초록 ▼

A new shopping cart includes a wheeled base having forward and rear portions, a pedestal formed on the base for supporting a container or basket thereon, where the pedestal is secured to the base at a location between the forward and rearward ends of the base, and the container is supported on the p

A new shopping cart includes a wheeled base having forward and rear portions, a pedestal formed on the base for supporting a container or basket thereon, where the pedestal is secured to the base at a location between the forward and rearward ends of the base, and the container is supported on the pedestal so that the rear of the container is disposed forwardly of the rear of the base, and the cart as a whole exhibits a lowered center of gravity. The cart also includes an upwardly extensive handle member, and the pedestal includes a surface for supporting the rear of the basket forwardly of the rear of the base. The basket is hung from the handle member at a location disposed a substantial distance from the upper part of the handle member. A pair of connecting rods attaches the handle member to the rear of the pedestal to support the latter against excessive longitudinal forces. A pair of vertically spaced apart horizontal hinge rods are mounted to the handle member, a first one of the hinge rods being located in the vicinity of the upper end of the handle member and the other of the hinge rods being disposed below the first one of the hinge rods, wherein the lower hinge rod pivotably secures the rear pivoting gate of the basket. The pedestal is supported to the base on resilient elements, and the storage space beneath the basket is essentially eliminated. A child seat is disposed in the rear of the basket at a height substantially below the height of the upper end of the handle member. Upstanding side extension panels are mounted atop the upper rim of the basket. A barrier panel is affixed to the handle and cooperates with the side extension panels to form a protection zone about the head and torso of a child sitting in the child seat. A merchandise carrier, disposed behind and below the basket, is mounted to the wheeled base and the pedestal. Various other merchandise carriers are included either behind the basket or within the basket.

대표청구항 ▼

We claim: 1. A shopping cart, comprising: a wheeled base having forward and rear portions, a container supported by said base, said base including a handle member extending upwardly from, and attached to, said base, a gate member pivotably attached to said handle member at the rear of said containe

