Patent Application
20210213988
The invention generally pertains to bags and other carrying devices, and more particularly to a pouch that is permanently secured to a shopping cart.
Although online and delivery services for purchasing groceries or other items is popular, many people still prefer to go to a supermarket or other store and purchase items in-person. After purchasing items, especially when there are multiple items, a person or store clerk will typically place the items in a bag for easy carrying of the items. In recent years, as a result of a significant increase in the need for recycling and green living, many local and state governments have banned the use of non-recyclable bags, requiring shoppers to bring their own re-usable bags, usually made of polypropylene or fabric, thereby reducing the amount of trash from discarded bags.
While this effort is well-intentioned, many people find it difficult to use their own re-usable bags. A major part of this problem is that the empty re-usable bags can be quite large even when empty and must be carried during shopping. For a person who purchases many items, there is the need for a number of bags. Even if folded it is still awkward to carry the bags while also pushing a shopping cart and selecting items for purchase. As a solution some people drop the re-usable bags into their shopping cart basket often resulting in less space for selected items to be purchased resulting in bags and items mixed together and an unorganized mess at checkout.
What is needed is a means by which re-usable shopping bags, or other items, can be conveniently maintained and carried with a person who is shopping. Optimally, an enclosure would be permanently secured to a shopping cart for maintaining the bags or items in a hands free but quickly accessed location for use by all shoppers.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,100 patent discloses a shopping bag for use with a supermarket shopping cart and that has a rectangular base and foldable sides with stiff upper edges for hooking over the sides of the basket of the cart.
The U.S. Pat. No. 10,272,938 patent discloses a shopping cart accessory pouch that includes a flexible base including a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of sidewalls and a pair of central dividing walls. The dividing walls separate an interior of the base into a front compartment and a rear compartment. A central pocket is used for receiving items such as coupons or other thin objects. A plurality of attachment fasteners are configured to secure the base to a rail of a shopping cart. The pouch is configured to provide storage space that is above the lower surface of the shopping cart.
The 2004/0208397 publication discloses a shopping bag which is attachable to a cart for carrying items in a shop. The bag includes a handle frame having at least two fixing frames attached to both handle frames of a shopping bag for thereby fixing the shopping bag to a cart. A coin storing member for storing a coin in the handle frame of a shopping bag with the coin used for unlocking a cart from a locked state. Velcro tape is attached to an upper side of the shopping bag for closing the shopping bag.
The 2006/0097467 publication discloses a shopping cart that supports shopping bag dispenser(s) to enable shoppers to package goods as they shop. The dispensers may be connected to fixtures that support goods to enable shoppers to obtain shopping bags while shopping.
The 2010/0219219 publication discloses a shopping bag container (SBC) that is releasably attached to a structural member on a shopping cart. The SBC is comprised of an inner section, an outer section and an expandable divider between the sections. The divider is comprised of an accordion structure that allows the SBC to be either flat or expanded. When the accordion structure is expanded, shopping bags can be inserted and stored in the SBC.
For background purposes and indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to the following remaining patents found in the patent search.
In its basic design, the shopper's pouch is comprised of a front section with an inner surface and an outer surface and a back section with an inner surface and an outer surface. The two sections are either integrally secured together or secured together by attachment means. Once secured, a perimeter is formed that circumvents the two sections. The two secured sections effectively form an enclosure similar to a bag. An opening that is preferably located on the upper edge of the pouch facilitates the insertion of items into the pouch. An upper flap can be included to cover the opening, thus providing a way of closing the pouch.
The shopper's pouch is designed to be secured onto a shopping cart. The pouch is preferably secured to the front of a shopping cart, although the pouch could also be secured to the rear or one of the sides of a shopping cart. Also, if desired or required, multiple pouches can be secured at various locations on a single shopping cart. The principal purpose of the shopper's pouch is to provide a means by which items can be maintained and carried with a person who is shopping at a supermarket or other location. The shopper's pouch is especially effective for maintaining re-usable shopping bags into which items are placed after being purchased. Re-usable shopping bags are typically carried, randomly placed within a shopping cart, or left in a vehicle when a person is shopping. The shopper's pouch allows re-usable shopping bags, or other items, to be maintained in a location that is convenient, clean and allows easy access to the bags or items when they are needed.
