Abstract:
A shopping basket has four walls, a bottom and handles for allowing the basket to be carried, and one wall of the basket is provided with a section that projects either outwardly from or inwardly into the shopping basket and is adapted to serve as a receptacle for a bottle or can. This projecting section is integrally formed with the shopping basket wall, is cylindrically shaped with a radius slightly larger than that of a typical can or bottle and has a flat bottom retaining wall so that it is suited to hold securely an open, fluid-filled can or bottle without spilling its contents. Thus, a shopper using the shopping basket will easily be able to drink from a can or bottle and then place it within the receptacle formed from the shopping basket wall, removing it and replacing it as desired, so that the shopper can conveniently and selectively shop and drink from the can or bottle as desired. The walls of the basket and of the section are slightly sloped outward in order to enable more than one basket to be stacked one within another.

Description:
This application claims benefit of Ser. No. 60/091,739, filed Jul.6, 1998. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to receptacles that are used during retail shopping and, more particularly, to shopping receptacles that allow a shopper to conveniently carry an open fluid bottle simultaneously with the shopping basket. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Individuals who shop in retail stores, such as in supermarkets, generally use some sort of receptacle in which to place and carry the items that they wish to purchase until such time as purchase is actually made. The shopper carries these items within the receptacle until he or she has collected all items desired for purchase at that time, at which point the shopper brings the items within the receptacle to a checkout counter for payment. The most commonly-used receptacles are the shopping basket, which is used to hold smaller or fewer items prior to purchase, and the shopping cart or wagon, which is used to hold larger or more items prior to purchase. 
     Because shopping is an activity that often takes quite some time, especially in this age of large retail stores and supermarkets, a shopper will often get thirsty during shopping or will otherwise have a need for refreshment. It has, therefore, become a common practice for a shopper to select a cold drink, generally in a can or bottle, from one of the shopping displays at the outset of the shopper&#39;s route, drink that refreshment during the shopping activity and then pay for that drink at the checkout counter along with the rest of the shopping items. 
     However, drinking from an open container while shopping can be inconvenient and often difficult to manage, particularly for a shopper using a shopping basket to hold the chosen items prior to purchase. Because a shopper generally requires only one hand to carry a shopping basket, the shopper will have at most one free hand for taking items from the store shelf and placing them into the shopping basket and also for holding and drinking from the drink container. 
     A shopper who attempts to use the same hand for holding the drink and taking items off the shelves faces the risk of many undesirable results. One such undesirable result is the spilling of the drink, either on the shopper, on one or more of the chosen shopping items, or elsewhere within the store. Another undesirable result is the dropping of either the drink or one or more of the chosen shopping items, thereby possibly breaking packages or other containers and potentially causing injury. 
     Therefore, a shopper who is carrying an open, fluid-filled bottle or can in one hand and a shopping basket in the other hand would be required to set the drink aside when taking items off the shelves. Unfortunately, this may result in the drink being misplaced by the shopper or forgotten on the floor or shelves. This raises the possibility of the drink container later being broken or its contents spilled, thereby potentially causing injury. Thus, it is inconvenient for the shopper to carry and drink from an open, fluid-filled bottle or can while carrying a shopping basket. 
     It is, therefore, an object of the current invention to provide a shopper using a shopping basket with a convenient way to enjoy a drink while shopping. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a shopper carrying a shopping basket with a convenient receptacle in which to place temporarily the drink when using his or her hands for shopping, without having to set aside or place either the drink or the shopping basket on the floor. It is yet another object of this invention to provide a shopping basket that is able to hold securely an open, fluid-filled bottle or can without spillage. This enables a shopper using the basket to drink from the bottle while shopping without having to set down either the basket or the drink in order to lift items from the shelves. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other objects of the current invention are accomplished by providing, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, a shopping basket that has four walls, a bottom and handles for allowing the basket to be carried. A section of at least one wall of the basket projects either towards the outside or the inside of the shopping basket and is adapted to serve as a receptacle for a bottle or can. This projecting section is integrally formed with the shopping basket wall, is cylindrically shaped with a radius slightly larger than that of a typical can or bottle, and has a flat bottom retaining wall. This projecting section is suited to hold securely an open, fluid-filed can or bottle without spilling its contents. 
     Thus, a shopper using the shopping basket will be able to drink from a can or bottle and then place it within the receptacle formed from the shopping basket wall. The shopper can easily remove the can or bottle from the receptacle and replace it as desired so that the shopper can conveniently and selectively shop and drink from the can or bottle as desired. The walls of the section are slightly sloped outward in order to enable more than one basket to be stacked one within another. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the reference characters refer to like parts throughout and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of a shopping basket with a receptacle of the current invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the shopping basket with the receptacle shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the shopping basket of the current invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the shopping basket of the current invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a partial top plan view of an alternate form of attachment of the receptacle to the shopping basket in the first embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a shopping basket of the current invention, designated generally with reference numeral  1 . As with prior art shopping baskets of the kind most commonly used in retail stores and supermarkets, basket  1  is preferably a four-sided, rectangularly-shaped basket with a flat bottom. Basket  1  has four walls  3 - 6 , which include opposite end walls  3 ,  4  and opposite side walls  5 ,  6  between end walls  3 ,  4 . Of course, basket  1  may have alternate arrangements, such as having more or fewer walls or having only partial walls, in some instances. Basket  1  may be made from any of the materials of which shopping baskets are commonly made, such as a hard, injection-molded plastic, provided that the material provides the basket  1  with the required strength and durability criteria. 
