ES1269860U - ERGONOMIC SHOPPING CART - Google Patents

Abstract

Ergonomic shopping cart, comprising a transport bag (1) attached to a structural chassis with rolling elements that includes an upper handle and a lower base (6); characterized in that: - it comprises a liftable platform (7) coupled to a load lifting mechanism that is housed within a main body (23) of the transport bag (1); where said lifting mechanism is fixed to the lower base (6); and where the platform (7) is located above the lower base (6) and inside the main body (23) of the transport bag (1); - it comprises an activation device to actuate the lifting mechanism; where, by acting on the activation device, the lifting mechanism is actuated that moves the platform (7) inside the main body (23) of the cargo bag (1) in a substantially vertical direction selected from an upward movement direction and a sense of downward scrolling; - the load lifting mechanism is a double scissor structure mechanism (8) in parallel, actuated manually by means of a hydraulic cylinder (28) and with the activation device formed by a pedal (5); where the double scissor structure mechanism (8) for lifting the load comprises: - eight plates (8a) that make up the double scissor structure mechanism (8) located between the lower base (6) and the platform (7), to which said mechanism (8) is connected; - two slides (18) necessary to achieve the scissor lift movement of the mechanism (8); - two intermediate bars (9) and (10) that join two pairs of plates (8a) of the two parallel scissor structures (8); where said intermediate bars (9) and (10) support the double-acting hydraulic cylinder (28); - the double-acting hydraulic cylinder (28) in charge of exerting the force to raise or lower the platform (7) on which the load rests; - the pedal (5) that operates the hydraulic cylinder (28).

Description

DESCRIPTION

ERGONOMIC SHOPPING CART

TECHNICAL SECTOR

The present invention falls within the sector of the design, development and manufacture of auxiliary products for the home, specifically in relation to the articles used to transport food from the supermarket to the home. It refers, more particularly, to an ergonomic shopping cart with a manual lifting system for personal use when carrying out daily shopping transport activities in supermarkets, department stores or food stores.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When it comes to shopping carts with a manual load lifting mechanism, there is no prior invention. Manual load lifting systems are implemented in other products such as load lifting tables, trolleys or in some types of furniture.

As for the origin of shopping carts, it dates back to the early twentieth century, with the appearance of the first supermarkets in the United States where the first supermarket carts appeared, but it was not until the middle of the century when carts appeared. shopping carts in Europe, inspired by golf club carts. It is the supermarket chains themselves that commission companies to make this type of cart so that the population can transport their purchases on foot as they had been doing in Europe, not in their own vehicle as was the case in the States. United.

From that moment, with the increase in competition, different models of trolleys or bags with wheels for shopping began to be created, innovating in the number of wheels, colors, materials, folding models were created, some models were adapted so that in turn serve as a walker for users with mobility problems, making them increasingly ergonomic. But, in no case, has the implementation of an aid system been taken into account in the handling of the load that the products suppose at the time of being introduced or extracted from the cart.

In fact, after a search of the state of the art in relation to shopping carts, no proposal is found where the user controls the position of the load within said cart, which would prevent said user from having to adopt forced postures where you have to bend your back excessively.

As far as the current state of the art is concerned, the following patents and utility models are noteworthy, by way of example:

[1] D. M. Manuel, «Transportable hydraulic forklift». ES-2025994_A6, 04/01/1992

[2] G. U. Olga, «Lifting system for furniture and lift furniture». ES-26622005_B1, 12/18/2018

[3] G. S. Lleonard, «Trolley with variable elevation according to load, for shopping and other uses». ES-1167764 U

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention falls on the conception of the ergonomic design of products that protect the physical health of users, reinventing household products such as the well-known and widely used shopping cart. Every day, to a greater degree, it is pursued that the design of industrial products is more adapted to the user, preventing possible health risks or injuries to users.

When using the traditional shopping cart, when placing the products inside their bag, the user is forced to flex their back for a long time and repeatedly, since they not only have to be inserted into the bag. bag but place them correctly. In the same way, when you want to extract the products from the cart, the same thing happens, all with the addition that the handling of the load is carried out with a forced position because the back is very flexed. This can cause injuries and, in addition, for people of advanced age or with some type of physical impairment, the use of the traditional shopping cart can be a problem.

