Non-abrasive secure attachment device for a multi-cart control system

Abstract

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a cinch for securing a train of nested shopping carts, the cinch having a non-abrasive cart-handle coupler for securely attaching the cinch to a shopping-cart handle of a front and/or rear cart of the train. In an illustrative example, the non-abrasive cart-handle coupler may include a soft loop of braid configured to latchedly circumscribe the shopping-cart handle. In an exemplary embodiment, the non-abrasive cart-handle coupler may include a latching hook having a non-abrasive handle-engagement surface. In some embodiments, the cinch may secure both a front and a rear cart of the train of nested shopping carts. In some embodiments, a ratcheting member may be used to tighten the cinch that secures the train of nested carts. When tightened, the train of carts may bow upwardly, elevating wheels attached to carts at both the front and rear ends of the train.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A cinch for securing a train of nested shopping carts, the cinch comprising:
 a rope having a substantially-zero-stretch core, the rope having a first end coupled to an operator handle and a second end coupled to a first shopping-cart attachment member; 
 a winch module having a free-rotating mode and a ratcheting mode, the winch module including:
 a winch housing; 
 a ratcheting pulley rotatably coupled to the winch housing, wherein the rope is looped about a semi-annular portion of the ratcheting pulley separating the rope into a tightening portion, a pulley-contacting portion and a free portion, the tightening portion being between the first shopping-cart attachment member and the pulley-contacting portion, and the free portion being between the operator handle and the pulley-contacting portion; and 
 a ratchet-control member configured to select between the free-rotating mode and the ratcheting mode; and 
 
 a second shopping-cart attachment member coupled to the winch housing, each of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members having a cart-handle coupler configured to securely couple to a handle of a shopping cart, wherein, when securely coupled to a shopping-cart handle, the shopping-cart attachment member substantially circumscribes the shopping-cart handle, wherein, to remove the shopping-cart attachment member from the shopping-cart handle, a latching gate is actuated; and, 
 a retrofittable protective cover removably enclosing at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members, the retrofittable protective cover comprising a split opening that bisects the retrofittable protective cover into identically shaped right and left sides, wherein the retrofittable protective cover is form-fitted to the at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members to make intimate physical contact between an inner surface of the retrofittable protective cover and an outer surface of the at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members, wherein the retrofittable protective cover at least partially encloses a non-linear portion of at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members, such that when at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members enclosed by the retrofittable protective cover is securely coupled to an object, the retrofittable protective cover operates as a barrier between the object and the at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members enclosed by the retrofittable protective cover. 
 
     
     
       2. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members comprises a hook having the latching gate, wherein the hook has a non-abrasive handle engagement surface that engages the shopping cart handle when the handle-attachment member is securely attached to a shopping-cart handle. 
     
     
       3. The cinch of  claim 2 , wherein the non-abrasive handle engagement surface comprises ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber. 
     
     
       4. The cinch of  claim 2 , wherein the non-abrasive handle engagement surface has a hardness durometer between 60 and 80. 
     
     
       5. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members comprises an adjacent pair of ropes, each having a substantially circular cross-sectional profile. 
     
     
       6. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members comprises rope having a zero-stretch core. 
     
     
       7. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members comprises a carabiner and a hook with a spring loaded gait gate. 
     
     
       8. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein the ratchet-control member has a spring biasing a pulley-engaging the ratchet-control member in the locked ratcheting mode. 
     
     
       9. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein the rope further comprising a braiding that covers the substantially-zero-stretch core. 
     
     
       10. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein the substantially-zero-stretch core comprises polyester. 
     
     
       11. The cinch of  claim 1 , wherein the handle is substantially cylindrical and has an axial lumen through which the rope passes. 
     
     
       12. The cinch of  claim 11 , wherein an end of the rope that passes through the axial lumen of the handle is secured the rope via a crimped member. 
     
