Abstract:
An adjustable portable protective cover for covering a shopping cart handle includes three elongated resilient tubular member telescoped together. The members include stops for retaining the members together in the fully extended position. The inner and outer members have a radially outwardly protuberance at a free end thereof. The members can be collapsed to a minimum length for storage and carrying. The members are formed of an easily cleaned material so that the cover can be reused.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates in general to a sanitary portable handle cover, and more particularly, to a sanitary portable handle cover for shopping carts to be used in a plurality of stores. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     It is common knowledge that the majority of consumers shopping at stores utilize shopping carts to assist in carrying products to the checkout counters of the stores and to their means of transportation. Such stores providing shopping carts for a consumer&#39;s use include grocery, hardware, and retail stores. It is also known that these shopping carts are handled by a plurality of shoppers and portions of the shopping carts namely the shopping cart handle may carry infectious viral and bacterial agents. 
     For a parent shopping with a small child utilizing the shopping cart there is typically incorporated within the shopping cart a seating area adjacent to the shopping cart handle for allowing a small child to ride in while the parent is able to freely shop without having the hold the small child. Although this may be a convenience for the parent, this may be a potential health issue for the small child. Small children are known to chew on handles of shopping carts which is a direct transmission mode of contracting an infectious agent. Furthermore, small children typically hold the shopping cart handle while riding in the shopping cart and are constantly placing their hands in their mouth as well rubbing their nose and eyes which are other modes of transmitting the infectious agents to the small child and/or from the child to the handle. 
     A variety of shopping cart handle covers are known to act as a protective barrier to cover a portion of the shopping cart handle for preventing the small child from touching the shopping cart handle. Because shopping carts and other tote devices may be of different widths, the known protective covers may only cover a portion of the shopping cart handle thereby leaving an uncovered portion exposed to the small child which may still present a health risk. For a parent to be assured they have a protective cover that overlays the entire shopping cart handle or the majority of the shopping cart handle, the parent would have to purchase and carry to each store a number of protective covers of different lengths which can ultimately be costly and burdensome. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an objective of the present invention to provide a protective cover to cover a handle of a shopping cart. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a protective cover that is portable and practical to transport to different locations. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a protective cover that is adjustable to cover a plurality of shopping cart handles of different widths. 
     The above as well as other objects of the present invention may be achieved by an adjustable portable protective cover for covering a shopping cart handle comprising a first elongated resilient tubular member having a longitudinal slot formed therein. The slot permits the first tubular member to be expanded in diameter to receive the shopping cart handle. A second elongated resilient tubular member also has a longitudinal slot formed therein for similar expansion. The first tubular member is slidingly received in an end of the second tubular member. A third tubular member having a longitudinal slot formed therein for similar expansion is provided. The third tubular member is slidingly received in the second tubular member and slidingly receives the first tubular member such that the protective cover according to the present invention expands or telescopes outwardly to cover any width of shopping cart handle and collapses or telescopes inwardly for ease of carrying and storage. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an adjustable protective cover according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention installed on a shopping cart handle in an expanded position; 
         FIG. 2  is a front cross sectional view of the protective cover shown in  FIG. 1  in a collapsed position; 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of the first tubular member shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of the second tubular member shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an end view of the third tubular member shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a view of protective cover in cross section taken along the line  6 — 6  in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a view similar to  FIG. 6  showing the tubular members being expanded to fit over the shopping cart handle; and 
         FIG. 8  is a view similar to  FIG. 7  showing the protective cover installed on the shopping cart handle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings and particularly to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a shopping cart  10  typically made of metal or plastic. A shopping cart handle  11  extends upwardly and rearwardly away from a main basket portion of the shopping cart  10 . The shopping cart handle  11  allows a person to push and maneuver the shopping cart  10 . Inserted over the shopping cart handle  31  is an adjustable portable protective cover  10 . A protective cover  12  according to the present invention covers the shopping cart handle  11 . The protective cover  12  may be utilized on a plurality of different shopping carts having different width handles since it is adjustable in length as described below. The protective cover  12  protects a person operating the shopping cart  10  or a small child seated in the shopping cart  10  from direct contact with infectious agents disposed on a surface of the shopping cart handle  11 . The protective cover  12  is collapsible, as described below, to allow the user to conveniently carry the protective cover to and from the store where the shopping carts are utilized. The protective cover  12  is preferably made of a resilient plastic material which allows the protective cover  12  to be easily sanitized when required. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front cross sectional view of the protective cover  12  in a collapsed position suitable for carrying and storage. The protective cover  12  includes a plurality of slideable tubular members. In the preferred embodiment, a first tubular member  13 , a second tubular member  14  and a third tubular member  15  slidingly telescope together. Each of the tubular members  13 ,  14 ,  15  is formed as a resilient plastic tube having a longitudinal slot extending the full length thereof. Although plastic is the preferred material, other resilient materials could be used. The first tubular member  13  has a first end portion  16  with a radially outwardly extending protuberance  17  and an opposite second end portion  18  with a radially outwardly extending flange or stop  19 . In the preferred embodiment, the first tubular member  13  is approximately seven and one half inches long and one and one quarter inches in diameter. 
