Multi-level personal hand cart

Abstract

A multi-level personal utility cart is disclosed as including a handle having an upper portion, opposing side portions and a lower portion, a first basket assembly including panels at the front, sides, and bottom thereof, the first basket assembly being supported by the handle, a second basket assembly including panels at the front, sides, and bottom thereof, the second basket assembly being supported by the handle, the first basket assembly being positioned atop the second basket assembly, and the first and second basket assemblies being pivotally supported to the handle, whereby the first and second basket assemblies are collapsible into a compact and substantially planar structure. Also disclosed is a method for deterring theft of “conventional” shopping carts which entails providing “non-conventional” shopping carts of the inventive type to users for purchase, marking the “non-conventional” shopping carts with information identifying the user as the owner of the cart, marking the “non-conventional” shopping carts with information identifying one or more vendors of services or products offered or sold at a market, and providing the user with discounts on the services or products offered or sold by the one or more vendors to the market.

1 . A method for deterring theft of “conventional” shopping carts from market premises, the “conventional” shopping carts being of the kind typically owned or leased, and stocked, by markets to enable customers, who have come to the market premises to obtain goods, to transport the purchased goods from storage or display areas in the market to check-out areas and then to the customers' vehicles, said method further serving the needs of customers to have carts to transport their purchases to their homes after a shopping experience at the markets, the needs of the markets to retain the “conventional” carts at the market premises, and the needs of vendors of products and services to the markets to be recognized by the shopping public, said method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a “non-conventional” personal shopping cart to the customer for purchase by the customer, said “non-conventional” shopping cart being of the kind that can be lawfully removed by the customer from the market premises,    marking said “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying the customer as the owner of the cart,    marking the “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying one or more vendors of services or products offered or sold at the market, and    providing the customer with discounts on said services or products offered or sold by said one or more vendors at said market.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said “non-conventional” shopping cart comprises a multi-compartment personal hand cart, and the step of marking the “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying the customer as the owner of the shopping cart comprises attaching a tag to an outer surface of one of the compartments, said tag being visible to display owner-identifying information to other customers.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said “non-conventional” shopping cart comprises a collapsible personal hand cart having a frame and a plurality of baskets stacked upon each other and being pivotably attached to said frame, each of said baskets being uniquely accessible, and said first and second steps of marking said cart with information comprises attaching tags to an outer surface of each of said baskets on the same side of the cart.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said “non-conventional” shopping cart comprises a collapsible multi-compartment personal hand cart including a frame having a handle at an upper portion thereof, first and second basket assemblies pivotably supported to said frame and being positioned one atop the other so that the first and second basket assemblies are pivotable on the frame toward the handle, and the first step of marking said “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying the customer as the owner of the shopping cart comprises attaching a tag to an outer surface of one of the compartments, said tag being visible to display owner-identifying information to other customers.  
   
   
       5 . A method for deterring theft of “conventional” shopping carts from market premises, the “conventional” shopping carts being of the kind typically owned or leased, and stocked, by markets to enable customers, who have come to the market premises to obtain goods, to transport the purchased goods from storage or display areas in the market to check-out areas and then to the customers' vehicles, said method further serving the needs of customers to have carts to transport their purchases to their homes after a shopping experience at the markets, the needs of the markets to retain the “conventional” carts at the market premises, and the needs of vendors of products and services to the markets to be recognized by the shopping public, said method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a “non-conventional” personal shopping cart to the customer for purchase by the customer, said “non-conventional” shopping cart being defined by any one of the allowed claims in U.S. Ser. No. 10/055,816,    marking said “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying the customer as the owner of the cart,    marking the “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying one or more vendors of services or products offered or sold at the market, and    providing the customer with discounts on said services or products offered or sold by said one or more vendors at said market.    
   
   
       6 . A method for deterring theft of “conventional” shopping carts from market premises, the “conventional” shopping carts being of the kind typically owned or leased, and stocked, by markets to enable customers, who have come to the market premises to obtain goods, to transport the purchased goods from storage or display areas in the market to check-out areas and then to the customers' vehicles, said method further serving the needs of customers to have carts to transport their purchases to their homes after a shopping experience at the markets, the needs of the markets to retain the “conventional” carts at the market premises, and the needs of vendors of products and services to the markets to be recognized by the shopping public, said method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a “non-conventional” personal shopping cart to the customer for purchase by the customer, said “non-conventional” shopping cart being defined by any one of the allowed claims in U.S. Ser. No. 10/055,819,    marking said “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying the customer as the owner of the cart,    marking the “non-conventional” shopping cart with information identifying one or more vendors of services or products offered or sold at the market, and    providing the customer with discounts on said services or products offered or sold by said one or more vendors at said market.