US 5,429,377 A · Sanitary protective covers for shopping cart use

Abstract

A sanitary wrapping for covering the handles of shopping carts is provided. The wrapping may be provided either in the form of a portable wrapping which can be carried from store to store by the individual shopper and attached to the handles of shopping carts in the store by various adhesive arrangements along the edges or as disposable or recyclable coverings obtained and used in each store. The preferred fastening means takes the form of so-called Velcro fastened wrappers. Various improvements of the basic tubular sanitary protection can be provided, including the use of flaps on the ends to cover more of the handle and sides of the shopping cart, plus slits in the structure of the handle covering so it can be adapted to handles of various lengths. A preferred form incorporates a coupon pouch into which the entire covering may be folded for storage or transportation. The sanitary wrapping can also take the form of sturdy resilient split plastic tubes which can be dispensed from a dispenser provided near the storage place on the premises of a store for shopping carts. The customer can withdraw the protectors one at a time from such dispenser. Recycling of such resilient plastic covers may be had. The sanitary wrapping may also incorporate an inner or outer removable and disposable secondary shield layer.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A portable sanitary shielding means for preventing contact contamination of the human body as the result of direct contact with the handle of a shopping cart comprising:

(a) a substantially rectangular flexible sheet of substantially biologically impervious material designed and constructed to have a length coextensive with that of at least a hand contact portion of a handle of a shopping cart, and a width such that the sheet, upon wrapping completely about the handle of such shopping cart, has an overlap of material at least sufficient to completely encapsulate said handle within said rectangular flexible sheet to form an encapsulating hand contact shield member,
(b) a means for temporarily but effectively securing the biologically impervious sheet about the said handle in a manner such that the handle can be used for normal moving and guiding said cart without displacing the said flexible sheet from about said handle,
(c) a pouch attached to one side of said rectangular flexible sheet in a position to depend from the rectangular sheet when secured about the handle of the shopping cart and having a size such that the rectangular sheet can be folded and inserted into said pouch when not in use as a protective shield over a shopping cart handle.

A portable sanitary shielding means for preventing contact contamination of the human body as the result of direct contact with the handle of a hand-propelled cart comprising:

(a) flexible sheet means comprised of substantially biologically impervious material designed and constructed to have a length coextensive with that of at least a hand contact portion of a handle of a hand-propelled cart, and a width such that the sheet means, upon being wrapped completely about the portion of the handle of such cart, is at least sufficient to completely encapsulate said handle within said flexible sheet means to form an encapsulating hand contact shield member,
(b) a means for temporarily but effectively securing the biologically impervious sheet material about the said handle in a manner such that the handle can be used for normal moving and guiding said cart without displacing the said flexible sheet from about said handle,
(c) a pouch attached to one side of said flexible sheet means in a position to depend from the sheet means when secured about the handle of a hand propelled cart and having a size such that the sheet material forming the encapsulating hand contact shield member can be folded and inserted into said pouch when not in use as a protective shield over a hand-propelled cart handle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Sanitary protective covers for shopping cart use

Life of this patent

Sanitary protective covers for shopping cart use

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18