JP7410691B2 - cart - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the invention relate to carts.

In traditional food courts, users must find and reserve an available seat from a pre-installed set of tables and chairs before ordering food. When securing a vacant seat, it is common practice to leave personal items in the vacant seat, but this method raises concerns about personal items being lost or stolen.

Furthermore, carts have conventionally been used to transport goods. The carts conventionally installed in food courts must be returned to a designated storage location once they have finished transporting the food from the food and beverage outlets to the table.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cart that can be used as a desk, which makes it easy to secure a seat, eliminates the need for immediate return after transportation.

The cart of the embodiment includes legs, a support part that can support and hold an object above the legs, a connection part that connects the legs and the support part, and a handle. The connecting portion supports the supporting portion in a cantilevered state, the leg portion and the supporting portion are provided extending from the connecting portion to the same side, and the supporting portion of the connecting portion and the legs are a frame-shaped support frame that is a separate body that is separable from the cart and that surrounds the outer periphery of the folded chair, and a support frame that holds the chair on the inner periphery of the support frame . The chair includes a seat that is a part to sit on, and legs that support the seat at a predetermined height, and the retainer includes a hook and a groove, protrudes from the inner periphery of the upper side of the support frame and passes through a hole in the seat of the chair to hook and hold the chair, and the groove is a recess in a bottom plate provided in the support frame; , when the chair is folded and aligned, the lower ends of the legs are inserted and held; when the chair is folded, the legs make an obtuse angle with the seat surface; The obtuse angle formed by retained and stored .

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cart 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the cart 100 from the opposite side of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the chair 200, in which (a) shows the chair 200 in an unfolded state and (b) shows a folded state. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the cart 100 viewed from directly above. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of carts 100 are stacked. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cart 100 on which an object is placed, which is being moved by a user. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the cart 100 with the user seated.

Embodiments will be described using drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cart 100 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the cart 100 from the opposite side of FIG. For convenience of explanation, the width direction of the cart 100 is the X-axis direction, the depth direction of the cart 100 is the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction (height direction) is the Z-axis direction. Further, in FIG. 1, the user's standing position when moving the cart 100 is on the near side in the figure. From this user's viewpoint, the direction from left to right is the positive direction of the X axis, from the front to the back is the positive direction of the Y axis, and from the user's viewpoint, from the user's feet to the head is the Z axis. Assume that it is in the positive direction. Furthermore, when referring to the front and rear of the cart 100, the positive direction of the Y-axis is referred to as the front, and the negative direction is referred to as the rear.

The cart 100 of this embodiment is a handcart intended for use in a food court, for example, and can also be used as a simple table. The cart 100 includes legs 110, wheels 120, a support section 130, a support frame (connection section) 140, a storage section 150, a handle 160, and the like.

The support part 130 is arranged in the upper space (above) of the leg part 110, and is for supporting and holding an object (for example, a tray). The support frame 140 connects the leg part 110 and the support part 130, and positions the support part 130 in the upper space of the leg part 110. Moreover, the support frame 140 supports the support part 130 in a cantilevered state. The support portion 130 protrudes toward the back of the column frame 140. The leg portions 110 protrude from the support frame 140 on the same side as the support portion 130 (positive direction of the Y-axis), and the protrusion length thereof is approximately equal to or longer than the support portion 130 .

The leg portion 110 includes front wheel frames 111 and 112 and a connecting portion 113. The leg portion 110 is a generally U-shaped member as a whole, and the front wheel frames 111 and 112 have a generally rod-like shape. The connecting portion 113 is integrated with the support frame 140 and connects the front end portions (rear end portions) of the front wheel frames 111 and 112. Thereby, the front wheel frames 111, 112 and the connecting portion 113 form a substantially U-shape in plan view.

Although the front wheel frames 111 and 112 are provided generally along the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) of the cart 100, they are not parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other toward the front (rear side) of the cart 100. In other words, the distance between the front wheel frames 111 and 112 gradually increases from the front to the back of the cart 100. In other words, the distance between the front wheel frames 111 and 112 increases as the distance from the support frame 140 increases.

With this structure, a space is formed under the support part 130 in which a user sitting on the chair 200 can put his or her knees (see FIG. 7 (described later)). Note that it is considered appropriate for the height of the support portion 130 from the floor to be, for example, 700 mm. Further, it is considered that the appropriate height of the seat surface 201 of the chair 200 is, for example, 450 mm.

