Abstract:
A shopping cart having a lowered center of gravity and including a wheeled base having forward and rear portions, a pedestal formed on the base between the forward and rearward portions for supporting a container or basket thereon, so that the rear of the container is disposed forwardly of the rear of the base. The cart includes an upwardly extensive handle member, and the basket is hung from the handle member at a substantial distance from the upper part of the handle member. The pedestal is supported against excessive longitudinal forces by connecting rods attaching the rear of the pedestal to the handle member. Two horizontal hinge rods are mounted to the handle member, one above the other, with the lower hinge rod pivotably securing the rear pivoting gate of the basket. A child seat on the pivoting gate is disposed in the rear of the basket substantially below the upper end of the handle member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates generally to shopping carts of the type generally used in markets, and more particularly to a novel frame for a shopping cart which typically includes a basket or container for carrying goods to be purchased, and more particularly to a frame for a shopping cart that has a rear wheel base which is wider than the wheel base found in conventional shopping carts, and a structure designed for supporting the basket or container of the cart at a location closer to the base of the frame and more forwardly on the base so that the cart is rendered more stable and exhibits a lower center of gravity than the conventional shopping carts. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   It has been well documented that conventional shopping carts of the kind typically found in supermarkets, department stores or other such stores where consumers select goods from in-store shelving and displays, are contributory in injuries and in some cases deaths of children who are seated or otherwise riding in the carts. For example, in February 1999, the Brain Injury Association of Oklahoma reported that, according to Dr. Gary Smith of Children&#39;s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, the emergency room staff there was attending to 1–2 cases of shopping cart accidents per week. Dr Smith reported that more than half the accidents were due to children standing in the carts while reaching or grabbing for something on a shelf. A 1999 report from the Brain Injury Association of Oklahoma noted that some carts tip over too easily due to their design—if a cart&#39;s handle is located too far back from the basket it can create a significant instability, especially with a child in the seat. The tendency for carts to tip over sideways is due to “a narrow wheelbase and a high center of gravity.” 
   Most grocery stores, supermarkets and other large retail outlets provide shopping carts for their customers. Typically, a “conventional” shopping cart (note  FIG. 5  and the text below for a more detailed description) includes a support frame supported above the ground by a base that supports caster assemblies. A rack or other package supporting member is generally pivotally supported by forward portion of the base, and a basket is secured to the support frame of the shopping cart by hooks at the upper rear portion of the basket, so that the basket is cantilevered from the support frame. 
   The handle of the “conventional” shopping cart allows the shopper to stand behind the cart while pushing or pulling, and steering, the cart on the casters. Shopping carts are generally used for transporting goods to be purchased by a shopper walking through and shopping in a market or other retail establishment. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the shopping cart frame of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the shopping cart frame shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  shows the shopping cart frame of  FIG. 1  with a shopping cart basket mounted thereto; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the embodiment of the shopping cart frame and basket assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  shows an example of a “conventional” shopping cart frame and basket assembly; and 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of the “conventional” shopping cart assembly shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Referring first to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cart frame  100  according to the present invention is seen to include a base assembly  110 , a pedestal assembly  130  on the base assembly, and a handle assembly  150 . 
   The base assembly includes longitudinally disposed elongated side support members  112 ,  114  running from the rear of the cart frame to the front of the frame which are joined at the front of the cart in a nose member  116 . A wheel plate  118 , which is mounted to the support members  112 ,  114  just rearwardly of the nose member  116 , supports a pair of wheel assemblies such as casters  120 . A second set of casters  120 ′ are mounted to the rear ends of the support members  112 ,  114 , and a cross bar  122  may be provided for connecting the rear ends of the support members  112 ,  114  at the rear of the base assembly. The cross bar  122  extends laterally between the rear ends of the support members  112 ,  114 , and includes vertical portions  124  connected together by a horizontally extending portion. The invention contemplates that the cross bar  122  will have a length that is greater than the lateral distance between the rear ends of the support members or similar structure on “conventional” shopping carts, thereby rendering the wheel base on the cart of the present invention wider and more stable than the wheel base of “conventional” shopping carts. 
