AU667558B2

AU667558B2 - A refuse bin

Info

Publication number: AU667558B2
Application number: AU44943/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Idwall Charles Richards
Original assignee: Firebelt Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Patents4us Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1992-08-26
Filing date: 1993-08-26
Publication date: 1996-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 2013-08-26
Also published as: AU4494393A

Description

4,I c' -b 'U P X r*j" )I;i*slil:.

l.:i ,i a .~'bf .i I i -I

C

i" i Irrr 4' i~-I 4'z 4 Il i '4 It, t6i6 75 o- P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Applications Nos: FIREBELT PTY LIMITED Idwall Charles Richards TREVOR DREDGE ASSOCIATES Patent Trade Mark Attorneys 13th Floor, 379 Queen Street BRISBANE, QLD, 4000 (GPO Box 1339, BRISBANE, 4001) "A Refuse Bin" Australian Patent Application No. PL4325 filed 26 August, 1992; and Australian Patent Application No. PL4728 filed 14 September, 1992.

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: C' -2 THI INETO reae to a euebnsial'oruei h trg n colcin frfseadi patcu, ut no~t liie to a, reueclecinsse emplyin therefse in ad asid loaingrefse vhice i cominaion At prset it' is; co m nfrhueodest esple wt rpitr reus bin, othtyehvnaparowhesstathebncnb oebu THI Iompaction relansmte topa refuse int suitable forn the storagelan iclecing ofns refuercrbdls and inpatcuarautn tliie bte a reuecoeiopsyste emplitongly thecfuetin and r asid loadin eue vireicnl in, cobiaton.ppe Atmp pes wetrtiecmo householders erqie to be plied th ra oprietr rfseabindom th tpe havinair ofm wheels. sore ta h incrane eve aot inparrochndcataasion. inrccig ths type ofobinealo ha idld ollectirccals ietfon ofe roefs cand i thesebnsominolgverefuen vehieshc have sviei auoaters automspate loaing mecthanisms whchempt thn e conartet o asine intha hopeholter vnehicle. coari, thevices inle oe form ofc coation mfechcanism Toi comactgefen iento v a an onihevicle. rs io Wrinaigthe incresehde ironm el ecinerveln.fdmsieybe dum sis whobee oushleresn arvenreire to dealernaiet the yprlsinr atih omiaes at hist nd some loalgoernen aureetoites havbempovde It is asobecto the present invention tosprovide an ltenived oith pro 4, 1 4 .4j 4 h 'o 44h d re s .4 cn a uprgh i i I ti ,C j, i 'I 3 refuse vehicle having a hopper and a refuse separator means located in the hopper, the bin being suitable for holding refuse and comprising an upright hollow drum-like body having a storage section, divider means for separating the storage section into compartments and a refuse entry section, the refuse entry section having an opening through which refuse can be placed in the drum-like body, the drum-like body having a closure member coupled thereto and being moveable between a closed position where the closure member can be manually moved in order for a user to deposit refuse into the drum-like body through the opening and an open position where upon inversion of the bin, the closure member automatically moves to the open position so the bin empties, the closure member being so made and arranged that as the bin is in the process of being emptied, the refuse separator means can be located inside the closure member in close proximity to the opening and aligned with the divider means without interfering with the operation of the closure member as the closure member moves from the closed position to the open position.

The bin typically includes a partition or divider separating the bin into separate storage sections and having upstream and downstream portions relative to outflow of refuse from the bin, the downstream portion having refuse deflector means to deflect refuse as it leaves the bin.

The divider is typically a removable or fixed wall and can be part of a removable container. The deflector means is typically an enlarged or flared downstream edge of the divider. The divider can be positioned anywhere within the bin and one or more dividers may be employed. Each divider may have a deflector means as described above.

_1 Ii ii t. i tiil coupled to the bin at or adjacent the top portion. The hollow drum-like body can be partitioned into a number of separate compartments or storage areas or can have an interior having a single storage area. The body can have fixed or adjustable partitions or can include removable containers which also serve to subdivide the body when operatively located within the drum-like body.

Typically, upon moving the closure member to the open position, the opening is exposed and typically, the opening is in the form of a plurality of selectabe openings for the selective reception of different kinds of refuse in pre-designated locations. Thus, co-mingled recyclables and other garbage can be temporarily stored together in the bin but be stored separately in the separate storage regions.

