Waste Receptacle with Inner Can Forming a Portion of Outer Structure

Abstract

This disclosure relates to waste receptacles, particularly to receptacles for public use which allow for the inner can to be front loaded into an exterior presentation cover, and where the inner can forms a part of the exterior surface and, thus, resultant look of the receptacle. The inner can of the receptacle is designed to interact with the outer cover so that at least a portion of the inner can forms a portion of the receptacle's outer surface. In this way, the inner can does not have to be lifted out of the outer cover in a manner that requires clearance of the total height of the outer cover.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications Ser. Nos. 61/413,962, filed Nov. 15, 2010 and 61/419,162, filed Dec. 2, 2010, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a waste receptacle, particularly to a receptacle for public use which allows for the inner can to be front loaded into an exterior presentation cover, and where the inner can forms a part of the exterior surface and, thus, resultant look of the waste receptacle.

2. Description of Related Art

Commercial enterprises, as well as governments and other entities, provide a large number of trash or garbage cans for use by the public as a whole. These types of receptacles can be found on street corners, in businesses, zoos, in parks, and in other public places, for example, and are generally placed so that litter is disposed of in the receptacle, where it can be picked up by waste collection trucks and individuals instead of having to utilize street sweepers or other pick up services that are significantly more labor intensive.

Most such public trash cans are designed to be simple to use and usually comprise an inner can, which often supports a plastic or other flexible liner, which is then placed in an outer cover. The cover's purpose is often multifold. For one, it often serves as a shelter for the inner can to protect the inner can from filling with water or snow and to keep trash placed in the can from blowing out in wind. Further, the outer cover is often designed to provide for easy access to place materials in the can without need of touching a surface which could become contaminated. The outer cover is also often used to improve the appearance of the can as a whole while the inner can is generally built for functionality in supporting and removing the liner.

Generally designs of public trash cans provide an exterior cover which is roughly cylindrical or that of an elongated paraboloid. This provides for a device which is generally enclosed and serves to surround and enclose the inner can and liner. Access to the liner for deposition of trash is generally though a small access opening. This is usually in the side of the outer cover or in the center of the top. The hole may be open or, in some cases, may include a biased or flexible flap that serves to cover the hole but which is easily pushed out of the way by hand or through the use of a piece of trash to be deposited. These structures generally provide that the trash, unless the container becomes overfilled, is held below the opening, and thus is less likely to be moved from the receptacle by wind. The liner is also generally protected from being filled with rain, snow, or other natural effects except in extreme weather conditions.

Traditionally, removal of the inner can to empty the trash stored therein required the waste collector to remove the top from the outer cover, and then lift out the can and liner. They would then place the liner in a collection truck, and replace it with a new liner. Once the new liner was in place, the inner can would be returned to outer cover and the top would be put back in place.

As can be quickly seen, with this design the waste collector is forced to lift the inner can and liner out of the cover which, if the can was full, can result in a significant amount of heavy labor and can result in back or other muscle strains because the inner can often must be lifted a number of feet to clear the outer cover. This was particular true because in many prior designs with the top removed, the outer cover was still taller than the inner can to allow for easy access to the inner can while reducing the chance of inadvertently touching it.

To try and resolve this issue, some outer covers were fitted with a side or front door whereby the waste collector could open the door and slide the inner can out the front of the cover, then lift out the liner. In these designs, there was no need for the waste collector to lift the full can (they simply slide it). However, they still require the waste collector to maneuver the heavy can around the door and through an opening that often represented a bottleneck. Further, the doors often utilized biasing mechanisms or locks to keep them closed which could present further difficulty as they simply got in the way. Because the can often passes in close proximity to the door, the receptacle can also contact the door resulting on trash coming into contact with the door which can result in germs being present on the exterior door which can come into contact with people using the receptacle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following is a summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The sole purpose of this section is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Because of these and other problems in the art, described herein, among other things, are waste receptacles for public use which allow for the inner can to be front loaded into an exterior presentation cover, and where the inner can forms a part of the exterior surface and, thus, resultant look of the receptacle. The inner can of the receptacle is designed to interact with the outer cover so that at least a portion of the inner can forms a portion of the receptacle's outer surface. In this way, the inner can does not have to be lifted out of the outer cover in a manner that requires clearance of the total height of the outer cover.

