Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a tow conveyor for moving shopping carts between two different floors of a building. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inclined shopping cart conveyor that can be positioned adjacent to a people-moving escalator such that the shopping cart conveyor moves the shopping carts between two different floors of a building to coincide with the movement of the shoppers. 
         [0002]    Currently, many large department stores occupy single-floor buildings that include many different product departments and thus have a footprint that covers tens of thousands of square feet. In these large department stores, shoppers typically use shopping carts to carry selected merchandise throughout the store while the shopper continues to select merchandise from the various departments within the store. Since a shopper may be selecting a large number of items having substantial weight, shopping carts are essential in the current department store environment. 
         [0003]    Large single-floor department stores are often located in suburban areas where enough land is available to build a store large enough to include all of the merchandise to be offered by the retailer. Many large department store chains have been unable to open stores in populated urban areas due to the unavailability of large blocks of land for single-floor retail space. In these same urban areas, there are often a number of smaller land lots or multi-floor vacant buildings that would be large enough to accommodate the floor space required by the department store. 
         [0004]    Additionally, many department stores prefer a single checkout location where all shoppers enter or exit the store. For these and other reasons, a multi-floor department store that is capable of utilizing shopping carts and having a single checkout location is desirable. 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,979 filed Dec. 10, 2002 discloses an inclined shopping cart conveyor system and is hereby incorporated by reference. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention provides a shopping cart conveyor system that moves a shopping cart from one location to another along a path. The system includes a frame, a track coupled to the frame, and a conveyor coupled to the frame and having an engagement member (e.g., multiple engagement members) adapted to engage a shopping cart. The engagement member is movable (e.g., pivotable) relative to the track from a first position, where the engagement member will engage and move the shopping cart along the path, and a second position, where the engagement member is capable of releasing engagement of the shopping cart. Preferably, the engagement member is biased toward the first position (e.g., by a resilient member). In one embodiment, the engagement member includes an engagement surface adapted to engage the shopping cart and defining an engagement angle between the engagement surface and a reference axis parallel to the path. In this embodiment, the engagement angle is acute when the engagement member is in the first position and is obtuse when the engagement member is in the second position. 
         [0007]    The above-referenced system can be used to perform a method that reduces the likelihood of damage to the conveyor and shopping cart in the event that the shopping cart gets jammed in the system. The method includes engaging the engagement member with a shopping cart, translating the engagement member and shopping cart along a path, resisting movement of the shopping cart (e.g., shopping cart gets jammed), moving (e.g., pivoting) the engagement member from the first position (acute angle) to the second position (obtuse angle), and disengaging the shopping cart from the engagement member. In one embodiment, disengaging includes sliding the shopping cart relative to the engagement member. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a shopping cart conveyor system. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a partial rear perspective view of the shopping cart conveyor system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged partial view of the shopping cart conveyor system of  FIG. 2  with an engagement member exploded from a conveyor chain assembly. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view of the engagement member in a first position and a second position, with fasteners removed for clarity. 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a partial sectional view of the shopping cart conveyor system taken at the section line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a shopping cart conveyor system  10  that moves a shopping cart  14  between a first level and a second level. The illustrated shopping cart conveyor system  10  includes a conveyor assembly  26  and a frame  34 . 
         [0015]    The illustrated shopping cart  14  is similar to those found in typical retail stores and includes a cart frame  38 , an item holding area  42  attached to the cart frame  38 , four wheels  46  attached to the cart frame  38 , and a support bar  50 . The cart frame  38  is constructed of bent metal tube sections and defines a handle portion  54  that a user may use to control the shopping cart  14 . The cart frame  38  also supports the other components of the shopping cart  14 . 
         [0016]    The item holding area  42  is constructed from plastic and wire, and includes four cart side walls and a cart bottom such that items may be placed into the item holding area  42  and inhibited from inadvertently leaving the item holding area  42 . The item holding area  42  and the cart frame  38  are designed such that they can support the items placed into the item holding area  42 . 
         [0017]    The four wheels  46  roll over the ground and allow a user to easily maneuver the shopping cart  14 . The rear two wheels  46  are held in a fixed forward direction and the front two wheels  46  are free to rotate. In other constructions, all the wheels  46  may be fixed or free to rotate. In addition, more than four wheels  46  or less than four wheels  46  may be attached to the cart frame  38 . 
         [0018]    In other constructions, a different shopping cart may be used with the shopping cart conveyor system  10 . Many other shopping cart designs exist as is well known by those skilled in the art. 
