GB2113621A

GB2113621A - Facilitating the handling and transport of articles in shop trolleys and baskets

Info

Publication number: GB2113621A
Application number: GB08210759A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerard Aim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-01-22
Filing date: 1982-04-13
Publication date: 1983-08-10
Also published as: DE3216941C2; GR76085B; PT74964B; IT8220983A0; FI821511L; BR8300202A; NO821346L; IT1151346B; FI821511A0; JPS58128961A; SE8202598L; PT74964A; MC1453A1; DE3216941A1; FR2520216A1; FR2520216B1; DK195782A; NL8201738A; BE892921A

Abstract

Pre-cut sheets are transported to the shops, shaped in the form of liners (30a to 30e) and stacked at the entrance to the shops in the form of piles (92) near to the lines of trolleys (95) or hand held baskets. Thus, customers can take hold of a trolley (1e) or hand held basket and introduce inside it a liner (30e) located at the top of the pile (92). The liners (30a to 30e) are made in such a way that they closely match the contour of the basket (8c). Each liner (30e) can be provided with one and the same advertising logo (100) and thus brought repetitively to the view of the customers in the shop. The invention makes it possible to transport articles more easily, especially to the check-out tills. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of facilitating the handling and transport of articles in shop trolleys, and liners and trolleys for putting this method in practice.

The present invention is intended to make it easier to gather together and handle articles bought by customers in shops.

At the present time, wheeled trolleys are very often used to transport (in shops with a large surface area, in airports and in stations) objects or articles thrown loosely into the basket of these wheeled trolleys, after these have been pushed into the vicinity of the articles to be loaded.

In fact, these trolleys have the advantage that they can receive in a basket or on a platform a large mass of articles slipped between one another (such as packets, bottles, cans, sachets, etc.), without the need to arrange these articles carefully in the basket.

Moreover, since these trolleys are used on generally level ground, they permit the bulk movement of goods, without any substantial exertion by the users and enabling the latter to keep their hands free whenever they stop (especially along the shelves of shops).

It is also common (especially in small shops and small supermarkets) to use for collecting these purchases either bags or wire handbaskets which are stacked at the entrance to the shop.

Nevertheless, one of the problems not solved by the use of these trolleys and handbaskets in shops is that presented by the successive handling of goods which remains relatively laborious when the baskets are unloaded, especially during payment operations.

In fact, although they are very convenient because it is not necessary to arrange the articles in an orderly manner inside their baskets, the benefit of these trolleys remains limited (especially in shops with large surface areas), since customers must present their articles one by one at the check-out till calculating the money owed.

Furthermore, once the money owed has been paid, customers generally gather their purchases together in various small bags put at their disposal.

ither before putting them into their own shopping bag or string bag: -or before rearranging them in the handbasket or trolley beforehand and then taking them out again when these purchases are subsequently thrown loosely into car boots.

In the latter case, the trolleys are usually left in disorder on the parking areas for private cars, thus causing extreme chaos in the approaches to shops with large surface areas.

The present invention is based on the following observation: It happens that, in order to avoid these troublesome handling operations, some customers put an empty cardboard box, found there or there, in the basket of their trolley. They put this empty carboard box in it ither before making their purchases, in which case they use it for the receiving articles selected from the shelves as they proceed, or at the time of going to the check-out till to pay the appropriate amount of money owed.

Then, they can, in this way, unload the purchased articles by simply removing from the basket the cardboard box which has been filled.

However, these cardboard boxes are often of a size which does not at all correspond to the size of the basket. They are therefore very inconvenient to handle.

In fact, in some cases, the two dimensions of the bottom of the cardboard box are greater than the width of the basket. In this case, the customer is prompted -to twist or distort the cardboard box in the direction of one of these dimensions so as to introduce it into the basket (but this alteration of its shape is somewhat laborious and, during unloading, results in considerable exertion to extract the cardboard box and overcome the lateral friction between the misshapen cardboard box and the basket);; r to place the cardboard box obliquely within the basket (but it may be appreciated that, on the one hand, this arrangement considerably reduces the effective volume of the cardboard box and, on the other hand, it makes it impossible to deposit inside this cardboard box heavy articles such as bottles because its bottom is not supported by the basket).

In other cases, the lateral dimensions of the cardboard box are much smaller than those of the basket, and customers then slip articles inside the cardboard box, on the one hand, and outside the cardboard box but inside the basket, on the other hand.

Finally, since these cardboard boxes are intended to contain (in their original use) articles of small dimensions, their height is generally much less than that of the basket.

Moreover, it is impossible to place two of these cardboard boxes side by side within a basket, since the filling of one would then be impeded by the presence of the other.

Thus, most of the time, the filling of a basket starts by the filling of a cardboard box located inside it and ends in the greatest disorder outside the cardboard box until the latter is covered completely.

At all events, the basic problem of handling the articles is not solved by the use of these empty cardboard boxes.

In all cases, time has to be wasted and considerable exertions by the customers are required to search for the cardboard boxes and put them in place. These exertions are not always successful. In fact, on the one hand, it happens very often (especiallly at the end of the day) that after a long and laborious search the customer realises that there is no longer any cardboard box left which can be put inside his basket. On the other hand, as everyone knows, a large number of items put on the shelves (especially bottles) is not brought into a shop in cardboard boxes. Furthermore the volume taken up by the articles of one and the same type, when organised inside their delivery box, is, of course, much less then that which they take up when they are mingled with other articles.Consequently, it is statistically impossible for all the customers of a shop to be able to find a cardboard box to contain all their purchases.

Moreover, the empty cardboard boxes used in this way are, more often than not, cardboard boxes for delivery to shops with large surface areas which offer them loose to their customers and, for this purpose, usually leave them "littered" about the zone where the trolleys are made available to the customers.