     
       13. A method for reducing the number of ground-contacting wheels in a train of nested shopping-carts, the method comprising:
 securely attaching a first handle-attachment member to a shopping-cart handle of a first shopping cart of a train of nested shopping carts, the first handle-attachment member coupled to a first end of a substantially-zero-stretch rope; 
 securely attaching a second handle-attachment member to a shopping-cart handle of a last shopping cart of a train of nested shopping carts, the second handle-attachment member coupled to a tightening member; 
 pulling a handle attached to a second end of the substantially-zero-stretch rope, the substantially-zero-stretch rope looped about a ratcheting pulley of the tightening member; 
 rotating the ratcheting pulley of the tightening member in response to the pulling of the handle; 
 decreasing a length of a tightening portion of the substantially-zero-stretch rope, the tightening portion being between the first handle-attachment member and a pulley-contacting portion of the substantially-zero-stretch rope; and 
 decreasing a distance between the handle of the first shopping cart and the handle of the last second shopping cart in response to the decreasing length of the tightening portion, thereby causing the train of nested shopping carts to bow upwardly raising wheels of a front and a rear shopping cart in the train of nested shopping carts, 
 wherein each of the first and second handle-attachment members has a non-abrasive handle engagement surface that engages the shopping cart handle when the handle-attachment member is securely attached to a shopping-cart handle, 
 wherein the first and second handle-attachment members remain securely attached to the shopping-cart handle without a user actuating a latching device, 
 wherein a retrofittable protective cover removably encloses at least one of the first and second handle-attachment members, the retrofittable protective cover comprising a split opening that bisects the retrofittable protective cover into identically shaped right and left sides, wherein the retrofittable protective cover is form-fitted to the at least one of the first and second handle-attachment members to make intimate physical contact between an inner surface of the retrofittable protective cover and an outer surface of the at least one of the first and second handle-attachment members, wherein the retrofittable protective cover at least partially encloses a non-linear portion of at least one of the first and second handle-attachment members, such that when at least one of the first and second handle-attachment members enclosed by the retrofittable protective cover is securely coupled to an object, the retrofittable protective cover operates as a barrier between the object and the at least one of the first and second handle-attachment members enclosed by the retrofittable protective cover. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first and second shopping-cart attachment handle-attachment members comprises a hook having the latching gate, wherein the hook has a non-abrasive handle engagement surface that engages the shopping cart handle when the handle-attachment member is securely attached to a shopping-cart handle. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first and second shopping-cart attachment handle-attachment members comprises an adjacent pair of ropes, each having a substantially circular cross-sectional profile. 
     
     
       16. A cinch for securing a train of nested shopping carts, the cinch comprising:
 a rope comprising a substantially-zero-stretch core, the rope having an operator handle coupled to a first end and a first coupling member coupled to a second end; 
 a winch module having a locked mode and an unlocked mode, the winch module including:
 a winch housing; 
 a second coupling member attached to the winch housing; 
 a ratcheting pulley rotatably coupled to the winch housing, wherein the rope is looped about a semi-annular portion of the ratcheting pulley separating the rope into a tightening portion, a pulley-contacting portion and a free portion, the tightening portion being between the first coupling member and the pulley-contacting portion, and the free portion being between the operator handle and the pulley-contacting portion; and 
 a locking-control member configured to select between the locked mode and the unlocked mode; 
 
 means for nonabrasively securing a handle of a first shopping cart of a nested train of shopping carts to the first coupling member of the cinch; and 
 means for nonabrasively securing a handle of a last shopping cart of the nested train of shopping carts to the second coupling member of the cinch; and, 
 a retrofittable protective cover removably enclosing at least one of the means for nonabraisively securing a handle of a shopping cart, the retrofittable protective cover comprising a split opening that bisects the retrofittable protective cover into identically shaped right and left sides, wherein the retrofittable protective cover is form-fitted to the at least one of the means for nonabraisively securing a handle of a shopping cart to make intimate physical contact between an inner surface of the retrofittable protective cover and an outer surface of the at least one of the means for nonabraisively securing a handle of a shopping cart, wherein the retrofittable protective cover at least partially encloses a non-linear portion of at least one of the means for nonabraisively securing a handle of a shopping cart, such that when at least one of the means for nonabraisively securing a handle of a shopping cart enclosed by the retrofittable protective cover is securely coupled to an object, the retrofittable protective cover operates as a barrier between the object and the at least one of the means for nonabraisively securing a handle of a shopping cart enclosed by the retrofittable protective cover. 
 