The leg portion 110 is provided with four wheels 120 (121 to 124). Wheels 120 allow cart 100 to roll. The rear wheels 121 and 122 are wheels 120 near the user's standing position when moving the cart 100 (on the near side in FIG. 1), and are attached to the rear end portions of the front wheel frames 111 and 112. The front wheels 123 and 124 are the remaining rear wheels 120 and are attached to the front ends of the front wheel frames 111 and 112. The rear wheels 121 and 122 have a larger diameter than the front wheels 123 and 124, and mainly contribute to the movement of the cart 100. Front wheels 123 and 124 assist the movement of cart 100.

The storage section 150 (151, 152) is provided integrally with the support frame 140 and stores the foldable chair 200. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the chair 200, in which (a) shows the chair 200 in an unfolded state and (b) shows a folded state. The chair 200 includes a seat surface 201 on which a user sits, and legs 202 that support the seat surface 201 at a predetermined height. The seat surface 201 has a hole 203 in the center. The chair 200 is foldable, and in the folded state, the legs 202 form an obtuse angle with the seat surface 201.

Returning to the explanation with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The support frame 140 is a frame-shaped member and has a shape that surrounds the chair 200 in a folded state. The support frame 140 also includes a bottom plate 141. The bottom plate 141 serves as a storage area for the user's luggage when the chair 200 is taken out from the storage section 150 (as shown in FIG. 2).

The storage section 150 is provided on the inner periphery of the frame-shaped support frame 140. The storage section 151 allows the chair 200 to be taken in and out from the front side of the support frame 140. The storage section 152 allows the chair 200 to be taken in and out from the back side of the support frame 140.

The storage parts 151 and 152 each include a hook (upper holding part) 153 and a groove (lower holding part) 154. The hook 153 is provided to protrude from the inner periphery of the upper side of the support frame 140, penetrates through the hole 203 of the seat surface 201, and hooks and holds the chair 200. The groove 154 is a recess provided in the bottom plate 141 along the width direction (X-axis direction), into which the lower end of the leg 202 is inserted when the chair 200 is folded and aligned. hold in condition.

Here, the above-mentioned obtuse angle that the legs 202 of the folded chair 200 make with the seat surface 201 is such that the center of gravity of the chair 200 held by the hook 153 and the groove 154 is larger than the thickness of the support frame 140 than the groove 154. The angle is such that it is closer to the center in the direction (Y-axis direction). That is, the chair 200 is stored in the storage section 150 while being held in a leaning state.

By storing the chair 200 in this manner, the center of gravity of the cart 100 does not change (or the change is small) whether the chair 200 is stored in the storage section 150 or not. Therefore, the stability of the cart 100 can be maintained constant regardless of whether the chair 200 is stored. Furthermore, compared to the case where the chair 200 is stored substantially vertically, if the chair 200 is stored leaning diagonally as in this embodiment, there is an inconvenience that the chair 200 may come off and fall due to vibrations when the cart 100 is moved. It can be made less likely to happen.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower end portion 142 of the support frame 140 is bifurcated so as to follow the legs 202 of the chair 200 stored in the storage portions 151 and 152. Since the lower end portion 142 of the column frame 140 is divided into two in this way, the strength of the column frame 140 is increased and the stability of the cart 100 is increased. Furthermore, by hiding the legs 202 of the chair 200 inside the support frame 140, a clean and well-organized appearance can be achieved, and the chair 200 can be prevented from accidentally falling out of the storage section 150 due to something hitting the legs 202. Inconveniences can be prevented. Furthermore, the same effect can be obtained even if the lower end portion 142 of the column frame 140 is not bifurcated but has a shape that widens toward the end, for example.

The handle 160 serves as a handle for the user when moving the cart 100, and is provided at the top of the support frame 140. Moreover, the shape of the handle 160 of this embodiment is an elliptical ring shape. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 (described later), the handle 160 includes a cup holder 161 that can hold a drink cup or the like.

The handle 160 also includes a terminal holder 162 that can hold a mobile terminal 300 such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. This terminal holder 162 holds the mobile terminal 300 in a tiltable manner and allows the screen to be directed either in the direction of facing the user who is moving the cart 100 (see FIG. 1) or in the direction of facing the user who is eating (see FIG. 2). The orientation of the mobile terminal 300 can be changed between the two.

Note that although the illustrated terminal holder 162 holds the mobile terminal 300 in a landscape orientation, the implementation is not limited to this. For example, the terminal holder 162 may be capable of switching between holding the mobile terminal 300 horizontally and vertically. This switching is possible, for example, by holding the mobile terminal 300 rotatably around the normal line of the screen.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the cart 100 viewed from directly above. The support section 130 of this embodiment includes an arm section 131, a first press section 132, and a second press section 133. The arm portion 131 has a substantially V-shaped shape that is divided from the front toward the back when viewed from the user's viewpoint when moving the cart 100. Such an arm portion 131 supports and holds the tray 500 from below.

The holding parts 132 and 133 are for preventing the tray 500 placed on the arm part 131 from falling, and have a shape to press the edge of the tray 500. The first holding portion 132 is provided at the tip of the arm portion 131. The second pressing portions 133 are provided on both sides of the arm portion 131.

In addition, by configuring the holding parts 132 and 133 to be extendable and retractable with respect to the arm part 131, it is possible to hold two trays 500 rotated by 90 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 4 in parallel in the X-axis direction. Good too.

Here, in a plan view of the cart 100 (a state in which the cart 100 is viewed from directly above as shown in FIG. 4), the support portion 130 extends from the tray within the range surrounded by the legs 110 and the wheels 120 (121 to 124). 500 (an example of an object). This improves the stability of the cart 100, making it less likely to fall over.

In addition, like the support part 130, the handle 160 is also structured to fit within the range surrounded by the legs 110 and wheels 120 when viewed from the top of the cart 100, so that the user can apply force to the handle 160 from any direction. The cart 100 is also designed to be difficult to fall over. In addition, since the handle 160 has an annular shape, if the handle is rod-shaped, there is a risk that the cart 100 will fall over due to the weight being unbalanced when shopping bags or other items are hung on it. In the embodiment, there is no such concern.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which a plurality of carts 100 are stacked. A plurality of carts 100 can be placed side by side in a stacked state. With such a structure, the waiting space (station) for the cart 100 at a food court or the like can be made compact (reduced to a small size).

Here are some structures for stacking multiple units. First, the arm portion 131 of the support portion 130 is located at a higher position than the pressing portion 133. As a result, when stacked, the arm portion 131 of the rear cart 100 overlaps the holding portion 133 of the front cart 100 and does not interfere with each other. Note that the support portion 130 may be sloped such that it gradually becomes higher as it becomes farther from the handle 160.

Second, the arm portion 131 of the support portion 130 is formed so as to be gradually spaced apart from the handle 160 (see FIG. 4). As a result, when stacked, the arm portions 131 of the rear cart 100 overlap both sides of the arm portions 131 of the front cart 100, and do not interfere with each other.

Thirdly, the handle 160 is supported at the center by a single pillar 163. As a result, when the handle 160 is stacked, the struts 163 of the handle 160 enter between the arms 131 of the rear cart 100 and do not interfere with each other, compared to a case where the handle 160 has two struts.

Fourth, the leg portion 110 is formed such that the left and right front wheel frames 111 and 112 are not parallel to each other and are gradually spaced apart from each other as they get farther from the handle 160 (see FIG. 4). Fifth, the legs 110 are each formed to become gradually lower as they are farther away from the handle 160. As a result, when stacked, the front wheel frames 111, 112 of the rear cart 100 overlap below or beside the front wheel frames 111, 112 of the front cart 100, and do not interfere with each other.

With the above configuration, the cart 100 can be placed in a stacked state. When the carts 100 are stacked, the handles 160 and the bottom plates 141 are lined up at a predetermined interval without overlapping the carts 100 in front and behind. In other words, for example, regarding the dimensions of the station in the Y-axis direction, if there is a space equal to the dimensions of one cart 100 plus the dimensions of the handle 160 and bottom plate 141 plus the above-mentioned predetermined distance, two carts 100 can be stacked. You will be able to do that.

Note that the cart 100 may have a built-in storage battery, which can be used, for example, to supply power to the mobile terminal 300, in the bottom plate 141, for example. In this case, a contactless charging section that receives contactless power supply from an external device and charges the storage battery may also be built in together with the storage battery. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to charge the storage battery without contact. Furthermore, in this case, by providing a contactless power supply device on the floor of the station to supply power to the contactless charging unit, it is possible to charge the storage battery while the cart 100 is waiting at the station. becomes.

The state of use of the cart 100 having such a configuration will be described next. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cart 100 on which an object is placed, which is being moved by a user. A user takes a cart 100 from a station provided at a food court entrance, etc., and orders food using a mobile terminal 300 or the like. Here, the mobile terminal 300 may be attached to the cart 100, or a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by the user may be held in the terminal holder 162 and used.

In addition to the above orders, the mobile terminal 300 may also be used for providing sales promotion information (sales promotion), reading coupons using a camera function, EC (electronic commerce) payments, and cashless payments. . Examples of cashless payments include reading IC information using an NFC (Near Field Communication) function and reading a two-dimensional code using a camera function.

