This disclosure relates generally to accessories for shopping carts and, more particularly, to auxiliary containers that provide specialized capacity for a shopping cart.
Shopping carts are widely used by the general public in a variety of shopping environments. It is common for such carts to be constructed of metal wire or rods welded into grid patterns and connected to a tubular frame, or constructed of plastic molded panels connected to a tubular plastic or metal frame, or the like. The carts also typically include multiple wheel assemblies for ease of traveling through a store and outdoors, such as to unload a cart into a vehicle after shopping.
Unfortunately, shopping carts tend to share a common shortcoming with respect to failing to provide a good way to hold smaller items. This failure can lead to multiple problems from having small items fall between the wires or rods into the lower basket of the cart or completely through the lower basket and out of the cart, to effectively having small items be passed over and inadvertently left in the cart at the time one seeks to withdraw items from the cart to complete a purchase.
Others have attempted to provide containers that may be attached to shopping carts but such containers tend to have numerous drawbacks. The drawbacks may involve difficulty in attaching the container to a shopping cart, being limited with respect to the locations the container may be connected to a shopping cart and/or interfering with nesting of carts when multiple carts are collected and moved. Other drawbacks of prior art containers may be with respect to accessibility in the sense of the difficultly to add items to or withdraw items from the container. Additional drawbacks may be related to the construction of the container, such as an inability to withstand rough handling or a range of outdoor environmental conditions. Still further drawbacks may relate to materials used to construct the container not being user-friendly with respect to keeping the container clean or free of finger prints, or blocking the view of items within the container.
The purpose and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in and apparent from the description and drawings that follow, as well as will be learned by practice of the claimed subject matter. The present disclosure provides an improved auxiliary container for connection to a shopping cart that provides specialized capacity for small items. The auxiliary container is constructed with numerous advantages to retailers who will install them on shopping carts and to customers who will use the auxiliary container when it is installed on a shopping cart.
Advantages to retailers include, for example: several optional locations for installation on a shopping cart internally or externally; quick and convenient installation; installation that is less susceptible to criminal removal of the container from the cart; no interference with nesting of multiple shopping carts; excellent resistance to adverse environmental conditions and to smudging or retention of dirt; enhanced durability with respect to wear and providing strategic reinforcement for the opening and areas that might otherwise be subject to overstress and tearing, and reduction in damage to products which may otherwise fall through the cart and inadvertently be damaged, lost or left on the floor.
Advantages to customers using the auxiliary containers include, for example: protection of small and or fragile items from falling through openings in a shopping cart; ease of viewing the items in the container for convenience while shopping, as well as avoidance of inadvertently leaving small items within the cart; durable construction without concern for rough handling or positioning when pushing carts into a nested condition; ease of accessibility when depositing and withdrawing small items; and general cleanliness.
In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an auxiliary container for a shopping cart, including: first and second walls with each wall having a top, bottom, first end and second end; the bottoms of the first and second walls being connected to each other; the first ends of the first and second walls being connected to each other; the second ends of the first and second walls being connected to each other; a reinforcement band connected along the top of each of the respective first and second walls; at least first and second straps spaced inward from the first and second ends and connected to and extending from the reinforcement band at the top of the first wall; the first strap having at least a first grommet passing through the first strap at a location spaced from the top of the first wall and having at least a second grommet passing through the first strap, the reinforcement band along the top of the first wall, the first wall, the second wall and the reinforcement band along the top of the second wall; the second strap having at least a first grommet passing through the second strap at a location spaced from the top of the first wall and having at least a second grommet passing through the second strap, the reinforcement band along the top of the first wall, the first wall, the second wall and the reinforcement band along the top of the second wall; and wherein an opening to the container is provided between the respective first and second walls and between the respective second grommets.
