US 4,273,346 A · Over-the-counter cart with hingedly attached plastic basket and retracting front gate

Abstract

An over-the-counter cart utilizing separate rear and front baskets and having a wheeled metal frame. The front basket is made of plastic wherein the side panels, the bottom panel and the front panel, having an opening, are integrally molded of open lattice work construction. A metal unitary bar extends along the open perimeter of the plastic basket and along a portion of the underside of its bottom panel adjacent its rear edge. Separate metal hinge bars, on each side of the plastic basket, are attached to the unitary bar and extend along a portion of the underside of the plastic basket; the free ends of these bars are received within a hinge tube, mounted on the cart frame, to allow the basket's rotation from a horizontal position to a vertical position to allow nesting of the carts. A hingedly attached child seat and seat back panel are incorporated into the rear basket. In order to accommodate a computer checkout scanner system, a front gate is hingedly attached to the plastic basket to close the opening in the front panel. Channels fitted with guides in the underside of the bottom panel allow the front gate to be lowered, upon opening, and then retracted to a position remote from the front panel to prevent obstructing the scanner. Consequently, goods can be removed easily and directly from the basket through the opening in the front panel and be passed over the scanner.

Claims38

Dependent claims

A plastic basket for use with a wheeled over-the-counter cart frame having a horizontal frame portion to which said basket is to be attached, comprising:

a pair of opposed side panels, a bottom panel, and a front panel attached together along their contiguous edges, said side panels and said bottom panel terminating in a rear edge, a channel extending from the underside of said bottom panel adjacent its rear edge and continuing up and along said side panels adjacent their rear edges,
a pair of spaced, parallel shoulders on said side panels, said front panel and said bottom panel to define said channel for receiving a reinforcing means for reinforcing said basket, said channel having a widened section, said section extending from the underside of said bottom panel to a position on the lower portion of said side panels adjacent their rear edge, and wherein said channel widened section also receives a hinge means, attached to said reinforcing means, for hingedly attaching said basket to said horizontal frame portion and to provide added stiffness to the basket,
said reinforcing means being adapted to attach said basket to said horizontal frame portion of the over-the-counter cart frame, and
a hinge member mounted to said horizontal frame portion for hingedly receiving said hinge means.

1 more element

A cart having separate rear and front baskets for use with a wheeled cart frame, said cart having a horizontal frame portion to which said baskets are to be attached, said front basket being constructed of plastic open latticework and comprising:

a pair of opposed side panels, a bottom panel, and a front panel attached together along their contiguous edges,
a pair of spaced, parallel shoulders on said side panels, said front panel and said bottom panel to define a channel for receiving reinforcing means, said reinforcing means being adapted to attach said basket to said horizontal frame portion,
said rear basket having a rear and forward portion and being attached to said horizontal frame portion in such a manner to prevent relative movement of said rear basket with respect to said horizontal frame portion,
said rear basket comprising:
a pair of opposed stationary side panels, a stationary rear panel, a stationary bottom panel and a seat back panel, and further comprising rail means attached to said stationary side panels for pivotally attaching said seat back panel to said rear basket, a pair of spaced upwardly inclined rear posts having a handle carried by said posts, said posts extending through said stationary rear panel and being attached to said horizontal frame portion,
a child's seat pivotally attached to said stationary bottom panel at the rear portion of said rear basket,
said stationary rear panel comprising at least one leg opening for accomodating the legs of a child sitting in said child seat, said child seat adapted to be movable between a first position in juxtaposition to said stationary bottom panel and a second position covering said leg openings,
said seat back panel is movable between a first seat back position substantially perpendicular to said stationary bottom panel and a second seat back position and juxtaposition to said stationary bottom panel,
said stationary side panels having at the forward portion of said rear basket a horizontal cross-sectional configuration comprising an inwardly curved section, and,
said rail means comprising a first bar having a first loop-shaped end defining a first opening, said first loop-shaped end being attached to said curved section of one of said stationary side panels, the other end of said first bar extending towards the rear portion of said rear basket and having a section thereof inclined upwardly.

7 more elements

a pair of opposed side panels, a bottom panel, and a front panel attached together along their contiguous edges,
said side panels, said bottom panel and said front panels are integrally molded with one another and are principally of open lattice construction,
a pair of spaced, parallel shoulders on said side panels, said front panel and said bottom panel to define a channel for receiving reinforcing means, said reinforcing means being adapted to attach said basket to said horizontal frame portion,
said rear basket having a rear and forward portion and being attached to said horizontal frame portion in such a manner to prevent relative movement of said rear basket with respect to said horizontal frame portion,
said rear basket comprising:
a pair of opposed stationary side panels, a stationary rear panel, a stationary bottom panel and a seat back panel, and further comprising rail means attached to said stationary side panels for pivotally attaching said seat back panel to said rear basket, a pair of spaced upwardly inclined rear posts having a handle carried by said posts, said post extending through said stationary rear panel and being attached to said horizontal frame portion;
and
said reinforcing means being adapted to hingedly attach said front basket to said horizontal frame portion whereby said front basket is capable of being rotated from a horizontal position to a vertical position relative to said cart frame.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Over-the-counter cart with hingedly attached plastic basket and retracting front gate

Life of this patent

Over-the-counter cart with hingedly attached plastic basket and retracting front gate

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims38