SHOPPING CART, FRAME, BASKET AND PRODUCTION METHODS

• US 20090160146A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Produits Cari-All Inc.
• Original Assignee: Produits Cari-All Inc.
• Inventors: Pare, Richard, Simard, Gilles, Nadeau, Serge, Berthiaume, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 8,096,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/33.992
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/1704 the fluid being introduced into the interior of the injected material which is still in a molten state, e.g. for producing hollow articles B29C45/1732 and B29C45/1734 take precedence; injection blow-moulding B29C49/06
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7134 Crates, e.g. for bottles
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2202/023 Beverage holders, e.g. for a cup, tin or bottle
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2501/065 Plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/14 characterised by provisions for nesting or stacking, e.g. shopping trolleys collapsible shopping trolleys B62B3/027
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1468 Additional trays
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1492 Wheel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1496 Assembling of baskets to the wheeled support
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 280/04 Grocery store cart
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49904 Assembling a subassembly, then assembling with a second subassembly

Abstract

The present invention includes a shopping cart frame with mounting bracket units connecting caster wheels and having a plate secured underneath the base with a caster pin receiving hole and spaced-apart flanges flanking the hole and abutting on the base; a shopping cart with a support bar between side uprights for forwardly propping up a primary basket and rearwardly hanging a secondary basket; a cart with a plastic basket having rear structural tubes sheathing the frame'"'"'s side uprights and being secured thereto; a modular method of making different cart models by providing multiple sets of components with cooperating mounting surfaces for interconnection; a modular plastic basket with a hooked-on suspended tray and a channel-shaped overlay detachably snapped over the edge and tray; a one-piece molded plastic basket with independent branching tubular sections with different thicknesses; and an independent gas-assisted injection method for molding a one-piece plastic basket.

Claims

1. A frame for a shopping cart comprising:

a base having a front and a rear, comprising a pair of spaced-apart longitudinal tubular framing members;

a pair of spaced-apart tubular side uprights each having a bottom portion mounted to the rear of the base and a upper portion extending upward from the base;

caster wheel assemblies mounted to the base; and

mounting bracket units for mounting the caster wheels to the base, each one of the mounting bracket units being associated with a respective one of the caster wheel assemblies and comprising;

a plate having a first portion secured underneath one of the tubular framing members and a second portion projecting away from said one of the tubular framing members, the second portion mounted to a caster pin or caster plate, and having a caster pin receiving hole and a pair of spaced-apart flanges flanking the caster pin receiving hole and abutting said one of the tubular framing members.

2. The frame of claim 1, wherein each flange comprises a first end abutting and being secured to the tubular framing member and a second end remote from the tubular framing member.

3. The frame of claim 2, wherein the flanges of each pair are parallel to each other.

4. The frame of claim 3, wherein the flanges are in perpendicular relationship to the tubular framing member against which the flanges abut.

5. The frame of claim 3, wherein each mounting bracket unit is symmetrical along a central axis parallel to the flanges.

6. The frame of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises two caster wheel assemblies mounted to the front of the base with two respective mounting bracket units.

7. The frame of claim 1, wherein each mounting bracket unit is a one-piece metallic structure and the flanges comprise folded pieces.

8. A shopping cart comprising:

a frame having;

a wheeled base;

a pair of tubular side uprights each having a bottom portion mounted to a rear section of the base and an upper portion extending upward from the base;

a handle bar mounted between the side uprights in the upper portion thereof;

a support bar extending between the side uprights above the bottom portion thereof over the base,

a primary basket mounted to the side uprights and extending in a forward direction, the primary basket having a rear bottom seating on the support bar; and

a secondary basket removably hung to the support bar and extending below the primary basket in a rearward direction.

9. The shopping cart of claim 8, wherein the secondary basket has an upper part comprising multiple connectors projecting in a forward direction for resting on the support bar.

10. The shopping cart of claim 9, wherein each connector comprises a straight portion extending in a forward direction and a catch portion extending downward from the straight portion forward of the support bar.

11. The shopping cart of claim 9, wherein the secondary basket hangs from the support bar to be pivotal in the forward direction and the secondary basket further comprises a stop element abutting against the tubular side uprights to resist pivoting.