These cardboard boxes have generally been torn and burst open previously, without any precaution by the shelf-fillers who care little about what becomes of them, since they consider them purely as a waste product of their original packaging function and not at all as a by-product which can be used subsequently by the customers. Moreover, this attitude is entirely logical and is encouraged by the shop management. In fact, cardboard boxes considered initially as packaging are delivered in a form closed very firmly by numerous staples, adhesive tapes and plastic films, the essential purpose of which is not to assist, but, on the contrary to prevent opening in transit. Of course, this does not make it economically viable to open these cardboard boxes delicately so as to preserve their structure. Consequently, they are supplied to customers in very poor condition.

In addition, and as everyone must have noticed, they are, most of the time, either very wet or very dirty as a result of the spilling of a product which they initially contained.

Furthermore, their completely irregular stacking (which it is impossible to organise beacause of the variety of their dimensions and shapes) causes a considerable loss of space in shops where they are put at the customers' disposal.

Finally, these cardboard boxes are generally covered with the "brand name" of the products which were orignially contained in them at the time of delivery to the shop.

However, on the one hand, it is obvious that the customers using them are hardly aroused and attracted by the brand name printed on them, when they see them littered in this way at the entrance to the snop.

On the other hand, this brand name is usually not very visible. In fact, the "jum- bled" stack in which these cardboard boxes are initially arranged scarcely draws the customers' attention to the brand name which they bear. Likewise, this brand name is, more often than not, concealed inside the baskets by one article or another covering it lateraliy.

Moreover, experience shows that a "brand name" is not clearly visible or, at all events, noticed through a wire mesh uniess it is applied to a surface very close to this wire mesh. Otherwise, the wire mesh causes an "optical curtain" effect which obscures the logos located in the background.

Finally, it will easily be understood that it is inconceivable that a firm would use this collection of empty cardboard boxes as advertising media. In fact, advertising on media of small dimensions requires, for it to be effective, a large number of repetitions of its logo so as to constitute a focal point for the attention of its intended public in relation to the external environment. Now, carboard boxes made available to customers represent, of course, a sample of all the suppliers of the shops. Consequently, usually none of them bears the same brand name and each of them is therefore lost in the surroundings of the brand names carried by the neighbouring boxes.

The object of the present invention is to provide an overail solution to all the disadvantages mentioned above.

A first aim of the invention is to propose a more economical form of the makeshift practice described above and, more particularly, a process for the handling and transport of goods, making it possible for the customers of shops without difficulty to gather together the articles which they select within the shop, present them at the check-out till and transport them outside the shops (especially to the boots of their cars and then to their homes).

The second aim of the invention is to ensue a considerable reduction in the ground space given over In shops to placing used carciboard boxes at the disposal of customers (allowing the customers to gather their articles together to transport them to the boots of their cars).

The third aim of the invention is to eliminate, within the shop, the spectacle of little attraction to a customer, presented by a completely disorderly stacking of these empty cardboard boxes of all dimensions and, furthermore, to propose replacement packaging which is both more economical and less bulky for the shop and which can be grasped and installed instantly and without difficulty by customers in their baskets.

A tourtn aim ot tne invention is to provide replacement packaging for these empty cardboard boxes, which makes it possible to place oil it an advertising logo (especially a brand name) which is clearly legible and which can be affixed on each item of packaging so as to create a very intense focusing effect for advertising purposes, thus constituting an advertising space which is efficient enough to allow the users (both shops and customers) to make use of them at a greatly reduced price.

A fifth aim of the invention is to propose a method for producing this replacement packaging, which ensures that they have a relatively low cost price as well as a remarkable strength and shape, enabling them to be used in all systems, such as currently available trolleys, and also allowing considerable simplification of these systems.

Finally, a last aim of the invention is to make it easier and more economical for the cashiers to grasp, ring up and charge for each of the articles chosen by the customer, and to limit the handling operations necessary for this sale.

For this purpose, the invention proposes, first of all, a method of handling and transport of articles taken by customers from the shelves of a shop by means of systems for collecting and transporting these articles (such as a trolley or a hand-basket).

these systems being mobile and being moved by customers along aisles made in front of the shelves, and being provided with a basket, the aperture of which is directed upwards so as to receive the various articles arranged loosely.

according to this process, the customer first fits a disposable removable liner open at the top (in the form of a bag or secondary basket) into the basket of one of the mobile collecting systems, -then he moves the collecting system, thus provided with its liner, along the aisles of the shop, -then he fills the liner with the various articles which he takes successively from the shelves bordering the aisles, Finally, he removes the liner containing all the articles, so as to transport these subsequently all together.

Such a method is notable in that it uses for this purpose not a used cardboard delivery box of arbitrary dimensions, made available to customers after being torn open and after its contents have been unpacked, but on the contrary a disposable liner reserved for this use, shaped in such a way that it can exactly match the contours of the basket.

In this way, the baskets can be filled perfectly, without the risk of seeing articles slip between the wall of the liner and the sides of the basket.

According to an advantageous alternative form of such a method, the liner is shaped before its insertion into the basket of the collecting system.

The production of such liners does not present any special problems. However, it is recommended, according to the invention, to make the liner by folding a pre-cut sheet consisting of a rigid material such as cardboard. It is thus possible to mass-produce these pre-cut sheets in specialised factories and then transport them to the shops in stacked bundles.

According to another advantageous alternative form of such a method, the liners are given a structure in the form of a truncated pyramid. Moreover, before their use, these are -assembled (especially by the staff of the shop), grouped in piles (especially by fitting them into one another), -and presented next to a line of mobile collecting systems (such as trolleys or handbaskets) made available to customers, -in such a way as to be fitted one by one by customers into one of the baskets of one of the systems in the line.

In this way, this method of storing and making available, in a pile, liners of the same shape makes it possible: -for the shops to make a considerable saving in terms of space and ensure economic storage of these liners, -and for the customers to have instantly at their disposal without the need for a search, an auxiliary liner inside the basket of their mobile collecting systems.

Moreover, these liners designed geometrically to conform to the characteristics of the basket of the mobile systems -are easily installed in and extracted from the baskets (without friction or wedging, -and allow maximum use of the effective volume of each basket.

