Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
2 f 95754
~ WO96~4161 PCT/AU95100463
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"ShoppmgTro11~ C~ ~d r.~ ;r. -; S~om
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to trolleys and carts, for
example shopping trolleys of the kind provided for use
in supermarkets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is the provision of such a
trolley or the like which can be manufactured
principally from plastics material and which can be
shipped in a knocked down state and assembled with
simple tools.
In its preferred form the trolley cannot be
disassembled without damage once it has been
assembled.
In an alternative preferred form of the invention the
trolley or the like includes a number of components
(which are not necessarily all of the components of
the trolley~ which are provided with interlocking
means such that upon the assembly of the last
component with the preceding components none of the
preceding components may be disassembled. These
components may be designed so that they must be
assembled in a given order.
In a further alternative preferred form of the
invention the last component referred to is
permanently fixed to another component so that the
assembly of these components cannot be disassembled.
As a matter of convenience, throughout the description
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W096/04161 ~ PCT/AU9~N~63
and in the claims, a reference to disassembly or to
removal of a unit from the assembly is to be
understood as a reference to such ~ ly or
removal wlthout damage, since lt will be clear that an
5 assembly may embody this aspect of the invention
although it may be disassembled by force in a more or
less destructive manner.
In another alternati~e form the invention resides in a
10 trolley including a basket, the basket being assembled
from generally planar units comprising a bottom, sides
and a front panel each of which is formed by moulding
in plastics material.
15 Preferably the base is provided with interlocking
means and the sides are provided on their lower edges
with complementary interlocking means. Preferably
also the sides are provided with interlocking means on
their forward edges and the front panel i5 provided
20 with complementary interlocking means on its sides for
engagement with the ends of the basket sides.
Preferably also the front panel is provided with
interlocking means engaga~le with complementary
interlocking means on the basket bottom. Preferably
also the various interlocking means are such that the
basket cannot be disassembled other than in the
reverse order to that of its assembly.
Preferably also means are provided per~anently to
interlock the last of the co~ponents to be
interlocked.
The base of the trolley preferably includes a pair of
side rails and a joining plater each being
substantially planar and moulded of plastics
material~ the rails and the plate being provided
WO96/04161 - ~' '' 9 5 754 PCTIAU9~100463
with complementary interlocking means for the
assembly of the base.
Preferably, the trolley incorporates identification
5 means, for example, a scannable device, and the
supermarket or other location of its use is equipped
at salient locations with identification responsive
apparatus, for example interrogating devices,
responsive to the presence of a trolley, for various
purposes as will be described below.
The invention also resides in identification
apparatus associated with a space in which trolleys
of this kind are deployed, responding to the
identification of a trolley in a chosen area within
said space to cause the conduct of a financial
transaction in relation to the identified trolley.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The preferred form o~ the invention described herein
by way of example, also provides other advantages
which will become apparent from the following
description of this embodiment, with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. l is a side elevation of a trolley;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the trolley;
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the trolley;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the basket base;
Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the basket base;
Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the basket base;
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a basket side;
Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig.
7;
Fig. 8a is a partly sectioned plan view of the
basket side;
wo96m4l6~ ' ' Z 1 ~754 rcr~l.9.~ ~ ~
Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the basket end panel;
Fig. 10 i8 a plan view of the basket end panel;
Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the end panel;
Fig. lZ is a side elevation of a rear panel and
child~s seat unit;
Fig. 13 is a rear elevation of the rear panel unit;
Fig. 14 is a plan view of the rear panel unit;
Fig. lS is a side elevation of a side rail;
Fig. 16 is a plan view of the side rail;
]0 Fig. 17 is a plan view of a front plate;
Fig. 1S3 is a side elevation of the front plate;
Fig. 19 is a plan view and end elevation of a
handle;
Fig. 20 is an end and side elevation of a typical
wheel; and
Fig. 21 is a schematic supermarket layout.
DESCRIPTIO~ OF THE E~i30DI~ENTS
~he illustrated trolley Lnclude8 a basket assembled
i~om 6 ma~or components: a basket base 30, a pair of
basket sides 31, a front panel 3Z, and a hinged rear
panel with integral child's seat 33, and a handle 34.
The basket is mounted on a base unit which consists of
a pair of side rails 35, a front plate 36, front
wheels 37 and rear wheels 38.
The basket and the base unit are tapered in all
relevant planes to enable the trolley to nest with
other similar trolleys in the manner well known in the
prior art.
