Shopping cart

Abstract

To provide a shopping cart capable of surely fastening information input and output terminals in various sizes to a cart main body at a predetermined angle.SOLUTION: A shopping cart includes a cart main body, an attachment, screws, and a spacer. A cart main body includes an attachment member. The attachment is formed in a tabular shape, is placed at the back-surface side of a portable information input and output terminal, and is for attaching such information input and output terminal. The screws tighten and fasten the attachment to the attachment member. The spacer is fastened and provided at the attachment-member side of the attachment, has screw holes which are engaged with the respective screws, and which extend in the thickness direction of the attachment, and with the screws passing through respective through-holes of the attachment member being engaged with the respective screw holes so as to tighten and fasten the attachment to the attachment member, forms a clearance between the back surface and the through-holes in such a way that the tip of each screw does not reach the back surface of the information input and output terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a shopping cart to which an information input / output terminal such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone can be attached. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, self-service point-of-sale (POS) systems, where shoppers register their purchases, have become increasingly popular. Self-service POS systems include those equipped with a tablet and scanner attached to a shopping cart, and those that use smartphones.

[0003] For example, a known mounting device for attaching a smartphone to a shopping cart is one in which a smartphone holder is attached to the tip of an arm fixed to the handle of the shopping cart. The arm is, for example, a curved pipe, and its tip extends horizontally at a distance above the handle of the shopping cart. The smartphone holder is fixed to the tip of the arm with a single screw coaxial with the horizontal part of the arm. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3231209 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The conventional mounting device described above fixes the holder to the arm with a single horizontally extending screw, allowing the tilt angle of the holder to be adjusted and the smartphone to be positioned at a desired angle. However, with the conventional mounting device, the holder may rotate around the screw, potentially changing the angle of the smartphone.

[0006] Furthermore, the holder of the above-described conventional attachment device has a structure that allows it to hold a smartphone, but does not have a structure that allows it to attach other information input / output terminals of different sizes, such as tablet terminals.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a shopping cart that can reliably fix information input / output terminals of various sizes to the cart body at a predetermined angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The shopping cart of the embodiment has a cart body, an attachment, a screw, and a spacer. The cart body is equipped with a mounting member. The attachment is plate-shaped and is placed on the back side of the portable information input / output terminal to which the information input / output terminal is attached. The screw fastens and secures the attachment to the mounting member. The spacer is fixed to the mounting member side of the attachment and has a screw hole extending in the thickness direction of the attachment into which the screw is screwed. When the screw is threaded through the insertion hole of the mounting member and the attachment is fastened to the mounting member, the spacer separates the back side from the insertion hole so that the tip of the screw does not reach the back side of the information input / output terminal. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a shopping cart according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the main parts of the shopping cart of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a further enlarged view of the main part of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the spacer of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the tablet terminal of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a POS system including the tablet terminal of FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of a shopping cart according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the state where the cover of the case of FIG. 7 is open. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shopping cart 100 according to one embodiment includes a cart body 10, a tablet terminal 20, an attachment 30, a scanner 40, a battery 50, and the like. In the following description, the left-right, front-back, and top-bottom directions are defined as seen from the perspective of a user facing the display screen of the tablet terminal 20. In addition, in each figure, the direction from left to right is indicated by arrow X, the direction from back to front is indicated by arrow Y, and the direction from bottom to top is indicated by arrow Z.

[0011] The cart body 10 comprises a lower frame 15 equipped with four wheels 11, 12, 13, and 14, two main frames 16 and 17 extending upward from the front end of the lower frame 15, a handle 18 attached above the main frames 16 and 17, and a basket holder frame 19 attached midway between the main frames 16 and 17. Below the basket holder frame 19 and above the lower frame, there is another basket holder frame 90.

[0012] The lower frame 15 has a shape, for example, of a metal pipe bent into a U-shape, and is placed horizontally with both ends facing rearward. Both ends of the lower frame 15 are flared toward the rear. The lower frame 15 is provided with two rear wheels 14, 15 near both ends. The two front wheels 11, 12 are attached to the front end, located in the middle of the lower frame 15. The two main frames 16, 17 are curved in an S-shape, inclined rearward from their lower ends, and extend parallel to each other. The lower ends of each main frame 16, 17 are connected to the front end of the lower frame 15.

[0013] Handle 18 is, for example, a straight metal pipe that is fixed horizontally and intersects with the two main frames 16, 17, slightly below the upper ends of main frames 16, 17. On both the left and right ends of handle 18, there are hooks 181 for hanging luggage, umbrellas, etc. Basket holder frame 19 has a lower frame portion 191 that receives the bottom of a shopping basket (not shown), an upper frame portion 192 that receives the periphery of the shopping basket, and a connecting portion 193 that connects lower frame portion 191 and upper frame portion 192.

