Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to Foldable and Lightweight Shopping Cart for Wheelchair Users with Easy Attachment Mechanism
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Physically handicapped individuals face significant challenges in shopping independently, particularly in carrying and maneuvering traditional shopping carts, which limits their ability to shop without assistance and reduces their autonomy in daily activities.
Currently available products for handicapped shoppers include motorized wheelchairs with built-in baskets and specialized shopping carts that attach to wheelchairs, such as the Carrousel or Amigo Mobility Carts. These products aim to assist disabled individuals, but many are expensive, bulky, and not widely accessible in all shopping environments.
Existing solutions, such as motorized wheelchairs with baskets or attachable carts, often fall short due to their high cost, bulkiness, and limited availability in common retail environments. Additionally, many of these solutions are difficult to transport, lack customization for user needs, and may require assistance to attach or detach, reducing their overall convenience and independence for the user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention.
This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.
The shopping cart described in this invention features a foldable and lightweight design, a simple attachment mechanism to a wheelchair, and an ergonomic structure that ensures comfort and ease of use. It is made from stainless steel and aluminum to ensure strength without compromising weight. The cart's compact design allows it to be folded for storage and unfolded to provide ample space for groceries or other items. It includes a discreet hook or hinge system that allows users to easily attach or detach the cart from their wheelchair. The cart's comfortable handle grips, positioned near the user's knees, ensure that items are within easy reach, and it can be easily maneuvered, even when fully loaded.
Materials and Structure: The cart is constructed from a combination of stainless steel and aluminum, ensuring both durability and low weight. The frame is designed to be strong enough to carry groceries and other items but light enough for easy handling and transport. The foldable feature of the cart allows it to collapse into a compact form when not in use, facilitating easy storage and portability.
Attachment Mechanism: A discreet hinge or hook system is incorporated into the cart’s design. This allows users to easily attach or detach the cart from a wheelchair without external help. The hook system is positioned near the side of the wheelchair, making it easy for the user to hook the cart on or off by themselves, promoting independence.

Ergonomic Design: The cart is designed to be placed at a height near the user's knees, ensuring that items are within easy reach without the need to bend over. This is particularly beneficial for elderly, disabled, or pregnant users who may have limited mobility. Comfortable rubber grips on the handles ensure easy pushing or pulling, providing a smooth and comfortable experience for the user.
Maneuverability: Despite its small size when folded, the cart, in its expanded form, provides ample space for groceries or other items. The lightweight construction and ergonomic design ensure that the cart can be easily maneuvered beside the wheelchair, even when fully loaded. The handle grips and user-friendly design make the cart easy to control, even for individuals with limited strength or mobility.
Compact and Foldable: The cart is designed to be compact, lightweight, and foldable for easy transport and storage. When not in use, the cart can be folded into a small form, allowing the user to carry it along or store it in a small space. The foldable feature ensures that the cart is both practical and space-efficient.
To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.
The proposed invention is therefore a lightweight, foldable, shopping cart targeted at handicapped persons so that they may be able to shop for themselves. It is possible to attach this cart to a standard wheelchair through a hook system that makes it easy for these users to access as well as use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and methods that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:
FIGURE 1: PERSPECTIVE VIEW
The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a",” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", “third”, and the like in the present invention are used for the purpose of description only, and are not to be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining "first" and "second" may include at least one of the features, either explicitly or implicitly.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The proposed invention is therefore a lightweight, foldable, shopping cart targeted at handicapped persons so that they may be able to shop for themselves. It is possible to attach this cart to a standard wheelchair through a hook system that makes it easy for these users to access as well as use.
1. Foldable and Lightweight Design: The shopping cart is made of stainless steel and aluminum to guarantee its strength combined with low weight. The fact that it is foldable means that it is easy to transport as well as to store for it not to be used.
2. Easy Attachment Mechanism: The cart also has a very friendly discreet hinge of hook system which allows any user to affix or remove the cart from the wheelchair easily. This makes shopping convenient and flexible by allowing the shopper to make decisions on their own in different trading places.
