U.S. patent number 3,613,566 [Application Number 04/867,746] was granted by the patent office on 1971-10-19 for refuse compactor.
Invention is credited to Charles R. Difley, Lloyd P. Shapleigh, Jr..
United States Patent |
3,613,566 |
Shapleigh, Jr. , et
al. |
October 19, 1971 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
REFUSE COMPACTOR
Abstract
A refuse compactor having a ram adapted to move downwardly into
a drawer to compact refuse deposited in the drawer whereby a
substantial quantity of refuse may be collected in a limited space.
The compactor is adapted for use in a household kitchen for
compacting household refuse. The drawer is provided with a movable
sidewall permitting the user, such as a housewife, to remove the
compressed refuse laterally from the drawer while yet arranging the
drawer to define upright sidewalls to contain the refuse
effectively positively therein during compacting thereof by the ram
means. Manually operable means are provided for selectively
latching the sidewall in the upright position. The refuse may be
collected in a bag in the drawer whereby the compacted refuse
therein may be readily removed by the lateral removal of the bag
with the movable sidewall portion in a downwardly disposed
arrangement.
Inventors: |
Shapleigh, Jr.; Lloyd P.
(Stevensville, MI), Difley; Charles R. (Niles, MI) |
Family
ID: |
25350389 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/867,746 |
Filed: |
October 20, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
100/218; 53/527;
100/229A; 229/122; 292/54; 312/322; 220/495.06; 100/255 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B30B
9/3032 (20130101); Y10T 292/086 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
B30B
9/30 (20060101); B30B 9/00 (20060101); B30b
015/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;100/218,229A,226 ;229/6
;220/17 ;312/13,14,298,323,327,328,302 ;53/124 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wilhite; Billy J.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. In a refuse compactor having wall means defining the front of a
compacting space and having an opening, and ram means within said
space for compacting refuse which selectively may be received in
disposable bag means, drawer means for receiving refuse to be
compacted, means for guiding said drawer means through said opening
selectively to an exposed, refuse receiving position outwardly of
said space, and an inner, refuse compacting position within said
space wherein said ram means may compact refuse therein, said
drawer means having a bottom wall and an upright wall defining an
upwardly opening refuse receiving space therein wherein refuse is
compacted by the ram means and urged downwardly forcible against
said bottom wall, and means movable mounting a portion of said
bottom and upright walls to permit movement thereof to lift said
compacted refuse and provide access to said refuse receiving space
from laterally thereof, thereby to facilitate freeing of compacted
refuse from adhesion to the drawer means walls.
2. The refuse compactor structure of claim 1 wherein said movable
wall portion comprises a minor portion of the upright wall of the
drawer means.
3. The refuse compactor structure of claim 2 wherein said movably
mounted wall portion comprises a first class lever which pivots
about a fulcrum defined by said mounting means.
4. The refuse compactor structure of claim 3 including detent means
selectively supporting the movable wall portion at an intermediate
position of said wall portion and operable to permit the sidewall
portion to be swung to a horizontal position when desired.
5. The refuse compactor structure of claim 1 wherein said mounting
means comprises means movably mounting said wall portion at a
position spaced above said bottom wall.
6. The refuse compactor of claim 1 wherein said mounting means
comprises means hingedly mounting said wall portion at a lower
portion thereof spaced above said bottom wall whereby said wall
portion swings downwardly about a longitudinal axis from the
upright position thereof.
7. The refuse compactor structure of claim 1 wherein said wall
portion includes an integral bottom wall and turned side portions
movable therewith.
8. The refuse compactor structure of claim 1 including rotatably
manually operable latch means releasably locking said wall portion
in the upright disposition.
9. In a refuse compactor having wall means defining the front of a
compacting space and having an opening, and ram means within said
space for compacting refuse which selectively may be received in
disposable bag means, drawer means for receiving refuse to be
compacted, means for guiding said drawer means through said opening
selectively to an exposed, refuse receiving position outwardly of
said space, and an inner, refuse compacting position within said
space wherein said ram means may compact refuse therein, said
drawer means including first and second wall portions and means
movably associating said wall portions to define selectively a
solely upwardly opening, laterally enclosed refuse receiving space,
or an upwardly and at least partially laterally opening space, said
drawer means being arranged to support the disposable bag means for
receiving therein refuse delivered to said refuse receiving space,
said second wall portion of the drawer means including a bottom
wall for subjacently carrying said bag means and movable to dispose
said bag means at least partially laterally of said refuse
receiving space for facilitated removal thereof when said drawer
means is arranged to define said laterally opening space.