This arrangement enables each householder to separate the garbage into recyclable and non-recyclable sections and therefore reduce the cost of separation oenigs or te sleciverepto of diffrn ind frfueir-dsgae The c n losure member can be tof any form typically includi eang sliding panels or hinged lids or multiple a ue members. In on te embodiment, thebe losure rcyclle d o-reccl able sjcin n theef ore rede th ostru-k of aatin member includes a refuse separator passage means so that as thrage closurea member moves toabl the open position, the reafuse separator meant os he throughe the passage means so th at it does not interfere with the operation of the mclosureb member whilst the closure member automatically moves to the open position.

1. tesprtrmn.Tpclytea i i In another embodiment, the closure member is one of a plurality of independently operable closure members which move to their respective open positions without there being any interference between the closure members and the separator means. Typically, the passage means comprises a slot in the closure member or a space between adjacent closure members.

In another aspect, the present invention resides in a refuse collection system comprising a side loading refuse vehicle for collecting refuse and a bin suitable for holding refuse. The vehicle includes a cab, a hopper behind the cab, and a loading mechanism adjacent the hopper to which the bin is temporarily attached during an emptying process and a refuse separator means located in the hopper. The bin includes an upright hollow drum-like body having a storage section, divider means for separating the storage section into compartments and a refuse entry section. The refuse entry section has an opening through which refuse can be placed in the drum-like body. The drum-like body has a closure member coupled thereto and is moveable between a closed position where the closure member can be manually moved in order for a user to deposit refuse into the drum-like body through the opening and an open position where upon inversion of the bin, the closure member automatically moves to the open position so the bin empties. The closure member is so made and arranged that as the bin is in the process of being emptied, the refuse separator means of the vehicle is located inside the closure member in close proximity to the opening and aligned with the divider means without interfering with the operation of the closure member as the closure member moves from the closed position to the open position.

c 6 In order that the invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and wherein:- Figure 1 is a pictorial view illustrating operation of a side loading refuse vehicle involving the emptying of a bin in a refuse collection system according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cut-away perspective view of the vehicle of Figure 1 illustrating a further stage in the emptying process; Figures 3, 4 and 5 are respective rear, front and perspective views illustrating in greater detail the bin shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 6 is a detailed view of part of the bin illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and Figures 7 and 8 are pictorial views illustrating an alternative bin according to the present invention; Figures 9, 10 and 11 are pictorial views illustrating a further alternative bin S"according to the present invention; ~Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15 are respective, side, perspective, part rear and part opposite side views of a further embodiment of a bin according to the present invention; S 20 Figures 16 to 18 are respective elevation end and perspective views illustrating in more detail a bin having a preferred divider according to the present invention; and Figure 19 is a schematic view illustrating operation of a further embodiment of a bin according to the present invention.

LF

7 Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures 1 and 2, there is illustrated a bin 10 shown being emptied into a refuse vehicle 11 using a loading mechanism 12 to which the bin 10 is temporarily attached during the emptying process. The bin 10 includes a hollow drum-like body 13 which is generally rectangular prismatic in shape. The bin includes a storage section in the drumlike body 13 and a refuse entry section comprising an opening 14 and a closure member in the form of a hinged lid 15. The lid 15 is depicted in Figure 1 as being open although it will be appreciated as the lid 15 is freely hinged to the drum-like body 13, it would normally be closed in the position illustrated. It has been illustrated as open for the purpose of illustrating the features of the lid which are important to the operation of this preferred form of the invention.

Normally, the bin 10 is standing upright on its base 16 and its wheels 17, the lid 15 can be moved from a closed position covering the opening 14 to an open position such as illustrated in Figure 1 so that refuse can be deposited inside the drum-like body 13. Accordingly, the lid 15 can be moved between a closed position where the lid 15 can be manually moved in order for a user to deposit refuse into the drum-like body through the opening 14, to an open position where upon inversion of the bin to the position illustrated in Figure 2, the lid 15 swings freely about its hinged coupling to the drum-like body 13 so the bin empties into S 20 the hopper 18 of the vehicle 11.

