Base for nestable shopping cart

In a nesting-type shopping cart having a wheel-supported base structure and a basket assembly mounted on said base structure, said base structure including a pair of elongated side rails which are disposed substantially horizontally and extend from the front end of the base structure in a diverging relationship toward the rear end of the base structure, a support member fixed to and extending transversely between said side rails adjacent the front ends thereof, a pair of wheel assemblies mounted on said support member adjacent the opposite ends thereof so that said wheel assemblies are disposed adjacent and below the side rails for rolling engagement with a support surface, each said wheel assembly having a removable fastener member disposed above said support member for fixedly mounting said wheel assembly thereon, and a wire tray mounted on said base structure and extending rearwardly thereof in the region between said side rails, comprising the improvement wherein said tray includes a cross rod disposed adjacent the forward end thereof and extending transversely between said side rails, said cross rod having rod portions projecting outwardly from opposite ends thereof and disposed within openings formed in the opposed side rails for hingedly supporting said tray on said side rails, said tray including a plurality of supporting rods fixed up to said front cross rod and projecting rearwardly of said base structure and being attached to a rear cross rod which extends transversely between and bears on the side rails adjacent the rearward ends thereof, one of said supporting rods being disposed closely adjacent one of said removable fastening members, and another of said supporting rods being disposed closely adjacent the other removable fastening member, whereby said removable fastening members and said two mentioned supporting rods are disposed in straddling relationship to one another, said removable fastening members projecting upwardly above said supporting rods whereby said fastening members prevent any substantial sideward displacement of said tray yet permit limited upward swinging movement of said tray about said front cross rod during nesting.

In a nesting-type shopping cart having a wheel-support base structure and a basket assembly mounted on said base structure, said base structure including a pair of elongated side rails which extend longitudinally of the base structure along the opposite sides thereof, said rails diverging with respect to one another as they extend from the front to the rear end of the base structure, said base structure also including a first pair of support roller assemblies mounted adjacent the front ends of the side rails and a second pair of support roller assemblies mounted adjacent the rear ends of said side rails, said base structure further including a wire tray mounted thereon in the region between said side rails and extending longitudinally of said base structure over a substantial portion of the length thereof, said tray being supported for swinging movement with respect to said side rails about a horizontal axis to permit said base structure to nest with a further base structure, comprising the improvement wherein said tray includes first and second elongated cross rods respectively disposed adjacent the front and rear ends of the tray and extending transversely between the opposed side rails, said first and second cross rods being rigidly joined together by a plurality of elongated supporting rods which extend approximately in the longitudinal direction of the cart and define a supporting surface, said supporting rods being transversely spaced apart from one another, said first cross rod having rod portions projecting axially outwardly from opposite ends thereof and hingedly supported on the opposed side rails, said rod portions projecting outwardly beyond the outermost longitudinal supporting rods, said side rails having socket means associated therewith adjacent the front ends thereof for receiving therein said rod portions whereby said first cross rod is constrained from displacement in a direction transverse to its longitudinally extending axis, the second cross rod having outwardly projecting portions on the ends thereof which are disposed in bearing engagement with the side rails adjacent the rear ends thereof, whereby said tray can hingedly swing relative to said side rails about the longitudinal axis of said first cross rod, and projection means fixedly associated with said base member and projecting upwardly for embracing relationship with at least one of said longitudinal supporting rods for preventing sideward displacement of said tray relative to said side rails, said projection means functioning solely as an abutment for preventing said sideward displacement of the tray.