U.S. patent number 3,734,340 [Application Number 05/171,711] was granted by the patent office on 1973-05-22 for containers and liners for use in compacting systems or the like.
Invention is credited to Amos D. Ippolito, William Y. L. Ma.
United States Patent |
3,734,340 |
Ippolito , et al. |
May 22, 1973 |
CONTAINERS AND LINERS FOR USE IN COMPACTING SYSTEMS OR THE LIKE
Abstract
A container for use with a compacting system includes spring
loaded retractable wheel mechanism on the bottom thereof to
facilitate handling of the container. The wheels are automatically
retracted during the compaction operation due to the pressure of
compaction. A liner to enable disposable bags to be more
expeditiously used is preferably square in shape and is fabricated
of plastic material or the like. Located between the liner and an
outer container is a disposable bag. After compaction is complete a
portion of the container is swung open and the liner deforms due to
residual compression force in the compacted material. This releases
the compacted material from the liner and enables the liner to be
easily lifted out, the result being that the compacted material
remains in the disposable bag, the liner having protected the bag
during compaction.
Inventors: |
Ippolito; Amos D. (Brooklyn,
NY), Ma; William Y. L. (Yonkers, NY) |
Family
ID: |
22624845 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/171,711 |
Filed: |
August 13, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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847567 |
Aug 5, 1969 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
141/391;
100/229A; 100/255; 141/390; 206/404; 206/462; 206/463; 220/629;
220/908; 248/99; 220/495.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B30B
9/3032 (20130101); Y10S 220/908 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B30B
9/30 (20060101); B30B 9/00 (20060101); B65d
025/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/65,63R,1T
;100/255 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Rothberg; SAmuel B.
Assistant Examiner: Garrett; James R.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 847,567, filed Aug.
5, 1969, now abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Compacting apparatus for use in a compacting system
comprising:
an open top outer container having an openable peripheral side wall
portion;
a bag member inserted in said outer container; and
a liner which is adapted to be removably inserted in said bag
member and in which material is to be compacted, said liner
shielding said bag member from damage during compaction and
comprising a one-piece, flexible, hollow, open-bottomed,
tubular-shaped member having walls which, upon opening of said
openable portion of said outer container after said material is
compacted, flex outwardly and release from the compacted material
therein;
said bag being of sufficient size so as not to bind on said
outwardly flexed liner during removal of said liner from said bag
member.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a said liner is
dimensioned to provide a clearance between the walls of said liner
and the walls of said container.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a longitudinal slit is
formed in a portion of at least one of the walls of said liner in
the longitudinal direction thereof.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said liner is a square
bottomless tube.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said bag is a disposable
bag.
6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said outer container is
generally cylindrical in cross-section and comprises a pair of
openable wall portions.
7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said tubular shaped liner
member has a continuous circumferential wall section.
8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said tubular shaped liner
member is an elongated tube having a substantially square
cross-section.
9. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said liner is a
substantially cylindrical-shaped bottomless tubular member made of
a springy material and having a longitudinal cut throughout the
length thereof, said liner springing outward upon opening of said
openable portion of said container.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the largest diameter
portion of said liner is larger than the inner dimension of said
container when said liner is in its outwardly sprung state.
11. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said outer container is
generally cylindrically shaped.
12. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said outer container and
said liner are generally rectangular in cross-section.
13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said openable wall
portion comprises one wall of said generally rectangular container.
Description
This invention relates to compacting apparatus, and more
particularly to container and liner configurations which
particularly adapt the compacting system for use with disposable
bags.
A problem presently exists in the compacting art regarding how to
utilize disposable bags such as plastic or paper bags, in the most
efficient manner. As a practical matter, it is not suitable to
compact the material directly in the disposable bag since due to
the pressure built up during compaction, the bag will tend to be
damaged. Also sharp and hard objects in the material to be
compacted can damage the bags. It is not a practical solution to
take already compacted material and to then insert same into a
disposable bag. This would be a difficult and time consuming
operation and, when the compacted material is garbage or other
refuse, the operation of loading the compacted material into a
disposable bag would be unsanitary and messy.
Another problem which exists in the present compacting systems
resides in facilitating handling of the containers used in the
compacter both prior to and after compaction of the material to be
compacted. The problem is less acute prior to compaction since the
unloaded container is not as heavy and is more easily moved about.
But even unloaded, the containers may be rather heavy and bulky to
handle. However, after compcation, the loaded container is quite
heavy and handling thereof is difficult. A known solution is to
utilize a dolly or a hand truck to handle and move about the loaded
container. While these known devices facilitate handling of the
containers, it has been found that a more satisfactory solution is
desirable.