[0014] The shopping cart 100 has a tablet terminal 20 detachably attached to the upper ends of the main frames 16, 17 via an attachment 30. A scanner 40 is located at the rear of the main frames 16, 17 between the tablet terminal 20 and the handle 18. The scanner 40 reads the barcodes of purchased items to be placed in the shopping cart. A battery 50 is located at the front near the lower ends of the main frames 16, 17. The battery 50 supplies power to the tablet terminal 20.

[0015] 3, the tablet terminal 20 has a flat back surface 21 on the side opposite to the display screen (not shown here). The back surface 21 of the tablet terminal 20 has four screw holes 22, 23, 24, and 25 for fastening and fixing the tablet terminal 20 to the attachment 30. The screw holes 22, 23, 24, and 25 are, for example, bottomed screw holes that are perpendicular to the back surface 21. The tablet terminal 20 is an example of an information input / output terminal that displays various information to a user and receives various input operations by the user.

[0016] The attachment 30 has a flat metal plate 31 with a predetermined thickness. The metal plate 31 has four insertion holes 32, 33, 34, and 35 through which screws 36 for fastening and fixing the tablet terminal 20 are inserted. The four insertion holes 32, 33, 34, and 35 are holes that penetrate the metal plate 31. The four insertion holes 32, 33, 34, and 35 are positioned so as to overlap coaxially with the four screw holes 22, 23, 24, and 25 provided on the rear surface 21 of the tablet terminal 20, respectively.

[0017] When fastening and fixing the tablet terminal 20 to the attachment 30, the back surface 21 of the tablet terminal 20 is brought into contact with the surface of the metal plate 31 of the attachment 30, and screws 36 inserted through the four insertion holes 32, 33, 34, and 35 from the back surface 37 side of the metal plate 31 are screwed into the four screw holes 22, 23, 24, and 25 of the tablet terminal 20, respectively.

[0018] The attachment 30 includes a holder 38 for attaching a hand scanner (not shown). The holder 38 is fixed to the surface of the metal plate 31 adjacent to the left side of the tablet terminal 20 attached to the attachment 30. The hand scanner is used to read the barcodes of purchased items.

[0019] The metal plate 31 of the attachment 30 has a flat back surface 37 opposite to the surface facing the tablet terminal 20. The attachment 30 has a plate-shaped spacer 60 fixed to the back surface 37 of the metal plate 31. The spacer 60 is, for example, a substantially rectangular metal plate that has been shaped. The spacer 60 is fixed to the back surface 37 of the metal plate 31 by, for example, welding. The spacer 60 is parallel to the metal plate 31. The spacer 60 is located near the bottom end of the attachment 30, offset to the right side.

[0020] 4, the spacer 60 has four screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65 for threading in four screws 61 for fastening and fixing the attachment 30 to the cart body 10. In this embodiment, each of the screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65 passes through the spacer 60. Each of the screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65 may be a bottomed hole whose end on the rear surface 21 side of the tablet terminal 20 is closed.

[0021] When four screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65 are provided through the spacer 60 as in this embodiment, bottomed relief holes (not shown) may be provided in the back surface 37 of the metal plate 31 of the attachment 30 so as to overlap coaxially with the screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65. In this case, the tip of the screw 61 screwed into each of the screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65 of the spacer 60 enters the relief hole provided in the back surface 37 of the metal plate 31.

[0022] The cart body 10 is provided with a fixing plate 70 for attaching the attachment 30 to the upper ends of the two main frames 16, 17. The fixing plate 70 is, for example, a substantially rectangular metal plate, and is fixed by welding, for example, in a position inclined at a predetermined angle to the upper ends of the two main frames 16, 17. The attachment angle of the fixing plate 70 is the same as the inclination angle of the display unit of the tablet terminal 20. The fixing plate 70 functions as a mounting member.

[0023] The fixing plate 70 has four insertion holes 72, 73, 74, and 75 at positions that coaxially overlap the four screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65 of the spacer 60. The four insertion holes 72, 73, 74, and 75 are holes that penetrate the fixing plate 70 to allow the screws 61 to be inserted therethrough.

[0024] When fastening and fixing the spacer 60 fixed to the attachment 30 to the fixed plate 70, the back surface 66 of the spacer 60 is brought into contact with the surface of the fixed plate 70, and the screws 61 inserted into the four through holes 72, 73, 74, and 75 from the back surface 76 side of the fixed plate 70 are screwed into the four screw holes 62, 63, 64, and 65 of the spacer 60, respectively.

[0025] The shopping cart 100 is provided with a rear cover 80 that covers the rear surface 37 of the attachment 30 that is fixed to the cart body 10 by fastening and fixing the spacer 60 to the fixing plate 70. The rear cover 80 is molded, for example, from resin, and covers various wires 82 that connect to the tablet terminal 20 and the heads of the screws 61 that fasten and fix the spacer 60 to the fixing plate 70 of the cart body 10, improving the appearance of the rear side of the tablet terminal 20.

