JP2001334940A - Shopping basket and shopping cart - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shopping basket and shopping cart allowing a consumer to surely gain useful information at real time and the reduction in cost. SOLUTION: The basket body 1a of this shopping basket 1 has an upward extended shape, and electrodes 2 and 2 are provided on both ends of one short edge of its outer edge part 1b having a rectangular plan view. The electrode 2 is formed of a plate-like fixed contact 2a, a spring 2b formed of a conductive coil spring, and a pin-like movable contact 2c having a flange on the upper end. A secondary battery 3 is built in one side surface of the basket body 1a, and a shopping information display part 4 is provided on the other side surface. When one shopping basket 1 is put and housed in the other shopping basket 1, the electrodes 2 are vertically connected to each other, and the electrode 2 of the shopping basket 1 of the bottom stage is connected to a battery charger, whereby the secondary battery 3 of each shopping basket 1 can be charged simultaneously.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shopping basket and a shopping cart provided in a store such as a supermarket. A shopping basket and a shopping cart configured to charge the battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art
Retail businesses such as supermarkets are fiercely competitive, and there is an issue of understanding consumer needs and providing information to consumers. Consumers obtain shopping information at retail stores from newspaper inserts, television advertisements, and flyers placed in post boxes, but this information is so large that it is difficult to cover it. However, it has been difficult for consumers to easily obtain the information they actually need.

[0003] In the store, broadcasting of time service information, bargain information, notice of lost children, and the like is performed in real time. However, the inside of the store is often busy and useful to consumers. There was a problem that information was not transmitted.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and comprises a display unit for displaying shopping information and a pair of electrodes for charging a secondary battery, so that consumers can obtain useful information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shopping basket and a shopping cart which can reliably obtain in real time and reduce the cost of the battery.

Further, according to the present invention, each of the electrodes is connected up and down during storage of a plurality of shopping baskets by making the shape of the shopping basket main body wider and forming the electrodes on the upper part of the shopping basket main body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shopping cart that can simultaneously charge the secondary batteries of each shopping basket when the electrodes of the lowest shopping basket are connected to a charger.

According to the present invention, the shape of the shopping cart body is made thinner at the front end than at the rear end, and the electrodes are provided on the right and left sides of the back of the shopping cart body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shopping cart that can charge the secondary batteries of each shopping cart at the same time when the electrodes of the shopping cart are connected to a charger at the front and rear of the electrodes.

[0007]

The shopping basket of the first invention is
A display unit for displaying shopping information, a secondary battery for driving the display unit, and a pair of electrodes for connecting the secondary battery to a charger are provided.

[0008] A shopping basket according to a second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the shopping basket main body has a shape expanding upward, and the electrodes are provided on an upper portion of the shopping basket main body.

The shopping basket according to a third aspect of the present invention is the shopping basket according to the second aspect, wherein the electrode is a fixed contact exposed at an upper surface of the shopping basket main body, a pin-shaped movable contact having a lower end protruding, the fixed contact, And a conductive spring interposed between the movable contact and the movable contact to urge the movable contact downward.

A shopping cart according to a fourth aspect of the present invention provides a display for displaying shopping information, a secondary battery for driving the display, and a pair of electrodes for connecting the secondary battery to a charger. And characterized in that:

A shopping cart according to a fifth invention is characterized in that, in the fourth invention, the electrodes are provided on both left and right sides of the back of the shopping cart main body, the tip of which is thinner than the rear end.

A shopping cart according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the shopping cart according to the fifth aspect, wherein the electrode is a fixed contact exposed at the back of the shopping cart body, a pin-shaped movable contact having a protruding tip, the fixed contact, A conductive spring interposed between the movable contact and the movable contact is provided to urge the movable contact forward.

In the shopping basket of the first invention, since the display unit is provided, the consumer can surely obtain useful information in real time while shopping. Since the battery is charged, the cost of the battery can be reduced.

