Abstract: A cabinet and container assembly comprising an enclosed cabinet having an upper opening and a lower opening. The upper opening is equipped with a pivotal disposal door. The lower opening has a hinged door, and is dimensioned such that a wheeled container may be positioned inside and locked within the cabinet. The pivotal door can be pulled forward to an open position presenting a horizontal tray on which waste materials may be rested, with the waste materials sliding along a top chute surface of the pivotal door when it is pivoted upwardly to a closed position, the waste materials sliding rearwardly and downwardly along the chute surface and across the rear edge of the pivotal door, thereby falling downwardly into the center of the open topped container. An curved upper partition positioned within the interior of the cabinet above the pivotal door and closely adjacent the read edge thereof prevents a person from reaching inside the cabinet and accessing the container when the door is paritally opened.

Abstract: A utility tote container comprising a base panel, a pair of side wall panels, and a pair of end wall panels hingedly connected to the base panel. A pair of end foldover panels are hingedly connected to each end wall panel. The side wall panels and end wall panels are pivoted upwardly to an upright configuration, and the end foldover panels are folded inwardly into parallel abutting contact with the exterior planar surface of the adjacent side wall panel. End panel securing flaps are hingedly connected to each of the end foldover panels, and are received through aligned and correspondingly sized slots in the side wall panels. The end wall securing flaps are folded into parallel abutting contact with the interior planar surface of the adjacent side wall panel, and are secured thereto using a releasable fastener such as mating hook and loop type fasteners. Each end wall panel defines a centered handgrip opening, and a folded rim or shoulder extending along the length of the top edge of the end wall panel.

Abstract: A caddy for recyclable paper constructed from an irregular blank of corrugated plastic sheet material such as double-faced polyethylene, with a metal hanger allowing the caddy to be mounted on the rim of a conventional wastebasket. The carton includes an open top, a higher rear wall, lower front wall, and angled side walls. The ends of the hanger are received between a rear panel and rear foldover panel which are hingedly connected and folded into parallel abutting contact to form the rear wall, the central portion of the hanger extending upwardly through a slit formed between those panels. Fastening tabs extending from the rear panel are inserted through slots defined between one side wall panel and a side flap, and a reinforcing tab extending from the rear foldover panel prevents the top fastening tab from flexing.

Abstract: A cabinet and container assembly comprising an enclosed cabinet having an upper opening and a lower opening. The upper opening is equipped with a pivotal disposal door. The lower opening has a hinged door, and is dimensioned such that a wheeled container may be positioned inside and locked within the cabinet. The pivotal door can be pulled forward to an open position presenting a horizontal tray on which waste materials may be rested, with the waste materials sliding along a top chute surface of the pivotal door when it is pivoted upwardly to a closed position, the waste materials sliding rearwardly and downwardly along the chute surface and across the rear edge of the pivotal door, thereby falling downwardly into the center of the open topped container. A curved upper partition positioned within the interior of the cabinet above the pivotal door and closely adjacent the read edge thereof prevents a person from reaching inside the cabinet and accessing the container when the door is partially opened.

Abstract: A waste disposal receptacle comprising a receptacle body and a lid. The receptacle body has a bottom and four side walls which may be formed from one unitary blank or a pair of interconnected blanks. The side walls may be scored to be folded flat in either a square parallelogram configuration or a hexagonal configuration. The side walls define trapezoidal apertures through which weights such as sand bags, bricks, or boards may be placed onto the bottom to weigh down and stabilize the waste disposal receptacle. Two of the opposing side walls define upwardly projecting ridges that are received through correspondingly aligned slots in the lid, the ridges and lid holding a thin plastic bag within the waste disposal container in an upright and open position. The lid may define one or more waste receiving openings particularly designed for recyclable waste, such as a pair of circular openings for receiving metal cans and glass bottles.

Abstract: A caddy for recyclable paper materials constructed from a linear blank of double-faced corrugated plastic sheet material such as polyethylene, with a metal hanger member allowing the caddy to be mounted in hanging relation to the rim of a conventional wastebasket. The caddy includes an open top, with a higher rear wall, lower front wall, and convexly curved side walls. The ends of the hanger member are received between a rear panel and a rear foldover panel which are hingedly connected and folded into parallel abutting contact to form the rear wall, and the central portion of the hanger member extends upwardly and rearwardly through a slit formed between those panels. The front and rear foldover panels are shortened, and the front foldover panel is held in place by a pair of side struts extending from front to rear along the side walls of the caddy.

Abstract: A ridge peak roof ventilator comprising a pair of vent parts disposed on opposing sides of an opening in a roof peak, and a top panel disposed above and connecting each of the vent parts. The vent parts may be of unitary construction, folded from interconnected panels, or assembled from individual layers of sheet material, and each forms a multiplicity of air passages through which air flows from the interior to the exterior of the roof ventilator. The top panel is constructed from double-faced corrugated plastic having a pair of planar plies and a convoluted intermediate ply. The underside of the top panel is routed along the centerline to form a concave recessed area, thereby cutting away a section of one planar ply and part of the intermediate ply to form oval-shaped openings. Each opening has side walls traversing concave arcuate paths between a maximum height adjacent the side edges of the recesesd area and a minimum height along the centerline.

Abstract: A modular waste disposal receptacle system particularly suited for recyclable waste materials comprising a primary wastebasket and a plurality of smaller secondary receptacles, the primary wastebasket and secondary receptacles having substantially similar or identical overall shapes and constructions but different and interrelated overall sizes or dimensions. One or more of the secondary receptacles may be nested within the primary wastebasket with the longer or major axis of the secondary receptacle being oriented perpendicular to the major axis of the primary wastebasket and the top rim of the secondary receptacle extending outwardly above and contacting the top rim of the primary wastebasket to elevate and support the secondary receptacle above the bottom wall of the primary wastebasket.