On the other hand, the traditional shopping cart is especially recommended for elderly people who cannot carry long distances with the shopping bags that are provided in the establishments and, in addition, do not have or do not have the physical condition to move in your own vehicle to the aforementioned establishments. It is not only recommended for these users, but for anyone who suffers from a back ailment such as pregnant women who are unable to move normally. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a redesign of the traditional shopping cart, providing it with a load lifting mechanism that facilitates handling both in the introduction and extraction phases of the products in said shopping cart. In addition, the rest of the users not mentioned will benefit from a product that will help them maintain their physical health and prevent injuries, while they carry out the domestic tasks of making purchases in establishments such as supermarkets, markets or food stores.

The ergonomic shopping trolley with load lifting mechanism features a manual load lifting scissor-type mechanism whose actuation resides in the use of a pedal. This pedal is connected to a double-acting hydraulic cylinder, in which when the pedal is pressed, the piston will move towards the outside of the chamber, pushing the scissor mechanism, making the upper platform on which the articles are deposited, elevate. In the case of wanting the platform to descend, it will be enough to push the pedal upwards with the tip of the foot, in this case the piston will move towards the interior of the chamber causing the scissor mechanism to descend in a controlled manner and at the user's will. , until the upper and lower platform are resting one on the other.

In this way it is possible for the user to choose at what height he wants the loading platform to be located, being able to place the products without making Overexertion or adopt forced positions with excessive flexion of the lumbar area.

To facilitate the maneuverability of the product while driving, the front wheels that have been installed have the possibility of pivoting 360 °, which allows the user to make changes in direction without having to exert an additional force than that necessary for driving and guiding. from the shopping cart.

Due to the fact that the best position of the user, ergonomically speaking, for the maneuverability and driving of this type of product is the push of the same, this will be the only position foreseen for the handling of the new ergonomic shopping cart with mechanism of lifting loads.

In order for the use of the shopping cart that is the object of the present invention to be suitable for the majority of the population, the handlebar has been designed with a height-adjustable system. With this system, the user will be able to choose between one of the five possible heights, which are given by the anthropometric measurements of the different percentiles of the adult population. To adjust the height of the aforementioned handlebar, the user must press the buttons on the sides of the handlebar and stretch or push the handles according to the desired height by means of a telescopic adjustment system.

The shopping cart bag will have a prismatic shape with a rectangular base and will preferably be made from recycled textile materials. The shopping cart bag is made up of a main compartment with a larger storage volume, inside which the load lifting mechanism will be housed; a pocket with thermal insulation, mainly for the conservation of frozen products; a coin pocket and a compartment with double function, since it can be used to house the umbrella or walking stick or to store the loaves of bread.

With all this, the previously mentioned ergonomic problems are solved. In this way, one of the main domestic tasks is facilitated, the movement on foot of food or household products from the supply establishment to the user's home.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to complement the description that is being made and to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the present invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, where, with an illustrative and non-limiting nature, it has been included represented the following:

Figure 1. Front isometric view of the ergonomic shopping cart, object of the invention.

Figure 2. Rear isometric view of the carriage assembly.

Figure 3. Front isometric view of the carriage assembly with a section of an element. Figure 4. Rear isometric view of the carriage assembly with a section of an element. Figure 5. Front isometric view of the interior assembly of the trolley with the mechanism deployed.

Figure 6. Rear isometric view of the interior assembly of the trolley with the mechanism deployed.

Figure 7. Front isometric view of the interior assembly of the cart with the folded mechanism.

Figure 8. Front isometric view of the interior assembly of the cart with the folded mechanism.

Figure 9. Front view of the interior assembly of the carriage.

Figure 10. Side view of the interior assembly of the carriage.

Figure 11. Front view of the telescopic joint of a trolley handlebar.

Figure 12. Isometric view of one of the scissors of the load lifting mechanism.

Figure 13. Exploded perspective of one of the scissors of the load lifting mechanism.

Figure 14. Isometric view of the assembly of a bag and a linkage of the trolley of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the indicated figures, it can be seen how the ergonomic shopping cart with a load lifting mechanism is made up of two well differentiated and independent parts: the transport bag (1) and the structural chassis made up of a lifting mechanism. double scissor structure (8) in parallel made up of plates (8a), the handlebar (3), the arm with a telescopic handlebar adjustment mechanism (2) and the front (20) and rear wheels (21).

