Attachable Stabilizer for Laterally Supporting a Garbage Bin
An attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin has a clevis, an extension plate, a garbage-bin coupler, a wheel and an axle. The wheel is positioned into the clevis, the wheel is rotatably connected with the clevis by the axle, the clevis is terminally positioned to the extension plate, the clevis is pivotally connected with the extension plate about a pivot axis, the pivot axis is perpendicularly positioned to the axle, the garbage-bin coupler is terminally connected with the extension plate, the extension plate is located in between the clevis and the garbage-bin coupler, and the garbage-bin coupler is used to be releasably coupled to the garbage bin.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/527,651 filed on Jun. 30, 2017 and to the U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/839,535 filed on Dec. 12, 2017.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to an attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin. More specifically, the attachable stabilizer positions the center of gravity of a wheeled garbage bin in line with the wheel-and-axle assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe purpose of having wheels on a garbage bin is to allow users to easily roll the garbage bin out to the curb for the garbage trucks to pick up the garbage bin. Some households produce a large amount of garbage due to a variety of reasons such as a large amount of household members that reside in the home or a large event. Many garbage bins are large enough to fit more than two regular sized trash bags in. Depending on the density of each trash bag, the garbage bin can become extremely heavy. Attempting to lift or drag a garbage bin without wheels is an inefficient method of transporting the garbage bin from one location to another location. Attempting to lift or drag a garbage bin can additionally pose a health hazard unto people who attempt to do so without proper form and cause unnecessary additional stress on a person's body. Most garbage bins use a wheel-and-axle assembly to help users move the garbage bin without having to lift it. The simple addition of wheels allows the user to tilt the large garbage bin at any varying angle in order to push or pull the garbage bin out to curb. The added wheels lessen the burden that a person would need to carry in order to transport the garbage bin from one point to another.
In some cases, the addition of wheels can make a garbage bin less stable. When the garbage bin is too heavy or the weight of the garbage placed inside is unevenly distributed, the garbage bin may be prone to easily tipping over. There have been some inventions that have added an additional third wheel to help the ease the transportation of a heavy garbage bin. But these inventions place the additional third wheel onto the side opposite that of where the wheels are located on the garbage bin. These inventions do not address the issue of adding stability to the wheel side of the garbage bin, which is where many garbage bins lose stability. Adding a third wheel to the wheel side of the garbage bin will help the user transport the garbage bin with more stability due to the added supporting member. Some inventions similar to this exist in which a mechanism for a third wheel is attached to the same side in which the existing wheels are. A third wheel attachment in previous inventions are detachable but these inventions often require a secure means of attaching the mechanism with methods that include the need to screw onto the existing base. Doing so may damage the garbage bin which in many cases is rented to the user by the public waste disposal department. Additionally, screwing on an attachment to the back of a garbage bin requires the use of a number of tools and may also add unnecessary holes into the garbage bin. In addition to these issues, these inventions may increase the chances of mistakes, especially if the invention is an aftermarket product.
The present invention is an attachable third wheel that attaches to the existing axle of the garbage bin. An objective of this present invention is to provide a simple, tool free means of attaching a third wheel onto a garbage bin for additional support and stability. The third wheel attachment that does not require any means of securing or the use of additional tools. This third wheel attachment is easily attachable and removable. The removability of this third wheel attachment allows the user to easily detach the third wheel attachment at will. When the garbage bin is not as heavy, the user is able to simply detach the third wheel attachment for use at a later time. Further, this allows the user to use the present invention with multiple garbage bins. The third wheel attachment contains an axle connector that allows the user to easily place the axle connector onto the existing axle of the garbage bin. The axle connector is not fixed into a single position on the axle. Instead, the existing axle of the garbage bin is free to rotate about the axle connector in which the remainder of the attachment allows for such movement. Because the third wheel attachment is positioned upon the axis of the existing wheels of the garbage bin and is additionally rotatable about the axis, the user is able to tilt and support the garbage bin with the third wheel attachment at the user's desired angle. This third wheel attachment can easily be used as an aftermarket product with any garbage bin due to the fact that this third wheel attachment can easily be snapped onto an existing axle. The user is additionally able to rest the back of the garbage bin on the third wheel attachment when rolling the garbage bin out. When the garbage bin is tilted, the user may be able to tilt it at such an angle where the garbage bin will then be rolling on a set of three wheels instead of two wheels. Being able to roll a heavy garbage bin on a set of three wheels instead of two can provide additional stability and a lessened burden when transporting the garbage bin from one point to another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is a third wheel attachment for garbage bins with wheels. The third wheel attachment is easily snapped onto the existing axle of the garbage bin. This allows the user to attach and detach the third wheel attachment at will and according the user's desire. The user is able to tilt the garbage bin when transporting the garbage bin from one point to another with the added stability of an additional third wheel in addition to allowing the garbage bin to rest on the third wheel attachment. This third wheel attachment is universal such that the third wheel attachment can be used with any garbage bin with wheels.