Furthermore, their specific function of gathering articles together inside the mobile systems and of transporting these same articles all together makes it possible to design them so that they are perfectly suited to these functions in terms of their dimensions, the materials used and the fittings which they possess (such as handles) to make it easier to handle them.

In addition, according to the invention, and because of the methods of their production and distribution which can be in groups, as well as the specific function appertaining to these liners, it is possible to decorate the side walls of a large number of them with one and the same visible message or logo (especially a printed "brand name" or a self-adhesive advertising device) and to put all the liners at the disposal of customers so that they can use them according to the method of the invention.

In this case, it is recommended, still according to the invention, also to make available to the customers systems for collecting and transporting articles (such as wire mesh trolleys or wire hand-baskets), which have a basket, the lateral sides of which reveal almost completely the lateral surface of the removable liners engaged therein.

It will be appreciated that, according to this alternative form the "optical curtain" effect hiding the logos appearing on the contours is eliminated. Thus, the message carried by each liner will be clearly discernible and exposed repetitively to the view of the other customers by each customer moving his liner along the various aisles of the shop at the same time as he makes his purchases.

For this reason, it is proposed, according to the invention, that these liners be used as advertising spaces so as ---on the one hand, to provide advertising professionals with a medium for their messages, which is extremely efficient because of the increased receptivity of customers to the advertising in commercial premises as well as the focusing effect on customers which is caused by repetition of the message appearing on a large number of moving liners, and on the other hand, to allow the users, (both customers and shops) to make use of this liner virtually free of charge (because of the contribution by advertisers to its purchase).

Of course, the variety of current collecting and transport systems available to the customers of shops (and essentially the three standard types of existing trolleys) requires a modification of the characteristics of the liners advocated by the invention. In particular, the limits of the invention will be identified below: either when each mobile system is equipped with a different liner of modified dimensions, or in the event that, for reasons of simplicity and to lower the cost price, a single liner is designed for mobile systems of different dimensions when it matches on the inside only the dimensions of the smallest system.

Moreover, the conditions under which the invention can be put into practice by various economic sectors will be identified below (production of packaging, the presentation to customers of a first assembly of trolleys to be lined and of a second assembly of liners, etc.

Likewise, mention will be made of the conditions under which the invention can be extended to the case where the basket of the mobile systems is no longer necessary for putting into effect the process of the invention because liners made of an especially rigid material are used.

In addition, a type of especially simple and inexpensive trolley, which can be used in association with the liners according to the invention, will also be described.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description with reference to the attached draw ings, the description and drawings being given purely as non-limiting examples.

In the drawings: Figures 1 to 3 show a side view of a mobile trolley of a standard type, used in accordance with the various known formulas for filling its basket.

Figures 4 to 6 show, also in profile and with a partial cross-section, the main stages of putting into practice the method according to the invention, especially the installation of the liner in a trolley (Fig. 4), the use conditions of the liner/trolley assembly (Fig. 5) and the stage of unloading the liner from the trolley (Fig. 6) Figure 7 shows, in perspective, a liner according to the invention, made by folding a precut sheet of cardboard illustrated in Fig. 9 Figure 8 shows a partial view from the right (in perspective and in a section along the line AA) of the liner of Fig. 7.

Figure 9 shows a half-view from above of a precut cardboard sheet before shaping and folding to obtain a liner according to Fig. 7.

Figure 10 illustrates in perspective how, according to the process of the invention, the liners can be put at the disposal of customers at the entrance to large shops.

Figure 11 illustrates in perspective the characteristics of an especially economical trolley, recommended to be used in conjunction with the liners (Fig. 7) according to the invention.

Figure 12 shows diagrammatically, a foldable alternative form of the trolley of Fig. 11, allowing it to be carried by the customers of shops in the boots of their cars.

Figure 13 shows, in a front view, an especially advantageous use of the liners according to the invention, limiting to the check-out tills the handling of articles purchased by customers, in order to effect the sale of these.

Figure 14 shows a view from the right in a section along the line CC of Fig. 1 3.

In each of Figs. 1 to 3 there will be seen a conventional trolley 1 for collecting and transporting articles purchased in a shop.

This is essentially produced by a welded assembly consisting of -a frame 3 provided at its base with four wheels 5 moving freely on level ground 6, -a guide handle 7 intended to be held by the customer's hands to move the trolley 1 in various directions on the ground 6 without exertion, brand, finally, a wire basket 8 intended to contain the various articles 9 chosen by the customer.

Fig. 1 shows the most conventional method of using the trolley 1, according to which the articles 9 (such as vegetabls 10, cans of food 12, and cardboard box 14 containing a small household appliance, a packet of detergent 15, bottles 16, etc) are thrown loosely straight into the basket.

It will be appreciated that, according to this method, the articles Q will subsequently have to be extracted one by one from the trolley 1 to be presented at the checkout till and sold.

They will then have to be picked up again one by one and placed in various bulky string bags to be carried home by the customer.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate astute handling carried out by some customers and occasionally encouraged by shops.

In this technique, used empty cardboard boxes (20, 21), having previously served for the delivery of articles to the shops, are made available to the customers and the latter put them into their trolleys 1 to collect their articles 9 in them and make subsequent transport easier.

However, these cardboard boxes 20, 21 have, of course, very diverse dimensions since the suppliers of shops match their characteristics to the products (such as bottles 16, sachets, etc.) which they are to contain during their initial transport function and not to the characteristics of the basket 8 of the trolleys 1. Consequently, these cardboard boxes 20, 21 are very troublesome to use.

Thus, in some cases (Fig. 2) one of their dimensions is much greater than that of the basket 8, in which case they have to be introduced obliquely or distorted, and in the end they generally burst open under the weight of the articles 9, as indicated by the bottom 25 of the cardboard box 20.

In yet more cases (Fig. 3), their dimension is much less than that of the basket 8, and customers have to cover them and surround them with articles 9 so as to make maximum use of the volume of the basket 8.

