Apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door

Abstract

An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door by use of a handle. The handle is connected to the trash receptacle door by a single shaft or a series of shafts and gears connected together which transfer rotary motion. A pulling or pushing force applied to the upper extend or lower extent of the handle respectively will provide a rotational movement which in turn will rotate the connected trash receptacle door to an open position and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of trash receptacles and more specifically to an apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door. Restaurants and other establishments have trash receptacles for their patrons to use to discard their trash when finished eating. Many of these trash receptacles have a door that the patron pushes inward by hand in order to access the opening to deposit their trash. Having a door to partition the inside of the trash receptacle from the outside, has the advantage of hiding the unsightly left over food and trash from the view of patrons and reducing the unseemly odors that trash normally emits. A disadvantage of having a receptacle door is that trash and left over food deposits will accumulate on its surface during normal use. These trash deposits may stay on the doors surface for hours and thus develop bacteria. Naturally, users of the receptacle will use their hand to push inward the receptacle door to deposit their trash and thus come into contact with the doors surface and its accumulated trash and food deposits. This is an unsanitary situation as the bacteria can transfer to the users hand and cause infection. This is also an unseemly process, and many users are not inclined to touch the dirty receptacle door surface. Other trash receptacles have openings without a door to eliminate this unsanitary problem. Unfortunately, by eliminating the door, the patron is not shielded from a clear view of the trash inside and the offensive odors of the trash are free to flow out from the receptacle. Wind may also be able to enter through the opening and blow the trash outside of the receptacle. This invention solves these problems by allowing the user to open the receptacle door with a convenient handle which is located away from the door, and thus not requiring the user to contact the unsanitary receptacle door or trash deposits.

Some inventions have used a handle that is mounted directly to the trash receptacle door. As this does provide a handle to open the door, there are deficiencies with it. Other inventions use a motor that is operated by an infrared detection sensor to open the door.

By having a handle that is mounted directly to the door, the handle itself may become contaminated with the trash and left over food that is deposited within the trash receptacle. This again allows an easy transfer of bacteria from the contaminated handles surface to the users hand. Having a motor to open the receptacle door is convenient, but motors need a source of electricity. If it uses a standard electrical outlet for electricity, the trash receptacle must be located near an outlet to function. If it uses a battery, the batteries must be changed when they run low on charge in order to function. Electrical motors also eventually fail, and will require repair or replacement. This new invention has the handle located far enough away from the receptacle door as to not come into contact with the trash during normal use and requires no electricity.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a method for opening a trash receptacle that does not require a user to touch the trash receptacle door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for opening a trash receptacle door that is more sanitary than some current methods.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for opening a trash receptacle door that is easy for a user to use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door. comprising: A trash receptacle door, A handle having one or more extensions, A shaft having one end connected to said handle and the other end connected to said trash receptacle door, A means of connecting said trash receptacle door to said shaft, A means of connecting said handle to said shaft, whereby a pulling or pushing motion on said handle will rotate the handle about the axis of said shaft and thus rotate said shaft and thus rotate said trash receptacle door open and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door. comprising: A trash receptacle door, A handle having one or more extensions, A shaft(A) having one end connected to said handle and a gear(A) affixed to it, A means of connecting said shaft(A) to said handle, A means of connecting said shaft(A) to said gear(A), Another shaft(B) having one end connected to said trash receptacle door and another gear(B) affixed to it, A means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said trash receptacle door, A means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said gear(B), An intermediate gear which is connects said gear(A) and gear(B) together by the gear teeth, whereby a pulling or pushing motion on said handle will cause a rotation of said shaft(A), said gear(A), said intermediate gear, said gear(B), said shaft(B), and the said trash receptacle door which open the trash receptacle door and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the trash receptacle door opening apparatus in accordance with the present invention in normal closed position.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 in open position.

FIG. 3 is a partial left side elevational view of the invention shown in FIG. 2 in normal closed position.

FIG. 4 is a partial left side elevational view of the invention shown in FIG. 3 in open position.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the invention shown in FIG. 4 in normal closed position.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the invention shown in FIG. 5 in open position.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of the invention showing a first alternative embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial elevational view of the invention as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the inventions handle assembly as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a third alternative embodiment showing invention in normal closed position with working components exposed.

