Abstract:
A display cart has three sections: a base, an intermediate display section and an upper section having a canopy. The cart can be placed in a storage position, wherein the intermediate display section and upper section are lowered. In the storage position, the intermediate display section is substantially contained within the base and the canopy of the upper section surrounds the top portion of the base. The intermediate display section and the product are thereby concealed within the base, and protected by the canopy of the upper section. The cart can be locked in the storage position to secure the product when the cart attendant is absent. The cart can also be placed in an operating position, wherein the intermediate display section and the upper section are fully extended. The intermediate display section includes shelves that slide outward to display the product in a tapered manner so that all the products can be easily viewed without interference from other product. The upper section raises the canopy high to be viewed from greater distances to attract customers.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a cart for displaying product. More particularly, the present invention relates to a collapsible display cart having a shelving unit for displaying glasses.  
           [0003]    2. Background of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Carts have been developed having sections that can be raised and lowered, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,611 to Grover et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,725 to McKay. Those carts, however, are rather simplistic in design. Consequently, prior carts do not provide any mechanism for locking the cart and securing the items displayed on the cart. In addition, conventional carts are not designed to display multiple products being offered for sale.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, there is a need for a cart that can be used in a commercial sales environment or other locations having heavy foot traffic, such as a shopping mall, street, beach, or park. The cart must be able to display multiple products in a manner which is easily viewable by passersby, and also secure the product when the cart attendant is absent. The cart must also be capable of being easily moved as the product is displayed, and sufficient compact to be moved to various vending locations.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a cart for displaying multiple products to passersby. It is another object of the invention to provide a display cart having shelves that display multiple products without interfering with viewing of each other. It is still another object of the invention to provide a display cart which secures the product when the cart attendant is absent. It is yet another object of the invention of providing a display cart that is collapsible while retaining the product, so that the cart and product can be easily and conveniently moved great distances.  
           [0007]    In accordance with these and other objectives, the present invention is a display cart having three sections: a base, an intermediate display section and an upper section having an awning or canopy. The cart can be placed in a storage position, wherein the intermediate display section and upper section are lowered. In the storage position, the intermediate display section is substantially contained within the base, and the canopy of the upper section surrounds the top portion of the base. The intermediate display section and the product are thereby concealed within the base, and protected by the canopy of the upper section. The cart can be locked in the storage position to secure the product when the cart attendant is absent.  
           [0008]    The cart can also be placed in an operating position, wherein the intermediate display section and the upper section are fully extended. The intermediate display section includes shelves that slide outward to display the product in a tapered manner so that all the products can be easily viewed without interference from other product. The upper section is raised high so that the canopy can be viewed from greater distances to attract customers.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the display cart in the operating position in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display cart in the storage position.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a view of the bottom of the cart showing the crank system.  
         [0012]    FIGS.  4 - 6  are cutaway front views of the cart showing the telescoping arrangement of the base, intermediate and upper sections of the cart with the cart in a storage position (FIG. 4), operating position (FIG. 6) and a position between the storage and operating positions (FIG. 5).  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 is a cutaway side view showing the telescoping arrangement of the base, intermediate and upper sections of the cart.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]    In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.  
         [0015]    Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the display cart  5  of the present invention. The cart  5  has three primary components: a housing or base member or section  10 , an intermediate display member or intermediate section  20  and an upper member or upper section  30 . The display cart  5  has wheels attached to the trunk  10 , so that the cart  5  can be easily moved and loaded into a vehicle, such as a cargo van or the like.  
         [0016]    The base  10  is slidably engaged with the intermediate display section  20 , so that the intermediate display section  20  telescopes in a vertical direction with respect to the base  10 . Similarly, the intermediate display section  20  is slidably engaged with the upper section  30 , so that the upper section  30  telescopes in a vertical direction with respect to the intermediate display section  20  and the base section  10 .  
         [0017]    The cart  5  has two positions: an operating position (FIG. 1) and a storage position (FIG. 2). In the operating position, the intermediate display section  20  and the upper section  30  are fully extended upward in the vertical direction. In the operating position, the shelves  24  of the intermediate display section  20  can be extended, and product placed on the shelves  24  for display to passersby. The upper section  30  protects the product and attendant from the sun and rain. In addition, the raised position of the upper section  30  draws attention to the cart  5 , and enables any advertisements located on the canopy  36  of the upper section  30  to be visible from a greater distance. The cart  5  preferably has a height of about eight feet in the operating position.  
