Abstract: A child seat includes a base and a seatback movable relative thereto between a retracted position, in which the seatback preferably is flush with a top of the base, and an extended position, in which a sitting area of the child seat is exposed for sitting and in which the seatback serves to support a child's back. The seatback of the child seat preferably includes a seat belt for restraint of a child when seated in the sitting area. A shopping cart includes the child seat. The seatback includes a gate movable between a retracted position, in which the gate preferably is flush with the seatback, and an extended position, in which the gate extends in a generally upright manner and partially blocks leg openings of the basket to keep items from falling there through when the seatback is in the retracted position.

Abstract: A shopping cart assembly includes a shopping cart for carrying purchased items in a retail environment. The shopping cart has a cage and a bottom shelf. A ramp is hingedly coupled to the cage of the shopping cart and the ramp is positionable in an open position for extending into a vehicle thereby facilitating the purchased items to be slid along the ramp into the vehicle for loading the purchased items into the vehicle. A counterweight unit is coupled to the shopping cart and the counterweight unit is actuated when the ramp is positioned in the open position. The counterweight unit transfers counterweight to an opposite side of the shopping cart with respect to the ramp when the counterweight unit is actuated to inhibit the shopping cart from tipping when the purchased items are unloaded from the shopping cart.

Abstract: A cart includes a chassis and attached wheels; an upper basket attached to the chassis; and a lower basket attached to the chassis. In some embodiments, the cart includes no widthwise push bar in a rear of the cart such that access is unobstructed to the upper and lower baskets from the rear of the cart by a person. In some embodiments, the chassis defines on each lateral side of the cart a pair of vertically spaced handles, each handle surrounding and defining an opening. The handles preferably include handle bars shaped in an oval. On each cart side a curved elongate member extends between and connects the handles, and the curved elongate members represent the rearmost part of the cart. The rear area of the upper basket defines a seat for an infant, and a rear ledge of the lower basket defines a seat for a toddler.

Abstract: A lifting apparatus to facilitate lifting and maneuvering of a scaffold or the like by a forklift is provided. The lifting apparatus includes two identical portions, each portion including two end structure portions and a backbone portion. The end structure portions removably secure the lifting apparatus to the scaffold. The backbone portion is adapted to accommodate the width of the working platform of a scaffold, to link the end structure portions together, and to provide locations for a forklift to attach to the lifting apparatus. The lifting apparatus is adapted to allow the forklift to align perpendicular or parallel to the length of the scaffold. Furthermore, the lifting apparatus aligns the lifting structure of the scaffold with the center of mass of the scaffold.

Abstract: A shopping cart has a vertically movable horizontal shelf that is normally positioned near the upper rim of the basket of the cart. The shelf is spring biased so that as it becomes loaded with shopping items, it tends to move downwardly within the basket. The upwardly oriented unloaded position of the shelf allows the cart to be nested with another such cart for storage. The shelf is mounted to the front wall of the cart on a pair of spaced apart telescoping tracks with springs biasing the shelf in the upward position. As the shelf is unloaded it tends to move upwardly thereby making it easier to unload the shopping cart.

Abstract: A checkout stand supported by a floor has a working surface at a specific elevation above the floor and is combined with a shopping cart comprising a wheeled chassis, a handle structure, and a basket having side, bottom, and front walls, which are fixed to one another. The upper edges of the side walls are parallel to each other and slope downwardly toward the front wall. Being spaced at least several inches below the upper edges of the side walls, the upper edge of a central region of the front wall is located approximately at the same elevation above the floor. Each of two side regions of the front wall has a stepped edge between the upper edge of one of the side regions and the upper edge of the central region of the front panel.

Abstract: A store check-out station comprises a working table, an input conveyor, and an offset output conveyor. The top surface of the working table is preferably shaped in the form of a truncated sector of a circle, having its input edge orthogonal to its output edge. The input and output conveyors are elongated transfer beds, preferably gravity roller beds. The longitudinal axis of the output transfer bed is laterally offset from that of the input transfer bed. In a preferred embodiment, adapted for use with grocery cart and container systems, the difference in height between the top surface of the working table and that of the transfer beds is approximately equal to the height of a merchandise container.

Abstract: A supermarket-type checkout counter facilitates two-handed scanning of merchandise coded indicia by an operator to speed up and simplify supermarket checkout procedures. A scanner is mounted in a module which, with a side live conveyor, a rear live conveyor, and a side conveyance table, define a workplace for the operator. A flat plate portion of the scanner is angled toward the operator. On the opposite side of the scanner from the workplace a vertical wall defines an area for receipt of an elevated-basket shopping cart. A side of the shopping cart is pivoted out of the way and an operator standing in the workplace can easily reach over the scanner to access merchandise within the cart, and move it over the scanner. Four columns elevate the basket of the cart from a wheeled base, and cooperating cams on the front of the cart and the rear of another cart effect pivotal movement of the basket about a horizontal axis into a nesting configuration.

Abstract: A counter system comprising at least one counter and a plurality of shopping carts. The counter includes a cashier's section and a conveyor band for articles and assists in defining a passage for the carts to move past the cashier's section. The counter further has a receiving section having a height from the floor slightly greater than the loading surface of the carts from the floor and the passage has a width smaller than the shopping carts so that a cart can move in the passage only when it is perpendicular to the passage and its loading surface extends below the receiving section whereby the receiving section removes any articles present on the loading surface of the cart when it passes the system.

Abstract: A supermarket counter construction to expedite movement through supermarket checkouts by permitting two lines of customers to follow simultaneously past a single cashier. THe construction contemplates automatic means under the control of the customer for advancing bags to be loaded, and the moving of loaded bags directly to the floor of a novel shopping cart without the necessity of lifting the bags from the counter.

Abstract: A counter is recessed along the customer aisle on the front end thereof in order to permit the customer to push the cart into the customer aisle and unload the cart within the aisle by standing at the side or front end of the cart and removing items to transfer them to the counter without interference from the handle at the rear of the cart. The counter is also recessed on the customer side of the aisle opposite the cashier to permit the customer once again to stand at the side of the cart and transfer items from the counter into open empty bags placed upon the floor of the cart, or to fill the bags on the counter and deposit them in the cart.