WASTE RECEPTACLE
A waste receptacle has an outer cabinet housing and a waste or trash bag support frame that can be moved from a position where it is at least partially within the cabinet, to a position where the support frame is extended sufficiently so it can be rotated about an upright axis to provide access to a bag held on the support frame. The support frame has an open ring on which a waste bag can be placed. The ring is spaced upwardly from the bottom of the bag support frame so that when the waste bag is full, it can be detached from the ring and dropped down for removal, rather than being lifted up through a container opening or support. The waste receptacle can have a cover that can be actuated to move from a closed position overlying the bag support frame to an open position.
This application refers to and claims priority on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/048,717, filed Apr. 29, 2008, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure relates to a waste receptacle that has an exterior housing, and a waste bag support which can be retracted into the housing until an actuator is moved to permit the waste bag support and a supported waste bag to be extended out from the housing. When the waste bag support is extended, it can be rotated about a vertical axis for access to a bag on the waste bag support.
Various trash bag holders have been advanced, as well as garbage containers that hold trash bags. Many of these have hinged doors that are openable by pushing them inwardly. There are other types of receptacles and receptacle covers that will pivot open.
Removing full trash or waste bags from the waste containers generally requires lifting off a cover, or otherwise opening the entire top of the container or outer housing and then listing the full bag up over the container top for removal. This is inconvenient, and time consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure provides a waste receptacle that utilizes a stationary outer housing or cabinet that compliments the interior decor of a building, and which has a moveable trash or waste bag support frame mounted for movement into and out of the outer housing. The waste or trash bag support frame has a part cylindrical outer wall, and has a waste bag support ring or hoop on a back side of the wall. The waste bag support frame and the bag support ring or hoop can be slid outwardly from the cabinet and rotated about an upright axis for removable of a full trash bag. The removal is done by releasing the bag from the ring, and dropping the bag down to the floor or ground. A clean trash bag can be replaced on the support ring. The waste bag support frame is maintained in place in the cabinet when in use, and a foot actuator can be operated to open a cover, when a cover is provided, and release the waste bag support frame to permit moving the waste bag support frame to an extended position.
In one form of the disclosure, the cover is an eyelid type or part spherical cover that is pivotally mounted above the part cylindrical wall to cover an access opening to the bag above the part cylindrical wall, which extends to the exterior of the cabinet. The bottom edge of the cover is part circular and mates with the top edge of the part cylindrical outer wall of the support frame.
The cover hinge utilizes a pivot support that will provide damping as the cover is opened or closed.
The combined movement of sliding the bag support frame out of the cabinet and rotating the waste bag support frame so the bag support ring and the bag are completely out of the cabinet provides for easy access to the bag for removal and replacement. The top of the full bag can be dropped below the ring and removed without the need for lifting the full bag over the ring.
The unit is easily operated, compact, and reliable.
A waste receptacle assembly indicated generally at 10 includes an outer cabinet 12 that has a support base 14, spaced apart side walls 16, 16, a top wall 19, a rear wall 18 and a bottom wall 36, that are secured together to form a cabinet. In addition, the cabinet 12 has a front panel 20 that only partially covers the upper portion of an open front of the cabinet. The support base 14 comprises a rectangular frame 15 having side members 15A, a rear member 15B and a front member 15C. The frame 15 supports the bottom wall 36. Leveling feet 21 are provided at the corners of support base 14, and a pair of leveling feet 33 support a forwardly extending, curved front edge portion of the bottom wall 36. (See
As shown the front panel 20 has a center part circular opening 22. A part spherical cover 24 is pivotally mounted on suitable pivot supports 26 on the opposite side walls 16, 16 of the cabinet. As will be explained, at least one of the pivot support assemblies includes a pivot support torque damper mechanism 30 that is operated with a foot actuator 60, as will be explained to move the cover 24 from its closed position shown in solid lines in
The pivot support and damper mechanism 30 will prevent the cover from slamming down as the center of gravity of the cover goes over center as it is closed. A spring may be mounted to provide a return force to tend to close the open cover. The cover may be initially moved to be closed manually. The cover 24 is held in open position with a manual latch 25 that rotates manually between a locked and open position, as shown. A spring loaded detent to hold the cover 24 open also can be used.
