GB2282783A - Guide means for nested lines of supermarket trolleys - Google Patents

Abstract

A guide frame 80 for attachment to one end of a supermarket trolley has at least one ground engaging wheel 90 arranged for rotation in the direction of fore and aft trolley movement and fixed against articulation relative to the frame 80. Upper and lower attachment means 82, 83 are provided, being releasably engageable with upper and lower parts of the trolley. The guide frame supports adjacent wheels of the trolley above ground, and is operable as a trolley raising lever having a pivot constituted by one of said wheel 90 and said attachment means 82, 83. The guide frame may be attached to the front (fig.6) or to the back (fig.1) of a trolley. In the latter case it may be motorized, to facilitate movement of a nested line of trolleys. The rear mounted guide means 20 may use a partly dismantled trolley with rear wheels removed to ensure compatibility with the other trolleys used at a particular supermarket. <IMAGE>

Description

GUIDE MEANS FOR SUPERMARKET TROLLEYS This invention relates to means for guiding a train of supeçmarket trolleys, and particularly to an attachment suitable for guiding large numbers of nested trolleys.

Supermarket trolleys need to be returned to central collection points. In the past, trolleys have been collected from car parks by nesting the trolleys in long lines, which are then pushed and pulled by the collectors to the desired location. The trolleys have significant mass, and so the task of collecting trolleys is physically demanding. In addition, because of the usual nesting arrangement the trolleys must be pushed from the rear with the result that the line of trolleys tends to move around and is difficult to control. A particular difficulty with supermarket trolleys is that the wheels thereof tend to be freely pivotable, and thus provide no resistance to snaking.

Consequently two or more persons are frequently required for trolley collection duties, one to push from the back and one to steer at the front.

Another disadvantage of existing collection methods is that manual propulsion of trolleys frequently results in strain related injuries to the collectors, as large forces are required to alter the direction and speed of the trolley train; collisions with pedestrians and motor cars are not unknown.

An aim of the present invention is to provide an attachment for a supermarket trolley to prevent snaking of a nested line of trolleys.

A further aim of the present invention is to provide the end most of a nested line of trolleys with a motorised device which both relieves the collector of physical effort and improves controllability of long lines of trolleys. In this way trolley collection is quickened, fewer collectors are required, and the danger of a physical injury to the collector is substantially reduced. Furthermore employees who are less physically able may be suitable for trolley collection duties since physical energy expenditure is reduced.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a guide frame for attachment to one end of a supermarket trolley, the guide frame having at least one ground engaging wheel arranged for rotation in the direction of fore and aft trolley movement and fixed against articulation relative to said frame, and upper and lower attachment means releasably engageable with an upper and lower part of a trolley and adapted to prevent relative movement between the guide frame and the trolley, said guide frame being arranged to support adjacent wheels of a trolley above ground and being operable as a trolley raising lever having a pivot constituted by one of said wheel and said attachment means.

Such a guide frame may be used with any suitable kind of motorised tug to control a trolley train.

In a preferred embodiment the guide frame has two ground engaging wheels having a common axis of rotation.

The upper attachment means may define a recess for receiving a member of a trolley. The recess may be defined by a hook of the upper attachment means. The lower attachment means may comprise a recess for receiving a member of a trolley.

In one embodiment, there is provided retention means for retaining a member of a trolley in a respective recess.

Preferably the retention means is arranged to retain said member in said lower recess. Said retention means may comprise latching means for movement between a retaining condition and a releasing condition. The latching means may be pivotably mounted on the lower attachment member.

Actuating means may be provided, which is operable to move the latching means between the retaining condition and the releasing condition. Resilient means may be provided to urge the latching means into the retaining condition. One or more of the attachment means may be arranged to be attached at one of several points on the guide frame so that the guide frame can be adapted to fit supermarket trolleys of various dimensions.

In another embodiment, one or more of the attachment means is pivotably mounted on the guide frame about a pivot axis. Locking means may be provided to lock the pivotably mounted attachment means in a predetermined position. This predetermined position is determined with reference to the dimensions of a supermarket trolley to which the guide frame is adapted for attachment thereto.

The locking means may comprise a locking member pivotably mounted on one of the pivot able attachment means and the guide frame about a pivot axis parallel to the pivot axis of the pivotable attachment means.

Preferably the locking member is elongate and pivotably mounted at one end on the guide frame, a hook of the distal end of the locking member being engageable with a pin of the pivotable attachment means. A plurality of hooks may be provided on said locking member at various distances from said pivot axis, each being engageable with said pin. This provides a degree of adjustment when fitting the guide frame to a supermarket trolley.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided driving apparatus for a train of supermarket trolleys, the apparatus comprising a frame, two wheel supports pivotably mounted on the frame about substantially parallel axes, a wheel rotatably mounted on each wheel support, the axes of wheel rotation being substantially aligned and at right angles to the axes of pivoting, driving means for at least one of said wheels, control means for causing operation of the driving means, steering means for pivoting said wheel supports in unison, nesting means to engage a supermarket trolley, and ground engaging fulcrum means.

In the preferred embodiment the driving apparatus comprises an attachment for the rear of a supermarket trolley, the attachment consisting of said frame, wheel supports, wheels, driving means, control means and steering means. In such a modified trolley, the trolley basket acts as the nesting means.

The fulcrum means preferably comprise one or more fulcrum wheels fixed against articulation, and having an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular in use to the trolley nesting axis.

In the one embodiment the fulcrum means consists of the front castors of a supermarket trolley and locking means to prevent articulation of the castors. Preferably however the front castors are replaced by wheels fixed against articulation but of more substantial construction and thus better able to act as a fulcrum.

The driving apparatus may be attached to one end of a train of trolleys whilst a guide frame according to the first aspect of the invention may be attached to the other end of the trolley train.

The attachment has the advantage that it is adaptable to different kinds of trolleys; the power supply (for example a traction battery) may be placed in the trolley basket. By using an existing trolley carcass, perfect nesting with other trolleys is assured.

The line of trolleys may be pushed or pulled. It is however preferred that the trolleys be pulled, and in this case the trolleys are prevented from separating by strap or latch means of any suitable type and preferably extending as a single length from one end of the train to the other.

The steering means of the driving apparatus may consist of a steering column substantially parallel to the pivot axes, mounted for arcuate movement in the frame, and having a steering arm at one end and link means connected to said wheel supports at the other end. The link means may comprise a sprocket and chain connection. Preferably the link means comprises one or more sprockets on the steering column and a sprocket coaxial with each pivot axis and attached to a respective wheel support, the sprockets being connected by chain or belt. Other steering link means are possible, including a drag link or bevelled gears and shafts.

The steering arm may be a tiller or a wheel. The driving means preferably comprises an electric motor.

Accumulator driven fluid motors may be used as one alternative.

The electric motor may include a reduction gearbox.

The driving means is preferably mounted for pivotal movement with the wheel supports. In a preferred embodiment an electric motor is mounted on each wheel support for pivotal movement therewith.

The driving means is preferably mounted in such a way as to allow the free pivoting of the wheel supports without obstruction through both positions where the wheels are substantially coplanar.

By mounting the driving means on the wheel support, the driving connection is simplified; the connection between driving means and power source is preferably by flexible cable to permit free articulation of the wheel supports.

The control means may be situated on the frame and/or the steering arm. The electric motor may be powered by a storage battery. The electric motor drive shaft may be connected to a respective wheel by a driving plate having spigots protruding into shock absorbing drive members incorporated within the wheel structure. The shock absorbing drive members may be resilient elastomeric blocks or the like.

Where the driving apparatus is an attachment, the frame may be attached to the fixing points of the rear castors of the trolley, the rear castors having been removed, and/or the push handle of the trolley.

