shopping cart

Abstract

We provide a shopping cart that can weigh goods loaded in multiple locations. [Solution] The shopping cart comprises a loading section in which a plurality of loading sections for placing goods are connected in an orderly fashion, a weighing section provided below the loading section for weighing the load of the loading section, and a main body equipped with wheels that supports the loading section and the weighing section so as to be transportable.

Description

[[TECHNICAL FIELD]]

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to shopping carts. [[BACKGROUND ART]]

[0002] Conventionally, shopping carts for loading and carrying products are installed in retail stores and mass retailers and used by customers. Customers move around the store with a shopping cart and load products to be purchased into the shopping cart.

[0003] Many such shopping carts are configured to be used by placing shopping baskets provided in the store. In addition, many such shopping carts allow shopping baskets to be placed in two upper and lower tiers. The shopping baskets placed on the shopping cart are the same as the shopping baskets used by customers who do not use a cart.

[0004] Here, one type of shopping cart that has become increasingly popular in recent years is a shopping cart with a POS function that includes at least part of the POS functionality. The POS function provided in such a shopping cart with POS function is implemented, for example, by a tablet-type or smartphone-type terminal device, which is responsible for at least product registration, and some also have a payment function. Product registration on a shopping cart with a POS function is performed, for example, by reading a barcode attached to a product with a camera included in a mobile terminal. Customers load registered products into the shopping cart.

[0005] In the operation as described above, unregistered products may be loaded into the shopping cart due to customer error or fraud. In this case, there is a risk that the unregistered loaded product will be taken away by the customer without being paid for, which is inconvenient. In order to prevent such inconveniences in advance, there are shopping carts provided with a weighing unit that measures the loaded load.

[0006] However, since conventional shopping carts can only weigh items at one location, if shopping carts are placed in multiple locations, there is a risk that items may not be registered in the shopping cart that cannot be weighed. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a shopping cart capable of weighing goods that are loaded in multiple locations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The shopping cart of this embodiment comprises a loading section in which a plurality of loading sections for placing goods are connected in an orderly manner, a weighing section provided below the loading section for weighing the load of the loading section, and a main body equipped with wheels that supports the loading section and the weighing section so as to be transportable. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance and structure of a shopping cart according to an embodiment, and is a perspective view of the shopping cart seen from the front and diagonally above. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance and structure of the shopping cart according to the embodiment, and is a perspective view of the shopping cart seen from the rear and diagonally below. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a side view of the shopping cart according to the embodiment, illustrating the state in which the shopping basket is placed and how the shopping basket is placed on and removed. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a side view showing an example of how the weighing unit is installed. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the stopper's installation. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (First Embodiment) Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show examples of the external appearance and structure of the shopping cart 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the shopping cart 1 seen from the front and diagonally above, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of the shopping cart 1 seen from the rear and diagonally below.

[0011] In the following explanation, a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system consisting of the X, Y, and Z axes is used. The X axis represents the width direction (left-right direction) of the shopping cart 1, the Y axis represents the depth direction (front-back direction) of the shopping cart 1, and the Z axis represents the height direction (up-down direction) of the shopping cart 1. In the diagram, the direction indicated by the arrow is the positive direction, the positive direction of the Y axis is the front of the shopping cart 1, and the positive direction of the Z axis is the top.

[0012] Shopping cart 1 includes a terminal device 10, a main body 20, a loading section 30, a battery storage section 40, a weighing section 50, a stopper 60, and the like.

[0013] The battery compartment 40 houses the battery. The terminal device 10 and the metering unit 50 operate using the power supplied by the battery housed in the battery compartment 40.

[0014] The terminal device 10 consists of a tablet-type mobile terminal and provides at least a portion of the POS functions.