         [0018]    In the storage position (FIG. 2), the intermediate display section  20  and the upper section  30  are fully withdrawn. The intermediate display section  20  is substantially located within an interior chamber or cavity of the base  10 . The upper section  30  is lowered to encase the top portion of the combined base  10  and intermediate display section  20 . A stop member  21  (FIG. 1) is provided on at least one of the side walls  22  which comes into contact with the upper edge of the base section  10  to prevent the intermediate section  20  from being lowered too far into the base section  10 . However, it should be appreciated that the intermediate section  20  need not protrude from the top of the base section  10 , but instead can be fully enclosed within the base section  10 . In the storage position, the cart  5  is compact for easy movement and storage.  
         [0019]    In the storage position, the cart  5  is especially designed to fit within a standard size cargo van for movement between various locations. Accordingly, when the cart  5  is in the storage position, it preferably has a width of about 34 inches, a length of about 75 inches, and a height of about 3 feet. The base  10  has a height of about 22 inches, and the intermediate section has a height of about 20 inches. The cart  5  maximizes display space by minimizing the space required for the side walls  22  of the intermediate section  20 . Thus, the shelves  24  extend substantially the entire length of the cart  5 , approximately 72 inches long.  
         [0020]    The trunk  10  is a rectangular, hollow metal container having side walls  14 . Sliding doors  12  are located on the front of the trunk  10  which allow the user to gain access to the interior cavity of the base  10 . When the cart  5  is in the operating position, the cart attendant can store additional product or sales material in the base  10 . The doors  12  have a lock so that the doors  12  can be locked in the storage and operating positions.  
         [0021]    As best shown in FIGS.  4 - 6 , a rectangular elongated support post  16  is attached along the side wall  14  of the trunk  10 . The support posts  16  form a channel which extends vertically to receive and slidably engage a respective external post  26  of the intermediate display section  20 . The support posts  16  are hollow, to receive a first chain  46  used to raise and lower the intermediate display section  20 .  
         [0022]    Turning back to FIG. 1, the intermediate display section  20  is defined by two side walls  22  and shelves  24  which extend between the two side walls  22 . One or more of the shelves  24  are slidably engaged with the side walls  22  in a horizontal direction. Thus, the shelves  24  can slide outwardly beyond the width of the base  10  when the cart  5  is in the operating position. Conversely, the shelves  24  also slide inwardly to be narrower than the width of the base  10  to position the cart  5  in the storage position.  
         [0023]    When the shelves  24  are fully extended, they form tapered tiered layers, such that each shelf  24  is slightly above and behind the shelf  24  just below it. If shelves  24  are provided which extend outwardly at both the front and back of the cart  5 , as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the shelves  24  form a general pyramid shape. The shelves  24  are tapered to permit product to be placed on each shelf  24  without being obstructed from viewing by the shelves  24  above it.  
         [0024]    The shelves  24  are slidably connected to the side walls  22  in any conventional manner. In the preferred embodiment shown, the shelves  24  have a bottom and upright sides. Sliding tracks with rollers are secured to the outside of the shelf sides and the inside of the side walls  22 .  
         [0025]    In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there are eight (8) shelves  24 , four of which are located at the front half of the cart  5 , and four which are located at the back half of the cart  5 . However, shelves  24  need not be provided on the front and back of the cart  5 . Instead, shelves  24  can be provided which extend from the back to the front of the cart  5 , but only pull outward at the front of the cart  5 . In addition, any suitable number, size and shape of the shelves  24  can be provided without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The shelves are about 12½ inches wide. The top shelf  24  is fixed, and the second and third highest shelves slide out about 12 inches, with the lower of the two shelves positioned about 2 inches forward of the higher of the two shelves. The lowest shelf  24  slides out about 14 inches.  
