Abstract:
A cup holder for retaining a cup on a shopping cart has a ring and a bracket. The ring supports the cup, and is in turn supported by the bracket attached to the shopping cart. Further supports for holding the cup in the cup holder are provided as attachments to the ring or the bracket. The cup holder may be mounted on a wall of the shopping cart, a handle, or may be carried by the individual through the provision of a handle on the bracket or ring. The cup holder contributes to preventing spills and provides a safe and convenient way to transport beverages, especially hot beverages.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/169,554, filed Oct. 21, 2002 entitled Design for a Cup Holder. This application is also based on and claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/416,506, filed Oct. 3, 2002 entitled Cup Holder for Shopping Carts and this application is also based on and claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/483,376, filed Jun. 27, 2003 entitled Cup Holder for Shopping Cart, a claim of priority being hereby made to both provisional applications. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates generally to beverage cup holders, and relates more particularly to beverage cup holders for shopping carts.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0005]    It is often the case that individuals carry beverage containers with them as they complete various tasks throughout their daily regimen, while driving, at work or shopping. It is often difficult to insure that a beverage can be transported without spilling its contents while still being easily accessible to the individual. In addition, it is often the case that an individual will want to have two hands free, for example while driving, and avoid spilling the contents of a beverage container. As in the case of the present invention, a person shopping using a shopping cart may wish to have both hands free, while still being able to easily access the contents of a beverage container.  
           [0006]    A solution to the above difficulties is to provide a cup holder that can be easily mounted on a relatively stationary mounting frame, such as an automobile frame or other non-movable fixtures within the automobile. With respect to shopping carts, no such cup holders are readily available for mounting on shopping carts. One difficulty in mounting cup holders to shopping carts is the fact that shopping cart models vary and the carts have irregular features that pose a problem for mounting cup holders. For example, a popular type of shopping cart is formed out of a grid of metal bars, which is unsuitable to support a cup holder adapted for use with an automobile. In another type of shopping cart, the cart structure is made of a grid of plastic elements all bound together to form a basket. The shopping cart so formed out of plastic has sidewalls that are thickened to provide enough support for items that may be placed in the shopping cart. Due to the thickness of the walls of the shopping cart, and because of the irregular support offered by the plastic grid, such shopping carts are unsuitable for use with cup holders adapted for automobile use.  
           [0007]    Grocery retailers, at which shopping carts are commonly found in abundant numbers, are particularly sensitive to issues involving the transportation of beverages by shoppers. In particular, it is often the case that beverage spills can lead to slippery conditions on store floors, so that patrons of the store are exposed to hazardous conditions that can result in severe injury from slips and falls. However, store patrons regularly carry beverage containers that are susceptible to spilling and releasing the container contents without being fully aware of the potentially hazardous condition that spillage may cause thereby. Grocery store owners in particular are at high risk for liability related to slips and falls of patrons when unsafe conditions occur in the store for which the store owner is made responsible. It is possible for grocery store owners to reduce the risk to patrons by ensuring that spills are cleaned up rapidly and reduce the occurrence of spills in the first place. Accordingly, there is a tremendous need to secure and stabilize beverage holders in shopping carts when grocery store patrons transport beverage containers in the grocery store.  
           [0008]    A particular cup holder for securing and stabilizing a beverage container is not available for all types of shopping cart models. For example, as mentioned above, the size and shape and construction materials used to manufacture shopping carts varies widely, such that no single cup holder device is usable with every shopping cart design. For example, a cup holder that fits on a wall of a shopping cart with a thick plastic wall will not be stable on a shopping cart with a very thin wall, such as with a wire frame shopping cart. Accordingly, it would be desirable to obtain a cup holder that performs well on a majority of available shopping cart designs.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    According to the present invention, there is provided a cup holder for carrying a beverage container that can be easily and securely fixed to shopping carts of various design. According to one aspect of the invention, the cup holder may be disposable. According to another aspect of the present invention, the cup holder is provided with a clip that can be removably coupled to shopping carts having various designs. Advantageously, the cup holder may be provided with a handle element to permit the user to easily pick up and hold a beverage container in the cup holder. For example, a handle attached to the cup holder of the present invention provides an insulated grasping point for holding and moving beverage containers with the use of an individual&#39;s hand, without the individual&#39;s hand being subjected to high temperatures that may accompany a hot beverage container. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cup holder is shaped in a loop that has a smaller dimension than that of a beverage container that has a tapered diameter along the container length, so that the beverage container is securely held by the loop of the cup holder. According to another embodiment, the cup holder has a bottom support portion upon which a beverage container may rest while supported by the cup holder.  
