Patent Publication Number: US-2005127622-A1

Title: Mobile display station

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to the field of retail promotion and more particularly to mobile display stations for promoting products. This invention can be used any retail location such as supermarkets, grocery stores, mass stores and club stores.  
      Manufacturers regularly promote their products to shoppers in supermarkets. As shoppers wander up and down the aisles, they frequently encounter people behind tables or other kinds of displays from which they are encouraged to sample products. The manufacturers are hoping that the shoppers will like the products they have sampled and will purchase one or more packages on that or subsequent shopping trips. Clearly, this is a successful marketing technique.  
      However, this technique suffers from a major deficiency. The tables or displays are stationary. Shoppers must pass near the tables or displays in order to be exposed to the products being promoted. If shoppers do not pass near the tables or displays they will not be exposed to the products being promoted.  
      Development of a promotional display which can travel to the shopper rather than waiting for the shopper to pass by represents a great improvement in the field of product marketing and satisfies a long felt need of the manufacturer and marketing professions.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention is a mobile display station comprising a box having a top, a front, and two sides. The box is adapted to fit over a wheeled, market shopping cart. Preferably there is a door cut into the top and a tray attached to the top. If desired means can be provided for attaching the box to the cart. Preferably, there is a pole, inserted through a hole in the top, with a sign board attached to its upper end. The lower end of the pole rests on the bottom of the cart and is attached to the rear or side of the cart. Preferably the front and sides of the box and both sides of the sign board carry advertising.  
      The mobile display station of this invention is fabricated in the following manner. First, a box, sized and shaped to fit over a standard market shopping cart, having top, a front and two sides is fabricated. Preferably, advertising is applied to the front and both sides. A hole is cut into the top. A door is cut into the top, preferably towards the front. A means for grasping the door, for example a finger hole, is cut into the door. Next a tray is fabricated and attached to the top, preferably to the rear of the door. Then the box is placed over a shopping cart. If desired, a simple means for attaching the box to the cart may be utilized.  
      A pole with diameter to fit through the hole is obtained and a sign board attached to its upper end. Preferably the sign board carries advertising on both sided. The lower end is slid through the hole until it rests on the bottom of the cart and is attached to either the side or the rear of the cart.  
      This invention is used in promoting goods by: placing the goods within the tray; optionally storing more goods within the shopping cart; and rolling the cart to a location where a shopper is shopping. Goods are then removed from the tray and offered to the shopper. As needed or desired, the tray may be replenished with goods stored within the shopping cart.  
      An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the present invention and an understanding of it may be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings and description of a preferred embodiment.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the mobile display station of this invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the mobile display station of this invention with the pole and sign board not included.  
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the mobile display station of this invention, attached to a wheeled market shopping cart with a door open. The view from the other side is a mirror image of this view.  
       FIG. 4  is a detail view from the rear of the shopping cart illustrating attachment of the pole to the cart. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3 , the mobile display station of the present invention is a box  10  having a top  14 , a front  18 , and two opposing sides  22 . Although, a box  10  with a rectangular front  18  and rectangular sides  22  is illustrated in the Figures, it will be recognized that the lower and rear extremities of the box  10  could be any desired decorative shape. The box  10  is adapted to fit over a wheeled, market shopping cart  26 . Preferably there is a door  30  cut into and a tray  34  attached to the top  14 . Preferably, the tray  14  is placed to the rear of the door  30  but their positions could certainly be reversed. Preferably, the rear  38  of the tray  34  is higher than its front  42 . Preferably means are provided for grasping the door  30  so that it can be opened. This can be as simple as a finger hole  46  cut into the door  30 . But clearly, any type of standard handle could also be used.  
