Abstract: An infant seat plate for hinge securement adjacent a rear wall of a shopping cart is provided for blocking the leg holes in the rear wall of the shopping cart, and for positioning over a wire seat frame which is positionable against the leg holes in the rear basket area of the shopping cart. The seat plate has a hinge connecting edge and is biased by a spring element against the rear wall to obstruct the leg holes. The improvement in the seat plate resides in a releasable retention member being secured to the seat plate for retention engagement of the seat plate with the wire seat frame when positioned thereover in a position of use to arrest the seat plate over the seat frame. As soon as the rear gate of the shopping cart is displaced on its lower hinge against the rear wall, it releases the retention member and the seat plate is urged automatically against the rear wall.

Abstract: A wire mesh edge protector comprised of a flexible plastic strip of generally U-shape cross-section is disposed over the top edge of wire mesh walls of shopping carts and other forms of material handling containers and baskets. The protector strip has opposed flexible side walls and a bottom wall with a trough defined therebetween and an enlargement is provided in the trough adjacent the bottom wall. The trough receives the straight wire rod end portions of the transverse wire mesh wall and a straight edge rod in clamping fit therein.

Abstract: An end-to-end nestable shopping cart having a frame supported on casters with a basket having an open top end supported elevated by the frame. The basket has a bottom wall, opposed side walls tapering inwardly from a rear end to a front end, a front wall, and a rear gate hinged along a top edge thereof and having leg holes therein. A handlebar is disposed rearwardly of the rear gate to displace the shopping cart on the casters. A babyseat compartment is defined in the basket between the rear gate and a hinged backrest disposed in the basket and spaced from the rear gate. The backrest has a hinged connection at the basket bottom wall for hinged displacement of the backrest forwardly over the bottom wall. Arresting means is provided to maintain the backrest upright above the bottom wall. The rear gate has engagement means to displace the backrest when in the upright position to a forward collapsed position over the bottom wall when another cart is nested through the rear gate.

Abstract: A hinge gate construction for a baby seat compartment of the type which is securable to a rear portion of an elevated frame of an over-the-counter shopping cart. The gate is hingedly secured under the bottom wall of the baby seat compartment and the main merchandise-carrying basket, and is displaceable from an upright arrested position to a collapsed position forwardly over the bottom wall of the merchandise carrying compartment. A sliding latch is displaceably secured in a top portion of the gate and has engageable extensions disposed outwardly of opposed end edges of the gate. These extensions are received in restraining cavities formed in a front edge of each of opposed side walls of the baby seat compartment by displacing the sliding latch upwardly to engage in these cavities. The gate is disengaged from the cavities by sliding the latch upwardly and hinging the gate forwardly over the bottom wall of the merchandise carrying basket.

Abstract: An improved material handling wire-mesh container having a bottom wall secured to a support frame, a rear and front wall hinged respectively to a rear and front edge of the bottom wall, and side walls hinged to a respective vertical end edge of the rear wall. Lock members are secured to the front wall adjacent opposed vertical edges thereof for locking the side walls and front wall in a vertical position with the rear wall disposed vertically. Each of the lock members has a latch secured to the front wall adjacent the vertical edge. The latch has a lock rod formed with a handle member and guidingly slidable in a keeper member so that the lock rod may be displaced axially. An arresting projection is secured to the lock rod for maintaining same in a lock position. Bolt receiving means is secured to each of the side walls for receiving a lock bolt end therein to secure the side walls to the front wall.

Abstract: For shopping carts wherein a lock is mounted on the handlebar thereof there is provided an improvement to arrest the lock to prevent it from tilting forward towards the shopping cart. The arresting bracket has a lock arresting portion to prevent the lock from tilting forward toward a rear gate portion of the cart. The bracket also has a bridge portion which extends from the lock arresting portion and terminates in an attachment end which is formed as a loop and is securable about the top horizontal wire of the rear gate. This bracket facilitates pulling a plurality of shopping carts nested together and interlocked by their locks, and further minimizes torsional stress placed on the fasteners holding the handlebar.

Abstract: A retention clamp for attachment to a wire frame of a shopping cart to retain substantially flat articles, such as advertising papers and magazines against a wire wall section of the cart. The clamp comprises a pressure retention member to apply retention pressure at spaced apart areas of the flat articles captive between the wire wall section and the member. The retention member has a pressure-biasing attachment end engageable with straight wire members of the wire frame to maintain the retention member pressure biased against the wire frame to define a clamping jaw for retaining the substantially flat articles in the jaw between the retention member and the wire frame.

Abstract: A locking device for interlocking at least two nested shopping carts. The device comprises a housing which is attachable at a predetermined location on a shopping cart, usually but not exclusively, the handlebar thereof. A coin-activated unlocking actuator is movably mounted in the housing for limited inward displacement thereof on a working axis. A locking mechanism is also displaceably mounted inside the housing and has a locking pin and lock pin displacing member. A key element is received in a key slot provided in the housing and is immovably engaged by the lock pin. An actuator retention member engages the actuator and is comprised of one or more retention elements, one of which has a pin ejector associated therewith. The key element has in its free end at least two lock activating contact points lying in different planes for disengaging the actuator retention member to thereby release the actuator and cause the locking mechanism to engage the key element in the housing.

Abstract: A handle for a shopping cart comprised of elongated tubular member having opposed securable ends. At each end of the tubular member there is provided a lock pin formation which extends outwardly thereof to be received in an arresting passageway of an attachment portion of a respective handle support arm secured to a shopping cart. A fastener element secures the ends of the tubular member to a respective one of the support arms and extends axially into the tubular member for retention of the lock pin formation in the passageway thereby preventing axial rotation of the tubular member. The end cross sections of each tubular member also constitutes an arresting formation which is nested in a retention cavity formed in the handle attachment portion of each of the handle support arms. This formation is received in close fit in the retention cavity to further prevent axial rotation of the handle.

Abstract: A shopping cart having a frame supported on casters, and wherein the frame defines a basket having side walls, a front and rear wall, a bottom wall, and an open top end. A handle bar is secured to the frame rearwardly of the rear wall to displace the shopping cart on the casters. The improvement comprises an elongated support rod secured to the frame and extending substantially vertically from a side wall above the open top end. The top end of the support rod is adapted to support an article of clothing. Another improvement resides in that a drinking container support bracket is secured intermediate the handle bar and the top edge of the rear wall.

Abstract: A collapsible and stackable material handling container comprising a collapsible basket defined by a bottom support wall, a rear wall hinged along a bottom edge to a rear edge of the bottom wall, a pair of side walls each hinged at a vertical rear edge to a respective one of opposed vertical edges of the rear wall, and a front wall hinged along a bottom edge to a front edge of the bottom wall. The improvement comprises a support frame formed with the bottom wall for supporting the basket and a load positionable therein elevated from a support surface. The support frame is a rectangular frame defined by opposed pairs of parallel outer tubular members and intermediate tubular members extending between the outer tubular members, all having sloped faces, and secured thereto to form a structural frame. A leg member is secured to a respective corner of the support frame and defines a hook flange. A corner plate is secured to the leg member and has a hook flange receiving channel in a top edge thereof.

Abstract: A nesting shopping cart comprising a basket support frame mounted on castors, and a container basket secured to the support frame. A handle is provided rearwardly in a top portion of the basket for pushing the cart to displace it. The container basket has a bottom wall and a rear hinged gate wall, a front wall, opposed side walls and an open top end. The improvement comprises wherein at least the opposed side walls of the basket are constructed at least in a major portion thereof as a solid flat wall having an information display on an outer surface thereof and wherein the side wall and/or information display is removably securable.