   Situated on and mounted to the base assembly  110  at a location between the front and rear of the base assembly is a pedestal assembly  130  which includes a platform  132  and a pair of platform support members  134 ,  136  mounted to the side support members  112 ,  114 . The platform support members maintain the platform at a height spaced from the plane of the base side support members  112 ,  114  and at a distance sufficient to support the bottom of a basket above, but yet in close proximity to, the upper surface of the base assembly. Preferably, the platform support members  134 ,  136  are either configured with curvature or some other configuration that affords them some degree of resilience (note for example the U-shaped curvature shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), or they are fabricated from a material that exhibits resilient properties. The fabrication of the platform support members with a shape that exhibits inherent resilience or from a material that offers resilient properties ensures that the platform and the weight it supports will experience a cushioning effect, especially where the loads that the basket carries become increasingly weighty, or where items of large weight might be dropped or placed into the basket as the shopper makes his/her way through the market. The platform  132  comprises a frame structure including a pair of longitudinally extensive frame members  138 ,  140  each of which are disposed atop a respective side support member  112 ,  114  of the base, and a pair of laterally extending frame members  142 ,  144  joined to the longitudinal frame members  138 ,  140 . The frame structure exhibits a rectangular or trapezoidal configuration and defines a plane that is arranged in spaced, nearly parallel, relation to the plane defined by the base of the cart frame. The plane of the platform  132  can also be arranged at a slight inclination to the plane of the base of the cart frame, as, for example, has been shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . 
   The handle assembly  150  comprises a pair of generally vertical tubular spine members  152 ,  154  extending upwardly from the rear end of the base support members  112 ,  114 . Preferably, each of the spine members comprises a lower substantially vertical first section  152   a ,  154   a , a second forwardly inclined section  152   b ,  154   b , a third generally vertically oriented section  152   c ,  154   c  of length greater than the length of the first or second sections, and a fourth rearwardly angled section  152   d ,  154   d  of shorter length than the third section. The uppermost end of the fourth section of one spine is joined to the uppermost end of the other spine&#39;s fourth section by a transverse section  156  to form a U-shaped handle portion for the shopping cart frame. In the present invention, the cross member  122  could also be integrally merged into the spines of the handle assembly at or in the vicinity of the intersection between the first and second sections of the handle assembly. Preferably, the U-shaped handle portion defines a nearly horizontal plane (the handle portion can be provided with a slight upward tilt relative to the horizontal as shown in  FIG. 2 ), and the handle portion will extend rearwardly of the shopping cart to allow a user to stand behind the cart to push or pull it. 
   The basket supporting platform  132  of the pedestal frame structure is positioned at a height, and preferably arranged at an angle relative to the handle spine members  152 ,  154  so that the rear end of the basket B (see  FIG. 4 ) is seated adjacent the rearmost portion of the longitudinally extending members  138 ,  140  when the basket B is mounted to the third section  152   c ,  154   c  of the vertical spines of the handle.  FIG. 4  shows that the plane defined by the platform  132  of the pedestal is not arranged parallel to the plane of the cart frame base, but rather is fashioned with the plane of the platform structure having a slight upward inclination. The handle spine portions and the frame structure of the pedestal form nearly a right angle relative to one another, and together support the rear of the basket forwardly of the rear of the base assembly. 
