초록 ▼

An insulating compartment is combined with a type grocery cart characterized by an open basket having forwardly-tapering sidewalls and bottom wall which terminate in a common front wall, as well as having a top-hung rear flap-panel that swings up when the nose of a like grocery cart's basket pushes

An insulating compartment is combined with a type grocery cart characterized by an open basket having forwardly-tapering sidewalls and bottom wall which terminate in a common front wall, as well as having a top-hung rear flap-panel that swings up when the nose of a like grocery cart's basket pushes inside from the rear to enter and dock inside the basket space of the first grocery cart. The insulating compartment is limited in extent to generally the front portions only of the grocery cart's basket. Preferably, the insulating compartment comprises a front wall that matches flush against substantial portions of the basket's front wall. It also comprises abbreviated sidewalls and bottom wall arranged to match flush against front portions of the basket's sidewalls and bottom wall. Thus, the insulating compartment provides insulation service to cold or frozen food and beverage merchandise during grocery shopping trips.

대표청구항 ▼

I claim: 1. An insulating compartment for a given grocery cart having an open-topped basket comprising forwardly-tapering sidewalls spaced by a forwardly-upsloping bottom wall and which all terminate in a front wall as well as comprising a top-hung rear flap-panel which swings up when the nose of a

I claim: 1. An insulating compartment for a given grocery cart having an open-topped basket comprising forwardly-tapering sidewalls spaced by a forwardly-upsloping bottom wall and which all terminate in a front wall as well as comprising a top-hung rear flap-panel which swings up when the nose of a like, trailing grocery cart's basket pushes inside from the rear to enter and dock inside the basket space of said given grocery cart such that the nose of said trailing grocery cart penetrates to a forward limit relative the bottom and sidewalls of said given grocery cart, said insulating compartment comprising: an insulating insert for the given grocery cart's basket which is sized and arranged for occupying a front margin of the basket thereof and which comprises a front wall to match flush against substantial portions of the inside of the given grocery cart's basket's front wall, and having abbreviated rearwardly-flaring sidewalls and rearwardly-downsloping bottom wall which terminate in respective rear edges that are rearward of said forward limit of the nose of a docking trailing grocery cart's basket, and which match flush against front margins of the given grocery cart's basket's sidewalls and bottom wall, said insulating insert defining a compartment space bounded by the bottom wall, front wall, two sidewalls thereof as well as a vertical plane containing the respective rear edges of said bottom and side walls thereof whereby said compartment space provides insulation service to cold or frozen food and beverage merchandise during the duration of a customer's shopping trip at a grocery store; wherein absent from said insulating insert is any rear wall, not even a rudimentary one nor else any other means of interference along the bottom wall's rear edge so as to: exclude interference with the run-off or drainage of rainwater, snow-melt and/or soaked debris associated therewith during or times when said given grocery cart is parked outside as on a grocery store's outdoor parking lot, afford easy to wipe-clean convenience to the insulating insert's bottom wall to clean away any residue of rainwater, snow-melt as well as the soaked debris associated therewith after times when said given grocery cart experiences such, and facilitate any trailing grocery cart's nose to penetrate into said insulating insert's compartment space when entering from the rear through said vertical plane containing the respective rear wedges of said bottom and side walls thereof and thereby not impede compact docking between said given and trailing grocery carts. 2. The insulating compartment of claim 1, wherein absent from said insulating insert is any top wall, lid or means for providing closure thereto so that store merchandise can more accessibly without interference be deposited and/or withdrawn by either the customer and/or grocery store employees including cash-register clerks. 3. The insulating compartment of claim 1, wherein said insulating insert is produced from moldable materials and is a product of a single-piece molding. 4. The insulating compartment of claim 1, wherein the insulating insert is produced from water-resistant insulating material to better facilitate easy to wipe-clean convenience of the insulating insert of any residue of rainwater, snow-melt as well as the soaked debris associated therewith after times when said given grocery cart experiences such. 5. The insulating compartment of claim 1, wherein the height of the insulating insert is sized and arranged to be level with or slightly lower than a rim of the grocery cart's basket. 6. The insulating compartment of claim 3, wherein said insulating insert's bottom and side walls are arranged to spread flat against the counterpart interior front margins of the given grocery cart's basket's bottom and side walls, said insulating insert's front wall meeting the flanking sidewalls thereof in front left and right vertical seams; said front left and right vertical seams being spaced and sized to wedge tightly in the given grocery cart basket's front left and right vertical corners and thereby provide retention of the insulating insert without use of any other positive fastening. 7. The insulating compartment of claim 4, wherein said water-resistant insulating material comprises styrene foam. 8. An insulating compartment for a grocery cart having an open basket comprising forwardly-tapering sidewalls spaced by a forwardly-upsloping bottom wall and which all terminate in a front wall as well as comprising a top-hung rear flap-panel which swings up when the nose of a like grocery cart's basket pushes inside from the rear to enter and dock inside the basket space of said grocery cart, said insulating compartment comprising: an insulating insert for the grocery cart's basket which is sized and arranged for occupying a front margin of the basket and which comprises a front wall to match flush against substantial portions of the inside of the basket's front wall, and having abbreviated rearwardly-flaring sidewalls and rearwardly-downsloping bottom wall which terminate in respective rear edges and which match flush against front margins of the basket's sidewalls and bottom wall, whereby said insulating insert provides insulation service to cold or frozen food and beverage merchandise during the duration of a customer's shopping trip at a grocery; wherein absent from said insulating insert is any rear wall, not even a rudimentary one nor else any other means of interference along the bottom wall's rear edge so as to: exclude interference with the run-off or drainage of rainwater, snow-melt and/or soaked debris associated therewith during or times when said grocery cart is parked outside as on a grocery store's outdoor parking lot, and/or afford easy to wipe-clean convenience to the insulating insert's bottom wall to clean away any residue of rainwater, snow-melt as well as the soaked debris associated therewith after times when said grocery cart experiences such. 9. The insulating compartment of claim 8 being sized and arranged such that it fits inside the front margin of the grocery cart's basket to achieve a wedge fit that provides retention of the insulating insert without use of any other positive fastening or fasteners. 10. The insulating compartment of claim 8, wherein absent from said insulating insert is any top wall, lid or means for providing closure thereto so that store merchandise can more accessibly without interference be deposited and/or withdrawn by either the customer and/or grocery store employees including cash-register clerks. 11. The insulating compartment of claim 8, wherein said insulating insert is produced from moldable materials and is a product of a single-piece molding. 12. The insulating compartment of claim 8, wherein the insulating insert is produced from water-resistant insulating material. 13. The insulating compartment of claim 8, wherein the height of the insulating insert is sized and arranged to be level with or slightly lower than a rim of the grocery cart's basket. 14. The insulating compartment of claim 12, wherein said insulating insert's bottom and side walls are arranged to spread flat against the counterpart interior front margins of the grocery cart's basket's bottom and side walls, said insulating insert's front wall meeting the flanking sidewalls thereof in front left and right vertical seams; said front left and right vertical seams being spaced and sized to wedge tightly in the grocery cart basket's front left and right vertical corners and thereby provide retention of the insulating insert without use of any other positive fastening. 15. A combination insulating compartment and grocery cart comprising: a grocery cart having an open basket defined by forwardly-tapering sidewalls spaced by a bottom wall and which all terminate in a front wall as well as defined by a top-hung rear flap-panel which swings up when the nose of a like grocery cart's basket pushes inside from the rear to enter and dock inside the basket space of said grocery cart; and said insulating compartment, which is sized and arranged for occupying a front margin of the basket and which comprises a front wall to match flush against substantial portions of the inside of the basket's front wall, and having abbreviated rearwardly-flaring sidewalls and rearwardly-downsloping bottom wall which terminate in respective rear edges and which match flush against front margins of the basket's sidewalls and bottom wall, whereby said insulating compartment provides insulation service to cold or frozen food and beverage merchandise during the duration of a customer's shopping trip at a grocery: wherein absent from said insulating compartment is any rear wall, not even a rudimentary one nor else any other means of interference along the bottom wall's rear edge so as to: exclude interference with the run-off or drainage of rainwater, snow-melt and/or soaked debris associated therewith during or times when said grocery cart is parked outside as on a grocery store's outdoor parking lot, and/or afford easy to wipe-clean convenience to the insulating compartment's bottom wall to clean away any residue of rainwater, snow-melt as well as the soaked debris associated therewith after times when said grocery cart experiences such. 16. The insulating compartment of claim 15 being sized and arranged such that it fits inside a front portion of the grocery cart's basket to achieve a wedge fit that provides retention of the insulating compartment without use of any other positive fastening or fasteners. 17. The insulating compartment of claim 15, wherein said insulating compartment's bottom and side walls are arranged to spread flat against the counterpart interior front margins of the grocery cart's basket's bottom and side walls, said insulating compartment's front wall meeting the flanking sidewalls thereof in front left and right vertical seams; said front left and right vertical seams being spaced and sized to wedge tightly in the grocery cart basket's front left and right vertical corners and thereby provide retention of the insulating compartment without use of any other positive fastening. 18. The insulating compartment of claim 15, wherein absent from said insulating compartment is any top wall, lid or means for providing closure thereto so that store merchandise can more accessibly without interference be deposited and/or withdrawn by either the customer and/or grocery store employees including cash-register clerks. 19. The insulating compartment of claim 15, wherein the insulating compartment is produced from water-resistant insulating material to better facilitate easy to wipe-clean convenience of the insulating insert of any residue of rainwater, snow-melt as well as the soaked debris associated therewith after times when said grocery cart experiences such. 20. The insulating compartment of claim 15, wherein the height of the insulating compartment is sized and arranged to be level with or slightly lower than a rim of the grocery cart's basket.