The attachment to a trolley ensures that the motorised trolley is entirely compatible with other trolleys within the supermarket stock. Should the driving trolley be damaged, the attachment can readily be fixed to another trolley without specialist tools or knowledge so ensuring maxiumum service availability. In this case the means to lock the front wheels of the trolley must also be transferred.

Such a driving trolley permits more rapid and controlled braking of a trolley train than is possible with human motive power.

The use of an existing trolley carcass ensures perfect nesting and excellent control, circumstances which are unlikely to be possible with a dedicated motorised trolley intended for use with several different trolley designs.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment, which is given solely as an example, and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the motorised trolley attachment; Fig. 2 shows a fragmentary side elevation of a wheel assembly and part of the frame; Fig. 3 is a view from the right in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows a plan view of a chain and sprocket arrangement; Fig. 5 shows the cross-section 5-5 through a wheel assembly; Fig. 6 shows a side elevation of a fulcrum attachment attached to a trolley; Fig. 7 shows a view from the right in Fig. 6 of the front axle of the fulcrum attachment, with the left wheel in cross section; Fig. 8 shows a side elevation of a second embodiment of a fulcrum attachment attached to a trolley;; Fig. 9 shows a side elevation of a third embodiment of a fulcrum attachment attached to a trolley; Fig. 10 shows a side elevation of a fourth embodiment of a fulcrum attachment attached to a trolley; Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of an adjustable column fitting for use in any of the embodiments of Figs. 6-10 above.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and referring to the drawings, there is provided a driving apparatus (10) for a supermarket trolley (12), comprising an upright frame (20), steering assembly (30), wheel mounting assemblies (40,50), parts of one of which (50) have been omitted from Fig. 3 for clarity, a control panel (16) and a battery (17) located in the trolley, which is omitted for clarity in Figs. 1-3; a power cable (18) connected between said battery and said control panel is shown in e.g. Fig. 1.

There is also provided a stabilising attachment (70) comprising a frame (80) and a fixed wheel mounting assembly (90). The frame (20) comprises two parallel members (23a,23b) fixed to each other by two cross members (24,25) each of which is perpendicular to the parallel members (23a,23b), the upper cross member (24) being at one end of the two parallel members (23a,23b) and the lower cross member (25) being at the other end and extending outside the span thereof, as shown.

Passing through one of the parallel members (23a), approximately midway between the two cross members (24,25), and in the plane thereof, is an aperture (26), from which extends a tube (27) which turns through a quarter circle to end such that its outlet (28) opens towards the lower cross member (25). Attached to the lower cross member (25) is a flange (29) attachable to the brackets remounting after removal of the rear wheels from a supermarket trolley.

Attached to the upper cross member (24) are two short upright members (21a,21b), whose common plane is parallel with the main members (23a,23b). At the free ends of these short parallel members are clips (22) which are designed for attachment to the push bar of the trolley (12).

The wheel mounting assembly (40) comprises a motor (42) mounted on and engaged with a reduction gearbox (43), in turn mounted on a wheel support (44), the axle (45) from said gearbox passing through the wheel support, and through a wheel (46) having a ball race (47) mounted in its hub as a bearing, and the axle (45) being fixed to a drive plate (48) having spigots (49) which protrude into neoprene shock absorbing pads (41) mounted in the wheel (46).

The wheel support (44) is L-shaped, and a pivot pin (52) extends from the wheel support perpendicular to the wheel axle (45), and passes through an aperture (53) in the lower cross member (25). The components of the wheel mounting assembly (40) are arranged so that it is possible to pivot the assembly (40) about the frame through both positions where the axle (45) is perpendicular to the plane of the frame.

The wheel mounting assembly (50), substantially forms a handed pair with the wheel mounting assembly (40), except that there is no motor or gearbox, and the wheel rotates freely on its axle.