The base unit is assembled by joining the side rails
35 at the front of the trolley by means of the front
plate 36. For this purpose the side rails 35 include
forward blade portions 39 provided with downwardly
~ WO96N4161 2 1 9 ~ 7 5 4 PCTIAU9SI00463
directed barbed detents 40, and the sides of the front
plate 36 are provided with slots 41 dimensioned to
receive the blade portions 39. The base of the slots
41 is penetrated by d~eLLuL~s 42 dimensioned to
receive the detents 40I the barbs of which snap into
~nga,j~ t wLth the underneath surface 43 of the front
plate. ~oulded into the front plate are bosses 44 for
the reception of the upper bearing assemblies 44 of
the front wheels 37. Bosses 45 are provided at the
rear of the side rails for the reception of the upper
bearing assemblies of the identical rear wheels 38.
Structurally, the base unit is completed by fixing to
it the basket base 30I which will therefore now be
described.
The basket base consists of a bottom 45 with a pattern
of apertures 46 extending over most of its areaI and a
raised wall 47 around the sides and front. From the
rear part of the nn~rn~ath side of the bottom on each
side thereof extends a pair of downwardly directed
walls 48. Between these pairs of walls extends a
lateral reinforcing rib 49. The lower free edges of
the walls 48 are provided with opposed inwardly
directed flanges 50I and are joined by bridging walls
51 and 52. The basket bottom 45 has a through slot 53
in register with the space between each pair of walls
48.
~eference to Figs. 15 and 16 will show the
corresponding elements of the side rails 39I which
comprise an upright wall 54 the width of which
corresponds to the spacing of the walls 48, slotted at
55 and 56 to receive the bridging walls 51 and 52. At
the base of the wall 54 is a slot 57 dimensioned to
receive the flanges 50.
WO96~04161 ~,~! 2 1 ~ 5 7 ~ 4 PCTIAU95~0~3
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One face of the wall 54 is relieved at 58 for a
distance and in a pattern which respectively
coLL~s~und to the ~hi~kn~s~ and shape of a wedge 59
which has a flange 60 extending from its upper edge.
The wall 54 in ths relieved portion 58 is provided
with blind holes 61 in a pattern correfiponding to
barbs 62 provided on the inner surface of the wedge
5g.
The basket base is thus assembled with each side rail
35 by forcing the wall 48 down over the wall 54 with
the walls Sl and 52 located in the slots 55 and 56,
until the flanges 50 snap into the slot 57. The wedge
59 is then driven down from the upper side of the base
through the slot 53. As it is driven home, the barbs
62 locate in the holes 61 locking the wedge in
position, and thus concealing the manner in which the
cc , ~nts have been fixed.
To enable the locking-in of the basket sides 31 as
will be described below, the side walls 46 of the
basket base 30 are provided with a series of slots 63
of inverted ~ configuration, providing an entry region
64 and a lip 65.
The basket sides 30 consist of panels 66 provided with
a pattern of apertures 67 and thin wall sections 68
surrounded by a decorative flanged border section 69.
At the upper rear corner there is provided a
handle-mounting formation 70. Along the bottom edge
of the basket sides is a series of locking feet 71,
each having a toe portion 72 directed towards the rear
of the trolley. Similar locking feet 73 are provided
on the front edge of the basket sides, with toe
portions 74 in this case directed upwardly.
The feet 72 are dimensioned to fit the slots 63, and
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each side is assembled with its respective side rail
by locating the feet within the slots, and driving the
side rearwardly to force the toe portions underneath
the lips 65 thereby locking the side in place on the
rail.
As shown in Figs. 9-11, the front panel 32 is
similarly provided with side walls 75 and slots 76
similarly shaped to provide an entry portion 77 and
lip 78, so the front panel can be assembled with the
two sides in the same manner as the sides were
attached to the side rails.
It will be observed, however, that the lower edge of
the front panel 32 is provided with a downwardly
directed bead 79, and the front portion of the wall 46
of the basket base 30 is provided with an upwardly
facing groove 80 the part-cylindrical cross-section
of which is complementary to that of the bead 79. As
the front panel is driven home in its engagement with
the sides therefore, the bead 79 is driven into the
groove 80.
In the most preferred practice of the invention in
~5 this embodiment thereof, the groove 80 is provided
with a quantity of adhesive, so the bead 79 is
immovably held in the groove 80 after assembly of the
trolley. This will prevent disengagement of the feet
72 from the slots 63, and in turn prevent the removal
of the sides 31, since they must be moved forward to
enable the disengagement of the feet 71 from the slots
63. Simply by p~rr~n~ntly flxing at one location,
therefore, disassembly of the basket has been
prevented.
The assembly of the basket is completed by the
attachment of the handle 34 and the rear panel and
~'09~/U4161 ~ 2 ~ 9 5 7 ~ 4 PCTI~Ug~o~
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child's seat unit 33. The latter is moulded in one
piece and provides a contoured seat 81 which prorides
a degree of comfort superior to that obtained by prior
art designs. The upper edge of the unit is formed
with hand grips 82 and a moulded support bar 83 which
extends to form support axles 84 having enlarged ends.
