provided with a rotatable support means 60 mounted to a back support portion thereof.

A support bar 70 is mounted to the top of the basket and extends between opposite sides thereof.

The support means comprises a generally U-shaped 4 element 62 rotatably attached to the frame 44, as can best be seen in Figure 4, and is provided with feet 72 adapted to engage the support bar 70 whereby the seat is supported in a first, relatively upright child receiving position as shown in Figure 5a and Figure 4.

The support means is rotatable from this extended position wherein the support bar is engaged, to a disengaged position wherein it is disposed substantially flush with the back support portion so that the seat may be pivoted away from the push handle to a second, relatively reclined child receiving position in which the back support portion abuts the support bar as shown in Figure 3b.

In order to move the seat from the f irst child receiving position to the second child receiving position, the seat is f irst pivoted toward the push handle in the direction of arrow A, so that the support means 60 may disengage from the support bar and be rotated to its non-engaging position flush with the back support portion, and is then allowed to pivot in the opposite direction away f rom the push-handle until the back support portion abuts the support bar 70.

In order to prevent the seat from being pivoted too far toward the push-handle so that a child or baby seated therein might fall out, a restrictor means in the form of a projection 80 is provided which at a predetermined position of the seat prevents further pivoting by engaging the upper portion of a divider 90 disposed within the goods receiving means.

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in Figures 5a and 5b, such excessive forward rotation of the seat is prevented in a different way. In these figures, the seat is shown without the plastics moulding, and only the components relating to the seat supporting arrangement are shown. In this embodiment, the seat support means 601, which again is a U-shaped bent wire element, is pivotally connected At the lower ends- of its side limbs 61 to the support bar 70. Each such side limb has an upper portion 61a formed so as to be captively, but displaceably engaged with one of a pair of support engagement means 74 mounted on respective opposite sides of the frame 44. Each support-engagement means 74 comprises a closed wire loop 76 and a downwardly projecting hook 78. Each upper portion 61a of the support means 60' engages under a said hook 78 as shown in Figure 5a and 6 to support the seat in its first, relatively upright position. A limited upward rotation of the seat about the cross-bar 50, towards the push handle in the direction of arrow A lifts the hook 78 and thereby causes the upper portions 61a to disengage from under 6 the hooks. The seat can only be rotated until the upper portions 61a engage the lower ends of the loops 76, and excessive forward rotation is thus prevented.

The seat can then be allowed to pivot away f rom the push handle until, as in the f irst embodiment, the back support portion abuts the support bar 70, as shown in Figure 5b. During this pivoting of the seat each upper portion 61a passes through a clearance 77 between the hook 78 and the loop 76.

In both embodiments, the seat support means 60 or -60f mounted to the back support portion of the seat is adapted to engage the support bar 70 (disengageably in the f irst embodiment, and permanently but rotatably in the second embodiment) in the f irst position of the seat and is rotatable to a position in which the back support means of the seat may abut the support bar in the second position of the seat.

It will be understood that the trolley may be provided with only one seat rather than the two illustrated if preferred. It will also be understood that where the trolley is provided with two seats these may be arranged so that only one is pivotable while the other is fixed in one position or both may be pivotable. Where both seats are pivotable, they may be adapted to pivot together or more preferably they may be free to pivot independently of each other.

7 It will be appreciated that where a trolley is provided with one or two seats as described above, access to the goods receiving means is restricted for a user pushing the trolley. Further, where the divider 90 is provided, a compartment which is substantially inaccessible is created. In order that the portion of the goods receiving means adjacent the push-handle be readily accessible to the user, an opening 110 is provided in the rear end of the goods receiving means which allows access to the interior thereof in a direction generally horizontal from the end.

In order to provide good accessibility, the opening may extend across the width of the end and from the floor 120 to the cross bar 50 on which the seat is mounted.

The trolley may be provided with a lip portion extending outwardly of the opening 110 which facilitates sliding of goods into the goods receiving means.

It will be understood, that while the seat of the described embodiments comprises a plastics moulding supported on a frame, the seat may simply comprise a plastics moulding provided with means by which it may be directly pivotably mounted to a cross bar and mountings by which the rotatable support means may be mounted directly thereto.

It will be appreciated that the seat isnot limited to being pivotable between only two child receiving positions but may be provided for example with rotatable support means having different lengths or being adjustable for length by which more than two positions may be achieved. Alternatively, the goods receiving means may be provided with more than one support bar 70, the additional support bar being positioned to provide the additional seat positions.

9

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A shopping trolley comprising chassis means, goods receiving means mounted on said chassis means and a seat, which seat is adapted to receive a child or baby and is pivotable to more than one child or baby receiving position.

2. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 1, wherein said seat is pivotable about a cross bar mounted across said goods receiving means adjacent a push handle of the trolley.

3. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 2, wherein said cross bar is mounted at a rear end of said goods receiving means.

4. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said seat comprises a back support portion and rotatable support means mounted thereto, said support means being adapted to engage a support bar mounted to said receiving means and to support said seat in a first relatively upright position pivoted away from said support bar and being rotatable to a position wherein said back support means may abut said support bar in a second relatively reclined position of the seat.

5. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 4, wherein said support means is rotatably mounted to said back support portion of the seat for rotation about a fixed axis and is - disengageable from said support bar to permit the seat to pivot to said second position.

6. A shopping trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said seat is provided with restrictor means adapted to prevent pivoting of the seat in the direction of said push-handle beyond a predetermined position.

7. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 6, wherein said restrictor means comprises a projection positioned to engage a divider disposed within said goods receiving means.

8. A shopping trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said seat comprises a rigid, permanently seat-shaped member.

9. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 8, wherein said rigid permanently seat-shaped member is a plastics moulding.

10. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, wherein said seat comprises a substantially L shaped frame supporting said seat-shaped member.

11. A shopping trolley as claimed in any one of the preceding claims comprising two seats at least one of which is pivotable.

12. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 11 wherein each seat is pivotable.

13. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 12, wherein said seats are pivotable independently of each other.

14. A shopping trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, said seat being mounted in the region of an end of said goods receiving means, said end having an opening beneath the seat or seats providing access to the interior of said goods receiving means generally horizontally from said end.

15. A shopping trolley comprising chassis means, goods receiving means mounted to said chassis means, a push handle mounted across an end of said goods receiving means and a seat means mounted in the region 12 of said end, said end having an opening beneath said seat means providing access to the interior of said goods receiving means generally horizontally from said end.

16. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein said opening extends across the width of said end of the receiving means.

17. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 14, 15, or 16, wherein said opening extends from a floor portion 10 of said goods receiving means to a cross bar on which said seat means is supported.

18. A shopping trolley as claimed in claim 17 when dependent on claim 14, wherein said seat teans is pivotably mounted on said cross bar. 15

19. A shopping trolley as claimed in any of claims 14 to 18, wherein said goods receiving means is provided with divider means extending between opposite sides thereof, said divider means and said seat means defining a compartment of said goods receiving means 20 accessible substantially only via said opening.

20. A shopping trolley as claimed in any one of 13 claims 14 to 19, wherein a lip portion extends from said opening outwardly of said goods receiving means.

21. A shopping trolley substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.