Auxiliary Shelf Hooks for Shopping Cart Carrying Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shopping carts have limited carrying capacity and lack effective support for fragile items like bread, eggs, and flowers, which often get damaged during shopping, and existing solutions require new carts or compromise storage efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A removable auxiliary shelf with hooks that attaches to the shopping cart's frame, providing segregated support for heavy and delicate items while maintaining cart stacking ability and integrating advertising space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the carrying capacity of shopping carts is increased, then more merchandise can be held, but the cart dimensions increase making it difficult to fit through store isles
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping cart system is divided into modular components: a base cart and detachable auxiliary shelves. This segmentation allows the carrying capacity to be increased by adding separate shelf units without permanently increasing the base cart dimensions, maintaining maneuverability while providing expanded storage when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary shelves extend the carrying capacity in a vertical dimension rather than horizontally. By stacking shelves above the base cart and utilizing vertical space, the system increases quantity capacity without proportionally increasing the horizontal footprint, allowing better fit through store isles.
2Quantity of substance
If shopping carts are designed to hold large amounts of merchandise, then carrying capacity improves, but the cost of new carts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the expensive base cart from the auxiliary shelving components. Retailers can keep existing carts and only invest in the removable auxiliary shelves, significantly reducing the cost increase compared to purchasing entirely new high-capacity carts.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary shelves are designed to be universally compatible with multiple cart models and can be detached when not needed. This multi-functionality allows a single auxiliary shelf unit to serve many different base carts, reducing the overall cost per unit of increased capacity.
3Quantity of substance
If shopping carts are modified to increase carrying capacity, then more items can be held, but the ability to nest and stack carts is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary shelves are designed with dynamic attachment and detachment capabilities. They can be easily attached when carrying capacity is needed and removed when carts need to be nested or stacked, allowing the system to adapt its configuration based on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
By making the auxiliary shelves separate detachable units rather than permanent integrations, the base cart retains its original nesting and stacking geometry. The segmented design allows carts to be stored efficiently when the auxiliary components are removed or folded away.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelf that is adapted for engaging the cargo basket of a shopping cart, the cargo basket having a frame made of metal wire. The shelf providing a platform having a leading edge of a leading edge length and an aft edge of an aft edge length, the platform having spaced apart sides that extend from the aft edge to the leading edge. Each of the sides of the platform having opposing side hooks, each side hook extending away from a respective side and further extending down and terminating in a side hook tip that lies below aft edge of the platform, so that the shelf is adapted for attaching to the frame of the cargo basket by engaging the forward edge of cargo basket with the end hooks, and engaging the sides of the cargo basket.