Patent Application
20160167689
1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relates to the field of portable flexible containers. More specifically, the invention relates to a shopping bag apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most jurisdictions in the United States have enacted or are enacting laws that require shoppers to either bring their own shopping bags or purchase a reusable bag from the retail establishment. Currently available shopping bags do not removably integrate with the shopping cart and/or a shopping basket thus complicating and limiting the shopping experience.
One or more embodiments of the invention are directed to a shopping bag apparatus that is couplable to a retail shopping apparatus, e.g. shopping cart or shopping basket, to ease the retail shopping experience. The shopping bag apparatus integrates with a shopping basket and a shopping cart. The shopping bag is preferably made of durable and flexible fabric material. In one or more embodiments, the fabric is also waterproof thus possibly providing a germ barrier between the dirty shopping cart or basket and the items placed in the shopping bag.
In one or more embodiments, the shopping bag comprises a rectangular bottom wall, and a plurality of side walls attached to the bottom wall in a substantially perpendicular configuration to define a volume of space above the bottom wall and an edge with four corners at the top. The plurality of side walls comprises a first side wall coupled to a left side of said bottom wall, a second side wall coupled to a back side of said bottom wall, a third side wall coupled to a right side of said bottom wall, and a fourth side wall coupled to a front side of said bottom wall.
One or more embodiments of the shopping bag further comprise a band at the top edge configured to secure the edge around a lip of a shopping basket. The band may be elastic or other material. The bang may include a locking mechanism for tightening the top edge around the shopping basket.
One or more embodiments of the shopping bag further includes a pair of handles attached to the first and third side walls, a pair of carrying straps attached to the second and fourth side walls, and a plurality of fasteners with at least one fastener coupled to each of said four corners for removably coupling the shopping bag to a shopping cart.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings wherein:
The present invention comprising a shopping bag apparatus will now be described. In the following exemplary description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to an artisan of ordinary skill that the present invention may be practiced without incorporating all aspects of the specific details described herein. Furthermore, although steps or processes are set forth in an exemplary order to provide an understanding of one or more systems and methods, the exemplary order is not meant to be limiting. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the steps or processes may be performed in a different order, and that one or more steps or processes may be performed simultaneously or in multiple process flows without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. In other instances, specific features, quantities, or measurements well known to those of ordinary skill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the invention. Readers should note that although examples of the invention are set forth herein, the claims, and the full scope of any equivalents, are what define the metes and bounds of the invention.
For a better understanding of the disclosed embodiment, its operating advantages, and the specified object attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated exemplary disclosed embodiments. The disclosed embodiments are not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but these are intended to cover the application or implementation.
The term “first”, “second” and the like, herein do not denote any order, quantity or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another, and the terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.
One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described with references to
The vertical portion of the shopping bag 100 comprises a plurality of side walls attached to the bottom wall 106 to form the volume of space 120. The plurality of side walls are such that two side walls 102 are attached on opposing sides (e.g. left and right side) of the bottom wall 106; and two side walls 104 on the remaining and opposing sides (e.g. front side and back side) of bottom wall 106. The plurality of side walls is preferably made of durable and flexible fabric material. In one or more embodiments, the plurality of side walls is made of fabric that is durable and waterproof. Those of skill in the arts would appreciate that the side walls, i.e. 102 and 104, may be configured as one continuous piece of material attached to the bottom wall and that the bottom wall and one or more of the side walls may be one continuous piece without deviating from the spirit of the invention.
In one or more embodiments, a band 110, preferably elastic, is attached to the top edge of the side walls. The elastic band may be fixed or adjustable and provides for at least partial closure of the volume of space 120. Volume of space 120 is appropriately configured to hold retail products. The retail products may be placed in the bag while shopping and then replaced after checkout.
In one or more embodiments, each one of side wall 102 comprises an inside surface 103 (see
In one or more embodiments, each one of side wall 104 comprises an inside surface 105 and an outside surface 107. Coupled to outside surface 107 of Side wall 104 is a carrying strap 112. One end of carrying 112 may be coupled at attachment point 113 to side wall 104, and the opposing end at attachment point 115, as shown in
As illustrated in
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
