TRANSPARENT SHOPPING CART AND SHOPPING BASKET ADVERTISING PANELS, SYSTEM AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE AND USE OF SAME

• US 20140014672A1
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Katie Hill
• Original Assignee: Katie Hill
• Inventors: Hill, Katie
• Granted Patent: US 9,073,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/694
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2202/023 Beverage holders, e.g. for a cup, tin or bottle
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2501/065 Plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/142 mounted on the basket
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1428 Adaptations for calculators, memory aids or reading aids
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1484 by an auxiliary access to the inside of the basket
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/20 External fittings of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/205 Means for the attachment of labels, cards, coupons or the like; cards or coupons for the other types of rigid or semi-rigid containers B65D25/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/06 the advertising matter being combined with articles for restaurants, shops or offices on paper articles G09F23/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an improved advertising system for use in a wheeled shopping cart having a basket or in a hand carried shopping basket, which includes: a panel receiving aperture formed into at least one of the sidewalls, back wall, front wall, bottom wall or divider wall of the basket of the cart or carried basket; one or more substantially transparent detachable advertising panels with advertising material integrally molded into the panels, the panels being dimensioned to substantially fill the aperture to create the appearance of a permanent wall structure which includes an integrally molded advertising message; at least one panel mounting member for detachably mounting the substantially transparent detachable advertising panels in the panel receiving aperture, and a handle operably connected to the basket. The invention further includes methods of using the system to serially advertise on the shopping baskets of the invention as well as novel substantially transparent detachable advertising panels.

Claims

1. An improved shopping basket, comprising:

a basket portion having a pair of sidewalls, a front wall, a back wall, and a bottom wall;

a panel receiving aperture formed in at least one of the pair of sidewalls, front wall, back wall, crush zone divider, and bottom wall of the basket portion;

a substantially transparent detachable advertising panel with an advertising material integrally molded into the interior space of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel, the panel being dimensioned to substantially fill the panel receiving aperture to create the appearance of being a permanent wall structure of the basket portion when the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel is mounted in the panel receiving aperture;

at least one panel mounting member for detachably securing the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel in the panel receiving aperture; and

a handle portion operably connected to the basket portion.

2. The improved shopping basket of claim 1 wherein the basket portion further includes a plurality of wheels operably connected to the shopping basket portion so that the improved shopping basket can be wheeled around a store.

3. The improved shopping basket of claim 1 wherein the handle portion is hinged, and wherein the basket portion is dimensioned for hand carrying by a store customer.

4. The improved shopping basket of claim 1 wherein the at least one panel mounting member includes a pair of spaced apart ledges defining a pair of slots formed along two opposite peripheral edges of the panel receiving aperture for retaining two opposing edges of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel.

5. The improved shopping basket of claim 4 wherein the pair of ledges defining the pair of spaced apart slots extend inwardly at their respective terminal ends to create a pair of corner support portions on each of the pair of slot for retaining a pair of panel corners adjacent to the two opposing edges of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel.

6. The improved shopping basket of claim 5 wherein the at least one panel mounting member includes a retention ridge extending from the outer surface of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel which is dimensioned to engage the outer surface of the basket wall upon complete insertion of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel into the pair of slots and wherein the retention ridge is located between the pair of opposing panel corners on the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel.

7. The improved shopping basket of claim 1 wherein the at least one panel mounting member includes at least one resilient snap fit connector having a leading surface formed in the outer surface of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel, the snap fit connector having an angled surface dimensioned to cause resilient temporary deformation of a portion of the at least one resilient snap fit connector when brought into contact with a at least one edge of a mounting opening formed in the basket.

8. The improved shopping basket of claim 7 wherein the at least one panel mounting member includes at least one snap fit connector formed on the outer surface of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel which is dimensioned for detachable retention in a mounting opening formed in at least one of a pair of framing members adjacent to the panel receiving aperture and wherein at least two opposing edges of the mounting opening are elongated such the opening constitutes a mounting slit.

9. The improved shopping basket of claim 7 wherein the snap fit connector includes at least one stop surface that is angled to prevent the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel from being removed from the panel receiving aperture unless the snap fit connector is deformed inwardly a sufficient distance to allow the at least one angled stop surface to slide past the edges of a mounting opening so that the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel can be removed from the panel receiving aperture.

10. The improved shopping basket of claim 9 wherein at least one mounting opening is formed in the upper portion of the basket wall and wherein at least one additional mounting opening is formed in a frame member located on the exterior surface of the basket.

