Patent ID: 6981708

Claim:
A wheeled shopping cart, comprising: a wheeled base assembly having a horizontally extending rigid base frame, a basket support projecting upwardly from the base frame, and a pair of sidewardly-spaced upright rear frame members projecting upwardly from adjacent rear corners of said base frame; a manually engageable handle extending generally horizontally between and joined to said upright frame members adjacent upper ends thereof; an upwardly-opening basket molded of plastics material and having a bottom wall, an upright front wall and a pair of generally opposed side walls; a rear gate positioned generally between upright rear edges of said basket side walls for closing off a rear open side of said basket, said gate being hingedly supported adjacent an upper edge thereof for vertical swinging movement relative to said basket; said basket defining therein a narrow outwardly opening channel disposed directly adjacent an upper edge of said basket and extending substantially continuously along said front wall and wrapping around front corners of said basket so as to extend lengthwise along said side walls, said channel adjacent rear edges of said side walls terminating at the upright rear frame members; a one-piece U-shaped support rod retained in said channel so as to extend substantially continuously along the upper edge of said basket; said U-shaped support rod including a pair of elongate cantilevered side legs which divergingly and transversely project away from opposite ends of a front bight part; each of said side legs having an integral and monolithic protrusion bent generally horizontally sidewardly from the elongate direction of the respective side leg, said protrusion being positioned adjacent but spaced rearwardly a small distance from said front bight part and protruding inwardly toward the interior of the basket; each said side wall of said basket having a small opening which horizontally aligns and communicates with said channel and which opens inwardly through said side wall for communication with the interior of said basket; and the protrusions on said side legs projecting generally horizontally inwardly into the openings in the respective said side walls for retaining said support rod to said basket in the lengthwise direction thereof.