We claim: 1. A shopping cart, comprising: a wheeled base having forward and rear portions, a container supported by said base, said base including a handle member extending upwardly from, and attached to, said base, a gate member pivotably attached to said handle member at the rear of said container and being functionally arranged therewith to act as a closure for the rear of the container, a pedestal formed on said base for supporting said container thereon, said pedestal being secured to said base at a location between the forward and rearward ends of said base, said container being supported on, and secured to, said pedestal at a fixed location on said base so that the rear of said container is disposed forwardly of the rear of the base, and a merchandise carrier disposed between and attached to the rear of the wheeled base and the pedestal, wherein said pedestal includes a surface for supporting the rear of the basket forwardly of the rear of the base, and said basket is hung from said handle member at a location disposed a substantial distance from the upper part of said handle member, such that said cart possesses a lowered center of gravity. 2. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein said basket includes front, back, bottom, and side panels, and said pedestal includes a table portion on which the rear portion of the bottom panel of said basket sits. 3. The shopping cart of claim 2, wherein said table portion of said pedestal is substantially horizontally arranged. 4. The shopping cart of claim 2, wherein said table portion is slightly inclined relative to the base. 5. The shopping cart of claim 4, wherein the back of said table portion is lower than the front of said table portion. 6. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein said handle member includes a U-shaped handle portion at a top end thereof and a pair of connecting rods for connecting said handle member to said pedestal at the rear of said table portion. 7. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the lower region of said handle includes a base attachment member having a forward attachment region and a rearward attachment region, said base attachment member being disposed rearwardly of said table portion. 8. The shopping cart of claim 7, wherein said forward attachment region is secured to the table portion and the rearward attachment region is secured to the rear of said base. 9. The shopping cart of claim 8, wherein said forward attachment region of said handle member is secured to the rear portion of said table portion. 10. The shopping cart of claim 9, wherein said pedestal table portion is supported on resilient elements connected to the base, and the space between said basket and said base is minimized to the extent that its use as storage for merchandise has effectively been eliminated. 11. The shopping cart of claim 1, and further including a pair of vertically spaced apart hinge rods, a first one of said hinge rods being located in the vicinity of the upper end of said handle member and being disposed on said handle member at a first height, and the other of said hinge rods being disposed lower than said first one of said hinge rods, the lower hinge rod pivotably securing the rear gate of said basket. 12. The shopping cart of claim 1, and further including a child seat at the rear of the basket, said child seat being disposed at a height substantially below the height of the upper end of the handle member. 13. The shopping cart of claim 12, wherein said child seat pivots between a non-functional position in which the rear of the child seat is disposed adjacent the rear gate of the basket and a functional position in which the rear of the child seat is pivoted forwardly into the basket, and further wherein said child seat includes a seat portion on which a child sits when said child seat is in said functional position, said seat portion being disposed below the other of said hinge rods. 14. The shopping cart of claim 1, wherein the width of the rear portion of the wheeled base is substantially greater than the width of the forward portion of the wheeled base. 15. A shopping cart frame, comprising: a wheeled base having forward and rear portions, a handle member including two horizontally arranged, vertically spaced apart, substantially parallel rods attached to said handle member, a container, a pedestal formed on said base for supporting said container thereon, said pedestal being mounted to said base at a location between the forward and rearward ends of said base and at a height relative to said base such that the space between the pedestal and the base is minimized to such an extent that its use as storage for merchandise has been effectively eliminated, said pedestal further including elements defining means for engaging the first container and holding it such that the rear of the first container is disposed forwardly of the rear of the base, and at a height relative to the base which is substantially below the height of the uppermost parallel rod, and a first tray, disposed behind said first container, and secured to said pedestal and said base, whereby the frame and first tray together possess a center of gravity that is lower than the center of gravity of container and frame combinations of conventional shopping carts. 16. The shopping cart frame of claim 15, wherein said base includes a second tray disposed above the container. 17. The shopping cart frame of claim 15, wherein said base includes side rails and casters mounted to the side rails for enabling rolling movement of said base on a horizontal surface, and further including a handle assembly mounted to said base, said handle assembly comprising vertically arranged spine members extending upwardly from said base, said spine members being laterally spaced apart and terminating in a handle defining a handle plane, said spine members including a pair of vertically spaced apart horizontal rod members extending between and connected to the spine members and disposed substantially normal to said spine members and being located between said handle plane and said base assembly. 18. The shopping cart frame of claim 17, wherein the upper one of said rod members lies substantially nearly in said handle plane, and the lower one of said rod members is disposed below said upper rod at a height corresponding with, and forming the pivot connection for, a pivoting rear gate of said container. 19. The shopping cart frame of claim 17, wherein said pedestal surface means and the lower one of said rod members are arranged relative to one another such that when said first container is disposed on said pedestal surface means, the container and the pivot connection for the rear gate of the container will be located substantially below said handle plane. 20. The shopping cart frame of claim 17, and further including connecting rods projecting from said spine members forwardly and downwardly into securement with the rear of said pedestal for supporting said pedestal against excessive longitudinal forces. 21. The shopping cart frame of claim 17, and further including resilient support elements connected between said pedestal and said side rails of said base for supporting said pedestal against excessive vertical forces. 22. The shopping cart frame of claim 15, wherein the width of the rear portion of the wheeled base is substantially greater than the width of the forward portion of the wheeled base. 23. A shopping cart with a center of gravity lower than the center of gravity of conventional shopping carts, comprising: a wheeled base, said base including a handle and support members connecting the handle to the wheeled base, a basket support structure on said base, said basket support structure being disposed forwardly of the rear of the wheeled base, a basket mounted on said basket support structure, and suspended from the support members at a position substantially below said handle, two merchandise carriers disposed behind said basket, one merchandise carrier being disposed below said basket and secured between said basket support structure and the rear of the wheeled base, wherein said support members include a pair of horizontal, parallel, vertically spaced cross members, and wherein said basket includes a pivoting rear gate, said rear gate being pivotably supported from the lower of the two parallel cross members. 24. The shopping cart of claim 23, wherein said rear gate includes child seat structure, and said child seat structure is positioned at a lower location relative to said handle than the location of child seat structure of conventional shopping carts. 25. The shopping cart of claim 23, and further wherein the other merchandise carrier is disposed above said base. 26. The shopping cart of claim 25, wherein said second merchandise carrier is located in the vicinity of, and behind, said handle. 27. The shopping cart of claim 25, wherein said other merchandise carrier is located in said basket.