The pivot (52) carries a sprocket (32a), and similarly the corresponding pivot (53) on wheel mounting assembly (50) carries a sprocket (33a), but a different spacing away from lower cross member (25). There is mounted rotatably through cross member (24), and bushed in cross member (25), an elongate steering column (34) which has mounted on it two adjacent sprockets (32b,33b) which engage with sprockets (32a) and (33a) respectively, and two chains (35,36) engage around respective sets of sprockets (32a,32b) and (33a,33b).

The other end of the column (34) terminates in a tube (37) welded by its side wall to the column (34).

This tube acts as a tiller for the rotation of the column (34) and consequently the sprockets (32a,32b,33a,33b) and thus the wheel mounting assemblies (40,50). Tube (37) terminates the outer end with a handle (38), in which is mounted an electrical switch, (not shown) for the control of the motor; a cable (39) leads from the switch, through the tube (37) and out, leading to a control panel (16).

The control panel (16) contains conventional electrical circuits associated with the driving of a motor from a direct current battery. The control panel has several cables leading into or out of its casing; the cable (18) leads from the battery (17), and the cable (39) leads from the hand switch. The power cable (18) terminates in a plug (61) for engagement with a socket (62) in the casing of the control panel. The switch cable (39) leads directly through the casing by means of a gland (63) set in the casing wall. An output cable (69) leads from the casing of the control panel (16), through the aperture (26) and tube (27) to the motor (42).The control panel (16) has mounted in its casing wall a voltmeter (64) for indicating the state of charge of the battery (17), a lock (65) to secure the lid of the control panel casing, a forward/reverse switch (66) for the motor controller, and a isolator switch (67) with a corresponding key (68) to prevent unauthorised use of the apparatus.

In use the motorised frame (20) is attached to the trolley carcass (12), and the front wheels of the carcass locked against articulation, or replaced by wheels fixed against articulation. By operating appropriate controls (16), the motors (42) can be started. In motion, the direction of the motorised trolley can be altered by arcuate motion of the tiller (37) relative to the frame (20), which will cause the rear wheel assemblies (40) of the attachment (10) to pivot, and steer the motorised trolley about the fulcrum provided by the front wheels.

In the case of self-contained motorised apparatus, the nesting means is provided by suitable structure attached to the frame and engageable with an unmodified trolley, and the fulcrum is provided by fore wheels fixed against articulation; the self contained apparatus may thus resemble in outline a conventional trolley.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a stabilising frame for attachment to the front of a supermarket trolley (13) having a basket, pushhandle and wheels. The stabilising frame (80) is substantially upright, having a substantially horizontally projecting base (83), and a projection (82) pivoting from the top, each projection having a hooked end for fixing the frame (80) to the front of the trolley (13).

At its lower end, the frame (80) is attached to the fixed wheel mounting assembly (90), which consists of a T-shaped member (92) attached by its central projection (93) to the frame (80) such that the cross beam forms two wheel mounting members (94,95) aligned substantially perpendicular to the line of nesting, and substantially horizontal. Mounted on each of the wheel mounting members (94,95) is a wheel (96,97) on a ball race (98,99) so that the wheel can rotate freely, but in one plane relative to the frame only. The frame (80) extends downwards sufficiently to engage the fixed wheels (96,97) with the ground, and to disengage the front wheels of the trolley with the ground, but not so far that the trolley is at so great an angle as to prevent nesting of a further trolley inside it.

The stabilising frame is fitted to the front of a trolley by moving the fixed wheel attachment into place as indicated by the ghost lines in Fig. 6, and then levering the front of the trolley off the ground about the lower hook projection (83), securing the arrangement by pivoting the top projection (82) to hook over the rim of the trolley basket.

Figures 8-10 show further embodiments of a guide frame according to the invention for use as a fulcrum attachment for attachment to a supermarket trolley (13). Although each embodiment is shown exclusively for attachment to either the front or the rear of a trolley, it will be appreciated that each embodiment may be adapted for attachment to the opposite end of the trolley.

