GB2180738A

GB2180738A - A shopping list holder

Info

Publication number: GB2180738A
Application number: GB08620667A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Alan Jude
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-09-24
Filing date: 1986-08-27
Publication date: 1987-04-08
Also published as: GB8620667D0; GB8523533D0

Abstract

A shopping list holder (2) comprises a flat container (4) that has a front face (6), an opposing face (8), one open edge (10) defining a mouth (12) for insertion of a shopping list (13), three closed sides (14,16,18), and an aperture (20) in the front face, at least the front face being made of a transparent plastics material, and the aperture in the front face being sufficiently large that it occupies a major part of the front face whereby a shopping list in the shopping list holder can be written on through the aperture. The holder may have a closure flap and a 14 carrying strap. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A shopping list holder This invention relates to a shopping list holder.

Shopping lists are often made up on scraps of paper. The scraps of paper are in a variety of shapes and sizes and they often becomes mislaid or totally lost. This may happen in the home or it may happen during a shopping expedition. Directly the shopping lists become mislaid or lost, they cease to be useful and the owner of the shopping list is left wondering exactly what was on the shopping list.

It is an aim of the present invention to help to at least partially alleviate the above mentioned problem.

Accordingly, this invention provides a shopping list holder comprising a flat container that has a front face, an opposing face, one open edge defining a mouth for insertion of a shopping list, three closed sides, and an aperture in the front face, at least the front face being made of a transparent plastics material, and the aperture in the front face being sufficiently large that it occupies a major part of the front face whereby a shopping list in the shopping list holder can be written, on through the aperture.

Usually, the open edge will be at the top of the flat container. If desired, however, the open edge may be arranged at a side or the bottom of the container.

Usually, the aperture will occupy at least 50% of the area of the front face.

Preferably, the aperture has a curved periphery. The curved periphery facilitates the introduction of a shopping list into the container and the shopping list does not tend to snag on the periphery of the aperture. Thus, the aperture is preferably oval or eliptical. The aperture may of course be a straight sided aperture such for example as a square or a rectangular aperture but then care must be taken in introducing a shopping list into the container to ensure that the shopping list does not snag on the straight sided edges of the aperture.

Usually, the mouth will extend across substantially the entire length of the open edge.

Any desired suitable transparent plastics material may be employed for the front face of the container. Thus, for example, the transparent plastics material may be polyethylene, cellophane, nylon or polyvinyl chloride.

Advantageously, the transparent plastics material has an uneven surface for providing an anti-reflective quality when the shopping list holder is used under fluorescent lights, for example in a supermarket.

Preferably, the uneven surface has an orange peel pattern.

The opposing face may be made of any desired and suitable material. Preferably, the opposing face should be made of a material that will give adequate support to a shopping list in the shopping list holder so that the shopping list can be written upon.

The opposing face may thus be made of the same or a different material to that employed for the front face. The opposing face may thus be made of a transparent plastics material, an opaque plastics material, leather or cardboard.

The shopping list holder may be made in various sizes, for example to accommodate paper that is one half A4 size, one third A4 size or one quarter A4 size.

The shopping list holder may be produced to have a number of different designs.

In a first design of the shopping list holder, the shopping list holder has a single container defined by a single front face and a single opposing face.

In a second design of the shopping list holder, the shopping list holder has a pair of containers, the shopping list holder having two of the front faces positioned one on either side of a single central member, whereby one of the front faces and the opposing face of the central member define one of the containers, and whereby the other one of the front faces and the other opposing face of the central member define the other of the containers.

In further designs of the shopping list holder, the shopping list holder may include a pocket for a cheque book and/or, a pen. A closure flap may be provided for retaining contents of the shopping list holder in position.

The closure flap may have fastener means.

The fastener means may be a press stud or any other desired type of fastener means.

The shopping list holder may include attachment means for attaching the shopping list holder to a desired object, for example for attaching the shopping list holder to a shopping bag, a handbag, a shopping trolley or a user's wrist.

The attachment means may be in attachment strap. A cord, chain or other device may also be employed.

