WO2000034102A1

WO2000034102A1 - Shopping cart

Info

Publication number: WO2000034102A1
Application number: PCT/US1999/029340
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Skillman; John Stoddard; David Lyons; Edwin Pierce; Rico Zorkendorfer; Robert Stancel; James Feuhrer
Original assignee: Ideo Product Development
Priority date: 1998-12-10
Filing date: 1999-12-09
Publication date: 2000-06-15
Also published as: AU2173700A

Abstract

A shopping cart (10) is provided which has a frame (12), but no main basket. The shopping cart may have a plurality of individual baskets (22) which removably attach to the frame. The removable baskets (22) make the frame without the baskets less valuable so that thefts of the frame occur less frequently. The shopping cart may have rails (14, 16) onto which the baskets (22) may be attached. At checkout, the goods in the baskets are transferred to plastic bags which may be hung on hooks (18) provided on the rails. The shopping cart may include a child seat (32).

Description

SHOPPING CART

Background of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a device for transporting objects and

in particular to shopping cart for transporting objects being purchased in a store.

People shopping in a store desire to be able to transport the objects being

purchased in the store as the shopper is browsing through the store and to

transport the purchased objects, such as groceries and other products, to the

shopper's automobile. Most supermarkets and other stores, for example,

provide the shopper with the choice of a handheld shopping basket or a

shopping cart with wheels to transport their items. The handheld shopping

basket permits the shopper to hand carry only a small number of items in the

basket around the store while selecting items. The shopping cart, on the other

hand, has a larger capacity and may be pushed around the store on the wheels.

Both the handheld basket and the shopping cart may also be taken out of the

store to the shopper's automobile. However, one of the problems with

conventional shopping carts is that people may not return them to the store so

the shopping carts become damaged or lost or, even worse, the shopping carts

may be stolen.

The physical structure of typical shopping carts also poses a number of

problems which make them less than optimal for their designed purpose. Typical shopping carts are often noisy since the wheels and casters on which

they are supported do not tend to track in a straight line or the wheels have flat

spots which cause vibrations in the shopping cart and make the shopping carts

noisy. Conventional shopping carts are also expensive to purchase and maintain

since they must be constantly serviced and are often lost or stolen, as described

above. It is also often difficult to both separate the conventional shopping carts

when they are nested together and nest the shopping carts together when they are

separated. In addition, typical shopping carts are ugly and heavy since they are

typically manufactured out of a heavy metal material, such as steel formed into a

cage structure. The typical shopping carts are also difficult to keep clean due to

the cage structure and they may roll away from a shopper in a parking lot and

strike another car.

The typical shopping carts also pose a number of problems for the

shopper while shopping. For example, typical shopping carts are too large in

volume and are unwieldy for some shoppers. In addition, typical shopping carts

cannot be moved sideways so it is often difficult to steer the shopping cart and

move the shopping cart out of the path of another shopper. Typical shopping

carts do not have separate compartments for different items so that easily

damaged items, such as flowers or eggs, tend to be crushed by heavier items so

shoppers place these items in the child seat of the shopping cart. The problem

with placing these easily damaged items in the child seat of the shopping cart is

that any small items may fall out of the holes in the cart which are designed to

accommodate a child's legs. With the typical shopping cart, there is no convenient place to write notes, there is no place for new shopping and

information technologies, such as scanners and the like, to be attached to the

shopping cart and the shopping carts are not compatible with "green" shopping

ideas, such as using less packaging.

A typical shopping cart may have a variety of different types of wheel

configurations. For example, some conventional shopping carts in the United

States have fixed position rear caster wheels and free swiveling front caster

wheels which provide stability during forward movement but make it difficult to

maneuver the shopping cart. Other conventional shopping carts typical of

Europe have free swiveling front and rear caster wheels which make the

shopping cart more maneuverable in tight spaces, but less able to track straight

when shoppers are traveling ahead a large distance such as in a parking lot.

For a shopper with children, conventional shopping carts have additional

problems. For example, a child may jump while within the main section of the

shopping cart and tip the shopping cart over which may injure the child. It is

also very difficult to lift a child into and out of the child seat since the child seat

is high off the ground and the child's legs must be aligned with the holes in the

child seat. The typical shopping cart also does not have any place to store a

baby bottle or toys for the child, is not very hygienic and has an uncomfortable

seat so that the child is unlikely to want to remain in the child seat for any

prolonged period of time. Thus, it is desirable to provide a shopping cart which solves the above

problems with conventional shopping carts and it is to this end that the present

invention is directed.