Furthermore, the use of these cardboard boxes 20, 21 is generally made highly inconvenient because their prior use and especially the unpacking of the articles contained therein have damaged them severely and caused tears 26 or have made them very greasy or very wet, as shown by the strain 27, -and the product manufacturers who have supplied them have often not designed them to withstand the considerable loads of articles under the conditions imposed by this new use.

For this reason, this use as a makeshift very often ends in a disaster when the customers attempt to extract from the basket 8 the cardboard box 20 loaded in this way. The general conclusion to this is that -the articles 9 collapse through the bottom 25 of the cardboard box 20 --or the cardboard box 20 breaks up completely because of the weaknesses caused in it by the tears 26, ---or, finally, their clothing is damaged as a result of contact with the stains 27.

Consequently, this practice, through very advantageous in theory, is little used in actual fact.

Moreover, the advertising impact which the presence of "brand names" 28 on the side of the cardboard boxes 20 could have on the customers is greatly reduced ---on the one hand, because the use of these boxes does not produce any effect of a "leitmotiv" (each cardboard box 20 having a different brand name 28), brand, on the other hand ( as shown in Fig. 2), bacause the brand names 28 are generally covered by various articles 9 and therefore not visible to other customers.

It is clear that manufacturers put a brand name on their delivery boxes not for the purpose of advertising, but simply to inform the shops and the people delivering these boxes 20 of the nature and origin of the goods contained therein.

Figs. 4 to 6 illustrate the stages of putting into practice the method according to the invention by means of a disposable liner 30 suited to the geometrical characteristics of the basket 8.

Thus, in Fig. 4, a liner 30 according to the invention is grasped and then placed by a customer, according to f, inside a trolley 1 which he has already obtained. It will be noted, in particular, that the dimensions of the liner 30 and its geometry allow it to match on the inside the wire sides 32 of the basket 8.

When this operation of installing the liner 30 has been carried out, the customer makes his choise (Fig. 5) from the shelves 34 bordering the aisles 35 of the shop. Each article 1 2 is thrown loosely according to g inside the liner 30 which thereby collects all the articles 9.

Finally (Fig. 6), once he has completed his tour of the shop, the customer grasps the liner 30 (especially by means of handles 61 which it possesses and which will be described below) and extracts it according to h from the basket 30, together with all the articles 9 grouped together therein.

A method of producing the liners 30, which is preferred by the invention, will now be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 9.

Production of this liner 30 involves, first of all, making at the factory a precut sheet 40 from a rigid material such as cardboard.

As will appear with reference to Fig. 9, this sheet 40 is in one piece and delimits in the form of predetermined folds AA1, AA2, BB1, BB2, the five faces of the future liner 30, particularly the bottom 41 and the four lateral flanks (42, 43, 44, 45). It is noteworthy in that each of the sides taken two by two belonging to the four pairs (AA1, AA2), (BB1, BB2), etc, of sides delimiting the lateral flanks (42, 43, 44 and 45) -and intended to join after folding is connected to its counterpart by a solution of continuity 50, 51, especially a quarter sheet (A1AA2) (B1BB2) belonging to the sheet 40 and having a substantial liner development in the direction of the corresponding quarter (A1AA2) (BlBB2).

In this way, it will subsequently be seen that this single uniform and continuous sheet 40 makes it possible to produce by very simple folding and without auxiliary accessories (such as staples or adhesive tape) an excessively rigid and resistant liner 30.

Moreover, each of the solutions of continuity (50), (51) is provided with a fold (AA') (BB') starting from its apex AI B and extending over the entire length of the corresponding face (A1AA2) (B1BB2).

Preferably, each of the folds (AA', BB') bisects its solution of continuity 50, 51.

Another very advantageous characteristic of the sheet 40 involves ---on the one hand, providing each of the two opposite lateral flanks 44 and 45 with a cut-out portion 55 located in their central region, Hn the other hand, making a notch 75 in the bisecting part of each of the solutions of continuity 50, 51, so as to obtain on each of them a tab 56 capable of adjoining the cutout portion 55 after the gusset 54 has been folded back against the corresponding cut-out lateral flank 44.

Moreover, the cut-out portion 55 made in the flank 44 is given a convex shape directed towards the outside of the sheet 40, and a folding segment 62 is determined between the two ends (55a and 55b) of the cut-out portion 55. This results in the foldable member 60, consisting of the two parts of the lateral flank 44 located on either side of the segment 62. It will be realised, by reference to Figs. 7 and 8, that the foldable member 60 is intended both -to serve as a lock for the assembly consisting of *the outer edge 55' of the cut-out portion 55 "and the tab 56 when the gusset 54 is folded back against the cut-out lateral flank 44 and when it projects over the edge 55', -and to reinforce the handle 61 made on the flank 44 by the cut-out portion 55.

Furthermore, it is advisable according to the invention (see Figs. 8 and 9) -to extend over the free edge of the cutout lateral flanks 44 and 45 a prolongation 70 provided with a fold 71 delimiting a flap 72 -so as to *cover the tab 56 with the part 70' of the prolongation 70 adjoining the flank 44 "and engage the flap 72 between the tab 56 and the lateral flank 44 when the latter is in a position folded back against the lateral flank 44.

In addition, it is recommended -to attach a strip 77 over the free edges 42', 43' of the lateral flanks 42 and 43 over their entire length -and to provide this strip with a fastening stud 80 prolonging it at each end and intended to interact with a recess 81, made through the sheet 40, at the location of the side (BB1) of the flank 43 having the stud 80, and symmetrical to the latter relative to the fold 79 in the strip 77.

The shaping of a liner 30 from a precut sheet 40 is very simple and will now be described in detail with reference to Figs. 7 and 8.

It involves, first of all, folding back (accord ingto 12, 13, 14 and 15) each of the lateral flanks (42, 43, 44, 45) of the sheet 40 and then laying each of the two pairs of gussets (54, 54') against the two lateral flanks 44 and 45 which they adjoin. The vertical edges (AA") (BB") (CC") and (DD") of the liner 30 are formed in this way.

