Abstract:
A device for carrying articles having handles is provided with generally elongated gripping and handle supporting members that are positioned in spaced-apart relationship with one another. A retaining assembly is pivotably coupled to the gripping member which can be moved between open and closed positions using the same hand that carries the device. Multiple embodiments are provided for the selective securement of the retaining assembly in its closed and/or open positions. The design of the device lends itself to durable but simple construction.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a device for carrying articles with handles and more particularly to a handle assembly capable of carrying a plurality of shopping bags that is fully operable with a single hand. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
   Supermarkets and retailers use a number of different types of bags to assist the consumer in transporting the purchased goods from the store to the consumer&#39;s home. Many of these shopping bags are provided with handle members at the top of the bag for ease in carrying the same. The shopping bags tend to be small in nature, which promotes the desire for the consumer to carry several shopping bags in each hand when traveling from the store to the consumer&#39;s car or from the consumer&#39;s car into their home. However, as the number of bags carried within one hand increases, along with the varied weight of the goods within the bags, the load becomes increasingly uncomfortable and difficult to carry by the consumer. This typically necessitates multiple trips. 
   Several devices have been developed to assist the consumers in transporting their bagged goods. U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,403 discloses a bag carrying device having elongated, spaced-apart upper and lower portions and a separate carrying handle extending from the upper portion. A resiliently deformable tab member extends between the upper and lower portions of the device in an attempt to retain the articles in the carrying device. While such a device is certainly beneficial in overcoming a number of the difficulties encountered in carrying a plurality of shopping bags, such a design suffers from the inconvenience of being incapable of single-handed operation. The prior art patent discloses no apparent manner of carrying the device by its handle while simultaneously actuating the resilient tab member to engage and release the articles. Accordingly, the user must use both hands to load the articles onto the device and then use both hands to unload the articles. When an individual is using two devices, these additional steps double. Moreover, the resiliently deflectable tab is dependent upon the flexibility from which the handle is formed to provide its available movement. This limits the range of movement of the tab, limits the usable life of the tab&#39;s deflection points, and fails to provide any manner of stably securing the tab in a closed or open position. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,388 discloses another bag carrying device having elongated upper and lower members that are spaced apart from one another. The device is further provided with a latch and hook assembly to retain the articles within the device. The lower portion of the device is provided with a plurality of recesses to receive the handles extending from the articles. However, this device, while adding numerous bells and whistles, suffers from the same deficiencies as the other prior art devices. Nowhere is the device described as being capable of being carried while simultaneously actuating the latch and hook mechanism with the hand that is carrying the device. Moreover, the arrangement of the articles among the various recesses also necessitates the use of a second hand to properly arrange the same. 
   Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,755 discloses a bag carrying device that is generally D-shaped, having a hinged lower receiving member that supports the bags in the carrying position. To secure the lower receiving member in position, a pin member extends through the handle and is selectively engageable with the free hand of the lower member. Again, however, this system is incapable of single-handed operation. Moreover, if the lower retaining member were disengaged while the articles were being carried, the entire carrying device would open up and release all of the articles indiscriminately. The curved nature of the lower retaining member further provides for a difficult distribution of the weight of the articles when they are loaded into the device. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,494 discloses a handle device having recesses disposed at the opposite ends of a gripping member. The recesses are selectively closed using a slidable, horizontally disposed pin member. However, such a device is plagued with the problem of even weight distribution, much like the common teeter-totter. Moreover, due to the fact that the sliding retaining members are positioned at the opposite ends of the handle, the device is not conveniently operable with a single hand while the device is being carried. 
   Accordingly, what is needed is a novel device for carrying articles that is simultaneously operable and carryable with a single hand. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The device for carrying articles of the present invention is provided with elongated upper and lower members that are positioned in a generally parallel spaced-apart relationship with one another. The space between the upper and lower members provides a recess in which the handles of shopping bags or other articles can be received. A retaining member is pivotably coupled to the forward end of the upper member and selectively moves between open and closed positions with respect to the lower member. 
   In use, the device can be carried by the upper member while the user simultaneously pivots the retaining member into its open position to receive the shopping bag handles. The user then, with the same hand, closes the retaining member and transports the shopping bags accordingly. At the user&#39;s final destination, the retaining member can be pivoted to its open position with the same hand that is carrying the device so that the shopping bags can be selectively released from the device. Accordingly, the device enables a user to use separate devices in the user&#39;s right and left hand to quickly and efficiently collect, transport, and release a plurality of shopping bags. 
   A ratchet and pawl system is provided adjacent the pivot connection between the retaining member and the upper member to selectively retain the retaining member in its closed or open positions. A spring member is optionally coupled to the ratchet and pawl assembly to conveniently bias the retaining member to its open position when the user actuates the pawl. A retaining lip is optionally provided at the free end of the retaining member to operatively engage a recess formed in the free end of the lower member to secure the retaining member in its closed position. The lip and recess assembly can be used in conjunction with or apart from the ratchet and pawl assembly. 
   It is therefore a principal objection of the present invention to provide a device for carrying articles having an article retaining assembly that can be actuated while the device is being carried by the same hand carrying the device. 
   A further object of the present invention is to provide a device for carrying articles having a retaining assembly that is selectively lockable in open and/or closed positions. 
   Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for carrying articles having an article retaining assembly that is easily operable with a single hand. 
   Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device for carrying articles having an article retaining assembly that is provided with multiple methods of securing the retaining assembly in a closed position. 
   Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for carrying articles that is durable yet simple to manufacture. 