In an embodiment, the receptacle for receiving waste comprises, an inner can having opposing ends and an outer wall defining a hallow interior volume, the first end being closed and the second end being open for receiving waste within the interior volume; and an outer cover for receiving the inner can. The outer cover comprises: a side wall designed to partially and correspondingly surround the outer wall of the inner can in close proximity therewith with the side wall only partially enclosing the outer cover such that the outer cover can receive the inner can through the open portion of side wall; and a top and a foot extending beyond the side wall and forming an interior space within the outer cover, such that when the outer cover receives the inner can, the top and the foot extend above and below, respectively, the inner can. Additionally, the outer cover only partially surrounds the inner can such that the outer cover has an open side and at least a portion of the outer wall of the inner can forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle.

In one embodiment, the inner can is removed from the outer cover by being slid forward. In another embodiment, the inner can is in the form of an inverted hollow conical frustum. In yet another embodiment, the inner can further comprises a handle positioned on the surface thereof.

In some embodiments, the first end of the inner can includes a depression pushing up into the hallow interior volume of the inner can and the foot of the outer cover includes a depression pushing up into the hallow interior space of the out cover and being sized and shaped to fit within the depression of the first end of the inner can. In other embodiments, the inner can further comprises a rim at the second end of the inner can, the rim being for fitting a trash bag or liner within the interior volume of the inner can. The outer cover also may further comprises a hole arranged within the side wall in a position opposed to the open side of the outer cover.

In some embodiments, the outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-quarter of the outer surface of the receptacle. In other embodiments, outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-third of the outer surface of the receptacle. The side wall also may have an exterior diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the portion of the outer wall of the inner can that forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle. In one embodiment, the inner can is removably adjoined to the foot of the outer cover.

Also disclosed herein is a receptacle for receiving waste comprising: an inner can having opposing ends and an outer wall defining a hallow interior volume, the first end being open for receiving waste within the interior volume; and an outer cover partially surrounding the inner can such that at least a portion of the inner can forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle, the outer cover. The outer cover comprises: a side wall designed to correspond with the outer wall of the inner can and in close proximity therewith with the side wall only partially enclosing the outer cover such that the inner can can be removed from the outer cover through the open portion of side wall; and a top and a foot extending beyond the side wall and forming an interior space within the outer cover, such that when the outer cover surrounds the inner can, the top and the foot extend above and below, respectively, the inner can.

In an embodiment, the inner can may be in the form of an inverted hollow conical frustum. In some embodiments, the outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-quarter of the outer surface of the receptacle. In other embodiments, the outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-third of the outer surface of the receptacle. The side wall also may have an exterior diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the portion of the outer wall of the inner can that forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a left side view of an embodiment of a waste receptacle of the present invention with the inner can and outer cover assembled.

FIG. 2 shows a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of an embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the inner can and outer cover separated.

FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of the foot of the outer cover.

FIG. 6 shows a back view of the outer cover.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1

FIG. 8 provides various different views of alternative embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Described herein, among other things, are waste receptacles (100) in which the inner can (101) is designed to interact with the outer cover (103) so that at least a portion of the inner can (101) forms a portion of the receptacle's (100) outer surface. In this way, the inner can (101) does not have to be lifted out of the outer cover (103) in a manner that requires clearance of the total height of the outer cover (103). Further, as the inner can (101) forms a part of the outer wall of the receptacle (100), when the inner can (101) is removed by being slid forward, there is no door for the inner can (101) or trash therein to contact as, effectively, the side of the receptacle (100) is simply removed as an integral part of the inner can (101).

FIGS. 1-7 show a variety of different views of a waste receptacle (100) which forms an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 provides for some alternative embodiments. In the FIGS., the receptacle (100) comprises two components, an inner can (101) and an outer cover (103). The inner can (101), in the depicted embodiment, is generally in the form of an inverted hollow conical frustum sealed at the smaller end although this is by no means required and in alternative embodiments the inner can (101) can be cylindrical, parallelepiped (as shown in FIG. 8, for example), or of any other structure which generally serves as a hollow receptacle and is, thus, open at a single end.

Depending on embodiment, the side walls (111) of the inner can (101) may be solid or may be formed of a mesh, grill, lattice or other material which includes holes. The inner can (101) may be constructed of any material but will generally be constructed of a metal or heavy duty plastic to provide strength, rigidity, and wear protection. The inner can (101) will generally include a handle (113) positioned on a surface thereof. This handle (113) may be recessed as shown in the FIGS., or may extend from the side walls (111). The handle (113) can be used to assist in lifting and pulling the inner can (101) from the outer cover (103).

