U.S. patent application number 11/079703 was filed with the patent office on 2005-07-21 for multi-level personal hand cart.
Invention is credited to Prather, James G..
Application Number | 20050156406 11/079703 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26734650 |
Filed Date | 2005-07-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050156406 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Prather, James G. |
July 21, 2005 |
Multi-level personal hand cart
Abstract
A multi-level personal utility cart is disclosed as including a
handle having an upper portion, opposing side portions and a lower
portion, a first basket assembly including panels at the front,
sides, and bottom thereof, the first basket assembly being
supported by the handle, a second basket assembly including panels
at the front, sides, and bottom thereof, the second basket assembly
being supported by the handle, the first basket assembly being
positioned atop the second basket assembly, and the first and
second basket assemblies being pivotally supported to the handle,
whereby the first and second basket assemblies are collapsible into
a compact and substantially planar structure. Also disclosed is a
method for deterring theft of "conventional" shopping carts which
entails providing "non-conventional" shopping carts of the
inventive type to users for purchase, marking the
"non-conventional" shopping carts with information identifying the
user as the owner of the cart, marking the "non-conventional"
shopping carts with information identifying one or more vendors of
services or products offered or sold at a market, and providing the
user with discounts on the services or products offered or sold by
the one or more vendors to the market.
Inventors: |
Prather, James G.; (Yorba
Linda, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
TERRELL P. LEWIS
UNIT #8
343 PALOS VERDES BOULEVARD
REDONDO BEACH
CA
90277
US
|
Family ID: |
26734650 |
Appl. No.: |
11/079703 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11079703 |
Mar 14, 2005 |
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10055816 |
Jan 22, 2002 |
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6866289 |
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11079703 |
Mar 14, 2005 |
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10055819 |
Jan 22, 2002 |
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6869097 |
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60263299 |
Jan 22, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
280/651 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62B 3/1484 20130101;
B62B 3/1408 20130101; B62B 3/142 20130101; B62B 2301/05 20130101;
B62B 2202/26 20130101; B62B 3/027 20130101; B62B 3/146 20130101;
B62B 2501/067 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
280/651 |
International
Class: |
B62B 001/00 |
Claims
What I claim is:
1. A method for deterring theft of "conventional" shopping carts
from market premises, the "conventional" shopping carts being of
the kind typically owned or leased, and stocked, by markets to
enable customers, who have come to the market premises to obtain
goods, to transport the purchased goods from storage or display
areas in the market to check-out areas and then to the customers'
vehicles, said method further serving the needs of customers to
have carts to transport their purchases to their homes after a
shopping experience at the markets, the needs of the markets to
retain the "conventional" carts at the market premises, and the
needs of vendors of products and services to the markets to be
recognized by the shopping public, said method comprising the steps
of: providing a "non-conventional" personal shopping cart to the
customer for purchase by the customer, said "non-conventional"
shopping cart being of the kind that can be lawfully removed by the
customer from the market premises, marking said "non-conventional"
shopping cart with information identifying the customer as the
owner of the cart, marking the "non-conventional" shopping cart
with information identifying one or more vendors of services or
products offered or sold at the market, and providing the customer
with discounts on said services or products offered or sold by said
one or more vendors at said market.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said "non-conventional" shopping
cart comprises a multi-compartment personal hand cart, and the step
of marking the "non-conventional" shopping cart with information
identifying the customer as the owner of the shopping cart
comprises attaching a tag to an outer surface of one of the
compartments, said tag being visible to display owner-identifying
information to other customers.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said "non-conventional" shopping
cart comprises a collapsible personal hand cart having a frame and
a plurality of baskets stacked upon each other and being pivotably
attached to said frame, each of said baskets being uniquely
accessible, and said first and second steps of marking said cart
with information comprises attaching tags to an outer surface of
each of said baskets on the same side of the cart.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said "non-conventional" shopping
cart comprises a collapsible multi-compartment personal hand cart
including a frame having a handle at an upper portion thereof,
first and second basket assemblies pivotably supported to said
frame and being positioned one atop the other so that the first and
second basket assemblies are pivotable on the frame toward the
handle, and the first step of marking said "non-conventional"
shopping cart with information identifying the customer as the
owner of the shopping cart comprises attaching a tag to an outer
surface of one of the compartments, said tag being visible to
display owner-identifying information to other customers.