Summary of the Invention

A shopping cart is provided which solves the above-described problems

with conventional shopping carts. In particular, the shopping cart may include a

novel cart assembly with a frame, but no main basket. The shopping cart may

have a plurality of individual baskets which removably attach to the frame. Due

to the frame with removable baskets, the cart without the baskets is less valuable

and useful so that thefts of the shopping cart are reduced. The individual

baskets also mean that individual easily damaged items are not likely to be

crushed or damaged since the easily damaged items may be placed in separate

baskets. The individual baskets also eliminate the need to reach into a deep

basket which may occur when loading items into the basket in the store, when

pulling items out for checkout, and when loading the purchased items into the

car.

The shopping cart may have one or more different levels of basket

attachment rails so that the shopper may easily place items in the baskets. The

bottom portion of the shopping cart may be easily accessed and strong enough to

support large, heavy items, such as cases of canned or bottled beverages, bags of

charcoal and the like. At checkout, the goods in the removable baskets are

transferred to plastic bags (or the shopper's own reusable bags) which may be hung on the hooks provided on the side support rails of the frame to permit the

shopper to transport the items to his/her automobile and to permit the bagger at

the store to ensure that the baskets do not leave the store.

The shopping cart in accordance with the invention may use four casters.

The front two casters are free swiveling (i.e., rotate freely), as found on current

shopping carts, but the back two casters are unique. In particular, to solve the

problem with conventional shopping carts, centering casters in accordance with

the invention at the rear of the shopping cart may be used. The centering rear

casters may have a centering mechanism which mechanically biases the rear

wheels to remain straight, but may permit the rear wheels to rotate when more

that a predetermined side force is applied to them. In particular, the centering

mechanism may include a central valley region and an opposing raised region so

that a push forward of the shopping cart keeps the raised region seated in the

valley region and the rear wheels are centered and act a fixed casters. A

sideways push on the shopping cart may overcome the centering effect of the

centering mechanism so that raised region moves out of the valley region and

the rear wheels steer freely to easily move the cart sideways.

The shopping cart may also include a brake to prevent the cart from

rolling in the parking lot. In one embodiment, a foot-activated brake may be

used which avoids a brake that presses against the wheel and may cause a flat

spot on the wheel which in turn causes a bump when the wheel rolls. The outer portions of the shopping cart's frame may be protected with a rubber sleeve to

eliminate damage to cars in the parking lot.

The shopping cart in accordance with the invention may include a plastic

molded seat which is wide enough for two children, but may also be a single

seat. The child seat may include a handle that flips up out of the way for easy

loading of children, and secures the children in the seat when pulled down,

much like a child's car seat. The handle in accordance with the invention may

also provide a play surface for children, a writing surface for the shopper and

contains holes designed to hold various items, such as a baby bottle, drink cup, a

child's toys or flowers bought in the store. The seat may have a generous radii

for easy wiping, and through-holes to allow fluids to drain from the seat for easy

cleaning.

In accordance with the invention, a shopper may use their own baskets

which eliminates the need for bagging and unbagging and reduces waste.

Attractively designed baskets could be provided as a promotional service by the

store, helping the store's brand awareness by putting a distinctive and useful

product in the shopper's home. A holster and scanner may be provided to allow

shoppers to optionally check out their own goods as they shop. The scanner may

provide the shopper with running totals and promotional sales information on its

display or may be a cordless phone link to store personnel if help is needed. Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is an exploded assembly diagram illustrating the assembly of a

shopping cart in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an assembled shopping cart in

accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an assembled shopping cart in

accordance with the invention without the removable baskets;

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating details of the child seat on the shopping

cart shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating more details of the shopping cart

handle shown in Figures 1-3; and

Figure 6 is an exploded assembly diagram illustrating the details of the

centering casters in accordance with the invention which may be located on the

rear wheels of the shopping cart shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

The invention is particularly applicable to a shopping cart for use in a

supermarket and it is in this context that the invention will be described. It will

be appreciated, however, that the shopping cart in accordance with the invention has greater utility since it may be used in a variety of different stores and since

the centering casters may be used with a variety of different wheeled devices.