A waste bag support or carrier frame 34 is made as a separate unit from the cabinet and the cover 24. The bag support frame 34 includes a bottom or base metal, or other leak proof material, pan 35 with a peripheral wall 35A (See
The front wall 38 forms a rigid upright support that in turn mounts a waste or trash bag support ring 40, which ring 40 is mounted on a metal support flange or top plate 42 mounted on the upper end of wall 38. The top plate 42 is part circular and has ends 42A (
The upright front wall 38 extends outwardly from the front of the cabinet 12. The diameter of the half cylinder front wall 38 is slightly less than the space between the side walls 16 of the cabinet and the diameter plane between the edges of the half cylinder from the wall lies substantially along the front plane of the cabinet 12, but can extend into the cabinet 12 a short distance when it is retracted to the position shown in
Suitable cushioning bumpers 39 are secured to both of the side walls 16 of the cabinet 12 at a level near the top of the upright front wall 38, and are located to provide stops for the edges of the half cylinder wall 38 when the carrier frame 34 is retracted into the cabinet, and to rotate the carrier frame to its proper position if it is partially rotated when the carrier frame is retracted into the cabinet.
Ring 40, as shown in
The bottom pan 35 of the waste bag support frame 34 is rotatably supported on a rotating plate 53 of a suitable slidable and rotatable turn table assembly 52 (See
The slidable and rotatable turntable assembly includes a pair of side tracks 56, 56. As shown in
To aid in moving the bag support or carrier frame 34 outwardly from the cabinet on the tracks 56, finger tabs 59 are secured (welded) to the ends 42A of the top plate 42. The tabs 59 are positioned so a person can insert a finger behind the tabs and pull the bag support frame outwardly.
The cover 24, which is a quarter of a sphere, is opened through the use of an actuator. As shown, a foot pedal actuator lever 60 is mounted to a cross shaft 62 which is pivotally mounted on pins 64 in the side wall base 15A. The foot pedal actuator lever 60 has a foot actuator pad 68. The lever 60 and the pad 68 extend out just beyond the exterior of the part cylindrical wall 38 when the waste bag support frame 34 is retracted relative to the cabinet and the foot pedal actuator is in its normal unactuated position.
The cross shaft 62 has an actuator arm 66 attached thereto which extends forwardly, and at the forward end of actuator arm 66
The depressed position of the foot pedal actuator 60 is shown in
When the foot pedal actuator 60 is depressed and the cover 24 is moved to its dotted line position, the top of the trash bag held by the ring 40 is easily accessible through the opening above the wall 38, and trash or waste can be dropped into the bag. The cover 24 will be held open with the latch 25 until the waste bag support frame is moved again to its retracted position with the waste bag back in the cabinet 12. Then, the latch 25 can be moved to let the cover 24 close.
It can be seen that if the bag support or carrier frame 34 is partially rotated when the frame 34 is retracted into the cabinet 12, the edge of wall 38 that first enters the cabinet will engage one of the bumpers 59, which will stop that leading edge and cause the wall 38 to rotate to its proper position as the frame 34 is further retracted into the cabinet.
The cover 24 may be manually moved from its open position toward the closed position and as it pivots closed, the center of gravity of the cover goes over center so the cover will continue to close under gravity. If the pivoting is undamped, the cover can close too fast. The pivot support and damper mechanism provides the damping action. A damper made by Sugatume (www.sugatsume.com) is usable. The damper element in the housing 75 of the pivot support and damper mechanism 30 provides a damping action as the cover closes, so it will close gently.
A spring that exerts force to urge the cover toward its closed position also can be provided to initially start the closing movement of the cover. The spring could be a torsion spring or a tension spring acting between the cover and the cabinet, and effective for only an initial movement of the cover from its open position, or until the cover center of gravity goes over center.
In
The cabinet 81 is made similar to the previous form of the disclosure, but it includes a panel 84 near the top and above the ring 40 that is supported by the side and rear walls 94 and 90. The top panel 84 has a recess 86 so the bag support ring 40 and the top of a waste bag 43 supported on the ring 40 are exposed for depositing waste from above. The bag support ring 40 is secured to a top plate 95 (similar to the top plate 42) mounted on the top edge of the front wall 88, and extends as a part circular band around the part cylindrical front wall 88. The waste bag is supported on the bag support ring 40 in a suitable manner with the top open, as previously described.
The turn table plate 53 is mounted for free rotation about an upright axis on the horizontally slidable base slide plate 54 that is mounted on tracks 56, constructed as shown in the first form of the disclosure. The front wall 88 and pan 91 can thus be slid, along with the ring 40 and supported bag, out of the cabinet 81 and rotated as shown in
Once a trash bag held by the ring 40 and the waste bag support frame 34 or 82 is full and needs to be emptied, the respective waste bag support frame is extended from the cabinet. In the first form of the disclosure shown in
The top of the trash bag can be loosened from the support ring 40 and the top of the bag dropped below the ring. Then the bag can be slid off the bottom pan 35 or 89 and removed without having to lift the loaded bag above the upper edge of an outer container. Lifting loaded waste or trash bags is required in conventional waste containers, and leads to strains and claims. A new bag can be installed, the bag support frame rotated back and the bag support frame retracted.