In order to achieve the objectives, the present invention provides an attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin. The attachable stabilizer balances the garbage bin as it is being pushed or pulled by the user. The attachable stabilizer includes a clevis, an extension plate, a garbage-bin coupler, a wheel and an axle. The clevis affixes the wheel onto the extension plate in a steerable manner, thereby allowing the wheel to steer when the garbage bin makes a turn. The extension plate rotatably and laterally supports the garbage bin from tipping over. The garbage-bin coupler releasably couples the extension plate onto the wheel-and-axle assembly. As such, the extension plate may be retrofitted onto a variety of different garbage bins. The wheel and the axle along with the wheel-and-axle assembly allows the garbage bin to roll over the terrain. This allows the user to easily transport the garbage bin even if it is heavily loaded with waste.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
Conventional garbage bins comprise a wheel-and-axle assembly mounted offset from the center of gravity allowing a user to easily transport the garbage bin. To move the garbage bin, a user simply tilts the garbage bin until the center of gravity aligns to the wheel-and-axle assembly and rolls the garbage bin. This allows the user to balance on a single wheel-and-axle assembly. Accordingly, the present invention is an attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin. More specifically, the present invention secures the garbage bin in a perfectly balanced position.
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A first hook 52 and a second hook 53 allow the cord 51 to selectively latch onto the garbage bin cover and the extension plate 2. In the preferred embodiment, both the first hook 52 and the second hook 53 are snap hooks. As such, the user may connect or disconnect the first hook 52 and the second hook 53 from the garbage been as required. The first hook 52 is fixed to the first cord end 54 of the cord 51. Further, the first hook 52 is engaged to the eye 6. More specifically, the first hook 52 forms an interlocking engagement with the eye 6, thereby connecting the cord 51 to the extension plate 2. Similarly, the second hook 53 is fixed to the second cord end 55 of the cord 51. This positions the second hook 53 opposite the first hook 52 along the cord 51. The second hook 53 interlocks with the hinge for the garbage bin cover. The first hook 52 and the second hook 53 are selectively latched to the eye 6 and the hinge of garbage bin cover to permit the user to tilt the garbage bin forward. This may be necessary to empty the contents of the garbage bin. Alternately any hooking or latching mechanism may be used to secure the cord 51 to the garbage bin.
Finally, the extension plate 2 is fashioned with a structural rib 7 for added rigidity and structural integrity. The structural rib 7 is aligned longitudinally to the extension plate 2. This increases rigidity along the length of the extension plate 2 and prevents the extension plate 2 from bending from the pulling force of the cord 51.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims
1. An attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin comprising:
- a clevis;
- an extension plate;
- a garbage-bin coupler;
- a wheel;
- an axle;
- the wheel being positioned into the clevis;
- the wheel being rotatably connected with the clevis by the axle;
- the clevis being terminally positioned to the extension plate;
- the clevis being pivotally connected with the extension plate about a pivot axis;
- the pivot axis being perpendicularly positioned to the axle;
- the garbage-bin coupler being terminally connected with the extension plate;
- the extension plate being located in between the clevis and the garbage-bin coupler; and
- the garbage-bin coupler being configured to be releasably coupled to said garbage bin.
2. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- the clevis comprising a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a bridge;
- the first sidewall and the second sidewall being parallelly positioned to each other;
- the first sidewall and the second sidewall being offset from each other;
- the bridge being connected in between the first sidewall and the second sidewall;
- the axle being connected in between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and
- the bridge and the axle being positioned offset from each other along the clevis.
3. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 2 comprising:
- the extension plate being pivotally connected with the bridge about the pivot axis.
4. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 2 comprising:
- the bridge and the axle being parallelly positioned to each other.
5. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- the garbage-bin coupler being a C-shaped clamp;
- the C-shaped clamp comprising an axle-receiving hole; and
- the axle-receiving hole being perpendicularly positioned to the pivot axis.
6. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- the wheel comprising a tire and a rim;
- the tire being concentrically mounted around the rim; and
- the rim being rotatably mounted onto the axle.
7. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 6 comprising:
- the tire comprising a tread area and a plurality of grooves; and
- the plurality of grooves being peripherally distributed about the tread area.
8. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tire is torsionally connected with the rim.
9. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- the extension plate comprising a first portion and a second portion;
- the first portion and the second portion being connected with each other;
- the clevis being adjacently positioned to the first portion;
- the first portion being located in between the second portion and the clevis;
- the garbage-bin coupler being adjacently positioned to the second portion;
- the second portion being located in between the first portion and the garbage-bin coupler; and
- the first portion being oriented at an obtuse angle with the second portion.
10. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 9 comprising:
- the obtuse angle being 150 degrees.
11. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 9 comprising:
- the obtuse angle being 145 degrees.
12. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- the clevis comprising a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a bridge;
- the first sidewall and the second sidewall being parallelly positioned to each other;
- the first sidewall and the second sidewall being offset from each other;
- the bridge being connected in between the first sidewall and the second sidewall;
- the extension plate comprising a first portion and a second portion;
- the first portion and the second portion being connected with each other;
- the clevis being adjacently positioned to the first portion;
- the first portion being located in between the second portion and the clevis;
- the garbage-bin coupler being adjacently positioned to the second portion;
- the second portion being located in between the first portion and the garbage-bin coupler;
- the first portion being oriented at an obtuse angle with the second portion; and
- the first portion and the bridge being parallelly positioned to each other.
13. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- an eye;
- the eye being adjacently positioned to the pivot axis; and
- the eye being laterally connected onto the extension plate.
14. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 13 comprising:
- a cord;
- the cord comprising a first cord end and a second cord end;
- the first cord end and the second cord end being oppositely located to each other;
- the first cord end being coupled to the eye; and
- the second cord end being configured to be coupled to said garbage bin.
15. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 14 comprising:
- a first hook;
- a second hook;
- the first hook being fixed to the first cord end;
- the second hook being fixed to the second cord end;
- the first hook being engaged with the eye;
- the first cord end being coupled to the eye via the first hook; and
- the second cord end being configured to be coupled to said garbage bin via the second hook.
16. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 14 comprising:
- the cord being an elastic cord.
17. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- a structural rib; and
- the structural rib being integrated along the extension plate.
18. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 17 comprising:
- the structural rib being longitudinally aligned with the extension plate.
19. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising:
- the extension plate comprising a plate body, a plate hole, a stem and a swivel head;
- the plate hole traversing through the plate body;
- the stem being inserted into the plate hole;
- the stem being torsionally connected with the swivel head; and
- the stem being parallelly aligned to the pivot axis.
20. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 19 comprising:
- the extension plate comprising a nut;
- the nut being sleeved onto the stem;
- the plate body being clamped in between the nut and the swivel head.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 29, 2019
Publication Date: Jul 25, 2019
Inventor: Peter Alden Lounsbury (Bainbridge Island, WA)
Application Number: 16/370,308