GB2438110A

GB2438110A - Shopping Trolley for attachment to a stroller

Info

Publication number: GB2438110A
Application number: GB0714259A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kay Hughes; Ethna Louw
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-01
Filing date: 2007-07-23
Publication date: 2007-11-14
Also published as: GB0714259D0

Abstract

A trolley attachable to a push-chair by means of a pair of attachment elements 15, one at each side, attachable to the upper regions of the side frame elements 16 of the pram or push-chair adjacent to or on the handle. Each attachment element comprises a strap with a pair straps with clasps formed thereon. The trolley has four fully castor-mounted wheels 12, such that it can remain in fixed relationship to the pram or push-chair as the latter is moved, where at least one of the wheels may be provided with a brake. The trolley has a tray which can preferably hold substantially more than a standard supermarket basket. The trolley may have handle means by which it and the pram or push-chair attached to it can be moved, and is designed so that several such trolleys can be stacked horizontally together like standard supermarket trolleys. The trolley may also be used on its own.

Description

Shopping Trolleys s The present invention relates to shopping trolleys,

and more specifically to shopping trolleys intended for use in conjunction with push-chairs. perambulators, baby buggies. and so on. and/or for use by people with limited mobility such as the old and those with injuries.

h is conventional for shoppers in supermarkets and the like to use shopping trolleys The standard shopping trolley comprises a large rectangular receptacle ***.

mounted on four wheels and provided with a handle whereby it can be pushed in :. front of the shopper. The shopper walks round the store with the trolley, col- * . Jecting the articles they wish to buy. They then push the trolley to a check-out station where the articles are paid for. The articles are put into plastic bags, which * :.: * are stacked back in the trolley from which the articles themselves have now been * * . removed The trolley is then taken to the shopper's car and the bags transferred from the trolley to the car. The trolley itself is finally left in a collection area in the car park.

For shoppers wanting only a relatively small amount of shopping, smaller trolleys with a high-level tray may be used; also, baskets may be used instead of trolleys. (With baskets, only one or two plastic bags are normally needed, arid the baskets are normally left at the check-outs.) While this procedure is convernent for most shoppers. it s distinctly awk-ward for a shopper with a pram or push-chair. It is fr from easy for such a shop-per to push both a trolley and a pram or push-chair, or to carry a basket while pushing the pram or push-chair.

To overcome this problem, proposals have been made for trolleys of a design such that they can be linked to prams or push-chairs. The combined trol-ley and pram or push-chair can then be pushed around the store as a unit, and separated when the shopper reaches the check-out. One linking technique invol-yes providing a low-level cradle on the trolley onto which the rear wheels of the pram or push-chair can be lifted; another involves providing a central pillar at the front of the trolley having attachment means for attachment to the pram or push-chair handle. The shopper will normally take a trolley and link it to the pram or push-chair as they enter the market and detach it again either at the check-out or at their cai. S. S. * **. * **.

*.. * These arrangements, however, have their drawbacks. The low-level cradle :. attachment requires the shopper to lift the pram or push-chair. With the high- * level attachment, the alignment of the trolley with the push-chair or pram is not fixed, and there are potential difficulties in steering the combination. Both sys- tems also potentially space the shopper inconveniently far from the pram or push- : chair, and pose potential dangers to the occupant(s) of the pram or push-chair.

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved trolley which is attachable to a pram or push-chair.

According to its main aspect, the invention provides a trolley attachable to a push-chair by means of a pair of attachment elements, one at each side, attach-able to the upper regions of the side frame elements of the pram or push-chair adjacent to or on the handle. In the case of a pram, the handle is generally a horizontal bar passing between the upper ends of the side-frame elements; in the case of a push-chair, the two side frame elements Inay be separate, each ending in a respective handle element. Preferably each attachment element comprises a clasps of plastics material. Preferably the trolley has four fully castor-mounted wheels such that the trolley can remam in fixed relationship to the pram or pushchair as the latter is moved; at least some of the wheels preferably have brakes Preferably the trolley has a tray or basket. The trolley may have handle means by which it and the pram or push-chair attached to it can be moved. The trolley is preferably designed so that several such trolleys can be stacked horizontally together like standard supermarket trolleys.

Two trolleys embodying the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the first trolley; and Fig. 2 is a side view of the second trolley.

: *.. The trolley shown in Fig. I comprises an upper tray portion 10 mounted on S..

a lower frame portion 11 by means of vertical struts 13 and 14. A single strut :. may be used on each side of the trolley; alternatively, a pair of struts on each side * *:. may be used as shown. If two struts per side are used, the front strut 14 is preferably curved as shown to allow trolleys to be stacked together. * *. * S *** *

*:.*.E The lower frame portion his generally rectangular, although its sides may be slightly skewed to allow close packing of the trolleys Also, the rear transverse bar may be curved inward to provide more room for the user's legs and feet when pushing the trolley. Four wheels 12 are mounted below the main lower frame as shown. (Three wheels could be used, with two rearward wheels and one central forward wheel, but the stability of the trolley is then less.) All these wheels are fully castor mounted so that the trolley can be moved in any direction.

