Vermaport
Encyclopedia
The Vermaport Cart Conveying System is the trademarked name of conveyor systems built by Darrott (Germany
) that are designed to transport shopping cart
s between floors of a retail establishment or to transport or store luggage carts at airports or other transportation hubs. Vermaport Cart Conveying Systems are alternatives to inclined moving walkways, a Vermaport will take up much less space than the walkway.
and Kmart
, as well as furniture store IKEA
, and the retail chain Bed Bath and Beyond. The cart is in use in certain stores owned by Publix
. Essentially an escalator
, the device uses specially designed shopping carts and transports them between levels in shopping complexes. It is often socially referred to as a cartalator due to their resemblance and frequent proximity to the passenger escalator
.
Vermaports level carts using three valleys. Specialized carts have their front wheels set closer together and thus not in line with the back, outset, wheels. For upwards travel, the inset wheels glide along the center valley, the outset wheels ride on the two higher outer valleys. This allows the shopping cart to stay level along an inclined path. On the way down, the center valley is higher and the side valleys are lower to allow the cart to transport level while facing down. Due to these valleys, shopping carts on the Vermaport SC do not have the typical plastic or metal grate shelf below the basket of the shopping cart that is used to carry large or bulk items.
An installed Vermaport system is typically located next to an escalator, moving at the same speed, so as to allow a shopping cart to be transported alongside a shopper as he or she moves between floors. The conveyance is accomplished by a belt of hard rubber
teeth that grab near the wheels of the cart as a shopper guides it into the entrance of the Vermaport.
The world's largest Vermaport is located in Kmart in Middle Village
, Queens
, New York City
, New York
. It has a length of 120 ft (37 m) and a vertical rise of 50 ft (15 m).
There are special sensors at the entry portal which will cause a shutdown of the unit if a human attempts to enter the trackway, or if the drive chain is jammed. If this happens, one should summon store personnel for assistance in restarting the unit. Parents should monitor their children in the vicinity of these portals to ensure that they do not go into the Vermaport lane to ensure their safety.
to travel between floors in transportation terminals such as an airport
. The LC system allows for items wider than what would fit into a shopping cart on the Vermaport SC.
fee
based. Personnel at an arrival or departure area will gather abandoned luggage carts and return them to the Vermaport RS. The carts will be automatically fed into the Vermaport and will wait for a traveler to retrieve one by inserting the required fee.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) that are designed to transport shopping cart
Shopping cart
A shopping cart is a cart supplied by a shop, especially supermarkets, for use by customers inside the shop for transport of merchandise to the check-out counter during shopping...
s between floors of a retail establishment or to transport or store luggage carts at airports or other transportation hubs. Vermaport Cart Conveying Systems are alternatives to inclined moving walkways, a Vermaport will take up much less space than the walkway.
Vermaport SC
The Vermaport SC (Shopping Cart) is typically used in discount retailers such as TargetTarget Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
and Kmart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
, as well as furniture store IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
, and the retail chain Bed Bath and Beyond. The cart is in use in certain stores owned by Publix
Publix
Publix Super Markets, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Lakeland, Florida.Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, it is an employee-owned, privately held corporation. Publix is currently ranked No. 86 on Fortune magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For 2010 and was ranked No...
. Essentially an escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
, the device uses specially designed shopping carts and transports them between levels in shopping complexes. It is often socially referred to as a cartalator due to their resemblance and frequent proximity to the passenger escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
.
Vermaports level carts using three valleys. Specialized carts have their front wheels set closer together and thus not in line with the back, outset, wheels. For upwards travel, the inset wheels glide along the center valley, the outset wheels ride on the two higher outer valleys. This allows the shopping cart to stay level along an inclined path. On the way down, the center valley is higher and the side valleys are lower to allow the cart to transport level while facing down. Due to these valleys, shopping carts on the Vermaport SC do not have the typical plastic or metal grate shelf below the basket of the shopping cart that is used to carry large or bulk items.
An installed Vermaport system is typically located next to an escalator, moving at the same speed, so as to allow a shopping cart to be transported alongside a shopper as he or she moves between floors. The conveyance is accomplished by a belt of hard rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
teeth that grab near the wheels of the cart as a shopper guides it into the entrance of the Vermaport.
The world's largest Vermaport is located in Kmart in Middle Village
Middle Village, Queens
Middle Village is a neighborhood in central Queens, a borough of New York City. The neighborhood is located in the western central section of Queens, bounded to the north by Eliot Avenue, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue, and to the west by Fresh Pond Road...
, Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It has a length of 120 ft (37 m) and a vertical rise of 50 ft (15 m).
Safety procedures
To use a Vermaport correctly, a customer should position the front end of the shopping cart through the swing-open double doors at the foot of the device and give a push until the cart is engaged by the drive chain. There should be a slight tug if this is done correctly. Once the cart is engaged, the customer boards the adjacent escalator, which travels in parallel with the Vermaport, to the top of the run. Once there, he or she can stand just to the left of the exit doors to wait for the cart to be pushed through.There are special sensors at the entry portal which will cause a shutdown of the unit if a human attempts to enter the trackway, or if the drive chain is jammed. If this happens, one should summon store personnel for assistance in restarting the unit. Parents should monitor their children in the vicinity of these portals to ensure that they do not go into the Vermaport lane to ensure their safety.
Vermaport LC
The Vermaport LC (Luggage Cart) is based on the same engineering principles and the SC model. It allows travellers and their luggageLuggage
Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers which hold a traveller's articles during transit.Luggage is more or less the same concept as "baggage", but is normally used in relation to the personal luggage of a specific person or persons Baggage is any number of bags, cases and containers...
to travel between floors in transportation terminals such as an airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
. The LC system allows for items wider than what would fit into a shopping cart on the Vermaport SC.
Vermaport RS
The Vermaport RS (Return System) is used to store luggage carts which are typically rentalRenting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
fee
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.Traditionally, professionals in Great Britain received a fee in contradistinction to a payment, salary, or wage, and would often use guineas rather than pounds as units of account...
based. Personnel at an arrival or departure area will gather abandoned luggage carts and return them to the Vermaport RS. The carts will be automatically fed into the Vermaport and will wait for a traveler to retrieve one by inserting the required fee.