     Walls  3 - 6  have upper edges  13 - 16  that form the boundaries of the opening of the basket  1  and have lower edges that form the boundaries of bottom  11  of basket  1 . Walls  3 - 6  can be formed without openings therethrough in order to prevent items that the shopper has chosen for purchase from falling through the sides or walls  3 - 6  of basket  1 . However, walls  3 - 6  need not be formed without openings and can be formed of a ribbed or a lattice structure, as long as the gaps or openings in walls  3 - 6  are sufficiently small or narrow so as to prevent items from falling therethrough. Each of walls  3 - 6  can be formed by any of the standard constructions in the prior art for shopping baskets that would prevent items from falling through the sides of basket  1  while still providing sufficient strength and structure for basket  1  and saving on material costs. For example, in a first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, walls  4 ,  6  are shown as being formed of vertical ribs  17 . Ribs  17  have sufficient strength to prevent deformation of basket  1  during use or during stacking and have sufficiently narrow gaps between them to prevent items from falling through the sides of basket  1  during use of basket  1 . 
     Walls  3 - 6  of basket  1  are preferably gently sloped outward from their bottom edges to their top edges  13 - 16  such that the dimensions of opening  12  of basket  1  are larger than the dimensions of bottom  11  of basket  1 . The outward slope of walls  3 - 6  and the fact that opening  12  is larger than bottom  11  allows bottom  11  of one basket  1  to fit within the opening  12  of another basket  1  so that baskets  1  may be neatly stacked one within another for storage. 
     As with standard prior art shopping baskets, shopping basket  1  may also have one or more handles  20 ,  21  that are rotatably mounted to the top edges  15 ,  16  of walls  5 ,  6  of basket  1 , with one handle being fixed on either end of basket  1 . Handles  20 ,  21  are arranged in this fashion so that they can be rotated upwards and be held together in order to fully support basket  1  and its contents. Handles  20 ,  21  can also be rotated downward and laid flat against top edges  15 ,  16  of basket  1  in order to allow one or more baskets  1  to be stacked for storage. 
     In order to accomplish the objects of this invention, basket  1  is also provided with a receptacle  25 , as shown in its first embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2. Receptacle  25  is shown in FIG. 1 as being an integral extension of wall  6  that protrudes outward with respect to basket  1 . In the preferred embodiment, receptacle  25  is integrally formed with shopping basket wall  6 . Receptacle  25  is shaped to be able to receive a drink container such as a cup, can, or bottle (referred to hereinafter simply as a drink), and retain said drink therein without spilling. Receptacle  25 , therefore, may have any cross-sectional shape, but is preferably cylindrically shaped, and should have a radius slightly larger than that of a typical cup, can, or bottle such that it can retain such a container. Receptacle  25  also has a flat bottom retaining wall  28  for supporting a drink or other item placed within receptacle  25 . 
     In order for receptacle  25  to retain properly a drink therein while preventing the drink from spilling into the inside  19  of basket  1 , there must be a sufficient barrier between the inside  18  of receptacle  25  and the inside  19  of basket  1  so that the drink retained within receptacle  25  does not fall into the interior  19  of basket  1 . In general, in one embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, the inside  18  of receptacle  25  may be completely distinct from the inside  19  of basket  1 , such that wall  6  of basket  1  extends completely and uninterrupted from one end at wall  3  to the other end at wall  4 . As such, wall  27  of receptacle  25  abuts wall  6  and may be integrally formed therewith at region  30  but does not interfere with the continuous definition of the opening  12  of basket  1  as defined by wall  6 . 
     In an alternative embodiment of the abutment of basket walls  6  and receptacle wall  27 , as shown in FIG. 1, receptacle  25  is not merely an extension of or a protrusion from wall  6  of basket  1 , but instead an extension of wall  6  serves as a partial barrier between the inside  18  of receptacle  25  and the inside  19  of basket  1 . Top edge  16  of wall  6  extends across the top of wall  6  and terminates at edges  23 ,  24 , leaving opening  22  in wall  6 , across which neither wall  6  nor top edge  16  extend. At edges  23 ,  24 , top edge  16  of wall  6  curves outward of basket  1  in a circular shape to form the top edge  26  of wall  27  of receptacle  25 . Each of edges  23 ,  24  forms a return by extending first in the direction of top edge  16  of wall  6  and reversing direction to form the top edge  26  of wall  27  of receptacle  25 . 
