Compactor With Ram Means Having An Automatically Movable Ram Head

Abstract

In a domestic refuse compacting appliance of the type having a receptacle with an open end for receiving refuse to be compacted therein and a reciprocally movable ram means adapted to perform an automatic cycle of operation wherein it moves into the receptacle and compacts refuse therein and then returns to a retracted position, a ram head is carried on the ram means and adapted to move relative thereto between an operative compacting position wherein the ram head is disposed closely adjacent the open end of the receptacle and a receptacle-access position wherein the ram head is disposed at least partially away from the receptacle open end to permit small itsms of refuse to be deposited through a loading port and into the receptacle without the need for moving the receptacle out of the housing of the appliance.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to compacting apparatus and more particularly pertains to structure for compacting household refuse.

In recent years, ways have been sought to improve methods and means for household refuse collection and disposal. As a result of this interest a relatively new major appliance for the home, the refuse compactor, has been commercially introduced. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,390, compacting apparatus is presented wherein a motor-driven vertically movable ram means is disposed to compress household trash into a drawerlike receptacle. The receptacle is preferably lined with a bag that can be closed after a full load of refuse has been compacted whereupon the bag of refuse is removed from the compactor and placed at a pick-up point outside the home. The ram means of this compactor utilizes a ram body member of a box-like hollow configuration having a ram face member or ram head fastened thereto. The ram face member has an under surface or face that directly contacts refuse during the compacting operation. Specific means by which the ram face member may be removably latched to the ram means or ram body member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,568. A patent application filed Sept. 15, 1972, Ser. No. 289,645, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,212 which has been issued Jan. 29, 1974, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, teaches the concept of a construction wherein the ram face member remains attached to the ram body member but is adapted to be manually repositioned whereby the machine owner may more easily clean the ram face member and then quickly return it to the operative compacting position on the ram body member.

The present invention comprehends, in the general structure of the type heretofore described, the use of a ram face member or ram head that is pivotally connected to the box-like structure of the ram means, with the ram head being adapted to automatically pivot, as a part of the operational cycle of the appliance, from the compacting position to a withdrawn position permitting small items of refuse to be introduced through a loading port opening on the front side of the appliance whereby the need to remove the drawer-like receptacle from the appliance cabinet is not required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

By this invention a refuse compacting appliance is provided having a refuse receptacle and a ram means adapted to advance into the receptacle for compacting refuse therein and to retract from the receptacle to permit loading of more refuse in the receptacle. The ram means includes a ram face portion or ram head having a surface portion for contacting refuse during the compacting operation. The ram face portion is pivotally attached to box-like structure of the ram means and is adapted to automatically pivot relative to the box-like structure, as a function of the operational cycle, between an operative compacting position and a withdrawn or retracted receptacle-access position so that clearance is provided to enable refuse to be introduced through a loading port in the appliance cabinet without the need for withdrawing the receptacle from the cabinet. Therefore, items can be introduced through the loading port at a point above the receptacle and passed downwardly within the cabinet into the receptacle without interference with the ram means or any part thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a domestic refuse compacting appliance having the cabinet side wall thereof cut away to reveal internal components thereof;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a compacting appliance of the type first shown in FIG. 1 but showing components thereof repositioned in accordance with the operation of the present invention;

FIG 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the compacting appliance cabinet of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of part of the internal compacting mechanism of the appliance in FIG. 1 taken generally from the front side of the FIG. 1 structure, at the upper end thereof, with the cabinet enclosure thereof removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1 there is shown a refuse compacting apparatus or domestic appliance 10 comprising a box-like support frame structure or cabinet enclosure 12. The cabinet 12 supports and encloses a refuse compacting mechanism including a movable ram means 14 carried for reciprocal vertical movement on a pair of spaced-apart rotatable screw shafts 16. The upper end of the movable ram means 14 is a rigid bridging portion 18 that extends between the screw shafts 16. The ram means 14 also includes a box-like structure 20 which projects downwardly from the bridging portion 18. The box-like structure 20 has oppositely disposed side wall portions 22 and 24 and a back wall portion 26 inter-connecting the rearward edges of the side wall portions 22 and 24. Extending across between the side wall portions 22 and 24 and integral therewith is a reinforcing panel 28 that is disposed in an inclined orientation, with its lower end or edge firmly fastened to the lower end of the back wall portion 26 of the box-like structure 20.