As shown in figure 14, the transport bag (1), which adopts the shape of a right prism with a rectangular section, results from the joining by sewing of several textile patterns made, preferably, in recycled fabrics. The transport bag (1) is made up of: the main body (23), the thermal pocket (24), the purse pocket (25) and the umbrella pocket (26). As shown in figure 6, to maintain the aforementioned prismatic shape and that wrinkles or pinches are not formed in the fabric with the movement of the load lifting mechanism, four thin rods (19), preferably made of aluminum, are inserted in the four tunnels (27) made in the internal vertical edges of the main body (23) of the transport bag (1).

These rods (19) may be extracted at the user's discretion to facilitate the folding of the transport bag (1), thus facilitating its cleaning.

The thermal pocket (24), whose shape will also be straight prismatic with a rectangular section, will be sewn to the front face in the lower part of the main body (23), inside there will be, as a lining, an insulating thermal coating that You must maintain the temperature of the frozen products placed in this compartment. The closure of this pocket will be made by means of a zipper on the upper face and a flap that covers said zipper and that rests on the front face.

On the back face of the main body (23) the coin pocket (25) and the umbrella pocket (26) will be sewn.

Once the transport bag (1) has been described, the description of the previously mentioned second part, corresponding to the structural chassis, is set forth below. shown in Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The scissor mechanism (8) for lifting loads with pedal operation (5) is composed of a base (6), a platform (7), eight plates (8a) of the scissors (8) and a double hydraulic cylinder Effect (28), all the elements except for the hydraulic cylinder (28) will preferably be made of aluminum to make the product as light as possible.

The interior of the base (6) and the platform (7) of the mechanism have a similar design. In them, there are pairs of rails in parallel for each of which a slide (18) will circulate, and pairs of perforations, in each of which there will be a fixed articulated support necessary for the operation of the scissors. In the embodiment shown in the figures, said chute (18) is an idler wheel.

To fix the plates of the scissors (8), a friction bushing (16) will be required, preferably made of copper or PTFE, which generates a self-lubricating friction joint between the friction bushing (16) and the pin (15), the latter preferably made of steel, which will be inserted into the plate of the scissors (8) to be joined with the platform (7) or with the base (6).

In each of the fixing holes, both in the base (6) and in the platform (7), a bushing (17) will be inserted, the interior of which will be threaded so that the pin (15) is fixed inside. The same will happen to join the slide (18) with the corresponding plates of the scissors (8). Furthermore, the plates (8a) of the scissors (8) are joined together, in an articulated manner, at the ends and by the central axis. For this joint, a friction bushing (16) will be placed inside each scissor plate (8), which will be traversed by the corresponding pins (15).

To avoid the separation of the joints between the scissor plates (8), a washer (29) and a nut (30) will be placed at the threaded end of the pin (15). The assembly of said scissors (8) is shown in Figures 12 and 13.

For the union of the two pairs of scissors (8), two bars (9) and (10) will be placed where the hydraulic cylinder (28) will also be installed. These bars (9) (10), preferably, They must be located at the point of the scissor plate (8) that supports the most effort, being welded to them.

Once the described scissor mechanism has been constituted, the transport bag (1) already made is placed by inserting the four protrusions (32) of the base (6) into the four holes (33) located in the lower part of the bag (1 ), subsequently closing with a zipper (31), located at the edges of the base of the bag (1) and at the edges of the bottom face of the base (6).

As mentioned, the load-lifting scissor mechanism requires a pedal (5) as a manual operation, allowing control of the movement both for raising and lowering the mechanism.

This pedal (5) is connected to the oil tank of the hydraulic cylinder (28), in charge of distributing it. The expansion of the hydraulic cylinder (28) will be carried out, preferably, by exerting a foot on the pedal (5); while the compression and consequently the lowering of the mechanism, will preferably be carried out by pushing the foot under the pedal (5) with the toe.

For the attachment of the mechanism to the arms (2) of the chassis, the base (6) has two small protrusions (32) with a cylindrical shape on each side that will be inserted into two larger diameter ones on the arms (2) where, to finalize the joint, it will be necessary to weld it.

The upper part of the chassis is made up of the telescopic handlebars (3), the intermediate bar (4) that joins them, the buttons (11) of the height adjustment system, the adjustment mechanism (12), a handle (14) for a better grip on the handlebar and some trims (13) to cover the junction between the arms (2) and the telescopic handlebars (3).

As shown in figure 11, inside the upper part of the arms (2) there are five slots (34), in which the adjustment mechanism (12) of the height adjuster located inside the handlebars (3), enter to fix said position. The push button (11), located on the upper part of the handlebar (3), will push the regulator (12), which will make the mechanism come out of the slot to be able to place it in another (slot) of them. The connection between the push button (11) and the adjustment mechanism (12) will preferably be done by means of a strong adhesive.

