U.S. patent application number 09/728324 was filed with the patent office on 2002-08-01 for refuse container handle-liner dispenser unit.
This patent application is currently assigned to Knowmo, L.L.C.. Invention is credited to Pyles, Nathan.
Application Number | 20020100758 09/728324 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24926384 |
Filed Date | 2002-08-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020100758 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pyles, Nathan |
August 1, 2002 |
Refuse container handle-liner dispenser unit
Abstract
The present invention is a refuse container handle-liner
dispenser unit that functions to allow the storage of replacement
liners at the refuse receptacle on its upper portion, to allow for
the easy replacement of liners. The combination handle-dispenser
unit may be integral with the refuse receptacle or attachable to
the receptacle as an add-on unit. The add-on version of the
invention contains clipping mechanisms that enable the secure
attachment of the unit to the refuse container, allowing the use of
the handle portion to securely lift the container. The
handle-dispenser contains a retainer portion to retain a set of
replacement liners. The retainer portion may optionally also have a
cap-like cover to prevent soiling of the replacement liners, the
cap unit being either separate or attached thereto.
Inventors: |
Pyles, Nathan; (Lake Mills,
WI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PATRICIA SMITH KING
SUITE 22
222 NORTH MIDVALE BOULEVARD
MADISON
WI
537055072
|
Assignee: |
Knowmo, L.L.C.
|
Family ID: |
24926384 |
Appl. No.: |
09/728324 |
Filed: |
December 1, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/495.07 ;
220/23.86 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65F 1/062 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/495.07 ;
220/23.86 |
International
Class: |
A47G 019/00; B65D
021/02; B65D 025/14; B65D 035/14; B65D 090/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A handle-dispenser unit located at the open upper end of a
refuse receptacle comprising a container having at least one side
wall, said at least one side wall comprising an upper rim defining
the open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end defining
a base, the handle-dispenser unit comprising: an attachment portion
to attach the handle-dispenser unit to the upper end of the
container; a retainer portion to retain a set of replacement
liners; and, a handle portion.
2. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 1, in which the
handle-dispenser unit is integral with the upper end of the
container.
3. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 1, in which the
handle-dispenser unit is an add-on unit.
4. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 3, in which the attachment
portion comprises a clip mechanism.
5. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 3, in which the attachment
portion comprises a cam lock mechanism.
6. The retainer portion of claim 1, comprising a plurality of side
walls defining an open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower
end defining a base.
7. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 6, further comprising a cap
unit fittable to the opening of the retainer portion.
8. The cap unit of claim 7, further comprising an elongated slot to
allow the individual dispensement of a liner from the set of
replacement liners.
9. The retainer portion of claim 7, further comprising a locking
mechanism to secure the set of replacement liners within the
retainer portion.
10. The locking mechanism of claim 9, comprising a lock slot
located in the cap unit sized to insertably hold a lock tab located
on the upper end of the retainer portion.
11. The retainer portion of claim 6, further comprising an
elongated slot to allow the individual dispensement of a liner from
the set of replacement liners.
12. The retainer portion of claim 11, in which the elongated slot
is located in the lower end thereof to allow the downward,
individual dispensement of the liner from the set of replacement
liners.
13. The retainer portion of claim 1, comprising: a hollow tube
having two ends, the hollow tube being sized to insertably retain a
roll of replacement liners; and, at least one cap unit to cap at
least one of the two ends.
14. The retainer portion of claim 13, in which each of the two ends
is capped by one of the at least one cap units, and further
comprising an elongated slot extending lengthwise in the hollow
tube to allow the individual dispensement of a liner from the set
of replacement liners.
15. The retainer portion of claim 13, in which each of the two ends
is capped by one of the at least one cap units, and one of the two
cap units further comprises a slot to allow individual dispensement
of a liner from the set of replacement liners.
16. The refuse receptacle of claim 1, further comprising a lid.
17. The lid of claim 16, being hingeably attachable to the
handle-dispenser unit and rotatable between an open and a closed
position.
18. The refuse receptacle of claim 1, further comprising a
stabilizing means.
19. The handle portion of claim 1, in which the handle portion is
integral with the retainer portion of the handle-dispenser
unit.
20. The retainer portion of claim 19, further comprising a groove
in one of the plurality of side walls to form the handle
portion.
21. A refuse receptacle, comprising: a container having at least
one side wall, said at least one side wall comprising an upper rim
defining an open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end
defining a base; and, a handle-dispenser unit, comprising: an
attachment portion to attach the handle-dispenser unit to the upper
end of the container; a retainer portion to retain a set of
replacement liners; and, a handle portion.
22. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 21, in which the
handle-dispenser unit is integral with the upper end of the
container.
23. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 21, in which the
handle-dispenser unit is an add-on unit.