In the shopping basket of the second invention, since the shopping basket body has an upwardly expanding shape, a plurality of shopping baskets can be inserted into another shopping basket to store a plurality of shopping baskets. The electrodes of the car are connected up and down.
By connecting one of the two electrodes of each shopping basket in advance to the positive pole of the secondary battery and the other to the negative pole, and connecting the two electrodes of the bottom shopping basket to the charger,
The secondary batteries of each shopping basket will be connected in parallel to the charger, and each secondary battery will be charged simultaneously.

In the shopping basket according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the spring is interposed between the movable contact and the fixed contact, even if the shopping basket is not steadily inserted into another shopping basket, the spring is deformed. As long as the connection between the electrodes of these shopping baskets is covered, by connecting the two electrodes of the bottom shopping basket to the charger, the secondary batteries of each shopping basket are connected in parallel to the charger, Charged.

The shopping cart according to the fourth aspect of the present invention includes the display unit, so that the consumer can obtain useful information in real time while shopping. Also, since the battery is charged, the cost of the battery can be reduced.

In the shopping cart according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the shopping cart main body has a shape in which the tip is thinner than the rear end, so that a plurality of shopping carts can be inserted into another shopping cart and stored. Sometimes the electrodes of each shopping cart are connected back and forth. By connecting one of the two electrodes of each shopping cart to the positive electrode of the secondary battery and the other to the negative electrode in advance and connecting the two electrodes of the state-of-the-art shopping cart to the charger, The secondary batteries of the cart will be connected in parallel to the charger, and each secondary battery will be charged simultaneously.

In the shopping cart of the sixth invention, since the spring is interposed between the movable contact and the fixed contact, even when the shopping cart is not steadily inserted into another shopping cart, the spring deforms. As long as the connection between the electrodes of these shopping carts is covered, by connecting the two electrodes of the state-of-the-art shopping cart to the charger, the rechargeable batteries of each shopping cart are connected in parallel to the charger and at the same time Charged.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments. Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a shopping basket according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II. In the figure, 1 is a shopping basket. The shopping basket main body 1a of the shopping basket 1 has a trapezoidal shape in which each side surface has an upper base larger than a lower base, and has a shape that is widened upward. An outer edge 1b having a predetermined width is provided along the upper edge of the shopping basket main body 1a. The outer edge 1b has a rectangular shape in plan view. Between the long sides of the outer edge 1b, two U-shaped handles 1c, 1
c is bridged. Both ends of the handle 1c are bent, and these portions are rotatably fitted into holes that pass through the outer edge 1b in the width direction. The handle 1c is adapted to be fitted to the side surface of the outer edge portion 1b when the handle 1c is turned sideways.

Electrodes 2 and 2 are provided at both ends of one short side of the outer edge 1b. The electrode 2 includes a flat fixed contact 2a and a spring 2b which is a coil spring having conductivity.
And a pin-shaped movable contact 2c provided with a flange at the upper end
Consists of At both ends of the outer edge portion 1b, a stepped through hole 1d having a large diameter at the top and a small diameter at the bottom is provided, and the fixed contact 2a is provided so as to close the opening surface of the through hole 1d. Have been. The spring 2b is attached to the lower surface of the fixed contact 2a. The other end of the spring 2b has a flange fixed to the stepped portion of the through hole 1d, and the lower end thereof has an outer edge 1b.
Is connected to the movable contact 2c protruding from the bottom surface of the movable contact 2c.

At the bottom of the side of the shopping basket body 1a on the side where the electrode 2 is provided, a secondary battery 3 is incorporated.
The electrodes 2 and 2 are connected to the electrodes of the secondary battery 3 by conducting wires 3a and 3a.

At the center of the long side of the shopping basket main body 1a, a shopping information display section 4 is provided. The shopping information display section 4 is also connected to the electrodes of the secondary battery 3 by the conducting wires 3b, 3b. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the shopping information display unit 4. Information such as merchandise information, store guidance, today's bargains, time service, and lost child information transmitted by wireless is received by the receiving circuit 42, and the information received by the receiving circuit 42 is transmitted to the microcomputer 41. The microcomputer 41 outputs a signal to the LCD drive circuit 43 based on the output. Based on the signal output from the LCD drive circuit 43 based on this, LC
D44 is driven, and an image is displayed on the display screen of LCD44.