Abstract: A tote container for perishable produce such as asparagus comprising a pair of identical molded end shells which form the side walls of the tote container, with an intermediate blank cut and scored from a sheet material such as double-faced corrugated plastic extending between and securely attached to each of the end shells. The blank is folded to form a bottom panel, back panel, pivoting top lid and front lid panels, and a front tray panel to the tote container. The tote container defines a receptacle region with an open top and front, and the blank defines a bottom tray portion within that receptacle region.

Abstract: A cabinet is disclosed which includes a frame defining a cabinet interior. A plurality of dividers separate the cabinet interior into a plurality of storage compartments. The frame includes opposing side walls and top and bottom walls. The top wall is attached to the side walls by first and second mounting plates carried on the side walls and top wall, respectively. The first plate is resiliently urged against the side wall. The second plate is sized to be received between the first plate and the side wall, with latch mechanisms for holding the attaching plates in position.

Abstract: A container and pallet assembly comprising a generally rectangular pallet with a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls mounted thereon. The container may be folded between an upright container configuration and a collapsed stored configuration. Each end or side wall is constructed from double-faced corrugated plastic sheet material cut and scored to form a blank having hingedly interconnected inner, intermediate, and outer wall panels, lid flaps, and attachment panels. The side or wall panels may be slidably mounted on the pallet using a combination of slots in the associated attachment panels and push-type fasteners to facilitate folding to the stored configuration. The end or side wall blanks may also define internal reinforcing structures for supporting the containers when stacked in a vertical column, and securing structures for fastening the end and side walls in the upright container configuration.

Abstract: This invention relates to an attachment for a fork lift. The attachment permits the fork lift to handle and invert a cylindrical drum of predetermined dimensions. The attachment includes a frame carrying pivot arms which pivot between first and second positions. Distal ends of the pivot arms carry rotating clamps which grip a drum and invert the drum. A clamp motion control mechanism is provided for selectively rotating the clamps and includes a dual piston pressure actuated cylinder. An over-center locking mechanism is provided for locking the pivot arms in a gripping position.

Abstract: A pail filling mechanism comprising a housing having an open top and pail supports to retain a vertical column of nested pails, and a pull-down carriage positioned within the housing and moved vertically by a power cylinder between a raised and lowered position. At the raised position, a pair of pivotally mounted toggles disposed on opposing sides of the lowermost pail engage above the rim of the lowermost pail, and the downward motion of the pull-down carriage distorts the lowermost pail slightly and strips or separates the pail from the column. The pull-down carriage moves to the lowered position, delivering the pail to a pail slide. As the pull-down carriage is again raised, a pail ejector assembly pushes the separated pail forward out of the front of the housing and into the pail infeed station of an automated filling and sealing machine.

Abstract: A desktop organizer comprising a pair of side wall panels attached to a rear wall which extends approximately the length of the back edge of a desk. The desktop organizer may include one or more shelves extending the full length of the organizer, or a portion of that length terminating in an intermediate wall panel, with the remainder of the length having a set of stacked shelves or other various modules. The desktop organizer may be open topped, or a top cap may be added which also serves to support additional items.Each of the shelves includes a multiplicity of slots extending partially across the depth of the shelf generally perpendicular to the front and back edges thereof. The dividers may be inserted into the slots, each divider having one or more notches defined in the front edge of the divider which receives a portion of the shelf, the top of the divider being longer than the slot to prevent the divider from passing entirely through the slot.

Abstract: A tray forming machine comprising an infeed station for accepting a blank of corrugated plastic, and a transfer mechanism which automatically conveys the blank along a plane into a blank receiving station between a tray forming ram and a forming tool frame. The tray forming ram moves downward along a vertical path carrying the blank through the forming tool frame, during which the blank is folded into a generally upright tray configuration by a series of vertically displaced side and end forming bars and brackets. The tray forming ram and blank emerge from the forming tool frame and are received in a clamping and welding assembly which holds the blank in position while it is secured by sonic welds into the upright tray. The clamping assembly releases while the tray forming ram returns to its raised position, and the tray is stripped off the tray forming ram by the bottom of the forming brackets.

Abstract: A convertible hand truck including a pivotable handle member which may be stowed or selectively used as an extension of the toe plate when the hand truck is in an upright two-wheeled position, and may serve as the push handle for the hand truck when used in an horizontal four-wheeled position. The pivoting handle member is releasably coupled to the toe plate of the hand truck when in the horizontal position by a bracket which wraps partially around and slides along the handle member and extends between the two opposing upright handle segments. The bracket remains flush with the frame when in the stowed position, and has an offset tang which engages the top edge of the toe plate when the handle member is in the upright and secured position.

Abstract: Stackable and nestable tote containers folded to an upright configuration defining a generally tapered rectangular receptacle region from a flat blank of double faced corrugated plastic. The tote containers may be nested within one another in an aligned column, or may be selectively stacked on top of one another at an orientation of between 45 and 90 relative to one another, such that the receptacle region of the lower tote container is partially obstructed but may still be accessed. In one embodiment, a rectangular cross stacking tote container having a length greater than its width may be nested within a like tote container, or elevated to a position completely above the like tote container, rotated 90 in either direction such that apertures in the base and side wall panels are aligned with upwardly projecting exposed segments of the metal rim of the lower tote container, and lowered into a stacking engagement thereon.