24. A refuse receptacle, comprising: a container having at least
one side wall, said at least one side wall comprising the upper rim
defining an open upper end and an opening, and a closed lower end
defining a base; a handle-dispenser unit, comprising: an attachment
portion to attach the handle-dispenser unit to the upper end of the
container; a retainer portion to retain a set of replacement
liners; and, a handle portion; and, a stabilizing means.
25. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 24, in which the
handle-dispenser unit is integral with the upper end of the
container.
26. The handle-dispenser unit of claim 24, in which the
handle-dispenser unit is an add-on unit.
27. The refuse receptacle of claim 24, in which the stabilizing
means comprises a flange fittable to the base of the refuse
receptacle.
28. The refuse receptacle of claim 24, in which the stabilizing
means comprises a design modification to one of the at least one
side wall opposite the retaining means.
29. The stabilizing means of claim 28, in which the design
modification comprises a thickening of the side wall opposite the
retaining means.
30. The stabilizing means of claim 28, in which the design
modification comprises an increase in height of the side wall
opposite the retaining means
31. The refuse receptacle of claim 24, further comprising a
lid.
32. The lid of claim 31, being hingeably attachable to the
handle-dispenser unit and rotatable between an open and a closed
position.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to refuse containers,
specifically to a refuse container handle-liner dispenser unit that
may be either integral with a refuse container or an add-on
unit.
[0002] It is common practice to provide receptacles for trash,
recyclables and the like, with disposable liners so that when the
receptacle is full, the liner can be removed and a new liner
installed making the waste receptacle clean and ready for reuse.
Sets of replacement liner bags are usually obtained either in
perforated rolls where the liners are separated by tearing along
the perforations or in boxes where they are inter-folded so that
when one is removed, another is pulled up and ready to remove.
Though replacement liners are readily available for purchase and
use, they are not always readily available at the site of the
refuse receptacle when a full liner bag is removed and the
receptacle must be re-lined. The present invention addresses this
issue by providing a combination replacement liner dispenser and
handle unit for a refuse receptacle. The combination
handle-dispenser may be integral with the refuse receptacle or
attachable to the receptacle as an add-on unit.
[0003] In the accompanying drawings:
[0004] FIG. 1a is a left rear perspective view of a refuse
container to which a handle-dispenser unit is integrally attached,
showing the tubular form of the retainer portion;
[0005] FIG. 1b is an enlarged view of the tubular retainer portion
of the handle-dispenser unit;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a left rear perspective view of a refuse container
showing an embodiment of the present invention in which the refuse
receptacle contains an optional lid hingeably attached to the
handle-dispenser unit, and also shows an enlarged view of a
retainer portion of the handle-dispenser with cap unit hingeably
attached thereto;
[0007] FIG. 3a is a view of the integral handle-dispenser unit of
the present invention depicting the handle portion and retainer
portion;
[0008] FIG. 3b is a side view of the handle-dispenser unit of FIG.
3a, showing the refuse receptacle with lid hingeably attached to
the handle-dispenser unit, the lid in the closed position to secure
the inner liner at the rim;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a view of the present invention showing how a
typical pack of replacement liners may be placed in the retainer
portion, it also depicts a grip form of the handle portion;
[0010] FIG. 5 depicts a separate cap unit fittable to the retainer
portion of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 6a depicts the locking mechanism's lock tab of the
retainer portion fitted into the lock slot of the cap unit;
[0012] FIG. 6b is a side view of FIG. 6a;
[0013] FIG. 6c depicts an alternative arrangement of the tab and
slot of the locking mechanism;
[0014] FIG. 7a shows a tray-like retainer portion of the present
invention with lock tab and liner tabs;
[0015] FIG. 7b shows the retainer portion of FIG. 7a with an inner
liner in place and secured by the liner tabs; in this depiction the
inner liner also functions to cover the set of replacement liners
in the retainer portion;
[0016] FIG. 8a shows an add-on embodiment of the handle-dispenser
unit depicting a clip-type clipping mechanism, it also shows a cap
unit with slot;
[0017] FIG. 8b is a side-view of FIG. 8a;
[0018] FIG. 9a shows an add-on embodiment of the handle-dispenser
unit depicting an alternative form of the clipping mechanism, it
also shows a tubular retainer portion with terminal slot;
[0019] FIG. 9b shows the add-on embodiment of FIG. 9a with a
tray-like retainer portion instead of the tubular type and with a
liner clip on the top of the clipping mechanism;
[0020] FIG. 10 shows an add-on embodiment of the handle-dispenser
unit with alternative form of the clipping mechanism;
[0021] FIG. 11a shows an add-on version of the handle-dispenser
unit with the cam lock form of the clipping mechanism;
[0022] FIG. 11b shows a side view of the clipping mechanism of FIG.