[0015] In this embodiment, the terminal device 10 is responsible for product registration. Specifically, the terminal device 10, for example, uses a built-in camera to capture an image of the barcode attached to the product, decodes the barcode to obtain a product code, and then queries a higher-level device such as a store server to obtain product information corresponding to the product code. The terminal device 10 then registers the obtained product information and quantity. Note that the device used to capture the barcode in the terminal device 10 is not limited to a camera; it can also be implemented using a dedicated scanner. In this case, the dedicated scanner may be, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) scanner.

[0016] The store's payment system handles the payment of registered items. This system includes, for example, a scanner, card reader, and change dispenser. The scanner reads the two-dimensional code displayed by the terminal device 10. This allows the payment system to identify the items to be paid for. The payment system also uses the card reader for credit card payments and the change dispenser for cash payments.

[0017] In implementation, the terminal device 10 may be composed of other types of terminal devices, such as a smartphone-type mobile terminal. Also, in implementation, the terminal device 10 may be equipped with a payment function. If payment is also made using the terminal device 10, it is easier to implement if it is a cashless payment (payment without using cash). Cashless payments include, for example, credit card payments and electronic payments via code symbols such as two-dimensional codes.

[0018] The main body 20 supports the loading section 30 and weighing section 50 so that they can be transported, and includes a base frame 21, wheels 22, vertical frames 23, handles 24, auxiliary frames 25, end support sections 26, and the like.

[0019] The base frame 21 is a roughly U-shaped frame, with the open side of the U (between the two ends) facing the rear of the shopping cart 1 (negative direction of the Y-axis). Inside the area enclosed by the base frame 21, beam-like sections 211 and 212 are placed, with their longitudinal direction oriented in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the shopping cart 1. The beam-like sections 211 and 212 reinforce the base frame 21 and make it less prone to bending.

[0020] Furthermore, a beam-like section 213 is placed between the beam-like sections 211 and 212, with its longitudinal direction oriented in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction) of the shopping cart 1. A weighing unit 50 is attached to the beam-like section 213. The weighing unit 50 is located below the loading section 30 and weighs the load of the loading section 30.

[0021] Here, in the present embodiment, the loading section 30 is disposed connected to the weighing section 50, and is disposed in a state of not contacting the main body section 20. The weighing section 50 is interposed between the loading section 30 and the main body section 20, and the loading section 30 is connected to and supported by the main body section 20 via the weighing section 50. This allows the weighing section 50 to accurately measure the load of the loading section 30.

[0022] The wheels 22 are disposed below the four corners of the base frame 21 to facilitate movement of the shopping cart 1.

[0023] The vertical frames 23 are erected on the rear side of the base frame 21 with their longitudinal direction oriented vertically (vertical direction, Z-axis direction). The vertical frames 23 are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the shopping cart 1, forming a pair. The upper portions of the vertical frames 23 are continuous with the handle 24.

[0024] Between the pair of vertical frames 23, three beam-shaped portions 231, 232, 233 are spanned with appropriate intervals in the vertical direction between the vertical frames. The terminal support portion 26 is provided on the beam-shaped portion 231 provided at the upper part of the vertical frames 23. A battery storage portion 40 for storing a battery is attached to the other beam-shaped portions 232, 233 from the back side of the shopping cart 1. Furthermore, a loop 234 into which the lower end of an umbrella or walking cane hung on the handle 24 can be inserted is provided on the back side of the lowermost beam-shaped portion 233.

[0025] The handle 24 is a portion that a customer grasps when moving the shopping cart 1, and is provided projecting from the upper part of the vertical frames 23 toward the rear of the shopping cart 1. The handle 24 of the present embodiment has a substantially U-shape, in which portions extending rearward from the upper parts of the left and right vertical frames 23 are continuous with a portion that is long in the left-right direction.

[0026] The auxiliary frame 25 is provided at the bottom of the vertical frame 23, protruding from the rear side towards the rear. The rear end of the base frame 21 is fixed to each of the lower ends of the auxiliary frame 25. In other words, the rear end of the base frame 21 is located behind the vertical frame 23. In addition, a pair of rear wheels 22 (rear wheels) of the shopping cart 1 are rotatably attached to the lower ends of the auxiliary frame 25.

