Abstract
A shopping bin which attaches to the top of a cart. The bin is detachable from the cart and can be slid onto the conveyor belt of a conventional check stand. The bin mechanism allows the conveyor belt to vacate the contents of the bin.
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. A shopping bin in combination with a check stand conveyor belt, said bin being openable at the front and having an evacuator, said evacuator being located substantially toward the rear of said bin and comprising a bottom portion and a rear portion, both of said portions extending substantially across the width of said bin, said evacuator having check stand conveyor belt communication means provided by said an evacuator attaching means passing through a plurality of openings in the bottom of said bin and attached to a support structure underneath said bin, and said evacuator being moveable to a position substantially toward the front of said bin.
10. The shopping bin of claim 9, said plurality of openings comprising two substantially parallel slots extending substantially the length of said bin.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 shows the bin cross-mounted on the cart at the check stand prior to removal and a second bin in its unload position on the conveyor.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a detailed drawing of inside the bin as viewed from the door end.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a detailed drawing of the bottom of the bin also as viewed from the door end.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011] The arrow of FIG. 1 shows the direction the bin (1) is twisted to release it from the cart prior to the bin being slid onto the check stand conveyor (2) by the customer. A second bin has been moved by the conveyor to the bin stop (3) and is shown in its unload position. The bin has been guided to its unload position by the outer rail bin guide (4) and the check stand inner guide rail (5).
[0012] The basic workings of the bin can be seen in FIG. 2. The bin evacuation process begins when the checker unlatches the bin door catch (9) and opens the bin door (8) with its attached beam interrupter (7). This action opens the photo beam which in turn initiates conveyor movement. The back plate (11 of FIG. 2) with the bottom plate (15) form the evacuator (10) which is attached by fasteners going through the bin slots (16 of FIG. 3) to runners (17 of FIG. 3) under the bin. The fasteners have spacers such that the bottom plate of the evacuator is in contact only with the runners. With the weight of the items on the bottom plate transferred to the runners in contact with the conveyor and not on the bottom of the bin, and since the bin cannot move because it is being held by the bin stop (3 of FIG. 1), the laws of physics dictate that the moving conveyor must move the evacuator and the rest of the items in the bin forward.
[0013] FIG. 3 shows the configuration underneath one version of the preferred embodiment. The versions may change slightly depending on the specifics of the particular cart to which the bins will be attached. The guides (18 and 20) center the bin on the cart and position it for the lock tabs (19) to engage the top rail of the cart as the bin is slid forward. Since cart designs are varied, and indeed some don't even have a top rail, the exact means of bin engagement with the shopping cart may vary. The left lock in the drawing (which would be the right hand lock with the bin positioned on the cart) has a tapered wedge releasing protrusion (20). As the bin is twisted the protrusion lifts the lock over the cart top rail and the front roller (21) aids in sliding the bin onto the conveyor. While it is not the purpose here to describe every possible bin configuration, clearly the addition of rollers, wheels or other friction reducing devices could lessen the force required to move the bin from the car to the conveyor depending on the specifics of the particular shopping cart. The right runner in the drawing (left runner as the bin is positioned on the conveyor) in the preferred embodiment may be made of a material with a higher coefficient of friction than the left runner thus establishing a torque force as the conveyor slides in contact with the runners and thereby pushes the bin against the left check stand guide rail (5 of FIG. 1). Once the bin is in its final unload position the front roller (21) eliminates any forward force on the bin from the conveyor as the conveyor moves the evacuator and the bin contents toward the scanner (12 of FIG. 1). The item detector strip (13) and its torsional return spring (14) is shown at the front of the bin.