10. The refuse compactor of claim 9 including means for pivotally
mounting the second wall portion above the level of the bottom wall
in the trash receiving position thereof whereby the bagged
compacted trash is elevated as a result of the moving of the second
wall portion to define said laterally opening space.
11. The refuse compactor of claim 9 wherein said bottom wall
extends over a major portion of the horizontal cross section of
said refuse receiving space.
12. The refuse compactor of claim 9 wherein said second wall
portion includes spaced means for releasably holding said wall
portions in said solely upwardly opening space-defining disposition
and means for reinforcing said second wall portion between said
holding means.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to refuse compactors and in particular to
refuse compactors having a movable drawer for receiving refuse to
be compacted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In one improved form of refuse compactor, a drawer is movably
carried in a cabinet structure for selective disposition within the
compactor wherein refuse in the drawer is compacted by the
operation of a ram means movably mounted within the cabinet. The
drawer is movable to an exposed position permitting refuse to be
delivered into the drawer for such compaction.
To facilitate removal of the refuse, the drawer may be lined with a
suitable bag, such as a plastic lined paper bag, in which the
refuse is deposited. It has been found that there is a tendency for
the bag to stick to the sidewalls of the drawer thereby making it
difficult for the user to remove the bag upwardly through the upper
opening of the drawer. The drawer may be relatively deep and where
the user comprises a relatively weak person, such as a housewife of
perhaps less than average strength, difficulty has been encountered
in the removal of the refuse-containing bag. The difficulty may be
increased by the presence of any liquids which may infiltrate
between the bag and drawer wall. When such liquids dry, they cause
adhesion of the bag to the wall thus making it extremely difficult
at times to remove the bag of relatively heavy compacted
refuse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprehends an improved refuse compactor of
such a drawer type having new and improved means for facilitating
the removal of the compacted refuse. More specifically, the
invention comprehends the provision of a drawer means having
upright walls normally defining the compaction space. During the
compacting operation, the refuse is retained in the compaction
space by the sidewalls against the substantial forces developed by
the ram means of the compactor. When it is desired to remove the
compacted refuse, however, a portion of the upright walls may be
rearranged to permit the compacted refuse to be removed laterally
from the compaction space rather than requiring that it be lifted
upwardly therefrom as in refuse compactors of the prior art.
More specifically, the invention comprehends that a movable wall
portion may comprise a sidewall of the drawer. The sidewall may be
movably associated with the drawer as by hinge means. The hinge
means is mounted at a lower portion of the movable sidewall whereby
the sidewall may be pivoted downwardly from the upright position
about the hinge means to provide the lateral accessibility to the
refuse, eliminating the need for lifting a relatively heavy package
of refuse a vertical height equivalent to the height of the upright
walls of the drawer. The movable wall may be releasably latched in
the upright position by suitable manually operated latch means.
The movable or tiltable wall portion may be provided with a bottom
wall integrally associated therewith for carrying the refuse. Thus,
when the wall portion is swung to the position wherein the
compacting space is laterally accessible, the bottom wall may be
moved therewith to bring the refuse at least partially outwardly
from the compacting space for further facilitated removal
thereof.
The movable wall portion may further include edge wall means
telescoping into the refuse compacting space for further precluding
adhesion of the compacted refuse to the stationary portion of the
drawer.
