CN1034765C - Container weight indicator - Google Patents

Abstract

A weight indicator comprising a length of sheet material configured to experience a tensile force related to the weight of the contents of the container, the material being gathered locally around at least one location along the length of sheet material.

A force release member is associated with each accumulation of the material, and a numerical indicia is associated with each force release member.

Description

container weight indicator

The present invention relates to weighing apparatus, in particular to a container such as that of the type used for waste handling, which includes a force release member indicating the weight of the contents of the container when it is lifted.

Waste collection and distribution has become a serious global problem as population increases and land suitable for landfills is depleted. At the same time, environmental concerns have driven the regulation of large-scale recycling and controlled disposal practices, such as uninspected off-shore dumping. All of these concerns make refuse collection and waste management a far more complex process than in the past, requiring far more control over what is discarded and where it is placed.

More personnel are needed to ensure proper disposal of household waste, and in many cases waste must be transported greater and greater distances as landfills are depleted. This means that garbage collection has become, and will continue to become, increasingly expensive. A technique used to separate and remove the costs associated with waste collection by collecting such waste by weight and charging users accordingly.

Since garbage loses its identifiable properties when mixed, it is obvious that it must be weighed when it is first collected. Of course, there are various scales available for use with curbside collection, but complex electronic and even mechanical scales present challenges both in terms of affordability and in terms of maintenance. Also, at least not yet, extremely precise weight measurements are not required, eg rounding to the nearest five pounds may suffice. So there is no need for complex scales.

Accordingly, there continues to be a need for an economical yet sufficiently accurate means of weighing containers, such as plastic bags commonly used for garbage collection purposes. An ideal device would be sufficiently accurate, but passive in the sense that it would not require intricate mechanics or electronic sensors. With sufficiently economical installations, the burden of purchasing scales can be shifted to waste sources rather than waste collection, thus relieving an already difficult system of yet another need that may need to be implemented on a large scale.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container with a built-in weight indicator. The container requires no complicated mechanical or electronic scales.

The present invention provides a container with a built-in weight indicator without the need for complex mechanical or electronic scales. In all embodiments, when the container is lifted, one or more force responsive elements are released due to the weight of the container and its contents. The individual lifting the container can then immediately estimate the weight of the contents by referring to the numerical designations closely associated with each component.

In a preferred embodiment, a bag is provided with the elements and weight-related indicia embossed as spaced strips, each strip surrounding at least a portion of the bag's perimeter. The bag material directly above and below each embossed strip is localized and adhered to hold it in place until the container is lifted, at which point, if the weight equals or exceeds a given value of the digital imprint, the The components associated with the imprint are released. The weight value may be embossed on the aggregate material of the releasable element.

Depending on the manufacturing technique, the material of the container may be slipped over the embossed strip and adhered to itself so that it can be separated without additional breakable members. However, for added accuracy, a single piece of force-releasing material in the form of a strip or narrow strip has added perforations or thickness or material variations to guarantee its release at a specific weight. Each strip around the container is preferably associated with a different weight, the strips being arranged in order of increasing numerical weight values, the value associated with the lowest weight being closest to the container base. However, since the release of material around a particular embossed strip serves only to indicate a weight value without causing any visible tear or opening in the bag material upon release, the strips may be arranged at any interval and in any order, For example, the strips may all be closely spaced near the top of the container.

The invention describes a method of manufacturing a container with an indicator in the form of a spaced strip, whereby a sheet of flexible material is placed over a circular mold having several sections between which There is a gap between them allowing a strip of force releasable material to be covered and attached to each so assembled strip.

In an alternative embodiment, the conditions are not on the container, but on a strip adapted to fit the container. In this embodiment, the strip has two ends, one end is attached to the container or used to tie the container, and the other end is grasped for lifting. The release elements are in this case located at several points along the main strip, and there are loops which allow the elements to be released while keeping the disconnected halves connected so that the container does not fall to the ground. In another alternative embodiment, the narrow strip takes the form of a cord that is clamped and inserted into releasable force loops located along its length.

Figure 1 is a drawing of each bag having embossed strips, each strip covered with a sheet of force release material;

Figure 2A is a front view of a force release material that uses perforations as a means to pull it apart;

Figure 2B is an illustration of the material in Figure 2A having been pulled apart to reveal previously hidden weight-related indicia;

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the force releasing material, wherein Fig. 3A is its front view, Fig. 3B is its back view, and Fig. 3C is a sectional view taken along the A-A line of Fig. 3B;

Figure 4 shows a method of gathering the embossed strips so as to cover them with a sheet of releasable material;

Figure 5A is an oblique view of a strip formed in accordance with the present invention using notches as the force release mechanism;

Figure 6 is the strip shown in Figure 5B, now in use, with the two elements pulled apart to reveal previously concealed weight-related indicia; and

Figure 7 is an illustration of a cord with a force loop acting as the release element.

