GB2316367A

GB2316367A - Shopping trolley with movable floor

Info

Publication number: GB2316367A
Application number: GB9617028A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Ashley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-08-14
Filing date: 1996-08-14
Publication date: 1998-02-25
Also published as: GB9617028D0

Abstract

A shopping trolley 2 includes a goods container 14 with sides 20 and a movable floor 16, said floor being biassed upwardly such that it is moved down by any load placed thereon. At least one of the sides may be formed from two sections, one fixed 24 and a lower one 22 moving with the floor, the joints between the two may be covered by a flexible sheet material lining the container (38 figure 7); one or both of the two sections may be mounted for inward pivotal movement to allow nesting of the trolley with another similar trolley (figures 11 to 13). The biassing means may be spring loaded pistons on the sides of the container (34 figure 5) or between the floor and a base member 4 (36 figure 6). Crossed struts may be provided to guide the floor (26 figures 3 and 4).

Description

SHOPPING TROLLEY This invention relates to shopping trolleys.

Shopping trolleys conventionally comprise a basket mounted on a set of wheels or castors, a handle being provided to enable a shopper to move the trolley around.

The basket can be shallow, deep or intermediate.

The invention is based on recognition of problems with conventional shopping trolleys. If the basket is shallow it will not hold much and wastes a great deal of the "footprint" of the trolley. If the basket is deep it is more efficient in its use of the "footprint", but the shopper has to stoop in order to load and unload shopping from the bottom of the trolley. Intermediate depths of basket suffer both problems to a limited extent.

Against this background, in accordance with the invention there is provided a shopping trolley, having a goods container which has sides and a floor, the floor being arranged for vertical movement relative to a top edge of the sides and being biased upwardly so that goods placed thereon tend to move it downwardly against the bias.

Loading the trolley is easier because when empty the floor of the container is biased to what may be a convenient height. As the container is filled, the floor descends against the bias, so approximately maintaining the convenient height at which the shopping is loaded.

Similarly, when emptying the container, the top of the load is at a convenient height which is maintained approximately because the floor is raised by the bias as the load is reduced.

Preferably, ones of the sides have at least two sections, a lower section moving with the floor and an upper section being static and defining said top edge.

In one form, the telescopic sides are lined with a flexible sheet material covering sliding joints between the sections.

In order to stabilise the telescopic sides, crossed struts are preferably provided having ends slidable along tracks on adjacent sections for maintaining alignment between the sections.

Conveniently, the bias may be provided by one or more spring loaded pistons.

At least two pistons may be provided on sides of the container.

One or more piston(s) may be provided between the floor of the container and a base member.

It is usual for trolleys to be stacked with one extending inside another. In order to facilitate that, both sections of one side may be mounted for inward pivotal movement about a respective horizontal axis adjacent the top or bottom of the section, so allowing one empty trolley to be stacked extending partially inside another.

In an alternative arrangement, an upper section of one side may be mounted for inward pivotal movement about a horizontal axis adjacent the top or bottom of the section, and a lower section of one side is static, so that one empty trolley can be stacked extending partially inside another.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shopping trolley embodying the invention; Figure 2 is a pictorial view of the container of the trolley of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an elevation of the container when unloaded; Figure 4 is an elevation of the container when loaded; Figure 5 shows one system for biasing the floor of the container; Figure 6 shows an alternative system for biasing the floor of the container; and Figure 7 shows an arrangement for lining the container.

Figure 8 shows a side elevation of one empty trolley stacked inside another; Figure 9 shows a plan view of the stacked trolleys of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a pictorial view of one arrangement of the sides which allows the trolleys to be stacked; Figure 11 shows schematically the arrangement of Figure 10; Figure 12 shows schematically another arrangement of the sides which allows the trolleys to be stacked; Figure 13 shows schematically another arrangement of the sides which allows the trolleys to be stacked; Figure 14 shows schematically how trolleys can be stacked with the piston arrangement of Figure 6; and Figure 15 shows schematically how trolleys stack with the piston arrangement of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, a shopping trolley 2 has a base member 4 mounted on wheels 6 and castors 8.

Extending upwardly from the base is a support member 10 at the top of which a handle 12 is provided so that a shopper can propel and steer the trolley.

Cantilevered from the support member 10 is a container 14 which may have solid sides, as shown, or may have a wire basket construction which, in itself, is conventional.

The container is provided with a floor 16 which is arranged for vertical movement relative to a top edge 18 of the sides 20. This is achieved by making the sides in at least two sections, lower sections 22 moving with the floor and upper sections 24 being static and defining said top edge 18. The lower sections 22 slides vertically within the upper sections 24.