The upper tray portion 10 comprises a basket mounted on the top of the struts 13 arid 14. This basket has a conventional mesh structure so that the user can place desired articles in it, The basket can be sized so that the user can instead place a standard store basket in it if they wish. The basket is preferably slightly sloped and with a hinged front face (not shown) to allow successive trol-leys to fit closely into each other for tight packing.

Alternatively, the upper tray portion 10 may be formed of a simple framework with little or no mesh structure, so that it is necessary for the user to place a separate store basket in the framework to bold the articles being selected.

The size of a typical store basket generally matches the storage space available in S a typLcal pram or push-chair.

In one arrangement, the size of the tray or basket may roughly match the volume of storage provided under a typical pram or push-chair, so that the user is restricted to the quantity of goods that they can conveniently transfer to the pram or push-chair. (It is envisaged that with this arrangement, the users will normally :..:: leave the trolleys at the check-out) It is generally preferable, however, for the size of the basket to be substantiaJly laiger than the size of a standard supermarket * . basket * *S.

I *

I

is The front upper edge of the tray portion 10 has a pair of attachment means mounted on it. Each attachment means comprises a strap attached to the tray * .* portion and having clasp means at its end; the clasp means can conveniently be formed of plastics material. En use, the attachment means are attached to the upper regions of the side frame elements of the pram or push-chair, such as the two handle portions 16 of a push-chair as showii. Alternatively, the attachment means may comprise a short rod portion hinged to the tray portion and having at its outer end a strap provided with a patch of hook material and a corresponding patch of eye material. The rigid rod portions may be of adjustable length by a "click" mechanism or the like.

The size of the upper tray portion or basket means is restricted by the requirement that the trolley should not protrude excessively far behind the pram or push-chair. The height of the upper tray portion may also be chosen to be somewhat below the height of the handle means of typical prams and push-chairs.

This further reduces the protrusion of the trolley behind the pram or push-chair to which it is attached.

We have found that the two attachment means may be located in a substan-tially universal position, ie in a position such that the trolley can be attached to substantially all widely available prams and push-chairs This includes prams wfth a single transverse handle and push-chairs with a pair of separate handle means, one on each side.

It is desirable that the trolley shou[d be attached to the pram or push-chair relatively tightly, with minimal resilience or "give" This will result in the trolley and push-chair moving as a single unit The management and manoeuverability of the combination is significantly greater than if the trolley were movable relative S.. to the pram or push-chair. The use of two attachment means, one on each side, is :. important tii achieving this. * S..

S

is If desired, the trolley may be provided with handle means (not shown) :.: : towards the rear edge of the upper tray means This enables users to use the trol- **. leys mdependent.ly of a pram or push-chair should they so wish. People with restricted movement or agility, such as the elderly, may find the present trolley convenient for such use.

Fig. 2 shows a second trolley, which is functionally equivalent to the first trolley although its appearance is somewhat different As shown, it comprises a pair of A frames, one for each side. Each A frame consists of a rear bar 20 with its upper end bent back to form a handle with the attachment means 15' attached to it, a forward bar 212, and a linking bar 22 They are linked together near their upper regions. and the basket 10' is positioned between them. The bars 21 are spaced apart, and optionally splayed, so as to accommodate a typical baby buggy between them, with the rear wheels of the buggy substantially adjacent to the forward wheels 23 of the trolley The rear wheels 24 of the trolley are provided with foot-operated brakes 25.

Claims

Claims 1 A trolley attachable to a push-chair by means of a pair of

attachment elements, one at each side, attachable to the upper regions of the side frame elements of the pram or push-chair adjacent to or on the handle.

2 A trolley according to claim I wherein each attachment element comprises io astrapwithapairofclaspsat its end. * **. * S

3 A trolley according to claim I wherein each attachment element comprises a strap with a pair of patches of hook-and-eye material formed thereon. *

S S.

4 A trolley according to any previous claim wherein the trolley has four lülly castor-mounted wheels such that the trolley can remain in fixed relationship to the pram or push-chair as the latter is moved.

A trolley according to any pievious claim wherein at least one of the wheels has break means.

6 A trolley according to any previous claim wherein the trolley has a tray which can hold a single standard supermarket basket, or which can hold substantially the same amount of goods as such a basket.

7 A trolley accord tug to any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the trolley has a tray which can hold substantially more than a single standard supermarket basket.

8 A trolley according to any previous claim wherein the trolley has handle means by which it and the pram or push-chair attached to it can be moved.

9 A trolley according to any previous claim designed so that several such trolleys can be stacked horizontally together like standard supermarket trolleys.

A trolley substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 1 or Fig.
2.

11 Any feature of novelty or combination thereof within the meaning of Article 4H of the International Convention (Pans Convention). I. * us. * S * S*5 5. * S * S..

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