Before installing the height adjustment system, the intermediate bar (4) must be welded between the two handlebars (3). This bar (4) provides rigidity to the structure and ensures that the handlebars (3) move together when adjusting the height.

Finally, the rolling elements that constitute the front (20) and rear (21) wheels will be installed in the lower part of the arm (2). In the front part, the wheels (20) will be placed with the possibility of pivoting 360 °, making the connection by means of rivets between the support (22) of the wheel (20) and the arm (2) of the trolley. On the side of the rear part of the arm (2), the wheels (21) with a greater radius than the front wheels (20) will be placed where a bolt will go through both the wheel (21) and the corresponding arm (2).

Claims (10)

1. - Ergonomic shopping cart , comprising a transport bag (1) attached to a structural chassis with rolling elements that includes an upper handle and a lower base (6); characterized by that: - It comprises a liftable platform (7) coupled to a load lifting mechanism that is housed within a main body (23) of the transport bag (1); where said lifting mechanism is fixed to the lower base (6); and where the platform (7) is located above the lower base (6) and inside the main body (23) of the transport bag (1); - it comprises an activation device to actuate the lifting mechanism; where when acting on the activation device the lifting mechanism is actuated that moves the platform (7) inside the main body (23) of the cargo bag (1) in a substantially vertical direction selected from a direction of movement upwards and a sense of downward scrolling; - the load lifting mechanism is a double scissor structure mechanism (8) in parallel, manually operated by means of a hydraulic cylinder (28) and with the activation device formed by a pedal (5); where the double scissor structure mechanism (8) for lifting the load comprises: - eight plates (8a) that make up the double scissor structure mechanism (8) located between the lower base (6) and the platform (7), to which said mechanism (8) is connected; - two slides (18) necessary to achieve the scissor lift movement of the mechanism (8); - two intermediate bars (9) and (10) that join two pairs of plates (8a) of the two parallel scissor structures (8); where said intermediate bars (9) and (10) support the double-acting hydraulic cylinder (28); - the double-acting hydraulic cylinder (28) in charge of exerting the force to raise or lower the platform (7) on which the load rests; - the pedal (5) that operates the hydraulic cylinder (28). 2. - Ergonomic shopping cart , according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper handle comprises two handlebars (3) in parallel that are inserted internally in two tubular arms (2) and that are adjustable in height by means of telescopic regulation; where said arms (2) form part of the structural chassis. 3. - Ergonomic shopping cart according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rolling elements comprise pivoting front wheels (20) and two rear wheels (21); where both wheels (20,21) are coupled to the lower part of the structural chassis. 4. - Ergonomic shopping cart , according to claim 1, characterized in that the transport bag (1) consists of the main body (23), a thermal pocket (24), a purse pocket (25) and a pocket umbrella stand (26). 5. - Ergonomic shopping cart , according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the structural chassis consists of the arms (2) that house the telescopic height adjustment system of the handlebars (3); and the double scissor structure mechanism (8) actuated manually by the hydraulic cylinder (28) with the pedal (5). 6. - Ergonomic shopping cart , according to claim 2, characterized in that some parts of the handlebars (3) are housed inside the arms (2) constituting a telescopic height adjustment system of said handlebars (3) that presents different stable positions; where said system includes a push button (11) and an adjustment mechanism (12) that serves to carry out the function of adjusting the height of the handlebars (3). 7. - Ergonomic shopping cart , according to any one of the preceding claims 2 or 6, characterized in that both handlebars (3) are joined together by an intermediate bar (4) welded at their ends and configured as an auxiliary piece that provides rigidity to the structure. 8. Ergonomic shopping cart , according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pedal (5), located below the lower base (6) of the load lifting mechanism, actuates the hydraulic cylinder (28) by means of human action, based on the tread or push with the foot of the user in it. 9. - Ergonomic shopping cart , according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the front rolling elements are made up of pairs of twin front wheels (20) with pivoting rotation and that are attached to the arms (2) of the chassis structural by means of two rotating supports (22), in which the front wheels (20) are coupled. 10. - Ergonomic shopping cart , according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport bag (1) is configured as a straight prismatic body of rectangular section thanks to four rods (19) that, by way of armor , are introduced into four tunnels (27) made in the four lateral edges located in the main body (23) of the transport bag (1).