Patent ID: 7600763

Claim:
A shopping cart having a front portion and a rear portion, the shopping cart including a tray; a plurality of wheel assemblies; a base that is a single, unitary member of molded plastic; a basket that is a single, unitary member of molded-plastic; a handle that is a single, unitary member of molded plastic; and a gate and seat assembly; wherein the base supports the tray and extends generally horizontally between the front portion and the rear portion of the cart, the base including: a pair of rearwardly and downwardly angled legs adjacent the rear portion of the cart adapted to maintain two of the plurality of wheel assemblies for supporting the cart on a surface; and a pair of upwardly and rearwardly extending supports adjacent the rear portion of the cart; wherein the basket has an upper edge defining a mouth of the basket, the basket including: a frame including a plurality of generally vertical uprights spaced apart from each other, the generally vertical uprights including a front pair of generally vertical uprights adjacent the front portion of the cart and a rear pair of generally vertical uprights adjacent the rear portion of the cart; a front panel extending generally vertically and laterally across the front portion of the cart between the pair of front generally vertical uprights; and a pair of side panels extending generally vertically, the pair of side panels being generally parallel to each other and spaced from each other with each side panel extending from adjacent the front portion to adjacent the rear portion of the cart; wherein the pair of upwardly and rearwardly extending supports of the base are connected to the rear pair of generally vertical uprights of the frame of the basket to maintain the basket at a vertically spaced relationship over the base adjacent the front portion of the cart; and wherein the handle includes: a frame spaced from the mouth of the basket and defining a substantially continuous loop arranged in a shape that substantially matches a shape of the mouth of the basket; and at least two first connection portions extending from the frame and connected to the upper edge of the basket at spaced locations along the upper edge of the basket; and wherein the gate and seat assembly includes: a gate pivotally mounted to a rear portion of the shopping cart; and a seat member made from a plastic material mounted to the gate of the shopping cart via a pivot mechanism.