Land vehicles – Wheeled – Nesting vehicles
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-22
2001-02-13
Mar, Michael (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Nesting vehicles
C280S033992, C297S256170
Reexamination Certificate
active
06186521
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a cart, particularly a shopping cart of the type commonly found in grocery and department stores. More specifically, it relates to carts which are equipped with carriers which permit the user to tote a child around on the cart during an excursion through the store.
BACKGROUND
Shopping carts are a common sight in virtually all grocery stores and supermarkets. They are used by shoppers who are purchasing more than a handful of items. Most carts are equipped with a carrier used to transport infants and small children accompanying the shopper. The carrier may be an integral part of the shopping cart. Alternatively, the cart may be retrofitted with a separate carrier mounted to or on the cart and secured thereto with straps or hardware.
In many instances, the child carrier does not include any type of a restraint system which would serve to prevent the child from climbing or falling out of the carrier. In other instances, the restraint system may prevent falls when the child is sitting, but is deficient in preventing the child from standing up and then falling. Because of the deficiencies in these systems, there are numerous instances each year across the United States of children climbing or falling out of the carrier, resulting in injuries ranging from bruises and broken bones to more serious life threatening injuries or even fatalities.
A number of prior efforts have been made to equip a child carrier on a shopping cart with a restraint system to restrict the movement of the child while in the carrier. One such carrier is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,489. This carrier is equipped with side flaps which serve to prevent a child from falling laterally to either side of the cart. The device is designed to be permanently attached to the cart, or to be collapsed into a folded seat which can be easily carried by a shopper for attaching to a cart upon entering a store.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,122 describes a cart attachment for improving the child carrying capabilities of the cart. The attachment includes a back guard and harness system for preventing a child from standing up and/or turning around while in the seat of the cart carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,250 describes a cushioned child restraint and seating device for use with a shopping cart. The device includes a horizontal seat member and a back rest. A pad having wing members is attached to the back rest and is adapted to wrap around a child's torso to secure the child against the back rest.
U.S. design Pat. No. 343,257 is an ornamental design for a child safety harness having a single attachment to the rear of a shipping cart.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the combination of a wheeled shopping cart including a basket for holding merchandise such as groceries, a handle for pushing and maneuvering the cart and a carrier for carrying infants and small children. The carrier includes a back support, a seat, and openings through which the legs of the infant extend. The improvement involves a child restraint associated with the carrier and comprises front and rear panels sandwiching the back support between them; The panels and the back support are fastened using fastening means such as nuts and bolts extending through the back support to join the panels. A pair of shoulder straps are removably and vertically adjustably secured to the panels and means such as a crotch strap is used to join the shoulder straps to the cart at the front of the seat. The panels each have two rows of vertically spaced horizontal slots to receive a first end of the shoulder straps with the slots in the front panel aligned with those in the back panel. The first end of each strap is secured against removal from the slots.
The invention also relates to a child restraint for use with the child carrier of a shopping cart or the like. The restraint comprises a) front and rear panels adapted to sandwich the back support of the child carrier, b) fastening means such as nuts and bolts to couple the panels together and to secure the panels to the back support, c) a pair of shoulder straps having a first end joined to the panels and a second end coupled together, and d) a crotch strap having one end joined to the second end of the shoulder straps, and a free end adapted to be secured to the cart. The front and the rear panels each have two rows of vertically spaced horizontal slots to receive a first end of the shoulder straps with the slots in the front panel linearly aligned with the slots in the rear panel and the slots in the first row aligned horizontally with the slots in the second row. The first end of one shoulder strap removably passes through the slots in the first row of the front and rear panels, and the first end of the second shoulder strap removably passes through the slots in the other row of the front and rear panels. The first ends of the shoulder straps are secured against removal from the slots.
The invention further comprises a mobile shopping cart including a child carrier having a seat and a back, and a restraint system to prevent a child from falling from the cart. The restraint system comprises shoulder strap means preferably comprising two shoulder straps, each strap adapted to pass over one shoulder of a child, each shoulder strap having first and second ends. The restraint system includes means to removably secure the first end of each shoulder strap to the back of the carrier. The second end of each shoulder strap is connected at a common point with the second end of the other shoulder strap. A crotch strap has a first end connected at the common point to the shoulder straps and a second end adapted to pass between the legs of a child. Means such as a snap fastener is used to join the second end of the crotch strap to the frame of the cart. The crotch strap cooperates with the shoulder straps to prevent the child from standing while restrained by the restraint system. The restraint system includes means to allow vertical height adjustment of the shoulder straps wherein the first end of the shoulder straps are removably secured to the back of the carrier. The back of the carrier includes two rows of vertically aligned, spaced-apart adjustment slots to receive the first end of each of the shoulder straps. The back can comprise a solid panel, or a wire grid sandwiched between a pair of panels secured to one another. In another variation, the back may comprise a wire grid including a plurality of vertically extending rods spaced from one another, in which case the first end of each shoulder strap is removably secured to one of the vertically extending rods.
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Divoky David J.
Divoky Donna
Divoky Nicholas M.
Driggs Lucas Brubaker & Hogg Co. L.P.A.
Lucas James A.
Mar Michael
Phan Hau
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