Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a personal protective cover that wraps around the
handle of the shopping
cart to prevent the passage of germs, viruses, microorganisms and/or food
related bacteria by
protecting the hands of the shopping cart handlers.
Background of Invention
Germs from unwashed hands can get onto foods, into drinks, and into the human
body by touching
eyes, nose or mouth which will cause illness. A single gram of feces can
contain one trillion germs.
People who don't wash their hands after using the toilet or changing a diaper
can transfer infectious
bacteria like Salmonella and Escherichia coil 0157 and the highly contagious,
norovirus. The effects
of these will cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and with the norovirus,
vomiting. Germs from
unwashed hands can be transferred onto other objects like shopping cart
handles. Such handles are
almost never cleaned regularly and are used by many people during the normal
business day. The
shopper's hands may have been clean prior to holding onto a contaminated
shopping cart handle.
Continual hand holding onto the handle could put this shopper at risk by
transferring the germs from
the handle onto their hands and then onto other parts of their body.
To disinfect a hard surface, quaternary ammonium chloride wipes, require the
surface to remain
visibly wet for at least four minutes and then air dried. Viruses and bacteria
can live on most
surfaces for 48 hours. Some stores offer disposable sanitizing cloths to wipe
down the shopping cart
handle and though they may contain quaternary ammonium chloride, the four-
minute wait time for
the viruses and bacteria to be eliminated may be inconvenient for the shopper.
The most cautious shopper can wash their hands, use hand gels and wipe down
the shopping cart
handle with sanitized cloths. However, as soon as they pick up an item that is
contaminated with a
virus, and hold onto their shopping cart handle, the cycle can begin again.
This invention is a
product that offers a protection from contamination of germs, bacteria and
viruses found on
shopping cart handles.
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Description of the Prior Art
US 5215319 Judy M. Farris, June 1, 1993
CA 2121079 Sandra Dee Duer, April 12, 1994
US 9676406 B1 Mistie Kocurek, Sharon Robinson, June 13, 2017
Previous covers for shopping cart handles have been designed in the means of
disposable tubular
plastic coverings made from a petroleum product or plastic wrap such as in
U.S. Pat. No. 5215319.
Both products are not eco friendly and noted to be disposable thereby causing
more consumer waste.
When applying Patent numbers CA 2121079 and US 9676406 B I the user may spend
more time
applying and removing the cover to and from the handles while attaching and
removing the Velcro
or hook and loop fasteners. It is highly likely that the user may touch the
handle while trying to
retract these three patents from the shopping cart handle.
The use of Velcro or hook and loop fasteners has been mentioned in all 3:
patent application number
CA 5429377, US patent number 5215319 and US patent 9676406 BI. Velcro or hook
and loop
fasteners tends to trap other fabrics, dirt, and debris into its mesh which
will keep if from sticking.
Overtime from continued use, the little loops in the Velcro or hook and loop
fasteners become
broken or flatten down which will inhibit from further adhesiveness. Patent
number 9676406 B1
pocket design hangs below the handle and in front of the opening where a
seated child's legs would
be positioned.
These disadvantages can be overcome, in this invention, the use of magnets
enables the user to
effectively attach and remove the shopping cart handle cover in a quick
expedient manner without
touching the shopping cart handles. The simple interior pocket design in this
invention does not
extend or hang below the shopping cart handles causing an intrusion on a
seated child's legs and/or
feet. The embodiment of this invention is made from fabric and/or cloth
material that can be
machine washed repeatedly.
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Summary of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover made from fabric and/or cloth
material designed for
shopping cart handles to help prevent the transfer of infectious agents from
one individual to
another. The included illustrations will provide a further understanding, by
one having ordinary
skill in the relevant art to practice, that the invention has broad utility
and application. Furthermore,
any embodiment discussed and identified as being preferred is part of the best
method envisioned
for carrying out the invention.
Brief Description of Drawings
One or more preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described
below in detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the same elements are referred
to with the same
reference numerals.
Figure 1 is an in-use view of the shopping cart handle cover in accordance
with an embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure IA is an in-use view of a shortened version of the shopping cart handle
cover in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a view of the open sanitary handle cover in accordance with an
embodiment of the
present invention.
Figure 3 is a view of the bottom portion of the sanitary handle cover in
accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a view of the top portion that shows the folded over sewn section
for the pocket in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4A is a view of the second top portion of the sanitary handle cover in
accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a view of fabric pieces used for magnets in accordance with an
embodiment of the
present invention.
Figure 6 is a view of the fabric piece used for the coin pocket in accordance
with an embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure 7 is a view of the magnet in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
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Figure 8 is a view of interfacing used for the magnet fabric pieces in
accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8A is a view of interfacing ironed onto a magnet fabric piece in
accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8B is a view of the magnet sewn onto interfaced fabric pieces in
accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a view of the inside bottom piece with interfaced, magnets fabric
pieces attached in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a view of the inside bottom piece with the coin pocket in
accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 11 is a view of the outside bottom piece with the coin pocket and
magnets stitched in, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 12 is a view of the outside bottom piece with shading in accordance
with an embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure 13 is a view of the sanitary handle cover folded in half in the shape
of a rectangle in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 13A is a view of the sanitary handle cover folded into a square shape
from the rectangle
shape in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 14 is a top detailed view of the second fold of the sanitary handle
cover in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 14A is a front view of the second fold on the sanitary handle cover in
accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 15 is a view of the sanitary handle cover folded into the inner pocket
in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description of Embodiment(s) of the Invention
One or more preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described
in full detail with
reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the same elements are referred
to with the same
reference numerals, and wherein. Any embodiment discussed and described below
are part of a best
technique contemplated for carrying out the invention.