An object of the present invention is to provide container liners
which are inexpensive to produce, which are easily handled and
wherein setting up of the container-liner apparatus prior to
compaction is facilitated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container
liner which enables disposable bags to be used in a compactor.
A further object of this invention is to provide an improved
container for use in compacting systems which facilitates handling
thereof prior to and after compaction of material.
A further object of this invention is to provide such an improved
container which is particularly adaptable for use with container
liners in conjunction with disposable bags.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a removable liner is provided
for use with a container having an operable door or the like
therein. The liner comprises a continuous tube-shaped member which
is adapted to be received by the container and within which
material is compacted. Upon opening of the door of the container,
the liner bulges outward to release from the compacted material.
The liner may then be easily removed from the container, the
compacted material remaining in the container. In a preferred
embodiment, a disposable bag is interposed between the container
and liner so that upon removal of the liner, the compacted material
remains within the disposable bag.
According to one aspect of the invention, the tube-shaped member
has a square cross-section and a continuous circumferential wall
section. The walls bulge outward when the door is opened to release
the compacted material.
According to another aspect of the invention, a substantially
cylindrical liner is split in its longitudinal direction and the
liner is "coiled" against the residual tension of the material so
that the split ends thereof overlap. The "coiled" liner is located
within a disposable bag, which is located in a container which is
openable to release the liner.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a
container for use in compacting systems and the like includes a
housing which is adapted to receive material to be compacted
therein. Secured to the bottom of the housing and supporting the
housing is a plurality of spring loaded wheels. The bias force of
the springs is sufficient to maintain the housing in its raised
position except during application of downward pressures (such as
during a compaction operation) exceeding the weight of a full load
of material in the housing. In a preferred embodiment, the housing
includes an openable door portion.
The above and further objects of the present invention will become
more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred
embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a movable container according
to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a container liner according to the
present invention;
FIG. 3 illustrates a container and liner configuration used in
conjunction with disposable bags;
FIG. 4 illustrates a container of the present invention as used
with a compacting system;
FIG. 5 illustrates a modified embodiment of the container liner of
FIG. 2; and
FIGS. 6a, 6b and 6c illustrate another liner configuration
according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 illustrates a square container 1 which includes a panel 2
hingedly coupled to the panel 3 of the container 1 by means of a
hinge 4. The panel 2 closes against the panel 5 of the container 1
and is secured in the closed position by means of a buckle, clamp
or other locking arrangement 6. The particular design of the
locking arrangement 6 is a matter of design and convenience and may
take various forms other than shown in FIG. 1. Also, the container
1 may include panels or walls 5 and 7 being integral with each
other and panel walls 2 and 3 being integral with each other, a
hinge, such as hinge 4, being located between panels 3 and 7 of the
container. When this modified configuration is used, the structure
has less rigidity when the panels 2 and 3 are swung open.
Secured to the bottom panel 8 of the container 1 are wheels 9.
Wheels 9 are retractably coupled to the bottom wall 8 by means of
rods 10 and springs 11. The spring biases the wheel 9 to the
extended position shown in FIG. 1. As weight is applied to the
container in the vertical downward direction during compaction, the
container 1 will be lowered against the bias force of the springs
11.
When the container 1 of FIG. 1 is utilized in a compacting system,
such as shown in FIG. 4, the container 1 is located over a fixed
raised platform 12 which is located under the compacting station 13
of the compacting apparatus. The remainder of the compacting
apparatus is not shown herein and should be apparent to those
ordinarily skilled in the art. During compaction (that is when the
ram 13a of the compacting station 13 is lowered to compact material
within the container 1), the container 1 is caused to be lowered
against the bias force of springs 11 until the lower surface 8
thereof rests on fixed platform 12. Thus, during compaction of
material, the platform 12 bears substantially all of the force of
compaction, thereby enabling less expensive and lighter weight
wheel and spring mechanisms (10 and 11) to be used. Also, it is not
necessary to fabricate the lower surface 8 of container 1 to bear
the forces of compaction. The retractable spring loaded wheel
mechanism and the lower surface 8 of the container 1 need not bear
large amounts of weight due to the use of the raised platform 12
under the compacting station which the wheels will straddle.
