Miscellaneous hardware (e.g. – bushing – carpet fastener – caster – Insulated handle – Unshaped or unattached pad
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-20
2004-11-16
Barrett, Suzanne Dino (Department: 3676)
Miscellaneous hardware (e.g., bushing, carpet fastener, caster,
Insulated handle
Unshaped or unattached pad
C016S110100, C280S033992, C150S154000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06817066
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sanitary shopping cart handle covers, and more specifically to reusable prophylactic shopping cart handle grips that are manufactured from a non-toxic material that may be safely mouthed by a teething child seated in the shopping cart, and that have additional convenience features, thus satisfying the needs of specific users while simultaneously making the shopping carts, upon which the grips are mounted, distinguishable from one another.
2. Description of the Related Art
Handle grips are desirable for making pushing various devices, such as shopping carts, comfortable. For example, typical shopping carts are made of metal, and have plastic handle grips arranged on the handle of the metal carts. The plastic handle grips are typically of a larger diameter than the metal tubing from which the shopping cart is made, and may have finger recessions on the underside to make the handle more comfortable. However, numerous people throughout the course of a day will touch the same handles. Such plastic handle grips are therefore very likely to receive germs from each user. As such, avoiding touching these plastic handle grips may prevent the spread of colds, flu's, and other illness. Consequently, personal handle grips are desirable. That is, it is desirable to have one's own handle grip, which can be placed over the standard plastic handle grips. It is also desirable to have a handle grip that may be easily arranged over the standard plastic handle grips without directly touching the plastic handle grip. However, it may also be desirable to have a various handle grips to satisfy the needs of each particular user. Such variety will help to differentiate the handle grips such that users do not inadvertently grab someone else's handle grip, confusing it with their own. To this end, it is desirable to have a personal handle grip configured to hold, for example, a shopping list, or a calculator. Still further, it is desirable to have a personal handle grip having a zippered pouch. It is also desirable to have a personal handle grip having toys to occupy children riding in a shopping cart, where the personal handle grip and toys are constructed of material that may be safely mouthed by a teething baby. Also, it is desirable to have a personal handle grip having incorporated key fob, telephone book, cel phone pocket, picture frames, or Velcro receiving pad such that a user could affix another item of their choosing to the handle grip.
The use of handle covers is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,764 to Moseley discloses a sanitary teething cover for a shopping cart handle that is to be mouthed by a child or infant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,319 to Farris discloses a single rolled sheet of semi-rigid plastic in the preferred embodiment of the invention. The rolled sheet is cut longitudinally along one side, with a notch, to facilitate the placement of the cover onto a shopping cart handle. The handle cover is also individually wrapped to further maintain its sanitary state until the time of use. An alternative embodiment of the handle cover of Farris '319 illustrated in
FIG. 9
, involves mounting a roll of plastic wrap, or other disposable material, with a cutting edge on the cart near the handle, so that each successive customer can pull a length of plastic wrap sufficient to cover the handle. Both of these embodiments would produce a significant increase in plastic waste, contributing to the deluge of disposable plastic products currently employed in stores. Unlike plastic bags and food containers, however, the used handles could not be recycled, given the accumulation of germs on their surfaces. Beyond being environmentally unsound, these embodiments also fail to adequately address the teething problem, as the plastic wrap would not have the integrity to withstand teething. Moreover, this material would provide a choking hazard to a teething child.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,377 to Duer discloses a sanitary protective cover for shopping cart use that is attached to a bag into which the protective cover may be inserted when the cover is folded. However, the Duer '377 patent does not disclose a handle grip apparatus including a tubular member having a longitudinal slit with pull-tabs attached thereto, allowing the grip to be installed on a shopping cart without directly touching the shopping cart handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,746 to Andreesen discloses a handle cover and toy holder that includes a cloth handle cover and attached toy holder where the toy holder is configured to secure the folded cloth handle cover when not in use. However, the Andreesen '746 patent does not disclose a handle grip apparatus including a tubular member having a longitudinal slit with pull-tabs attached thereto, allowing the grip to be installed on a shopping cart without directly touching the shopping cart handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,849 to Peters discloses a continuous tubular paper cover that slips onto a specially designed shopping cart handle having one end that removably engages with the body of the cart. However, the sanitary handle cover of Peters '849 is not compatible with conventional shopping carts, and would incur an immense expense for stores to replace their supply of conventional carts or to install the special handles thereon. Furthermore, the handle cover of Peters '849 is paper, through which a teething child could easily and quickly chew, making it unsatisfactory as a prophylactic device and potentially presenting a choking hazard.
Lastly, U.S. Design Pat. No. 328,812 to Pritchett discloses a handle cover for a shopping cart that appears to be made of a strip of fabric having Velcro along a longitudinal edge to secure the fabric to the shopping cart handle. However, the Pritchett '812 patent does not appear to disclose a handle grip apparatus including a tubular member having a longitudinal slit with pull-tabs attached thereto, allowing the grip to be installed on a shopping cart without directly touching the shopping cart handle.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a handle grip apparatus that allows the grip to be installed on a shopping cart without directly touching the shopping cart handle. The Mosley '764 patent makes no provision for installing a sanitary cover without directly touching the handle.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved handle grip apparatus that can be used for installing a sanitary handle grip apparatus without soiling one's hands by touching the shopping cart handle. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the handle grip apparatus according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing use of a public shopping cart without touching the handle, while providing conveniences to the shopper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of handle covers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved handle grip apparatus, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved handle grip apparatus and method of using a shopping cart without directly touching the shopping cart handle which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a handle grip apparatus which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a grip apparatus that is constructed from a flexible material formed
Williams Kenneth
Williams Rita Gabriella
Barrett Suzanne Dino
Williams Mark
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