Strap retainer

A shopping cart seat belt assembly for retaining a small child securely within the shopping cart, including:

• a post having a first end and a second end;
• a retaining element having a first end and a second end, wherein said first end of said post is linked to a first end of said retaining element;
• said second end of said post including a first portion of a detent and said second end of said retaining element including a second portion of a detent, wherein said first portion of said detent is engageable by said second portion of said detent;
• said post and said retaining dement being moveable with respect to one another so as to permit the establishment of a gap between said second end of said post and said second end of said retaining element when said first and second portions of said detent are not engaged;
• one of said first and second portions of said detent including a stem supporting a bulbous portion of increased diameter, the other of said first and second portions including an aperture assembly with a first aperture sized to receive said bulbous portion and a second aperture sized to receive said stem and sized smaller than said bulbous portion, said first aperture and said second aperture being in communication with each other so as to allow said stem to be urged from said first aperture to said second aperture, said second aperture having at least one surface forming a detent so as to restrain the movement of the stem from the second aperture to the first aperture and thereby securely retain the stem within the second aperture;
• at least one strap having a first end and a second end, the first end being configured for attachment to one of said post and said retaining element;
• and
• a cart;
• wherein a portion of the cart is configured to be bounded by the post and the retaining element when said second aperture retains said stem so as to securely affix the strap to the cart in a manner that can not readily be manually undone.

A seatbelt assembly for retaining a small child securely within a shopping cart, including:

• a first element with a first end and a second end;
• a second element with a first end and a second end, wherein said first end of said first element is joined to a first end of said second element;
• said second end of said first element including a first portion of a detent and said second end of said second element including a second portion of a detent, wherein said first portion of said detent is engageable by said second portion of said detent;
• said first element and said second element being moveable with respect to one another so as to permit the establishment of a gap between said second end of said first element and said second end of said second element when said first and second portions of said detent are not engaged;
• one of said first and second portions of said detent including a catch portion, the other of said first and second portions including an aperture assembly having a first aperture and a second aperture that are in communication with each other so as to allow at least a portion of one of said first and second elements to be urged from said first aperture to said second aperture, the second aperture being sized to receive said catch portion and being smaller than the maximum dimension of the catch portion and being sized to securely receive said catch portion through the deformation of one of said catch portion and said second aperture, the relative dimensions of the catch portion and the second aperture being such that the engagement of the catch with the second aperture results in a secure connection that cannot be undone by pulling the first and second elements away from each other;
• and
• at least one strap having a first end and a second end, the first end being configured for attachment to one of said first element and said second element;
• wherein the seatbelt assembly provides a secure attachment of the strap to a shopping cart when the first and second portions of the detent are engaged with one another that is of sufficient permanence that it can be used in retaining a child securely within a shopping cart.