Field Of The Invention
[0001] This invention relates to the general field of hand baskets, and more particularly
to stackable hand-held shopping baskets which are used for carrying groceries and
other goods in supermarkets and other retail stores.
Background of the Invention
[0002] It is common for retail stores to have hand baskets available as a courtesy to their
customers for carrying groceries or other items being purchased. Shoppers tend to
appreciate the convenience of these hand-baskets, particularly when they do not wish
to use large shopping carts. However, hand baskets are often uncomfortable and sometimes
even painful to use when heavily loaded.
[0003] Hand baskets commonly used in retail settings generally have a rectangular crate-like
construction. These baskets usually have one or two pivoting handles which are attached
to the long sides of the rectangular basket and extend over the opposite sides to
permit stacking. The handles are usually thin strips of wire or plastic, often having
a small diameter or a sharp edge which can cut into or pinch the hand, making them
uncomfortable to grip and carry as the baskets become filled and heavy.
[0004] Most handles do not provide proper balance for carrying a shopping basket. The manner
in which these handles are attached to shopping baskets, the long moment arm of the
load, and the small diameter of the grip allow the basket to pivot and sway when the
shopper is walking, which may cause items to shift in the basket or spill from it.
Fragile items within the basket may be damaged if shifting causes impact against a
hard surface.
[0005] When a basket is carried, and particularly if it is permitted to swing because of
the handle design, the edges and corners of traditional rectangular baskets impact
the user's body. Because the length of these handles is largely dictated by the size
of the basket (as the handles must fold completely out of the way to allow stacking),
these baskets often hang low and impact the user's legs in the knee or upper shin
area.
[0006] When a heavy load is carried in such known baskets, a considerable torque is placed
on the user's back, elbow and wrist. The orientation of the handles on existing shopping
baskets tends to twist and lock the user's elbow in an uncomfortable position, typically
with the palm of the hand facing fore or aft, rather than the more natural position
of the palm turned inward facing the user's body.
[0007] In addition to the problems related to handles, the traditional shopping baskets
are not ergonomically shaped, generally having straight sides which do not conform
to the curve of a user's body. If the basket is held close to the body, the straight
rigid sides make the baskets awkward and uncomfortable to carry and walk with.
[0008] Some attempts have been made to address the deficiencies and uncomfortable nature
of these hand-baskets and shoppers' displeasure with them. Some have fit pieces of
tubing, foam, vinyl, etc., over the grip portion in efforts to make the handles less
painful to hold. These attempted solutions only slightly increased the diameters of
the handles, did little to decrease pinching between the two handles, and completely
failed to address the many other problems (such as handle length, shape of the basket,
point-of-contact with the body, swinging, etc.). Baskets with traditional plastic
handles also tend to break at the pivot points where the handles connect to the basket.
[0009] There is a need for a hand-held shopping basket that is comfortable for a user to
hold and carry.
[0010] There is a need for a hand-held shopping basket that has a handle of proper thickness
and orientation that is comfortable for a user to carry.
[0011] There is a need for a hand-held shopping basket that is shaped to conform to the
body of an average adult human, allowing for comfortable walking while carrying the
basket.
[0012] There is a need for a hand-held shopping basket that allows a user to comfortably
hold the weight of the user's groceries closer to the user's body to decrease torque
on the user's back, and with the palm turned inward to decrease torque on the user's
elbow and wrist.
[0013] There is a need for a hand-held shopping basket that has a dividing element projecting
from the bottom surface, decreasing the tendency of heavy items to slide around in
the basket.
[0014] There is a need for a hand-held shopping basket that can be stacked neatly and easily,
without the need to fold away handles that may otherwise obstruct stacking.
[0015] These needs may be satisfied by a novel basket of the present invention.
Summary of the Invention
[0016] The invention is directed to a stackable ergonomic hand-held shopping basket that
satisfies the above-identified needs. A shopping basket having features of the present
invention includes a bottom wall having upstanding side and end walls. The proximal
side wall (closest to the user's body) is inwardly curved in a contour adapted to
an adult human user's body. The opposite or distal side wall may also be curved with
a contour that is symmetrical with the proximate side wall. The side walls and end
walls have an outwardly-turned peripheral top edge forming a lip, the lip being extended
downward along at least a portion of the proximal side wall to form a cushion portion.
A centrally located handle projects from the bottom wall and defines a channel through
the bottom wall of the basket for stacking baskets. The grip of the handle is oriented
along the longitudinal axis of the basket.
Description of the Drawings
[0017]
Fig. 1 shows a top isometric view of a hand-held shopping basket made in accordance with
the present invention.
Fig. 2 shows a bottom isometric view of the hand-held shopping basket of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows a partial cutaway side view of the hand-held shopping basket of Fig. 1 shown
in an about to be nested position with a substantially identical basket.