In another aspect, the present disclosure provides an auxiliary container for a shopping cart, including: first and second walls constructed of flexible mesh material with each wall having a top, bottom, first end and second end; the bottoms of the first and second walls being connected to each other; the first ends of the first and second walls being connected to each other; the second ends of the first and second walls being connected to each other; a reinforcement band constructed of flexible material connected along the top of each of the respective first and second walls; at least first and second straps spaced inward from the first and second ends constructed of flexible material and connected to and extending from the reinforcement band at the top of the first wall; the first strap having at least a first grommet passing through the first strap at a location spaced from the top of the first wall and having at least a second grommet passing through the first strap, the reinforcement band along the top of the first wall, the first wall, the second wall and the reinforcement band along the top of the second wall; the second strap having at least a first grommet passing through the second strap at a location spaced from the top of the first wall and having at least a second grommet passing through the second strap, the reinforcement band along the top of the first wall, the first wall, the second wall and the reinforcement band along the top of the second wall; wherein an opening to the container is provided between the respective first and second walls and between the respective second grommets; and wherein each of the at least first and second straps extending from the reinforcement band at the top of the first wall is configured for connection to a substantially horizontal element of a shopping cart via installation of a fastener through the first and second grommets that extend through the respective strap.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and provided for purposes of explanation only, and are not restrictive of the subject matter claimed. Further features and objects of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent in the following description of the preferred embodiments and from the appended claims.
In describing the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawing figures wherein like parts have like reference numerals, and wherein:
It should be understood that the drawings are not to scale. While some mechanical details of example auxiliary container for a shopping cart, including other plan and section views of the examples shown and of examples that may have alternative configurations have not been included, such details are considered well within the comprehension of those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the present disclosure. It also should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the example embodiments illustrated.
Although the following discloses example auxiliary containers for a shopping cart, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the teachings of this disclosure are not limited to the specific embodiments shown. On the contrary, it is contemplated that the teachings of this disclosure may be implemented in alternative configurations and environments.
An example auxiliary container 10 for connection to a shopping cart is illustrated in
An opening 26 to the container 10 is provided between the respective first and second walls 12, 14 and between the respective second grommets 24, 24′. The tops T of the first and second walls 12, 14 and the reinforcement bands 16, 18 also preferably are connected, such as by sewing, mechanical fastener, adhesive or the like, in the regions between the second grommets 24, 24′ and the respective first and second ends FE, SE of the container 10, so as to prohibit access to the container 10 other than through the opening 26, and to further reinforce and protect the connections of the first and second walls 12, 14 at the first and second ends FE, SE from excessive stress. The second grommets 24, 24′ also serve to reinforce the ends of the opening in a manner that protects against excessive stress to and splitting of the seams at the first and second ends FE, SE of the container 10.
The first and second walls 12, 14 of the auxiliary container 10 are constructed of flexible material, which is a flexible mesh material. The flexible mesh material of the first and second walls 12, 14 may be made of nylon fabric, polyester fabric or other suitable mesh fabric having holes therein that permit viewing and drainage of liquid through the material and the material tends to be stable in ultraviolet (UV) light and water resistant. Viewing through the first and second walls 12, 14 is helpful to a retailer to be able to confirm that a customer is not attempting to conceal and improperly remove goods from a store without paying for them. Viewing through the first and second walls 12, 14 is helpful to a customer who is using an auxiliary container 10 that is connected to a shopping cart to be able to keep track of items already selected, and to serve as a reminder to empty the container 10 when placing items at a checkout to complete a purchase. Water resistance and drainage of liquid is helpful to a retailer because shopping carts often may be exposed to rain or snow when used outdoors, and permits quick cleaning and or rinsing, if needed.