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In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention Figure 1, is a top
view of shopping cart
handle 20 cover 30, when attached onto a shopping cart 10 handle 20. It fits
both small and large
handled 20 shopping carts 10. To attach cover 30 onto the shopping cart 10
handle 20, hold the left
and right end of the cover 30 in the vertical position as shown in Figure 2,
and place the cover 30
onto the handle 20. Seal the handle 20 cover 30 together by connecting the
three locations where the
magnets 120 are placed; on each end and in the middle. The magnetic pull from
the magnets 120,
seal the cover 30 together with minimal assistance. The sealed cover 30 will
provide protection and
act as a barrier for hands from any potentially dirty, infectious,
contaminated shopping cart 10
handles 20.
Figure 1A, is a top view of this embodiment when attached onto smaller handled
20 shopping carts
10. The cover 30 is positioned onto the handles 20 as in Figure 1. Fold the
corners overtop of the
sealed cover 30 on the left side up to the first seam of the north and south
magnets 120 on the
bottom 40 cover 30. Fold the corners overtop of the cover 30 on the right side
up to the first seam of
the north and south magnets 120 on the bottom 40 cover 30. When all three sets
of magnets 120 are
sealed, the minimized cover 30 will act as a protective covering from any
potentially dirty,
infectious, contaminated shopping cart 10 handles 20.
Detailed Sewing Instructions of Embodiment(s) of the Invention
Finish open edges of the two top pieces, Figure 4, 50 and Figure 4A, 60. Top
piece 50, press down
and edge stitch along the fold. Top piece 60, press down on short edge, turn
under into fold, and
edge stitch along the fold. Iron 6 pieces of interfacing 100 onto 6 pieces of
fabric 70. The 6
interfaced fabric pieces 110 are used for the 6 magnets 90. Ensure the magnets
90 are positioned so
they attract to each other. Sew each magnet 90, onto a piece of the interfaced
fabric 110, see Figure
8B 120. Sew 2 sets of magnet pieces 120 onto bottom piece 40, on the short
edges and on the long
edge. The 3' set is sewn on the right outside edge onto bottom piece 40 and
down from long edge,
see Figure 9.
Coin Pocket 80: fold the fabric coin pocket 80 in half place folded side down
from raw edge, see
Figure 9. Zigzag stitch coin pocket 80 onto the wrong side of the bottom piece
40, around the three
sides, leaving the folded side open, as shown on Figure 10.
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Seam the two top pieces 50 and 60 onto bottom piece 40 see Figure 11 & 12.
Ensure edges are
trimmed even to each other. Sew wrong sides together, clip corners. Lay right
sides together, flatten
seam, sew remainder seam allowance. To close the opening on top piece 60 top
stitch the edge
shown in Figure 2. Top stitch the other top piece 50, below the pocket opening
to create bottom of
pocket 130 shown in Figure 2.
Pocket Folding Instructions of the Embodiment
To minimize the shopping cart 10 handle 20 cover 30 into the pocket: matching
the magnets 120,
fold in half width ways as in Figure 13, fold in half width ways again, shown
in Figure 13A, folded
pieces on top, pocket 130 on the bottom, pocket 130 opening facing you. Place
both little fingers
inside the pocket 130 shown in Figure 14A; the left little finger touching
left inner seam and the
right little finger touching the right inner seam. Place the index, middle and
ring fingers of both
hands, on top of the folded cover 30 Figure 14, and both thumbs inside the
pocket 130 near the little
fingers. Pinch both sets of fingers from the top of the cover 30 together with
the two thumbs inside
the pocket 130. Turn it inside out by pulling the top folded outer cover 30
into the inner pocket 130,
inside itself shown in Figure 15. As the pocket 130 is being pushed inside
itself, the two thumbs and
little fingers will be on the outside of the pocket 130 and the two sets of
fmgers will be on the inside
of the pocket 130. Adjust inner cover 30 to allow cover 30 to lay flat inside
the pocket 130.
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The designs of this invention have been described in the context of
embodiments. These
embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many variations,
modification, additions
and improvements may fall within the scope of the inventions as defined in the
claims that follow.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed are defined
as follows:
Claims
1. A shopping cart handle cover of fabric material is sufficiently sized to
cover and provide
protection from potentially dirty, infectious and/or contaminated shopping
cart handles. Two
top panels are affixed onto a bottom panel. The first top panel edging is
attached onto the
bottom panel around all four sides. The second top panel is attached around
all three outside
edges and across the middle section, leaving an opening in the front of the
panel to overlap
onto the first top panel and to form a pocket. Magnets are attached to the
bottom panel for
closure purposes, the bottom panel lays overtop of a shopping cart handle and
magnets are
sealed together. An appropriately sized pocket for a coin is attached to the
back panel.
2. The top and bottom panels on a shopping cart handle cover as recited in
claim 1 will affix
onto smaller shopping cart handles. When placed onto the smaller handle the
two ends of
the bottom cover are folded over top of the shopping cart handle cover and are
magnetically
held together.
3. A shopping cart cover as recited in claims 1 and 2 are made from fabric or
cloth material that
is designed to be portable, reusable, and washable.
4. A shopping cart handle cover as recited in claims 1, 2 and 3 can be made
of natural or
synthetic fabric, cloth, wool, hemp, woven or nonwoven, containing plastic
properties or any
other type of material, whether natural, manufactured or fabricated, not
mentioned herein.
5. A shopping cart handle cover as mentioned in claim 1 and 2 contains a
pocket for the
shopping cart handle cover to be folded into itself for easy storage and
transportation to and
from each destination.
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