The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 19, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 12, 1995
George Coakley, Los Gatos, CA (US);
Alexander Pummer, Pleasanton, CA (US);
Matthew Homer, San Jose, CA (US);
James P Johnson, Antioch, CA (US);
Joseph Fanelli, Danville, CA (US);
Polytracker, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
Method and apparatus for deterring theft of manually operated wheeled vehicles, reducing unauthorized use and removal of steel or steel and plastic constructed swivel-wheel shopping carts by preventing the free movement of one or more of the installed wheels. Attached to the frame of the shopping cart, a braking device in accordance with the present invention, when activated, measures the distance traveled beyond an activating point by counting the number of wheel rotations made by the cart and compares this to a preprogrammed stored attribute that defines the allowable distance the cart is allowed to travel once outside the shopping facility. Depending on the direction the cart is travelling, the counter is 'armed' or 'disarmed' when the cart passes over low-frequency magnetic arrays placed at the entry or exit of the shopping facility.