Figure 1 is an exploded assembly diagram illustrating a shopping cart 10

in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the

assembled shopping cart 10 and Figure 3 is the assembled shopping cart with the

baskets removed. As shown, the shopping cart 10 may include a frame 12

which may be tubular and may be manufactured out of a suitable material, such

as steel. As shown, the frame 12 does not include a central basket which may be

found on conventional shopping carts. The lack of a central basket provides

several advantages including the fact that the shopping cart 10 is less likely to be

stolen since the lack of the central basket makes the frame 12 useless for storing

items. The outer portions of the frame 12 which may strike other objects or

automobiles in the parking lot may be covered with a rubber material to help

prevent damage or injury. The frame 12 may also include a bottom portion 13

for supporting heavy items, such as charcoal or bottles of beverages. The

bottom portion may be located relatively close to the floor so that it is easier to

lift items into the bottom portion. The bottom portion may have a W-shape to

allow for nesting of multiple shopping carts for storage.

The shopping cart 10 may further include a first set of parallel, spaced

apart rails 14 at a first predetermined height and a second set of parallel, spaced

apart rails 16 at a second predetermined height attached to the frame 12. Each

set of rails 14, 16 may be parallel to the floor or slightly angled with respect to the floor to allow nesting of the carts when stored. Each set of rails 14, 16 may

include one or more hooks 18 and a retaining bump 20 at one end of the rail.

The other end of each rail may be rigidly connected to the frame 12. In

accordance with the invention, one or more removable baskets 22 may rest on

the set of rails 14 or 16 to provide storage space for items being purchased by

the shopper. The retaining bump 20 may ensure that the baskets 22 do not slide

off of the rails 14, 16. When the baskets are removed from the rails during the

check-out, the items in the baskets may be placed into plastic bags with handles

or the shopper's own canvas bags. Each of these plastic or canvas bags may

then be hung on a set of the hooks 18 so that the shopper may transport the bags

to his/her automobile. The advantage is that the shopper is not taking the

removable baskets 22 outside of the store so the store does not have the baskets

stolen. In addition, once the baskets 22 are removed, the shopping cart 10 with

only the frame 12 cannot be used to transport items so it is less likely that the

frame alone will be stolen.

The shopping cart 10 may also have a brake 24 attached to the frame 12

which prevents the shopping cart from moving when the brake is engaged. The

brake 24 is shown in Figure 1 in an engaged, braking position and in a

disengaged, up position in Figures 2 and 3. To stop the shopping cart from

moving, a bottom portion 26 of the brake 24 may come into contact with the

ground or floor of the store. As described above, this brake does not contact the

wheels of the shopping cart so that a flat spot on the wheel is not created as may

occur with conventional shopping carts. The shopping cart may also include a front set of wheel assemblies 28

and a rear set of wheel assemblies 30. The front wheel assemblies 28 may

include free swiveling casters similar to conventional shopping carts. The rear

wheel assemblies 30, however may include centering casters in accordance with

the invention. These rear wheel assemblies 30 with the centering casters in

accordance with the invention solve the problems with the casters of

conventional shopping carts as described above. Generally, the centering rear

casters may have a centering mechanism so that a push of the shopping cart

forwards keeps the rear wheels are centered so that the rear wheels act as fixed

casters when the shopping cart is moving straight ahead. A sideways push of

the shopping cart may overcome the bias of the centering mechanism so that the

rear wheels are no longer centered and steer freely to easily move the cart

sideways. The details of the centering casters in accordance with the invention

will be described below with reference to Figure 6.

The shopping cart 10 may also include a child seating portion 32

attached to the rear of the frame 12 which accommodates one or more children

as will be described below with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The shopping cart

10 may also include a handle 33 for pushing and steering the shopping cart

which may also function to keep a child in the child seating portion 32 as

described below. The shopping cart may also include a holster 34 which

removably attaches to the frame 12 and may house an electronic device 36, such

as a scanner. The shopping cart in accordance with the invention has numerous advantages over conventional shopping carts as described above. Now, more

details of the child seating portion will be described.

Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating details of the child seating portion 32 of

the shopping cart 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2. As shown, the child seating

portion 32 may include the shopping cart handle 33 and a seat 40 which is

rigidly attached to the frame 12. The seat 40 may be manufactured out of a

suitable plastic material which is easy to clean and may have a contoured bottom

portion to make it more comfortable for a child to sit in the seat. For example,

the seat 40 may have a first and second raised portions 42, 44 which a child's

legs may straddle when the child is sitting in the seat to help retain the child in

the seat. The shopping cart handle 33 may be rotatably connected to the frame

12 by a hinge 46 so that the shopping cart handle may be rotated from a first

open position in which children may be placed within the seat 40 to a second

closed position as shown by an arrow 48 in which any children in the seat 40 are

held into the seat and the user of the shopping cart may use the shopping cart

handle 33 to push and steer the shopping cart 10. Now, more details of the

shopping cart handle 33 will be described.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating more details of the shopping cart

handle 33 in accordance with the invention. The shopping cart handle 33 may

include first and second arm portions 50, 52 which connects the shopping cart

handle 33 to the frame 12 (See Figure 1-3) and a central portion 54. The central

portion 54 may include a receptacle 56 at each end of the central portion and a flat middle portion 58. The receptacles 56 may be used to hold various items,

such as baby toys, baby bottles and the like which are desirable accessible while

shopping. The flat middle portion 58 may provide a writing surface for the user

so that the user may, for example, cross off items from a shopping list, add items

to the shopping list, etc.. The flat middle portion 58 may also be used by the

child within the seat as a writing surface so that the child may, for example,

color in a coloring book while the parent is shopping. In the example of the

shopping cart shown in Figure 5, the receptacles may have a key shape which

permits a variety of different objects to be placed in the receptacles and to

permit the user of the shopping cart to securely grip the handle. Now, more

details of the centering casters in the rear wheel assemblies will be described.

Figure 6 is an exploded assembly diagram illustrating the details of the

rear wheel assembly 30 with the centering casters in accordance with the

invention. For purposes of this description, a single rear wheel assembly 30 is

described, but the other rear wheel assembly 30 has a similar construction and

functionality. The rear wheel assembly 30 may include an attachment

mechanism, such as a bolt 60 and a washer 62 in this example, which fit through

a receptacle 64 in a frame securing member 66. The washer 62 may actually be

larger than the receptacle 64 so that the washer may rest on the rim of the

receptacle as described below. The frame securing member may have a semi¬

circular bottom portion which fits flush onto the frame 12. The bolt 60, passes

through the washer 62, the frame securing member 66 and the frame 12 and is

screwed into a threaded bolt receptacle 68 which is in turn connected to a wheel assembly 70. In between the wheel assembly 70 and the frame 12, there may be

a centering portion 72 through which the threaded bolt receptacle 68 passes.

The centering portion 72 may include an upper portion 74 which fits against the

tube of the frame 12 to rigidly fix the centering portion 72 to the frame 12. The

wheel assembly may rotate relative to the centering portion and the frame if the

bias force of the centering portion, as described below, is overcome.

To provide the centering caster action as described above, the centering

portion 72 may have a round shaped valley region 76 and the wheel assembly 70

may have a round shaped raised region 78. When assembled, the frame and the

centering portion 72 are fixed while the wheel assembly 70 may sometimes

rotate. In particular, while the shopping cart is being pushed straight ahead, the

raised region 78 remains seated within the valley region 76 so that the rear

wheels stay straight. However, when the shopping cart is pushed sideways,

there may be sufficient force to overcome the mechanical bias force of the raised

region seated within the valley region and rotate the raised region out of the

valley region so that the wheel assembly 70 may rotate to permit the user of the

shopping cart to more easily maneuver the shopping cart. When the shopping

cart is again pushed straight ahead, the wheels may rotate and the raised region

may move back into the valley region and become seated there so that the rear

wheels once again act as fixed casters. In summary, during normal pushing of

the shopping cart, the raised region remains in the valley region so that the rear

wheel assemblies 30 remain straight which makes it easier to push the shopping

cart. Then, when the shopping cart is pushed sideways, such as to move the shopping cart out of the way of another shopping cart, the force of pushing the

shopping cart sideways may cause the raised region 78 to rotate out of the valley

region 76 so that the rear wheel may rotate which makes it easier to move the

shopping cart sideways. Thus, the rear wheel assemblies 30 are mechanically

biased towards pointing the rear wheels straight ahead unless some

predetermined force overcomes the mechanical bias and causes the rear wheel

assemblies to turn.