The wall portion may be provided with suitable stiffeners for
providing improved rigidity of the sidewall against the relatively
large forces generated during the compacting operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent
from the following description taken in connection with the
accompanying drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a refuse compactor provided with a
drawer structure embodying the invention, the drawer being shown in
the refuse receiving position;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view similar to that of FIG. 1 but with the
drawer disposed in a position to provide lateral accessibility to
the refuse compacting space;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along
the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 and with a bag of refuse carried by the
movable wall portion of the drawer, and with an intermediate
position of the movable wall portion of the drawer indicated in
broken lines;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section illustrating the
forward means for latching the movable wall portion in the upright
position;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along
the line 5--5 of FIG. 1 showing the rearward means for latching the
movable wall portion in the upright position; and
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along
the line 6--6 of FIG. 1 showing the detent means for releasably
holding the movable wall in an intermediate position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the
drawing, a refuse compactor generally designated 10 is shown to
comprise a cabinet 11 defining a front opening 12. A compacting ram
means 13 is provided within the cabinet 11 for compacting refuse
placed in a drawer generally designated 14. Drawer 14 is movable
through opening 12 on a suitable guide 15 between a refuse
receiving position as shown in FIG. 1 and a refuse compacting
position wherein the drawer is fully received within the cabinet 11
in association with ram means 13, and ram means 13 may move
downwardly into the drawer 14 to compact refuse therein.
Illustratively, the compactor 10 may be utilized to compact
household refuse, and thus may be installed in a household
kitchen.
The present invention is concerned with the construction of drawer
14 to permit facilitated removal of the compacted refuse when
desired. As shown in FIG. 1, in the refuse receiving and refuse
compacting arrangement, drawer 14 is defined by upright wall means
generally designated 16 and including a front wall 17, a first
fixed sidewall 18, a rear wall 19, and a movable, or tiltable,
sidewall 20. The drawer, as shown in FIG. 3, further includes a
bottom wall 21 which cooperates with the upright wall means 16 to
define an upwardly opening refuse receiving and compacting space
22. As best seen in FIG. 1, the refuse receiving space 22 is
relatively deep so as to hold a substantial quantity of refuse.
Illustratively, it has been found that such a refuse compactor may
hold the normal household refuse accumulating over a relatively
long period such as 3 to 5 days or more, thereby minimizing the
work of transferring refuse from the household to outside the
household for pickup by collectors. The drawer 14 may
advantageously be lined with a suitable bag 23 for receiving the
refuse and providing facilitated transfer of the compacted refuse
from the compactor when desired. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper edge
24 of the bag may be provided with a cuff portion 24a, folded over
the upright walls 17, 18, 19, and 20, for facilitated delivery of
refuse into the bag and compaction of refuse in the bag. A pair of
bag retainers 27 are secured to the drawer sidewalls 18 and 20,
with upper edge portions 27a of the bag retainers being spaced from
the walls of the drawer 14 to define slots 27b adapted to receive
and retain the cuff portion 24a on the upper edge 24 of the bag
23.
As discussed above, difficulty is encountered at times in the
removal of the bagged compacted refuse from conventional forms of
such drawers. Conventionally, the bagged compacted refuse is
removed from the drawer by application of an upward pull on the
upper edge 24 of the bag. It has been found, however, that the
relatively large forces exerted by the ram means 13 on the refuse
force the bag 23 into intimate contact with the sidewalls and
bottom wall of the drawer whereby bonding, or sticking, of the bag
to the drawer walls may occur. This problem is aggravated where
liquids infiltrate the bag material and subsequently dry between
the bag and the drawer walls so as to effectively cement, or bond,
the bag to the drawer walls. Further it has been found that in
addition to the relatively heavy weight of such compacted or
densified refuse, the bag may become wedged into frictionally
locked engagement with the drawer walls as a result of uneven
compaction of different refuse materials. Such adhesion, heavy
weight, wedging, etc. have made it difficult for a user to remove
the bag of compacted refuse, and where the user is a relatively
weak person, such as a housewife of less than average strength, the
problem is further aggravated.
In alleviation of this removal problem, the present invention
comprehends the arrangement of the movable wall portion 20 so as to
provide lateral access to the compaction space 22 as best seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, sidewall 20 is
hingedly carried in the drawer 14 by suitable hinge means such as a
piano hinge 25 permitting the sidewall 20 to swing downwardly from
the upright position of FIG. 1 to the laterally inclined position
of FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein the bag 23 containing the compacted refuse
may be readily laterally removed by the user. Sidewalls 18 and 20
may be provided with suitable stiffeners such as corrugated wall
members 26 for reinforcing the wall against the substantial force
generated by the ram means 13 during the compacting operations.