         [0026]    Preferably, the products are displayed on display cases that are retained on the shelves  24 . An example of a display case is shown in co-pending application Ser. No. ______, which is incorporated herein by reference. The shelves  24  have a front bar which prevents the cases from inadvertently being pulled or otherwise falling off of the shelf  24 , while allowing the case to be removed by an attendant to open the case and retrieve product stored in the case.  
         [0027]    Returning to FIGS.  4 - 6 , H-shaped frame members  25  are provided at the center of each of the side walls  22  of the intermediate display section  20 . The H-frame  25  is formed by an external post  26  and an internal post  27 . The external post  26  forms a vertically extending guide, and engages the respective post member  16  of the base  10 . The intermediate external posts  26  are hollow to receive a second and third chain  48 ,  49  used to raise and lower the upper section  30  with respect to the intermediate display section  20 .  
         [0028]    The top corners of the side walls  22  are beveled so that the side walls  22  do not obstruct viewing of product located on the top shelves  24 . The side walls  22  are also beveled to reduce risk of injury, and to increase the attractiveness of the cart  5 .  
         [0029]    The upper section  30  has two downwardly extending telescoping members  32 . Each telescoping member  32  is received in the internal post  27  of the intermediate display section  20 . The telescoping member  32  is formed of two telescoping leg sections  31 ,  33  to further compact the height of the cart  5  in the stored position and achieve a maximum height of the cart  5  in the operating position. The telescoping member  32  is part of a canopy frame  34  that secures an awning or canopy  36  at the upper section  30  of the cart  5 . Advertisements or sales information can be displayed on the canopy  36  to attract customers. The canopy  36  also provides protection to the product and cart attendant against inclement weather, such as rain, sun and snow.  
         [0030]    When the cart  5  is in the storage position, the canopy  36  extends down to encase at least the top portion of the intermediate display section  20  and base  10 . The canopy frame  34  and the canopy  36  are slightly larger than the base  10  to fit over the base  10  in the storage position. The canopy  36  is a strong material, such as a tarpaulin or rugged plastic, which prevents rain and snow from entering the encased cart  5  in the operating and storage positions. In addition, the canopy  34  secures the product against theft while the cart  5  is in the storage position.  
         [0031]    Turning to FIG. 3, a crank system  40  is provided to raise and lower the cart  5  between the operating and storage positions. The crank system  40  includes a gear box, cables  43 - 45 , chains  46 ,  48 ,  49  and gears which simultaneously raise and lower the intermediate display section  20  and the upper section  30 . Accordingly, the intermediate display section  20  and upper section  30  both reach the storage position and the operating position at the same time, and it is not necessary to individually raise and lower each of the sections  20 ,  30 .  
         [0032]    A handle  42  is provided at the exterior of the base  10  to enable the cart attendant to manually raise and lower the intermediate and upper sections  20 ,  30  of the cart  5 . Once the cart  5  is in the appropriate operating or storage position, the handle  42  can be removed, thereby locking the cart  5  in that position. The handle  42  can be stored in the internal cavity of the base  10 , or retained by the attendant. However, the handle  42  can be replaced by a motor which raises and lowers the intermediate and upper sections  20 ,  30 .  
         [0033]    The gear box is connected to a first cable  43 , which in turn is connected to a second and third cable  44 ,  45 . The second cable  44  extends to the far end of the cart  10 , where it connects to the first chain  46 . The third cable  45  is wrapped around a horizontally mounted pulley, and extends back to the near end of the cart  5  at which the gear box is mounted, and connects to another first chain  46 . The cables  43 ,  44 ,  45  maintain tension on the crank system  40  as the cart  5  is raised and lowered. The cables  43 - 45  also absorb energy, to prevent the gearbox from exerting too much force on the chains.  
         [0034]    As best shown in FIGS.  4 - 7 , the first chain  46  is positioned about a first pulley  52  located underneath each end of the cart  5  just beneath the support post  16  of the base  10 . The first pulley  52  directs the first chain  46  up through the hollow support post  16 . The support post  16  protects against passersby coming into contact with the chain  46 . The first chain  46  extends around a second pulley  54 , back down through an opening in the support post  16 , and is secured by a weld  55  or the like to the inside of the external post  26  of the H-frame  25  at the intermediate section  20 . The second pulley  54  is attached at the top of the support post  16  by a pin (not shown) affixed to the sides of the support post  16 .  