The rear panel and seat unit 33 is mounted by passing
the support axles 8~ into keyhole-shaped slots 85
provided in the handle mounting formations 70, and
allowing the axles to rest at the ioot of these slots.
The handle 34 may then be mounted. To this end each
end of the handle has a cylindrical portion 86 backed
by a flange 87, the diameter and depth of the portion
86 COLL~ yunding to those of a recess 88 in the
mounting formation 70. End caps 89 similarly include
a cylindrical portion 90 and flange 91, the portion 90
mating with a recess 92 in the outer face of the
formation 70. The handle is fixed in place by
fastening devices (not shown3 fixing the end caps 89
to the handle through the wall 93 which separates the
recesses 88 and 92.
Thus mounted, the rear panel and seat unit 33 is free
2~ to pivot about the axles 84 so that the unit can swing
upwardly and forwardly to accommodate the basket of a
nesting trolley driven in from the rear.
The entire trolley can thus be assembled by an
unskilled person using only a spanner for mounting the
wheels on the base and a mallet for the assembly of
the major components. Trolleys according to the
invention can thus be shipped and stored in their
unassembled state, enabling a significant reduction in
shipping and storage costs. Once assembled, however,
the trolley cannot be knocked down, for example by a
would-be thief, without destroying it.
~ WO96/04161 2 ~ 9 ~ 7 5 4 PCT/AUg5/00463
_g_
All the parts other than the wheel bearings can be
manufactured by injection moulding in plastics. Apart
from the manufacturing advantages which flow from
this, the absence of metal enables other advances.
In particular, the trolley can be provided with a
trans~onder g5 embedded, for example, in the panel 94
in the front panel of the basket. The transponder 95,
either of the active or passive interrogated type, is
encoded with a unique code identifying the trolley,
and preferably also identifying the owner.
By locating scanners as desired, and processing the
data provided by the scanners with suitable software,
the location of the trolley, the route taken by it
through the sllp~rr~rk~t~ and its passage past chosen
points such as building exits can be monitored.
The use of a transponder can enable the efficient
automation of billing and refund of trolley usage
fees, for example by debiting the customer's
transaction at the checkout and enabling a refund to
be obtained and recorded against the trolley at a
remote point without the need for troublesome
mechanical trolley-handling refund devices.
By recording the route taken through the supermarket
by a number of trolleys, stafE can obtain information
as to the shopping habits of customers to assist in
the planning of the supermarket layout, the location
of promotional material, and in other marketing.
decisions.
Fig. 21 shows a schematic layout of a supermarket
incorporating this aspect of the invention. The
supermarket includes customer and trolley entry
WO961~4161 ' ~1 q~ 7 5 4 PCTIAU~00~3
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points lO0 and lOl, aisles 102, peripheral cabinets
103, fresh food stands 104, and checkout points 105.
Trolleys of the kind already described are equipped
with identification chips 95, and interrogating
devices 106 are located as shown at salient points in
the supermarket, including the entry and exit
points, and the ends of the aisles. Interrogating
devices are also positioned at the entry and exit to
the building in which the supermarket i6 located,
and the areas of access to the car park.
At the car park a trolley return area is provided,
with a trolley fee refund machine also equipped with
an interrogator, ensuring that refunds are made on
the return only of trolleys in respect of which a
charge has been made at one of the checkout points
105, or alternatively only in respect of a trolley
identified as belonging to the supermarket in
2~ question. secause the trolley is identified once it
is in the proximity of the return station, there is
no need for mechanical return equipment.
The interrogators 106 are connected with a data
collection system ~not shown~ incorporating
software for analysis of the recordals of passing
of a given trolley to provide management information
of the kind already described.
At locations such as 107 and lO~, point of sale
promotions may be made by audio or video equipment
triggered by the presence of a trolley detected by
interrogators lO6.
An interrogator 106 is located at a sales point for a
manned specialty products counter 109, enabling
purchases of goods there to be recorded against the
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~ WO96/04161 ~ 2 1 9 5 7 PCTIAU95/00463
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customer~s trolley for subsequent processing at the
checkout.
It will be appreciated that the features of detail in
the ~ho~il L which has been described and
illustrated are not essential to the invention, and
many changes may be made to the trolley without
departing from the scope of the invention. For
example, fixing formations other than those described
may be used for the joining of the components of the
trolley and the configuration of the various
n~ts may be altered to suit the particular
application for which it is intended. Neither is any
particular order of assembly of the components
essential to the invention as such, and the order
adopted will depend on design choices influenced by
the application in question.
The invention is not limited to use in supermarket
trolleys, but will also find application in other
areas such as airport luggage trolleys and in
industrial applications.