         [0019]    As is best seen in  FIG. 3 , the support bar  50  is attached to the cart frame  38  between the front two wheels  46  and is directly connected to the cart frame  38  with two fasteners. The support bar  50  includes a reinforcing section  66  that extends away from the cart frame  38  toward the ground and a cross bar section  70  that extends from the reinforcing section  66  parallel to the ground. In other constructions, the support bar  50  may be formed as a single piece with the cart frame  38  or may include a plurality of separate pieces coupled together to form the support bar  50 . In addition, the support bar  50  may be positioned at different angles with respect to the ground. Furthermore, the support bar  50  may be directly connected to the cart frame  38  in other ways (e.g. welding). 
         [0020]    With continued reference to  FIG. 1 , the illustrated conveyor assembly  26  includes a drive motor (not shown), a driven roller  74  coupled to the drive motor with a gear reducer (not shown), an idler roller  78 , and a conveyor chain assembly  82  coupled to and supported by the driven roller  74  and the idler roller  78 . The drive motor is controlled by a conveyor controller (not shown) such that the driven roller  74  is turned via the gear reducer and turns at a substantially equal speed throughout operation of the conveyor assembly  26 . In other constructions, a drive belt, a chain, or another component may couple the drive motor to the driven roller  74 . In addition, the drive motor may be directly connected to the driven roller  74 . 
         [0021]    The driven roller  74  and idler roller  78  are supported by conveyor supports (not shown) of the frame  34 . In other constructions, a plurality of support rollers are supported by the frame  34  and guide the conveyor chain assembly  82  such that it follows a desired path. 
         [0022]    The illustrated conveyor chain assembly  82  engages the support bar  50  such that the shopping cart  14  is moved by the conveyor assembly  26  between the first level and the second level. The conveyor chain assembly  82  is guided by a guide track  84  of the frame  34  along the desired path. In other constructions, the conveyor chain assembly  82  may be a belt that is guided by the support rollers. 
         [0023]    The illustrated frame  34  includes a loading portion  86  at the first level, a pair of rear wheel tracks  90 , a pair of front wheel tracks  94 , the guide track  84 , a side wall  102 , and an unloading portion  106  at the second level. The illustrated loading portion  86  is substantially level and provides an area for the user to easily push the shopping cart  14  onto the conveyor assembly  26 . In other constructions, the loading portion  86  may be at a different elevation or angle with respect to the ground as well as different lengths and widths. 
         [0024]    The pair of rear wheel tracks  90  support the rear wheels  46  of the shopping cart  14  such that the rear wheels  46  may roll on the rear wheel tracks  90  while the shopping cart  14  is moving between the first level and the second level. The pair of front wheel tracks  94  support the front wheels  46  of the shopping cart  14  such that the front wheels  46  may roll on the front wheel tracks  94  while the shopping cart  14  is moving between the first level and the second level. The front wheel tracks  94  are positioned in relation with the rear wheel tracks  90  such that the shopping cart  14  is supported in a substantially level position while the shopping cart  14  is moving between the first level and the second level. In other constructions, the shopping cart  14  may be supported at other angles as desired. In addition, the rear wheel tracks  90  and the front wheel tracks  94  may be positioned at different widths to accommodate different shopping carts. 
         [0025]    The guide track  84  receives the support bar  50  of the shopping cart  14  and houses the conveyor chain assembly  82 . The guide track  84  extends the length of the shopping cart conveyor system  10  from the first level to the second level and defines a first end  110  at the loading portion  86 , a second end  114  at the unloading portion  106 , and a cover portion  118  between the first end  110  and the second end  114 . 
         [0026]    The first end  110  is shaped such that the cross bar section  70  of the support bar  50  may enter the guide track  84  and engage the conveyor chain assembly  82 . The second end  114  is shaped such that the conveyor chain assembly  82  may disengage the cross bar section  70  of the support bar  50  and the shopping cart  14  may exit the shopping cart conveyor system  10 . 
         [0027]    The support bar  50  extends through the cover portion  118  such that the cross bar section  70  is disposed within the guide track  84  and is not substantially visible from outside the guide track  84 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the cover portion  118  substantially covers the conveyor chain assembly  82  such that access to the conveyor chain assembly  82  in the cover portion  118  is inhibited. The cover portion  118  also aligns the shopping cart  14  on the front wheel tracks  94  and the rear wheel tracks  90  such that the shopping cart  14  moves between the first level and the second level in a substantially straight line on the desired path. In other constructions, the guide track  84  may be other shapes with the conveyor chain assembly  82  uncovered. 