The shopper's pouch can be made of various materials such as a fabric, plastic, cardboard or even metal. The pouch is secured to a shopping cart by attachment means or a device that can include an adhesive, screws, bolts and nuts or staples. The shopper's pouch is preferably square shaped, although other shapes such as circular, oval or rectangular can also be utilized.
To increase the functionality of the shopper's pouch, and to provide a source of revenue, the shopper's pouch can include advertising or promotional materials. Either an integral viewing window, or a separate viewing structure, is an element of the pouch and allows the advertising or promotional material to be easily placed and maintained on the pouch. Once the material is inserted into the viewing window or viewing structure, the material is effectively visible for viewing by both a person using a shopping cart, and from other people who pass or are otherwise in close proximity to the shopping cart. Additionally, used either with or without the viewing window or structure, the shopper's pouch can include indicia located on the surfaces of the pouch. The indicia, which is typically permanent, can consist of any words or images, and provide an aesthetic or functional addition to the pouch.
In view of the above disclosure, the primary object of the invention is to provide a shopper's pouch that is permanently secured to a shopping cart and provides a person with quick and easy access to items such as re-usable shopping bags, purses, wireless devices and/or car keys, as well as providing a platform by which advertising or promotional materials and indicia can be displayed.
In addition to the primary object, it is also an object of the invention to provide a shopper's pouch that:
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms that disclose a preferred embodiment of a shopper's pouch. When shopping at a supermarket or other store it is common to use a shopping cart for maintaining items that will be purchased at the conclusion of shopping. In addition to items that will be purchased, many shoppers bring personal items with them. These personal items must either be carried or placed within the shopping cart along with the items to be purchased. A widely seen personal item that is now brought especially to a supermarket is re-usable shopping bags. Unfortunately, the shopping bags are often awkward or difficult to carry or place in a shopping cart. The shopper's pouch offers a solution to this problem by providing a storage means that is permanently attached shopping cart and can hold shopping bags or other items while a person is shopping and allows the bags or items to be quickly and easily removed when needed. The shopper's pouch 10, as shown in
The shopper's pouch 10 is permanently secured onto a shopping cart 70 by attachment means 32 or a structure made of plastic, wood or metal. There are multiple effective attachment means 32 that can be utilized including an adhesive such as glue or epoxy, screws, bolts and nuts, or staples (or similar means that are force pressed through the pouch into the shopping cart). Preferably, the pouch 10 is secured to a front area 86 of a shopping cart 80, as shown in
To increase the functionality of the shopper's pouch, and to provide a source of revenue derived from the pouch 10, a viewing window 40, as shown in
In an alternate design, a viewing structure 48, as shown in
If desired, in use along with the viewing window 40 or viewing structure 48, or in lieu of these, indicia 60 can be placed on the outer surfaces of the shopper's pouch 10. It should be noted that while both the indicia and advertising or promotional material can include product advertising, business advertising, special offers, coupons, store directory, promotional events and promotional games, the indicia can also include images or writing simply for aesthetic or decorative purposes. Also, the advertising or promotional material in the viewing window or viewing structure is easily removed and replaced, and the indicia is typically permanent.
To increase the securement of the shopper's pouch to a shopping cart 70, a first securing member 62 and a second securing member 64 can be utilized. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
It should be noted that any of the designs of the shopper's pouch, with or without advertising can be used singularly on a shopping cart, or with multiple advertising in various locations at the interior 82 or exterior 84, on the front 86, rear 88 or side(s) 90 of the shopping cart 80, as shown in
To add utility to the shopper's pouch, at least one support member 76 and/or at least one interior separation means 78 can be utilized. The support member 76, substantially encompasses the front 12 to rear 14 sections of the pouch. The support member 76 is configured on a side or lower perimeter 28 of the pouch for providing support to an item, such as multiple shopping bags or a food product placed within the pouch 10.
The separation member 78 is configured to create at least two separate compartments within a single shopper's pouch 10. This allows multiple items to be organized and easily accessed from within the pouch. The separation means 78 also separates items that preferably do not come into contact with each other. When the shopper's pouch is made of a fabric, the separation means 78 can be comprised of stitching, and when the pouch is made of plastic, cardboard or metal, the separation means is preferably a rigid component that is secured in place by attachment means such as an adhesive.
While the invention has been described in detail and pictorially shown in the accompanying drawings it is not to be limited to such details, since many changes and modification may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope thereof. Hence, it is described to cover any and all modifications and forms which may come within the language and scope of the claims.
