AU2012100321A4 - Improvements in frontlift bins - Google Patents

Abstract

A containment bin, adapted for emptying by a front lift compactor vehicle, said bin having side and end walls tapered inwardly toward the bottom thereof, opposite side walls of said bin being fitted with side lifting pockets to receive lifting forks of said compactor vehicle and said lifting pockets being removably attached to said side walls to facilitate vertical nested stacking of said bin with another like bin for storage or transport.

Description

AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT IMPROVEMENTS IN FRONTLIFT BINS The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: This invention relates to containers. More particularly although not exclusively it applies to frontlift industrial type bins of the type used to contain waste and recyclable materials. Such bins are adapted to be emptied by frontlift compactor vehicles. Prior art bins are typically of welded steel construction. They are rectangular in shape with side and end walls and a floor. The walls are tapered inwardly towards the bottom so that a plurality of bins may be vertically stacked by nesting one inside another for transport or storage. They are usually of 1 to 8 cubic metres capacity. The side lifting pockets provided on existing bins to receive the lifting forks of the compactor vehicle are permanently welded to the side walls at the time of manufacture. This has the disadvantage of limiting the degree to which the bins can nest together during stacking. As shown in figure 1 the side pockets 1 of the bins 2 engage on the rims 3 of the bins immediately below to prevent close stacking. This increases the height of the stacks and reduces the number of bins which can be transported or stored in a given space. It is therefore an object of this invention to ameliorate the aforementioned disadvantages and accordingly a containment bin of a type adapted for emptying by a front lift compactor vehicle is disclosed, said bin being rectangular and having side and end walls tapered inwardly toward the bottom thereof, opposite side walls of said bin being fitted with side lifting pockets to receive lifting forks of said compactor vehicle and said lifting pockets being removably attached to said side walls to facilitate vertical nested stacking of said bin with another like bin for storage or transport. Preferably said side lifting pockets are removably attached to the side walls by means of mechanical fastening means.

It is further preferred that said mechanical fastening means comprises threaded fasteners. It is further preferred that said threaded fasteners comprise lockbolts with swaged-on threaded collars. One currently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings in which: figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a bin in accordance with the invention, figure 3 shows the preferred form of fastener for the bin of figure 2 figure 4 is a view similar to figure 2 showing the assembled bin, and figure 5 shows the nested vertical stacking arrangement for a bin in accordance with the invention, Referring first to figure 2 there is a rectangular bin indicated generally as 4 with side and end walls 5, 6 and a bottom 7. Horizontal steel lifting pockets or sleeves 8 are fitted to each of the side walls 5. In accordance with the invention these pockets are removably secured to the outside of the bin walls using threaded fasteners 9 which extend through said walls. Although not essential to the invention it is currently preferred to use lockbolt fasteners such as those sold by Alcoa Fastening Systems of Indianapolis, Indiana USA under the trade name "HUCK BOBTAIL". These fasteners as shown in figure 3 comprise a pin 10 with swaged-on locking collar 11 which resists loosening from vibration and provides increased strength and fatigue resistance. When fitted in the manner shown in figure 4 the side lifting pockets 8 receive the forks of the compactor vehicle whereby the bin can be lifted and the contents dumped over into the top of the vehicle in the conventional manner.

For storage or transport however the side lifting pockets can be removed so that a large number of bins according to this invention can be vertically nested. As shown in figure 5 a standard semi-trailer load may comprise 64 nested bins. This compares with only 24 prior art bins as shown in figure 1. It will thus be appreciated that this invention at least in the form of the embodiment disclosed provides a new and improved form of frontlift bin. Clearly however the example described is only the currently preferred form of the invention and a wide variety of modifications may be made which would be apparent to a person skilled in the art. For example the shape and configuration of the bin, the design and placement of the lifting pockets and the type of fastening means used to removably secure said pockets in place may all be changed according to application requirements. Also, while it is currently preferred to construct the bin and lifting pockets from steel the invention extends to the use of any other suitable material.

The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. A containment bin of a type adapted for emptying by a frontlift compactor vehicle, said bin having side and end walls tapered inwardly toward the bottom thereof, opposite side walls of said bin being fitted with side lifting pockets to receive lifting forks of said compactor vehicle and said lifting pockets being removably attached to said side walls to facilitate vertical nested stacking of said bin with another like bin for storage or transport. 2. The containment bin as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lifting pockets are removably attached to said side walls with threaded fasteners. 3. The containment bin as claimed in claim 2 wherein said threaded fasteners include swaged-on threaded locking collars to resist loosening from vibration. 4. The containment bin as claimed in claim 3 wherein said bin and lifting pockets are constructed from steel. 5. The containment bin as claimed in claim 4 wherein said bin is rectangular with planar side and end walls. Dated this 19th day of March 2012 Toro Waste Equipment Pty Limited By Our Patent Attorney MICHAEL ANDERSON-TAYLOR

Claims (5)

1. A containment bin of a type adapted for emptying by a frontlift compactor vehicle, said bin having side and end walls tapered inwardly toward the bottom thereof, opposite side walls of said bin being fitted with side lifting pockets to receive lifting forks of said compactor vehicle and said lifting pockets being removably attached to said side walls to facilitate vertical nested stacking of said bin with another like bin for storage or transport.

2. The containment bin as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lifting pockets are removably attached to said side walls with threaded fasteners.

3. The containment bin as claimed in claim 2 wherein said threaded fasteners include swaged-on threaded locking collars to resist loosening from vibration.

4. The containment bin as claimed in claim 3 wherein said bin and lifting pockets are constructed from steel.

5. The containment bin as claimed in claim 4 wherein said bin is rectangular with planar side and end walls. Dated this 19th day of March 2012 Toro Waste Equipment Pty Limited By Our Patent Attorney MICHAEL ANDERSON-TAYLOR