Abstract:
A shopping bag carrier that in one embodiment has a shaft with a wheel at the lower end, a handle at the upper end and a series of hooks along the shaft. An embodiment is provided with a telescopically collapsible shaft allowing easier transport when the device is not in use carrying shopping bags. In an embodiment hooks are cut out of the shaft to facilitate carrying a shopping bag handle yet retaining the ability to permit the shaft to collapse telescopically. In an embodiment a fender is included over a portion of the wheel to aid in preventing the wheel from rolling when leaning the device against a vertical surface at rest.

Description:
[0001]    1. Applicant hereby claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/988,550, filed on Nov. 16, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to assistive devices, and more particularly, to a device particularly suited to carry shopping bags 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Several designs for bag carriers have been designed in the past. None of them, however, include a highly collapsible shaft with multiple cutouts in the shaft to attach bags and a brake to allow the device to lean against a vertical surface. 
         [0006]    Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,624 issued to Abdul-Razzak Faraj. However, it differs from the present invention because the present device does not include external hooks or a storage compartment and further includes, at least in some embodiments, inter alia, internal hooks a collapsing shaft and a means to prevent the wheel from rolling at rest. 
         [0007]    Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is one of the main objects of the present invention to provide a device to aid a person carrying one or more bags. 
         [0009]    It is another object of this invention to provide a device that is collapsible and thus easily transportable when not in use. 
         [0010]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a compact bag carrier that can be stably leaned against a vertical surface at rest. 
         [0011]    It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a device that is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain while retaining its effectiveness. 
         [0012]    Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  represents an elevation view of an embodiment of the device fully extended. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  shows a detailed elevation view of a wheel assembly. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates a detailed elevation view of a bag hooking means. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a representation of a person using an embodiment of the device to carry bags. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is an elevation view an embodiment of the device holding shopping bags and leaning against a vertical surface. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0021]    Referring now to the drawings, where the present device is generally referred to with numeral  10 , it can be observed in  FIG. 1  that it basically includes, inter alia, an upper assembly  20 , a shaft assembly  40  and a wheel assembly  50 . Said upper assembly  20  further comprises, inter alia, a handle  22 , a button  24 , hooks  26  and a stud  28 . Said shaft assembly  40  further comprises, inter alia, a stud  42  and a stud  44 . Said wheel assembly  50  further comprises, inter alia, a wheel  52 , a fender  54 , a grip  56  and a fork  58 . 
         [0022]    Still referring to  FIG. 1 , where the device is shown fully telescopically extended, the handle  22  provides a gripping surface for a user of the device to hold while the device is in use. Handle  22  is preferably constructed of a soft and durable material that provides some padding function to a user of the device, for example, foam, neoprene, rubber or padded leather. The dimensions of said handle  22  are such that a human hand can ergonomically grasp the handle  22  to reduce fatigue and increase the force that can be applied to the handle  22  when the device is fully extended and in use. 
         [0023]    When the device is fully telescopically extended the button  24  may be depressed to trigger an internal mechanism to allow the shaft assembly  40  to telescopically collapse. The button  24  may also be depressed when the shaft assembly  40  is fully collapsed to trigger an internal mechanism to release the stud  42  and stud  44  of the shaft assembly  40  so that the shaft assembly  40  may be telescopically extended to its full length. 
         [0024]    When the device is being telescopically collapsed the button  24  is depressed that unlocks stud  28  from stud  42  so that stud  28  is permitted to slide into stud  42 . When stud  28  is fully inserted into stud  42  the bottom end of stud  28  interacts with a releasing mechanism inside the bottom of stud  42  thereby permitting stud  42  (which already contains stud  28 ) to then slide into stud  44  thereby greatly reducing the overall length of the device. When the device is in its fully collapsed state it is easier to carry. 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  shows three studs, to with stud  28 , stud  42  and stud  44 . It has been demonstrated to be equally or more effective to have additional stud sections (not depicted in  FIG. 1 ) between stud  28  and stud  44  to permit the device to collapse into an even shorter form factor increasing the device&#39;s portability even more. 
         [0026]    Studs  28 ,  42  and  44 , as well as additional studs if included, are optimally constructed of a rigid and durable material. It is contemplated to make these studs of a material, such as for example, an aluminum alloy or synthetic polymer. The cross-section of these studs may be, for example, round, oval, rectangular or other polygon suitable to be aesthetically pleasing and lending itself to such performance characteristics to permit the device to be light weight and strong. 