5. A method for deterring theft of "conventional" shopping carts
from market premises, the "conventional" shopping carts being of
the kind typically owned or leased, and stocked, by markets to
enable customers, who have come to the market premises to obtain
goods, to transport the purchased goods from storage or display
areas in the market to check-out areas and then to the customers'
vehicles, said method further serving the needs of customers to
have carts to transport their purchases to their homes after a
shopping experience at the markets, the needs of the markets to
retain the "conventional" carts at the market premises, and the
needs of vendors of products and services to the markets to be
recognized by the shopping public, said method comprising the steps
of: providing a "non-conventional" personal shopping cart to the
customer for purchase by the customer, said "non-conventional"
shopping cart being defined by any one of the allowed claims in
U.S. Ser. No. 10/055,816, marking said "non-conventional" shopping
cart with information identifying the customer as the owner of the
cart, marking the "non-conventional" shopping cart with information
identifying one or more vendors of services or products offered or
sold at the market, and providing the customer with discounts on
said services or products offered or sold by said one or more
vendors at said market.
6. A method for deterring theft of "conventional" shopping carts
from market premises, the "conventional" shopping carts being of
the kind typically owned or leased, and stocked, by markets to
enable customers, who have come to the market premises to obtain
goods, to transport the purchased goods from storage or display
areas in the market to check-out areas and then to the customers'
vehicles, said method further serving the needs of customers to
have carts to transport their purchases to their homes after a
shopping experience at the markets, the needs of the markets to
retain the "conventional" carts at the market premises, and the
needs of vendors of products and services to the markets to be
recognized by the shopping public, said method comprising the steps
of: providing a "non-conventional" personal shopping cart to the
customer for purchase by the customer, said "non-conventional"
shopping cart being defined by any one of the allowed claims in
U.S. Ser. No. 10/055,819, marking said "non-conventional" shopping
cart with information identifying the customer as the owner of the
cart, marking the "non-conventional" shopping cart with information
identifying one or more vendors of services or products offered or
sold at the market, and providing the customer with discounts on
said services or products offered or sold by said one or more
vendors at said market.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application claims priority from, and also incorporates
by reference, the entire disclosure of, Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 60/263,299 filed Jan. 22, 2001, and entitled
MULTI-LEVEL PERSONAL HANDCART, is a divisional application of
copending U.S. Utility patent application Ser. Nos. 10/055,816
filed Jan. 22, 2002 entitled MULTI-LEVEL PERSONAL HANDCART, and
10/055,819 filed Jan. 22, 2002 entitled MULTI-LEVEL HAND CART WITH
ACCESS DOOR, and is related to U.S. Ser. No. 10/747,473 filed Dec.
29, 2003 entitled MULTI-LEVEL HANDCART WITH ACCESS DOOR.
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to the use of hand or utility
carts by persons for transporting goods or personal belongings, and
more particularly to the use of collapsible hand or utility carts
having multiple levels of containment for holding such goods or
belongings.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] It is well known that 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, have
been used as vehicles for transporting merchandise purchased at
those markets to and from the purchaser's automobiles. It is also
well-known that many purchasers, especially those persons who do
not have automobiles or who reside in low-income areas, are prone
to using the shopping carts for transporting their purchased goods
to their residences or at the very least to their neighborhoods
where they are able to unload their purchases and keep the carts in
the ready for the next time it is necessary to return to those
markets.
[0006] However, the removal of shopping carts from market premises
by patrons or shoppers is a situation that has not been met with
great favor, both in the industry and in the community, and a
multitude of solutions for preventing the removal of such carts
from the market premises have been devised. Among those currently
most favored by the industry are electronically triggered devices
which cause the wheels of the cart to lock up when the cart is
pushed or otherwise moved past a pre-installed boundary, which
typically takes the form of a buried electronically triggering
cable disposed about the perimeter of the market's parking lot or
premises.