     In this fashion, receptacle  25  is formed as a portion of wall  6  of basket  1 , as wall  6  of basket  1  extends downward from top edge  16 , and wall  27  of receptacle  25  extends downward from top edge  26 , and a return is formed at the meeting of walls  6  and  27 , i.e., at edges  23 ,  24 . As shown in FIG. 1, the width of opening  22  between edges  23 ,  24  should preferably be smaller than the diameter of receptacle  25  and also than the diameter of any drink that is retained within receptacle  25 . Thus, any drink that is retained within receptacle  25  will not be able to fit through opening  22  between edges  23 ,  24  and will not thereby be spilled into the interior  19  of basket  1 . Accordingly, the drink will be retained safely within receptacle  25 . 
     As with walls  3 - 6  of shopping basket  1  and with the walls of shopping baskets in general, wall  27  of receptacle  25  is gently sloped outward from its bottom surface  28  to its top edge  26  such that the dimensions, in particular the diameter, of the opening made by top edge  26  is larger than the diameter of its bottom surface  28 . The outward slope of wall  27  and the larger diameter of receptacle  25  at its opening than at its bottom allows bottom  28  of one receptacle  25  to be placed within the receptacle  25  of another basket  1  when baskets  1  are stacked for storage. In this way, receptacle  25  does not interfere with the ability of one or more of shopping basket  1  to be stacked for storage. 
     As discussed above regarding the structure of walls  3   6 , wall  27  of receptacle  25  can be formed without openings therethrough in order to prevent any articles that are placed therein from falling through wall  27  of receptacle. Wall  25  can also be formed of a ribbed or a lattice structure, as long as the gaps or openings in wall  27  are sufficiently small or narrow so as to prevent the drink in receptacle  25  from falling through these openings. As shown in the first embodiment of FIG. 1, wall  27  is shown as being formed of vertical ribs  17 , in order to match the construction of walls  3 - 6  of basket  1 . 
     Although the first, preferred embodiment of this invention is to locate receptacle  25  at the side  6  of basket  1 , some shoppers may find it more desirable to locate receptacle  25 , not at the side of basket  1 , but rather at the end of basket  1 . For some shoppers, this orientation may simply be more comfortable during shopping. In an alternative embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIG. 3, receptacle  25  projects outwardly from end wall  4 , instead of from side wall  6 , as shown in FIG.  1 . This embodiment is similar in all other aspects of construction to the embodiment described above and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, except that the user&#39;s drink is retained by receptacle  25  at one of ends  3 ,  4  of basket  1  rather than at one of sides  5 ,  6 . 
     In a third embodiment of the invention, shown in cross-section in FIG. 4, receptacle  125  could be formed, as in either of the first or second embodiments, at either one of side walls  5 ,  6  or one of end walls  3 ,  4  of shopping basket  1 . However, in this third embodiment, receptacle  125  protrudes internally into basket  1  rather than outwardly from basket  1 . Comparing the cross-sectional view in FIG. 2 of the first embodiment with the cross-sectional view in FIG. 4 of the third embodiment, one can see that wall  127  of receptacle  125  in FIG. 4 is disposed within the air space of basket  1 , rather than being disposed outside the airspace of basket  1  as in FIG.  2 . Thus, receptacle  125  could still be formed integrally with the corresponding wall  3 - 6  of shopping basket  1  and with each of the constructions described above, except that the arrangement of cylindrical wall  127  of receptacle  125  and the corresponding wall of shopping basket  1  from which it is formed is reversed from that described above with respect to the first and second embodiments, wherein receptacle  25  protrudes outwardly with respect to basket  1 . Accordingly, a user would be able to drink from a can or bottle while shopping and place it into receptacle  125  that is disposed within shopping basket  1 . Thus, in this embodiment, there is no protrusion from any of the walls  3 - 6  of basket  1 . 
     FIG. 6 shows the use of the present invention. In this example, the basket  1  and a container  200  are shown. As described above, the container  200  may be any type of conventional single-serving sized beverage, such as a bottle or a can. In use, a consumer picks up the basket  1  and also picks up the container  200 . The consumer opens the container  200  and enjoys a beverage  210  therein, such as a carbonated soft drink, juice, sports drink, or the like. The consumer places the container  200  within the drink holder or the receptacle  25  when the beverage  210  is not being consumed. The receptacle  25  has a sufficient depth to accommodate the single serving sized container  25  without spilling the beverage  210  from the container  200 . The consumer than continues to shop by placing other item for purchase in the basket  1 . The consumer is free to enjoy the beverage  210  from the container  200  at any time while shopping. The consumer generally pays for the beverage at checkout. 
     Thus, a shopping basket with an integrally-formed bottle or can holder is provided. One skilled in the art will appreciate that, while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are provided for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and that that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.