Rack for holding or securing bottles adaptable to a shopping cart and a shopping cart containing the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shopping cart solutions fail to effectively and securely hold cylindrical objects like bottles, particularly in a way that is adaptable, collapsible, and suitable for various bottle sizes, while also being integrated with the cart's top surface.
Innovation Solution
A substantially planar rack with receiving spaces of varying sizes, designed to engage bottles at their neck or body, attachable to the shopping cart's top surface, and featuring a collapsible or removable design for easy use and storage, using materials like wood, plastic, or metal, with fastening mechanisms such as clips or hooks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a planar rack with receiving spaces is used to hold bottles, then the rack can securely engage bottles of various sizes, but the rack cannot be easily collapsed or removed for storage
Solution Approach 1:
The rack is divided into multiple receiving spaces, each capable of independently holding a bottle. The rack structure itself is segmented into collapsible sections that can be folded or disassembled for storage, allowing the holding function to be maintained while enabling compact storage when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one that can change its configuration. The rack can be collapsed into a compact form for storage and expanded into a functional form for holding bottles, adapting its state based on operational needs.
2Ease of operation
If the rack is designed to be collapsible for easy storage, then the rack can be easily stored when not in use, but the rack may not securely hold bottles during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The rack employs a dynamic design that allows it to switch between a collapsed storage state and an expanded functional state. When expanded, the rack provides stable support for bottles; when collapsed, it occupies minimal space for convenient storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack structure is segmented into collapsible sections that can be folded or disassembled. This segmentation allows the rack to maintain its bottle-holding integrity when assembled while enabling compact folding for storage, resolving the contradiction between stability and portability.
3Reliability
If the rack engages bottles at multiple locations (neck and body), then the rack provides more secure holding, but the rack design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving spaces are designed with curved or circular cross-sections that naturally conform to the cylindrical shape of bottles. This curvature allows the rack to engage bottles at multiple points (neck and body) simultaneously through the geometry of the receiving spaces themselves, without requiring additional complex mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the receiving spaces are designed with different geometries to engage specific parts of the bottle. The upper portion engages the bottle neck while the lower portion engages the bottle body, with each portion optimized for its specific function, achieving secure multi-point holding through localized geometric features rather than complex mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A rack for holding or securing bottles adaptable to a shopping cart that is useful for holding or securing and transporting bottles such as, for instance, beverage bottles is described herein. Also, a shopping cart containing such a rack is described. The rack is substantially planar and features a plurality of receiving spaces, substantially circular in shape, and of varying sizes, adapted to engage or restrain the bottles in only one place or in only one plane. The rack may be adapted for fastening or locking engagement to a shopping cart and may feature any suitable fastener or locking mechanism, and it may be rigid or collapsible, or completely removable from the shopping cart.