The base (115) (i.e., the closed end) of the inner can (101) may be shaped so as to include a center depression (141), pushing up into the hollow interior (117) of the can. This depression (141), along with the remaining portion of the base (115) may serve to provide a support relationship with the foot (315) of the outer cover (103).

Generally, in use, the inner can (101) will be designed to accept a trash bag or liner (not shown) of traditional and standard size and design into the hollow interior (117). The liner may be held in place by being fitted over the rim (119) of the inner can (101) or may be held in place by a rim, ridge, clip, or other structure located internal to the hollow interior (117) which may serve to at least partially hide the presence of the liner in the can.

The outer cover (103) generally comprises a side wall (311) which is generally of a shape corresponding to the outer wall (111) of the inner can (101). The side wall (311), however, will generally be of slightly larger size. In particular, the side wall (311) will generally have an interior which is sized and shaped to correspond to the exterior of the outer wall (111) of the inner can (101). In this way, the inner can (101) can be placed within the outer cover (103) with the outer wall (111) and side wall (311) generally in proximity. As described more fully below, the side wall (311) is arranged so that a portion but not all of the outer wall (111) would be in proximity with the side wall (311). However, in alternative embodiments the side wall (311) is arranged so that only a relatively small portion (e.g. less than 50% and any amount above 0%) of the outer wall (111) would be in proximity thereto, the rest being provided with a design shape to alter the resultant appearance of the receptacle (100). For example, the inner can (101) may be an inverted conical frustum while the outer cover (103) is a partial cylinder having a diameter generally equivalent to the largest diameter of the inner can (101). This type of arrangement is generally not preferred, however, as it will usually result in the receptacle (100) having a more non-symmetrical appearance. In any event, the side wall (311) will generally be arranged so that at least 25% of the outer wall (111) would be in proximity with the side wall (311). The outer cover (103) will often be constructed of the same or similar material to the inner can (101) and may include similar decorative elements, depending on embodiment.

In the depicted embodiment, the outer cover (103) also includes a top (319) and a foot (315) which are attached to the side wall (311) and together serve to form an enclosed structure generally having at least one open side (303). The top (319) and foot (315) generally extend beyond the side wall (311) in such fashion that the outer cover (103) effectively forms a hollow shape corresponding to the shape of the inner can (101), however, the shape is generally larger and is incomplete due to the existence of open side (303). The outer cover (103) is also significantly taller than the inner can (101) so that the underside (329) of the top (319) is spaced from the rim (119) when the inner can (101) is placed within the outer cover (103) as shown in FIGS. 1-3.

The outer cover (103) in the depicted embodiment also includes a hole (333) arranged within the side wall (311) which will preferably be in a position opposed to the open side (303). Generally the hole (333) will extend from a lower edge (335) which is generally positioned to be at the same height as rim (119) when the inner can (101) is in the position of FIGS. 1-3, to the base of the top (319). Thus, the hole (333) will loosely mirror the opening of the open side (303) which remains between the rim (119) of inner can (101) and the underside (329) of the top (319). As can be seen in FIG. 8, in alternative embodiments a hole is unnecessary because the receptacle provides a sufficiently symmetrical appearance without it. It may also not be included in alternative embodiments as a single opening may be sufficient.

The foot (315) may include an extension (341) which also pushes up into the hollow interior (343) of the outer cover (103). The extension (341) will generally be sized and shaped to fit within the depression (141) in the base (115) of the inner can so that the inner can (101) is effectively provided with a female connector designed to mate with the male connector of the outer cover (103). This serves to help hold the inner can in place. As used herein, connectors refers to both the depression (141) in the base (115) and the extension (341) in the foot (315). In the embodiments of FIG. 8, this connection is replaced by a padlock (801) (or latch) which serves the same purpose of holding the inner can (101) in place in the outer cover (103). Further, the inner can (101) may include a swing latch or similar connection (805) to help hold the inner can (101) in place or the foot (315) may include depression in the opposing direction to correspond to “feet” depressions on the base (115) of the inner can (101).

In a still further embodiment, the open side (303) and the outer cover (103) may be shorter so as to not be much taller than the inner can (101). In this embodiment, the rim (119) of inner can (101) and the underside (329) of the top (319) will generally be in close proximity (or may touch). In such an embodiment the hole (333) will generally be positioned in the top (319) often centered therein. This would allow trash to be deposited into the receptacle from above the outer cover (103), as opposed to through the side (311) as is done in the depicted embodiments.