   A representative “conventional” shopping cart is shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6  The cart  200  includes a base assembly  210 , a pedestal assembly  230 , and a handle assembly  250 . The base assembly includes side support members  212 ,  214  joined together at the nose of the cart by member  216 . A wheel plate  218  is mounted to the support members  212 ,  214  just rearwardly of the nose member  216 , and supports a pair of casters  220 , with a second set of casters  220 ′ being mounted to the rear ends of the support members  212 ,  214 . A cross bar  222  extends laterally between the rear ends of the support members. The length of the cross bar  222  is typically a standard fixed length that is shorter than the length of the cross bar  122  of the present invention, as mentioned above and shown in  FIGS. 1–4 . A basket supporting platform  232  is mounted to the rear of the base assembly, and is supported at its forward end by a pair of platform support members  234 ,  236  and is supported at its rearward end by a portion of the handle assembly spine members  252 ,  254 . A basket B is suspended on the spine members  252 ,  254  by hooking wires  282 ,  284  located at the upper rear of the basket into openings (not shown) formed at a corresponding height on the two spine members. The rear portion of the basket engages, in an abutting manner, the lower portion of the vertical section of the spine members at the lower rear side of the basket, and the rear portion of the basket floor sits on the platform  232 . 
   In the applicants&#39; invention, the basket B is suspended on the spines  152 ,  154  at a position lower than the suspension location of baskets in the “conventional” shopping carts as depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The location of the basket B of the “conventional” shopping cart shown in  FIG. 5  is at or immediately below the horizontal transverse member  292 , which corresponds in the present invention to the second horizontal transverse member  164  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . In the present invention, the position of the basket B is at a height equal to or just below the first horizontal transverse member  162 , which is located at a substantial distance below the second horizontal transverse member  164 . 
   Further, in “conventional” shopping carts, the rear panel G of the cart basket B (known in the art as the “rear gate”) is pivotally mounted to the horizontal transverse member  292  disposed between and attached to the upstanding tubular spines of the handle assembly 
   In the cart of the present invention, it can be seen in  FIG. 3  that the rear gate G of the basket B is pivotally mounted on the first horizontal transverse member  162 , which is located substantially below the second horizontal transverse member  164  located in the vicinity of the handle portion  156 . The second horizontal transverse member  164  is positioned at the same height as the member  292  in the “conventional” cart shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Thus, in the present invention, the height of the basket, supported on the tubular spines  152 ,  154  is substantially lower relative to the base  110  than in “conventional” shopping carts thereby resulting in a lowered center of gravity for the shopping cart of the present invention. 
   Again, in contrast with “conventional” shopping carts, in the present invention, the gate G is pivotally mounted to the first transverse member  162 . Moreover, the upper edge  184  of the basket B in the cart of the present invention is located substantially below the plane of the U-shaped handle portion  156  and the second horizontal transverse member  164  (to which the pivoting gate in “conventional” shopping carts is mounted). With reference to  FIG. 4 , then, it is easy to see that the upper edge  184  of the basket in the present invention is substantially below the plane “H” of the U-shaped handle portion  156 . 
   Disposed between the pedestal  130  and the second section  152   b  of the tubular vertical spines on opposite sides of the cart base are connecting rods  182 ,  184  provided for assisting in absorbing stresses applied to the pedestal in longitudinal and transverse directions when goods are placed, dropped or thrown in the basket, as well as for rigidifying the pedestal against downward movement. The connecting rods are mounted to the second section of the spines and extend downwardly and forwardly into engagement with, and secure attachment to, the rear of the pedestal. 
     FIG. 3  shows a baby seat  202  in the cart basket B of the present invention that includes a back portion  204  and a seat portion  206 . The baby seat  202  is mounted to the cart rear gate G, and is pivotable between a non-functional, collapsed, position in which the back portion  204  of the seat is disposed adjacent the rear gate G of the cart basket and a functional, deployed, position in which the back of the seat is pivoted forwardly. The seat portion  206  extends between the rear gate G and the seat back  204  when the baby seat is disposed in its functional, deployed, position (as shown in  FIG. 4 ). It is important to note that by lowering the basket B on the frame relative to the plane “H” of the handle ( FIG. 4 ), the baby seat  202  has also been lowered relative to the plane “H” of the handle, and the significance of this aspect of the present invention is that this further contributes to the lowering of the center of gravity of the shopping cart. 
   Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adoptions and modifications of the invention as described above can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.