The pans 35 and 91 are made to catch liquids that may leak from a bag, as well as catch other debris that may fall alongside a bag held on ring 40. The pans can be of metal or plastic or other leak proof material. Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
In
The frame bottom wall 110 (
The waste bag support frame can be slid in and out of the cabinet 100 and rotated about an upright axis, as in the previous forms. The sliding and rotating support comprises plurality of swivel casters 116, as shown three casters, fastened to the bottom side of frame bottom wall 110 to support the waste receptacle for rolling movement along a supporting floor into and out of the opening of the cabinet 100. The casters also permit rotating the curved front wall 108 ninety degrees for easy removal of a filled waste bag.
It also should be noted that the cabinet 100 can have a channel-shaped rim support 120 that underlies the walls 102 and 104, and provides for sturdy support. Suitable glides or support feet 122 can be provided on the rim 120.
In this form of the disclosure, the waste bag support frame 106 can be rolled in and out of the cabinet and rotated 90° as shown in
In
The cabinet 138 in this form of the disclosure has a support frame or wall 140 mounted on suitable feet 142, and extends to join a back wall 144 and side walls 146. The back and side walls extend upwardly to a level above an upper end of the waste bag or receptacle frame 130, and the cabinet has a top or cover wall 148 supported between side walls 146 as shown in
A part circular flange 164 is formed around the cover 158 to shield the ring 162 and the top part of the waste bag. The cover 158 has an open portion or cutaway 166, as well, so that with the opening 156 and the shelf 154 and the opening 166 on the cover, there is an opening into which a person can drop trash through the opening formed by recess 152 in the front panel 150. The waste bag or receptacle frame 130 is mounted on slides or tracks 168 which are the same construction as the slide or tracks 156 shown in
In
Also, the flange 163 has finger tabs 172 mounted on the rear edges of the top plate 163. A finger of an operator can be slid behind the tabs 172 to pull a waste receptacle out. The finger tabs 172 can be mounted at any suitable manner, and can be welded to the top plate 163. The finger tabs 172 are positioned so that a finger can get behind them for pulling the waste receptacle out of the cabinet.
The illustrations of
In
It can be seen that the panel 35B clears the side rails 186, so that it is free to be rotated utilizing the. swivel 180.
The barstool swivels are available from Hardware Distributors, Limited, and the drawer slides are available from hardware suppliers such as Knapp & Vogt Manufacturing Company of Grand Rapids, Mich. USA.
In all forms of the disclosure, the waste bag is supported on a waste bag support frame that mates with and is movable partial into the cabinet. The waste bag support frame has a front wall that closes the cabinet front and the waste bag support frame can be moved out of the cabinet and rotated for ease of removing a loaded waste bag. The waste bag is easily attached and held in place and easily removed.
The curved front wall nest with the cabinet and forms a pleasing appearance. The cover shown is also easily operated and covers the opening to the trash bag when closed.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A waste receptacle comprising a cabinet having an open front;
- a waste bag support frame having a front wall and sized to fit at least partially within the cabinet when in a first retracted position;
- a frame support for mounting the waste bag support frame relative to the cabinet for movably mounting the bag support frame relative to the cabinet, said frame support permitting linear and rotatably movement of the waste bag support frame;
- a ring attached to the front wall of the bag support frame and having a portion extending rearwardly of the front wall of the waste bag support frame and spaced upwardly from a lower end of the waste bag support frame to provide space between the ring and the lower end for a waste bag, the ring being adapted to support an upper end of a waste bag, and the waste bag support frame being movable when supported by the frame support to a second position where the waste bag support frame is extending from the cabinet and is rotatable to place the ring and a waste bag supported thereon to the exterior of the cabinet.
2. The waste receptacle of claim 1 wherein the frame support comprises a slide for movably mounting the waste bag support frame for linear movement between the first and second positions.
3. The waste receptacle of claim 2 and a turntable supported on the slide and rotatably supporting the bag support frame relative to the slide.
4. The waste receptacle of claim 3, wherein the waste bag support frame comprises a frame bottom wall supported on the turntable, and the front wall being secured to the lower wall and extending upwardly therefrom, said front wall being part cylindrical and extending from the cabinet when the waste bag support frame is in its second position.
5. The waste receptacle of claim 4 wherein the ring is generally circular, and has a diameter less than a transverse distance between edges of the part cylindrical front wall.
6. The waste receptacle of claim 1, and a cover pivotally mounted to the cabinet about a generally horizontal axis, said cover being movable from a closed position wherein it overlies the front wall of the bag support frame, to an open position wherein it is substantially within the cabinet, and an actuator for moving the cover from the closed position to the open position.
