Shopping Cart Pocket Retains Long Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shopping carts with wire mesh construction allow long slender objects to pass through, causing them to slide out, which is not effectively contained.
Innovation Solution
A cart pocket is designed to be installed at the front of shopping carts, either inside or outside the basket, using fasteners, adhesives, or a snap-fit mechanism, featuring a recess to retain the tip of long objects and prevent them from sliding through the wire frame, with optional folding or sliding mechanisms for enhanced retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If wire mesh construction is used for shopping carts, then large wheeled bins can carry substantial and heavy purchases, but long slender objects tend to pass through the gaps in the wire mesh
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping cart is divided into functional zones: the main wire mesh basket for general items and a separate pocket structure for long slender objects. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize for its specific purpose while maintaining overall cart functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket acts as an intermediary structure between the wire mesh basket and long slender objects. It provides a dedicated containment space that bridges the gap between the open wire mesh design and the need to secure long items.
2Reliability
If a pocket is placed inside the basket, then long objects can be placed into the recess without passing through the wire frame, but it may interfere with the contents of the basket
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket is positioned at the front end of the cart in a location that utilizes unused space without encroaching on the main basket volume. This spatial arrangement in another dimension allows simultaneous access to both the pocket and basket contents.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket is designed with specific local characteristics (recess structure, positioning) that enable it to contain long objects while maintaining the overall openness and accessibility of the basket area.
3Reliability
If a pocket is placed on the outside of the basket, then long objects can be placed into the recess after passing through the wire frame, but it may impede the nesting or accordion stacking of multiple carts together
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket is designed with an asymmetric profile that is optimized for containing long objects while maintaining a compact form factor. The asymmetric design allows it to fit into the cart structure without preventing the symmetric nesting of multiple carts.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket structure is designed to be flexible or movable in certain aspects, allowing it to accommodate the dynamic requirements of both long object containment and cart nesting operations.
4Reliability
If a static pocket structure is used, then long objects can be retained, but the structure may not adapt to different object sizes and shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket incorporates dynamic elements such as flexible materials or movable components that allow it to adapt its shape and size to accommodate various long objects while maintaining secure retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket structure can change its physical parameters (shape, volume, configuration) in response to different objects, allowing it to optimize containment for each specific item while maintaining reliable retention.
Data Source
AI summary
The cart pocket is a recess or pocket for installation at the front of a shopping cart or trolley. The cart pocket retains the end of one or more long objects, preventing the long objects from sliding through the wire frame of the shopping cart. The cart pocket is preferably built into the cart during initial construction but can be installed by removing a section of the wire or plastic frame of the cart, this section replaced with the cart pocket. This installation is ideal because the wire mesh is removed, simplifying access to the recess. Placing the recess outside the basket avoids interference with the contents of the basket. Alternatively, the cart pocket may be installed without removing a section of wire frame, the pocket placed either inside or outside of the basket of the cart.