U.S. patent application number 11/069311 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-15 for trash can with pull thruough bags.
Invention is credited to Stanley, Ellen E..
Application Number | 20050199633 11/069311 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34922143 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050199633 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Stanley, Ellen E. |
September 15, 2005 |
Trash can with pull thruough bags
Abstract
A new trashcan with pull through liner bags for storing trash
can liners therein. The inventive device includes a refuse chamber
coupled to a disposable liner refill unit housing a continuous
length of a plurality of separable trashcan liners. Both the liner
refill unit and the refuse chamber include a first and second feed
aperture which cooperate to allow the trashcan liner to be pulled
through the refuse chamber from the disposable liner refill
unit.
Inventors: |
Stanley, Ellen E.; (Eagan,
MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Ellen E. Stanley
1603 Raindrop Drive
Eagan
MN
55121
US
|
Family ID: |
34922143 |
Appl. No.: |
11/069311 |
Filed: |
March 1, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60549687 |
Mar 3, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/495.07 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 25/16 20130101;
B65F 1/062 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/495.07 |
International
Class: |
B65D 025/14 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A trash receptacle unit comprising: a) a refuse chamber for
holding refuse, said refuse chamber having (i) a first end having
an open top; (ii) a second end having a bottom surface including a
first feed aperture formed therethrough; (iii) a continuous
upstanding side wall having an inner and outer surface, said side
wall extending between the first and second end of the refuse
chamber; (iv) a flange following a perimeter of the open top
proximate the first end; and (v) a lip segment extending from the
second end of the refuse chamber; and b) a liner refill unit having
(i) a housing segment housing a continuous length of a plurality of
separable plastic trash can liners, said housing segment further
including a top surface with a second feed aperture formed
therethrough; (ii) a perimeter wall; and (iii) a shoulder extending
between the housing segment and the perimeter wall; wherein, when
the lip segment of the refuse chamber is inserted into the
shoulder, the refuse chamber is removably coupled to the liner
refill unit, the first feed aperture aligns with the second feed
aperture, and a trash can liner can be pulled through the first and
second feed aperture to line the inner surface of the side wall of
the refuse chamber.
2. The trash receptacle in claim 1 wherein the liner refill unit is
generally circular, wherein said perimeter wall is generally
cylindrical and the shoulder and housing segment are generally
circular.
3. The trash receptacle in claim 1 wherein the second feed aperture
is located at the center of said top surface of the housing
segment.
4. The trash receptacle in claim 1 wherein the first feed aperture
is located at the center of said bottom surface of the refuse
chamber.
5. A trash receptacle unit comprising: a) a replaceable liner
housing unit containing a supply of separable plastic trash can
liners in a helically wound string; b) a trash can; and c) a means
for securing the replaceable base unit to the bottom of the trash
can, with access to the trash can liners through cooperating
aligned openings in a bottom surface of the trashcans and in the
base unit.
6. The trash receptacle in claim 5, wherein the replaceable base
unit is generally disc-shaped.
7. The trash receptacle in claim 5 wherein the means for securing
the replaceable base unit to the bottom of the trash can includes a
lip segment extending from a bottom of the trash can and a shoulder
disposed in the replaceable base unit wherein the lip segment is
inserted into the shoulder segment removably securing the base unit
to the trash can.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to waste receptacles and is more
particularly related to waste receptacle systems having a
self-dispensing bag liner unit to facilitate access to the bag
liners.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Waste receptacles are a fact of life. Where there are
humans, there is waste that needs to be disposed of. Many types and
sizes of waste receptacles are available. However, in most
circumstances, the liners or bags that are typically used for
sanitary reasons to line the inside of the receptacles are separate
and not conveniently attached to the receptacle. The separation of
the receptacle and the liner leads to energy and exertion used in
the procedure necessary to line a receptacle with a bag, or the
unsanitary possibility of foregoing the liner altogether.
[0005] The use of trashcans is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat.
No. 6,234,339, for example, discloses a trashcan with a liner
dispenser wherein the liner dispenser is a roller adapted for
receiving a roll of trash bags and which is disposed in the
interior of a base portion of the trashcan. The '339 patent and
other known prior art trash cans have significant disadvantages
compared to the present invention. The roller in the '339 patent
may become jammed, making it difficult to dispense the trashcan
liner. Alternatively, the '339 patent teaches inserting a new roll
of bags when the old roll is exhausted. This may prove to be
time-consuming and severely limits the number of bags that can be
dispensed on each roll. Because the bags are wrapped around the
roller, fewer bags can be placed in the dispenser and require more
frequent maintenance than may be desired. The present invention
includes a refuse chamber and a liner refill unit, which houses a
continuous helically, wound string of separable trash can liners.
Because there is no roller taking up space in the liner refill
unit, more bags can be housed in the unit while still affording a
trash can assembly of a reasonable height dimension. Once the
string of continuous but separable trashcan liners has been
exhausted, the refill liner unit is disposed of and a new refill
liner unit can be installed.
