Child carrier assembly for a shopping cart

A shopping cart and child seat assembly, comprising;

• a cart having a lower frame supporting a basket formed of a sidewall arrangement and a basket bottom, the sidewall arrangement having a basket height extending between the basket bottom and an upper edge defining an open top of the basket, said bottom and sidewall arrangement defining a basket chamber;
• at least an extent of a sidewall of the basket having a gate, the gate having a gate height located between the basket bottom and a gate hinge at a top region of the gate;
• a child seat assembly secured to said gate and having a seat bottom portion and a seat back portion, the child seat assembly being moveable between a storage configuration and a use configuration for use of the seat, said seat assembly in said second configuration having the seat bottom and seat back positioned in a bottom region of the basket chamber.

A shopping cart and child seat assembly, comprising;

• a cart having a lower frame supporting a basket formed of a sidewall arrangement and a basket bottom, the sidewall arrangement having a basket height extending between the basket bottom and an upper edge defining an open top of the basket, said bottom and sidewall arrangement defining a basket chamber;
• at least an extent of a sidewall of the basket having a gate, the gate having a gate height located between the basket bottom and said top of the basket;
• a child seat assembly secured to said gate and having a seat bottom portion and a seat back portion in hinged connection to the seat bottom, said seat assembly is moveable from a use configuration wherein the seat back is generally transverse a major extent of said seat bottom and the seat bottom is located in the bottom portion of the cart, to a storage configuration wherein said hinged connection is opened for the seat back and seat bottom to substantially reside along a common plane and positioned adjacent the gate.

A combination rear gate and collapsible child seat assembly for a shopping cart, comprising,

• a rear gate wall configured to form a rear wall of a shopping cart and having an upper hinged connection thereto for movement of the gate pivotal about the hinged connection;
• a seat assembly formed of a seat bottom secured to a seat back by a hinged connection, the seat back being connected to the rear gate by at least one strut member located above the seat bottom, said strut having a first portion secured to the gate and a second portion secured to the seat back;
• said seat assembly being moveable between a storage configuration wherein the assembly lies generally flat against the rear gate and a use configuration wherein the seat bottom resides in a generally horizontal plane, the assembly being at least partially supported in said use configuration by the connection of said strut extending from the rear gate to the seat back.

A rear gate child seat assembly for a shopping cart, comprising,

• a rear gate wall configured to be secured to a shopping cart basket and having an upper hinged connection thereto for movement of the gate pivotal about the hinged connection;
• a seat assembly formed of a seat bottom cooperatively dimensioned with a seat back, said seat back and bottom being in hinged relationship with a seat hinge axis, the seat assembly configured for movement from a use position located in the lower portion of the gate and moveable to a storage configuration, said assembly in the storage configuration having said seat hinge axis located adjacent the rear gate and having said seat back positioned above the seat hinge axis with the seat bottom below said seat hinge axis.

A combination rear gate and collapsible child seat assembly for a shopping cart, comprising,

• a rear gate wall configured to form a rear wall of a shopping cart and having an upper hinged connection thereto for movement of the gate pivotal about the hinged connection;
• a seat assembly formed of a seat bottom secured to a seat back by a hinged connection wherein the seat assembly is moveable between a collapsed configuration to rest against the rear gate to a use configuration wherein the seat resides along a generally horizontal plane and the seat back is positioned a distance away from the rear gate to provide space for positioning a child in the seat assembly in a lower portion of the gate;
• said seat back being connected to the rear gate by at least one elongated strut member located above the seat bottom, said strut member having a first portion secured to the gate and a second portion connected to the seat back, said strut member having an extent positioned generally along a horizontal plane when said seat is in the use position.

A child seat assembly for a rear gate of a shopping cart, comprising;

• a seat bottom platform and a seat back platform with a hinged connection to the seat bottom, said hinged connection having a hinge angle defined by the angle between the seat platform and the back platform, said seat assembly being collapsible between a use configuration wherein the seat back is generally transverse to the bottom, and a non-use configuration wherein said hinge angle is increased as the hinged connection is opened, such that the seat back and seat bottom reside substantially flat and along a common plane.

A combination rear gate and collapsible child seat assembly for a shopping cart, comprising,

• a rear gate configured for securement to a rear portion of a shopping cart and having an upper gate hinge segment for connecting to the cart with a pivotal hinged connection, said rear gate having a wall region with at least one leg opening;
• a seat assembly formed of a seat bottom secured to a seat back by a hinged connection wherein the seat assembly is moveable between a collapsed configuration to rest against the rear gate to a use configuration for the seat to reside along a generally horizontal plane and the seat back is positioned a distance away from the rear gate to provide space for positioning a child in the seat assembly in the bottom portion of the rear gate and with the seat bottom located below the at least one leg opening;
• wherein said wall region of the rear gate has a void region providing a shoulder region opening for a child, said opening being located below the gate hinge and above the leg opening.