      If desired means can be provided for attaching the box  10  to the cart  26 . This can be as simple as a hole  50  cut into the side  22  with an electrical tie  22  looped through the hole  50  and fastened around one of the cart members  58 . However, those familiar with the art to which this invention pertains will appreciate that any other convenient means, such as a nut and bolt, a plastic fastener or bailing wire, could be used.  
      Preferably, there is a pole  62 , inserted through a hole  66  in the top  14 , with a sign board  74  attached to its upper end  78 . Preferably the hole  66  is near a rear corner  70  although a front corner or anywhere along a side would be a viable alternative. The lower end  82  of the pole  62  rests on the bottom  86  of the cart  26  and is attached to the cart  26 . Attachment is again preferably made by means of an electrical tie  54  fastened around the pole and one or more members  58  of the cart  26 .  FIG. 4  better illustrates this means of attachment. However, any convenient means, such as a nut and a bolt, a clamp or baling wire could also be used. The pole  62  can be made of any convenient material such as wood, metal, fiberglass or plastic.  
      Preferably the front  18  and sides  22  of the box  10  and both sides  98  of the sign board  74  carry advertising  102 . The box  10  and sign board  98  can be made of any convenient material. The most convenient material is cardboard of sufficient thickness. However, wood, metal or plastic could also be used. If cardboard is used then the doors  30  can simply be cut around  3  sides. In this way they will be self hinged. Alternatively, any type of hinge could be used to attach the door  30  to the top  14 .  
      The mobile display station of this invention is preferably fabricated in the following manner. First, a box  10 , sized and shaped to fit over a wheeled, market shopping cart, having a top  14 , a front  18  and two sides  22  is fabricated. Preferably, advertising  102  is applied to the front  18  and both sides  22 . A hole  66  is cut into the top  14 , preferably near a corner rear  70 , and a door  30  is cut into the top  14 , preferably towards the front  106 . A means for grasping the door, for example a finger hole  46  is cut into the door  30 . If desired, a hole  50  is cut into one or both of the sides. Next a tray  34  is fabricated and attached to the top  14 , preferably to the rear  114  of the top  14 . Then the box  10  is placed over a shopping cart  26  and, if desired, an electrical tie  54  is used to attach the box to the cart  26  through the hole  50 . Again, any other convenient means, such as a nut and bolt or bailing wire, could be used.  
      A pole  62  with diameter to fit through the hole  66  is obtained and a sign board  74  attached to its upper end  78 . Preferably the sign board  74  carries advertising  102  on both sides  98 . The lower end  82  is slid through the hole  66  until it rests on the bottom  86  of the cart  26  and is attached to either the side  94  or the rear  90  of the cart  26 . Again, an electrical tie  54  is used to attach the pole  62  to the cart  26 . See  FIG. 4 . However, any convenient means, such as a nut and a bolt, a clamp or baling wire could also be used.  
      This invention is preferably used in promoting goods  118  by: placing the goods  118  within the tray  34 ; storing more goods  118  within the shopping cart  26 ; and rolling the cart to a location where a shopper is shopping. Goods  118  are then removed from the tray  34  and offered to the shopper. As needed or desired, the tray  34  may be replenished with goods  118  stored within the shopping cart  26 . Alternatively, goods  118  may simply be displayed on the top  14  of the box, with or without the tray  34 . In a further alternative, goods  118  are not offered to the shopper. In an additional alternative this invention  10  may be utilized with cold or frozen goods  118  by the simple expedient of placing a cooler filled with ice or dry ice within the cart  26  and storing the goods  118  within the cooler.  
      The following reference numerals are used on  FIGS. 1 through 4 : 
       10  Box      14  Top of box      18  Front of box      22  Side of box      26  Wheeled, shopping cart      30  Door      34  Tray      38  Rear of tray      42  Front of tray      46  Door opening means      50  Hole in side      54  Electrical tie      58  Cart member      62  Pole      66  Hole in top      70  Rear corner of top      74  Sign board      78  Upper end of pole      82  Lower end of pole      86  Bottom of cart      90  Rear of cart      94  Side of cart      98  Side of sign board      102  Advertising      106  Front of top      114  Rear of top      118  Goods    

      Thus, the present invention has been described herein with reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings will recognize additional modifications, applications and embodiments within the scope thereof.  
      It is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover any and all such applications, modifications and embodiments within the scope of the present invention.