The floor is biased upwardly, either indirectly as will be explained with respect to Figure 5 or directly as will be explained with respect to Figure 6.

The sliding movement of the section 22 in the section 24 is stabilised by cross beams 26 illustrated in Figure 2. The beams 26 are pivoted together at their centres 28. At their ends pins 30 slide in horizontal slots 32. The container is illustrated unloaded in Figure 3 and loaded in Figure 4 from which Figures the action of the struts 26 can be seen.

The lower section 22 and floor 16 can be urged upwardly by any suitable means. Trial and error will enable a suitable level of bias to be found in relation to the area of the floor, so that a typical load of shopping will begin to lower the floor as the container, when retracted as illustrated in Figure 3, is part full.

A suitable arrangement is shown in Figure 5 where a spring loaded piston 34 is provided on two opposite sides of the container. Another arrangement is shown in Figure 6 where a single spring loaded piston 36 is arranged between the floor 16 and the centre of the base member 4. This arrangement ensures that the load is evenly distributed between the wheels 6 and castors 8 of the trolley.

Figure 7 illustrates a refinement in which a collapsible lining 38 of sheet material is provided in the container. The lining is large enough to accommodate the full extension of the lower section 22. When the lower section retracts in to the upper section, the bag collapses.

In order to save space, it is common for shopping trolleys to be stacked with the basket of one extending inside the basket of another. To allow that, the side of the basket nearest the handle 12 is conventionally pivoted for inward movement near its top edge. Figure 10 shows one arrangement which will allow trolleys embodying the invention to be stacked one inside another. Here one of the sides 40 nearest the handle 12 (not shown in Figure 10) is formed in two sections, an upper section 44 and a lower section 42. Each is mounted for inward pivotal movement at or near its respective top edge 46,48.

The arrangement is shown schematically in Figure 11.

The retracted container of one trolley can thus be pushed through the opening 50 automatically raising the sections 42 and 44 in more or less conventional fashion.

Another arrangement is shown schematically in Figure 12. Here one of the sections 42 and 44 is pivoted near its top edge 46 or 48 and the other is pivoted at or near its bottom edge 52.

In Figure 13, a further arrangement is shown. The upper section 44 is mounted as previously. However, the section 42 is fixed so that the floor 16 is attached to and moves with only three side sections.

Figure 8 shows another aspect of stacking. In order to allow the trolleys to be stacked, it is necessary to arrange the means on one trolley, for urging the floor upwardly, so as not to interfere with the trolley into which it is being stacked or which is being stacked into it. In Figures 8 and 9 spring loaded pistons 34 are arranged at four corners of containers 53 and 56 which are shown stacked one inside the other. At the front 54 of the container 53 the pistons are arranged within the width of the container so as not to foul the sides of the container 56. At the rear of the container 56 the pistons 34 are arranged outside the width of the container so as not to foul the sides of the container 53.

Figure 14 shows how a container 58 having a single central spring loaded piston in accordance with Figure 6 can be stacked inside another similar container 60 up to the point where the piston of the container 58 meets the floor 16 of the container 60.

Similarly, Figure 15 shows how a container 62 having pistons arranged in accordance with Figure 5 can be stacked within another similar container 64 up to the point where the pistons 34 of the container 62 meet the sides of the container 64.

Claims

1. A shopping trolley, having a goods container which has sides and a floor, the floor being arranged for vertical movement relative to a top edge of the sides and being biased upwardly so that goods placed thereon tend to move it downwardly against the bias.

2. A trolley as claimed in claim 1, wherein ones of the sides have at least two sections, a lower section moving with the floor and an upper section being static and defining said top edge.

3. A trolley as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sides are lined with a flexible sheet material covering sliding joints between the sections.

4. A trolley as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, including crossed struts having ends slidable along tracks on adjacent sections for maintaining alignment between the sections.

5. A trolley as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the bias is provided by one or more spring loaded pistons.

6. A trolley as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least two pistons are provided on sides of the container.

7. A trolley as claimed in claim 5 wherein, the piston(s) are provided between the floor of the container and a base member.

8. A trolley as claimed in claim 2 or any preceding claim when dependent thereon, wherein both sections of one side are mounted for inward pivotal movement about a respective horizontal axis adjacent the top or bottom of the section, so allowing one empty trolley to be stacked extending partially inside another.

9. A trolley as claimed in claim 2 or any of claims 3 to 7 when dependent thereon, wherein an upper section of one side is mounted for inward pivotal movement about a horizontal axis adjacent the top or bottom of the section, and a lower section of one side is static, so that one empty trolley can be stacked extending partially inside another.