The following stage involves making the liner rigid. For this purpose, the prolongation 70 is folded (according to k) onto each of the two underlying tabs 56, and the flap 72 is engaged between the tabs and the corresponding lateral flank 45. Then, the foldable member 60 obtained from each of the two convex cut-out portions 55 is folded inwards (according to 1), so as to make two handles 61, 61' in the flanks 44 and 45 for the liner 30.

Finally, each of the strips 42' and 43' are turned down (according to m) and their studs 80 are engaged in the corresponding recesses 81. The liner 30 is then ready for use in the state in which it appears in Fig. 7.

It will easily be understood that this has quite remarkable characteristics of rigidity and strength.

In fact: ---on the one hand, the strips 77 and the prolongations 70 surrounding the upper part of the liner on the inside constitute for the latter an actual frame which makes it virtually nondeformable, brand, on the other hand, the system for reinforcing the handles 61 (shown in Fig. 8) prevents them from being torn in any way.

Experiments have shown, that made in this way from a sheet of cardboard 2.5 mm thick, such a liner could support, by its two handles and without damage, loads of nearly 300 kg.

The proposed cutting-out characteristics thus make it possible to obtain liners 30 with a span of approximately 50 cm, of which the dimensions of each of the sides (AA1 and AA2) starting from one of the vertices of the bottom 41 are of the order of magnitude of the dimension of the largest side BC delimiting the bottom 41 and which also have strength properties unequalled by all the existing cardboard carrying boxes and, of course, by the empty cardboard boxes 20, 21 currently available in shops.

According to an especially advantageous alternative design of the liner 30 shown in Fig. 9, the cutting-out and folding of the sheet 40 are carried out in such a way that each of the solutions of continuity (50, 51 etc) is inscribed in an acute-angled quarter plane so that, once folded, it forms a liner 30 in the form of a truncated pyramide open at the top.

It will be realised that --on the one hand, these liners 30 can be stacked by being fitted into one another, as shown in Fig. 10 (which limits the space needed for storing them in the shops), -and on the other hand, they have a much greater rigidity against lateral deformation than if they were parallelepipedal.

Moreover, according to the invention, the precut sheets 40 are mass-produced at the factory and are then transported to the shops (especially by lorries) in the form of bundles 90 so as to be less bulky.

Before being made available to the public, the sheets 40 of a bundle 90 are: first shaped by the staff of the shop, -then the resulting liners 30a to 30e are stacked (o) by being fitted into one another, in the form of piles 92 located at the entrance 94 to the shop and next to lines 95 of trolleys 1a, 1b,. ., 1e.

Thus, customers can, without difficulty obtain (p) one of the trolleys 1 c in the line 95, -and put (f) inside its basket 8e the top liner 30e in the pile 92 available to them.

It will be noted, moreover, that each of the precut sheets 40 of the pile 92 carries an advertising message 100 on its four lateral flanks. This same message also appears on each of the liners 30a to 30d of the pile 92.

Finally, it will be realised that, because each liner 30e conforms in shape to the basket 8e of the corresponding trolley 1 e, the advertising message 100 carried by each of these flanks 42e to 45e is clearly visible from outside. It will remain visible moreover, during the entire period in which the customer selects his articles 9 from the shelves of the shop. Since many customers will, in turn, introduce a new liner 30a to 30d from the pile 92 (bearing the same message 100) inside a new trolley in the line 95, it will be understood that each customer cannot fail to be attracted by the repetitive effect of seeing the same brand name 100 in the aisles of the shop.

Fig. 11 illustrates a greatly simplified trolley 101 recommended by the invention to be used in conjunction with a liner 30.

In contrast to the conventional trolley 1, it will be noted that this one does not have a wire hand-basket 8 for collecting the articles.

In fact, according to this version, liners 30 (of the type shown in Fig. 7) sufficiently rigid to act as baskets are used.

Nevertheless, so as to support the bottom of its liner 30, the trolley 101 has a platform 105 provided with a small rim 106. It will be realised, moreover, that this platform 105 is hinged about a pin XX' fixed to the frame 3 of the trolley. In the absence of a liner 30 (as shown by thick lines in Fig. 11), the platform 105 is automatically raised according to p1 under the action of a spring system shown at 110.

When he wishes to install a liner 30 on the trolley 101 (the region shown by broken lines in Fig. 11), the customer simply has to fold the platform 105 down according to p2 lock it by means of the catch 11 2 and place a liner 30 in it (according to f).

It will easily be understood that these trolleys 101 have very substantial advantages in comparison with present trolleys, since --on the one hand, because they do not have a basket 8, their price is reduced and they are easier to fit into one another in the form of lines 95, ---on the other hand, the lateral flanks 42 of the liners 30 which they support are completely free and consequently more suitable for carrying perfectly visible advertising messages or slogans 1 00.

Fig. 12 illustrates an alternative form 101' of the trolley 101 shown in Fig. 11. Its frame 3' simply has the special feature that it is hinged at several points 1 25 and 1 26. Moreover, each of the wheels 5 of the trolley 101' is provided with a locking and unlocking system allowing it to be folded onto the base 124.

Because it does not have a bulky basket 8 and as a result of its hinge system, this trolley 101' can be folded up completely so that it can be kept by the customers, carried in their cars to get to the shop and finally unfolded and provided on the spot with a liner 30 to be used according to the method of the invention.

Figs. 1 3 and 1 4 indicate a process (made possible by the systematic use of liners 30) which makes it considerably easier at the check-out tills to check out and effect the sale of the articles 1 9 chosen by the customers.

According to this process, and after choosing his articles, the customer first removes the liner 30 from the trolley 101 and deposits it (q1) upstream of a track 1 30 (especially a conveyor belt) moving past in front of the check-out till 131. He waits until the cashier has removed the articles from a liner 30' previously deposited on the track 1 30 and in turn presents to the cashier (q2) the liner 30 and its contents 9.