   These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device of the present invention as the same might be used to carry articles; 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the device for carrying articles of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the device of  FIG. 1  further depicting an embodiment of the article retaining assembly; and 
       FIG. 4  is a partial cutaway view of one embodiment of a method of securing the retaining assembly of the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The numeral  10  refers generally to the shopping bag handle of the present invention, as depicted in  FIGS. 1–3 . The shopping bag handle is generally provided with an elongated gripping member  12  having a forward end portion  14  and a rearward end portion  16 . The gripping member  12  is further preferably provided with a lower surface portion  18  having a shape that substantially conforms to the hand of a user. It is contemplated that the shape of the lower surface  18  could be curved or generally parabolic-shaped, as shown in  FIG. 1 . It is further contemplated that individual recesses could be formed in the lower surface  18  for the proper location of the user&#39;s fingers. To further provide for the comfort of the user, the gripping member  12  could be provided with a layer of deformably resilient material, such as rubber, foam rubber, or other synthetic version thereof, such as Neoprene. 
   The shopping bag handle  10  is further provided with an elongated support member  20  having a forward end portion  22  and a rearward end portion  24 . The support member  20  is preferably positioned in a spaced relationship to the gripping member  12 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . It is preferred, although not crucial, that the support member  20  be generally parallel to the gripping member  18 . The rearward end portion  24  preferably extends upwardly towards and connects with the rearward end portion  16  of the gripping member  12  to form a rearward side member  26  of the shopping bag handle  10 . However, it is contemplated that a separate structure could be provided for coupling the gripping member  12  to the support member  20  at their respective rearward end portions  16  and  24 . 
   It is contemplated that the gripping member  12  and support member  20  could be formed from nearly any material such as wood, metal or plastic. However, it is preferred for the cost and practicality of manufacture that the component parts be manufactured from plastic. As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , support member  20  may be optionally formed to have an I-shaped cross section to provide an improved strength to weight ratio over other comparable designs. However, it is contemplated that the support member  20  could be formed as a hollow tube-shaped member or from a solid material in nearly any shape that is commercially feasible. 
   A retaining assembly is preferably provided to the shopping bag handle  10 , comprising at least a retaining member  28  having an upper end portion  30  and a lower end portion  32 . The upper end portion  30  of the retaining member  28  is preferably pivotably coupled to the forward end portion  14  of the gripping member  12  so that the retaining member  28  is selectively movable between open and closed positions, as shown in  FIG. 2 . The retaining member  28  preferably has a length sufficient to position its lower end  32  closely adjacent the forward end portion  22  of the support member  20 . Optionally, the lower end portion  32  of the retaining member  28  can be provided with a lip  34  that extends rearwardly from the lower end portion  32 . In that instance, the forward end portion  22  of the support member  20  should be shaped with a recess portion  36  to closely engage the lip  34  when the retaining member  28  is in its closed position. The lip  34  and recess  36  can provide frictional engagement between one another to provide a method of selectively securing the retaining member  28  in its closed position when the shopping bag handle  10  is in use. Although virtually any shape of lip and recess would function for this purpose, the rounded lip  34  and cove-shaped recess  36  allow retaining member  28  to provide an element of structural support to the shopping bag handle  10  when a heavy load is secured on the support member  20 . 
   Another method of securing the retaining member  28  in a particular open or closed position is provided by a ratchet  38  and pawl  40 , which are shown in greater detail in  FIG. 3 . Although the ratchet  38  is depicted as having individual teeth  42  extending radially therefrom, it is contemplated that a plurality of recesses or grooves could also be formed within the ratchet  38 . The pawl  40  is preferably provided with an engagement end  44  and an actuation end  46 . The engagement end  44  is preferably shaped to securely engage the surface features of the ratchet  38 . The actuation end  46  is preferably positioned to extend outwardly from and slightly above the gripping member  12  in a position conveniently adjacent the user&#39;s thumb. The pawl  40  is pivotably coupled to the forward end  14  of the gripping member  12  closely adjacent the ratchet  38 , located on the upper end portion  30  of the retaining member  28 . Accordingly, the user is able to disengage the pawl  40  from the ratchet  38  to position the retaining member  28  in an open or closed position, as desired. The user may then engage the pawl member  40  to secure the retaining member  28  in that position. A spring member  48  can optionally be secured coaxially with the pivot point of the retaining member  28  to bias the retaining member  28  toward its open position. Accordingly, when the spring member  28  is used, the user is able to selectively disengage the pawl  40  from the ratchet  38  so that the retaining member  28  extends automatically from a closed position to an open position. 
   In the open position, the handles of the articles or shopping bags can be “threaded” onto the support member  20 . The retaining member  28  can then be moved to its closed position through forward engagement of the upper end portion  30  of the retaining member  28  by the user&#39;s thumb until the desired closed position is achieved. It is further contemplated that the user&#39;s index finger could be engaged with the side of the retaining member  28  and pulled rearwardly and downwardly in a trigger-pulling fashion. Once the user has reached the delivery destination for the shopping bags or articles being carried, the user simply disengages the pawl  40  from the ratchet  38  to raise the retaining member  28  and slide the shopping bag handle  10  in a rearward direction until the handles of the shopping bags or articles are free of the support member  20 . Where the ratchet and pawl system is not used, the user would engage the retaining member  28  with the user&#39;s thumb or finger in the reverse fashion to that described hereinabove. 
   The simple actuation of the retaining assembly using the thumb or fingers of the user&#39;s hand that is carrying the shopping bag handle  10  allows the system to be simply used in a one-handed fashion. This permits the user to use a shopping bag handle  10  in each of the user&#39;s right and left hands to carry twice the load at the same time. The ability to capture and release shopping bags or articles with a single hand provides a greatly improved convenience and efficiency to the prior art. 
   In the drawings and in the specification, there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention; and although specific items are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and proportion of parts, as well as substitution of equivalents, are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims. 
   Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.