To establish the mechanical bias between the raised portion and the

valley region to provide the centering effect, the wheel assembly 70 and the

centering portion 72 should be pressed against each other with a predetermined

force. When the shopping cart is resting on the ground, the force of gravity

pushing the shopping cart down may provide the necessary predetermined force.

To further increase the predetermined force, a spring (not shown) may spring

bias the wheel assembly 70 against the centering portion 72.

In operation, when the wheel is pointed straight ahead and the raised

region is seated in the valley region, the head of the bolt and the washer 62 may

extend some distance out of the receptacle 64. The distance which the washer

extends out of the receptacle may be approximately equal to the height of the

raised region 78. Then, when the wheel assembly 70 is swiveled due to a side

force, the raised region rotates out of the valley region to permit the wheel

assembly to swivel and the washer may be tightly pressed against the rim of the

receptacle. This ensures that, even when the wheel assembly has swiveled, the wheel raised region 78 is in contact with the flat portion of the centering portion

72. Thus, even when the wheels have been swiveled, there continues to be

predetermined force applied to press the wheel assembly 70 and the centering

portion 72 against each other.

In summary, the shopping cart in accordance with the invention provides

many advantages over the conventional shopping carts as described above.

While the foregoing has been with reference to a particular embodiment of the

invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes in this

embodiment may be made without departing from the principles and spirit of the

invention.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

L A shopping cart that is moved around a store, comprising: a frame assembly; and a plurality of individual baskets removably connected with said frame assembly so that a user places items in the basket.

2. The cart of Claim 1, wherein said frame assembly comprises: a first set of parallel, spaced apart rails connected with said frame assembly at a first predetermined height that support a first set of baskets; and a second set of parallel, spaced apart rails connected with said frame assembly at a second predetermined height that support a second set of baskets. .

3. The cart of Claim 2, wherein said first set and said second set of rails include one or more hooks disposed along the outer edge of said rails and wherein a retaining bump is provided at the end of each of said first set and said second set of rails, said retaining bump configured to maintain said plurality of individual baskets within said frame assembly, said hooks being used to support one or more bags on the frame assembly. .

4. The cart of Claim 2, wherein said first set and said second set of rails are disposed either parallel to or at a slight angle relative to the floor. .

5. The cart of Claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of said frame assembly is configured to support bulk items. .

6. The cart of Claim 5, wherein said bottom portion of said frame assembly is configured as a "W" shape to allow for nesting of multiple carts during storage. .

7. The cart of Claim 1 further comprising a front set of wheel assemblies connected to the frame assembly, said front set of wheel assemblies comprising a set of free swiveling casters; and a rear set of wheel assemblies connected to the frame assembly, said rear set of wheel assemblies comprising a set of centering casters. .

8. The cart of Claim 7, wherein said centering casters include a centering portion for connecting the centering casters to the wheeled device, the centering portion having a valley region thereon; and a wheel assembly portion, the wheel assembly portion having an opposing raised region thereon to fit into the valley region when a wheel connected to the wheel assembly is in a first orientation. .

9. The cart of Claim 8, wherein a forward motion and weight of said cart assembly maintains said raised region of said wheel assembly portion seated within said valley region of said centering portion such that the wheel of said wheel assembly remains straight and wherein a lateral force applied to said cart assembly causes said raised region of said wheel assembly region and said valley region of said centering portion to disengage, thereby permitting said wheel assembly portion to rotate relative to said cart assembly. .

10. The cart of Claim 7 further comprising a brake that prevents motion of said cart when engaged. .

11. The cart of Claim 10, wherein said brake comprises a brake assembly connected with the bottom portion of said frame assembly, wherein, upon engagement of said brake assembly, said brake assembly does not contact either of said front or said rear wheel assemblies to prevent causing flat spots on the wheel assemblies. .