Please refer to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a container, generally indicated at 12 , in the form of a waste material comprising a flexible sheet. Around the bag are a number of spaced strips 14, inset 16 also showing an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the strips. Referring to this figure, the container material 18 directly above the strip and the container material 20 directly below the strip stretch each other such that the material comprising the strip itself becomes aggregated and assumes a shape such as 22 The spiral-like appearance shown. The folded material contains an imprinted value (not visible in Figure 1 but detailed in the subsequent figures) regarding the weight. Upon drawing material section 18 and material section 20 toward each other, a strip of force release material 24 adheres to folded material 22 and adheres along dotted line 26 . The force relief material 24 may be in the form of a continuous strip of individual narrow strips and is designed to tear when the bag is lifted such that a sufficient amount of pulling force is applied to the strip. Details about the force release structure will also be shown in subsequent drawings.

The technique used to adhere the force release material to the indicia embossed strip can be of several types including the use of adhesives, stitching, heat or ultrasonic welding, or any combination. The only point is that the attachment of the force release element to the container material maintains its integrity when the force release material is pulled apart to reveal the weight of the container contents. There are also many techniques that can be used to adjust the release point of these components, including material thickness, cross-sectional structure, and composition. For example, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) can be used with polypropylene and (or) polyethylene to change the tensile strength.

The inventors hereby wish to point out that a separate force release strip as shown in FIG. 1 can also be dispensed with by controlled manufacturing. In this embodiment, the container material directly on the embossed strip is adhered directly to the container material directly below the embossed strip, although at least two problems may arise with this approach. First, since the force required to release each strip is pre-set to a different value associated with each strip, it may be easier to use a single piece of force release material to meet precise control criteria. Additionally, and an important aspect of the invention, while the material is released to provide a visual indication of weight, the container itself needs to remain undamaged. In other words, when the container is lifted and weighed, there should be no holes or tears in the container material. Although the material above and below the embossed strip can be pre-adhered to the force relief element itself as an integral piece, it may be more difficult to ensure that holes or tears do not occur than with a separate force relief element.

Figure 1 also shows a strip 28, tied to the container near 30, and this strip has a force release element, and has weight-related markings at 32 along its length. This strip 28 can be used by itself or in conjunction with the container described above, the details of which will be understood with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

Figure 2A is a front view of a force release strip before breaking, while Figure 2B shows a view of the strip after it has been broken by lifting the container to which the strip is attached, the contents of which weigh 5 kg or more . 2A, the strip of force release material 24 adheres to the material of the container above the strip (18) along the dotted line 26, and adheres to the material of the container below the strip (20) along the second dotted line 26. . Where the strip 24 is intact, the area 22 for the embossed weight value remains folded and hidden. However, when the container has contents weighing 5 kg or more and the container is lifted from the top, the resulting tension will cause the strap 24 to pull apart, in this embodiment along the eyelet line 40. opening, thus exposing the weight indicia 42 previously concealed on the material section 22. Now the strip of force release material will split into two halves, but the attachment along the dotted line 26 is stronger than the material near the hole, so the exposure of the mark will not damage the material of the container itself. Alternatively, markings can be embossed on the force release element in the form of a strip or narrow strip, in which case the weight value can be determined by reading the indicating strip which remains intact.

3A-3C show another embodiment of a force releasing material element. In this embodiment, the element of force-releasing material comprises a strip or narrow strip 24 directly marked with weight markings 42 on the front side (FIG. 3A) and without perforation lines 40 in the middle. The back side of the force release strip 24 ( FIG. 3B ) has adhesive material 27 attached along its upper and lower edges, but the middle portion does not contain adhesive material 28 . Than the strip can directly adhere to the container folding material 22 ( FIG. 1 ) by its back side due to its stickiness. Fig. 3C shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 3B. When the container containing the contents is lifted from the top, the resulting pulling force will cause the strip 24 to be pulled apart along the perforation line 40, so that the weight mark 42 printed on it cannot be read. Take the intact undamaged strip immediately below to obtain the weight value of the contents.

