Modular Shopping Cart Frame with One-Piece Plastic Basket
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shopping carts face issues such as inefficient use of materials, elevated pressure points leading to damage, unhygienic connection points, costly manufacturing, poor modularity, limited maneuverability, and bulkiness, which affect their durability, cleanliness, and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A modular shopping cart design featuring a frame with tubular side uprights and a wheeled base, allowing for interchangeable components, a removable secondary basket, and a method for injection molding a one-piece plastic basket with varying wall thicknesses to enhance durability and ease of assembly, along with a modular manufacturing approach for different cart models.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If traditional shopping cart construction methods are used, then structural integrity is maintained, but material efficiency is poor and manufacturing costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple cart models into a single unified design that can accommodate different basket sizes and configurations. The frame structure integrates universal mounting points and adjustable components that work across various cart configurations, eliminating the need for separate tooling and reducing material variety without compromising structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure incorporates universal mounting brackets and standardized connection points that can accommodate different basket sizes, wheel configurations, and accessory attachments. This multi-functional design allows a single frame type to serve multiple cart model requirements, improving material efficiency while simplifying manufacturing
2Object-affected harmful factors
If fixed connection points are used for baskets and accessories, then structural stability is achieved, but hygiene is compromised due to food accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs removable and adjustable mounting brackets that can be repositioned or removed entirely. This dynamic connection system allows the mounting points to be cleaned thoroughly or replaced when contaminated, maintaining hygiene while preserving structural stability through standardized reinforcement features in the frame design
3Adaptability or versatility
If model-specific components are prefabricated, then assembly precision is improved, but modularity and flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cart design segments the structure into modular components including interchangeable baskets, adjustable mounting brackets, and standardized frame sections. Each segment features standardized connection interfaces that maintain assembly precision through consistent manufacturing tolerances while enabling easy reconfiguration for different cart models
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses adjustable mounting brackets with variable positioning capabilities that can be configured for different basket sizes and weights. These brackets maintain precise alignment through standardized hole patterns and mounting surfaces while allowing parameter changes to accommodate different cart specifications
4Reliability
If heavy-duty materials are used throughout the cart, then durability is enhanced, but maneuverability and weight are adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies heavy-duty materials and reinforcement strategically only at critical stress points such as the frame joints, mounting bracket attachment areas, and basket support structures. The remaining cart components use lighter materials, maintaining durability where needed while improving overall maneuverability and reducing weight
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution improves material efficiency, reduces manufacturing costs, enhances durability and cleanliness, increases maneuverability, and allows for easier assembly and customization of cart models, addressing the limitations of existing shopping cart designs.
Implementation Method 1
a method for injection molding a one-piece plastic basket with varying wall thicknesses
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention includes a shopping cart frame with mounting bracket units connecting caster wheels and having a plate secured underneath the base with a caster pin receiving hole and spaced-apart flanges flanking the hole and abutting on the base; a shopping cart with a support bar between side uprights for forwardly propping up a primary basket and rearwardly hanging a secondary basket; a cart with a plastic basket having rear structural tubes sheathing the frame's side uprights and being secured thereto; a modular method of making different cart models by providing multiple sets of components with cooperating mounting surfaces for interconnection; a modular plastic basket with a hooked-on suspended tray and a channel-shaped overlay detachably snapped over the edge and tray; a one-piece molded plastic basket with independent branching tubular sections with different thicknesses; and an independent gas-assisted injection method for molding a one-piece plastic basket.