[0027] Here, the loading section 30 is located in front of the vertical frame 23 and above the base frame 21. Due to this structure, the pair of wheels 22 attached to the auxiliary frame 25 are located outside the area of ​​the planar projection of the loading section 30. The handle 24 is also located outside the area of ​​the planar projection of the loading section 30, on the same side as the wheels 22 attached to the auxiliary frame 25. In other words, the handle 24 is located above the wheels 22 attached to the auxiliary frame 25.

[0028] The terminal support section 26 is attached to a beam-like section 231 that spans the upper part of a pair of vertical frames 23, and supports the terminal device 10 at its upper end 261. As a result, the terminal device 10 is positioned above the main body section 20.

[0029] The loading section 30 includes two loading sections 31 and 32 (lower loading section 31 and upper loading section 32) for receiving goods, and a pair of left and right connecting sections 33 that connect these two sections in an up-and-down arrangement. In this embodiment, the loading section 30 has two loading sections 31 and 32, but there may be three or more. The storage sections 31 and 32 can each accommodate a shopping basket 2 (see Figure 3, described later) provided in the store. The shopping basket 2 is an example of a container in which goods are placed.

[0030] The lower loading section 31 has a frame 310, which is a roughly U-shaped frame member, and beam-like sections 311, 312, and 313. The frame 310 has its U-shaped open side (between both ends) facing the rear of the shopping cart 1 (negative direction of the Y-axis). The beam-like sections 311, 312, and 313 are positioned inside the area enclosed by the frame 310, with their longitudinal direction facing the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the shopping cart 1. The beam-like sections 311 and 312 reinforce the frame 310 and make it less prone to bending. The beam-like section 313 is located directly below the center of gravity of the loading section 30 and is connected to the weighing section 50.

[0031] Similarly, the mounting section 32 has a frame 320, which is a roughly U-shaped frame member, and beam-like sections 321 and 322. The frame 320 has its U-shaped open side (between both ends) facing the rear of the shopping cart 1 (negative direction of the Y-axis). The beam-like sections 321 and 322 are placed inside the area enclosed by the frame 320, with their longitudinal direction facing the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the shopping cart 1. The beam-like sections 321 and 322 reinforce the frame 320 and make it less prone to bending.

[0032] The mounting sections 31 and 32 are further provided with basket holders 34 and 35 that surround the lower part of the shopping basket 2 placed on the mounting sections 31 and 32. The basket holder 34 has a roughly U-shape and is provided to surround the lower part of the back and left and right sides of the shopping basket 2, and is supported at a predetermined height by four pillars 341. The basket holder 35 is provided in a position opposite the lower front of the shopping basket 2, has a long rod-like shape in the left-right direction (X-axis direction), and is supported at a predetermined height by a pair of pillars 351.

[0033] The connecting section 33 is a pair of left and right columnar parts that connect the left and right ends of the frame 310 and frame 320 vertically, respectively, and support the lower mounting section 31 and the upper mounting section 32 in a cantilevered manner. A beam-like section 331 is placed between the connecting sections 33 with its longitudinal direction oriented horizontally (X-axis direction). The beam-like section 331 reinforces the loading section 30 and makes it less prone to bending.

[0034] Figure 3 is a side view of the shopping cart 1 of the embodiment, illustrating the state in which the shopping basket 2 is placed and how to place and remove the shopping basket 2. The loading section 30 is cantilevered from the rear by the connecting section 33, which supports the two loading sections 31 and 32. Therefore, the shopping basket 2 can be placed on and removed from the lower loading section 31 from the front or left and right sides of the shopping cart 1.

[0035] The heights of the basket holders 34 and 35 are set to such an extent that the shopping basket 2 can be placed on and off, or at least easily, and that the shopping basket 2 can be held securely.