Platform 12 is designed in conjunction with the wheel spacing on
container 1 to enable the container 1 to be easily rolled into
place. The springs 11 are designed with sufficient spring force to
keep the container 1 in the uppermost position to provide a
clearance between the platform 12 and the lower surface 8 of the
container even after the container is fully loaded with compacted
material. This facilitates removal of the container 1 from the
compacting system by merely rolling the container away. The
container is then easily handled throughout the remainder of its
use without the necessity of using dollys, handtrucks or the
like.
The complete unit is self-contained in the present invention. It
should be clear that the container 1 is shown in a square
configuration for illustrative purposes only. It should be clear
that it may take other convenient forms, such as round or
polygonal, depending upon the application and upon the
characteristics of the remaining apparatus with which it is used.
For example, the container may be round and a segment thereof may
be hingedly coupled to form an openable door. Further, instead of
using a central support platform 12 as shown in FIG. 4, the
container 1 could be supported during compaction by edge supports,
such as supports fixed to the compacting apparatus per se.
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a liner configuration 14
for use with a square container such as that shown in FIG. 1. This
particular liner 14 is essentially a square tube which is open at
the top and bottom. The liner 14 is dimensioned so that a small
clearance (such as approximately 1 inch on all four sides) is
provided between the liner and the container within which it is
placed. Since the liner 14 is a one piece structure (it is
continuous about the periphery thereof) insertion thereof into a
container and into a disposable bag such as a plastic bag, paper
bag, or the like, is facilitated.
FIG. 3 illustrates the use of the liner 14 (FIG. 2) and the square
container 1 (FIG. 1) configuration of the present invention in
conjunction with a disposable bag. In FIG. 3, the container wheels
are not shown -- they may be as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The liner
14 is inserted within a bag 17, and the liner and bag are then
placed within the container 1. The upper free ends 17a of the bag
17 are preferably folded outward to overlap the upper edges of
container 1 to hold the bag 17 in position. The container 1 is then
rolled to the compacting station to receive material to be
compacted. The container 1 and liner 14 of FIG. 3 are preferably
the same as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively, reference
being made to these latter Figures for details of construction.
Alternatively, the container and liner configuration may be set up
by first inserting the disposable bag 17 within the container 1 and
folding the upper free edges 17a of the bag 17 over the upper edge
of the container 1 in the outward direction. Then, the liner 14 may
be inserted within the bag 17, thereby completing the setting-up
operation.
After the liner and container apparatus has received a full load of
compacted material, the container is rolled out of the system and
unloaded. The unloading procedure is as follows. First the door 2
(see FIG. 1) of the container 1 is opened, thereby allowing at
least one side 15 (see FIG. 2) of the liner 14 to bulge outwardly
to release the material which has been compacted. The liner 14 may
then be easily lifted out, leaving the compacted material in the
disposable bag 17.
It has been found that after material has been compacted in the
liner 14 and after the door of the container 1 (such as door 2 of
FIG. 1) is opened, the residual pressure built up within the liner
14 due to the compaction of the material therein will force the
central portions 14 of the walls of liner 1 in the outward
direction, thus relieving built up pressure in the liner. The
central portions of the liner 14 bulge outward relieving the tight
fit of the compacted material therein and it has been found that
the liner 14 may then be easily lifted out in the upward direction
to release same from the compacted material. Thus the compacted
material is caused to remain in the bag 17 within the container in
a neat and sanitary manner without causing damage to the bag 17.
Liner 14 is bottomless. Practical tests have shown that no damage
is caused to the bottom of a disposable bag 17 during compaction.
However, if the sides of the bag were exposed during compaction,
damage would most likely result to the bag 17. Thus, the provision
of the bottomless liner satisfies practical requirements for
compacting systems.
Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a modified liner configuration
similar to that of FIG. 2. In FIG. 5 a slit 16 is provided on at
least one wall 18 of the liner 19. The vertical length of the slit
16 is preferably less than the height of the wall 18 of the liner
19 for ease of handling. In certain situations where the bulging
out of the walls of the liner due to the residual pressure of the
compacted material after the door of the container is opened, is
not sufficient to release the compacted material, the provision of
the slit 16 will enable the liner 18 to be more easily released
from the compacted material. Thus, slit 16 will enable more easy
removal of the liner in certain situations. Since the length of the
slit 16 is only a portion of the height of the wall of the liner,
the liner is still easily insertable within a disposable bag or the
like during the set-up of the compacting apparatus.
It has been found that providing an opening wall comprising only a
single wall 2 in the container 1 allows sufficient bulging of the
liner to release the compacted material so that the liner may be
easily removed. As mentioned above, after removal of the liner, all
of the compacted material remains in the disposable bag 17. The
loaded bag 17 may then be closed off at the upper portions thereof
and the loaded bag 17 may be easily removed from the container 1
without necessitating lifting thereof. Since the door 2 of the
container is open, the loaded bag 17 may merely be slid out of the
container and disposed of in the normal manner.