The lid in this case is so made and arranged that as the bin is emptied, a refuse separator means in the form of a plate 19 located in the hopper 18 of the vehicle comes in to close proximity with the opening 14 but does not interfere with the operation of the lid 15. This is brought about in the illustrated

L

embodiment of Figure 1 by the lid 15 including a refuse separator means passage in the form of a slot 20. The lid 20 has leg portions 21 and 22 which are located either side of the separator plate 19 such that the lid 15 straddles the separator plate 19 enabling the lid 29 to swing open as refuse is discharged into the hopper 18.

The separator plate 19 can typically be used for various reasons, these might include a mechanism for distribution of garbage into optimum positions within the refuse vehicle 11 or as is the case in the illustrated embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the bin 10 includes a divider panel 23 shown in phantom which divides the bin 10 into two storage regions 24 and 25 so that two different kinds of garbage can be stored in the bin 10. The refuse separator means 19 has been devised so that the contents of the bin 10 can be maintained separate and transported separately in the vehicle 11. The vehicle 11 typically has two tank sections for this purpose.

Referring now to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the bin 10 is illustrated in more detail and where appropriate, like numerals have been used to illustrate like features.

In Figures 3 and 5, the lid 15 is in an open position, while in Figure 4, the lid is closed over the opening 14. As can be seen, the divider panel 23 does not divide the interior of the bin into two equal sections but rather the storage region 24 is larger than the storage region 25. In most cases, domestic garbage will include a smaller amount of recyclables and therefore, the relative sizes of the 2 atwo storage regions 24 and 25 in this embodiment has been selected for domestic use. This need not always be the case. The peripheral edge of the opening 14 comprises an upstanding endless flange 26 and the lid 15 includes a co-operating 9 flange 27 which fits outside the flange 26 so that the lid 15 appropriately covers the opening 14 against ingress of water during rain and so forth. To this end, the partition 23 is suitably flared at its top portion 28 in order to support that portion of the flange 26. This aspect of the bin 10 is illustrated in more detail in Figure 6 and where appropriate, like numerals have been used to illustrate like features.

Figures 7 and 8 are two pictorial views of a different bin 29 which differs principally from the bin of Figures 3, 4 and 5 by the configuration of the closure member. In this case, the closure member only closes a portion of the opening.

In order therefore to cover the whole opening, two independently operable lids 30 and 31 are used and these are coupled to the drum-like body 13 by respective opposed hinges 32 and 33. The lids 30 and 31 are shown closed in Figure 7 while the lid 30 is shown open in Figure 8.

As for the previous embodiment, the bin 29 can also include a partition and this is illustrated at 33. In use, a loading mechanism engages the bin 29 below the front flange 34 in similar fashion to the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and it will therefore be appreciated that the partition 33 will align with the divider plate 19 in similar fashion to the case illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Under these circumstances, the lids 30 and 31 will simply swing open in a sideways direction and the separator plate will not interfere with the operation of 20 the lids.

As for the previous embodiment, the embodiment of Figures 7 and 8 S. includes an opening in the form of sub-openings 35 (and also underneath lid 31) each of which includes an upstanding peripheral flange 36 for opening 35 with a similar flange under lid 31 and each of the lids 30 and 31 include downwardly I I i depending flanges 37 so that the openings are closed against adverse weather conditionc. This gives basically the same flange arrangement as illustrated in Figure 6.

Referring now to Figures 9, 10 and 11, there is illustrated a further embodiment 38 of a bin according to the present invention which bin 38 is, insofar as its emptying operation, mechanically equivalent to the bins 10 and 29 of the previous embodiments. The only difference between the bin 29 and the bin 38 is in the closure member configuration. In this case, two lids 39 and are also used but these are both hinged on the same side of the bin. A partition 41 divides the bin into two sections 42 and 43 for separate storage of garbage and recyclables. During an emptying operation, partition 41 would align with the separator plate 19 in the refuse vehicle. The lids 39 and 40 are spaced by a separator means passage 44 defined by the spacing between the edges 45 and 46 of the lids. The lids 39 and 40 are free to swing about their pivotal axis at 47 notwithstanding that a separator plate moves between them engaging with t:.e i partition 41 which is located between the lids 39 and 40. As for the previous embodiments, the opening is divided into two sub-openings, each of which in this case are defined by respective peripheral flanges 48 and 49 which fit inside respective flanges 50 and 51 on the lids 39 and 40 also in similar fashion to the 20 flange arrangement shown in Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 12, 13, 14 and 15, there is illustrated a further embodiment 52 of a bin according to the present invention which bin 52 includes closure members employing a combination of the features of the previous embodiments. In the embodiment 52, two lids 53 and 54 are employed but the