The attachment means may pass through an attachment hole in the container. The attachment hole may be situated in one corner of the container.

The shopping list holder may be sold with or without at least one piece of paper positioned in the container.

It is envisaged that the shopping list holder will be sold with a separate pad of pieces of paper for acting as shopping lists.

The pad of the pieces of paper may advantageously be headed with the words "shopping list". The pieces of paper may also advantageously be tabulated in rows and/or columns for facilitating the writing of a shopping list. The rows and/or the columns may also facilitate the marking off of items when purchased, the writing down of prices in various shops, the writing down of the quantity of items required to be purchased, and any other desired material. With a pad of the pieces of paper, sheets can be torn off as desired and inserted into the container. The pad will usually have its rear edge provided with an adhesive material for holding the sheets of paper together but for enabling them easily to be ripped off the pad.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a first shopping list holder; Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a front perspective view and a rear view of a second shopping list holder; Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a front perspective view and a rear view of a third shopping list holder; Figures 6 and 7 are respectively a front perspective view and a rear view of a fourth shopping list holder; Figures 8 and 9 are respectively a front perspective view and a rear view of a fifth shopping list holder; and Figure 10 shows a pad of pieces of paper suitable for writing shopping lists on and for insertion in any one of the shopping list holders illustrated in Figures 1 to 9.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a shopping list holder 2 comprising a flat container 4. The container 4 has a front face 6 and an opposing face 8. The opposing face 8 forms a rear face.

The container 4 has an open edge 10 defining a mouth 12 for insertion of a shopping list 13. The container 4 has three closed sides 14,16,18.

The front face 6 is made from a transparent plastics material and the opposing face 8 is made from opaque plastics material. The closed sides 14, 16, 18 are formed by high frequency welding the front face 6 and the opposing face 8 together along the sides 14,16,18.

As shown, the front face 6 is provided with an oval aperture 20. The aperture 20 is sufficiently large that it occupies a major part of the front face 6 as shown, whereby the shopping list 13 in the shopping list holder 2 can be written on through the aperture 20. As can be seen from Figure 1, the aperture 20 occupies at least 50% of the area of the front face 6.

Referring now to Figures 2 to 9, similar parts as in Figure 1 have been given the same reference numerals and their precise construction and operation will not again be given.

In Figures 2 and 3, the shopping list holder 2 of Figure 1 is shown and the container 4 is provided with a flap 19 for retaining the shopping list 13 in position. The flap 19 has a press-stud 21 as shown. The container 4 is also provided in its bottom left hand corner with an attachment hole 22. Attachment means in the form of an attachment strap 24 has been passed through the attachment hole 22 as shown. The end of the attachment strap 24 remote from the attachment hole 22 is provided with a closed loop 26. The entire container 4 can be passed through the loop 26 to secure the shopping list holder 2 to any desired object such for example as a shopping bag, a shopping trolley or a user's wrist.

The shopping list holders 2 shown in Figures 1 to 3 each have a single container 4. In Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a shopping list holder 2 with two containers 4. It will be seen from Figures 4 and 5 that the shopping list holder 2 has two of the front faces 6 positioned one on either side of a single central member 27 having two opposing faces 8.

Thus one of the front faces 6 and one opposing face 8 define one of the containers 4, and the other one of the front faces 6 and the other opposing face 8 define the other of the containers 4.

Figures 6 and 7 show a shopping list holder 2 like the shopping list holder 2 shown in Figure 1 but provided with a rear pocket 28.

The pocket 28 is for a cheque book and/or a pen. The pocket 28 is provided with a closure flap 30. The closure flap 30 is provided with fastener means in the form of a press stud part 32 which cooperates with a complementary press stud part 34 secured to the pocket 28 as shown in Figure 7.

Figures 8 and 9 show a shopping list holder 2 like the shopping list holder 2 shown in Figures 4 and 5 but without the attachment hole 22 and with the pocket 28, the closure flap 30 and the press stud parts 32,34. It will be noted from Figure 9 that the position of the pocket 28 is between the two containers 4.