12. The cart of Claim 8 further comprising a seating portion connected with the upper rear portion of said frame assembly; and a handle portion rotatably connected with said cart assembly relative to said seat portion so as to have a first open position for loading a passenger without lifting the passenger over the handle portion within said seat portion and a second closed position for securing said passenger within said seat portion and for pushing the cart assembly. .

13. The cart of Claim 12 further comprising a scanning means for maintaining a running total of selected items. .

14. The cart of Claim 1, wherein said frame assembly has a plurality of tubular elements connected together. .

15. The cart of Claim 1 , wherein the outer portions of said frame assembly are provided with a protective rubber sleeve to protect the frame from damage. .

16. A cart assembly comprising: a frame assembly; a plurality of individual baskets removably connected with said frame assembly; a front set of wheel assemblies, said front set of wheel assemblies comprising a set of free swiveling casters; a rear set of wheel assemblies, said rear set of wheel assemblies comprising a set of centering casters; a brake for preventing motion of said cart; and a seating portion connected with the upper rear portion of said frame assembly. .

17. A centering caster for use in a wheeled device, comprising: a centering portion for connecting said centering caster to said wheeled device, said centering portion having a valley region thereon; and a wheel assembly portion, said wheel assembly portion having an opposing raised region thereon to fit into the valley region when a wheel connected to the wheel assembly is in a first orientation. .

18. The centering caster of Claim 17, wherein a forward motion and weight of a wheeled device maintains said raised region of said wheel assembly portion seated within said valley region of said centering portion such that the wheel of said wheel assembly remain straight, and wherein a lateral force applied to said wheeled device causes said raised region of said wheel assembly region and said valley region of said centering portion to disengage, thereby permitting said wheel assembly portion to rotate relative to said cart assembly. .

19. A seat for use in a cart assembly, comprising: a seat portion connected with said cart assembly; and a handle portion, rotatably connected with said cart assembly relative to said seat portion so as to have a first open position for loading a passenger within said seat portion without lifting the passenger over the handle portion, and a second closed position for securing said passenger within said seat portion and for pushing the cart assembly. .

20. The seat of Claim 19, wherein said seat portion is configured to accommodate at least one passenger.

21. The seat of Claim 20, wherein said seat portion has a contoured bottom. .

22. The seat of Claim 21 , wherein said contoured bottom comprises first and second raised portions configured to retain a passenger within said seat portion. .

23. The seat of Claim 19, wherein said handle portion comprises: first and second arm portions for connecting said handle portion with said cart assembly; and a central portion..

24. The seat of Claim 23, wherein said central portion comprises: a receptacle at each end of said central portion for storing an item; and a flat middle writing surface portion disposed therebetween. .

25. The seat of Claim 24, wherein said receptacle is key shaped for permitting a user to grip said handle and for permitting a variety of different objects to be held within said receptacle. .

26. A cart assembly comprising: a frame assembly; a plurality of individual baskets removably connected with said frame assembly; a front set of wheel assemblies, said front set of wheel assemblies comprising a set of free swiveling casters; a rear set of wheel assemblies, said rear set of wheel assemblies comprising a set of centering casters, said centering casters comprising: a centering portion for connecting said centering caster to said cart assembly, said centering portion having a valley region thereon; and a wheel assembly portion, said wheel assembly portion having an opposing raised region thereon, wherein a forward motion and weight of said cart assembly maintains said raised region of said wheel assembly portion seated within said valley region of said centering portion such that the wheel of said wheel assembly remains straight, and wherein a lateral force applied to said cart assembly causes said raised region of said wheel assembly region and said valley region of said centering portion to disengage, thereby permitting said wheel assembly portion to rotate relative to said cart assembly; a brake for preventing motion of said cart; and a seating portion connected with the upper rear portion of said frame assembly, said seating portion comprising: a seat portion connected with said cart assembly; and a handle portion, rotatably connected with said cart assembly relative to said seat portion so as to have a first open position for loading a passenger within said seat portion without lifting the passenger over the handle portion, and a second closed position for securing said passenger within said seat portion, said handle portion comprising: first and second arm portions for connecting said handle portion with said cart assembly; and a central portion, wherein said central portion comprises a receptacle at each end of said central portion for storing an item; and a flat middle writing surface portion disposed therebetween. .