     
     
       17. The cinch of  claim 16 , wherein the means for nonabrasively securing a handle of a shopping cart to a coupling member of the cinch includes a hook having the latching gate, wherein the hook has a non-abrasive handle engagement surface that engages the shopping cart handle when the handle-attachment coupling member is securely attached to a shopping-cart handle. 
     
     
       18. The cinch of  claim 17 , wherein the non-abrasive handle engagement surface comprises ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber. 
     
     
       19. The cinch of  claim 16 , wherein the means for nonabrasively securing a handle of a shopping cart to a coupling member of the cinch includes an adjacent pair of ropes, each having a substantially circular cross-sectional profile. 
     
     
       20. The cinch of  claim 16 , wherein the means for nonabrasively securing a handle of a shopping cart to a coupling member of the cinch include a carabiner. 
     
     
       21. The cinch of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members is removably enclosed in a retrofittable protective cover having a split opening. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members is removably enclosed in a retrofittable protective cover having a split opening. 
     
     
       23. The cinch of  claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first and second shopping-cart attachment members is removably enclosed in a retrofittable protective cover having a split opening. 
     
     
       24. A cinch comprising:
 a first rope having a first rope first end coupled to an operator handle and a first rope second end coupled to a first attachment member;   a winch module having a free-rotating mode and a ratcheting mode, the winch module including:
 a winch housing; 
 a ratcheting pulley rotatably coupled to the winch housing, wherein the rope is looped about a semi-annular portion of the ratcheting pulley separating the rope into a tightening portion, a pulley-contacting portion and a free portion, the tightening portion being between the first attachment member and the pulley-contacting portion, and the free portion being between the operator handle and the pulley-contacting portion; and, 
 a ratchet-control member configured to select between the free-rotating mode and the ratcheting mode; and 
   a second attachment member operatively coupled to the winch module and configured to securely couple to a first object, wherein the attachment member comprises:
 a second rope extending from a second rope first end to a second rope second end, the second rope first end having a first loop and the second rope second end having a second loop; 
 a second attachment member latching hook comprising a second attachment member latching gate having a closed mode and an opened mode; and, 
 a carabiner directly coupled to the winch module, 
   wherein in the closed mode, (A) the second rope first loop is securely retained by the second attachment member latching gate of the second attachment member latching hook, such that the second rope is configured to securely couple to the first object, (B) the carabiner is directly coupled to the second rope second loop, and (C) the carabiner is directly coupled to the second attachment member latching hook,   wherein in the open mode, the second rope first loop is free from the second attachment member latching gate of the second attachment member latching hook to permit the rope to releasably capture the first object to which the winch is to be securely coupled,   wherein the first attachment member has a first attachment member coupler configured to securely couple to a second object, wherein, when securely coupled to the second object, the first attachment member substantially circumscribes the second object, wherein, to remove the first attachment member from the second object, a first attachment member latching gate is actuated.   
     
     
       25. A cinch comprising:
 a winch module comprising:
 a winch housing; and, 
 a ratcheting pulley rotatably coupled to the winch housing; and, 
   an attachment member operatively coupled to the winch module and configured to securely couple to an object, wherein the attachment member comprises:
 a rope extending from a first end to a second end, the first end having a first loop and the second end having a second loop; 
 a latching hook comprising a latching gate having a closed mode and an opened mode; and, 
 a carabiner directly coupled to the winch module, 
   wherein in the closed mode, (A) the first loop of the rope is securely retained by the latching gate of the latching hook, such that the rope is configured to securely couple to the object, (B) the carabiner is directly coupled to the second loop, and (C) the carabiner is directly coupled to the latching hook,   wherein in the open mode, the first loop of the rope is free from the latching gate of the latching hook to permit the rope to releasably capture the object to which the winch is to be securely coupled.   
     
     
       26. The cinch of claim 25, further comprising a first crimp device operatively coupled to the first end of the rope and a second crimp device operatively coupled to the second end of the rope.