Referring to Figure 10, there is shown a pad 36. The pad 36 consists of a plurality of separate pages 38. Each pad 36 is marked at its top with the words "shopping list" as shown. The individual pages 38 are stuck along their back edge so that they can easily be removed from the pad 36 and inserted into a desired container 4 through the mouth 12 of the container 4.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. gus, for example, if the front face 6 and the opposing face 8 are made of non-plastics materials, then high frequency welding to form the closed sides 14,16,18 will usually not be employed. For example, if the opposing face 8 is made of leather or cardboard, then staples or a thong may be employed to form the closed sides 14,16,18. The plastics material employed for the front face 6 is preferably one that has an uneven orange peel surface. This uneven surface provides an anti-reflective quality which is of advantage when the shopping list holder 2 is viewed under fluorescent light, as for example may be the case in a supermarket.

The aperture 20 can be formed by the use of a high frequency cutting tool, stamped out or cut to shape, and,the aperture may be of another shape, for,example eliptical, square or rectangular if desired. The open edge 10 of the container 4 has been shown at the top of the container 4 but the open edge could if desired be at one of the other sides 14,16,18. This is mainly permitted because the shopping list 13 as inserted into the container 4 is held in position by frictional forces between the shopping list 13 and the front face 6 and the opposing face 8. The mouth 12 has been shown as extending along the entire length of the open edge 10 and this is obviously preferred for inserting the shopping list 13. A shorter mouth could however be employed providing it was large enough to enable the insertion of the shopping list 13.

It will be appreciated that once the shopping list 13 is in the shopping list holder 2, the shopping list 13 can easily be viewed and it can be written on through the aperture 20.

Thus, a person doing shopping can make notes of prices, desired numbers of articles to be purchased, and any other desired information. The shopping list holders can be produced in any desired size, for example in a small size for carrying in a hand bag or in a large size for receiving a large shopping list so that persons with poor eye-sight can write their shopping lists in large writing. If desired, the aperture may occupy at least 65% of the area of the front face.

Claims

1. A shopping list holder comprising a flat container that has a front face an opposing face, one open edge defining a mouth for insertion of a shopping list, three closed sides, and an aperture in the front face, at least the front face being made of a transparent plastics material, and the aperture in the front face being sufficientlly large that it occupies a major part of the front face whereby a shopping list in the shopping list holder can be written on through the aperture.

2. A shopping list holder according to claim 1 in which the open edge is at the top of the flat container.

3. A shopping list holder according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the aperture occupies at least 50% of the area of the front face.

4. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims in which the aperture has a curved periphery.

5. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims in which the mouth extends across suhstantially the entire length of the open edge.

6. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims in which the transparent plastics material has an uneven surface for providing an antireflective quality when the shopping list holder is used under florescent lights.

7. A shopping list holder according to claim 6 in which the uneven surface has an orange peel pattern.

8. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims in which the shopping list holder has a single container defined by a single front face and a single opposing face.

9. A shopping list holder according to any one of claims 1-7 in which the shopping list holder has a pair of containers, the shopping list holder having two of the front faces positioned one on either side of a single central member, whereby one of the front faces and the opposing face of the central member define one of the containers, and whereby the other one of the front faces and the other opposing face of the central member define the other of the containers.

10. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims in which the shopping list holder includes a pocket for a cheque book and/or a pen.

11. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims in which the shopping list holder has a closure flap.

12. A shopping list holder according to claim 11 in which the closure flap has fastener means.

13. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims and including attachment means for attaching the shopping list holder to a desired object.

14. A shopping list holder according to claim 13 in which the attachment means is an attachment strap.

15. A shopping list holder according to claim 13 or claim 14 in which the attachment means passes through an attachment hole in the container.

16. A shopping list holder according to any one of the preceding claims and including at least one piece of paper positioned in the container.

17. A shopping list holder substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. The combination of a shopping list holder as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and a pad of pieces of paper, the pieces of paper in the pad being for insertion to the container of the shopping list holder.