Also, based on the signal output from the microcomputer 41 to the audio generation circuit 45 based on the information received by the reception circuit 42, the audio generation circuit 45 performs DA conversion and the like, and the audio generation circuit 45 outputs the signal to the speaker 46. A sound is emitted from the speaker 45 based on the signal thus obtained. Then, when the consumer switches the operation switch of the operation unit 47, this information is output to the microcomputer 41, and based on the signal output from the microcomputer 41 to the LCD drive circuit 43 based on this information, the LCD drive circuit 43 Drives the LCD 44, and the image on the display screen of the LCD 44 is switched. The information from the radio can be stored in the RAM 48. For example, the information is stored in the RAM 48 before the store is opened, and the information stored in the RAM 48 when the consumer uses the shopping basket 1 is stored in the LC 48.
D44 may be sequentially displayed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the shopping basket 1 is stored in the shopping basket storage base 5 and another shopping basket 1 is repeatedly inserted. Box-shaped shopping basket storage stand 5
When the shopping basket 1 is inserted, the electrode 2
Contacts 5a, 5a for contacting the movable contacts 2c, 2c are connected, and the contacts 5a, 5a are connected to a charger (not shown). When the shopping basket 1 is stored, the movable contacts 2c, 2c abut against the contacts 5a, 5a. In this state, the movable contacts 2c, 2c are pushed toward the fixed contacts 2a, 2a, and the springs 2b, 2b contract. .

The shopping basket 1 is stored in the shopping basket storage 5,
When another shopping basket 1 is inserted and stored in this shopping basket 1, the tips of the movable contacts 2c, 2c of the other shopping basket 1 abut against the fixed contacts 2a, 2a of the lower shopping basket 1, and in this state. The movable contacts 2c, 2c are pushed to the fixed contacts 2a, 2a side of the other shopping basket 1 so that the springs 2b, 2b contract, and the electrodes 2, 2 of the two shopping baskets 1 are connected up and down.

Each time the shopping basket 1 is stored, similarly,
The electrodes 2, 2 of the shopping basket 1 are connected to the lower electrodes 2, 2. The electrodes 2, 2 of the lowermost shopping basket 1 are connected to the charger via the contacts 5a, 5a of the shopping basket storage 5,
Since the electrodes 2, 2 of each shopping basket are connected to the electrodes of each secondary battery 3, each secondary battery 3 of each shopping basket 1 is connected in parallel to the charger, and each secondary battery 3 is connected. 3 are charged simultaneously. In the first embodiment, even when one shopping basket 1 is not steadily inserted into another shopping basket 1, the connection between the electrodes 2 of the shopping basket 1 is covered by the deformation of the spring 2b. As long as possible, by connecting the electrodes 2, 2 of the lowermost shopping basket 1 to the charger, the secondary batteries 3 of each shopping basket 1 are connected in parallel to the chargers and are charged simultaneously.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a shopping cart according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is inserted into another shopping cart and stored, and 6 in the figure is a shopping cart. Shopping cart 6
Is a first car storage part 6 having a shape whose tip is thinner than the rear end.
1 and a second car storage portion 62 also having a shape whose tip is thinner than the rear end.