The cashier takes the articles 9 from the liner 30 one by one, rings them up and then deposits them (u) in the liner 30' located downstream, this continuing until the liner 30 has been emptied completely. The cashier totals up the purchases and awaits payment by the customer.

Finally, the customer removes (q3) the liner 30' and its contents of articles 9 to allow the phase of payment by the following customer to proceed.

According to an alternative form perferred by the invention, the customer uses a trolley, (in particular of the type 101) which permits easy removal (q 1) and insertion (q4) of the liners 30 from the front.

Thus, he brings his trolley up to the upstream end of the track 130, removes its liner 30 from the front and deposits it (q1) at the end of the track, pays for his articles according to the process described above, then removes (q4) the new liner 30 containing his articles and places it from the front onto his trolley 101 which he has brought to the downstream end of the track 1 30.

It will be understood easily that this method of transfer of the liners makes it possible to avoid any handling of articles by the customers, without any increase in the burden on or fatigue of the cashiers.

Of course, it will be appreciated that it will be easier to put this process into practice -if, as may be seen in Fig. 13, the track 1 30 is a device, such as a conveyor belt 1 35 under the control of the cashier, allowing the upstream liner 30 and downstream liner 30' to be moved laterally in conjunction with one another in front of the check-out till 131, -and if the height 105 at which the liners are retained on the trolley 101 is virtually equal to that of the track 1 30.

Moreover, it will be realised that the cashier's task will be made easier if the track 1 30 is located at a height lower than that of existing conveyor belts, so that this height is suitable for placing the liner 30 in such a way that the average level H of the articles 9 inside the liners 30, 30' placed on the track (and especially at half the height of these) is located at the normal gripping height of the cashier.

Finally, as emerges from reference to Fig.

13, it will be realised that it is possible (because of the standardisation of the liners 30 within the shop) to attach to the check-out tills a track 1 30 of a width L virtually equal to that of the standardised bottom of the liners 30.

The liners 30 will thus pass in front of the check-out till 1 31 in a perfectly aligned row.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described and illustrated. On the contrary it embraces all its alternative forms, and one type of packaging forming a cardboard liner has been described.

Said liner could very easily be made of a flexible plastic sheet, a little like that used to line the inside of dustbins. In this case, it would, in fact be sufficient to turn back the neck of a bag of suitable dimensions over the upper edges of the basket. The thickness of the sheet enclosing the bag would, of course, have to be sufficient to make it possible to support the total weight of the articles.

Likewise, although it is preferred, according to the invention, to use cardboard packaging, it is obvious that this could be replaced by packaging made of very diverse materials provided that it closely matches the shape of the basket to be lined.

Moreover, packaging of regular shape, taking the form of a truncated pyramid, has been illustrated. It is clear that it could just as easily be possible to provide packaging having an oblique upper edge, thus enabling them to match completely the edge of the baskets which is generally inclined forwards. A certain complication in production and storage would certainly arise as a result, but the essential idea of the invention could, in this case, be put into effect on packaging which, in the final analysis, implements it even better.

It will also be understood, referring to Fig.

7, that without departing from the scope of the invention it is possible to provide the inside of the liners 30 with designs (especially pre-cut puzzles 140), so that they can serve as bases for children's games after being used for transporting articles 9 in shops.

Finally, it will be noted that, to the extent that a single form of packaging is used for various standardised trolleys of different dimensions, a packaging which suitably matches the shapes of one of the baskets (the smallest) is not designed exactly for the baskets of the other two types.

Under these conditions, a question may be raised as to what then distinguishes packaging according to the invention placed in a larger basket and the assemblies (trolley plus cardboard box) illustrated in Fig. 2 and 3.

The fact is that the one form of packaging matches maches the shape of the basket better than the other, but in terms of quantity and not in terms of quality.

The applicant is therefore aware that the contribution which he makes by disclosing his idea is limited to the case where packaging suitably matches (of course, possibly with a play of a few centimetres) the shape of a basket, its protection extending both to the packaging itself, whatever its subsequent use, and and to the assembly consisting of this packag- ing and this trolley.

In so far, therefore, as the said packaging matching the shape of a trolley is not placed in its appropriate trolley, the applicant does not feel justified in claiming protection. Nevertheless, since the packaging as such is capable of being "married" to a specific trolley, the applicant intends to reserve the right to the corresponding protection in as much as the the package in question is "as such intended" to be used with a specific trolley.

Now that the invention has been described and its benefit proved in detailed examples, the applicant reserves exclusive rights to it for the entire life of the Patent, without any other limitation that that of the terms of the follow

Claims

ing claims. CLAIMS

1. Method of facilitating the handling and transport of articles (9) taken successively from the shelves (34) of shops and arranged loosely, as they are taken, in systems (1) for collecting and transporting the articles (9), which are provided with a basket (8), the aperture of which is directed towards the top, and which are capable of being moved by the customers of the shop along aisles provided in front of the shelves (34), said method involv ing engaging (f) in the basket (8) of said collecting and transport system (1) a disposa ble removable liner (30) (in the form of a bag or secondary basket) open at the top, moving along the aisles of the shop said system (1) for collecting and transporting the articles, with the liner (30) in place in its basket, filling (g) this liner (30) with the articles (9) taken successively from the shelves (34) arranged on either side of the aisles, removing (h) the liner (30) containing the articles (9), and subsequently transporting the latter all together in said liner, said process being characterised in that the liner (30) is shaped in such a way that it closely matches the contours (32) of the basket (8).

2. Method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the shaping of the liner (30) is carried out prior to insertion of the latter in the basket (8) of said system (1) for collecting and transporting the articles (9).

3. Method according to one of Claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the shaping of the liner (30) is carried out by folding and assembling a pre-cut sheet (40) consisting of a rigid material such as cardboard.

4. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that use is made of a system (1) for collecting and transporting the articles (9), in which the lateral flanks (32) of said basket (8) reveal a large part of a lateral surface of the removable liner (30) engaged therein.

5. Method according to Claim 4, characterised in that use is made of a system for collecting and transporting articles, especially a trolley (1) or a hand-basket in which said basket (8) is a wire basket.