FIG. 11 is right side elevational view of the invention as shown in FIG. 10 in normal closed position with handle assembly on right side with working components exposed.

FIG. 12 is a partial right side elevational view of the invention as shown in FIG. 10 in open position with working components exposed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

In accordance with the present invention, FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the trash receptacle door opening apparatus mounted to the trash receptacle 29. The invention is shown in the normal closed position. This embodiment is comprised of the handle assembly HA with an upper and lower extension, trash receptacle door 20, and support assembly SA. Handle assembly HA is attached to one edge of trash receptacle door 20 while the support assembly SA is attached to the opposing edge of trash receptacle door 20. The shafts 21 and 26 are positioned inline to each other as to create a single axis of rotation. It is to be noted that the trash receptacle door is positioned in a normal manner as to be a partition residing within the trash receptacle opening or void 24.

A very important portion of this invention is the new handle assembly HA which is comprised of the handle 20, shaft 21, and door mounting bracket 22 which are attached together respectively as evident from the illustration. The handle assembly HA is mounted on the left side of the trash receptacle 29 and is attached to the trash receptacle door 20 by mounting bracket 22. It is to be noted that the handle assembly HA may be mounted on any side in which normal operation of invention can be accomplished. Moreover the shaft 21 of the handle assembly HA is placed within a void in the left side of the trash receptacle 29 with the void being of large enough extent as to allow for rotational movement of the shaft 21 and thus the handle assembly HA.

Another important part of this invention is the support assembly SA which is comprised of the shaft 26 and mounting bracket 27 which are attached together as shown. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the support assembly SA is mounted on the opposing side from the mounting point of the handle assembly HA on the trash receptacle 29 and is attached to the trash receptacle door 20 by mounting bracket 27. Moreover the shaft 26 of the support assembly HA is placed within a void in the shown side of the trash receptacle 29 with the void being of large enough extent as to allow for rotational movement of the shaft 26 thus the support assembly SA. Of importance is that shaft 26 is in alignment with shaft 21 forming a single axis of rotation therebetween. It is of note that the handle assembly HA and the support assembly SA can either each alone or together support and bear the weight of the trash receptacle door 20. Support of the trash receptacle door 20 is an implied part of this invention, but is not a necessary one as other means may support it. Of importance is that shaft 21 and shaft 26 are in alignment and form a single axis of rotation therebetween and provide a rotation axis for trash receptacle door 20.

The operation of this embodiment of the invention may be understood upon reference to FIG. 1. As a consequence of the components of the invention connected together as explained and shown, it is evident that a movement of the handle 20 rotated about axis of shaft 21 normally by hand will transfer rotational motion to the connected trash receptacle door 20 and thereby cause the trash receptacle door 20 to rotate to an opened position. Release of the handle 20 by hand or rotation back to its normal closed position allow the trash receptacle door 20 to return to its normal closed position. The support assembly SA will rotate in sympathetic motion with the attached trash receptacle door 20 and handle assembly HA along the single axis described above.

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 and shows the invention in the fully opened position whereby trash may be deposited through trash receptacle opening 34. The invention is mounted on trash receptacle 35 in same manner as FIG. 1. Similarly, it shows the handle assembly HA comprised of the handle 30, shaft 31, and mounting bracket 32 attached to the trash receptacle door 33 by mounting bracket 32. The support assembly SA is also comprised of a shaft 36 and mounting bracket 37, and is attached to its side of trash receptacle door 33.