Movable wall 20 may be securely latched in the upright position by
suitable manually operated latches 28 and 29 as shown in FIGS. 4
and 5 respectively. As shown, latch 28 includes a movable element
28a on the sidewall 20 and a fixed latch portion 28b on the front
wall 17 of the drawer 14. Latch 29 includes a movable portion 29a
on the rear wall 19 of the drawer and a fixed portion 29b on the
sidewall 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the latches 28 and 29
comprise conventional window sash latches, it being understood that
any suitable latching means capable of resisting the substantial
forces generated by the ram means during the compacting operation
may be used.
As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sidewall 20 further includes a
bottom wall portion 30 extending inwardly from the lower end of the
sidewall 20 and a pair of edge walls 31 and 32 extending
transversely to space 22 from movable sidewall 20 toward fixed
sidewall 18 to define a three-sided receptacle structure generally
designated 33 effectively carrying the bagged compacted refuse to
the readily accessible position of FIG. 3 when the receptacle
structure 33 is swung outwardly as shown in FIG. 3. In this
arrangement, the adhesion between the bag and the fixed sidewall 18
may be readily broken by an upward force caused by pivoting of the
receptacle structure 33 tending to progressively release the bag
from the sidewall 18 thereby facilitating the removal thereof. In
effect, after the latches 28 and 29 are released, the receptacle
structure 33 functions as a lever which pivots about a fulcrum
defined by the hinge means 25 as force is applied to the upper edge
of movable wall 20 to lift the heavy refuse bag 23 via wall portion
30 away from bottom wall 21. Further, as the structure 33 is
inclined laterally, the bag may be subsequently removed from
receptacle structure 33 by a lateral movement rather than requiring
the relatively heavy bag of compacted refuse to be lifted
vertically a substantial distance as where the sidewalls of the
drawer are fixed in the upright position. By permitting the bag to
be thus progressively separated from the drawer 14, the possibility
of rupture of the bag during removal, with resultant further
difficulty in transfer of the compacted refuse, is effectively
minimized.
The illustrated embodiment may advantageously include detent means
33a to stop the pivotal movement of the receptacle structure 33 at
an intermediate position indicated in broken lines in FIG. 3. In
the illustrated embodiment, the detent means comprises a
conventional spring loaded plunger type catch, or detent, 33a
mounted at the rear of front wall 17 in a lower edge portion
thereof and projecting into the path of movement of the receptacle
structure 33 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The detent means 33a
provides a control of the pivotal movement of receptacle structure
33 preventing undesirable overshoot in the pivotal movement of the
receptacle structure 33 with possible spillage of refuse. In the
cleaning of receptacle structure 33, maximum access to the
receptacle and drawer structure is desired and, thus, the plunger
of detent 33a can be depressed and the receptacle structure 33
pivoted past the intermediate position (indicated in broken line in
FIG. 3) to the position shown in FIG. 2, or if it be desired,
beyond the position of FIG. 2 such as to provide access to drawer
bottom wall 21.
The tilting of structure 33 to the laterally angled position
further permits facilitated cleaning of the drawer when desired. As
discussed above, from time to time, liquids may infiltrate the bag
and, thus, maintenance of the drawer to remove any vestiges of
refuse causing odors and the like is highly desirable.
In use, the bag 23 is firstly installed in the drawer, as shown in
FIG. 1, with the upper cuffed portion 24a folded over the top of
the upright walls 18, 19, and 20, to receive refuse through the
open top of the drawer. Refuse deposited in the bag 23 is compacted
by the ram means 13 so as to permit deposit of a substantial amount
of refuse therein before the bag is filled, requiring removal
thereof.
When it is desired to remove the compacted refuse, the user merely
moves the drawer to the exposed position of FIG. 2, releases the
latches 28 and 29, swings structure 33 from the position wherein
the structure is telescoped into the space 22 within the walls 17,
18 and 19 of the drawer to the laterally inclined position of FIGS.
2 and 3, and removes the bag of compacted refuse as discussed
above. Upon such removal, structure 33 is swung on the hinge 25
back to the upright position of FIG. 1 and latched in this position
for subsequent further refuse reception and compaction.
The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is illustrative of
the broad inventive concepts comprehended by the invention.
* * * * *