           [0010]    An attachment mechanism provided with the cup holder permits the cup holder to be rigidly fixed to the handle of a shopping cart. According to one embodiment, the cup holder is removably attachable to the shopping cart handle. Attachment to the shopping cart handle permits the shopping cart user to access a beverage container in the cup holder with ease. The cup holder attached to the handle also removes the beverage container from within easy reach of a child that may occupy a foldout seat in the shopping cart in the area near the handle. Moreover, even if the child can reach the cup holder, the rigid attachment to the handle prevents the child from causing a spill that could injure the child or produce an unsafe condition on the floor of the store. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The present invention is explained in further detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a top view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 3;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 5;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 5;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 5;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 is a side perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 10 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 11 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 13 is a side view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 14 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 13;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 13;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 16 is a side perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 17 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 16;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 18 is a side perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 19 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 18;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 20 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 18;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 21 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 18;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 22 is a perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 23 is another side perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 22;  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 24 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 22;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 25 is another exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 22;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 27 is another perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 26;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 26 detached from a cart handle;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 29 is a perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 30 is another perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 29;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 29 assembled in a first position;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 29 in a second position;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 33 is a side view of another embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 34 is an exploded side view of the embodiment in FIG. 33;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 35 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 33; and  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 33. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0048]    The present invention provides a simple and cost effective means for stabilizing beverage containers, particularly beverage containers with contents that are hot, in shopping carts and other types of transports for shoppers. Although the embodiments described are oriented materially for shopping carts, it should be apparent that the present invention is usable with any number of scenarios where beverage containers are retained in a particular position to avoid spillage. A particular feature of the present invention permits the cup holder to be discarded after being used, and therefore lends itself to a number of food service and other industries where the individual consuming the beverages is moving or does not have a stable frame of reference for retaining a beverage container, such as occurs on an airplane, for example.  
         [0049]    Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first embodiment according to the present invention is shown generally as cup holder  20 . Cup holder  20  is composed of a moldable plastic and can be manufactured in large quantities very rapidly. It should be apparent that cup holder  20  can be manufactured out of any number of materials that are low cost and capable of supporting a beverage container.  
         [0050]    Cup holder  20  includes a clip  21  for attaching cup holder  20  to a shopping cart. Clip  21  is shaped to fit over the edge of a wall of a shopping cart and retain cup holder  20  in a given position. Clip  21  has a resilient arm  24  that can elastically deform a short distance away from a body  23  of cup holder  20 . Resilient member  24  can apply spring force to the wall of the shopping cart on which it is placed to retain cup holder  20  in position. Clip  21  also includes a vertical support member  25  for supporting cup holder  20  and a beverage container filled with a beverage. Once a full beverage container is placed in cup holder  20 , a supporting force is carried by vertical support member  25  cooperating with a top edge of the wall of the shopping cart. Accordingly, vertical support member  25  and resilient member  24  cooperate to retain cup holder  20  in position when loaded with a full beverage container.  
         [0051]    Support ribs  22  are preferably arranged near a bottom edge of cup holder  20  and span the width of cup holder  20  to provide vertical support for beverage containers. Support ribs  22  are thin and flexible and require less material than a solid cup bottom, for example, while still maintaining sufficient support for beverage containers.  
         [0052]    Cup holder  20  also includes solid sidewall  23  that spans the height and circumference of the cup portion of cup holder  20 . Sidewall  23  thus provides rigid structural support for cup holder  20 . Sidewall  23  is tapered from a larger diametric dimension to a smaller diametric dimension from top to bottom of cup holder  20 . This partially conical shape permits cup holder  20  to be stackable for ease of storage and distribution. The partially conical shape of sidewall  23  also contributes to supporting beverage containers placed in cup holder  20 . Sidewall  23  also provides the advantage that cup holder  20  may be grasped by an individual around sidewall  23  for transporting and consuming beverages in a retained beverage holder. In the instance where the beverage container holds a hot liquid, such as hot coffee, the individual is prevented from being scalded by the interposition of sidewall  23  between the individual&#39;s hands and the hot beverage container. The partially conical shape of sidewall  23  also contributes to permitting the individual to maintain a good grasp of cup holder  20  to help prevent spillage of contained beverages.  
