Trash container for use with plastic bags

Abstract

A trash container has an upper waste bin and a lower storage compartment for storing disposable plastic bags. The waste bin utilizes plastic bags as bin liners. Opposing side panels of the trash bin have tabs for securing the handles of a plastic bag.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/752,071, filed Dec. 20, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to trash containers, and more particularly, to a trash container having an upper waste bin designed to utilize a plastic bag as a bin liner and a lower compartment for storing plastic bags for later use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is common in homes and offices to have several small trash containers spread around several rooms. They are often substantially smaller than the volume of a standard trash bag. Preferably they are kept out of sight in a cabinet or behind or between furniture. Constantly replacing waste bin liners is an expense people and companies try to avoid. Often, no waste bin liner is used at all. This results in particulate matter adhering to the inside of the trash containers. This causes unpleasant odors and an unsanitary condition. It also requires the additional work of periodically cleaning and sanitizing these trash containers.

It has become common for retail stores such as grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and other retail outlets to pack products purchased by customers into relatively small plastic bags for transport. Similarly, restaurants commonly provide plastic bags with to-go orders and with take-home boxes. These bags are provided free of charge. Unfortunately, because such bags are difficult to fold it is very difficult to store them. If stored at all, they usually consist of a wad of plastic bags stuffed into a cabinet or drawer.

Several designs have been developed to provide waste containers that utilize these disposable plastic bags provided by retail outlets and restaurants as waste container bin liners. This reduces waste and saves cost. However, existing designs for waste containers that utilize plastic bags as bin liners do not resolve the problem of extra plastic bag storage. The problem of unsightly and impractical storage of excess plastic bags remains.

It is therefore desirable to provide a means of utilizing plastic bags for waste containment and to provide a practical method for storing excess plastic bags.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a trash container that utilizes a plastic bag as a bin liner and provides a convenient and practical storage compartment associated with it. The invention has two sections. First, an upper waste container that has four sides and a bottom that form a waste bin. Two opposing sides have securing tabs to which the two handles of a common plastic bag may be securely attached. The storage portion of the bag itself then fits into the bin to form a bin liner.

Attached to the bottom of the waste bin is a compartment having roughly the same length and width as the bin. An opening in the front of the second, lower compartment provides ready access to it. The second compartment may be used to store extra plastic bags for use when the bag in the waste bin becomes full. Many plastic bags may be placed within the storage compartment where they are out of sight.

The device is preferably made in whole or in part of a plastic or cardboard material. The back of the waste container may have any of several means to allow it to be attached to the inside of a cabinet. This makes it very easy to place the waste container out of sight. The waste containing compartment and the bottom storage compartment are separated by a firm divider that provides support for the plastic bag in the waste bin. The waste bin may optionally include a lid that is fully removable from the waste bin or may be attached to the back or one of the sides of the waste bin.

It is likely that a consumer will purchase the present invention at the same location where he or she obtains plastic bags to be used with the invention. Therefore, it may be preferable for the waste container to have ornamentation on its front. Specifically, retail stores, restaurants or other companies may wish to display their trademark across the front of the waste container. It may also be desirable to portray various cultural icons on the front of the container. It would be relatively simple to add this feature at the time of manufacture or to simply allow retailers to apply whatever designs they wish.

These and other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the alternative embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is a trash container that combines a waste bin with a storage compartment. The trash container may be square, rectangular, circular, elliptical, or any other geometric shape. Tabs incorporated into the sides of the waste bin are designed to allow the handles of a plastic bag to be securely attached. This allows the plastic bag to be used as a bin liner. Additionally, extra plastic bags may be stored in the storage compartment directly beneath the bin. An aperture in the storage compartment allows ready access to extra bags.

FIG. 1 shows a trash container 10 that is a combination of a waste bin 14 and storage compartment 16. Waste bin 14 and storage compartment 16 are formed by the front panel 24, back panel 12, and two side panels 20. A partition 22 separates the waste bin 14 and the storage compartment 16. Aperture 18 provides access to storage compartment 16. Extra plastic bags are placed in and removed from storage compartment 16 by means of aperture 18. Side panels 20 have tabs 26 that are designed to engage the handles of a plastic bag. By placing the plastic bag handles over tabs 26 the plastic bag is secured firmly in waste bin 14. The plastic bag then lines the inside of bin 14.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the waste bin 14 is approximately 11 inches high, 7 inches wide and 11.5 inches long. The storage compartment 16 extends approximately 6 inches down from the bin, and is 7 inches wide and 11.5 inches long. This gives the trash container an overall height of 17 inches. These dimensions allow the waste bin to be lined with a plastic bag of the size commonly used by grocery stores, and allows storage of approximately 30 extra bags. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these dimensions may be changed to accommodate bags of different size in the waste bin. The size of the storage compartment may also be adjusted to store more or fewer bags.

FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a trash container 30 having a waste bin 32 and a storage compartment 34 divided by partition 38. Storage compartment 34 is accessed by aperture 36. Waste bin 32 has opposing side panels 40 that each has a first pair of tabs 42 and a second, lower pair of tabs 44. Having a second set of tabs allows waste bin 32 to accommodate plastic bags of different sizes. Larger plastic bags would be attached to tabs 44 while smaller ones would be attached to tabs 42.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. As with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, trash container 50 has a storage compartment 52 accessed by aperture 54 and has a waste bin 56 above it. In this embodiment, the front 60 of the waste bin 56 has a store's trademark/logo printed on it as ornamentation 62. In addition, lid 58 is provided that may be placed over the top of bin 56. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that use of a lid prevents items from accidentally falling into the waste bin and prevents unpleasant odors from escaping the waste bin. In this embodiment, lid 58 is separate from trash container 50. Lid 58 may also optionally include ornamentation.

FIG. 4 shows a trash container 70 having a waste bin 72 and a storage compartment 76. Waste bin 72 and storage compartment 76 are separated by partition 88. Aperture 78 is rectangular instead of oval like the apertures disclosed in FIGS. 1-3. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that aperture 78 may be any of a variety of geometric shapes so long as it provides access to the interior of storage compartment 76 so that plastic bags may be easily inserted and retrieved from the storage compartment 76. In addition, tabs 84 and 86 on opposing side panels 74 are rectangular in shape as opposed to the tabs shown in FIGS. 1-3, which are substantially triangular. The tabs of the present invention may be of any of a variety of shapes so long as the handles of a plastic bag may be securely attached to them. Waste bin 72 has a lid 80 that is pivotally attached to the back 90 of waste bin 72. Back 90 also includes holes 82 so that screws may be used to mount trash container 70 onto a wall or cabinet door. Adhesives or other materials may alternatively be used to attach the invention to a wall or cabinet door.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this particular embodiment, trash container 100 is tapered. Because trash container 100 is tapered, several such trash containers may be stacked together. Trash container 100 is comprised of a trash bin 102 and a storage compartment 104. FIG. 6 shows a side view of trash container 100. Side panel 106 includes circular tab 108 for securing plastic bags to the trash bin. As discussed above, securing tabs may be any of a variety of shapes so long as they adequately secure the plastic bag to the waste bin. Aperture 110 provides access to storage compartment 104. In this embodiment, access aperture 110 is located on the side of the trash container. Aperture 110 is also circular as opposed to oval or rectangular.

The storage compartments shown in the above figures preferably all have rigid walls. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the storage compartment may also be comprised of a flexible, soft material.

While the invention has been shown and described in some detail with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, there is no intention that the invention be limited to such detail. On the contrary, the invention is intended to include any alternative or equivalent embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described above and as recited in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A trash container comprising:

a waste bin having a front, a back, a bottom and two opposing sides; and,

a storage compartment attached to said bottom of said waste bin and having an aperture that allows access to said storage compartment;

wherein each of said two opposing sides of said waste bin include at least one tab for attachment to a handle of a plastic bag.

2. The trash container of claim 1 wherein said at least one tab comprises one tab.

3. The trash container of claim 1 wherein said at least one tab comprises two tabs.

4. The trash container of claim 1 further comprising a lid.

5. The trash container of claim 1 wherein said front of said waste bin further comprises ornamentation.

6. The trash container of claim 1 wherein said back has a plurality of screw holes.

7. The trash container of claim 1 wherein said at least one tab is triangular.

8. The trash container of claim 1 wherein said at least one tab is rectangular.

9. The trash container of claim 1 wherein said at least one tab is circular.

10. The trash container of claim 1 wherein the trash container has an overall height of 17 inches, a width of 7 inches, and a length of 11.5 inches.

11. A trash container comprising:

a waste bin having a front, a back, a bottom and two opposing sides; and,

a storage compartment attached to said bottom of said waste bin and having an aperture that allows access to said storage compartment;

wherein each of said two opposing sides of said waste bin include two tabs for attachment to a handle of a plastic bag; and,

wherein said front of said waste bin comprises ornamentation.

12. The trash container of claim 11 wherein said tabs are triangular.

13. The trash container of claim 11 wherein said tabs are rectangular.

14. The trash container of claim 11 wherein said tabs are circular.

15. The trash container of claim 11 further comprising a lid.