[0007] Examples of such systems are embodied in U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,054,923 and 6,271,755 issued to Prather et al. Those patents
disclose a shopping cart system that incorporates a disabling
mechanism that renders the cart's swivel wheels inoperative upon
actuation of a disabling signal from the cable. The '755 patent
further teaches a shopping cart disabling system which, when
triggered, makes available only a pair of wheels that enables
movement of the cart, but only in a circular direction. The object
of that invention is to make it impossible for a person to remove
the cart from the store's premises by rolling it away.
[0008] Other theft thwarting systems have been developed and are
well known, as that taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,225 to Rashbaum,
which discloses a piston rod and wheel lock device that includes a
frame mounted actuator that locks one of the wheels of the cart
upon actuation via a disabling signal, and various electronically
actuated wheel locking devices, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,315,290 to Moreno, 6,127,927 to Durban et al., 6,037,869 to Lace,
and 6,125,972 to French et al.
[0009] In furtherance of one of the objectives of this invention to
deter shopping cart removal from a market's premises, the present
invention offers shoppers a shopper-propelled mobile device for
transporting purchased goods from the market to their homes.
Concurrent with this aim, the invention embraces a scheme that
rewards shoppers for using the mobile device of the invention for
transporting purchased goods home instead of removing the market's
shopping carts from the market's premises for that purpose.
[0010] Personal carts for transporting groceries or other personal
items have been in use for some time. Typically, such personal
carts have a single basket or container supported on or atop a
wheeled base, and may additionally be able to be collapsed or
otherwise folded to reduce the volume for storage when not in
use.
[0011] Personal carts have also been developed which can be
collapsed or folded so as to be easily storable. Examples of such
carts are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,339,141 to Thiboutot and
4,185,848 to Holtz.
[0012] And in an effort to enable a shopper to transport increased
amounts of goods from the store to the shopper's home or other
destination, shopping carts with more than a single basket or
container have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,181
to Ondrasik shows a conventional shopping cart frame on which are
mounted stepped, offset, baskets, U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,724 to
Shaffer shows a collapsible utility cart having a plurality of
detachable baskets and stair-climbing capabilities, and U.S. Pat.
No. D407,882 to Duchene teaches a shopping cart having a frame that
is designed for supporting two removable baskets, one atop the
other. Two additional shopping carts having folding baskets are
shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,929A to Stanley and U.S. Pat. No.
3,162,462A to Huffman et al. The Stanley patent discloses a a
multi-level personal utility cart having a frame with a handle, a
first lower basket assembly with an open top, and a second upper
basket assembly with an open top, where the lower basket assembly
is pivotably mounted and collapsible relative to the frame. The
Huffman et al patent teaches a cart including a pair of pivoting
baskets pivotally secured to a frame.
[0013] The foregoing carts are intended for use in the market and
about the market premises. No personal carts are known which are
designed for use by the shopper outside of the market premises, and
which are also collapsible for storage and have multiple baskets
pivotably secured to a frame for transporting purchased goods from
the market to the purchaser's home.
[0014] The preceding examples of carts and personal carts also have
limitations as far as their carrying capabilities for purchased
goods, and it is clear that there is a need for a personal cart
that has significantly greater storage capacity, as for example one
which has more than one storage compartment, where the contents of
each storage compartment are each uniquely accessible and which
will enable shoppers who have purchased their goods to transport
their goods from the market to their home in a single trip without
the use of motor vehicles. Such a cart must also be collapsible so
that storage of the collapsed cart is facilitated as well. The
present invention provides a solution to such a need for the
shopper as well as the market.
[0015] There is also a need for such a cart to be sufficiently
inexpensive to the shopper so that the shopper will be induced to
acquire the cart in advance of shopping at the market. The present
invention contemplates a plan or method for providing carts to the
shoppers that benefits not only the shoppers, but the markets and
vendors of the markets as well. This method contemplates the sale
of the carts to the shoppers with subsequent rebates or discounts
running to the shoppers for products or services offered by vendors
of the markets as rewards to the shoppers for having purchased the
carts.
[0016] In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a
multi-level personal utility cart including a frame with a handle
having a rearwardly positioned upper portion, side portions, and a
forwardly extending lower portion, a first basket assembly
pivotably supported to the frame, a second basket assembly disposed
atop the first basket assembly and pivotably supported to the
frame, where the first and second basket assemblies are
simultaneously pivotable on the frame toward the handle upper
portion so that the first and second basket assemblies can be
collapsed against a portion of the frame into a compact and
substantially planar structure.