FIG. 3 shows a partial left side elevational view of the invention depicted in FIG. 1 in normal closed position mounted on trash receptacle 45. Illustrated is the handle assembly HA which is comprised of handle 40, shaft 41, and mounting bracket 42. The handle assembly is attached to the trash receptacle door 43 by the mounting bracket 42 in like manner as FIG. 1. The trash receptacle door 43 resides within the trash receptacle opening 44 in like manner as FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a partial left side elevational view of the invention depicted in FIG. 3 in fully open position mounted on trash receptacle 57. Illustrated is the handle assembly HA which is comprised of handle 50, shaft 51, and mounting bracket 52. The handle assembly is attached to the trash receptacle door 53 by the mounting bracket 52 in like manner as FIG. 3. The trash receptacle door 53 resides within the trash receptacle opening 54 in like manner as FIG. 3. The dashed line with arrow represents the movement of the lower portion of trash receptacle door 53 during opening. For clarity, the left side face 55 and front side face 56 of trash receptacle 57 is noted.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of invention mounted on trash receptacle 75 showing internal working components therein. The invention is in the normal closed position. As shown are the major components of the invention. The handle assembly HA being comprised of handle 70, shaft 71, and mounting bracket 72 being attached to left side of door 73. The support assembly SA comprised of shaft 76, and mounting bracket 77 attached to right side of door 73. As shown the invention is situated near the trash receptacle opening 74.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of invention mounted on trash receptacle 95 similar to FIG. 5 showing internal working components therein as depicted. The invention is in the fully opened position. The handle assembly HA being comprised of handle 90, shaft 91, and mounting bracket 92 and is attached to left side edge of trash receptacle door 93. The support assembly SA comprised of shaft 96, and mounting bracket 97 attached to right side of door 93. As shown the invention is situated near the trash receptacle opening 94.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a second preferred embodiment of the invention without a trash receptacle mounting. Shown attached to the left side of the trash receptacle door is the handle assembly HA1. It is to be noted that an additional handle assembly HA2 is attached on the right side of trash receptacle door, thereby providing for natural right or left handed use. Handle assembly HA1 is similar to handle assembly HA in FIG. 1, being comprised of handle 110, shaft 111, and mounting bracket 112 with additional bulbous ends 117 attached to handle 110 for convenient gripping surfaces for the hand. Handle assembly HA2 is comprised of handle 113, shaft 114, and mounting bracket 115 with additional bulbous ends 117 attached to handle 113 for convenient gripping surfaces. Mounting screws 118 are used to secure mounting brackets 112 and 115 to trash receptacle door 116. Secured together as shown, all components form a rigid or semi-rigid structure whereby force applied to any portion will cause a similar movement to all components.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged elevational view of the inventions handle assembly HA being comprised of handle 130, shaft 131, and mounting bracket 132 with additional bulbous ends 135 attached to handle 130 for convenient gripping surfaces for the hand. Handle assembly HA is attached to the trash receptacle door 133 with mounting bracket 132 and securing screws 134.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial plan view of the inventions handle assembly HA similar to FIG. 8. The handle assembly HA is comprised of handle 150, shaft 151, and mounting bracket 152 with additional bulbous end 155 attached to upper portion of handle 130 for convenient gripping surface for the hand. Handle assembly HA is attached to the trash receptacle door 153 with mounting bracket 152 and securing screws 154.

FIG. 10 shows a third preferred embodiment of the invention from front elevational view similar to FIG. 1 with exposed view of trash receptacle 221. A very important part of this embodiment of the invention is the new handle gear assembly HGA which replaces the handle assembly HA from FIG. 1. Of note is the use of gears for the transmittal of rotational motion between the handle 210 and finally to trash receptacle door 220. Handle gear assembly HGA is attached to right side of trash receptacle 221. It is noted that handle gear assembly HGA can be mounted on either side or both sides of the trash receptacle 221, and is not restricted to a particular side. Thereby this allows for use of the invention by either hand. The handle gear assembly HGA is comprised of the handle 210 with an upper and lower extension that is attached to handle shaft 212 that is attached handle gear 211. Further comprising the handle gear assembly HGA is the intermediate shaft 214 intermediate gear 213 attached together as illustrated. Lastly comprising the handle gear assembly is the door shaft 215 with attached door dear 216 having shaft 215 attached to a mounting bracket 217. The support assembly SA is mounted on the opposing side of trash receptacle 221 in a manner similar to support assembly SA of FIG. 1 and is comprised of shaft 218 and mounting bracket 219 which is attached to the trash receptacle door 220. It is noted that the shafts 212, 214, and 215 are mounted in respective voids in the side of the trash receptacle 221 similar to shaft 21 of FIG. 1, and therefore the shafts may rotate freely within their respective voids. Of importance is that the gears 211 and 213 have their respective teeth enmeshed together as to allow transfer of rotational movement between them. Gears 213 and 216 also have their respective teeth enmeshed together as to allow transfer of rotational movement between them. It is to be noted that the gear ratios of the above mentioned gears may be adjusted to allow for a multiplying factor for rotation thereby providing for a smaller rotation of the handle 210 to be transmitted to the trash receptacle 220 as a larger rotation. Of importance is that shaft 215 and shaft 218 are in alignment and form a single axis of rotation therebetween and provide a rotation axis for trash receptacle door 220.