         [0053]    Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a top view and side view of a cup holder  20  of similar design to that of cup holder  20  of FIG. 1 is shown. In this embodiment, like components to those illustrated in FIG. 1 are marked with the same reference numerals. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an alternative clip  26  is illustrated for use with cup holder  20 . Clip  26  has a double resilient action with a central resilient member  28  and peripheral resilient members  29 . Clip  26  includes two horizontal support members  27  that provide vertical support for cup holder  20 . Peripheral resilient members  29  are formed to provide a spring resistance when moved away from sidewall  23  of cup  20 . Accordingly, peripheral resilient members  29  provide a spring force in cooperation with cup holder  20  to retain cup holder  20  on the side of a shopping cart. Central resilient member  28  extends from a bottom portion of peripheral resilient members  29  and also provides a spring force when moved away from cup holder  20  and sidewall  23 . Central resilient member  28  and peripheral resilient members  29  together form a reflex spring that provides additional resilient spring force along the length of central resilient member  28 . Clip  26  according to the design of FIGS. 3 and 4 provides additional retaining force for retaining and stabilizing cup holder  20  on a shopping cart. Clip  26  is suitable for use with shopping carts having particular designs that prevent the simple use of a clip  21  illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Clip  26  also has the advantage of using less material than clip  21 .  
         [0054]    Referring now to FIGS.  5 - 8 , another embodiment of a cup holder according to the present invention is illustrated generally as cup holder  50 . Cup holder  50  includes a ring  51  that is substantially circular in shape with walls  52 . Accordingly, ring portion  51  is shaped substantially like a cylinder to accept beverage containers. Cup holder  50  also includes a handle  53  in the shape of a loop through which an individual can insert a finger to easily lift and support cup holder  50 . In practice, handle  53  serves as an extension of the retained beverage container, as with a typical mug, so that the individual can drink the beverage out of the beverage container using handle  53  as a hand hold. Cup holder  50  also includes a clip portion  54  that includes two legs  55 . Legs  55  are adapted to fit over and resiliently retain cup holder  50  to a shopping cart wall. An individual user can handle a beverage container by grasping cup holder  50  by handle  53 , and place cup holder  50  and the retained beverage container onto a shopping cart wall with legs  55  retaining cup holder  50  and thus the beverage container. Because cup holder  50  is retained to the shopping cart wall with a spring force provided by the resiliency of legs  55 , the individual user can easily remove cup holder  50  and a retained beverage container from the shopping cart wall, and freely replace cup holder  50  back on the shopping cart wall.  
         [0055]    A support  56  is provided on clip  54  to form a lower portion of handle  53  and to join legs  55  together. When clip  54  is placed on the shopping cart wall, a top of the shopping cart wall abuts support  56  to support cup holder  50 .  
         [0056]    Referring now to FIGS.  10 - 12 , an embodiment similar to that of FIGS.  5 - 9  is shown as a cup holder  90 . Cup holder  90  has a protrusion  97  and a hook  98  arranged near a top rim of a ring  91  to assist in retaining a beverage container. It is often the case that beverage containers are in the shape of a cup with a lip portion that has a greater diameter than the cup itself. Accordingly, when such a beverage container is placed in cup holder  90 , the cup lip can cooperate with protrusion  97  and hook  98  to contribute to retaining the beverage container in cup holder  90 . This arrangement permits cup holder  90  and the beverage container to be moved when cup holder  90  is grasped by a handle  93  and transported without the beverage container moving relative to cup holder  90 . Accordingly, protrusion  97  and hook  98  contribute to the stability of the arrangement of cup holder  90  and the retained beverage holder.  