The guide frame (100) of Fig. 8 is substantially upright, and has wheels (96,97) mounted thereon in substantially the same arrangement as in the frame (80) of Figure 6. An attachment arm (102) is pivotably mounted on the frame (100) proximate the wheels (96,97), substantially about its own mid-point and on an axis aligned substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the wheels (96,97). At one end of the attachment arm (102) is mounted a support member (104). The support member (104) is elongate and substantially V-shaped in cross-section. The support member (104) is aligned substantially parallel to the pivot axis of the attachment arm (102). The support member (104) is arranged so that the V-shaped cross-section is substantially upright when the attachment arm (102) is substantially horizontal.

A footplate (106) is provided at the opposite end of the attachment arm (102) from the support member (104).

A retention member (110) is mounted on the guide frame (100). This retention member (110) defines a slot (112) opening substantially downwardly in order to receive the upper edge (114) of the front face (116) of a supermarket trolley (13).

A pin (120) is provided on the attachment arm (102), and an elongate locking arm (122) is pivotably mounted on the guide frame (100) about an axis parallel to the pivot axis of the attachment arm (102). A hook (124) of the locking arm (122) is engageable with the pin (120) of the attachment arm (102) for restraining of mutual pivotal movement.

Depression of the footplate (106) causes downward movement thereof, pivoting of the attachment arm (102), and consequent upward movement of the support member (104). In use, a cross bar (118) of the trolley is located within the support member (104), and the guide frame (100) is aligned against the front face (116) of the supermarket trolley (13) as shown in the ghost lines of Figure 8. The footplate (106) is depressed causing upward movement of the support member (104) and consequently of the cross bar (118) of the trolley. The upper edge (114) of the front face (116) of the trolley (13) is guided into the slot (112) defined by the retention member (110) on the frame (100).

The hook (124) on the locking arm (122) is pivoted and engaged with the pin (120) and the attachment arm (102) is locked against movement relative to the frame (100). The guide frame (100) is consequently attached to the trolley (13), and the non-articulating wheels (96,97) will act to inhibit snaking. The front of the trolley is raised so that the front wheels thereof are raised from the ground, but not so far as to prevent nesting of the trolley with other trolleys.

The guide frame (130) of Fig. 9 is substantially upright, and has wheels (96,97) mounted thereon in substantially the same arrangement as in the frames of Figures 6 and 8. An elongate attachment arm (132) extends substantially perpendicularly from the guide frame, and in the line of nesting. The distal end of the attachment arm (132) has a lower flange (134) on which the cross bar (118) of a trolley may rest, in use. An elongate retention member (136) is pivotably mounted, about its own axis, on and parallel to the attachment arm (132). The retention member (136) is also slidable along its axis between limits.An end portion (138) of the retention member (136) extends at right angles to the remainder of the retention member, and is adapted to pivot between a retaining position as shown in solid lines in Fig. 9 in which it is directed downwardly overlapping the end of the attachment arm (132) and locks the cross bar (118) on the lower flange, in use, and a released position in which it is pivoted away through 900 as shown in ghost lines in Fig. 9. A handle (140) is attached to the other end of the retention member for ease of operation of the retention member (136).

An upper hook (142) is provided defining a recess (143) facing upwards and adapted to receive the bar of the upper edge (114) of the front face (116) of the trolley (13).

In use, the frame (130) is attached to the trolley by engaging the bar of the upper edge (114) in the recess (143), and while steadying the trolley, pushing the frame into the vertical position therefore making the transition between the ghosted and the solid lines of Figure 9. Thus the flange (134) of the attachment arm (132) comes into contact with the lower bar (118) of the trolley. The handle (140) may then be turned and thus lock the cross bar (118) and attachment arm (132). By pushing the frame to the vertical, the front wheels of the trolley are raised from the ground as in the preceding embodiment.

The guide frame (150) of Fig. 10 operates by generally the same principle as the guide frame (130) of Fig. 9.

Hence, only those parts which differ from the parts of the frame (130) of Fig. 9 are described in detail. All other parts are designated in the drawings with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 9.