[0006] In this respect, the trashcan, with pull through bags,
according to the present inventions, is a substantial improvement
over the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The primary objective of the invention being submitted is to
increase the ease of access to the liner bags used to line a
trashcan. The waste receptacle is constructed and arranged with an
opening in its bottom to facilitate the pull through of a fresh
liner bag from a detachable disposable liner refill unit that
releasably attaches to the bottom of the waste receptacle and that
contains a continuous length of a plurality of separable trashcan
liners arranged in a stack, thereby decreasing the time and effort
of applying a sanitary liner bag to the interior of a trash
receptacle.
[0008] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a
trashcan with a supply of liner bags that is easily manufactured
and marketed. The disposable liner refill unit can be produced
using decorative styles and fashionable designer colors, making
them more appealing to the public.
[0009] Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide
an environmentally friendly unit by providing a biodegradable
cardboard detachable liner refill unit.
[0010] These and other advantages of the present invention will
become apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the
following detailed description of the preferred embodiment,
especially when considered in conjunction with the claims and
drawings in which the numerals in the several views refer to
corresponding parts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the trash can with pull
through liner bags wherein the trash receptacle unit is shown
separated from the refill liner unit;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view of the present invention wherein the
trash receptacle is coupled with the refill liner unit;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a side view of the refill liner unit;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view along line 6-6 of FIG.
4 wherein the liner bag is in first position;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view wherein the liner bag
has been pulled through the refuse chamber;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view wherein the liner bag
is in a second position with the top of the liner bag wrapped over
the flange of the waste receptacle;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view wherein the liner bag
is full and the top is tied off;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view wherein the liner bag
is being lifted out from the refuse chamber; and
[0019] FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view wherein the second
liner bag has been pulled through to the first position shown in
FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF A PERFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] Referring specifically to the drawings, and in particular to
FIG. 1, the numeral 10 generally designates a new trashcan with
pull through liner bags.
[0021] The trashcan with pull through liner bags 10 generally
comprises a refuse chamber 12 and a liner refill unit 14. The
refuse chamber 12 includes an annular sidewall 16, a top end 18 and
a bottom end 20. The annular sidewall has an inside and outside
surface 22, 24. The top end 18 is open and has a flange 25
surrounding the perimeter of the outer surface 22 proximate the top
end 18. The bottom end 20 is closed off by a closed bottom surface
26 but includes a first feed opening 28, the perimeter 30 of which
is at the center of the bottom surface 26. The bottom end 20 also
includes a lip 32 extending from the bottom end 20 outside the
chamber 12. The diameter of the lip 32 is less than the diameter of
the sidewall 16.
[0022] The liner refill unit 14 includes a perimeter wall 34 and a
shoulder 36 disposed between the perimeter wall 34 and the liner
bag housing 38. The liner bag housing 38 includes a second feed
opening 40 at its center. A continuous string of a plurality of
separable polyethylene liner bags is housed in the liner bag
housing 38. A top of a liner bag is protruding through opening 40
and is generally designated as 42.
[0023] The refuse chamber 12 is releasably coupled to the refill
liner unit 14 to form a unit shown in FIG. 2. When the lip 32 of
the refuse chamber 12 is inserted into the shoulder 36 of the liner
refill unit 14, the refuse chamber 12 is frictionally secured to
the liner refill unit 14.
[0024] When the refuse chamber 12 is coupled to the liner refill
unit 14, the first feed opening 28 aligns with the second feed
opening 40 to allow the top 42 of a liner bag 44 to be pulled
through both the first and second feed openings 28, 40.
[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates the liner bag 44 in a first position
where the liner bag 44 is substantially housed in the liner refill
unit 14, but the top 42 of a first liner bag 44 extends through the
first and second feed openings 28 and 40 of the refuse chamber 12
and the liner refill unit 14. The top 42 of the liner bag 44 is
then grasped and lifted toward the top end 18 of the refuse chamber
12.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 5, when the top 42 of the liner bag 44 is
lifted proximate the top end 18 of the refuse chamber 12, the bag
top is opened up and draped over the flange 25 surrounding the top
end 18 of the refuse chamber 12 and the liner bag is covering the
inner surface 24 of the refuse chamber 12. The bottom 46 of the
liner bag 44 extends through the first and second feed openings 28
and 40 and is attached to the top end of a second liner bag.
[0027] FIG. 8 shows the top 42 of the liner bag 44 tied off by a
tie 48 common to most commercially available liner bags. As shown
in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the liner bag 44 is lifted from the refuse
chamber 12, the next liner bag in the continuous string of
separable liner bags is pulled through the first and second
openings 28 and 40 and is ready to cover the inner wall 24 of the
side wall 16 of the refuse chamber 12. In the bag-converting
operation, the plurality of bags join to one another in a chain and
perforations may be provided to allow ease of separation of a
filled bag to the one next in line in the liner refill unit 14.
[0028] It is contemplated that the refill unit 14 will be sold
through retail outlets such as grocery, hardware and home
improvement stores to residential and commercial purchasers for
attachment to a reusable trash receptacle 12.
[0029] The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment is
provided to meet the disclosure requirements of the patent laws. It
is not intended to be limiting. The scope if the invention is
defined exclusively by the following claims.
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