As can be seen in the FIGS, the receptacle (100) is designed to have two general modes or positions. In the first position, illustrated in FIG. 4, the inner can (101) and outer cover (103) are separated. In the remaining FIGS, the two connectors (141) and (341) have been aligned and the inner can (101) is placed partially within the outer cover (103). The position of FIG. 4 would essentially be the receptacle's (100) positioning during the time that the liner is being replaced or the inner can (101) is otherwise being emptied of trash. The position of the other FIGS. would be as the receptacle (100) appears when it is ready for the deposition of trash therein.

It is important to recognize that a feature of the present receptacles (100) are that the inner can (101) is not completely hidden by the outer cover (103). Instead a portion of the outer wall (111) of the inner can (101) forms a portion of the outer surface of the receptacle (100). Specifically, the outer wall (111) effectively forms an extension of the side wall (311) which serves to complete the structure of the receptacle (100). This can therefore provide for an aesthetically pleasing receptacle (100) while eliminating the need to lift the inner can (101) to significant height or maneuver it through a bottleneck opening to change the liner. In this regard, in an embodiment as suggested in FIGS. 4 and 7, the outer wall (111) and side wall (311) may form a monolithic surface when the inner can (101) is placed within the outer cover (103). In such an embodiment, the exterior of the outer wall (111) will have two different diameters. First, the exterior diameter of outer wall (111) that forms a portion of the resultant surface of the receptacle (100) is approximately equal to the exterior diameter of the side wall (311). Second, the exterior diameter of the outer wall (111) that corresponds in close proximity with the interior of the side wall (311) is slightly less (and almost equal) than the interior diameter of the side wall (311).

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7, the inner can (101) outer wall (111) forms about ⅓ of the total surface forming the sides of the receptacle when the inner can (101) and outer cover (103) are assembled. This is by no means necessary and the inner can (101) may form more or less of the resultant surface. For example in the embodiments of FIG. 8, the outer wall (111) comprises about ¾ of the total surface. It is important, however, that the inner can (101) form at least a portion of the resultant surface as the inner can (101) is designed to form at least a portion of the visible structure of the resultant receptacle (100) and that the inner can (101) can be freely pulled from the side of the outer cover (103). Generally, the portion formed will be on the sides of the receptacle as the top (319) will form the top of the receptacle (100) and the foot (315) will form the bottom. However, in alternative embodiments the inner can (101) may additionally include one or both of these structures. Further, as noted above, the exterior of the outer wall (111) may have two different diameters, with the exterior diameter of outer wall (111) that forms a portion of the resultant surface of the receptacle (100) being approximately equal to the exterior diameter of the side wall (311).

In operation, the receptacle (100) would generally work as follows. The inner can (101) would have a liner placed therein. The inner can (101) would then be placed into the outer cover (103) so that a portion of it was still visible. In effect, the combination often requires both the inner can (101) and outer cover (103) to be present in order to give the receptacle (100) the generally symmetric appearance common in trash receptacles. The receptacle (100) would then be filled with trash which is placed through hole (333) or opening (303) and into the liner in the inner can (101).

When it came time to empty the receptacle (100), the waste collector would unlock the inner can (101) from the outer cover (103), if a lock was present, and would then slide or rotate the inner can (101) out from inside the outer cover (103). In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7, this would involve slightly lifting the inner can (101) with the handle (113) to break the connection between the two connectors (141) and (341) and then sliding the inner can (101) forward with the handle (113) over the extension (341).

It should be recognized that because there is no door used to seal the outer cover (103) since the inner can (101) forms a portion of the outer structure, the inner can (101) is easily maneuvered forward without need to maneuver around another structure. It will often be the case that the narrowest point of passage between the outer cover (103) and inner can (101) exists when the inner can is in its installed (FIG. 7) position. This means that the removal of the can requires no sliding through a bottleneck. Once the inner can (101) is separated (e.g. as shown in FIG. 4), the liner is removed and disposed of, a new liner is placed in the inner can (101) and the inner can (101) is returned by sliding it back into position within the outer cover (103).

Thus, the receptacle (100) provides for a benefit that a waste collector does not need to lift the inner can (101) any significant distance to remove it from the outer cover (103) and also does not need to try to manhandle the can through a door or other opening which may present a bottleneck. Instead, the inner can (101) is generally positioned in a wide opening (at least as wide as the inner can (101) is) and can be easily removed.