Attached to the box-like structure 20 of the ram means 14 is a ram ace portion or ram head 30 that is adapted to pivot relative to the box-like structure 20. The ram head 30 is connected to the box-like structure 20 by means of a pivot or hinge arrangement 32 thereof that joins it to the lower edge of the structure 20 back panel 26 just below the point of covergence between the reinforcing panel 28 and the back panel 26. The other or forward end of the ram head is supported by a pair of spaced apart pivotal arms 34. Each of the arms 34 has at its upper end a pivot member or bolt 36 pivotally connecting it to an intermediate point on one of the side panels 22 and 24, as shown in FIG. 4. The lower nd of each arm 34 is pivotally joined by a pivotal member or bolt 38 to a side flange 40 projecting upwardly from the ram head 30. Each side flange 40 has a horizontally elongated slot 42 provided therein through which the pivotal member 38 extends, permitting the pivotal member to slide along the slot 42 during the operation of the compacting appliance, as hereafter described.

Disposed in the lower end of the cabinet 12 is a refuse receiving bin or receptacle 44 that is open on its top side or end for receiving refuse therein. The front side of the cabinet structure 12 as shown in FIG. 1, is an appearance front including a lower end closure member 46 attached to the front side of the receptacle 44 whereby the receptacle 44 may be withdrawn outwardly from the cabinet enclosure 12 for the purpose of depositing relative large items of refuse therein or for emptying compacted refuse from the appliance. Directly above the closure member 46 is a second closure member or access door 48 covering a cabinet enclosure opening or loading port. The door 48 is hinged at its lower end at a point 50 whereby it may be opened outwardly to permit the deposit of small items of refuse through the loading port and into the receptacle 44. Alternatively, the access door 48 may have substituted therefor a relatively small access door 52, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, hinged at its upper end to swing inwardly and give access through a small loading port 56 for the deposit of refuse into the receptacle 44.

The ram means 14 is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly in a vertical direction on the rotatable shafts 16 whereby refuse within the receptacle 44 is contacted by the ram head 30 and compacted therein. The screw shafts 16 and the bridging portion 18 straddle the receptacle 44, and the boxlike structure 20 with the ram head 30 connected thereto moves downwardly through the upper open end of the receptacle 44 to compress the refuse thereunder. The screw shafts 16 are adapted to be rotated in unison by means of an electric drive motor (not shown).

Means for imparting the driving force to the screw shafts 16 and means for accomplishing the compacting action of the mechanism by an automatic cycle of operation are well known in the art and therefore are not sepcifically illustrated. By utilization of known electrical circuitry the compacting action may be initiated by the operator acutating a switch to start the cycle. Thereafter, the ram means 14 moves from the position shown in FIG. 2 and downwardly toward the receptacle. A current responsive means is generally employed in the circuit to the drive motor whereby sufficient compressing force exerted against the ram means will load the motor and cause automatic reversal thereof whereby the ram means 14 will move upwardly to its retracted position.

In compacting appliances of the general type described it is conventional to limit the height of the cabinet enclosure to approximately that of a normal kitchen counter top. This limitation imposes a restriction on the distance between the ram means and the receptacle when the ram means is in its withdrawn or retracted position, and generally only a slight clearance is allowed between the upper end of the receptacle and the lower end of the ram means whereby the receptacle can be withdrawn outwardly from the cabinet without engaging the ram means. Since the lower compacting end or ram head 30 of the ram means 14 must have a downward facing surface of an expanse great enough to contact substantially all refuse within the receptacle during the compacting operation, normal access into the open top of the receptacle is substantially blocked by the position of the large ram head in close adjacency to the receptacle's open end.

The present invention comprehends in such a compacting appliance the provision of means to give access from above the receptacle 44 while it is in position within the appliance cabinet structure so that small items can be introduced into the receptacle through a small items port such as port 46 located at a level above the open end of the receptacle 44. For this purpose the apparatus of the present invention relates to a means for articulating the ram means of the compacting appliance such that the lower end or ram head 30 thereof automatically withdraws from the open end of the receptacle 44 at the end of each compacting cycle and then returns to a operative compacting position at the initiation of the next cycle. The foregoing is accomplished in the preferred embodiment of the present invention by attaching the ram head 30 to the box-like structure 20 of the ram means 14 in a manner heretofore described and then providing automatic means for pivotally moving the ram head 30 in one direction relative to the box-like structure 20 as an incident of retraction of the ram means at the end of the compacting cycle and in the opposite direction as an incident of initial movement of the ram means in the compacting direction at initiation of the next compacting cycle.