         [0057]    In addition, ring  91  includes a flat portion  99  that serves to decrease the opening size defined by ring  91 . When a typical beverage container is placed into cup holder  90  through ring  91 , the round sides of the beverage container are compressed by flat portion  99  to contribute to retaining the beverage container in cup holder  90 . With the configuration of protrusion  97 , hook  98  and flat portion  99 , a beverage container can be retained in cup holder  90  and moved about while grasping handle  93  to permit an individual to easily transport beverages in the beverage container, or consume the same, with less chance of spillage. Accordingly, as with other embodiments discussed above, cup holder  90  offers the individual an insulative grip for holding the beverage container through the use of handle  93  on cup holder  90 . When cup holder  90  retains a beverage container holding a hot beverage, the individual need not grasp the hot beverage container and thus can avoid discomfort or receiving a potential scalding. Other features of cup holder  90  are similar to those described above for a cup holder  50  and are not repeated here.  
         [0058]    Referring now to FIGS.  13 - 15 , another embodiment of the cup holder according to the present invention is illustrated generally as a cup holder  130 . Cup holder  130  has a clip  131  for retaining cup holder  130  on a shopping cart wall. Clip  131  is attached to a ring  132 , which serves as a structural member for supporting cup holder  130  and a beverage container inserted into cup holder  130 . Ring  132  is cylindrical in shape to match a shape of a beverage container and retain the container in cup holder  130  accordingly. Two vertical legs  133  extend from ring  132  to support an annular shaped ring  134 . Ring  134  provides a vertical support for a beverage container inserted into cup holder  130 . By being substantially annularly shaped, ring  134  provides even and distributed support for a beverage container retained in cup holder  130 . Cup holder  130  provides an embodiment of the present invention that requires less material than other embodiments discussed above, while maintaining many of the features and advantages of the other embodiments. It should be apparent that clip  131  can be replaced with clip  26  according to the embodiment show in FIGS. 3 and 4, in addition to various other substitutions and combinations disclosed in other embodiments or equivalents. Cup holder  130  also has the added feature that it may be permanently affixed in a shopping cart, so that it need not be replaced with each use of a beverage container by an individual.  
         [0059]    Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17, another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated generally as cup holder  160 . Cup holder  160  is substantially similar to cup holder  130  with a reflex clip  161  added, similar to reflex clip  26  shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. All other features of cup holder  160  are substantially the same as those described above for cup holder  130  and clip  26 , and will not be repeated here.  
         [0060]    Referring now to FIGS.  18 - 21 , a cup holder  180  is illustrated. Cup holder  180  has a clip  181  for retaining cup holder  180  on a shopping cart wall. Clip  181  is attached to a ring  182 , which serves as a structural member for supporting cup holder  180  and a beverage container inserted into cup holder  180 . Ring  182  is cylindrical in shape to match a shape of a beverage container and retain the container in cup holder  180  accordingly. Ring  182  includes a flat portion  189  that serves to decrease the cross-sectional area of ring  182 . When a typical beverage container is placed into cup holder  180  through ring  182 , the round sides of the beverage container are compressed by flat portion  189  to contribute to containing the beverage container in cup holder  180 . Cup holder  180  includes two vertical legs  183  that extend from ring  182  to support an annular shaped ring  184 . Ring  184  provides and distributed support for a beverage container retained in cup holder  180 .  
         [0061]    Clip  181  is a shown as a reflex clip, similar to reflex clips described in previous embodiments, and will not be described here again in detail. Clip  181 , however, includes a through hole  185  that is positioned to cooperate with a through hole  186  in leg  183 . Accordingly, cup holder  180  can be permanently affixed to a shopping cart by placing clip  181  over a wall of the shopping cart and securing cup holder  180  to the cart by passing a securing device through holes  185  and  186  to thereby prevent removal of cup holder  180  from the shopping cart. Any type of adequate device can be used to retain cup holder  180  on the shopping cart by being passed through holes  185  and  186 , such as a screw, peg, bolt and nut, plastic anchor, rivet or two piece rivet, for example. When cup holder  180  is attached to the shopping cart using an attaching device and holes  185 ,  186  cup holder  180  obtains further rigidity for supporting a beverage container to further help prevent spillage of the container contents. The attaching device passed through holes  185 ,  186  can also supply a compressive force to push clip  181  against the carriage wall in cooperation with leg  183  to provide further stability and rigidity for attaching cup holder  180  to the shopping cart. The advantages of this design are that cup holder  180  is less likely to be disturbed from its position and can more readily accept impacts without tipping or spilling contents of a beverage container retained in cup holder  180 .  