C,

_~rr _~l~j iXa~ lli lili~ 11 interior of the bin 52 in this case is divided using two partitions 55 and 56 so that three compartments 57, 58 and 59 are formed. It will be appreciated in this case that, during an emptying operation, in order to maintain the garbage contained in compartments 57, 58 and 59 separate as they are emptied into a hopper, a separator means having a corresponding T-shape would normally be aligned with the edges 60 and 61 of the partitions 55 and 56. So this can happen without interfering with the operation of the lids 53 and 54, the lids 53 and 54 are suitably spaced so that the separator can align with the top edge 60 of the partition 55, the lid 54 includes a slot 62 to accommodate another part of the separator.

As can be seen, the bins of Figures 7, 10, 12 and 15 all illustrate dividers or partitions having a flared upper edge to deflect refuse as it leaves the bin, this will be dealt with further below in relation to Figures 16 to 19.

Referring to Figures 16 to 18, there is illustrated a refuse bin 70 for holding and temporarily storing recyclables 71 i a compartment 72 and other garbage 73 in a compartment 74. A householder can easily and simply separate recyclables from their normal household garbage. The compartments 72 and 74 are separated by a divider 75 which is illustrated in phantom in Figure 16 and partially shown in cut-away and in phantom in Figure 17, the top of the divider 75 can be seen in Figure 18. The divider includes a downstream portion 76 and an upstream portion 77 which is adjacent an opening 78 of the bin 70. A lid 79 s can be opened to expose the opening 78. The lid is illustrated as open in Figures 16 and 18 and closed in Figure 17. The lid includes a slot 80 so that as the bin is emptied, a separator on a refuse vehicle travels through the slot 80 and aligns ft I 11-11-1 iiar ~iii i 12 with an upper edge 81 of the divider 75 to maintain contents of the bin separate as it is being emptied.

The divider 75 adjacent its downstream portion 77 includes a deflector means in the form of an arcuate surface 82 which it will be appreciated promotes flow of garbage 73 away from the other compartment 72 as the bin is being inverted and emptied. This avoids contamination.

As can be seen in the drawings and in particular Figures 16 and 17, the edge 81 is flared having a complimentary surface 83 which also serves to deflect recyclables away from the other compartment 74 as the bin is inverted and being emptied.

Referring to Figure 19, there is shown a portion 84 of a collection vehicle which includes a tank 85 divided into respective tank sections 86 and 87 by a panel 88 so that recyclables and garbage can be separately stored for transportation purposes. A bin 89 is shown partially inverted over a hopper which includes hopper portions 91 and 92 via which recyclables 71 and other

I

garbage 73 can be transferred into the respective tank sections 86 and 87. A i: loading mechanism 93 automatically inverts the bin 89 over the hopper :iAs was mentioned above, the divider of the bin according to the present invention can be situated in any direction in the bin and in the embodiment of Figure 19, the divider 94 is set at 90' to where the divider 75 of the previous embodiments was positioned relative to other parts of the bin. The lid 95 in this case does not include a slot 80 but free falls to its open position or is moved to its open position prior to the bin being inverted. This can be accomplished manually or by some automatic means fitted to the loading mechanism 93. The L i.

_I I_ _I i-~;=Pirr;rxnrcn;i~Pnr~a *I ~m~nna~ir;- 13 vehicle 84 includes a separator ramp 96 which includes an edge 97 disposed to be operatively associated with the edge 98 of the divider 94 and in this embodiment, the loading mechanism 93 will stop so that the edge 98 is spaced from the edge 97 of the separator ramp 96. As can be seen, the flaring of the edge 98, the provision of deflecting surfaces 99 and 100 will deflect recv-' bles 71 and garbage 73 away from the edge 97 and therefore inhibit contan. Jon during the emptying process and limits the possibility of garbage or recyclables becoming jammed between edges 97 and 98 and causing damage. Likewise, as the edges 97 and 98 do not have contact, there is minimal risk of damage.