The preferred means of accomplishing movement of the ram head 30 is through provision of spaced-apart finger portions 58 and 59 integral to each arm 34 and separated by a slot 60. The finger portions 58 and 59, and the slot 60, are provided for interaction with a stationary ledge or flange 62 projecting laterally and inwardly from the front side of the cabinet enclosure 12. By reference to FIG. 2 it will be seen that the ram head 30 is disposed with its under surface in an inclined position when the ram means 14 is in its retracted non-operating position at the upper end of the cabinet enclosure 12. When the operator initiates the compacting cycle and the ram means 14 begins its downward movement toward the receptacle 44 the finger portion 59 of each arm 34 impacts against the ledge 62 and is caused to pivot about the pivot member 36 such that the opposite end of the arm 34 is levered downwardly. In order for the arms 34 to move past the ledge 62 the arms 34 must swing from the position shown in FIG. 2 to that shown in FIG. 4. This action is translated to the ram head 30 whereby it is caused to pivot downwardly about its hinge 32 to the horizontal disposition shown in FIG. 1. Then, in this position, as shown in FIG. 4, the oppositely disposed arms 34 serve to rigidly brace the ram head 30 as the ram means 14 moves downwardly such that the driving force applied to the ram means through the screw shafts 16 will be translated to the ram head 30 and thence against refuse contained within the receptacle 44.

As the compacting cycle is nearing its end and the ram means 14 is moving upwardly on the screw shafts 16, the finger portion 58 of each arm 34 impacts against the under side of ledge 62 whereby the arms 34 are caused to pivot in unison from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 2. This pivotal action causes the ram head 30 to swing about it hinge 32 from the FIG. 1 position to that shown in FIG. 2. With the ram head disposed as shown in FIG. 2 a passage is created from the front side upper end loading port 56 whereby small items of refuse can be deposited therethrough into the receptacle without the need for pulling the receptacle outwardly from the cabinet enclosure 12.

Claims

I claim:

1. In a refuse compacting apparatus including a receptacle with an open end for receiving refuse to be compacted therein and a reciprocally movable ram means adapted to move into the receptacle and compact the refuse therein and retract to a retracted position, a ram face portion carried on the ram means, said ram means further including a pivotally mounted arm providing support for the ram face portion, said pivotally mounted arm being arranged to pivot as the ram means retracts to thereby move the ram face portion relative to the ram means between an operative compacting position wherein it is disposed closely adjacent the open end of the receptacle and a receptacle-access position wherein it is disposed at least partially away from the receptacle open end to permit access to the receptacle open end for the deposit of refuse in the receptacle.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a stationary member that is contacted by the arm as the ram means moves whereby the arm is caused to pivot on the ram means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said arm includes finger portions defining a slot for interaction with said stationary member whereby the arm is caused to pivot on the ram means.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said ram means includes a box-like structure to which said arm is pivotally mounted and to which said ram face is pivotally mounted opposite said first pivotal mounting.

5. A domestic refuse compacting appliance comprising:

a support frame with an appearance front attached thereto;

a ram means adapted for vertical movement from a retracted position and through a compacting cycle;

a receptacle having an open top end and being disposed below the ram means for holding refuse to be compacted;

the ram means having a ram head for compacting movement into and out of the receptacle and including a pivotally mounted arm providing support for the ram head, the pivotally mounted arm being arranged to pivot as the ram means retracts to thereby move the ram head portion relative to the ram means;

a loading port in the appearance front at a level above the receptacle's top opening for the depositing of refuse into the receptacle; and

the ram head being movable on the ram means between a first position and a second position whereby the front edge of the ram head is disposed away from the receptacle open end when in one of said positions to permit passage of refuse into the receptacle from the loading port.

6. The compacting appliance of claim 5 wherein the loading port has an access door thereacross, and the door is adapted to be opened to permit refuse to be deposited inwardly to the loading port.