         [0028]    The side wall  102  extends the length of the shopping cart conveyor system  10  and is positioned such that access from the side is inhibited. In other constructions, more than one side wall  102  may be included or the side wall  102  may be removed. 
         [0029]    Turning now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a portion of the guide track  84  has been cut away such that a portion of the conveyor chain assembly  82  is visible. The conveyor chain assembly  82  includes chain link members  122 , rollers  126 , mounting members  130 , and engagement members  134 . The chain link members  122  connect the mounting members  130  together such that the conveyor chain assembly  82  may flex around the driven roller  74  and the idler roller  78  to form a continuous chain that is flexible about pivots  138 . The rollers  126  are mounted on the pivots  138  on both sides of the conveyor chain assembly  82  and roll on the guide track  84  so as to maintain the conveyor chain assembly  82  in contact with the desired path. Fasteners hold the rollers  126  to the pivots  138  such that the rollers  126  may rotate. 
         [0030]    The mounting members  130  include a chain portion  142  and an attachment portion  146 . The chain portion  142  connects at the pivot  138  to the chain link members  122  and the attachment portion  146  defines a first attachment aperture  147  and a second attachment aperture  148 . In other constructions, less than two apertures or more than two apertures are conceivable. 
         [0031]    The engagement members  134  include a front surface  150 , a top portion  154 , a first aperture  158 , a second aperture  162 , and a biasing element  166 . The engagement members  134  are attached to the mounting members  130  by aligning the first aperture  158  and the second aperture  162  of each engagement member  134  with the first attachment aperture  147  with the second attachment aperture  148 , respectively, of each mounting member. The biasing element  166  is an elastomeric ring and is positioned in the first aperture  158 . A first fastener  170  is inserted through the first aperture  158 , the biasing element  166 , and the first attachment aperture  147  such that the engagement member  134  is secured. A second fastener  174  is engages the second aperture  162  and the second attachment aperture  148  such that the second aperture  162  and the second attachment aperture  148  are inhibited from inadvertently becoming misaligned. In other constructions, the biasing element  166  can be other elements such as a spring, a linear extension, a leaf spring, or other biasing device. In addition, the biasing element  166  may be positioned at least partially outside the first aperture. Furthermore, the first fastener  170  and the second fastener  174  could be other fasteners or any number of fasteners. 
         [0032]    As is best seen in  FIG. 4 , each engagement member  134  is rotatable between a first position (solid lines in  FIG. 4 ) and a second position (broken lines in  FIG. 4 ). In the first position, the front surface  150  forms an acute angle a with respect to the direction of motion of the conveyor chain assembly  82 . While in the first position, the front surface  150  engages the support bar  50  of a shopping cart  14  and moves the shopping cart  14  with the engagement member  134  such that the shopping cart  14  follows the desired path and moves from the first level to the second level. In the illustrated embodiment the angle a is about 85 degrees. It should be understood that the precise angle a can vary considerably from the angle listed above. The goal is to make sure the engagement member  134  is able to move the shopping carts under normal operating conditions. 
         [0033]    If the shopping cart  14  becomes jammed or is otherwise inhibited from moving, the engagement member  134  pivots about the second fastener  174  in the second aperture  162  to the second position in which the front surface  150  forms an obtuse angle β with respect to the direction of motion of the conveyor chain assembly  82 . While in the second position, the support bar  50  can disengage from the front surface  150  and slide over the top portion  154  while the cross bar section  70  is still disposed within the guide track  84  and the biasing element  166  is compressed. This allows a shopping cart  14  that is jammed to disengage from the conveyor chain assembly  82  such that it does not damage the conveyor chain assembly  82 , the shopping cart  14 , or any other components of the shopping cart conveyor system  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the angle β is greater than 90 degrees. In other constructions, the first position and second position may form other angles. The precise angle at which the shopping cart will rise and disengage the engagement member depends on a variety of factors, such as the friction between the front surface  150  and the support bar  50 . Furthermore, the shape of the engagement member  134  may be different that what is illustrated, and the engagement member  134  can move in other manners (e.g., sliding). 
         [0034]    The engagement members  134  may be unbolted from the conveyor chain assembly  82  and easily replaced if broken. In addition, the chain link members  122 , the mounting members  130 , and the rollers  126  may easily be replaced if broken. 
         [0000]    Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a shopping cart conveyor system. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

Technology Category: 7