         [0062]    Referring now to FIGS.  22 - 25 , another embodiment of a cup holder  220  is shown. Cup holder  220  includes a clip  221  for attaching cup holder  220  to a shopping cart. Clip  221  is shaped to fit over a handle  223  of a shopping cart and retain cup holder  220  in a given position. Clip  221  has a top member  224  that can fit snugly over a corner section of handle  223 . Member  224  is attached to cup holder  220  and is shaped in an arc concentric with a basket  225 . The shape of member  224  retains basket  225  in an upright position when attached to handle  223 . A bottom member  226  cooperates with top member  224  to encircle handle  223  and provide a rigid support for cup holder  220 . Top and bottom members  224 ,  226  are affixed together with a screw  227  that also securely fastens cup holder  220  to handle  223 . Bottom member  226  includes a cylindrically shaped screw guide  222  on an inner curved portion of bottom member  226 . Screw  227  is inserted into guide  222 , and abuts against guide  222  to provide one end of a fixation mechanism for cup holder  220 . Screw  227  projects into a screw receptacle  228  positioned in a cooperating location on top member  224 . Screw receptacle  228  projects slightly into an interior of basket  225 . An opening  229  in basket  25  provides a cutout section to receive guide  222  when top member  224  and bottom member  226  are secured together. Once screw  227  is screwed into screw receptacle  228 , cup holder  220  is fastened to handle  223  through top and bottom members  224 ,  226 . It should be apparent that any kind of securing device or mechanism can be used to couple cup holder  220  to handle  223 , as long as basket  225  is maintained in an upright position on handle  23 .  
         [0063]    Once a full beverage container is placed in cup holder  220 , a supporting force is carried by top and bottom members  224 ,  226  cooperating with handle  223  of the of the shopping cart. Accordingly, top and bottom members  224 ,  226  and handle  223  cooperate to retain cup holder  220  in position when loaded with a full beverage container.  
         [0064]    Referring now to FIGS.  26 - 28 , another embodiment of a cup holder according to the present invention is illustrated generally as cup holder  260 . Cup holder  260  has clips  265 ,  266  for retaining cup holder  260  on handle  223  of a shopping cart wall. Clips  265 ,  266  are shaped to have a circular dimension cooperative with handle  223 . Openings  267 ,  268  have a dimension smaller than a diameter of handle  223 , so that once coupled to handle  223 , cup holder  260  is retained in place with clips  265 ,  266 . Two vertical legs  263 ,  264  extend from a ring  262  defining a top of cup holder  260  to clips  265 ,  266 , respectively. Ring  262  provides a vertical support for a beverage container inserted into cup holder  260 . Cup holder  260  provides an embodiment of the present invention that is removably attachable to handle  223 , while maintaining many of the features and advantages of the previously described embodiment. It should be apparent that clips  265 ,  266  can be used with members  224 ,  226  in addition to various other substitutions and combinations disclosed in other embodiments.  
         [0065]    Referring now to FIGS.  29 - 32 , another embodiment according to the present invention is shown generally as cup holder  290 . Cup holder  290  is designed to be mounted on cart handle  223  with a mounting structure  295 . Mounting structure  295  includes several openings or slots  296  for receiving a mounting protrusion  297  provided on a cup holder bracket  298 . Mounting structure  295  is composed of two separate components, an upper clamp  293  and a lower clamp  294 . Brackets  293 ,  294  are shaped to fit around handle  223  and provide a secure mounting structure for clamping bracket  298  of cup holder  290  to handle  223 . Mounting structure  295  provides several openings  296  placed at specified intervals along a collar  299  that receives cup holder bracket  298 . The several holes  296  permit mounting structure  295  to be placed on a corner of handle  223  that has various configurations according to different models of shopping carts. That is, mounting structure  295  is adapted to secure cup holder  290  to handle  223  on a cart with a substantially horizontal handle configuration, as best illustrated in FIG. 31. By providing a number of openings  296  on collar  299 , mounting structure  295  also permits cup holder  290  to be mounted to handle  223  when the cart configuration includes a slanted handle configuration, as best seen in FIG. 32, for example. Accordingly, mounting structure  295  can be rotated about an axis along handle  223 , and still provide suitable openings  296  for mounting cup holder  290 . Bracket  298  need only have one protrusion  297  that cooperates with a given opening  296  for a particular handle configuration. Cup holder  290  remains securely upright, even when mounted to handles  223  of varying configurations as illustrated in FIGS. 31, 32. Because brackets  293 ,  294  provide a substantial clamping force when secured together, bracket  298  is securely positioned on handle  223  to maintain cup holder  290  in an upright position.  