[0017] In another aspect of the invention, a hand-propelled or
pushed personal shopping cart is provided which includes multiple
levels of storage within corresponding multiple, yet separate,
storage chambers, with independent access to each chamber.
[0018] In another aspect of the invention, a personal shopping cart
is provided which is collapsible, inexpensive to manufacture, and
inexpensive to own as well.
[0019] In yet another aspect of the invention, the shopping cart is
easily storable in its collapsed condition.
[0020] In still another aspect of the invention, the shopping cart
will enable shoppers to own and possess a very affordable personal
shopping cart with which they can take to their local shopping
market, and into which they can load their purchased goods for
subsequent check-out and then transport to their respective
residences.
[0021] In still another aspect of the invention, a method for
deterring theft of "conventional" shopping carts is provided in
which shoppers are encouraged to use the "non-conventional" carts
of the invention which are sold to the shoppers by markets, and
discounts or rebates are made available to the shoppers by vendors
who advertise and promote their goods and/or services available at
the shopping markets.
[0022] Various objects, advantages and features of the invention
will become more apparent, as will equivalent structures which are
intended to be covered herein, with the teaching of the principles
of the invention in connection with the disclosure of the preferred
embodiments thereof in the specification, claims and drawings in
which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the personal shopping
cart of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a first version of the
personal shopping cart of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a enlarged view of the section marked "3" in FIG.
1 showing the mounting of a caster to the personal shopping cart of
the invention;
[0026] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the section marked "4" in FIG.
1 showing the handle and slide elements of the personal shopping
cart of the invention;
[0027] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the section marked "5" in FIG.
1 showing details of a slide element and handle of the personal
shopping cart of the invention;
[0028] FIG. 6 shows a front perspective view of the personal
shopping cart of the invention, where the cart is in a partially
collapsed state;
[0029] FIG. 7 is a side view of the personal shopping cart of the
invention in a fully collapsed state;
[0030] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cart of the invention in
a fully collapsed state, and
[0031] FIG. 9 is a rear view of a second version of the personal
shopping cart showing rear door access to the lower basket
assembly, in accordance with the teachings of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] The following description is provided to enable any person
skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the
best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his
invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles
of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to
provide a personal hand cart having multiple levels of storage
compartments, while also being collapsible for storage.
[0033] Referring now to the drawings, and specifically first to
FIG. 1, the personal cart 10 of the present invention, shown in a
functional opened position, is seen to include an upper container
or basket assembly 12 and a lower container or basket assembly 14.
The upper basket assembly 12 is disposed atop the lower basket
assembly 14, and the basket assemblies are capable of being pivoted
into a partially functional position (as shown in FIG. 6) or a
fully non-functional position (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8).
[0034] A handle 16 includes an upper handle portion 18, a lower
handle portion 20, and side portions 22, 23 extending between and
interconnecting the upper and lower handle portions. Preferably,
the side portions 22, 23 are disposed on the exterior of the upper
basket assembly 12 and the lower basket assembly 14. Preferably,
the upper handle portion 18 and the lower handle portion 20 are
both U-shaped, with the upper handle portion 18 being located atop
and rearwardly of the cart, and the lower handle portion 20 being
located at the lower region of the front of the cart. The U-shaped
upper handle portion includes arms 19 which extend from the bight
of the upper handle portion downwardly and forwardly to
interconnect with the upper portions of the side portions 22, 23.
The U-shaped lower handle portion 20 includes arms 21 that extend
rearwardly and preferably horizontally from the bight of the lower
handle portion 20 outside of the lower basket assembly 14 to
interconnect with the lower portions of the respective side
portions 22, 23 at the forward region of the cart. Casters 24, 24'
are supported at the underside of the lower handle portion 20 at
and below the intersection of the forwardmost portion of each of
the arms 21 of the lower handle portion and the lateral extremities
of the bight portion of the lower handle portion. The casters may
be mounted directly to the lower handle portion as shown in FIG. 3,
or they may be mounted to reinforcement plates (not shown) fixedly
secured to the underside of the lower handle portion. Further, the
casters on the front of the cart are preferably swivel casters (as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) or they may be fixed, non-swiveling,
casters.