[0036] Due to the inclusion of a weighing unit 50, the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment is difficult to stack deeply in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction) like conventional shopping carts. However, it is possible to stack them shallowly so that the weighing units 50 do not overlap vertically but are placed side by side. Therefore, in order to reduce the floor space required in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction) when stacked, the shopping basket 2 of the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment is placed horizontally. In other words, the placement sections 31 and 32 have a shape that allows the shopping basket 2 to be placed with its shorter side aligned with the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction) of the main body 20.

[0037] Due to the structure described above, the longitudinal direction of the shopping basket 2 is aligned with the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the main body 20, which may give the impression that the width dimension of the main body 20 has increased. However, in reality, since the shopping basket 2 is shaped to narrow from the opening towards the bottom, the width dimension of the mounting sections 31 and 32 can be kept to about the same extent as the width dimension of conventional shopping carts. Therefore, the width dimension required for the group of shopping carts 1 that are stacked without the shopping basket 2 does not need to be significantly larger than conventional carts, and can even be kept to about the same extent as conventional carts.

[0038] When stacked, the front end surface 210 of the base frame 21 of the shopping cart 1 comes into contact with the back surface of the beam-shaped portion 211. To address this, at least one of the front end surface 210 of the base frame 21 and the back surface of the beam-shaped portion 211 is equipped with a cushioning material to mitigate the impact when they come into contact.

[0039] Figure 4 is a side view showing an example of how the weighing unit 50 is installed. The weighing unit 50 is, for example, a single-point load cell and is installed as shown in the figure. Specifically, the weighing unit 50 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape, with the lower surface of one end in the longitudinal direction fixed to the beam-shaped portion 213 of the main body 20 by a screw 54, and the upper surface of the other end in the longitudinal direction fixed to the central part of the beam-shaped portion 313 of the loading unit 30 by a screw 53. A spacer 52 is interposed between the beam-shaped portion 213 of the main body 20 and the weighing unit 50, and a spacer 51 is interposed between the beam-shaped portion 313 of the loading unit 30 and the weighing unit 50. As a result, a predetermined gap is created between the weighing unit 50 and the main body 20, and a predetermined gap is also created between the weighing unit 50 and the loading unit 30.

[0040] The beam-like section 313 is positioned to pass directly beneath the center of gravity of the loading section 30, and the central part of the beam-like section 313 is fixed to the weighing section 50, so the loading section 30 is supported by the weighing section 50. In other words, the load of the loading section 30 (including the load of the shopping baskets 2 loaded on the loading section 30 and the goods inside) acts on the weighing section 50. As a result, the weighing section 50 weighs the load of the loading section 30. The output of the weighing section 50 is output to, for example, the terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 detects the status of adding goods to the loading section 30 from the output of the weighing section 50.

[0041] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the installation state of the stopper 60. The stopper 60 has four protrusions 61 that protrude downward from the loading section 30 and four protrusions 62 that protrude upward from the base frame 21. The protrusions 61 and 62 are positioned so that their tips abut each other, and their tips face each other at a predetermined interval when the loading section 30 is not tilted, and move toward and away from each other according to the tilt of the loading section 30. With this structure, the stopper 60 keeps the tilt of the loading section 30 within an acceptable range. This prevents the loading section 30 from tilting beyond the acceptable range, and prevents damage to the weighing section 50.

[0042] Furthermore, it is preferable that the tip of one of the two protrusions 61 and 62 of the stopper 60 is formed in a cylindrical shape that receives the insertion of the other tip, so that the protrusions 61 and 62 can be precisely abutted together and the abutted state will not slip and move away.

[0043] A shopping cart 1 with this configuration is used by a user, such as a customer. The user places a shopping basket 2 on at least one of the loading sections 31 and 32 and loads goods into the shopping basket 2. The load received by the weighing section 50 from the loading section 30 increases or decreases according to the increase or decrease in the goods in the shopping basket 2. The weighing section 50 outputs the measured value to, for example, a terminal device 10. Based on the output of the weighing section 50, the terminal device 10 determines whether the timing of the increase or decrease in goods loaded on the loading section 30 matches the timing of product registration, or whether the weight of the goods matches the weight of the registered goods. If it determines that they do not match, the terminal device 10 outputs, for example, an alert or an error. This output is performed, for example, by a display device or speaker provided by the terminal device 10.