         [0066]    Cup holder  290  is assembled to handle  223  by first positioning mounting structure  295  loosely around a corner of handle  223 . An appropriate opening  296  is selected to receive protrusion  297  on bracket  298 , and bracket  298  is inserted into collar  299 . Once the proper relationship between mounting structure  295  and bracket  298  is established to maintain cup holder  290  in an upright position, upper and lower bracket members  293 ,  294  are secured together to affix bracket  298  to handle  223 . Cup holder  290  is prevented from rotating about handle  223  by the cooperation of protrusion  297  with the selected opening  296 , and is also maintained in position by the clamping force provided by clamping members  293 ,  294  secured together.  
         [0067]    The remainder of portions of cup holder  290  are similar to those described in other embodiments above, and will not be repeated here.  
         [0068]    Referring now to FIGS.  33 - 36 , another embodiment of the present invention is shown generally as cup holder  330 . Cup holder  330  is secured to a shopping cart handle  223  with a clamp structure  335 . Clamp structure  335  is composed of a top clamp  336  and a bottom clamp  337  that are joined securely together to clamp around handle  223 . Clamp  336  is attached to cup holder  330  and provides a stable support platform when coupled with clamp  337  securely to handle  223 . Clamp  337  has an arcuate shape that is semicircular to fit snugly around a portion of handle  223 . Clamp  337  also has through holes  338  to allow passage of a retaining element, such as a bolt  333 .  
         [0069]    Clamp  336  has an arcuate semicircular shape similar to that of clamp  337 , to again snugly fit around handle  223 . The snug fit provided by clamps  336 ,  337  in cooperation, provides a secure fastening mechanism for supporting and maintaining cup holder  330  in a desired position. Clamp  336  has through holes  339  that also permit passage of a securing device such as bolt  333 . Nuts  340  cooperate with bolt  333  to secure clamps  336 ,  337  together to affix cup holder  330  in a desired position and location.  
         [0070]    An inner arcuate surface of clamps  336 ,  337  can be formed of a substance with particular gripping or frictional characteristics to assist in providing a secure clamp to handle  223 . Alternatively, a gripping material can be applied to the inner surface of clamps  336 ,  337  to provide extra retaining properties to clamp  335  when clamps  336  and  337  are securely coupled together. Cup holder  330  attached to handle  223  with clamp  335  has the advantage of being positioned in any particular location on handle  223  and in any particular orientation, without regard to the structure of the particular handle of the shopping cart. That is, cup holder  290 , discussed above, relies upon particular handle configurations at particular angles to maintain cup holder  290  in an upright position. Cup holder  330  can be maintained in an upright position without reliance on a remainder of the structure of handle  223 . Cup holder  330  also includes a surface area  331  that, in addition to providing extra support and rigidity for cup holder  330 , provides a space to apply advertising or other indicia on cup holder  330 . For example, instructions on the use of cup holder  330  or safety precautions when transporting hot beverages can be provided on surface area  331 , in addition to advertising or sponsorship for a beverage producer, for example.  
         [0071]    Cup holder  330  is affixed to handle  223  by aligning clamps  336  and  337  around handle  223 , and passing bolts  333  through openings  338 ,  339  and affixing nuts  340  to bolts  333 . Bolts  333  and nuts  340  are screwed together to obtain a particular torque and clamping force around handle  223  to maintain cup holder  330  in an upright position, for example. It should be apparent that many other affixing devices can be used with cup holder  330 , including a releasably affixable mechanism that can be adjustably clamped to handle  223 . By providing an adjustable clamping mechanism, a user can place cup holder  330  where they wish on handle  223  for their convenience. In addition, more permanent fixtures can be used such as rivets or welding to permanently affix cup holder  330  to handle  223 .  
         [0072]    Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.