Fig. 4 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of the handle of a hand-held shopping basket
made in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 5 shows a side elevational schematic view of an embodiment of a hand-held shopping
basket made in accordance with the present invention.
Fig. 6 shows a top isometric view of an alternate embodiment with additional ventilation
slots of a hand-held shopping basket made in accordance with the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
[0018] Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like elements, the present
invention generally comprises a stackable, ergonomic hand-held shopping basket 10
contoured to the shape of an average adult human user's natural body curve and having
a centrally located handle projecting from the bottom. The basket is preferably constructed
of thermo-plastic material by injection molding process.
[0019] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the shopping basket has a bottom 12 having an inner side
14 and an outer side 16. Extending upwardly from the inner side 14 of the bottom 12
are opposed side walls 18, 19 and end walls 20 defining a cavity adapted to receive
items. For ease of description and differentiation, the side wall 18 to the top of
Figure 1 is the wall intended to be proximate to the user's body when carried, and
may be referred to in this description and in the claims as the proximal side or proximal
side wall 18. The opposite side wall may be referred to as the distal side or distal
side wall 19. The side walls 18, 19 and the end walls 20 slope generally outwardly
from the center of the basket 10, providing a basket that can be stacked with an identical
basket 10(a) in a nested arrangement, as shown in Fig. 3.
[0020] The proximal side wall 18 curves inwardly towards the center of the shopping basket
10 in a contour adapted to the shape of an adult user's natural body curve, so the
basket can be held comfortably against the user's body. As used in this description
and the claims, the term curved is intended to encompass a smooth curvature such as
shown in the drawings, and also to encompass an effective curvature which can be obtained
by straight surfaces angled inward toward the longitudinal axis of the basket. When
the basket is carried by a user with the curved proximal side wall facing the side
of the user's body, such orientation shifts the center of gravity of the load closer
to the user, and spreads the point of contact with the user's body over a larger surface
area than contact with a straight side wall. The curvature is adapted to an adult
user's natural body curve in the sense that the basket will normally be along the
side of the body at the mid to lower thigh region, and must accommodate fore and aft
movement of the thigh during walking. The basket can also be held against the torso
along the upper hip area using the alternative finger grip described below. These
considerations usually result in a relatively long and shallow curvature.
[0021] The side walls 18, 19 and end walls 20 have an outwardly-turned peripheral top edge
to form a lip 22. In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 2,
the lip is extended further downward along the proximal side wall to form a cushion
portion 28 to further spread the point of contact and make the contact against a yielding
surface.
[0022] The distal side wall 19 may be straight, or also be curved inward, but in the depicted
embodiment the distal side wall is curved outward away from the longitudinal axis
of the basket. In a preferred embodiment, the distal side wall has an outward curvature
substantially symmetrical to the inward curvature of the proximal side wall 18. The
lip on the distal side wall may have a short center extension wherein the lip is extended
outward along a center section of the distal side wall to form a finger grip 29. The
finger grip 29 allows the user an alternative means to grasp the basket, usually while
pressing the proximal side wall against the torso. The finger grip 29 also acts as
a bumper and shield for advertising material beneath it, as described hereafter.
[0023] The basket bottom 12 may be provided with ventilation slots 24, as shown in Figs.
1 and 2, to prevent the trapping of air between adjacent baskets while nesting and
allow drainage from the basket. The side walls 18 or end walls 20 may also have ventilation
slots 25, as shown in the embodiment in Fig. 6. These slots 24, 25 also reduce the
amount and weight of plastic material, and hence the cost of the basket.
[0024] In one of the embodiments of the present invention, shown in Fig. 5, the distal side
wall 30 has a display panel 32. In the depicted embodiment, the display panel 32 is
a smooth surface (no ventilation slots) where advertising may be displayed. A transparent
cover (not shown) may be placed over the display panel 32, creating a pocket for receiving
advertising sheets. Alternatively, the owner (such as a supermarket chain) may have
its name printed or embossed on the panel to reduce theft and to promote the store's
name. The finger grip 29 previously described acts as a bumper and shield for display
panel, transparent cover, and advertising material.
[0025] Standoff fins 27 are located along the periphery of the basket, between the side
walls 18 and the lip 22, and the end walls 20 and the lip 22. Although shown primarily
at the corners in the depicted embodiments, the standoff fins may be located at other
spaced intervals. The standoff fins act as points of contact with the lip of a lower
nested basket when the baskets are stacked, and thus can be placed at many combinations
of regular locations. However, these standoff fins 27 are not provided beneath the
cushion portion 28, thus allowing the cushion portion 28 to flex and cushion impact
with the user's body.
[0026] A centrally located handle 34 extends upwardly from the bottom wall 12. The handle
34 comprises a first upstanding post 36, a second upstanding post 38, and a grip portion
40. The grip portion 40 extends between and connects the upstanding posts, defining
a hand-receiving opening 42 so that a user may grasp the grip portion. The handle
34 is oriented so that the longitudinal axis L
g of the grip portion 40 is substantially aligned with, herein parallel to and above,
the longitudinal axis L
b of the basket, as shown in the Fig. 5. This orientation provides for a more natural
and comfortable grip by the user, much like carrying a suit case.