A particularly efficient construction of the auxiliary container 10 may include having the first and second walls 12, 14 be integrally formed by a single sheet of material that is folded over at the bottoms B of the first and second side walls 12, 14 to form a bottom 28 of the auxiliary container 10, as seen in
The reinforcement bands 16, 18 are constructed of flexible material that may be made of nylon fabric, polyester fabric or other suitable fabric that tends to be UV stable and water resistant. Each of the first and second straps 20, 20′ extending from the reinforcement band 16 at the top T of the first wall 12 also is constructed of flexible material that may be made of nylon fabric, polyester fabric or other suitable fabric that tends to be water resistant. Each of the at least first and second straps 20, 20′ extending from the reinforcement band 16 at the top T of the first wall 12 is configured for connection to a substantially horizontal element of a shopping cart via installation of a fastener 30 through the first and second grommets 22, 24 and 22′, 24′ that extend through the respective straps 20, 20′. To keep the containers 10 from being unlawfully removed from shopping carts, the fastener 30 that is installed through the respective first and second grommets of a respective strap 20, 20′ are relatively tamper proof, such as use of threaded bolts 32 with locking nuts 34, zip ties, cable rings, rivets, or the like.
Turning to examples of installed locations, in
The example auxiliary container 10 of
Turning to
The above discussed structure of the auxiliary container 10 provides for numerous advantages. As previously noted, the container 10 being made of flexible nylon mesh fabric provides for better resistance to ultraviolet light, harsh weather conditions, finger prints or smudges, and the ability to be cleaned potentially simply by being subjected to rain or by conveniently spraying or wiping the fabric. The auxiliary container 10 also permits ease of depositing and withdrawing small items through a reinforced opening 26, while being able to readily see the items, thereby increasing the likelihood that the items will be properly accounted for during shopping and when placing items on a checkout counter. The auxiliary container also is equipped to be connected to a shopping cart internally or externally, at multiple convenient locations.
While the present disclosure shows and discusses example auxiliary containers that may be adapted for use and installation in various locations on a variety of shopping carts. These examples are merely illustrative and are not to be considered limiting. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various auxiliary containers may be constructed to be installed on shopping carts in any one of several convenient positions without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1577298 | Roeller | Mar 1926 | A |
2761481 | Boatwright | Sep 1956 | A |
3976113 | Kim | Aug 1976 | A |
4240480 | Strobel | Dec 1980 | A |
4491257 | Ingles | Jan 1985 | A |
4676416 | Harmon | Jun 1987 | A |
4723300 | Aranow | Feb 1988 | A |
4830238 | Widinski | May 1989 | A |
4974760 | Miller | Dec 1990 | A |
4988216 | Lyman | Jan 1991 | A |
5012963 | Rosenbaum | May 1991 | A |
5012966 | Turner et al. | May 1991 | A |
5040711 | Niederhauser et al. | Aug 1991 | A |
D324504 | Olsen | Mar 1992 | S |
5110219 | Lopes | May 1992 | A |
5139308 | Ziman | Aug 1992 | A |
5417353 | Stall | May 1995 | A |
D366903 | Baggott | Feb 1996 | S |
5494308 | Southerland | Feb 1996 | A |
5533809 | Gorman | Jul 1996 | A |
5699564 | Heh | Dec 1997 | A |
D420510 | Rotan | Feb 2000 | S |
6056178 | Rapp-Duncan | May 2000 | A |
6105305 | Edens | Aug 2000 | A |
6292963 | Couture | Sep 2001 | B1 |
D451054 | Thom et al. | Nov 2001 | S |
6334562 | Ament et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6450513 | Bernstein | Sep 2002 | B1 |
D484666 | Caya | Dec 2003 | S |
6966565 | Ryan et al. | Nov 2005 | B1 |
7475885 | Kovath | Jan 2009 | B2 |
D602230 | Shooshan | Oct 2009 | S |
D636075 | Yacoub | Apr 2011 | S |
8056909 | Burdwood et al. | Nov 2011 | B2 |
9221511 | Jack | Dec 2015 | B2 |
20050212235 | Hammerling | Sep 2005 | A1 |
20060022005 | Chadwick | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060049591 | Pennell | Mar 2006 | A1 |
20150246751 | Spivack | Sep 2015 | A1 |
20160129927 | Russell et al. | May 2016 | A1 |
20180220760 | Lin | Aug 2018 | A1 |