U.S. patent number 3,891,115 [Application Number 05/378,058] was granted by the patent office on 1975-06-24 for waste paper container.
Invention is credited to Taiichi Ono.
United States Patent |
3,891,115 |
Ono |
June 24, 1975 |
Waste paper container
Abstract
A container with an automatically opening door comprises a case
or body made of sheet material, a top part thereof having a
valley-shaped, recessed portion, a photo-electric on device
arranged on both ends of the recess and a door or shutter which can
be open by interruption of the light of the photo-electronic
device.
Inventors: |
Ono; Taiichi (Nishi-ku,
Nagoya-shi, JA) |
Family
ID: |
27300480 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/378,058 |
Filed: |
July 11, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
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Jul 12, 1972 [JA] |
|
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47-82300 |
Jul 12, 1972 [JA] |
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47-82301 |
Jul 14, 1972 [JA] |
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47-70932 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/260; 220/263;
49/25; 250/215 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65F
1/10 (20130101); B65F 1/1638 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65F
1/16 (20060101); B65F 1/10 (20060101); B65f
001/16 (); B65d 043/26 () |
Field of
Search: |
;220/41,47,1T,20.5,36,260,262,263 ;232/1R ;312/223 ;49/25,362
;4/166,249,262,DIG.3 ;250/215 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Huckert; John W.
Assistant Examiner: Levy; Stuart S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Browdy and Neimark
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A waste material container comprising:
a body made of sheet material having a top portion and a hollow
inner portion wherein crumpled waste material can be collected;
a valley shaped recessed portion defined by a pair of oppositely
disposed slants in said top portion and a pair of oppositely
disposed substantially vertical walls disposed adjacent said
slants, said slants and said walls further defining a lower
extremity of said recessed portion;
a photo electric element disposed in substantially said lower
extremity of said recessed portion and including a light projector
and a photo-electric receiver, said projector continuously
projecting a beam of light at said receiver;
a door disposed in one of said slants, said door being normally
closed;
a door operating means to open said door upon interruption of said
beam of light by said waste material and to close the door after
said waste material has entered said hollow inner portion; and
said door operating means including:
a blind, pivotally mounted on one of said substantially vertical
walls, said blind being pivoted in conjunction with the opening of
said door thereby interrupting said beam of light when said door
opens, but before said waste material enters said hollow inner
portion,
a driving means for opening said door in response to the
interruption of said beam of light, said driving means being
operative to open said door a predetermined amount as long as said
beam of light is interrupted, and
releasing means releasing said door after said door is opened said
predetermined amount thereby allowing said door to close under the
weight thereof.
2. A waste material container as recited in claim 1 wherein said
blind is a weighted pendulum.
3. A waste material container as recited in claim 2 wherein said
driving means comprises:
a gear rack affixed to said door;
a gear having at least one portion thereof which contains no gear
teeth, said gear being associated with said gear rack; and
motor means for rotating said gear.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to containers, and more particularly to
containers having a door or shutter to automatically open and
close. More specifically it relates to a waste paper container
whose shutter or door is mounted at the top thereof and can be
opened by interrupting light of a photo-electronic device due to
crumpled waste paper thrown into the recess.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Waste paper containers, for example, a container into which waste
paper, used to wipe washed hands, is thrown away, are widely used
in toilet rooms etc. Various types have been used, for example,
simple open-head containers or containers with a cover which is
swingable around a horizontal axis passing through the center of
gravity thereof. Much crumpled waste paper, however, is frequently
seen to be scattered around such containers, in spite of being
fitted with a cover, even the swingable cover. Such a scene is so
unattractive and is also so unsanitary that a waste paper box
having a cover or a shutter which can open and close automatically
with a relatively simple and inexpensive device has now been
developed.
It is understood that the present invention is not restricted to
waste paper containers, such as the embodiments disclosed but can
involve any hereinafter container as far as it falls within the
scope of the generic concept.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a novel waste
paper container comprising a shutter or door which can
automatically open when waste paper is thrown thereupon and can
automatically close, when the waste paper drops.
Another object of the invention is to provide on the top of the
container a valley-shaped, recessed portion which is constructed
substantially by a pair of slants or inclined surfaces and is
convenient to accept thrown waste paper as well as to pass for a
for photo-electronic device along the bottom of the valley.
A further object of the invention is to provide a novel waste paper
container having a shutter or door along one of the slants which
can open automatically by interruption of the light of a
photo-electronic device, which comprises a set of a projector and a
receiver thereof arranged on both sides of the recessed part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will
become more clear from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a waste paper container, an embodiment of
the invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line III--III of FIG.
4.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIG. 3, partially in section.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is an electrical diagram of the ciruit used for the
photoelectronic device of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic flow chart which illustrates a curve to
show "current to time" relation when a curve of "light to time" for
the corresponding time is given.