[0027] The first upstanding post 36 and second upstanding post 38 are generally rounded
at their top edge, as shown in Fig. 4. The handle 34 may also be formed so that the
first upstanding post 36 and second upstanding post 38 slope outwardly toward the
bottom wall 12 (i.e. narrow as they rise from bottom to top). This provides an inherent
tendency to self-align as one basket is nested on top of another basket.
[0028] The handle 34 defines a channel 44 which extends through the bottom 12 of the basket
and is open to the outer side 16 of the bottom 12. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this
channel 44 is adapted to receive the handle 34 of a substantially identical shopping
basket 10 when the baskets are stacked in a nesting condition.
[0029] As shown in Fig 4, the grip portion 40 comprises a hollow channeled body portion
46 having a longitudinal center beam crossed by lateral reinforcing webs 48, and a
lower portion 50 contoured to provide a gripping surface 52. The body portion 46 has
slots 54 located adjacent the first upstanding post 36 and the second upstanding post
38. A detachable cover 56 is provided with flanges 58 adapted to removably engage
through the slots 54. When the gripping portion 40 is assembled, it produces a robust,
thick, ergonomically shaped and comfortable handle that provides the user substantial
control of basket movement.
[0030] Because the handle need not be folded away for stacking, it is kept to a relatively
short vertical dimension above the cavity of the basket to raise the basket higher
on the user's body when carried and give the user more control with less torque. Preferably
the handle should extend above the lip of the basket, but not more than about eight
inches above the lip of the basket. The handle also serves as a dividing element,
decreasing the tendency of heavy items to slide around. In a preferred scaling, the
areas in front and behind the handle (between the handle and the end walls) are each
the approximate size of a one gallon plastic milk container.
[0031] As also shown in Fig. 4, a display plate 60 may be disposed in the grip between the
hollow channeled body portion 46 and the cover 56, and is supported by the reinforcing
webs 48. The display plate 60 is adapted to support or contain advertising material.
In this embodiment, the cover 56 is made of a transparent material, so that the advertising
may be viewed.
[0032] The basket 10 may be injection molded in a one-piece or two-piece injection mold
thermo-plastic construction.
[0033] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from
the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made
to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating
the scope of the invention.
1. A hand-held basket (10) comprising:
a bottom (12), a proximal side wall (18), a distal side wall (19), and two end walls
(20) defining a cavity, wherein the side walls and end walls have an outwardly-turned
peripheral top edge forming a lip (22), the lip being extended downward along at least
a portion of the proximal side wall to form a cushion portion (28).
2. A hand-held basket as in claim 1, wherein the cavity has a longitudinal axis and the
proximal side is curved inwardly towards the axis in a contour adapted to an adult
human body.
3. A hand-held basket according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lip is extended outward
along a center section of the distal side wall (19) to form a finger grip (29).
4. A hand-held basket as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the distal side wall (19) is
curved outwardly from the axis in a contour substantially symmetrical to the contour
of the proximal side wall (18).
5. A hand-held basket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a handle
(34) is provided having a grip portion (40) positioned above the cavity when the basket
is carried by the user,
6. A hand-held basket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein stand-off
fins (27) are provided along the periphery of the basket between the lip (22) and
the end walls (20) and side walls (18, 19).
7. A hand-held basket as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein the handle (34) defines a channel
(44) which extends through the basket bottom (12), the channel being adapted to receive
the handle of a substantially identical basket nesting directly below in a stack.
8. A stackable hand-held basket as claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7 further comprising the
handle (34) extending from the bottom of the basket to the grip portion (40) positioned
higher then the top edge of the proximal side wall (18).
9. A stackable hand-held basket as claimed in claim 8, wherein a longitudinal axis of
the grip portion (40) is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the basket
(10).
10. A hand-held basket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least
one side wall has a display panel (32).
11. A hand-held basket as claimed in claim 10 further comprising a transparent cover over
the display panel, the display panel and transparent cover defining a pocket adapted
to receive removable advertising sheets.
12. A stackable hand-held basket as claimed in any of claims 5 to 11, wherein the handle
comprises first and second upstanding posts (36, 38) the posts being connected to
form the grip portion.
13. A stackable hand-held basket as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first upstanding
post (36) and the second upstanding post (38) slope outwardly as they intersect the
bottom wall.
14. A hand-held basket as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 13, wherein the grip portion
(40) of the handle (34) includes a transparent detachable top cover (36) and means
for supporting an advertising display beneath the cover.
15. A hand-held basket as claimed in claim 14, the grip portion further comprising a hollow
channelled body (46) having lateral reinforcing webs (48) therein, and the advertising
display being a plate (60) disposed in and supported by the webs.