11a;
[0023] FIG. 12a depicts an alternative of the hinge mechanism by
which the cap unit is attached to the retainer portion of the
present invention; and,
[0024] FIG. 12b depicts a side view of the hinge mechanism or FIG.
12a.
[0025]
1 Reference Numerals In Drawings 10 handle-dispenser unit 12 refuse
container 14 rim 16 opening 18 base 20 attachment portion 22
retainer portion 24 handle portion 26 set of replacement liners 28
clipping mechanism 30 cap unit 32 slot 34 end cap 36 lock slot 38
lock tab 40 inner liner 42 lid
A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] Referring to the figures, in which identical or similar
parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout, a
detailed description of various alternative embodiments of the
present invention is given. However, the present invention can
assume additional embodiments, as will become apparent to those
skilled in the art, without departing from the appended claims.
[0027] Referring now specifically to FIGS. 1a and 1b, an embodiment
of the present invention, a handle-dispenser unit 10, is depicted
that is integral to the upper end of a refuse container 12. The
container 12 comprises a number of substantially vertical side
walls. The side walls comprise an upper rim 14 that defines an open
upper end at the top and an opening 16 through which refuse such as
trash, recyclables and the like may be deposited into the interior
of the container. The side walls also define a lower end and a base
18.
[0028] The handle-dispenser unit 10 comprises an attachment portion
20, to attach the handle-dispenser unit 10 to the upper end of the
container, a retainer portion 22, to retain a set of replacement
liners 26, and a handle portion 24.
[0029] The handle-dispenser unit 10 may be integral with the upper
end of the container 12 (see FIGS. 1 to 7) or form an add-on unit
attachable thereto (see FIGS. 8 to 12). When integral with the
upper end of the container 12, the attachment portion 20 is
connected thereto by means of an extension of the molded plastic of
the upper end and/or rim of the container 12, by hardware, or by
other like means.
[0030] When the handle-dispenser unit 10 is an add-on unit, the
attachment portion 20 may form any number of clipping mechanisms 28
able to hold the handle-dispenser unit 10 firmly in place and to
allow the container 12 to be lifted by its handle portion 24.
Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, variations on a clip mechanism can be
seen. In some the inner and/or outer portions of the clip may be
slotted with steps in order to secure the clip on the rim once
pressed into place. In other embodiments the attachment portion 20
forms a clip mechanism tightened by a cam lock to secure the
handle-dispenser unit 10 to the rim and upper end of the container
12. In this form, the clip mechanism is similar to the
quick-release on a bicycle wheel. When an optional lid 42 is
present (see below) the cam lock may serve as the point at which
the lid 42 is hingeably attached to the handle-dispenser unit
10.
[0031] The retainer portion 22 may be formed to fit conventionally
available replacement liner sets or to fit customized replacement
liner sets, the packaging of which may form a portion of the
handle-dispenser unit 10 itself. The retainer portion 22 may assume
many sizes and shapes, but as depicted in the drawings, forms
either a tray into which the replacement liner set 26 is placed
(see FIGS. 2 to 8, 12), or it may form a tube to accommodate rolled
replacement liner sets 26 (see FIGS. 1, 9 to 11).
[0032] As a tray-like structure, the retainer portion 22 comprises
a plurality of side walls which define an open upper end and an
opening, and a closed lower end that defines a base. The cavity
thus formed is made to a size appropriate to store commonly
available replacement rolls or boxes of liners. Thus the cavity
forms a convenient storage area to keep replacement liners 26
handily available at the top of the receptacle for easy access when
a new liner is needed. The cavity storage area may be formed to a
basically rectangular shape or alternatively in a cylindrical shape
to better fit replacement liners that come stored on rolls.
[0033] The retainer portion 22 may optionally also comprise a cap
unit 30 that fits the opening of the retainer portion 22 in order
to hold the set of replacement liners 26 in place and to protect
them from being soiled. The cap unit 30 may be a separate piece
(see, e.g., FIGS. 5, 8a) or optionally it may be hingeably (see,
e.g., FIG. 2) or otherwise attached to the retainer portion 22. The
cap unit 30 may contain an elongated slot 32 from which individual
liners may be dispensed (see, e.g., FIG. 8a). Alternatively, the
retainer portion 22 itself may contain an elongated slot 32 in its
lower portion in order to allow the dispensement of individual
liners therefrom (see, e.g., FIGS. 3b, 4, 5). As mentioned
previously, the replacement liner set 26 may come with customized
packaging. This customized packaging may form an actual cap unit
fittable to the retainer portion as described above, allowing the
user to simply place the replacement liners in the retainer portion
and snap the packaging cap unit in place. Any number of embodiments
are possible of this customized packaging to allow it to fit easily
and efficiently into the handle-dispenser unit 10 of the present
invention.
