Abstract:
The present invention is a paper cover having a curl, for placement on an elongated handle of a shopping cart so that the user of the cart does not have to touch the handle of the cart that may have come in contact with germs or dirt of a prior user, the cover is designed to have a curl such that the paper material will tend to conform to the handle of the cart, the cover may include an antimicrobial material.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/668,648, filed on Apr. 6, 2005, entitled HANDLE WRAPPER; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention is a cover for an elongated handle of a shopping cart, typically used in grocery stores or other similar stores, that provide such a cart for customers, or other similar carts used by the public, such as in airports, for luggage handling situations, where the user of the cart holds a handle of the cart that has previously been used or touched by a prior user. The present cover provides a clean surface, covering the handle so the present user can avoid touching the handle, touched by a previous user which may have been dirtied or contain disease causing bacteria, germs or other harmful matter as a result of prior use.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Prior Art  
         [0005]     There are many reasons why a second user may desire not to directly touch a handle used by a prior first user including health and sanitary reasons. Some have attempted to provide washing solutions in close proximity to the area where a new user would select a shopping cart. However these washing solutions are wet and messy and require an applicator to apply the washing solution to the handle of the shopping cart. Disposal of the applicator causes for example an unsightly mess. Others have provided covers for the entire cart or portions of the cart. However these covers are bulky, and are not generally disposable. Some companies even provide bacteria shopping cart washers.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention is related to shopping carts. Shopping carts were invented in the 1930&#39;s with the advent of the supermarket, when shoppers needed more than a hand held bag to carry their groceries. In the 1940&#39;s shopping carts acquired most of the features we are familiar with today. In 1947, the carts were first nested. Notwithstanding different materials of wire and plastic, all shopping carts have a handle.  
         [0007]     The present invention is a cover, which preferably may be made of a thin material, such as paper, a paper like material, or of plastic, for placement around the elongated shopping cart handle. The cover is preferably disposable, for one time use by a present user, and is inexpensive.  
         [0008]     Typically, a store such as a grocery store will have hundreds of carts, which are generally stored and located at an entrance of the store. The exact location will most likely be in a convenient setting for shoppers to select a shopping cart when they enter the store. Since shopping carts are generally substantial in construction, of steel and wire or heavy plastic materials, they are re-used continuously by the store. When shopping, a user will push the cart through the store, up and down aisles, while loading goods into the cart. The shopper will hold and direct or steer the cart, using the cart&#39;s elongated handle, which is usually an integral part of the cart. Thus each user, typically holds the handle with their hands, contacting it—usually with uncovered hands—to push and steer the cart. Each user holds the handle many times as the cart is moved from location to location throughout the store during the shopping process.  
         [0009]     It is often considered to be unhealthy to hold a handle when another person has touched and in most cases recently touched or come in contact with the handle. Additionally, external elements, such as the weather, outside matter etc. come in contact with the handle. Thus there is a rapid spread of germs from the handle, transferred from one person—a first cart user—to another person—a second cart user.  
         [0010]     There is also provided a dispenser of the present invention at or near a storage area. The covering of the handle is accomplished with a sheet of paper or other material, cut to size, so that the covering, can be easily applied to the shopping cart handle. The coverings are dispensed from a roll of coverings that may or may not be within a dispenser container. In this manner, when a new user is about to use the shopping cart, this second cart user can apply a covering to the handle that was previously touched by a prior user or users of the cart. The new user thus has a clean area to touch when holding the handle of the shopping cart.  
         [0011]     Thus the present invention also provides for a novel way of dispensing the covers of the present invention for easy removal of the cover from its stored position. After use, the cover is preferably removed from the handle by disengaging the releasable adhesive. The cover is then disposed as any other waste paper or material, preferably in a waste container.  
         [0012]     Whether the covering from the dispenser is sterile or not, the new user can hold the handle without concern of touching and coming in contact with the same handle previously touched by another. This eliminates the transfer of germs and other dirt from an area a prior user came in contact with to a present user.  
         [0013]     The cover may include coatings to limit moisture and/or to kill harmful germs, such coatings may be antimicrobial coatings. Additional coatings may cause the cover to curl, such that the cover will curl around the handle, when placed on the handle. The curl may also be created by the construction of the cover material, as is known in the art.  
         [0014]     These and other aspects and features of the invention are described in more detail below and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     Referring to the drawings which are made a part hereof this application,  
         [0016]      FIG. 1 . is a top view of a portion of a shopping cart showing the handle portion of said cart.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2 . is a sectional view taken along lines  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . showing a cross-section of a shopping cart the handle.  
         [0018]      FIG. 3 . is a cross sectional view of a portion of a roll of covers of the present invention to be dispensed for use, showing the arrangement of the said covers in end to end relationship.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4 . is a sectional view of a single cover of the present invention showing the first end and the second end, and an adhesive.  
         [0020]      FIG. 5 . is a rear view of a portion of a shopping cart, the present invention, showing how an advertisement printed on the cover of the present invention would be displayed.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6 . is a cross sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the relationship of the cover with the handle such that the two ends of the cover are positioned below the handle, positioning the advertisement in a preferred position for viewing.  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a shopping cart, with a handle.  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the cover of the present invention having the adhesive on the second end.  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  is an alternate embodiment showing the covers in a stacked relationship.  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  is a view of the handle  11  with more than one cover  13  around it. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     In the present invention, reference is made to a cart such as a shopping cart  12  as shown in  FIG. 7 ., having a handle  11  generally at the rear of the cart and an open storage area  17  to receive items that shoppers are purchasing, generally for short term storage. Cart  12  has wheels  18 , usually three or four wheels so that cart  12  is balanced while being pushed, and guided by the user holding handle  11 . Typically handle  11  will be of plastic or wood, is generally cylindrical and will be supported on a wire structure of cart  12 . A typical handle  11  as shown in  FIG. 1 . is supported by a pair of cart arms  12   a  and  12   b  extending from the cart cage area  12   c.  Handle  11  is elongated, generally cylindrical and is threaded on support  12   d  of cart  12 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , handle  11  has a radius “r” and would have a resulting circumference 2 pi r.  
