Telescopic Shopping Cart Handles for Mobility Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with limited mobility or who tire easily face challenges while pushing shopping carts due to physical disorders or advanced age, as existing solutions like battery-operated carts or small, maneuverable carts do not provide adequate support for standing and comfortable shopping experiences.
Innovation Solution
A pair of telescopically extendable handles with a 'T' shape, comprising a vertical upper and lower tubular member connected to a horizontal tube, are attached to shopping carts to serve as an armrest, forearm rest, and hand-hold, providing adjustable support to reduce weight on ankles, legs, and back, preventing cart tipping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If battery operated or electric shopping carts are used, then mobility assistance is provided, but the shopping position is too low to reach shelves and requires sitting
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping cart system is segmented into the base cart and separate auxiliary support handles. The handles provide vertical support at elbow height while the cart base remains compact, allowing users to maintain an upright standing position rather than sitting in a lowered cart.
Solution Approach 2:
Auxiliary handles serve as intermediary support elements between the user's upper body and the cart. These handles provide the necessary vertical support at appropriate height without requiring the entire cart structure to be elevated or modified.
2Ease of operation
If smaller, more maneuverable shopping carts are used, then ease of movement is improved, but carrying capacity is reduced and pushing effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is segmented from the cart body into separate auxiliary handles. This allows the cart to remain small and maneuverable while the handles provide additional support for users with limited mobility, effectively decoupling cart size from user support capability.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional shopping carts are used, then carrying capacity is maintained, but users with limited mobility cannot obtain adequate support
Solution Approach 1:
The mobility support function is segmented into separate auxiliary handles that attach to the traditional cart. This allows the cart to maintain its full carrying capacity while the handles provide the necessary support for users with limited mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The auxiliary handles serve multiple functions: providing vertical support at elbow height, enabling users to push the cart while standing, and maintaining cart stability. This multi-functional addition addresses mobility needs without compromising carrying capacity.
4Ease of operation
If auxiliary support is added to shopping carts, then mobility assistance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary handles feature telescopic adjustment mechanisms that allow dynamic adaptation to different user heights and preferences. This adjustability provides customized support while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be attached to standard carts.
Data Source
AI summary
Auxiliary handles for attachment to a shopping cart to serve as supports for persons with limited mobility or who tire easily while shopping. The handles are used in pairs, with each handle having a generally vertical or upwardly directed telescopically extendable upper tubular member extendable from a lower tubular member, rigidly attachable to a structural supporting member on the shopping cart. This upper tubular member is topped with a horizontal tube that extends over the back of the cart and also in an outwardly direction past the back of the cart so as to serve as an armrest or handrest for the user as the user walks along behind the cart, pushing the cart while shopping. The user can lean on the handles to ease his or her weight on his or her knees, legs, ankles, and back, to make use of the cart and shopping less tiresome.