3. Comfortable and Ergonomic: This is placed at the convenient height just near the knees of the user, to make shopping easier by having most of the cart items within easy reach. Comfortable rubber grips of handles offer easy movement of the cart.
4. Customizable for Various Users: The design has been made comfortable for wheelchair bound customers, elderly and even pregnant women making it convenient for anyone to shop independently.
After that, the user hooks the cart onto their wheelchair through a hook placed near the side of the chair. The cart is small sized so it has the ability of folding in case it is not in use, in its expanded state the cart is large enough to accommodate groceries or many other items and can be slid easily along beside the user in the wheelchair. There is also a friendly grip added to the design to complement weight controlled, labeled materials, so that even loaded cart it can be easily pushed or pulled by the user, making it easy to carry around. When unfolded, the cart provides ample space to hold groceries or other items and can be easily maneuvered while the user moves in their wheelchair. The design includes a comfortable grip and lightweight materials, ensuring that even a fully loaded cart can be easily pushed or pulled by the user.
It is an ideal solution because it is cheap, easily accessible and easy to use to improve the independence of a handicapped person while shopping as opposed to other expensive, wide and cumbersome equipment.
The specificity of our invention is a lightweight compact foldable basket for a shopping cart that can be connected to a wheelchair, where handicapped people can freely shop without the need to be pushed around as it often occurs in currently known cumbersome and expensive walking pedestrian shopping carts.
ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
1. Lightweight and Foldable: The difference between full-sized carts or power-based systems is the ability of this cart to be folded away and carried, making for easier transport and storage.
2. Easy Attachment: The easy-to-use hook mechanism means that the cart can be fixed or removed from the wheelchair by the user without help, which improves the level of independence.
3. Cost-Effective: This cart is a non-motorized unit that has been made from highly durable and affordable materials to provide compared to costly motorized equipment.
4. Universal Use: Designed for the handicapped people, for elderly people, for pregnant women, which makes it more relevant than the many of the similar products out there.
5. Ergonomic Design: A cart location is made in a comfortable and appropriate level, so there is no need to bend or heave when strolling or shopping.
Such elements make the cart more convenient, cheaper, and easier to use in comparation with similar products in the current market.
, Claims:1. A foldable shopping cart for wheelchair users comprising:
• A lightweight frame made of stainless steel and aluminium;
• A folding mechanism that allows the cart to be collapsed into a compact form for easy transport and storage;
• A hook or hinge system that allows the cart to be attached to or detached from a wheelchair independently by the user;
• Ergonomically positioned handle grips near the user’s knees for easy pushing or pulling of the cart;
• A cart body designed to provide sufficient space for groceries or other items when unfolded.
2. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hook or hinge system is configured to be discreet and easy to operate, allowing for simple attachment and detachment of the cart from the wheelchair by the user.
3. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cart is constructed from stainless steel and aluminum to provide strength and durability while remaining lightweight for ease of use and portability.
4. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the folding mechanism allows the cart to be collapsed to a compact size when not in use, facilitating convenient storage and transport.
5. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle grips are made of rubber for added comfort and easy movement, ensuring a smooth experience for the user when pushing or pulling the cart.
6. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cart is positioned at a height near the user’s knees to ensure that items in the cart are easily accessible without the need to bend or strain.
7. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cart, when unfolded, provides ample space to carry groceries or other items, ensuring its usability for everyday shopping needs.
8. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cart is designed for universal use, making it suitable for individuals with mobility impairments, including wheelchair users, elderly individuals, and pregnant women.
9. The foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cart is non-motorized and manually operated, providing a cost-effective alternative to motorized shopping carts for people with mobility challenges.
10. A method for using the foldable shopping cart as claimed in claim 1, comprising the steps of:
• Attaching the cart to the wheelchair using the hook or hinge system;
• Unfolding the cart to provide space for carrying groceries or other items;
• Pushing or pulling the cart using the ergonomic handle grips while shopping independently.