12. The cart of claim 11, wherein the stop element comprises a rod having opposed extremities extending laterally beyond respective sides of the secondary basket to abut on respective rearward surfaces of the tubular side uprights.

13. The shopping cart of claim 9, wherein the support bar is strip-shaped and comprises multiple apertures therealong, each connector being inserted through a corresponding one of the apertures.

14. The shopping cart of claim 13, wherein the strip-shaped support bar further comprises an indentation in a surface thereof, and the primary basket further comprises at least one engaging element projecting downward from the rear bottom and fitting within the indentation.

15. A shopping cart comprising:

a frame having;

a wheeled base;

a pair of side uprights each having a bottom portion mounted to a rear section of the base and an upper portion extending upward from the base;

a basket comprising a bottom floor, a front wall, two sidewalls and a tubular structural member framing a rear end of each of the two sidewalls, each tubular structural member slidably sheathing a corresponding one of said side uprights;

securing means for securing the structural members to the side uprights; and

a handle assembly mounted between the side uprights in the upper portion thereof.

16. The cart of claim 15, wherein each tubular structural member has a hole provided therein and each of the side uprights has an aperture provided therein and aligned with a corresponding one of the holes, and the securing means are slotted within the holes and apertures.

17. The cart of claim 16, wherein securing means comprise a cylindrical beam spanning between the tubular side uprights and removably slotted within each hole and each aperture.

18. The cart of claim 17, wherein each tubular side upright further comprises a top extremity protruding upward out of the corresponding tubular structural member and wherein the handle assembly comprises a handle bar and two coupling components respectively mounted to opposed ends of the handle bar and the top extremities.

19. The cart of claim 18, further comprising a support bar mounted to the tubular side uprights above the base and extending therebetween to support the bottom floor of the basket.

20. The cart of claim 16, wherein the basket has a rear wall that is composed of metal rods one of which comprises the securing means.

21. A modular method of manufacturing different shopping cart models, comprising:

providing multiple sets of base modules, each base module comprising a pair of spaced-apart longitudinal tubular framing members, each framing member having a rear comprising an upward-facing mounting surface, the base modules of each set having a different pre-determined width between the longitudinal tubular framing members and/or a different pre-determined length of the longitudinal tubular framing members;

providing at least one set of tubular side uprights, each tubular side upright comprising an upper portion and a bottom portion that has a downward-facing mounting surface;

selecting a base module from each of the different sets thereof;

for each selected base module, selecting a pair of tubular side uprights from any one of the at least one set thereof;

for each selected base module, aligning the mounting surfaces of the selected pair of tubular side uprights with the respective mounting surfaces of the selected base module, and securing the mounting surfaces together so that the upper portions of the selected tubular side uprights extend upward from the base module in parallel relation to each other; and

for each selected base module, mounting at least one shopping cart basket to the tubular side uprights.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein each base module of each set thereof is U-shaped viewed from above.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one set of tubular side uprights comprises multiple sets of side uprights of each set having a different pre-determined height.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the bottom portion of each selected tubular side upright is aligned and secured in parallel and contiguous relationship with the tubular framing member, and the upper portion comprises a forward slanting segment extending upward from a forward end of the bottom segment and a rearward slanting segment extending upward from an upper end of the forward slanting segment.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing a set of mounting bracket units for mounting caster wheels to the base modules, each one of the mounting bracket units being associated with a respective one of the caster wheel assemblies and comprising a plate having a first portion and a second portion mounted to a corresponding one of the caster wheel assemblies;

selecting at least one mounting bracket unit and securing the first portion thereof underneath one of the tubular framing members.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing multiple sets of handle bars, the handle bars of each set having a different pre-determined length matching a corresponding one of the different pre-determined widths of the base modules;

providing multiple pairs of coupling components for coupling the handle bars to the pairs of tubular side uprights;

selecting a handle bar matching with each of the selected base modules;

for each selected base module, mounting a pair of the coupling components to respective ends of the selected handle bars, and mounting the pair of coupling components to the respective upper portions of the selected tubular side uprights.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the handle coupling components are mounted to the respective selected tubular side uprights after the uprights are secured to the selected base module.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing multiple sets of support bars, the support bars of each set having a different pre-determined length matching a corresponding one of the different pre-determined widths of the base modules;

selecting at least one support bar matching with each of the selected base modules;

for each selected base module, mounting the at least one support bar between the selected tubular side uprights above the bottom portion thereof, for supporting at least one corresponding basket.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

providing multiple sets of shopping cart baskets, the baskets of each set having a different pre-determined width matching a corresponding one of the different pre-determined widths of the base modules and/or a different pre-determined depth;

selecting at least one basket matching with each of the selected base modules;

for each selected base module, mounting the selected at least one basket to the selected tubular side uprights.