         [0027]    Along the length of stud  28  are a series of hooks  26 . The hooks  26  are shown in more detail in  FIG. 3 . Hooks  26  are generally formed from material removed from said stud  28  so that there are no protrusions on stud  28  that could inhibit stud  28  from collapsing inside stud  42 . 
         [0028]    In typical use the device is fully telescopically extended, meaning that stud  28 , stud  42  and stud  44  (and additional studs, if present as described above) are pulled away from each other yet remain attached to each other at the respective ends of the studs. When the device is fully telescopically extended said stud  28  is telescopically removed from stud  42  thereby exposing the hooks  26 . Hooks  26  are dimensioned to receive any of the typical range of shopping bag handles. One or more bag handles may be placed into each of the hooks  26 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 1  shows the wheel assembly  50  where it is affixed to the bottom end of stud  44 .  FIG. 2  shows in more detail the wheel assembly  50  that comprises, inter alia, wheel  52 , fender  54 , grip  56 , fork  58 , axle  60  and fasteners  62 . The fork  58  connects to the lower end of stud  44  by means of a fastener  62  that may be, for example, a rivet, screw, pin, weld or clip as appropriate. Fork  58  holds the wheel  52  onto the device at the lower end of stud  44 . The wheel  52  is permitted to radially rotate around the axle  60  that is fixed onto the fork  58 . Optimally the axle  60  includes a means to permit the free rotation of the wheel  52  such as ball bearings, roller bearings or other suitable and durable means. 
         [0030]    Still referring to  FIG. 2 , the fork  58  is connected to a fender  54 . On the side of the fender  54  opposite the wheel  53  is a grip  56 . One of the functions of the fender  54  and grip  56  is to allow the device to lean against a vertical surface when a user of the device wishes to stop the movement of the device. To effectuate this, a user would lean the device so that the grip  56  contacts the ground and the wheel  52  is lifted off the ground. In other words, the device is leaned so that the fender  54  and grip  56  are positioned between the wheel  52  and the ground thereby preventing the bottom end of the device from moving relative to the ground. This may be useful for a user who has been carrying heavy bags with the device and is required to use both hands, for example at a cash register or for rest, and does not want to lay the device on the ground. The user can instead then prop the device against the vertical surface and on the fender  54  and grip  56  and the device will stay in place and not roll. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  shows in more detail the hooks  26  formed into a shaft  28 . The hooks  26  are, in this embodiment, integral to the shaft  28  and do not extend beyond the plane of the outer surface of the shaft  28  so that the shaft  28  may be telescopically collapsed into shaft  42  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0032]      FIG. 4  is an example of the device in typical use by a person to carry bags  70 . The bags  70  may be any of a wide variety of bags commonly in use for shopping such as, for example, plastic bags, fabric bags and paper bags with a handle. The handle of any bag desired to be carried by the device is inserted into a hook  26 . A person using the device grasps the handle  22  with the person&#39;s hand to pull the device. The device could equally be pushed in front of a person using the device. When pulling the device the wheel  52  contacts the ground and freely rotates to permit a person to carry bags  70  with less effort than if the bags  70  were carried directly by a person&#39;s hand without the device. In typical use of the device when carrying bags  70  while in motion the fender  54  and grip  56  are positioned above the wheel  52  so that they to not impede the wheel  52  from rotating when in motion. 
         [0033]    Also demonstrated in  FIG. 4  is the shaft assembly  40  where it is shown to include, inter alia, stud  28 , stud  42  and stud  44 . In this embodiment stud  28  has a greater diameter than stud  42  that in turn has a greater diameter than stud  44 . This is in contrast to the embodiment of the device as shown in  FIG. 1  where stud  44  has a greater diameter than stud  42  that in turn has a greater diameter than stud  28 . 
         [0034]    Still referring to  FIG. 4 , when the device is being telescopically collapsed the stud  44  slides into stud  42 . When stud  44  is fully inserted into stud  42  the upper end of stud  44  interacts with a releasing mechanism inside the upper end of stud  42  thereby permitting stud  42  (which already contains stud  44 ) to then slide into stud  28  thereby greatly reducing the overall length of the device. When the device is in its fully collapsed state it is easier to carry when no bags  70  are engaged into hooks  26 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  shows three studs, to with stud  28 , stud  42  and stud  44 . It has been demonstrated to be equally or more effective to have additional stud sections (not depicted in  FIG. 4 ) between stud  28  and stud  44  to permit the device to collapse into an even shorter form factor increasing the device&#39;s portability even more. Any additional stud sections may telescopically collapse in similar fashion to that described above for stud  28 , stud  42  and stud  44 . 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is an example of the device as it may be used to carry bags  70  while at rest. The device may be leaned against a vertical surface so that the handle  22  contacts the vertical surface. To prevent the device from falling over and potentially damaging any contents of the bags  70  the grip  56  on the fender  54  is in contact with the ground and is kept stationary by the friction between the ground and the grip  56 . The wheel  52  is kept from contacting the ground by the fender  54 . The device could be effectively used in this manner when, for example, a person using the device needs the use of both hands at a cash register station to make an additional purchase of goods that may be soon to be carried by the device. 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7  demonstrate a perspective view of an embodiment of the device that is shown to further comprise a wrist strap  72 . The wrist strap  72  provides a means to more securely attach the device to a person suing the device to carry bags when the device is fully telescopically extended as well as providing a means to more easily carry the device when it is telescopically collapsed. 