[0035] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, a slide element 32 is
carried by the upper portion of each of the side portions 22, 23 of
the handle assembly. Each respective slide element 32 is positioned
at the location of the merger of the upper handle portion arms 19,
19 and the side portions 22, 23. Each of the slide elements 32
comprise a U-shaped member having opposing arms 34, 35 which are
secured together at the rear of the side portions 22, 23. The
interior of each of the slide elements 32 is configured as a
cylindrical channel that closely fits about the circumference of
the handle side portion where the slide element is mounted. As a
result of this construction, each of the slide elements can ride
down and up along the handle side portion on which it is carried
whenever the cart is opened or closed, respectively.
[0036] In FIGS. 4 and 5, the protruberance or button 100 is seen to
be located at the uppermost portion of each of the side members of
the handle assembly against which the slide elements 32 will abut
when they slide upwardly along the handle side portions 22, 23 upon
opening of the cart. A lock 35 carried by each of the slide
elements 32 can be snapped over the button 100 to secure each slide
member in the position shown in FIG. 1, wherein the cart is held in
an opened, functional, position. Each lock 35 (each being carried
by one of the slide elements 32) is attached to a respective slide
element 32, and may comprise a loop of wire or a hook pivoted to
the slide member 32 for motion about a substantially horizontal
axis. The lock 35 is used to secure the slide element 32 to which
it is attached at a fixed location on the side members 22, 23 by
pivoting the lock 35 about the horizontal axis up over the button
100 located on the respective side member. In this manner, the lock
35 keeps the slide element 32 from moving relative to the side
member on which it is supported when the cart has been opened,
thereby locking the cart in a fully opened position and preventing
accidental closure of the cart when the cart contains goods.
[0037] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, an elongated slender member 44a
spans the distance between, and is supported by, the two slide
members 32. A pair of spaced apart, parallel, substantially
vertical support members 42, 43 extend downwardly from the
elongated member 44a adjacent to the slide elements 32. Each
support member is associated with a respective one of the slide
elements 32. The length of the support members 42, 43 is preferably
chosen to be greater than the combined height of the upper and
lower basket assemblies 12, 14. A plurality of other horizontal
support elements 44b, 44c, . . . extend parallel to one another and
between the support members 42, 43 at vertically spaced locations
downwardly to just below the rearwardly extending horizontal arms
21, 21 of the lower handle member 20. Similarly, several vertically
disposed, spaced apart, and parallel slender elements 45a, 45b, 45c
are provided for supporting engagement with the horizontal support
elements 44a, 44b, . . . The horizontal support elements 44a, 44b,
. . . form, along with the support members 42, 43, a grillwork or
latticework panel, which functions as the rear panel R, for the
upper and lower basket assemblies 12, 14. An axle member 46 is
supported by the lowermost portion of the vertical support elements
42, 43, located preferably below the plane of the floor panel of
the lower basket assembly 14. The axle member 46 extends laterally
between the support members 42, 43 and carries casters 67 on end
portions of the axle member 46.
[0038] Each of the upper and lower basket assemblies comprise
front, side, and bottom panels. Preferably, each of the front and
bottom panels comprise a grillwork or latticework of slender
elongated elements 49, 50 (such as wires as shown in the Figures,
or thin rods; however, the present invention also contemplates
forming the panels from solid sheets of material with wires or
pin-like projections extending from the front and rear of the side
panels so as to form a structure similar to the side panels shown
in the Figures of the drawings). The slender elements 47 of the
side panels of the basket assemblies extend from front to rear, and
are attached to the front and rear panels of the upper and lower
basket assemblies of the cart. When either the top or bottom basket
assembly is in an erected state (as shown in FIG. 1), the slender
elements 47 are parallel to one another and arranged substantially
horizontally. The ends of each slender element 47 in each of the
side panels of the upper and lower baskets are formed into loop 48
(as are the front and rear end of each element 49 of the upper and
lower basket assembly floor panels) which, at the rear end thereof,
is hooked about and pivotable on a horizontal element extending
laterally between the support elements 42, 43, and at the forward
end thereof is hooked about and pivotable on a horizontal elements
52a, 52b, . . . extending laterally between the support elements
42, 43. The pivoting connections function in such a manner that,
after the cart has been opened as shown in FIG. 1, the basket
assemblies are permitted to pivot upwardly and rearwardly about the
horizontal elements 44a, 44b, 44c . . . and thereby effect collapse
of the basket assemblies, either the upper basket assembly alone to
achieve a partially collapsed state (as shown in FIG. 6), or the
two basket assemblies together to achieve a fully collapsed state
(as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8). Each of the upper and lower basket
assemblies are independently able to be pivoted upwardly and
rearwardly to effect collapse of the two basket assembies, but the
lower basket assembly cannot be collapsed separately from, or
before collapse of, the upper basket assembly. The upper and lower
basket assemblies can be simultaneously pivoted into a collapsed
state (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8) so as to effect collapse of the
entire personal cart for purposes of storage of the cart.
