Shopping Cart Cup Holder with Sliding Securing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shopping carts lack a reliable and aesthetically pleasing method to securely hold beverages, leading to customer inconvenience and potential misplacement.
Innovation Solution
A cup holder for shopping carts featuring a container ring and a securing mechanism with a support arm and clasp, providing lateral and vertical stability, and optionally a spacer for improved accessibility, which is removably mounted to the cart.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a beverage holder is integrated into a conventional shopping cart, then customer convenience is improved, but reliability and appearance are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage holder is designed as a separate, detachable component that can be independently attached to and removed from the shopping cart. This segmentation allows the holder to be optimized for customer convenience while the main cart structure maintains its reliability and appearance standards.
Solution Approach 2:
A clasp mechanism serves as an intermediary between the beverage holder and the shopping cart wall. This clasp provides a reliable connection point that is specifically designed for securing the holder, resolving the contradiction between easy attachment and secure retention.
2Ease of operation
If a beverage holder is integrated into a conventional shopping cart, then customer convenience is improved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By making the beverage holder a detachable accessory rather than a permanent integral part of the cart, the design allows the cart to maintain its original aesthetic appearance when the holder is not in use, while still providing convenience when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The beverage holder is positioned in a specific local area of the shopping cart (on the wall) rather than being integrated throughout the structure. This localized approach minimizes impact on the overall aesthetic appearance while providing the needed functionality.
3Shape
If the cup holder is designed with a low profile, then visibility and interference with the cart handle are minimized, but accessibility may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The beverage holder extends laterally outward from the wall in a direction perpendicular to the cart handle, creating separation in three-dimensional space. This dimensional arrangement allows the holder to maintain a low profile vertically while providing adequate accessibility horizontally.
Data Source
AI summary
A cup holder for a shopping cart includes a container ring and a securing mechanism. The container ring is configured to removably hold a beverage container while the securing mechanism is configured for removably securing the container ring relative to a shopping cart. The securing mechanism includes a first portion configured for slidable mounting in a first direction onto a top edge of a wall of a basket of the shopping cart. A second portion of the securing mechanism is configured for slidable insertion, in a second direction generally perpendicular to the first direction, into a hole in the basket of the shopping cart.