6. Method according to Claim 4, characterised in that use is made of a system (101) for transporting articles, especially a trolley with a platform (105), the basket of which consists of a platform with small lateral rims (106), so as to leave free virtually the whole of the side walls (42 to 45) of the removable liner (30) which is engaged therein so as to be retained and moved.

7. Method according to one of the preceding Claims, characterised in that a structure in the form of a truncated pyramid is given to said liners (30) so as, on the one hand, to make it possible to fit them into one another (92) during the storage period preceding use by the customers and thus to limit the ground space necessary for this storage, and, on the other hand, to make it easier to install them (f) in and extract them (h) from the baskets (8).

8. Method according to one of Claims 4 to 6 of transmitting one and the same message (100) to all the customers in a shop, said method being characterised in that this message (100) is placed in a visible form on the free part of the lateral flanks (42 to 45) of an assembly (92) consisting of a large number of liners (30a to 30e), and this assembly (92) of liners (30) is put at the disposal of the customers, in such a way that many customers introduce (f) one of the liners (30e) of said assembly (92) into the basket (8e) of the system (1e) for collecting and transporting articles, which they use, and move this liner (8e) along the various aisles of the ship at the same time as they make their purchases, thus repetitively bringing to the view of the other customers the message (100) carried by their liner (30e).

9. Method according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the liners (30e) are provided on the outside with an advertising message (100) and are presented to said users so that the latter move the liners (30e) within the shop, thus bringing the advertising message (100) to the view of all the customers in the shop.

1 0. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, before their use, said systems (1a to le) for transporting articles are arranged in a line (95) at the entrance to the shop, and the liners (30a to 30e) are grouped in piles (92), especially by being fitted into one another, according to the method of Claim 7, so as to be presented near to said line and to be engaged one by one by the customers in a basket (8e) of one of the systems (1 e) in the line (95).

11. Liner (30) for putting into effect the method according to one of Claims 1 to 10 and characterised in that it is capable of closely matching the shape of the basket (8) of at least one system (1) for collecting and transporting the articles (9) in a shop, of a standard type (especially a trolley 1 with which said liner is intended to be associated).

1 2. Liner (30) according to Claim 11, characterised in that it is made of a relatively rigid material such as cardboard.

1 3. Liner (30) according to one of Claims 10 and 11, intended to be associated with a device (1) for collecting and transporting articles, provided with a basket (8) (especially a low or wire basket) revealing a large part of the lateral surface of said liner which is used in conjunction therewith to put into practice one of the methods according to one of Claims 4 to 6, said liner (30) being characterised in that its faces (42 to 45), which are in particular virtually vertical and intended to be applied against the sides of the basket are capable of receiving advertising (100), in particular printed or self-adhesive advertising.

14. Liner (30) according to one of Claims 9 to 11, characterised in that it has handles (61) to enable it to be handled vertically (h).

1 5. Liner (30) according to one of Claims 11 to 13, characterised in that it has a structure in the form of a truncated pyramid so that it can be used according to the method of Claim 7.

16. Liner (30) according to one of Claims 11 to 15, characterised in that it is provided with designs (140) (especially puzzles), intended to serve as a base for children's games after being used for transporting articles (9) within a shop.

1 7. Stack (92) of liners (30) according to one of Claims 11 to 16, characterised in that said liners (30) are fitted into one another and are ready to be installed in the baskets (8e) of a device (1e) for collecting and transporting articles (such as trolleys or hand-baskets).

1 8. Travelling trolley (1 e) with a wire basket (8e), intended to be moved along in front of the shelves of a shop, characterised in that a liner (30e) according to one of Claims 11 to 1 6 is placed in its basket (8e).

1 9. Hand basket intended to be carried along in front of the shelves of a shop, characterised in that a liner (30) according to one of Claims 11 to 1 6 is located in the basket (8).

20. Travelling trolley (101) intended to receive a basket in the form especially of a liner (30) according to one of Claims 11 to 16, characterised in that said trolley has a platform (105) intended to receive and to interact with the bottom (41) of said liner (30) so as to enable it to be installed firmly at such a height that said basket acts as a disposable removable basket.

21. Trolley (101') according to Claim 20, characterised in that it is foldable, so that it can be kept by the customers of shops, carried, folded, in their cars to get to the shops and finally unfolded and provided on the spot with a liner (30) according to one of Claims 12-16 so as to be used within the shop according to the method of one of Claims 1 to 10.

22. Pre-cut sheet (40) made of a rigid material such as cardboard, intended to constitute, after folding, a liner (30) according to one of Claims 11 to 16, this sheet (40) comprising, in a single continuous piece, the five faces (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, etc) marked by folds and intended to constitute, after shaping and folding, in order: the bottom (41) of the liner (30) and its four lateral flanks (42, 43, 44 etc) said sheet being characterised in that each of the sides taken two by two, belonging to the four pairs (AA1, AA2) (BB1, BB2) etc of sides of lateral flanks (42, 43, 44 etc) intended to be joined after folding and starting from one and the same vertex (A, B, etc) of the bottom (41), is connected to its counterpart by a solution of continuity (50, 51 etc), belonging to the sheet (40), with a linear development in the quarter (A1AA2), (B1 BB1) (sic) and delimited by the two corresponding sides.

23. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to Claim 22, characterised in that at least one of said solutions of continuity (50, 51, etc) between pairs (AA1, AA2), (BB1, BB2) of corresponding sides is provided with a fold (AA', BB') starting from the corresponding vertex A, B and extending over the entire length of said solution and in the direction of the corresponding face (Al AA2), (B1 BB2), etc.

24. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to Claim 23, characterised in that at least one of its said folds (AA') bisects said solution of continudity (50) so as to make it possible to form a gusset (54) capable of being folded back against one of the two corresponding lateral flanks (42, 44).

25. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to Claim 24, provided with a cut-out portion (55) through at least one of the lateral flanks (44) adjoining said solution of continuity (50), characterised in that, on the one hand, said solution of continuity (50) is provided with at least one tab (56) capable of adjoining said cut-out portion (55) after the corresponding gusset (54) has been folded back against the cut-out lateral flank (44) and, on the other hand, said sheet is provided with a foldable member (60) which is intended to form a lock for the assembly and is capable of being engaged on either side of the stack consisting of one of the edges (55') of the cut-out portion (55) and the tab (56) when the gusset (54) is folded back against the cut-out lateral flank (44) and which, if appropriate, acts as a handle (61).

26. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to Claim 25, characterised in that, one the one hand, said cut-out portion (55) made in the lateral flank (44) is convex and, on the other hand, said sheet (40) is provided with a folding segment (62) joining the two ends (55a, 55b) of the cut-out portion (55), in such a way that said foldable member (60) consists of the two parts (55' and 55") of the lateral flank (44) which are located on either side of said folding segment (62).

27. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to one of Claims 25 and 26, characterised in that said cut-out lateral flank (44) is provided on its free edge with a prolongation (70) provided with a fold (71) delimiting a flap (72), the part (70') of the prolongation (70) adjoining the flank (44) being capable of covering the tab (56) when the flap (72) engages between the tab (56) and the lateral flank (44) when said tab is in a position folded back against the lateral flank (44).

28. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to one of Claims 25 to 27, characterised in that said tab is the result of a notch (75) made preferably in the bisecting part of the solution of continuity (50).

29. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to one of Claims 22 to 28, characterised in that the dimension of each of the sides (AA1, AA2), etc starting from one of the vertices A of the bottom (41) and delimiting the lateral flanks (42, 43, 44, etc) and the corresponding solutions of continuity (50, 51) is of the order of magnitude of the dimension of the largest side (BY) delimiting the bottom (41).

30. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to one of Claims 22 to 29, characterised in that the free edge of at least one of the lateral flanks (42, 43) is prolonged over its entire length by a strip (77) which is separated from the corresponding flank (42, 43) by a fold (79) and which is provided with at least fastening means (80) making it possible, after folding, to keep it applied against the corresponding flank (42, 43).

31. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to Claim 30, characterised in that said fastening means (80) consists of two studs (80) prolonging the strip (77) laterally and intended to interact with a recess (81) which is made through the sheet (40) at the location of the side (BB1) of the flank (43) having the stud (80), and is virtually symmetrical relative to the fold (79) of the lateral edge of the strip (77).

32. Pre-cut sheet (40) according to one of Claims 22 to 31, characterised in that each of said solutions of continuity (50, 51) is inscribed in an acute-angled quarter, so that, once folded, the pre-cut sheets (40) constitute liners (30) in the form of "truncated pyramids" open at the top and allow these to be fitted into one another according to the method of Claim 7.

33. Pre-cut sheet according to one of Claims 22 to 32, characterised in that at least one of the flanks (41, 42, 43, etc) and preferably the five flanks are covered with a visible message, especially an advertising message.

34. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 10, intended to make it easier to ring up and total the bill for the articles (9) chosen by the customer in the shop, this process involving, first of all for the customer, removing the liner (30) containing the articles (9) from said mobile system (1) for collecting and transporting the articles, depositing the liner (30) at the upstream end of a track (130) capable of passing in front of the check-out till (131), waiting until the cashier has removed the articles (9) from a liner (30') previously deposited on the track (130) and located downstream of the latter, and presenting, especially by a lateral movement according to (q2) on the track (130), the liner (30) and its contents (9) to the cashier, and then for the cashier, taking the articles (9) from the liner (30) one by one, ringing them up, depositing them in the downstream liner (30'), repeating this sequence until the liner has been emptied completely, and totalling up all the articles (9) for the purpose of payment by the customer, and finally, again for the customer, removing said downstream liner (30') and its contents of articles (9) from the track (130) to enable a new sequence of payment by the following customer to proceed.

35. Method according to Claim 34, characterised in that, after removing said downstream liner (30') and its contents (9), the customer places it (q4) on his said mobile collecting and transporting system (101).

36. Method according to one of Claims 34 and 35, characterised in that the track (1 30) is embodied by means (1 35) enabling said upstream liner (30) and downstream liner (30') to be moved laterally in conjunction with one another.

37. Method according to one of Claims 34 to 36, characterised in that the track (130) is located at a height suitable for placing the liners (30, 30') in such a way that the average level (H) of the articles (9) contained inside (especially half the height of these liners 30, 30') is located at the normal height of grasping the articles (9) by the cashier.

38. Method according to one of Claims 34 to 37, characterised in that the customers use a said collecting system (101) enabling the liner (30) which it supports to be removed from the front and placed on said track (130).

39. Row of liners (30, 30') according to one of Claims 11 to 16, resulting from putting into effect one of the methods according to one of Claims 34 to 38 and deposited in a shop on a track (130) attached to a check-out till (131).

40. Track (130) attached to a check-out till (131) of a shop in which a method according to one of Claims 34 to 38 is put into effect, characterised in that its width (L) is suited to the standard width of the bottom of the liners according to one of Claims 11 to 1 6 which are used to put said method into effect.

41. System (101) for collecting and transporting articles (9) within a shop, in which the method according to Claim 38 is put into effect, said system (101) being characterised in that it has laterally reduced means (106) for retaining liners (30) according to one of Claims 11 to 16,, in such a way that, on the one hand, these liners (30) can themselves be used as baskets (8) and, on the other hand, this system (101) allows the liners (30) to be easily removed from the front (ql) in order to deposit them on the track (130).

42. Collecting and transporting system (101) according to Claim 41, used within a shop having a track (1 30) according to Claim 40 attached to a check-out till (131), for putting into effect the method according to Claim 38, characterised in that the level (105) at which it retains the liners (30, 30') according to one of Claims 11 to 1 6 is substantially equal to that of said track (130).

43. Method of collecting and transporting articles substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

44. Liner for a trolley basket substantially as hereinbefore particularly described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.