         [0035]    A second chain  48  is connected to the floor of the base  10  at weld  51 , and extends up through the hollow internal post  27  of the H-frame  25  of the intermediate section  20 . The second chain  48  wraps around a third pulley  56  and extends back down and attaches to the inside of the lower leg  31  of the telescoping member  32  by a weld  57  or the like. The third pulley  56  is attached to the internal post  27  of the H-frame  25  by a pin  61 . The pin  61  is attached to the sides of the internal post  27  and extends through openings  62 ,  63  in the lower and upper telescoping legs  31 ,  33 .  
         [0036]    A third chain  49  attaches to the inside of the upper leg  33  of the telescoping member  32  at a weld  58 . The third chain  49  extends around a pulley  59  which is attached to the lower leg  31  of the telescoping member  32  by a pin  62  that extends through an opening  62  in the upper leg  33 . The opposite end of the third chain  49  is attached to the bottom of the internal post  27  of the H-frame  25  at a weld  60 .  
         [0037]    Respective slots  62 ,  63  are located in the upper leg  33  and lower leg  31  which enable the legs  33 ,  31  to move with respect to the pins retaining the pulleys. The slot  62  of the upper leg  33  extends completely through the bottom of the upper leg  33  so that the upper leg  33  can be raised past the pin of the pulley  56 . Thus, the upper leg  33  has the slot  62  cut in its sides to form an inverted U-shape. The upper leg  33  remains sturdy since it is positioned within the lower leg  31  and since the top of the upper leg  33  connects the U-shape.  
         [0038]    Accordingly, as the gear box is operated to raise the cart  5  to the operating position, the first cable  43  pulls the second pulley  44 , which pulls the first chain  46 . Since the first chain  46  is attached to the external post  26  of the intermediate section  20 , the first chain  46  raises the intermediate section  20 . As the intermediate section  20  raises, it causes the second chain  48  (which is attached to the floor of the base  10 ) to raise the lower leg  31  of the telescoping member  32 . Since the third chain  49  is fixed to the bottom of the internal post  27  of the intermediate section  20 , the raising of the lower leg  31  causes the third chain  49  to raise the upper leg  33  of the telescoping member  32 .  
         [0039]    When lowering the cart  5  to the storage position, the crank system  40  operates in a reverse manner. The weight of the cart  5  assists in the cart  5  being lowered. A spring can also be provided to further assist in lowering the cart  5 . The sprint attaches to the bottom of the base  10  and the side walls  22  of the intermediate section  20  to maintain the tension on the cables and chain as the cart  5  is being lowered. Likewise, springs can be connected to the telescoping member  32  to maintain tension on the third chain  49  as the cart  5  is being lowered.  
         [0040]    In operation, the cart  5  is initially in the storage position and delivered to a general location by van. The cart  5  is rolled out of the van to approximately the desired location. The wheels are then locked to prevent inadvertent movement due to bumping or pushing of the cart  5 . The handle  42  is inserted into a gearbox of the crank system  40 , and turned to simultaneously raise the intermediate and upper sections  20 ,  30  to the operating position.  
         [0041]    Once the cart  5  is in the operating position, the handle  42  can be removed to lock the cart  5  in that position. To return the cart  5  to the storage position, the handle  42  is inserted into the crank system  40 , and turned to simultaneously lower the intermediate and upper sections  20 ,  30  to the storage position. Once the cart  5  is in the storage position, the handle  42  can be removed to lock the cart  5  in that position. The wheels can then be unlocked and the cart  5  moved and loaded to the van.  
         [0042]    The cart  5  is preferably constructed of a strong, yet lightweight metal, so that the cart  5  is easy to move, yet durable. In addition, although the cart  5  has only been described as being moved when it is in the storage position, the cart  5  can also be moved in the operating position. Thus, the vendor can move the cart  5  while in the operating position, so that the vendor can cover a greater area such as a beach strip, mall or the like. In addition, though the cart  5  is preferably rectangular, other suitable shapes may be used, such as a circle or oval.  
         [0043]    The foregoing description and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention may be configured is not intended to be limited by the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.