[0039] The rear panel R of the cart assumes a substantially
vertical orientation when the cart has been fully opened and is
seated on the ground on its four casters. The rear panel includes a
pair of spaced apart hook elements 53, 54 located on the upper
panel portion U to permit suspension of the cart, when completely
collapsed, from a structural support (not shown), such as the upper
front rail of a conventional shopping cart, a horizontally
extending suspension member, suspension elements secured to a wall,
etc.
[0040] FIG. 9 shows a variation of the cart assembly described
above in which the lower portion of the rear panel R is provided
with a downwardly and rearwardly pivoting panel or door 56 to
permit access to the contents in the lower basket assembly when the
upper basket assembly is still in its open, fully functional,
position.
[0041] Indicia bearing signs (not shown) can be attached to the
front panel portions of the upper and lower basket assemblies.
Preferably, the signs are held in sign frames, such as frame 212
seen in the Figures, preferably of square or rectangular
configuration. The sign frame 212 is secured to the front panel of
the upper basket assembly for holding a sign or a tag that
identifies a product or service provider whose products or services
are offered in markets. Attached to the front panel of the lower
basket assembly are signs 214 for identifying the owner of the cart
and the store from which the cart was purchased.
[0042] The present invention contemplates a method for deterring
theft of "conventional" shopping carts which entails the sale of
personal carts of a type similar to those described herein to
customers by the markets or by third party cart vendors (as for
example, vendors who can sell the carts directly to the customer
either in the markets or through separate storefronts).
[0043] The vendors of services or goods will pay the market a fee
for the market to supply vendor product advertising or event
promotions or other advertising on a tag or card held in the sign
frame 212 on the customer's personal cart. The market's vendors
then supplies to the customers discount or rebate coupons for
vendor supplies or services currently available in or at the
market, for future purchases of vendor supplies or services, or for
promotional give-aways. In a reasonably short period of time, the
discounts or rebates given to the customer via the coupons will add
up to the cost of the cart, and all discounts or rebates thereafter
made available to the customer run toward developing an increasing
"value" component attributable to ownership of the cart.
[0044] Moreover, by making such personal carts available for
purchase to the customer, the markets can reduce their own in-store
inventories of conventional shopping carts. And now, with recent
state and municipal legislation being passed or at least being
considered for the imposition of fines on markets whose carts are
not maintained at the premises of the markets, a program such as
the one outlined above would not only result in fewer carts being
removed from the market's premises by customers, but also an
improvement in the appearance of the surrounding community.
[0045] As seen in the Figures, a locking element 62 is provided on
the upper horizontal element of the rear panel R. The element 62
has gripping grooves at opposite ends thereof. One of the grooves
grip onto element 44a. The other groove can be releasably secured
onto a horizontal element in the bottom panel of the upper basket
assembly when the upper basket assembly only is pivoted into a
collapsed position as shown in FIG. 6. When the cart is in this
partially collapsed position, goods contained in the lower basket
assembly can be accessed. The cart can also be used with the upper
basket assembly in a collapsed and secured position when the
customer's purchased goods in the lower basket assembly are taller
than the height of the lower basket assembly.
[0046] Inverted U-shaped hooks 72, formed as extensions of the
front panel of the upper basket assembly, extend below the floor
panel of the upper basket assembly to sit one the upper horizontal
element of the lower basket assembly to facilitate support of the
upper basket assembly on the lower basket assembly.
[0047] 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.
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