11. The improved shopping basket of claim 1 wherein the at least one panel mounting member includes a lip formed around at least a portion of the periphery of the panel receiving aperture in the inner surface of the basket wall with the lip being dimensioned to receive at least a portion of the inner surface of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel immediately adjacent to the outer peripheral edges of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel.

12. The improved shopping basket of claim 11 wherein the at least one panel mounting member includes at least one selectively locking connector formed in a lip portion of the basket located adjacent to the panel receiving aperture, the selectively locking connector aperture being dimensioned to receive a selectively locking connector to detachably connect the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel to the basket.

13. The improved shopping basket of claim 12 wherein the at least one locking connector is a rotatable locking connector which allows removal of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel when the rotatable locking connector is rotated into a first position relative to the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel and locks the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel to the lip when the rotatable locking connector is rotated into a second position relative to the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel.

14. The improved shopping basket of claim 13 wherein the at least one rotatable locking connector includes a proprietary rotational tool receiving slot which is dimensioned to receive a driving end of non-standard rotational tool to rotate the rotatable panel locking member between a first position relative to the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel for mounting and removal of a substantially transparent detachable advertising panel from the ledge and a second position for locking the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel to the ledge.

15. The improved shopping basket of claim 14 wherein the rotatable locking connector includes a rotatable elongated end portion for selectively contacting the outer surface of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel, the rotatable elongated end portion being dimensioned to pass through the locking connection aperture when rotated to a first position relative to the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel and wherein the rotatable locking connector further includes a post connected to the elongated end portion for causing rotation of the elongate end portion into a first pass through position to allow the rotatable elongated end portion to be inserted through the locking connection aperture and into a second retention position for detachably mounting the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel by causing the elongated end portion to contact the outer surface of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel.

16. A method for providing serial, high quality advertising materials, each bearing an advertising message, for simultaneous display to a store customer using a shopping basket and to other store patrons, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a shopping basket having a first substantially transparent detachable advertising panel mounted to, and appearing to constitute, a permanent portion of one of the structural walls defining the basket, the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel further having an integrally molded advertising material located within the interior space of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel;

displaying simultaneously the first integrally molded advertising material during a shopping trip to both the customer using the basket and other store patrons;

removing the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel from the wall of the basket;

mounting a second substantially transparent detachable advertising panel having a second integrally molded advertising material located within the interior space of the second substantially transparent detachable advertising panel, the second substantially transparent detachable advertising panel being mounted into the same portion of one of the basket structural wall formerly occupied by the first substantially transparent detachable advertising panel; and

,

displaying simultaneously the second integrally molded advertising material during a shopping trip to both the customer using the basket and other store patrons.

17. The method of claim 16 further including the step of collecting advertising revenue from a first advertiser responsible for authorizing the manufacture and display of the first substantially transparent detachable advertising panel having the first integrally molded advertising material embedded therein and then collecting advertising revenue from a second advertiser responsible for authorizing the manufacture and display of the second substantially transparent detachable advertising panel with the second integrally molded advertising material embedded therein.

18. A substantially transparent detachable advertising panel for use in a shopping basket having a pair of sidewalls, front wall, back wall and a bottom wall, at least one of the basket walls having a panel receiving aperture, the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel comprising:

a substantially planar panel body molded from a substantially transparent thermoplastic resin, the substantially planar panel body being dimensioned to substantially fill the panel receiving aperture so that the panel body appears to constitute a permanent portion of one of at least one of the walls of the basket;

a substantially planar advertising material insert molded into a portion of the substantially planar panel body, the substantially planar advertising material insert including at least one of an advertising message; and

at least one mounting member for detachably securing the substantially planar panel body to the shopping cart.

19. The substantially transparent detachable advertising panel of claim 18 wherein the at least one mounting member includes at least one resilient snap fit connector having a beam portion extending from the surface of the panel body and a leading angled surface extending from the beam portion, the leading angled surface dimensioned to cause resilient temporary deformation on the beam portion of the connector when brought into contact with an edge of a mounting opening formed in the basket.

20. The substantially transparent detachable advertising panel of claim 18 wherein the at least one mounting member is at least one mounting opening formed in the substantially planar panel body peripheral to the substantially planar advertising material, the mounting opening having edges dimensioned to allow passage of a stem portion of a connector through the at least one mounting opening so that the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel can be detachably secured to the basket wall via a separate connector.

21. The substantially transparent detachable advertising panel of claim 18 wherein the at least one mounting member includes an overhanging face portion extending from the outer surface of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel, the overhanging face extending outwardly a predetermined distance to engage inner surface of the basket wall adjacent to the panel receiving aperture upon complete insertion of the substantially transparent detachable advertising panel into panel receiving aperture.