Shopping cart extender

Abstract

An expandable rectangular platform, comprises a central panel to which two side panels are pivotally attached on either side by at least one pair of panel hinges. The platform can be expanded, with the side panels extended, so as to extend over the sides of the cart basket, in which extended configuration it can serve a load-bearing function. When the platform is not in use, the side panels are pivoted under the central panel, and their lengthwise sides are secured together by one or more panel connectors.

Claims

1. An expandable platform for carrying items on a top of a basket of a shopping cart, comprising: a rectangular central panel, having a top surface and a bottom surface, and having a width less than a width of the basket, and having a length less than a length of the basket; two generally rectangular side panels, wherein each side panel has a length equal to the length of the central panel, and wherein each side panel has a width equal to one-half the width of the central panel, and wherein the side panels and the central panel have a combined width that is greater than the width of the basket; wherein the side panels are lengthwise pivotally attached by at least one pair of panel hinges to opposite sides of the main panel, so as to form the expandable platform; wherein each of the side panels has a lengthwise outer side, which is opposite to a lengthwise inner side by which the side panel is hingeably attached to the main panel; wherein the side panels are pivotally foldable against the bottom surface of the main panel, so that the lengthwise outer sides of the side panels engage one another and are securable together by one or more panel connectors, and so as to put the expandable platform in a folded configuration, in which the expandable platform is storable within the basket of the shopping cart; wherein the side panels are pivotally extendable so to be co-planar with the central panel and so as to put the expandable platform in an extended configuration; and wherein each of the side panels has two widthwise outer sides, which are perpendicular to the lengthwise outer side, and wherein each of the widthwise outer sides forms a longitudinal channel, and wherein each longitudinal channel slidably encloses at least one clamp stud, and wherein each of the clamp studs has a stem by which the clamp stud supports a spring-loaded clamp, by which the expandable platform is securable to the top of the basket of the shopping cart, and wherein a position of each of the spring-loaded clamps along the widthwise outer side of the side panel is adjustable to conform to the width of the basket of the shopping cart.

2. The expandable platform according to claim 1, wherein the pairs of panel hinges comprise locking, spring-loaded hinges.

3. The expandable platform according to claim 1, wherein the panel connectors are conjugate male-female mechanical fasteners, latches, clasps, snaps or catches, or are hook-and-loop fasteners.

4. The expandable platform according to claim 2, wherein the panel connectors are conjugate male-female mechanical fasteners, latches, clasps, snaps or catches, or are hook-and-loop fasteners.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of the present invention in its extended configuration connected to the top of a shopping cart basket;

(2) FIG. 2 is an obverse side plan view of the embodiment of the present invention in its extended configuration;

(3) FIG. 3 is a reverse side plan view of the embodiment of the present invention in its extended configuration;

(4) FIG. 4 is a reverse side plan view of the embodiment of the present invention in its folded configuration;

(5) FIG. 5 is a side profile view of the embodiment of the present invention in its extended configuration;

(6) FIGS. 6A and 6B are side profile view of an exemplary panel hinge in the extended and folded configurations, respectively; and

(7) FIG. 7 is a side profile view of an exemplary spring-loaded clamp with its stud slidably enclosed within the longitudinal channel of one of the side panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(8) Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is an expandable platform 10 comprising a rectangular central panel 11 and two rectangular side panels 12, pivotally attached to either side of the central panel 11 by two pairs of panel hinges 13. When the expandable platform 10 is in use, the side panels 12 extend outward from either side of the central panel 11 in the extended configuration 15 depicted in FIGS. 1-3. In the extended configuration 15, the expandable platform 10 is securable to the top of a shopping cart basket 14, as seen in FIG. 1, with the side panels 12 extending over the sides of the basket 14. For purposes of orientation, the dimensions of the central and side panels 11 12 and the cart basket 14 referred to as “length” and “width,” herein and in the claims, are labelled as “L” and “W” respectively, in FIG. 1. The central panel 11 has a width less than the width of the cart basket 14, and the central panel 11 has a length less than the length of the basket 14. The two side panels 12 each have a length equal to the length of the central panel 11, and they each have a width equal to half the width of the central panel 11.

(9) The two side panels 12 each have a length-wise inner side 17, along which it is hingeably attached to the central panel 11, and they each have a length-wise outer side 18, on which they each have a panel connector 19. The side panels 12 are folded under the central panel 11 when the expandable platform 10 is not in use, so as to put the platform 10 in the folded configuration 16, as depicted in FIG. 4. In the folded configuration 16, the lengthwise outer sides 18 of the side panels 12 engage one another and are secured together by the panel connector 19, which is here illustrated as a hook-and-post type fastener. When in the folded configuration 16, the platform 10 can be readily stowed within the cart basket 14.

(10) Each of the side panels 12 has two widthwise outer sides 20, each of which forms a longitudinal channel 22, as seen in FIG. 5. The longitudinal channel 22 encloses a clamp stud 23, shown in FIG. 7, which is slidable along the length of the channel 22, and which is connected by a stem 24 to a spring-loaded clamp 21. The clamps 21 provides the means by which the platform 10, in its extended configuration 15, is secured to the top of the cart basket 14. The position of the clamps 21 along the widthwise outer sides 20 of the side panels 12 is slidably adjustable, thereby allowing the clamps 21 to be aligned with various widths of different shopping carts.

(11) As depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the panel hinges 13 are preferably spring-loaded hinges 25, comprising a hinge pivot 26 and a hinge spring 27. FIG. 6A shows the hinge 25 in an open position, corresponding to the extended configuration 15 of the platform 10, while FIG. 6B shows it in a closed position, corresponding to the folded configuration 16 of the platform 10. The hinge 25 has a locking tab 28 which conjugately mates with a tab socket 29 to retain the hinge 25 in the closed position.

(12) Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims.