GB2332405A

GB2332405A - Improvements in shopping trolleys

Info

Publication number: GB2332405A
Application number: GB9809708A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Ernie Glozier
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-05-15
Filing date: 1998-05-08
Publication date: 1999-06-23
Anticipated expiration: 2018-05-08
Also published as: GB2332405B; GB2332405A9; GB9709880D0; GB9809708D0

Abstract

A trolley driver for use in driving a line of supermarket trolleys back from a collection area to a pick-up area, comprise a wheeled driver for interlocking with the back of a line of trolleys having an electric driving motor 12 controllable by a dead man's handle device 20 or 21, and a means 18 for steering the front and/or back wheels of the driver.

Description

i 2332405 Improvements in ShMing TrollW This invention relates to a

shopping trolley, more especially of the kind used in supermarkets by customers to carry the goods they wish to purchase to the checkout and then to carry the purchased goods to a waiting car or the like.

Trolleys of the above-described kind are typically stored in a pick-up area adjacent the store entrance and are deposited after use in a collection area adjacent a car park or the like. Used trolleys are then manhandled by a staff member from the collection area back to the pick-up area.

According to the invention, there is provided, for use in conjunction with supermarket shopping trolleys, a wheeled trolley driver which has a driving motor and steering means, and which is adapted to engage the back of a line of trolleys to enable an operator to power drive the trolleys back from a trolley collection area to a trolley pick-up area.

It will be understood that shopping trolleys are adapted to interengage in line and that, for... g efficiency, a mber of staff of the supermarket is periodically required to shift lines of trolleys back from the collection area to the pick-up area. Considerable effort is required to manhandle a line of trolleys in this way, especially if the return path from the collection area to the pick-up area is sloped uphill. The aim of the present invention is to reduce the effort required to move lines of shopping trolleys, and to make possible the driving of longer lines of trolleys, especially along an uphill path.

The trolley driver of the present invention may be but is not necessarily shaped similarly to a conventional trolley, but in any case has a front end adapted to interengage into the back of the body of a conventional trolley in front of it.

The trolley driver will not have a basket for goods collection, as it is not intended for customer use.

A preferred trolley driver does, however, have an electric driving motor for transmitting power to its front and/or back wheels, a bank of rechargeable batteries for energising the electric motor, and steering means for the front and/or back wheels. It may be preferred to provide a separate driving motor for each of the wheels to be driven.

The preferred trolley dnver also has a platform at the back on which the operator can stand, or possibly sit if a seat is provided. In either case, the batteries will be located at the front of the trolley driver in order to balance the weight of the operator.

The steering means may conveniently be in the form of handlebars or steering wheel, with a lever serving as a dead man's handle for control of the driving motor. Assuming the trolley driver has a platform, this may have a foot pedal for serving as a dead man's handle, possibly additional to the lever at a higher level.

Although the general shape of the trolley driver may be generally similar to that of a conventional trolley, the batteries, driving motor and associated parts will preferably be housed in a closed structure, as distinct from the open cage-like structure of the conventional trolley.

For security reasons, a key operable switch may be provided to prevent unauthorised use of the trolley driver.

The trolley may also be equipped with a warning flashing light and/or a warning sounder and if desired a canopy for the operator may be provided.

1 1 -3 According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided, for use in combination with the aforesaid trolley driver, a steered bogie for use at the front of a line of trolleys. 'Itus, in the case of a very long trolley line, say of 15 or 20 trolleys, some difficulty may arise in steering the trolley line solely from the back, especially if the ground is sideways sloped relatively to the path along which the trolleys are to be driven. Use of a bogie with two or four steerable wheels can overcome this problem.

The bogie may have two or four wheels steerable by remote preferably automatic signalling from the trolley driver at the back, as by means of a radio link.

Alternatively, instead of a front bogie, it is possible to provide the trolley driver with telescopically extensible arms, mounted at the back of the driver, which can be appropriately laterally positioned and then extended to extend along the line of trolleys closely on both sides thereof and thereby hold the trolley line straight as it is being driven.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 show two alternative constructions of trolley driver in diagraniniatic manner.

Each of the illustrated, wheeled trolley drivers has a front housing portion 10 adapted to engage under and interlock with the back of a conventional trolley.

Interlocking may be performed in a similar way to the way in which the trolleys themselves interlock when stacked in a line. This housing portion 10 accommodates an electric motor 12 and a bank of rechargeable batteries 14, the latter being located at the front.

At the back, the trolley driver has a platform 16 for an operator to stand upon, balanced by the weight of the batteries at the front end.

The operator standing on the platform 16 has easy access to handlebar or wheel steering 18 equipped with a lever 20 in the form of a dead man's handle for motor control. The platform also has a foot pedal in the nature of a dead man's handle 21, so that the trolley can only be driven when the operator is standing on the platform.

As illustrated, the rear wheels 22 of the trolley driver are both driven and turnable for steering, but the motor drive may alternatively or additionally be applied to the front wheels 24, and likewise for the steering from the handlebars 18.

The trolley driver may also be equipped with a flashing light (not shown) or intermittent sounder, and also with a canopy (not shown).

For driving a long trolley line, a front bogie, steerable by an automatic radio link from the trolley driver at the back, may also be provided. Alternatively, the trolley platform 16 may be equipped with a pair of laterally positionable and extensible telescopic arms for holding a trolley line straight as it is being driven.

Claims

1. A trolley driver for use in conjunction with supermarket shopping trolleys, comprising a wheeled trolley driver which has a driving motor and steering means, and which is adapted to engage the back of a line of trolleys to enable an operator to power drive the trolleys back from a trolley collection area to a trolley pick-up area.

2. A trolley driver according to claim 1, which has a front end adapted to interengage into the back of the body of a conventional trolley in front of it.

3. A trolley driver according to claim 1 or claim 2, having an electric driving motor for transmitting power to its front and/or back wheels, a bank of rechargeable batteries for energising the electric motor, and steering means for the front and/or back wheels.

4. A trolley driver according to claim 3, having a driving motor for each driven wheel.

5. A trolley driver according to any of claims 1 to 4, having a platform at the back on which the operator can stand, or possibly sit if a seat is provided-

6. A trolley driver acording to claim 5, wherein the batteries are located at the front of the trolley driver in order to balance the weight of the operator.

7. A trolley driver according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the steering means is in the form of handlebars or steering wheel, with a lever serving as a dead min's handle for control of the driving motor.

8. A trolley driver according to claim 5 or claim 6 or claim 7, having a foot pedal for serving as a dead man's handle for control of the driving motor.

9. A trolley driver according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the batteries, driving motor and associated parts are housed in a closed structure.

10. A trolley driver according to any one of claims 1 to 9, equipped with a key operable security switch to prevent unauthorised use.

11. A trolley driver according to any of claims 1 to 10, having extensible telescopic side arms for holding straight a driven line of trolleys.

12. A trolley driver according to any of claims 1 to 10, in combination with a firont bogie steerable by remote signalling from the driver at the back of a line of trolleys.

13. A trolley driver substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.