[0026] Because the spacer 60 is positioned to the right of the center in the left-right direction of the attachment 30, the tablet terminal 20 attached to the attachment 30 fixed to the cart body 10 is positioned to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the cart body 10. For this reason, the tablet terminal 20 is unlikely to get in the way when a right-handed user puts items in or takes items out of a shopping cart placed on the basket holder frame 19 located in the center in the left-right direction.

[0027] As described above, the shopping cart 100 of this embodiment has a structure that allows the tablet terminal 20 to be attached to the cart body 10 via the attachment 30, and therefore, by replacing the attachment 30 with another one, it is possible to attach another information input / output terminal with a different structure to the cart body 10. For example, if an attachment that is structured to be able to hold a smartphone is prepared, it is possible to attach the smartphone to the cart body 10 instead of the tablet terminal 20. In other words, according to this embodiment, it is possible to attach information input / output terminals of various sizes to the cart body 10 simply by replacing the attachment 30 without changing the structure of the cart body 10, thereby providing a highly versatile and convenient shopping cart.

[0028] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the spacer 60 fixed to the attachment 30 is fastened to the fixing plate 70 fixed to the cart body 10 with a plurality of screws 61, and the tablet terminal 20 is fastened to the attachment 30 with a plurality of screws 36. Therefore, the tablet terminal 20 can be securely attached to the cart body 10 at a predetermined angle, and the attachment angle of the tablet terminal 20 will not change during use.

[0029] 5, the tablet terminal 20 includes a control unit 110 including a processor, a memory 111, a wireless unit 112, a display unit 113, an input unit 114, etc. The tablet terminal 20 configures a computer by connecting the processor of the control unit 110 and the memory 111 via a system transmission path 115. The system transmission path 115 is a transmission path including an address bus, a data bus, control signal lines, etc. The tablet terminal 20 configures a circuit by connecting the wireless unit 112, the display unit 113, and the input unit 114 to the system transmission path 115.

[0030] The processor of the control unit 110 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor controls each unit to realize various functions of the tablet terminal 20 in accordance with an operating system or application programs. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0031] The memory 111 corresponds to the main memory of the computer. The memory 111 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The nonvolatile memory area of ​​the memory 111 stores an operating system and application programs. The volatile memory area of ​​the memory 111 stores data and the like required for the processor to execute processes for controlling each part. For example, the nonvolatile memory area is ROM (Read Only Memory). The volatile memory area is RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0032] The wireless unit 112 is a circuit for wirelessly communicating with a POS server 210 (FIG. 6) of the product registration system 200 (described later) via the communication network 300. The wireless unit 112 functions as a transmitter that transmits a data signal to the POS server 210 using a wireless communication method, and also functions as a receiver that receives a data signal transmitted from the POS server 210 using the same method.

[0033] The display unit 113 displays, for example, the prices of purchased items and the total amount read by the scanner 40. The display unit 113 also displays various text information to assist the shopper in their shopping. The display unit 113 can display images of various buttons that serve as software keys.

[0034] The input unit 114 receives input operations from various buttons displayed on the display unit 113. The input unit 114 is equipped with a touch sensor, and detects that an input operation has been performed when the user touches the display screen, and outputs an input signal.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the product registration system 200 includes a plurality of tablet terminals 20 attached to a plurality of shopping carts 100, a plurality of payment terminals 220, and a POS (Point Of Sales) server 210. The product registration system 200 connects the plurality of tablet terminals 20, the plurality of payment terminals 220, and the POS server 210 via a communication network 300 so that they can communicate with each other in both directions. The communication network 300 is typically a wireless local area network (LAN). The communication network 300 may also be a mobile communication network, a mobile phone communication network, or the like. The POS server 210 and the plurality of payment terminals 220 may be connected via a communication network different from the communication network 300.

[0036] The tablet terminal 20 is a portable wireless communication terminal powered by a battery 50. The tablet terminal 20 is lent to a shopper who visits a store in which the product registration system 200 has been installed, along with a shopping basket. The shopper, who is now the user of the tablet terminal 20, places the shopping basket in a shopping cart 100 and goes around the sales floor where products are displayed. When the shopper finds a product they wish to purchase, they read the product's barcode with the scanner 40 and add the product to the shopping basket. The tablet terminal 20 displays the price of the purchased product, etc., read by the scanner 40, on the display unit 113.