In Figure 4 there is illustrated a method by which an apparatus may be used to facilitate the manufacture of containers in the form of bags having weight indicating strips of the type described herein. A mold, preferably of cylindrical section, is formed in longitudinal sections 43, a gap 44 exists between these sections, and an inner element 45, also preferably of cylindrical section, is made of mesh or other permeable material. Constructed to allow the vacuum generated in the mold to extend into the gap area. Figure 4 shows a gap available for all force release straps, since the force required to release the strap is only set by the release element. However, a mold having a plurality of strips, each associated with a gap, may be used instead to speed up production. Continue referring to FIG. 4 , the sheet bag material 46 is placed on the mold 43 , and in this embodiment the material is shown in section. With the vacuum created in the mould, the material in the vicinity of the gap is drawn into the gap by the vacuum, but is stopped by the web backing 45, creating a series of accumulations generally shown at 47. Once the material movement has stabilized, the strip of force releasing material 24 can be placed on the aggregate material 47 containing the embossed weight-related indicia and positioned along the line shown at point 48 . Additionally, any means of adhesion release strips may be used, including gluing, stitching, heat or ultrasonic welding, including spot welding.

Referring now to Figure 5, Figure 5A shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention in the form of a strip 50 utilizing notches 52 of different sizes to allow breaking at different points along the strip. FIG. 5B shows the alternative use of apertures 54 instead of notches, the size of which in this embodiment is related to the force required to break the strip at a particular section. In the two examples shown, the strip has an upper section 60 intended to be grasped and lifted by the user, and a lower section 70 attached to the upper portion of the container, either by tying or by providing the container with the strip already attached. Both configurations shown in FIG. 5 also include the use of a shock bearing 86 on which weight related markings have been embossed. The embossed shock absorber is adhered to the main breakable strip at various points 88 by various means including gluing, welding, etc.

A strip according to the invention, as shown in Figure 5, can be provided, but without a shock bearing, by providing a longer strip in which the force release sections are arranged in increasing order of break-off value, the lowest break-off value Located closest to the top of the strip with sufficient length between each breakable element for later gripping. With this configuration, the user first lifts the container at its highest point by the strip, if the strip breaks, the user lifts the bag again by the remaining strip, and continues until the strip no longer breaks Open, use the narrow strip to no longer break, at this moment just know the weight of the container content must be less than the embossed value shown on the next breakable element. In this embodiment, the weight related indicia will be embossed on a single narrow strip near the force release area.

Although such a single narrow strip weight indicator can be made according to the present invention, it is necessary to repeatedly grasp and lift away the strip end caused by breaking, so there is no reason to dispense with the shock bearing 80, which can meet the requirements of the present invention. Economically manufactured and adhered to the main breakable strip.

Figure 6 shows how to use a narrow strip of force release element with a central hole. The user 100 grasps the strip 50 along the upper section and the lower section of the strip is tied at 104 to a pouch shown at 110 . Assuming in this embodiment that the weight-related indicia represent the numerical weight value in pounds, a "5" stamp 114 is shown by the opening at 112, and a "10" stamp is shown by a slightly smaller eyelet 116. 120, so the contents of the bag 110 weigh at least 10 pounds, but not more than 15 pounds. However, the smallest eyelet 124 remains intact in this embodiment, so the "15" weight shown at 126 is not visible. Therefore, the weight of the container contents must be less than 15 pounds but more than 10 pounds.

Assuming the container is gradually raised and not constrained from a rest position, the force release element will provide an accurate weight reading of the container contents. Under most controlled conditions, accuracy is limited only by manufacturing tolerances of the force release element; or, in some cases, by the contour and distribution of the container's contents. However, the manner in which the container is handled and transferred may result in an inaccurate weight indication from the manual release element. For example, regardless of where the components are positioned relative to the container, if the bag is lifted suddenly or rapidly, the momentum of the lifting itself may cause premature release of one or more components, particularly those associated with the lowest weight. Another problematic situation arises when the bag must be lifted from another container, such as a trash can. In this case, friction between the outer surface of the bag and the inner wall of the bin can add weight to the container and its contents, and can also cause false readings.

There are various methods that can be used to target these sources of inaccuracy. The most basic precautions include organizing the elements in order of increasing weight relative to the force required to release the elements, with the strongest element closest to the source of lift. In this way, the element associated with the strongest release force must first be overcome and, if it remains intact through a potential source of inaccuracy, it is possible to keep all elements, including weaker elements, The tension added by the weight of the object can be properly released. Another approach is to statistically increase the release force strength of the elements to account for sudden cable pulls, friction and other possible sources of inaccuracy. To implement this method, the release elements are tested with the preferred container under conditions where a source of inaccuracy may arise. The elements are reinforced based on data relating to the additional release strength required to provide accurate results. For example, a release element associated with a 5 lb imprint may be designed to actually release at 5.75 lbs.

