CART COUPLER ASSEMBLY FOR CART COLLECTION MACHINES
First Claim
1. A shopping cart retriever adapted to move a string of shopping carts along a travel surface, wherein a shopping cart of the string of shopping carts includes wheels that rollably support the cart on the travel surface, a basket for receiving therein shopping items, and frame members that generally vertically extend between the wheels and the basket to support the basket above the wheels, wherein the basket includes a bottom, sides extending generally vertically upward from the bottom, and an open top defined by the sides, the retriever comprising:
- a body;
a drive wheel operably coupled to the body and powered to drive the retriever along the travel surface; and
a cart emulator extending generally horizontally from the body at a height above the travel surface such that when cart emulator properly engages the shopping cart, the cart emulator is received below the bottom of the basket.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is an improved cart coupler assembly for use on a shopping cart retriever vehicle. The cart coupler assembly provides a means for connecting shopping carts to the cart retriever vehicle. The cart coupler assembly may employ an actuator to move yokes into position to enable the yokes to engage shopping cart members. The cart coupler assembly may employ the upwardly facing concave surfaces of U-shaped yokes to engage the rear wheels of a shopping cart. In the place of yokes, the cart coupler assembly may utilize a shopping cart emulator that emulates one or more portions or features of a shopping cart in order to facilitate the engagement of the coupler assembly to a shopping cart.
-
Citations
31 Claims
-
1. A shopping cart retriever adapted to move a string of shopping carts along a travel surface, wherein a shopping cart of the string of shopping carts includes wheels that rollably support the cart on the travel surface, a basket for receiving therein shopping items, and frame members that generally vertically extend between the wheels and the basket to support the basket above the wheels, wherein the basket includes a bottom, sides extending generally vertically upward from the bottom, and an open top defined by the sides, the retriever comprising:
-
a body;
a drive wheel operably coupled to the body and powered to drive the retriever along the travel surface; and
a cart emulator extending generally horizontally from the body at a height above the travel surface such that when cart emulator properly engages the shopping cart, the cart emulator is received below the bottom of the basket. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method of moving a sting of shopping carts along a travel surface, the method comprising:
-
identifying a shopping cart at an end of the string of shopping carts wherein the shopping cart includes wheels that rollably support the cart on the travel surface, a basket for receiving therein shopping items, and frame members that generally vertically extend between the wheels and the basket to support the basket above the wheels, wherein the basket includes a bottom, sides extending generally vertically upward from the bottom, and an open top defined by the sides;
approaching the shopping cart with a powered shopping cart retriever including a cart emulator extending generally horizontally from the retriever; and
engaging the shopping cart by extending the cart emulator below the bottom of the basket. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
Specification