Depending on the type of material being compacted, it may be
advantageous to provide a container 1 wherein two of the walls
thereof are hingedly coupled to the other two. In this case, when
the door (which comprises two walls of the container) is opened
after compaction, two sides of the liner within the container are
unobstructed and greater bulging out of the sides thereof can be
achieved. This will provide improved releasing of the compacted
material from the liner and will further facilitate removal of the
liner in certain instances. However, in compacting systems
receiving refuse or garbage of the ordinary residential type, it
has been found that a container having a single panel door (such as
is shown in FIG. 1) provides adequate results.
It should be clear that the liner and container may take
configurations other than those shown in the drawings. For example,
the liner and container may take a triangular shape, other
polygonal shapes or any other suitable shape. The only limitation
on the shapes of the liner and container is that the wall of the
liner should be of sufficient dimension to allow the wall to
adequately bulge after the door of the container is opened to allow
easy removal of the liner from the material that has been
compacted. Depending upon the material being compacted, the
pressure of compaction and the size of the container, the specific
shape of the container and the number of panels of the container
which are to be hingedly openable to enable release of the liner
may be easily determined.
Also, it is pointed out that the particular material from which the
liner is made will affect the particular design of the liner and
container to insure satisfactory release thereof from the material
that has been compacted. Factors such as the length of the panels
comprising the liner and container, the type of material being
compacted, the pressure of compaction, the height of the liner, the
thickness of the material comprising the liner, and the like must
be considered in actual design of a particular embodiment to enable
adequate release of the liner from the material that has been
compacted after the container has been opened.
A practical liner of square configuration and providing very
satisfactory results is as follows:
type of material: low density polyethelene
length of walls: 23 1/2 inches
height of walls: 30 inches
thickness of material: 1/8 inch
length of container wall: 24
FIG. 6a illustrates another liner 165 according to the present
invention. The operation of liner 165 will be described in
conjunction with a preferred system using disposable bags, but it
should be clear that liner 165 could be used without same.
Referring to FIG. 6a- 6c the liner 165 is constructed of of springy
material which tends to spring or "bulge" outward in the direction
of the arrows "A." A flange 166 is optionally secured thereto or
formed as an integral part thereof. The container 167 (FIGS. 6b and
6c) within which the liner is inserted has a square base 168 (for
ease of movement throughout the system). The container and base are
constructed of three parts: a rear portion 169; and two front
portions 170 and 171, each of which are hingedly coupled to rear
portion 169 by means of hinges 172 and 173, respectively. Front
portions 170 and 171 are releasably coupled together by quick
release buckles 174, the designs of which are conventional. The
hinges 172 and 173 are located behind the center line 175 of the
container (see FIG. 6c) to enable the liner 165 to be easily
removed. The container may have spring loaded wheels as shown in
FIG. 1.
In operation, a disposable bag 176 is placed in container 167. Then
the liner 165 is pressed together or "coiled" in the direction of
the arrows "B" (see FIG. 6a) and inserted within bag 176 in
container 167. It should be apparent that the liner 165, in its
free and expanded (or bulged) state has a diameter larger than the
inner diameter of the container. Also, the bag 176 is larger than
the liner 165 in its free expanded state. The reason for this will
become apparent in view of the following description.
After the container and liner are filled with compacted material
and ejected by the system to a disposal station, the quick release
buckles 174 are opened and the front portions 170 and 171 of
container 167 are opened to the position shown by the dot-dash
lines in FIG. 6c. Since the hinges 172 and 173 are beyond the
center line 175, the liner 165 is no longer restrained by the walls
of container 167 and will spring outward in the direction of the
arrows "A" of FIG. 6a to release the compacted material. The liner
is then easily lifted out of the disposable bag 176, leaving the
compacted material remaining in bag 176. The bag 176 filled with
compacted material is then disposed of.
Preferably the liner 14 of FIG. 2 includes an inwardly directed
flange 15a for reinforcement. Flange 15a also serves as a handle
member to facilitate removal thereof from the container and bag,
and to deflect material back into the liner when the ram is raised
after a compaction operation.
As used herein, the term "tube" or "tubular" denotes an elongated
hollow element of any suitable cross-sectional configuration, such
as square, rectangular, oval, circular, etc. Of course, the
container must be shaped accordingly to accommodate a particular
shaped liner.
* * * * *