[0044] According to the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment, the loads placed on multiple loading sections 31 and 32 can be weighed together using a single weighing unit 50. In other words, the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment can weigh goods loaded in multiple locations. This makes it possible to reliably detect unregistered goods when a shopping cart with multiple loading sections is responsible for product registration. Furthermore, it is possible to suppress cost increases compared to cases where multiple weighing units are provided. Moreover, when multiple weighing units are provided, the shopping cart becomes heavier and more difficult to handle, which is an undesirable issue. However, since the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment is composed of a single weighing unit 50, it can be made lighter than shopping carts with multiple weighing units, improving operability during use.

[0045] Furthermore, in the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment, the multiple loading sections 31 and 32 are connected vertically by a columnar connecting section 33 that supports the loading sections 31 and 32 in a cantilevered manner. This allows for easy loading and unloading of the shopping basket 2 and goods from the side without the connecting section 33.

[0046] Furthermore, in the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment, the mounting sections 31 and 32 have a shape that allows the shopping basket 2 to be mounted with its shorter side aligned with the front-to-back direction of the main body 20. This makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the shopping cart 1 in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction), thereby reducing the space required by a stack of shopping carts 1.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment, at least one pair of wheels 22 are located outside the area of ​​the planar projection of the loading section 30. As a result, even if the front-to-rear dimensions of the shopping cart 1 are reduced compared to conventional designs, the stability of the shopping cart 1 can be obtained.

[0048] Furthermore, the handle 24 is positioned above the wheels 22 mentioned above. This allows for stability when moving the shopping cart 1 in the forward and backward directions, even if the front-to-back dimensions of the shopping cart 1 are reduced compared to conventional designs.

[0049] Furthermore, since the shopping cart 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a stopper 60, the inclination of the loading section 30 can be kept within an acceptable range.

[0050] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, and combinations are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1... Shopping cart, 2... Shopping basket, 10…Terminal devices, 20...Main body, 21...Base frame, 210...Front end face, 211~213...Beam-like section, 22...wheels, 23...Vertical frame, 231~233...Beam-like section, 234...Loop, 24... Handle, 25... Auxiliary frame, 26... Terminal support section, 30... Loading section, 31...Lower mounting section (mounting section), 310...Frame, 311~313...Beam-like section, 32... Mounting section (mounting section), 320... Frame, 321, 322... Beam-like section, 33...Connection part, 331...Beam-like part, 34... Basket holder, 341... Pillar, 35... Basket holder, 351... Pillar, 40...Battery compartment, 50... Measuring section, 51, 52... Spacer, 53, 54... Screw, 60... Stopper, 61, 62... Protrusion. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0052] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-528537

Claims

1. A loading section in which multiple loading sections for placing goods are connected in an orderly fashion, A weighing unit is provided below the loading section for weighing the load of the loading section, A main body equipped with wheels, which supports the loading section and the weighing section so that they can be transported, A shopping cart equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The shopping cart according to claim 1, wherein the loading section is arranged in connection with the weighing section and is arranged in a manner that does not come into contact with the main body.

3. The aforementioned loading section is connected by a columnar connecting section that supports the aforementioned loading section in a cantilevered manner, thereby connecting multiple aforementioned loading sections in an orderly fashion. The shopping cart according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned mounting section has a shape that allows a container in which the product is to be placed to be mounted such that the shorter side of the container is aligned with the front-to-back direction of the main body. A shopping cart according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. At least one pair of the wheels are located outside the area of ​​the planar projection of the loading section, and the main body further comprises handles located above them. The shopping cart according to claim 4.

6. The loading section is further provided with stoppers located between the four corners of the loading section and the main body, which limit the inclination of the loading section to an acceptable range. A shopping cart according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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