Vendor push cart kiosk to resemble a familiar object

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to vendor push cart kiosks. The invention lies in changing its configuration to resemble that of a familiar object such that the umbrella portion and the base portion cooperate with each other to provide an overall impression of that of the familiar object.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Conventional vendor push cart kiosks for selling frozen products have not changed significantly in their configuration over the years. Their base is generally rectangular box-like, which may be stored in a compact manner. Each has a fold-up umbrella, whose pole extends upward from about the center of the base.

On the other hand, methods for repairing dents and other damage to automobile bodies are well known. Most repair techniques utilize a step straightening the dents as much as possible and then filling in the depressed areas with a “bondo” or other formable filler material, including plastic-containing and fiber-glass-containing materials. After the filler material is put in place over the damaged area, it is allowed to harden. The material is then ground and sanded to obtain a smooth surface which duplicates the original automobile body surface. The grinding and sanding process is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process. The additional time and labor greatly increases the cost of repairs since the filler material must be substantially hardened before it can be ground or sanded. In addition, sanding and grinding creates large amounts of dust, which requires cleaning and containment and poses health hazards to workers. The time and energy spent waiting for the filler material to dry and then reshaping the filler material after it has dried fully adds greatly to the expense and effort required to repair auto body damage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,486,321, whose contents are incorporated herein by reference, proposes the use a shaping and smoothing tool to reduce the amount of sanding required by using the tool instead prior to full hardening.

It would be desirable to render the conventional vendor push carts for selling frozen products more eye catching and thus more likely to attract crowds and thereby potential customers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention relates to a vendor push cart kiosk having a configuration of a familiar object. It may include base, an umbrella extending from the base, wheels attached to the base, handles attached to the base to permit manual pushing against the handles to roll the base along a ground with the wheels. The base has interior compartments containing vendor products such as frozen ices, a cold source such a dry ice to keep the interior compartments cold and thus keep the vendor products cold, and lids that open to provide access to the vendor products within the interior compartments and that close. The interior compartments, including the lid, are insulated.

The base and the umbrella are shaped to complement with each other to resemble the configuration of a familiar object, such as an apple or a baseball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings, while the scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a vendor push cart kiosk in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2

is a top view thereof;

FIG. 3

is a left elevational view thereof that is symmetrical/identical to the right view thereof;

FIG. 4

is a front view thereof;

FIG. 5

is a rear view thereof;

FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional view across

6

—

6

of

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 7

is a partially broken top view across

7

—

7

of

FIG. 6

;

FIG. 8

is a cross-sectional view across

8

—

8

of

FIG. 6

; and

FIG. 9

is a cross-sectional view across

9

—

9

of FIG.

1

.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to the drawing,

FIGS. 1-9

show a vendor push cart kiosk having a base

10

with wheels

12

, push handles

14

, a counter top

16

, compartment lids

18

with lid handles

22

, and having an umbrella

24

with a pole

26

and a shade portion

28

. The pole

26

supports the shade portion

28

and extends upwardly from the base

10

. The lids

18

open in response to pulling them open via the lid handles

22

. This provides access to the interior compartments

30

, which are best seen in

FIG. 6. A

cold source, such as a block of frozen water ice or dry ice may be arranged in the chamber

32

beneath the interior compartments

30

to keep the compartments

30

, and thereby any vendor product within the compartments, cold at temperatures below that of freezing water.

To manufacture, a wooden box

34

is constructed and lined with styrene

36

and may contain plastic dividers. Styrofoam

40

is sculpted to have the desired configuration of the familiar object, such as a majority of an apple. The styrofoam

40

is arranged about the outside of the sidewalls of the wooden box. A fiberglass mesh with concrete

42

, available from Calif. Stucco of Hackensack, N.J., is applied about the styrofoam

40

to maintain its integrity. The concrete is allowed to dry for about 24 hours. A plastic bondo

44

is applied over the mesh

42

. Prior to hardening of the bondo

44

, a tool with sawteeth may be used to shape the bondo

44

. After the bondo

44

hardens, it is sanded to provide a smooth surface and to perfect the appearance of the familiar object to be resembled. An outdoor weather resistant paint

46

is then applied over the bondo

44

. Preferably, the appearance of the base

10

is shiny, which helps to attract attention to the base

10

.

The shade portion

28

of the umbrella

24

is constructed in an analogous manner, but configured to complete the shape of the familiar object. For instance, where the base

10

is configured to resemble a majority of an apple, the shade portion

28

of the umbrella may resemble the remainder of the apple with a stem and leaves visible. The shade portion of the umbrella

24

should likewise appear shiny.

The base

10

is completed by securing the counter top

16

, preferably made of acrylic, to the top side of the wooden box

24

. The counter top

16

has openings in alignment with the compartments

30

partitioned in the wooden box

24

. The lids

18

are hinged to the counter top

16

to swing being an open position, which provide access through the corresponding opening to the respective compartments

30

in alignment with the opening, and a closed position that closes the compartments

30

. The lids

18

are lined with styrene

36

. The counter top

16

may be painted a color expected of an interior of the familiar object. In the case of an apple, the color may be white or off white.

The lid handles are pulled to open the lids

18

and may be configured (in miniature) to resemble the object represented by the shape of the vendor push cart. Thus, the vendor push cart and the handles may be shaped as apples (

FIGS. 5

,

6

and

7

).

Finally, the pole

26

elevates the shade portion

28

of the umbrella from the counter top

16

by resting in a holding slot

48

(

FIGS. 5

,

6

and

8

). The pole

26

may be painted a color that complements the color of the base sidewalls, counter top and umbrella top. The various layers that make up the base

10

are best seen in

FIGS. 6 and 9

. The overall visual effect of the vendor push cart kiosk is eye catching.

Where the vendor push cart is to dispense frozen ices, it is preferable to maintain the temperature at 14 degrees Fahrenheit. This is preferably done by regulation of dry ice refrigeration, which may be housed in styrene and arranged above the floor of the base and beneath the compartments

30

. Preferably, temperature sensors are arranged in the compartments to sense the temperature and send signals indicative of the sensed temperature to a controller. The controller determines whether the temperature is rising or dropping too much and, if so, sends command signals to alter the extent of dry ice refrigeration being effected accordingly.

As may be appreciated, the choice of decoration configuration for the vendor push cart kiosk of the present application is an important consideration. Preferably, the decoration is indicative of the geographical area in which the kiosk is to operate and surrounds a periphery of the kiosk. For instance, when used in N.Y. City, the kiosk may take the shape and color of a red apple, reminiscent of the name BIG APPLE that is associated with N.Y. City.

As an alternative, the umbrella

24

may be a conventional, foldable umbrella commonly used on vendor push carts. The decorative nature of the inventive base, therefore, would still be the primary aspect of the vendor push cart that would be eye-catching to attract the passersby. However, it would be preferable to decorate the shade portion of the umbrella so that it complemented the decor of the base.

While the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.