The operation of embodiment of the invention may be understood upon reference to FIG. 10 which as a consequence of the components of the invention connected together as previously explained and shown, it is evident that a movement of the handle 210 rotated about axis of handle shaft 212 will transfer rotational motion to the gear 211 then to gear 213 and onward to gear 216 and further to its connected door shaft 215 and finally to the trash receptacle door 220 and thereby opening trash receptacle door 220. Release of the handle 210 or reverse rotational movement of it from the opening movement will return trash receptacle door 220 to its normal closed position. The support shaft SA will rotate in sympathetic movement with its connected trash receptacle door 220.

FIG. 11 shows a partial right side elevational view of FIG. 10 showing working components with exposed view of trash receptacle 175. The handle gear assembly HGA is mounted on the right side of trash receptacle 175. The HGA is shown with a shortened handle 170 to allow clearer viewing of handle gear 171, intermediate gear 172, and door gear 173. The trash receptacle door 174 is situated in its normal closed position. The gears 171, 172, 173 have gear teeth enmeshed together as described above for FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 shows a partial right side elevational view similar to FIG. 11 showing working components with exposed view of trash receptacle 195 in opened position. The handle gear assembly HGA shown is the same as in FIG. 11 with handle 190, handle gear 191, intermediate gear 192, and door gear 193. The trash receptacle door 194 is shown in the open position. The gears 191, 192, 193 have their respective gear teeth enmeshed together as described above for FIG. 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1-12 the invention performs the functions for opening a trash receptacle by providing a the trash receptacle door opening apparatus with a convenient handle for manipulation. It provides a more sanitary method for opening the trash receptacle door while avoiding having the user place their hand on the door.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door comprising:

a trash receptacle door;

a handle having one or more extensions;

a shaft having one end connected to said handle and the other end connected to said trash receptacle door;

a means of connecting said trash receptacle door to said shaft;

a means of connecting said handle to said shaft;

whereby a pulling or pushing force applied to said handle will rotate the said handle, said shaft, and said trash receptacle door about the axis of said shaft and thus rotate said trash receptacle door to an open position and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.

2. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a support assembly comprised of a shaft placed in alignment from said shaft in claim 1 providing an axis of rotation therebetween.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a mounting bracket attached to end of said shaft and further attached to edge of said trash receptacle door.

4. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door as claimed in claim 1 further comprising multiple handles extending radially from said shaft;

5. the apparatus of claims 1, 2, 3, and 4 wherein said handles, said trash receptacle door, and said shafts are separate parts or one complete part or a combination.

6. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door comprising

a trash receptacle door;

a shaft(A) having one end connected to said handle and a gear(A) affixed to it;

a handle having one or more extensions;

a means of connecting said shaft(A) to said handle;

a means of connecting said shaft(A) to said gear(A);

another shaft(B) having one end connected to said trash receptacle door and another gear(B) affixed to it;

a means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said trash receptacle door;

a means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said gear(B);

another shaft(C) affixed to another gear(C) of which is connected to said gear(A) and gear(B) by the gear teeth;

whereby a pulling or pushing force applied to said handle will cause a rotation of said shaft(A), said gear(A), said intermediate gear(C) and its affixed shaft (C), said gear(B), said shaft(B), and finally to said trash receptacle door which will open the trash receptacle door and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.

7. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a support assembly comprised of a shaft placed in alignment from said shaft(B) in claim 1 providing an axis of rotation therebetween.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising multiple handles extending radially from said shaft(A).

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said handles, said trash receptacle door, and said shaft are separate parts or one complete part or a combination.