It should be noted that while FIGS. 1-8 provide for a plurality of different embodiments, they are by no means exclusive of designs. Further, in an alternative embodiment, the receptacle (100) may be used without a liner with trash being placed directly into the inner can (101). In a still further embodiment, the inner can (101) may be designed to have a limited intended lifespan shorter than the lifespan of the outer cover (103). In this case, the inner can (101) may be thrown out at some point in its lifetime to be replaced by a different can.

In a still further embodiment, the inner can (101) may include designs or patterns which are designed to be seasonal or alterable. Thus, the inner can (101) may include a depiction of winter scenes for use in winter while spring scenes are used in spring. In this way, the receptacle (100) can provide seasonal decoration without the outer cover (103) having to be replaced.

In a still further embodiment, the outer cover (103) may be designed to be more permanently mounted. For example, bolts, screws or other mounting objects may be placed through the foot (315) to securely position the receptacle (100). As these would generally be covered by the inner can (101) when the receptacle (100) is ready to receive trash, it can inhibit the receptacle (100) from being moved. Similarly, the foot (315) may be replaced by an installed structure (such as, but not limited to, a poured concrete platform such as sidewalk) with the remaining structure of the outer cover either being of similar constructed in place design or of a form similar to that of the FIGS which is simply provided to be integrally connected with the foundation formation.

While the invention has been disclosed in conjunction with a description of certain embodiments, including those that are currently believed to be the preferred embodiments, the detailed description is intended to be illustrative and should not be understood to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, embodiments other than those described in detail herein are encompassed by the present invention. Modifications and variations of the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A receptacle for receiving waste, the receptacle comprising:

an inner can having opposing ends and an outer wall defining a hallow interior volume, the first end being closed and the second end being open for receiving waste within the interior volume; and

an outer cover for receiving the inner can, the outer cover comprising: a side wall designed to partially and correspondingly surround the outer wall of the inner can in close proximity therewith, the side wall only partially enclosing the outer cover such that the outer cover can receive the inner can through the open portion of side wall; and a top and a foot extending beyond the side wall and forming an interior space within the outer cover, such that when the outer cover receives the inner can, the top and the foot extend above and below, respectively, the inner can; wherein the outer cover only partially surrounds the inner can such that the outer cover has an open side and at least a portion of the outer wall of the inner can forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle.

2. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the inner can is removed from the outer cover by being slid forward.

3. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the inner can is in the form of an inverted hollow conical frustum.

4. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the inner can further comprises a handle positioned on the surface thereof.

5. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the first end of the inner can includes a depression pushing up into the hallow interior volume of the inner can and wherein the foot of the outer cover includes a depression pushing up into the hallow interior space of the out cover and being sized and shaped to fit within the depression of the first end of the inner can.

6. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the inner can further comprises a rim at the second end of the inner can, the rim being for fitting a trash bag or liner within the interior volume of the inner can.

7. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the outer cover further comprises a hole arranged within the side wall in a position opposed to the open side of the outer cover.

8. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-quarter of the outer surface of the receptacle.

9. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-third of the outer surface of the receptacle.

10. The receptacle of claim 1, the side wall having an exterior diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the portion of the outer wall of the inner can that forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle.

11. The receptacle of claim 1, wherein the inner can is removably adjoined to the foot of the outer cover.

12. A receptacle for receiving waste, the receptacle comprising:

an inner can having opposing ends and an outer wall defining a hallow interior volume, the first end being open for receiving waste within the interior volume; and

an outer cover partially surrounding the inner can such that at least a portion of the inner can forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle, the outer cover comprising: a side wall designed to correspond with the outer wall of the inner can and in close proximity therewith, the side wall only partially enclosing the outer cover such that the inner can can be removed from the outer cover through the open portion of side wall; and a top and a foot extending beyond the side wall and forming an interior space within the outer cover, such that when the outer cover surrounds the inner can, the top and the foot extend above and below, respectively, the inner can.

13. The receptacle of claim 12, wherein the inner can is in the form of an inverted hollow conical frustum.

14. The receptacle of claim 12, wherein outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-quarter of the outer surface of the receptacle.

15. The receptacle of claim 12, wherein outer wall of the inner can forms at least one-third of the outer surface of the receptacle.

16. The receptacle of claim 12, the side wall having an exterior diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the portion of the outer wall of the inner can that forms a portion of an outer surface of the receptacle.