     The second elongated resilient tubular member  14  is similar to the first member  13  having a first end portion  20  with a radially outwardly extending protuberance  21  and an opposite second end portion  22  with a radially inwardly extending flange or stop  23 . In the preferred embodiment, the second tubular member  14  is approximately seven and one half inches long and one and three eighths inches in diameter. The protuberances  17  and  21  tend to prevent the hands of the user from coming into contact with uncovered portions of the cart  10  and the handle  11 . 
     The third elongated resilient tubular member  15  has a first end portion  24  with a radially inwardly extending flange or stop  25  and an opposite second end portion  26  with a radially outwardly extending flange or stop  27 . In the preferred embodiment, the third tubular member  15  is approximately seven and one half inches long and one and five sixteenths inches in diameter. Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the stops  19 ,  23 ,  25 ,  27  extend approximately one-sixteenth inch from the outer surfaces of the respective tubular member. By keeping the height of each stop small, the distances between the walls of the tubular member are minimized thereby providing for a uniform transitional surface area between each of the tubular members. 
     In operation, the stops  19  and  25  cooperate to prevent the second end  18  of the first member  13  from sliding out of the first end  24  of the third member  15 . The stops  23  and  27  cooperate to prevent the second end  26  of the third member  15  from sliding out of the first end  22  of the second member  14 . The tubular members  13 ,  14 ,  15  are sized to extend or telescope outwardly to fit shopping car handles as wide as approximately twenty-two and one half inches and to collapse or telescope inwardly to approximately eight inches for storage and carrying. Although the tubular members  13 ,  14 ,  15  are described as being of the same length, they can be of different lengths. 
       FIG. 3  is a view from the first end  16  of the first member  13  showing a longitudinal slot  28  formed in a wall of the tubular member and extending the entire length thereof. A pair of radially outwardly extending flanges  29  is provided at the edges of the slot  28  and extends the length of the member  13 .  FIG. 4  is a view from the first end  20  of the second member  14  showing a longitudinal slot  30  formed in a wall of the tubular member and extending the entire length thereof. A pair of radially outwardly extending flanges  31  is provided at the edges of the slot  30  and extends the length of the member  14 .  FIG. 5  is a view from the first end  24  of the third member  15  showing a longitudinal slot  32  formed in a wall of the tubular member and extending the entire length thereof. A pair of radially outwardly extending flanges  33  is provided at the edges of the slot  32  and extends the length of the member  15 . 
       FIG. 6  shows the protective cover  12  in cross section prior to installation on a shopping cart handle. The protective cover  12  is shown in cross-sectional view  FIG. 7  expanded in a radial direction indicated by arrows  34  to expand the slots  28 ,  30 ,  32  in order to receive the shopping cart handle  11  in the interior of the tubular members  13 ,  14 ,  15 . In the cross-sectional view  FIG. 8 , the protective cover  12  is shown installed on the handle  11  wherein the slot  28  has returned to a width slightly wider than the uninstalled width shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope. For example, other types of internal/external stops may be utilized to created the interference conditions as described above. Also, the third member could be eliminated so that the first member cooperates with the second member in the manner described above. Furthermore, more than three tubular members may be utilized so that a respective protective cover may be collapsible to a smaller length.