A hooking arm (152) is pivotably mounted on the attachment arm (132) on a pivot axis parallel to the pivot axis of the wheels (96,97) of the frame (150) and replaces the retention member (136) of the embodiment of Fig. 9. The hooking arm (152) is elongate, and one end thereof is adapted in the form of a hook (154) for co-operation with the lower flange (134) to retain a bar of the trolley. It will be appreciated that although the illustration shows the frame engaging with the rear end of a trolley, it would be equally possible for the frame to engage with the front of the trolley. On the opposite end and the upper face of the hooking arm (152) there is provided a footplate (156), depression of which causes pivotal movement of the hooking arm (152), away from the position of retention shown in solid lines in Fig. 10.A resilient helical spring (158) is arranged in tension between mountings (159) of the frame (150) and of the footplate end of the hooking arm (152), in order to urge the hooking arm (152) into the retention position.

Operation of this frame (150) is similar to that of Fig. 9, in that the upper hook (142) is engaged with a handle (160) of the trolley and the frame is pushed into the vertical using the footplate (156), thus raising the rear wheels of the trolley. By shaping the hook (154) so that the end of the hook (154) is ramped, the hooking arm (152) will rise out of the retention position on contact with a lower bar of the trolley, and move back into place under the force of the spring (158) once the frame (150) is in place in the retention position.

Fig. 11 shows an adjustable column fitting such as for the upper hook (142) of Fig. 9. A column fitting (180) is provided, having two parallel flanges (182,183) extending from one end thereof, each having an aperture (184,185), the apertures being co-axial and having a bolt (186) passing therethrough. By tightening the bolt, the flanges (182,183) flex towards each other and thus grip a column (190) passing therebetween. This type of fitting is useful for adjustment of a guide frame to fit different sizes of trolley.

In use the guide frame is attached to the end of a line of trolleys remote from the propulsion device. The fixed axis wheels (96,97) act to stabilise the trolley train by preventing snaking, and thereby prevent uncontrolled sideways movement which is a feature of a trolley train having freely pivoting castors.

A propulsion means and guide frame can relieve the collectors of the task of pulling the line of trolleys, and in addition, steering is easier and more rapid since the device is a powerful means of moving the train trolleys in a desired direction.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. A substantially upright guide frame for attachment to one end of a supermarket trolley, the guide frame having at least one ground engaging wheel arranged for rotation in the direction of fore and aft trolley movement and fixed against articulation relative to said frame, and upper and lower attachment means releasably engageable with an upper and lower part of a trolley and adapted to prevent relative movement between the guide frame and the trolley, said guide frame being arranged to support adjacent wheels of a trolley above ground and being operable as a trolley raising lever having a pivot constituted by one of said wheel and said attachment means.

2. The frame of claim 1 wherein the upper attachment means defines a recess for receiving a member of a trolley.

3. The frame of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the lower attachment means defines a recess for receiving a member of a trolley.

4. The frame of claim 2 or claim 3 and further including retention means for retaining a member of a trolley in a respective recess.

5. The frame of claim 4 wherein said retention means comprises latching means for movement between a retaining condition and a releasing condition.

6. The frame of claim 5 wherein the latching means is pivotably mounted on the lower attachment means.

7. The frame of claim 6 including actuating means, operative to move the latching means between the retaining condition and the releasing condition.

8. The frame of any one of claims 5-7 further including resilient means to urge the latching means into the retaining condition.

9. The frame of any preceding claim wherein one or more of the attachment means is pivotably mounted on the guide frame about a pivot axis.

10. The frame of claim 9 including locking means to lock the attachment means at a predetermined angle.

11. The frame of any preceding claim wherein one or more of the attachment means is adapted for attachment at any one of a plurality of points on said guide frame.

12. A guide frame according to any preceding claim and having two ground engaging wheels with a common axis of rotation.

13. A guide frame substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 7, Fig. 8, Fig. 9 or Figs. 10 and 11.

14. In combination a trolley and a guide frame as claimed in any preceding claim.