Figure 7 shows another alternative embodiment of a weight indicator in the form of a release element 130 placed along a cord 134, like the above-mentioned narrow strip, which is used to lift the container to determine the level of its contents. The weight, the user holds the upper portion 136 of the cord, the lower portion 138 can be attached to the container, or can be tied to the container as a separate item. While, as with other embodiments of the invention, the force release rings 130 can be arranged in any arrangement according to the weight they need to release, they are preferably arranged in increasing order, with the lowest release force closest to the bottom. This arrangement provides maximum accuracy because the lowest releasable member is at the bottom, reducing container drop when the elements are released in series until stopped at the first element which requires more force than the gravitational pull of the container contents can provide. , the possibility of "false release" will occur due to the momentum of the falling container, which is different from the "dead weight" of its contents. This is true regardless of whether the force releasable element is in the form of spaced strips, narrow strips or such as the previously described power loop cords.

As shown in Figure 7, the four looped release elements 130 release the cords 134 according to four weights imprinted on the loops themselves. The force required to release the cord from a loop can be adjusted using various techniques, such as the diameter of the loop itself, the material placed on the loop or on the loop marked "5" at 140 outlining the loop shown. Additionally, the ring may be crimped to provide a force alternative, or a rivet may be placed through the ring transverse to the axis of its opening as an alternative adjustment means. In general, as with all of the embodiments described herein, any release mechanism is suitable and consistent with the present invention as long as the force can be adjusted on a per element basis.

Claims (16)

1. A container weight indicator that can be used to weigh the contents of the container, characterized in that: a length of sheet material wrapped around the container and configured to experience tensile forces relative to the weight of said container contents; the material is localized in at least one location along the flexible sheet; a force release element adhered to said sheet, the element being operable to hold the aggregate together until the container is lifted to release the element by tension, each element being associated with a different weight; and Numerical markings are stamped in place associated with each force releasing element so that the user can refer to said markings to determine the weight of said contents in relation to which elements have been released and which have remained intact upon application of said tensile force. 2. The container weight indicator of claim 1, wherein said length of flexible sheet is a top-to-bottom section of the container itself. 3. The container weight indicator of claim 2 wherein said gathering is accomplished along a strip around at least a portion of the circumference of said container. 4. A container weight indicator as claimed in claim 3 wherein said numerical indicia is embossed on the aggregate material so as to be hidden from view until the force release element associated therewith is released. 5. The container weight indicator of claim 3, wherein a numerical weight value is imprinted on a force release member. 6. The container weight indicator of claim 1, wherein said force release member uses an eyelet as a means for adjusting the force required to release it. 7. The container weight indicator of claim 1, wherein said force release member is a continuous strip of individual narrow strips. 8. A container weight indicator according to claim 7, wherein a narrow band is disposed on at least a portion of a collection, and wherein a weight-related value is printed on the narrow band. 9. The container weight indicator according to claim 7, characterized in that the upper and lower edges of the back of the narrow strip are attached with adhesive material to facilitate its attachment to the associated aggregate. 10. A container weight indicator that can be used to weigh the contents of the container, characterized in that: a length of sheet material formed into a narrow strip having two ends, one end adapted to be attached close to the top of the container and the other end adapted to be used as a means for lifting the container, forming a shock bearing along the length of the strip; A force release element is arranged along the length of the strip, adhered to said strip, and attached at several points at the shock bearing of the strip, the element being operable to hold the shock bearing on the rear side of the element until lifting the container to break the element by tension, the element being associated with a different weight at each shock bearing; and Numerical markings are imprinted on the shock bearing associated with each force releasing element so that the user can refer to the markings to determine which elements are broken and which remain intact when the aforementioned tensile force is applied weight. 11. A container weight indicator according to claim 10, characterized in that the front face of said force release member is varied in size in relation to the force required to break the strip at a particular section. 12. A container weight indicator according to claim 11, wherein said force release member utilizes a notch to vary the size of the front face of the member. 13. A container weight indicator according to claim 11, wherein said force release member utilizes an aperture to vary the size of the front face of the member. 14. A container weight indicator that can be used to weigh the contents of the container, characterized in that: a length of rope having two ends, one end adapted to be attached close to the top of the container and the other end to be used as a means for lifting the container, the rope being knotted around at least one point along its length; Force release ring, each knotted portion of the aforementioned rope is inserted into a different force release ring respectively, and the force release ring is capable of keeping the knotted portion of the rope in the force release ring until the container is lifted and released the tension pulls the cord out of the force release rings, each force release ring being associated with a different weight; and Numerical marks are stamped on each force release ring so that the user can determine the weight of the contents by referring to the marks to match which force release rings the cord is pulled from when applying the above tensile force. 15. The container weight indicator according to claim 14, characterized in that said force release rings with marks are arranged in order of weight value. 16. A container weight indicator according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the hem of the force release ring is used as a means for adjusting the force associated with the weight required to pull the cord from the force release ring.

Images