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 of another
embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 of a
further different embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIGS. 1 - 4 there is shown a waste paper
container, an embodiment of this invention. Reference numeral 1
denotes generally a container body or case which is substantially
made of metal sheet or plastic sheet, comprising side walls 1a, a
back wall 1b and a front door 2 to be opened arround a hinge 2b by
pulling a handle 2a.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a space where crumpled waste paper is
collected, above the space 3 is formed a valley-shaped recessed
portion defined by a pair of slants 4, 5 oppositely inclined each
other, another pair of side walls 14, 14 slightly inclined to the
vertical and a shutter or door 6 which is normally closed by its
own weight but slidingly opened by a motor 7. The shutter 6,
similarly curved as the slant 4, has a rack 6a thereunder which is
engaged with a gear 8 driven by the reduction-geared, electric
motor 7, whose out-put shaft is connected by a key (not shown)
mounted on the boss 8b of the gear 8. The gear 8 has a gear-less or
recessed part 8a so that when the gear-less part 8a comes to be
confronted with the rack 6a during the rotation of the gear 8, the
part 8a can not engage the rack 6a, and therefore the shutter 6
will slide down to the closed position by its own weight.
Reference numeral 9 denotes a pendulum-type blind or screen for the
purpose of blinding light of a photo-electronic device which
comprises a projector 12 and a receiver 13. The blind 9 is fitted
with a weight 10 carried by a lever 9c fixed thereon and supported
like a pendulum by a pivot 11 fixed to the side wall 1a. The blind
9 incorporates a plate part 9a and, a flange 9b of which keeps in
contact normally with a flanged part 6b the shutter, therefore when
the shutter 6 moves to open, the blind 9 follows the shutter 6 to
pivot clockwise about pivot 11 as shown in FIG. 3 and comes near to
its vertical position where the blind 9 shuts-off or blinds the
light from the projector 12.
Reference numeral 15 denotes a hole through which light 17
delivered from the projector 12 goes to the receiver 13 along the
valley X -- X formed between slant wall 5 and shutter 6. Referring
to FIG. 6 the numeral 16 denotes a relay box which incorporates
in-put terminals of, for example, 100V, 50/60Hz, out-put terminals
for the motor 7, a rectifier, an amplifier and relays. To get rid
of disturbance due to other foreign light, it is desirable that the
receiver 13 be energized only when the light modulated to a special
frequency is delivered from the projector 12. Referring to FIG. 7
the relay is functioned in such a manner as that when the light is
received (a) by the receiver 13 there is no out-put (d) and when
the light 17 is shut-off (b) there is the out-put (c) regardless of
time duration t.sub.1, t.sub.2 -- as illustrated in the figure.
The operation of this embodiment is disclosed hereinafter. When a
block of crumpled waste paper A is thrown onto the top of the
container 1, the block A comes down to the bottom of the valley X
-- X where the block A will shut-off the light 17 from the
projector 12 passing through the hole 15, running parallel to the
valley X -- X or the cross line of the two slants 4 and 5, to the
receiver 13. Then the motor 7 is energized by the relay (not shown)
in the relay box 16 to rotate the gear 8 slowly, which pushes the
door 6 upward by meshing in the rack 6a attached to the back
thereof along the back side of the slant 4, and the door 6 opens
enough to drop the block A into the container as illustrated as a
block B and such blocks C accumulate in the body 1.
According to the opening motion of the door 6, the blind 9 follows
the same distance, as the flange 6b of the door 6 keeps in contact
with the flange 9b thereof and comes to shut-off the light 17.
When the door 6 opens enough to pass the block A, the light 17 is
no longer shut-off by the block A and the motor would be expected
to stop, but the blind 9 has already shut-off or blinded the light
as mentioned above, and the motor 7 continues rotating. At last the
gear-less part 8a comes to be confronted with the rack 6a, then the
gear 8 can not drive the rack 6a anymore and the door 6 goes down
to the initial position and pushes back the pendulum-type blind 9
to the initial position as shown in FIG. 3 to clear the passage of
the light 17.
The function of the blind 9 is to shut-off the light before the
falling block A ceases shutting the light 17. This accomplishes the
same function as the well-known "self-holding" function on electric
circuits. The novel combination of the pendulum-typed blind 9, a
self-closing door 6 contacting with the blind, a disengageable
driving means saves electric relays and moreover maintenance labor
and cost.
A gear having a gear-less, recessed part thereon is disclosed as a
means to drop the door by itself, but it will be understood that
any other means which can disengage the driving means from the door
can be utilized for the same purpose. But the gear having a
gear-less part is very convenient because the next time another
paper block A is thrown to shut-off the light the motor 7 starts
rotating which immediately makes the gear again come to engage with
the rack 6a automatically.
After a certain amount of waste paper C has been accumulated the
front door 2 is opened to take out the accumulated waste paper
blocks.
Another embodiment is shown in FIG. 8 where a hinged door 6' is
provided to be open by a magnetic pull means comprising a solenoid
18 when the light of a photo-electronic device is shut-off.
A further embodiment is shown in FIG. 9 where a slidable door 6" is
provided to be open by a magnetic pull means comprising a solenoid
18', when the light of a photo-electronic device is shut-off.
* * * * *