Patent Publication Number: US-2018029621-A1

Title: Wheeled Shopping Tote

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/367,403 filed on Jul. 27, 2016. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to shopping totes. More specifically, the present invention provides a wheeled shopping tote having a plurality of hooks for easily transporting shopping bags that is collapsible via a telescopic configuration or a folding configuration. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many individuals transport purchased items in bags to and from various locations when shopping at malls, stores, and other shopping centers. At many such shopping centers, there are no shopping carts or other devices provided to assist an individual with bag transport. As a result, individuals may make numerous trips to their vehicles to store all of their shopping bags, which can be tiring and time consuming. 
     Other individuals may choose to place some of their smaller bags into a larger bag for easier transport. However, this still requires the individual to carry the full load by hand. Additionally, items stored in bags that have been placed into other bags can become damaged, and the items can easily fall out and become even more damaged. While transporting bags of items via walking or via public transportation, there is not a reliable means for reducing the carry weight of the items, making them easier to transport. Carrying one or more heavy bags can lead to discomfort and even injury. In light of the above concerns, the present invention provides a wheeled shopping tote having a plurality of hooks for supporting shopping bags thereon, and wheels for easily transporting the shopping bags. 
     In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing animal deterring devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of shopping caddies now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a wheeled shopping tote wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when transporting a number of shopping bags. The wheeled shopping tote comprises a base having an upper end a lower end, the base maintaining a telescopic configuration, and a handle disposed on the upper end of the base. A plurality of hooks are disposed on the base; and one or more wheels are rotatably secured to the lower end of the base. The plurality of hooks each support a shopping bag thereon, and the one or more wheels allows multiple bags to be transported simultaneously. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a wheeled shopping tote that facilitates the transport of multiple shopping bags. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a wheeled shopping tote that is collapsible, allowing it to be carried in a pocket book or bag for convenience. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the wheeled shopping tote. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the wheeled shopping tote. 
         FIG. 3  shows an alternate embodiment of the wheeled shopping tote. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the wheeled shopping tote. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for facilitating easy transport of bagged items. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of the wheeled shopping tote. The wheeled shopping tote comprises a body  10  having a plurality of rods  11 . The plurality of rods  11  are removably secured to one another so that the wheeled shopping tote may be collapsed when not in use. In the shown embodiment, three rods  11  are disposed in linear arrangement when in the extended position. However, additional rods  11  may be utilized to alter the length of the wheeled shopping tote. In some embodiments, the rods  11  are configured to be in telescopic arrangement with one another, such that the height of the body  10  can be adjusted. 
     A handle  12  is disposed on an uppermost rod  15 . In the shown embodiment, the handle is T-shaped and includes hand grips  16  that extend in opposing directions from each other. The wheeled shopping tote further includes wheels  13  disposed on a lowermost rod  18 . The wheels  13  support the wheeled shopping tote on the ground and allow it to be easily transported by rolling it along the ground. In the shown embodiment, the wheeled shopping tote includes two wheels  13  rotatably connected to an axle  17 , wherein the axle  17  is affixed to the lowermost rod  18 . 
     A plurality of fasteners  14  are disposed on at least one of the rods  11 . The fasteners  14  are configured to secure a shopping bag to the wheeled shopping tote. In the shown embodiment, the fasteners  14  are disposed in a linear arrangement on the uppermost rod  15 . The fasteners  14  are shown as hooks in the illustrated embodiment, but may include other fasteners suitable for securing a shopping bag to the wheeled shopping tote, such as clips or hook and loop fasteners. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the wheeled shopping tote. In the shown embodiment, the wheeled shopping tote is supported on the ground by a roller ball  19  rotatably affixed to a housing  20 , wherein the housing is secured to the lowermost rod  18  via a swivel connection  21 . The handle  12  is an open loop with opposing ends affixed to the upper most rod  15 . In this embodiment, the handle  12  can be canvas or another fabric in order to reduce the overall weight of the wheeled shopping tote. Further, in the shown embodiment the fasteners  14  are disposed in a non-linear arrangement and are staggered so that a greater number of shopping bags can be secured to the wheeled shopping tote. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown an exploded view of the wheeled shopping tote. The wheeled shopping tote is collapsible so that it takes up less space when stored or otherwise not in use. An elastic cord  25  is affixed to upper and lower ends  23 ,  24  of each rod  11 . The elastic cord  25  allows the rods  11  to stay connected when in the collapsed configuration so that rods  11  are not misplaced. In some embodiments, the rods  11  are secured via tension from the elastic cord  25 . In other embodiments, the upper and lower end  23 ,  24  are configured to maintain a threaded connection for increased stability during use. 
     It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.