The first shopping basket storage part 61 and the second shopping storage part 62 are connected at four corners by legs 63, 63, 63, 63, and at the ends of the legs 63, 63, 63, 63. Has wheels 64, 64, 64, 64 attached thereto.
At an upper portion of the back of the first shopping basket storage section 61, a shopping information display section installation section 65 is provided. A shopping information display section 66 is provided on the back of the shopping information display section installation section 65, and an LCD 66a, a speaker 66b, and an operation section 66c are provided on the back of the shopping information display section 66. The configuration of the shopping information display section 66 is the same as that of the shopping information display section 4 of the first embodiment.
The configuration is the same as

Electrodes 67, 67 are provided on both left and right sides of the shopping information display section installation section 65. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an end of the shopping information display unit installation unit 65. Electrode 67
Includes a flat fixed contact 67a, a spring 67b which is a coil spring having conductivity, and a pin-shaped movable contact 67c having a flange provided at one end. On both left and right sides of the shopping information display section installation section 65, a stepped through hole 65a having a large diameter at the rear and a small diameter at the front is provided, and the fixed contact 67a is provided with an opening surface of the through hole 65a. It is provided so as to be closed. The spring 67b is attached to the front surface of the fixed contact 67a. The other end of the spring 67b is made to protrude from the front surface of the shopping information display section installation section 65 with the flange locked on the step of the through hole 65a. The movable contact 67c fitted therein is connected.

At the bottom of the shopping information display section 65, a secondary battery (not shown) is provided.
Is connected to the secondary battery by a conducting wire, and a shopping information display 66
Are also connected to the secondary battery by conducting wires. At both ends of the upper surface of the shopping information display section installation section 65, grip sections 68 are bridged.

The shopping cart storage 7 has a shape in which the front end is thinner than the rear end, and is designed to insert and store the shopping cart 6. The shopping cart 6 is located on the left and right sides of the back of the shopping cart storage device.
Are inserted, the movable contacts 67c, 6
Contacts 7a, 7a for making contact with 7c,
The contacts 7a, 7a are connected to a charger (not shown).
When the shopping cart 6 is stored, its movable contact 6
The movable contacts 67c, 67c are pushed toward the fixed contacts 67a, 67a, and the springs 67b, 67b contract.

When the shopping cart 6 is stored in the shopping cart storage 7 and another shopping cart 6 is inserted and stored in the shopping cart 6, the tip ends of the movable contacts 67c of the other shopping cart 6 are first. Fixed contacts 67a, 67 of shopping cart 6
a, and in this state, the movable contacts 67c, 67c are pushed toward the fixed contacts 67a, 67a of the other shopping cart 6, the springs 67b, 67b contract, and the electrodes 67, 67 of the two shopping carts 6 are pushed. Connected back and forth.

Each time the shopping cart 6 is stored, the electrodes 67, 67 of the shopping cart 6 are connected to the electrodes 67, 67 of the shopping cart 6 in the same manner. Electrodes 67, 67 of state-of-the-art shopping cart 6
Are connected to the charger via the contacts 7a, 7a of the shopping cart storage device 7, and the electrodes 67, 67 of each shopping cart 6 are connected to the electrodes of each secondary battery. Each secondary battery will be connected in parallel to the charger, and each secondary battery will be charged simultaneously. In the second embodiment, even when one shopping cart 6 is not steadily inserted into another shopping cart 6, the connection between the electrodes 67 of the shopping cart 6 is covered by the deformation of the spring 67b. As far as the most advanced shopping cart 6
By connecting the electrodes 67, 67 to the charger, the secondary batteries of each shopping cart 6 are connected in parallel to the charger, and are charged simultaneously.

In the above embodiment, the electrode 2 of the shopping basket 1 (the electrode 67 of the shopping cart 6) is fixed to the flat fixed contact 2a (67a), the spring 2b (67b) which is a coil spring, and the pin-shaped. Is described in this order, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case of the electrode 2 of the shopping basket 1, the fixed contact 2a, the movable contact 2c, and the spring 2b composed of a leaf spring are arranged in this order, and when one shopping basket 1 is inserted into another shopping basket 1, the spring 2b is placed May be configured to abut on the fixed contact 2a of the shopping basket 1 and move toward the fixed contact 2a of one shopping basket 1 so that the electrodes 2 of the two shopping baskets 1 are vertically connected.

