Front gate construction for shopping cart

Claim 2

For use with a shopping cart receptacle including spaced side walls upstanding from a bottom wall and an open end, the gate construction comprising: a gate panel closable for closing said end; an elongate first latch rod fixed on a side wall of said receptacle and having first support means extending transversely and in overlapped relation with the closed gate panel; an elongate second latch rod fixed on said gate panel including second support means spaced above the bottom gate panel edge and extending transversely Of said first support means for pendently supporting the closed gate panel upon said first support means; said first and second latch rods having respective first and second overlapped latch means adjacent said first and second support means respectively, said first and second latch means being linearly relatively slidable in response to a forward and upward force on the gate panel for disengaging, to permit subsequent forward opening movement of said gate panel; pivotally and slidably interengaged locating means on said receptacle and gate panel spaced below said first support means for limiting gate panel translatory movement to a substantially vertical path beteen limits both spaced above and spaced below the closed level of said gate panel, so as not interfere with pendent support of said closed gate panel by said support means.

Claim 3

The gate construction of claim 1 in which said gate panel, first latch means and second latch means define a sequence of substantially parallel planes in the closed position of the gate panel, said first latch rod including limiting means defining a further plane transverse to said planes of first and second latch means.

Claim 4

The gate construction of claim 1 in which said first latch means is free of impeding projections in the upward path of movement of said second latch means established by said forward and upward pull on said gate panel.

Claim 5

The gate construction of claim 1 in which said locating means on said gate panel includes pivot rod ends extending transversely therefrom adjacent the lower edge thereof, and locating means on said receptacle comprising bracket means fixed on said side walls and including substantially vertically extending slots for pivotally and slidably receiving said rod ends, said slot extending above and below the normal position of said rod ends.

Claim 6

The gate construction of claim 4 in which said locating means on said receptable extend forward of said side walls and said first latch rod to act as a bumper, said slot lying substantially below said support means, said first latch rod being sloped upwardly and forwardly substantially from the bottom of said receptacle behind the closed position of the gate.

Claim 7

The construction of claim 4 in which said bracket means comprises a bumper block and an overlying substantially rigid platelike bracket, said side wall at least in the area of said bracket means being constructed of a mesh of rodlike elements, said bumper block and bracket being respectively located outside and inside said side wall, means securing said bracket to said bumper block with said rodlike elements of said side wall clamped in sandwiched relationship therebetween for securing said bracket means to said side wall.

Claim 8

The gate construction of claim 6 in which the interior face of said bumper block is contoured and conformed to said rodlike elements of said side wall for locking said bracket means against movement in the plane of said side wall.

Claim 9

The gate construction of claim 1 including means defining an opening in said gate panel and a forwardly projecting ear on said first latch rod receivable in said gate panel opening in the closed position of said gate panel for preventing outward movement of said side panels by reason of interference between said ear and the perimeter of said gate panel opening.

Claim 10

The gate construction of claim 1 in which said first support means includes a transverse, substantially horizontal segment in overlapping relation with the closed position of said panel for positively limiting pivoting of said gate panel into said receptacle, said second support means of said second latch rod including a segment extending longitudinally inboard from said gate panel and adapted to lie atop said horizontal segment of said first support means for vertically supporting said gate panel in its closed position, said segment of said second latch rod being adjacent but spaced from the upper end of said gate.

Claim 11

The gate construction of claim 1 in whicH said first latch rod is spaced transversely inboard of the adjacent side wall and includes a substantially upstanding portion which at its upper end terminates in a substantially horizontal portion extending toward said side wall and comprising said first support means, said second latch rod being substantially upstanding and being spaced inboard of said gate panel and transversely inboard of said first latch rod, said second latch means comprising a segment of said second latch rod extending transversely outwardly past said first latch rod adjacent the upper end thereof, said second latch rod segment and said gate panel sandwiching said first latch rod therebetween in the closed position of the gate whereby a raising of the gate to move said second latch rod segment above the upper end of said first latch rod allows outward pivoting of the upper end of the gate panel to open same.

Claim 12

The gate construction of claim 10 in which said segment of said second latch rod is substantially L-shaped comprising a transversely extending reach which at its outboard end terminates in an upstanding reach arranged in overlapping relation with said horizontal portion of said first latch rod in the closed position of said gate, said upstanding reach terminating in its upper end in a substantially horizontal segment connected to said gate panel and adapted to overlie and rest upon said horizontal portion of said first latch rod for supporting the weight of said gate panel and defining said second support means.

Claim 13

The gate construction of claim 1 in which said first latch rod extends upwardly and forwardly from the frong edge of said bottom receptacle wall to a location spaced adjacent and below the upper end of said receptacle, said first latch rod being spaced transversely inwardly from the plane of the adjacent side wall, the upper end of said first latch rod connecting to said side wall through a transversely extending substantially horizontal segment defining said first support means, said first latch rod having an outwardly extending ear intermediate the ends thereof substantially paralleling the plane of said side wall, said gate panel being of mesh construction, said second latch rod extending upwardly and being sloped inboard with respect to said plane of said gate panel from adjacency with the lower edge of such gate panel, said second latch rod lying transversely inboard of said first latch rod, said second latch rod having a transversely outwardly and upwardly extending substantially L-shaped segment adjacent the upper end thereof for lying inboard of and overlapping the upper end portion of said first latch rod and said horizontal segment of said first latch rod to prevent outboard movement of said gate panel and define said latch means, said support means comprising a segment extending substantially horizontally inboard from said gate panel to the upper end of said L-shaped segment and adapted for resting upon a portion of said horizontal segment of said first latch rod for pendently supporting said gate panel in the closed position of said gate panel, said ear extending outboard through the plane of said gate panel in the closed position of said gate panel and lying inside the perimeter of said gate panel for preventing outward deflection of the adjacent side wall by interference with the perimeter of said gate panel.

Claim 14

The gate construction of claim 12 in which said locating means includes a pivot rod extending along the lower edge of said gate panel and transversely of said receptacle side wall a bumper block lying exteriorly of said side wall adjacent the bottom wall and a sheet-like bracket fixed to said bumper block with a portion of said side wall sandwiched therebetween, said bumper block and bracket extending outboard beyond said side wall and said first latch rod and having an interiorly opening substantially vertically extending slot for receiving a projecting end of said pivot rod of said gate panel, said second latch rod being fixed to saiD pivot rod inboard of the edge of said gate panel and extending upwardly therefrom in the closed position of said gate panel.