It will be appreciated that whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention, many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

i B a i *Ij i

Claims

1. A bin when used with a refuse vehicle having a hopper for receiving refuse and a refuse separator means located in the hopper, the bin being suitable for holding refuse and comprising an upright hollow drum-like body having a storage section, divider means for separating the storage section into compartments and a refuse entry section, the refuse entry section having an opening through which refuse can be placed in the drum-like body, the drum-like body having a closure member coupled thereto and being moveable between a closed position where the closure member can be manually moved in order for a user to deposit refuse into the drum-like body through the opening and an open position where upon inversion of the bin, the closure member automatically moves to the open position so the bin empties, the closure member being so made and arranged that as the bin is in the process of being emptied, the refuse separator means can be located inside the closure member in close proximity to the opening and aligned with the divider means without. interfering with the operation of the closure ,member as the closure member moves from the closed position to the open position.

The bin according to claim 1 wherein the closure member includes a refuse separator passage means so that as the closure member moves to the open position, the refuse separator means moves through the passage means so that it 1:does not interfere with the operation of the closure member whilst the closure member automatically moves to the open position.

3. The bin according to one of claims 1 and 2 wherein the closure member is one of a plurality of independently operable closure members which move to .r A4 their respective open positions without there being any interference between the closure members and the separator means.

4. The bin according to one of claims 2 and 3 wherein the passage means comprises a slot in the closure member or a space between adjacent closure members.

The bin according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the divider means separating the bin into two compartments.

6. A refuse collection system comprising a side loading refuse vehicle for collecting refuse and a bin suitable for holding refuse, the vehicle including a cab, a hopper behind the cab, a loading mechanism adjacent the hopper to which the bin is temporarily attached during an emptying process and a refuse separator means located in the hopper, the bin including an upright hollow drum-like body having a storage section, divider means for separating the storage section into compartments and a refuse entry section, the refuse entry section having an opening through which refuse can be placed in the drum-like body, the.drum-like S" body having a closure member coupled thereto and being moveable between a l closed position where the closure member can be manually moved in order for Sa user to deposit refuse into the drum-like body through the opening and an open position where upon inversion of the bin, the closure member automatically moves to the open position so the bin empties, the closure member being so made and arranged that as the bin is in the process of being emptied, the refuse separator means of the vehicle is located inside the closure member in close proximity to the opening and aligned with the divider means without interfering with the operation of the closure member as the closure member moves from the 16 closed position to the open position.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the closure member includes a refuse separator passage means so that as the closure member moves to the open position, the refuse separator means moves through the passage means so that it does not interfere with the operation of the closure member whilst the closure member automatically moves to the open position.

8. The system according to one of claims 6 and 7 wherein the closure member is one of a plurality of independently operable closure members which move to their respective open positions without there being any interference between the closure members and the separator means.

9. The system according to one of claims 7 and 8 wherein the passage means comprises a slot in the closure member or a space between adjacent closure members.

The system according to one of claims 6 to 9 wherein the bin further includes two compartments, the. separator means of the vehicle being adapted for maintaining separate waste entering the hopper from the respective compartments of the bin, and the vehicle further includes two tank sections for maintaining waste from the respective compartments separate in the vehicle.

11. The system according to claim 10 wherein the divider means separating the bin into the two compartments.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the divider means has an upper edge extending generally transverse to the direction of travel of the vehicle when the bin is engaged by the loading mechanism.

13. The refuse collection system according to one of claims 10 to 12 wherein L- is~u., the closure member comprises a hinged lid for each compartment, each lid being pivotal about hinges extending generally transverse to the divider means, the hinges being located opposite the loading mechanism when the bin is engaged by the loading mechanism, the upper edge of the divider and the separator means being in alignment when the bin is inverted over the hopper.

14. A bin substantially as described with reference to any one of Figures 1 to 19. A refuse coliection system substantially as described with reference to any one of Figures 1 to 19. DATED this 18th day of January, 1996. FIREBELT PTY LIMITED By its Patent Attorneys INTELLPRO cl ABSTRACT A bin suitable for holding refuse comprising an upright hollow drum-like body having a storage section and a refuse entry section, the refuse entry section having an opening through which refuse can be placed in the drum-like body, the drum-like body having a closure member coupled thereto and being moveable between a closed position where the closure member can be manually moved in order for a user to deposit refuse into the drum-like body through the opening and an open position where upon inversion of the bin, the closure member automatically moves to the open position so the bin empties, the closure member being so made and arranged that as the bin is emptied, a refuse separator means can be located in close proximity to the opening without interfering with the operation of the closure member. The bin can be used in combination with a side loading refuse vehicle in a refuse collection system.