Disclosed is a trolley baseplate including a plate body having a head end and a tail end, a first locking mechanism on the plate body adjacent to the head end and a second locking mechanism on the plate body adjacent to the tail end. The second locking mechanism is placed corresponding to the first locking mechanism and the structures of the two locking mechanism are fitting. When front and back trolleys are concatenated, the tail end of the front trolley and the head end of the back trolley can be locked to each other by means of the first locking mechanism and the second locking mechanism. The trolleys with the above structures can be concatenated more conveniently, and are not liable to overturn upon sudden braking or turning, which can effectively shorten the time for the staff to fasten two trolleys together.

Methods and systems are provided for evaluating shopping cart wheels using a sensor module or one or more microphones engaged with the shopping cart. The microphones can be used to detect sounds generated by the wheels of the shopping cart. A sound signature can be determined from the detected sound and compared to sound signatures in a database. If the detected sound indicates that a wheel of the shopping cart is failing, an alert can be generated using an associate alert system.

A system for monitoring shopping carts or other human-propelled carts includes wireless access points that communicate on a wireless network with wheel assemblies of the carts. The system is capable of monitoring a path followed by a cart in a store or building, and using the path (optionally together with other criteria) to determine whether to authorize the cart to exit. For example, if a shopping cart fails to pass through a checkout lane of a store, the system may perform an action that blocks or inhibits the shipping cart from exiting the store. The wheel assemblies may include LEDs or other visual indicators that alert store personnel when a wheel assembly is in a particular state.

Described herein is a shopping cart with integrated checkout equipment. The cart contains at least one scanner positioned on an interior upper edge of a basket portion to enable the identification of items as they are placed into the basket. The cart portion is generally adapted for receipt into a docking station and includes at least one weight sensing means for determining the weight of an item placed into the basket portion.

A system, comprising: at least one shopping cart having a terminal for outputting and/or receiving information, an energy storage unit for supplying power to the terminal, and an interface unit for at least receiving power for charging the energy storage unit; and at least one mobile charging unit which comprises: a housing; a power supply device configured to provide power for charging the energy storage unit, the power supply device being positioned within the housing.

The invention relates to a transport means (1) provided with a base frame, comprising a plurality of wheels (5, 6), two legs (3) and a transverse connecting element (4) which connects the legs (3), wherein the legs (3) extend adjacently of each other and taper as seen from a rear side to a front side of the base frame, wherein each of the legs (3) is provided on the rear side with at least one rear wheel (5) and wherein at least one front wheel (6) is mounted on the front side of the base frame, wherein the transport means (1) is provided with coupling means for pairwise coupling of two transport means in a nested position, wherein the coupling means comprise first and second coupling means, wherein the first coupling means are arranged on the inner side of at least one of the legs (3) and wherein the second coupling means are arranged on the outer side of at least one of the legs (3), and wherein the first coupling means of a first transport means (1) are configured to co-act with the second coupling means of a second transport means (1) for the purpose of releasably locking the second transport means (1) in the first transport means (1) in the nested position.

A utility cart system for a motor vehicle includes a support frame, a base, a folding wall assembly and a folding leg assembly. A method of transporting goods to and from a motor vehicle utilizing a utility cart system is also described.

Examples of systems and methods for controlling or monitoring a fleet of human-propelled, wheeled carts and cart retrievers are described. The carts can be shopping carts at a retail facility, and the cart retrievers can be used to collect and return the shopping carts from a parking lot near the facility to a cart collection area. The carts or cart retrievers can monitor various status or usage parameters (such as retriever battery charge, cart collection trip speed, cart collection path or duration, etc.) and transmit the parameters to a central control unit. The central control unit can analyze and process the status or usage parameters. The system can provide a user interface for access to the status or usage parameters of the cart and cart retriever fleet.

Methods and systems are provided for evaluating shopping cart wheels using a sensor module or one or more microphones engaged with the shopping cart. The microphones can be used to detect sounds generated by the wheels of the shopping cart. A sound signature can be determined from the detected sound and compared to sound signatures in a database. If the detected sound indicates that a wheel of the shopping cart is failing, an alert can be generated using an associate alert system.

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to maintain an inventory of products within a product carrier. The product carrier utilizes a radio frequency (RF) blocking material and a RF reader disposed within an interior of the product carrier to identify products placed therein. The product carrier can further include an indicator on an exterior thereof to provide an indication regarding a status of the products within the product carrier.