         [0038]    Generally, in typical use of the device a user will carry the fully collapsed device, possibly by hand or in a purse. When a purchase is made a vendor delivers the articles in a bag to the user. The user then fully extends the device which locks it at its full length and exposes the hooks  26 . The user then places the handle of a bag into any of the hooks  26 . The user can then pull the device with the bag securely hanging from the hook  26 . Much of the weight contained in the bag is then borne by the device and not directly by the user. This provides an easier way to transport more weight over a longer distance for a longer period of time than would otherwise be comfortable. 
         [0039]    An embodiment of a shopping bag carrier is shown to comprise a telescoping shaft with multiple sections and having a first end, a second end and an edge along the side of said telescoping shaft extending between said first end and said second end; a handle dimensioned to fit a human hand affixed to said first end of said telescoping shaft; a wheel rotatably affixed to said second end of said telescoping shaft; and a hook integral to said edge suitable for accepting a handle of a bag and capable of supporting the weight of said bag and its contents. 
         [0040]    Embodiments may also be further characterized by a multiplicity of hooks integral to said longitudinal edge and each hook being suitable for accepting a handle of a bag and capable of supporting the weight of said bag and its contents; a wrist strap affixed to said first end of said telescoping shaft; by said wheel being rotatably affixed to a caster and said caster being affixed to said second end of said telescoping shaft; said telescoping shaft having multiple sections that elongate telescopically and are lockable at the full length of said telescoping shaft and said sections also being selectively telescopically collapsible to shorten said telescoping shaft; or by a fender attached to said second end of said telescoping shaft that partially covers said wheel where said fender being positioned to permit said wheel to freely rotate on a ground surface when a user is pulling said handle and said fender is positionable between said wheel and said ground surface when said handle is leaned against a vertical surface and said fender being capable of supporting the weight of said shopping bag carrier and the contents of one or more bags. 
         [0041]    An alternate embodiment of a shopping bag carrier may comprise a shaft having a first end, a second end and an edge along the side of said shaft extending between said first end and said second end; a handle dimensioned to fit a human hand affixed to said first end of said shaft; a wheel rotatably affixed to said second end of said shaft; a hook integral to said edge suitable for accepting a handle of a bag and capable of supporting the weight of said bag and its contents; and a fender attached to said second end of said shaft that partially covers said wheel; said fender being positioned to permit said wheel to freely rotate on a ground surface when a user is pulling said handle and said fender is positionable between said wheel and said ground surface when said handle is leaned against a vertical surface; said fender being capable of supporting the weight of said shopping bag carrier and the contents of one or more bags. 
         [0042]    This embodiment may be further characterized in that said shaft is telescopically extendable for use in carrying a bag and telescopically collapsible when not in use; multiple hooks integral to said edge and each hook being suitable for accepting a handle of a bag and capable of supporting the weight of said bag and its contents; a wrist strap affixed to said first end of said shaft; or by said wheel being rotatably affixed to a caster and said caster is affixed to said second end of said shaft. 
         [0043]    Yet another embodiment of a shopping bag carrier is shown to comprise a shaft having a first end, a second end and an edge along the side of said shaft extending between said first end and said second end; a handle dimensioned to fit a human hand affixed to said first end of said shaft; a wheel rotatably affixed to said second end of said shaft; and a multiplicity of hooks integral to said edge each suitable for accepting a handle of a bag and capable of supporting the weight of said bag and its contents. 
         [0044]    This embodiment may be further characterized by a multiplicity of hooks integral to said edge and each hook being suitable for accepting a handle of a bag and capable of supporting the weight of said bag and its contents; a wrist strap affixed to said first end of said shaft; or where said wheel being rotatably affixed to a caster and said caster is affixed to said second end of said shaft. 
         [0045]    The foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objectives and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.