[0034] When the retainer portion 22 has a cap unit 30, the cap unit
30 may be secured in a closed position by means of a locking
mechanism comprising a lock slot 36 in the cap unit 30 sized to
insertably hold a lock tab 38 located on the upper end of the
retainer portion (see, e.g., FIGS. 6 and 7). In this way, the
replacement liners may be held secure from theft or other tampering
when the refuse receptacle is located in an insecure location.
[0035] As a tube-like structure, the retainer portion 22 comprises
a central hollow tube sized to insertably fit a roll of replacement
liners 26, and two end caps 34 to cap each end of the tube. The
central tubular portion of the retainer portion 22 may contain an
elongated slot 32 through which individual liners may be dispensed
(see, e.g., FIG. 1b). Alternatively, one of the end caps 34 may
contain a slotted portion 32 through which liners may be dispensed
(see, e.g., FIGS. 1a, 9a, 10).
[0036] The handle portion 24 may be a separate part of the
handle-dispenser unit 10 or it may be formed from the retainer
portion 22. Referring to the close-up of the handle-dispenser unit
10 of FIG. 1a given in FIG. 1b, the retainer portion 22 in this
particular embodiment functions also as the handle portion 24.
Still other embodiments of the handle portion are depicted in other
figures. For example, referring to FIG. 3a, the handle portion 24
is depicted as separate from the retainer portion 22, forming a bar
that functions as a handle. FIG. 4 depicts the handle portion 24 as
a hollowed out portion that likewise forms a grip-type handle. In
FIGS. 6a-c, the retainer portion 22 curves at its base to form a
surface easily gripped as a handle. Many embodiments of this basic
handle or handle-retainer combination are possible.
[0037] The refuse container 12 may optionally also comprise a lid
42 to cover its opening 16 at the rim 14. The lid 42 may attach to
the rim 14 as a separate unit or the lid 42 may be hingeably
attached to the handle-dispenser unit 10 (see, e.g., FIGS. 2 and
3b). An inner liner 40 is normally placed in the interior of the
refuse receptacle container 12. A problem common to this situation
generally, is that the inner liner 40 tends to collapse inwardly
when filled with refuse. When the refuse container 12 of the
present invention contains the optional lid 42, the lid will serve
to hold the liner in place as its upper edges are pressed between
the rim 14 and the lid 32 when the lid is in the closed position
(see FIG. 3b). Alternatively, the handle-dispenser unit 10 may
optionally contain other gripping mechanisms to hold a portion of
the liner in place, such as locking tabs and the like (see FIG.
7b). Referring to FIGS. 9b and 10, two additional alternatives to
secure the inner liner 40 are depicted showing modifications of the
clipping mechanism. In FIG. 9b, a clip-like extension on top of the
clipping mechanism allows an edge of the inner liner 40 to be
gripped securely in place. In FIG. 10, a modification of the
clipping mechanism allows for an edge of the inner liner 40 to be
hooked in place.
[0038] The refuse container 12 may optionally also comprise a
stabilizing means in order that the weight of the handle-dispenser
unit 10 when filled with a set of replacement liners 26, not
destabilize the container 12. The retainer portion 22 may weigh a
significant amount relative to the container 12 and require
counter-balancing for stability. Many alternative embodiments exist
for stabilizing means. For example, various of the side walls of
the container 12 may be angled, sized or weighted differently than
others to effect a counter-balance. A stabilizing flange may be
fitted to the base 18 of the container 12. The stabilizing flange
may be a separate piece into which the base 18 is securely set, or
it may be formed integrally with the base 18 forming a solid
unit.
[0039] B. Other Embodiments
[0040] While the above description contains many specificities,
these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the
invention, but rather as an exemplification of various embodiments
thereof. The above-described embodiments are set forth by way of
example and are not for the purpose of limiting the present
invention. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art
that obvious modifications, derivations and variations can be made
without departing from the scope of the invention. For example,
[0041] a) the handle-dispenser unit and its retainer portion may
assume various alternative shapes and sizes to accommodate the form
of the replacement liners and the customization of their
packaging;
[0042] b) the refuse container may contain more than one
handle-dispenser unit;
[0043] c) the packaging of the set of replacement liners may be
customized to serve as the cap unit or other parts of the
handle-dispenser unit, such as the clip mechanisms in the add-on
form, the liner tabs, or the retainer portion itself, etc.;
[0044] d) the add-on versions of the handle-dispenser units may be
fitted to pre-existing refuse containers generally or may be used
with new containers;
[0045] e) an add-on version of the handle-dispenser unit may be
secured to the rim of the receptacle with a bolt and clamp; and
[0046] f) an add-on version of the handle-dispenser unit may be
secured to the receptacle by drilling or punching through holes and
inserting a screw type fastener.
[0047] Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined
not by the examples given, but by the appended claims and their
legal equivalents.
* * * * *