Further, the electrode 2 (67) may be constituted by a pin-shaped electrode alone. However, in this case, when the shopping basket 1 or the shopping cart 6 is stored, it must be steadily inserted into another shopping basket 1 or the shopping cart 6. Further, the electrode 2 is a shopping basket body 1a
And the electrodes 67 may be independently provided on the left and right sides of the back of the shopping cart 6. Various design changes can be made to the shopping basket 1 or the shopping cart 6 of the present invention.

[0036]

As described above, according to the first and fourth aspects of the present invention, since the display unit is provided, the consumer can reliably obtain useful information in real time while shopping. it can. Since the battery is charged, the cost of the battery can be reduced.

In the case of the second invention, the shopping basket body is
Since it has an upwardly expanding shape, a plurality of shopping baskets can be inserted into another shopping basket and stored therein, and at the time of this storage, the electrodes of each shopping basket are vertically connected. By connecting the electrodes of each shopping basket to the electrodes of the secondary battery in advance and connecting the electrodes of the lowest shopping basket to the charger, the secondary batteries of each shopping basket are connected in parallel to the charger. That is, each secondary battery is charged simultaneously.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a spring is interposed between the movable contact and the fixed contact, even if the shopping basket is not steadily inserted into another shopping basket, these shopping baskets are deformed by the spring. By connecting the electrodes of the lowest shopping basket to the charger as long as the connection between the electrodes is covered, the secondary batteries of each shopping basket are connected in parallel to the charger and charged simultaneously.

In the case of the fifth invention, since the shopping cart body has a shape in which the front end is thinner than the rear end,
A plurality of shopping carts can be inserted and stored in another shopping cart, and in this storage, the electrodes of each shopping cart are connected back and forth. The electrodes of each shopping cart are connected in advance to the electrodes of the secondary battery, and the electrodes of the most advanced shopping cart are connected to the charger, so that the secondary batteries of each shopping cart are connected in parallel to the charger. That is, each secondary battery is charged simultaneously.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the spring is interposed between the movable contact and the fixed contact, even when the shopping cart is not steadily inserted into another shopping cart, the deformation of the spring causes the shopping cart to deform. By connecting the electrodes of the state-of-the-art shopping cart to the charger, as long as the connection between the electrodes is covered, the secondary batteries of each shopping cart are connected in parallel to the charger and charged simultaneously.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a shopping basket according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a shopping information display unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a shopping basket is stored in a shopping basket storage base and another shopping basket is repeatedly inserted and stored.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a shopping cart according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is inserted and stored in another shopping cart.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an end of a shopping information display unit installation unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shopping basket 2 Electrode 2a Fixed contact 2b Spring 2c Movable contact 3 Secondary battery 4 Shopping information display part 44 LCD 46 Speaker 47 Operation part 6 Shopping cart 67 Electrode 67a Fixed contact 67b Spring 67c Movable contact 7 Shopping cart storage tool

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A display unit for displaying shopping information, a secondary battery for driving the display unit, and a pair of electrodes for connecting the secondary battery to a charger. Shopping basket to feature. 2. The shopping basket according to claim 1, wherein the shopping basket main body has an upwardly expanding shape, and the electrode is provided on an upper portion of the shopping basket main body. 3. The fixed electrode exposed on the upper surface of the shopping basket main body, a pin-shaped movable contact with a lower end protruding, and the electrode interposed between the fixed contact and the movable contact. 3. The shopping basket of claim 2, further comprising a conductive spring biasing the contacts downward. 4. A display for displaying shopping information, a secondary battery for driving the display, and a pair of electrodes for connecting the secondary battery to a charger. Shopping cart to feature. 5. The shopping cart according to claim 4, wherein the electrodes are provided on both left and right sides of a back portion of the shopping cart main body, the tip of which is thinner than the rear end. 6. The electrode, wherein the electrode is interposed between the fixed contact and the movable contact, a fixed contact exposed at the back of the shopping cart main body, a pin-shaped movable contact with a protruding tip, and the movable contact. 6. The shopping cart according to claim 5, further comprising a conductive spring for urging the contact point forward.