         [0027]     A cover  13 , also as described herein a wrapper  13 , has a length from one end to another end “A” as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . This length “A” is greater than the circumference of handle  12 , preferably 25% to 50% greater, but may be 50% to 100% greater. Cover  13  has a width “B”  FIG. 5  slightly less than the width C of handle  11 .  
         [0028]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , cover  13  has a first end  16  and a second end  19 . Preferably the length “A” of cover  13  is such that as shown in  FIG. 6 , first end  16  overlaps second end  19 . When cover  13  is provided with a curl, known in the art of paper manufacturing, cover  13  will curl around handle  13  and the ends, end  16  will overlap end  19 . Additionally, a releasable adhesive  14  can releasably be used to attach first end  16  of wrapper  13  to second end  19  as shown in  FIG. 6 . Though  FIG. 6  shows use of adhesive  14 , with or without the adhesive  14 , when the cover  13  has a curl, the ends  16  and  19  will overlap or be in close proximity to each other. Wrapper  13  is constructed and arranged to be secured around handle  11 , by attachment of said first end  16  with said second end  19  by said adhesive  14 . The inside circumference of closed cover  13  is greater than the circumference of handle  11  such that cover  13  rests on handle  11  in a loose manner depending on the actual length A of cover  13 , the amount of open area  20 , under handle  11  will increase or decrease.  
         [0029]     It is not necessary that secured wrapper  13  be tight against handle  11 . It is preferably loosely fitted around handle  11 . Preferably the weighted portion of the ends, first end  16 , and second end  19 , in close attached relationship, would cause the wrapper  13  to align itself, by gravitational pull, such that the heavier, attached portions, in the proximities of first end  16  and second end  19 , would be drawn by gravity to rest such that wrapper  13  was orientated with the first end  19  and second end  19  at the bottom or a lower level in relationship to handle  11 , see  FIG. 6 .  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the top of handle  11  is in contact with the inside portion of wrapper  13  when wrapper  13  is secured around handle  11  with first end  16  attached to second end  19  as heretofore described. In this manner, an advertisement  15 , would be in a preferable orientation for the user of a cart to view advertisement  15 . It is also possible that an advertisement  15  can be repeating across the entire exposed area of cover  13  such that the advertisement would be visible no matter what position cover  13  is in.  
         [0031]     In order to easily dispense handle wrapper  13 , it preferably would be placed on a roll as shown in  FIG. 3  whereby each handle wrapper  13  would be arranged first end  16  of one wrapper  13  to second end  19  of a second wrapper  13  whereby a user could peel off one handle wrapper  13  at a time. Each handle wrapper  13  would have a first end  16  attached to a second end  19  by adhesive  14 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , first end  16  is available for a user to grab and pull causing a roll to rotate, such that first end  16  of a handle wrapper  13  would be grabbed by a user and pulled until handle wrapper  13  disengages from the next handle wrapper  13  to be grabbed. Each handle wrapper  13  is attached to the following handle wrapper  13  in similar fashion, preferably using adhesive  14 .  
         [0032]     In one preferred embodiment, handle wrapper  13  is made of paper. A characteristic of handle wrapper  13  is a memory curl of each handle wrapper  13  so that handle wrapper  13  will, after being removed from the roll as shown in  FIG. 3 , conform in a general shape around handle  11  as shown in  FIG. 6 . In this manner, when handle wrapper  13  is applied to a handle  11 , it can easily be placed over handle  11  and paper wrapper  13 , because of its memory curl will conform to the handle even if loosely surrounding said handle as shown in  FIG. 6  as heretofore described. In an alternate embodiment, it is not necessary to have adhesive  14 , since the memory curl of cover  13  will cause the two ends first end  16  to overlap second end  19 . Because of the memory curl, the cover  13  will remain in said curled position with overlapping ends  16  and  19 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , with or without adhesive  14 .  
         [0033]     As an alternate embodiment, the adhesive  14  as shown in  FIG. 8  is in the proximity of first end  16  at the outside portion thereof. It is also possible to have the adhesive  14  at the close proximity to second end  19  at the inner side of wrapper  13 . In the alternate embodiment, a similar roll would be arranged as in  FIG. 3  but with the adhesive as described in the alternate embodiment and as shown in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0034]     In a second alternate embodiment, the preferred wrapper material  13  could be a plastic, a plastic sheet that has a “curl” memory. Said wrapper is material whether paper, plastic or other material, could be of a range of 0.1 mil inches to 20 mils.  
         [0035]     After use, preferably a user will remove the handle wrapper  13  and properly dispose it in a waste can. If the prior user does not do so, the next user can either dispose of the used wrapper  13  or the said next user can use a new wrapper  13  to cover the handle  11  which also has a used cover  13  thereon. There will be sufficient room for subsequent wrappers  13  to cover prior wrappers  13  since the length A of wrapper  13  is greater than the circumference of handle  11 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , a handle  11 , with a first prior cover  13  is under a current cover  13  with the prior cover  13  folded at location “F” to allow room for the next cover  13 , as shown in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0036]     Although the disclosure set out herein is detailed in order to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered only examples of the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures as well.  
         [0037]     Those skilled in the art will recognize that a number of other modifications to the invention are also possible. Accordingly, the invention should not be deemed limited to the specific embodiments described hereinabove and illustrated in the drawings, but instead only by a fair scope of the claims that follow along with their equivalents.