7. The waste receptacle of claim 6, wherein said actuator comprises a foot pedal actuator having an actuator arm connected thereto, a pivot connection on the cover having a circular periphery, and a flexible member between the pivot connection and the arm of the foot pedal actuator, the flexible member being partially wrapped around the periphery of the pivot connection when the cover is in a closed position, the foot pedal actuator being connected to the flexible member and in a first position when the cover is in the closed position, and the foot pedal actuator being operable to move to a second position to cause the arm to move and cause the flexible member to rotate the pivot connection to move the cover to its open position.
8. The waste receptacle of claim 6 wherein said cover comprises a part spherical cover.
- The waste receptacle of claim 8 wherein said front wall of the bag support frame is part cylindrical, and the part spherical cover has an edge that overlies and mates with an upper edge of the part cylindrical front wall of the bag support frame when the cover is in a closed position.
10. The waste receptacle of claim 6 wherein said actuator comprises a foot pedal actuator pivotally mounted to the cabinet and having an actuator arm connected to pivot the cover to its open position when a portion of the foot pedal actuator is depressed.
11. The waste receptacle of claim 1 wherein the frame support comprises a plurality of casters mounted on the frame support.
12. The waste receptacle of claim 1 wherein the cabinet includes a shelf supported above a rear portion of the ring, and a cover hingedly connected to the shelf and movable from a first cover position overlying a front portion of the waste bag support frame to a second cover position overlying the shelf, the shelf and cover having recesses forming an opening above center portions of the ring.
13. The waste receptacle of claim 12 wherein said cover has a depending flange on a front side thereof, the flange partially surrounding the ring with the cover in the first cover position.
14. A waste receptacle comprising a cabinet, a bag support frame slidably mounted on said cabinet to be slidable from a first position wherein a portion of the bag support frame is within the cabinet, to a second position wherein the bag support frame extends from the cabinet, the bag support frame being rotatable about an upright axis relative to the cabinet in its second position, said bag support frame having a frame bottom, and a front upright wall supported on the bottom, a ring mounted on the front upright wall spaced above the bottom to permit a waste bag to be supported on the ring and extend downwardly toward the bottom, said bag support frame being movable to its second position, and in the second position a waste bag supported on the bag support ring being substantially on an exterior of the cabinet.
15. The waste receptacle of claim 14, wherein the cabinet has a cabinet bottom wall, the bag support frame being supported relative to the cabinet bottom wall on a slide, and a rotating coupling between the slide and the bag support frame mounting the bag support frame for rotation about an upright axis.
16. The waste receptacle of claim 14, wherein said frame bottom comprises a pan having a circular peripheral wall, and wherein said front upright wall is part circular in cross section and has side edges and is attached to the peripheral wall of the pan, the side edges being adjacent forward edges of the cabinet when the bag support frame is in its first position.
17. The waste receptacle of claim 16, and bumpers secured to the side walls of the cabinet and positioned to be engaged by the side edges of the upright wall if the upright wall is rotated from a normal position when moved to the first position.
18. The waste receptacle of claim 16, and a part spherical cover pivotally mounted on the cabinet, in a position such that in a cover closed position, the part spherical cover overlies an upper edge of the front upright wall of the bag support frame with the bag support frame in its first position.
19. The waste receptacle of claim 18 and an actuator movable to pivot the cover between a closed position overlying the upper edge of the front upright wall of the bag support frame, to an open position wherein the cover is retracted within the cabinet.
20. The waste receptacle of claim 13, wherein said actuator comprises a foot pedal actuator movable from a position with the cover in its closed position, and movable downwardly to a position that moves the cover to its open position.
21. The waste receptacle of claim 14, wherein the front wall is substantially a half of an upright right circular cylinder having a diameter between side edges, the cabinet having a front opening of size to receive a portion of the frame bottom extending rearwardly from a diameter line of the front wall with the bag support frame in its first position, a portion of the ring also extending rearwardly of the diameter line with the bag support frame in its first position.
22. The waste receptacle of claim 21, the front wall being configured so a majority of the part cylindrical front wall extends outwardly from the cabinet with the bag support frame in its first position.
23. The waste receptacle of claim 15 wherein the cabinet has a cabinet bottom wall, a slide and turntable between the cabinet bottom wall and the frame bottom of the bag support frame for slidably mounting the bag support frame on the cabinet bottom wall and permitting rotation of the bag support frame about an upright axis, the bag support frame being rotatable about the upright axis to move the ring outside the cabinet with the bag support frame in its second position.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 22, 2009
Publication Date: Oct 29, 2009
Inventor: Troy A. Prosa (Minneapolis, MN)
Application Number: 12/428,063
International Classification: B65D 25/14 (20060101);