[0037] The payment terminal 220 is a terminal for settling commercial transactions with shoppers using the tablet terminal 20. The payment terminal 220 is installed in a checkout area that is separate from the sales floor. After shoppers have finished shopping in the sales floor, they move to the checkout area. The shoppers then settle the commercial transaction by operating the payment terminal 220 themselves to make payment. Payment methods include cash, credit card, electronic money, code payment, etc. The payment terminal 220 may be compatible with any one of the payment methods described above. Furthermore, the payment terminal 220 may be operated by a store clerk rather than by the shopper themselves. Such a payment terminal 220 may also be called a checkout machine, POS terminal, settlement machine, etc.

[0038] The POS server 210 is a server computer installed in the backyard of a store, etc. The POS server 210 collects and aggregates data on commercial transactions settled at the settlement terminal 220, and provides a service for managing store sales, product inventory, etc.

[0039] The POS server 210 includes databases such as a product database 211 and a recommendation database 212. The product database 211 is a collection of product records generated for each product sold in the sales floor. The recommendation database 212 is a collection of recommendation records generated for each piece of recommendation information. The recommendation information is information recommending products that are likely to attract the interest of shoppers. The recommendation information is provided to shoppers, for example, by being displayed on a signage terminal installed in the sales floor.

[0040] The POS server 210 stores multiple transaction files 213. The transaction file 213 is a data file that is created each time a shopper becomes a user of the tablet terminal 20. The transaction file 213 is an area for temporarily storing sales data of each purchased item identified via the tablet terminal 20 as data related to a commercial transaction with the shopper who is the user of the tablet terminal 20. The data related to the commercial transaction includes the product code, product name, price, discount amount, etc. of each purchased item. The total amount of the commercial transaction, calculated based on the price, discount amount, etc. of each purchased item, is also included in the data related to the commercial transaction.

[0041] (Variation) As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a shopping cart according to a modified example of this embodiment includes a case 500 that houses a tablet terminal 400 that does not have screw holes on the back surface. The case 500 includes a case body 501 that houses the tablet terminal 400, and a lid 502. The lid 502 can be opened and closed relative to the case body 501. Figure 8 shows a state in which the lid 502 is open relative to the case body 501. The lid 502 has a rectangular opening window 503 that exposes the display screen 401 of the tablet terminal 400 when the opening of the case body 501 is closed as shown in Figure 7.

[0042] The case body 501 has an internal storage space capable of storing the tablet terminal 400, and can store power cables and the like connected to the tablet terminal 400 on the rear side of the tablet terminal 400. Similar to the attachment 30 in the above-described embodiment, the case body 501 is provided with a spacer 60 (not shown here) on its rear side. As in the above-described embodiment, the case body 501 can be attached to the cart body 10 by fastening the spacer 60 fixed to its rear side to the fixing plate 70 of the cart body 10. Note that in this modified example as well, the spacer 60 separates the rear side of the case body 501 from the fixing plate 70 so that the tips of the screws 61 do not reach the tablet terminal 400 when the case body 501 is fastened to the fixing plate 70.

[0043] As described above, the modified example can also achieve the same effects as the above-described embodiment, and tablet terminals 400 of various sizes can be attached to the cart body 10 without changing the structure of the cart body 10.

[0044] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described, these embodiments and modifications are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments and modifications may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10...cart body, 20...tablet terminal, 21...back, 22, 23, 24, 25...screw holes, 30...attachment, 31...sheet metal, 32, 33, 34, 35...insertion holes, 36...screw, 37...back, 40...scanner, 50...battery, 60...spacer, 61...screw, 62, 63, 64, 65...screw holes, 66...back, 70...fixing plate, 72, 73, 74, 75...insertion holes, 80...back cover, 100...shopping cart, 110...control unit, 200...product registration system, 400...tablet terminal, 500...case, 501...case body, 502...lid body.

Claims

1. a cart body provided with a mounting member; a plate-shaped attachment disposed on the rear side of the portable information input / output terminal and for attaching the information input / output terminal; a screw for fastening the attachment to the workpiece; a spacer that is fixed to the attachment side of the workpiece and has a screw hole extending in the thickness direction of the attachment into which the screw is screwed, and that separates the back surface of the information input / output terminal from the insertion hole so that the tip of the screw does not reach the back surface of the information input / output terminal when the screw passed through the insertion hole of the workpiece is screwed into the screw hole to fasten and fix the attachment to the workpiece; A shopping cart with

2. the spacer is a plate-like member substantially parallel to the attachment, and the screw hole is a screw hole that penetrates the spacer in a thickness direction thereof. The shopping cart of claim 1 .

3. the workpiece is a plate-like member that is substantially parallel to the attachment, The insertion hole is a hole that penetrates the attached member in its thickness direction and is provided coaxially with the screw hole of the spacer. The shopping cart of claim 2.

4. a rear cover for covering the head of the screw; The shopping cart of claim 1 .

5. The attachment includes a holder for mounting a hand scanner. The shopping cart of claim 1 .

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