30. A modular plastic shopping cart basket comprising:

opposed side walls, a front wall and a bottom;

an upper edge extending along the side walls and the front wall;

the upper edge having a given thickness;

a channel-shaped overlay covering at least a portion of the upper edge, the overlay being in a detachably snapped-on relationship with the portion of the upper edge, the overlay also having a generally U-shaped cross-section fitting on the portion of the upper edge and being sized so as to provide a gap between the overlay and an outer surface of the portion of the upper edge when the overlay is snapped onto the portion;

the portion of the upper edge having at least one zone of connection having a smaller thickness than said given thickness; and

a tray having a rim provided with at least one hook connectable to said at least one zone of connection to suspend the tray from the upper edge, said rim with the at least one hook being sized to fit in said gap.

31. The basket of claim 30, wherein the portion extends along the upper edge of the front wall and part of each side wall to be generally U-shaped when viewed from above.

32. The basket of claim 30, wherein the overlay comprises multiple pairs of opposed snap elements, the pairs being spaced apart along an inner surface of the overlay, and the portion of the upper edge comprises multiple pairs of opposed apertures provided therealong, each pair of snap elements being detachably snappable within each pair of apertures.

33. The basket of claim 30, further comprising two slots respectively provided at opposed upper front corners of the basket and below the portion of the upper edge, the slots being sized to allow passage of a user'"'"'s hand, the overlay being sized to skirt an upper boundary of each slot.

34. The basket of claim 30, wherein the at least one zone of connection comprises a plurality of zones spaced-apart along the portion of the upper edge in a crenulation configuration, and the at least one hook comprises a plurality of hooks each being connectable to a corresponding one of the zones.

35. A molded shopping cart basket comprising:

a one-piece structure made of injection molded plastic, comprising;

tubular zones of hollowed plastic, each tubular zone having an annular cross-section with a peripheral wall and comprising;

a main tubular section with opposed ends;

at least first and second branching tubular sections connected to one of the ends of the main tubular section in a bifurcated relationship, the peripheral wall of the first branching section having a greater thickness than the peripheral wall of the second branching section.

36. The basket of claim 35, further comprising opposed side walls having respective upper edges, a front wall and a bottom floor;

and wherein for each tubular zone the main tubular section extends longitudinally along a rear part of the upper edge of one of the side walls, the first branching tubular section extends longitudinally forward from the main section along the upper edge, and the second branching section extends downward from the upper edge to the bottom floor along one of the side walls.

37. The basket of claim 36, wherein the first branching section further extends around to the front wall and downward along the front wall to the bottom floor.

38. The basket of claim 36, wherein in cross-section the main tubular section and the first branching section are each higher than they are wide.

39. A method for injection molding a one-piece plastic shopping cart basket, comprising:

providing a mold having a cavity in the shape of the shopping cart, the mold comprising a gas inlet and at least first and second gas outlets, the cavity having a tubular-zone making portion in fluid communication with the gas inlet and the gas outlets;

ensuring the gas inlet and the gas outlets are closed;

injecting molten plastic within the cavity;

allowing the molten plastic to partially solidify in the tubular zone-making portion of the cavity to form a solidified tubular zone having an annular cross-section and a peripheral wall;

injecting a gas into the inlet and opening the first gas outlet, to expel the remaining molten plastic from within a section of the tubular zone to form a first tubular section having a given thickness;

opening the second outlet to allow the injected gas to expel the remaining molten plastic within another section of the tubular zone to form a second tubular section having a peripheral wall with a thickness greater than the given thickness; and

permitting the plastic remaining in the mold to solidify to form the basket.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the first gas outlet is re-closed before opening the second gas outlet.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the first and second outlets are operated to control the flow of the molten plastic through the respective first and second tubular sections.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein gas pressure at the inlet is operated to control the flow of the molten plastic.