When the user receives notification from the mobile terminal 300 that the food is ready, the user pushes the cart 100 to the store where the food is served, receives the food, and places the tray 500 with the food on it on the support section 130. Note that the user causes the cup holder 161 to hold a cup filled with water or a beverage as necessary. Next, the user moves the cart 100 to a predetermined eating and drinking space, takes out the chair 200 from the storage section 150, and takes a seat.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the cart 100 with the user seated. As shown in this figure, according to the structure of the cart 100 of this embodiment, the user seated on the chair 200 can fit his or her legs with bent knees in the space below the support section 130. Furthermore, since the distance between the left and right front wheel frames 111 and 112 gradually increases as the distance from the support frame 140 increases, the user seated on the chair 200 can easily put his or her legs in and out of the support section 130. be. In addition, since each of the front wheel frames 111 and 112 has a structure that gradually lowers, it is easy for the user to step over the front wheel frames 111 and 112, which may cause the user to trip over the front wheel frames 111 and 112 and fall. concerns can be reduced.

In this way, the cart 100 of this embodiment has a structure suitable for transporting articles and suitable for use as a desk. Therefore, in a food court or the like, by having users lined up at a predetermined position acquire the carts 100 one after another from a station, it is possible to secure a seat regardless of the characteristics of the users. Therefore, it is possible to improve the ease and fairness of securing seats.

Moreover, since the cart 100 of this embodiment has a structure that can be used as a desk, by using it as a desk after transporting the food, it is possible to eliminate the need to immediately return it after transporting the food.

Note that although the cart 100 of this embodiment includes four wheels 120, the cart 100 is not limited to this in practice, and may be provided with at least one wheel 120 as long as it can be appropriately transported. When the number of wheels 120 is two or less, the cart 100 can be moved by slightly tilting the cart 100 and moving the wheels other than the wheels 120 off the floor.

Further, the support part 130 of this embodiment supports and holds the tray 500, etc., but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the support part 130 may be a table-like object on which food can be placed without a tray. It may be. Moreover, this table-shaped support part may be foldable.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Cart 110... Leg part, 111, 112... Front wheel frame, 113... Connection part 120... Wheel, 121, 122... Rear wheel, 123, 124... Front wheel 130... Support part, 131... Arm part, 132... First Holding part, 133... Second holding part 140... Support frame (connection part), 141... Bottom plate, 142... Lower end part 150 (151, 152)... Storage part,
153...Hook (upper holding part), 154...Groove (lower holding part)
160... Handle, 161... Cup holder, 162... Terminal holder, 163... Support 200... Chair, 201... Seat, 202... Leg, 203... Hole 300... Mobile terminal 500... Tray (an example of an object)

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-42906

Claims (5)

A cart comprising legs, a support part that can support and hold an object above the legs, a connection part that connects the legs and the support part, and a handle, the cart comprising:
The connecting portion supports the supporting portion in a cantilevered state,
The leg portion and the support portion are provided extending from the connection portion to the same side,
A portion of the connecting portion between the supporting portion and the leg portion is
a frame-shaped support frame that is a separate body that is separable from the cart and that surrounds the outer periphery of the folded chair;
a holding part that holds the chair on the inner periphery of the support frame ;
The chair includes a seat that is a part to sit on, and legs that support the seat at a predetermined height,
The holding portion includes a hook and a groove, the hook protrudes from the inner periphery of the upper side of the support frame and penetrates a hole in the seat surface of the chair to hook and hold the chair, and the groove includes: a recess in a bottom plate provided in the support frame for holding the lower ends of the legs of the chair folded and aligned in an inserted state;
In the folded state of the chair, the legs make an obtuse angle with the seat surface, and the obtuse angle that the legs make with the seat surface means that the center of gravity of the chair held by the holding part is closer to the support than the groove. The angle is close to the center in the thickness direction of the frame, and the chair is held and stored in a state leaning against the holding part.
cart. The support part has an arm part that supports and holds the object from below, and a pressing part that is provided below the arm part and presses both sides of the object placed on the arm part,
The cart according to claim 1 , wherein the arm portion has a substantially V-shaped shape that gradually separates from the handle . The handle has an annular shape and a strut that connects the annular portion onto the connecting portion, and is located above the support portion, and the pair of frames included in the leg portions are arranged in a plan view. The cart according to claim 1 , wherein the support is provided within a surrounding area, and the support is inclined such that a higher portion thereof is located further away from the support portion . The cart according to claim 1 , wherein the support frame has a portion surrounding an edge of the seat surface, and a portion forming an obtuse angle with the portion surrounding the edge of the seat surface and extending along the legs . The cart according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the support part supports and holds an object within a range of a pair of frames included in the leg parts in a plan view.

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