Support Bracket For Refuse Containers

Abstract

A particular arrangement in a support bracket for attaching and assembling a refuse container arrangement of the sort which uses a flexible plastic bag which has the open neck stretched over or otherwise supported in open fashion on a frame having a support ring. The present bracket assembles the support ring frame, a plastic closure lid that closes the open neck of the plastic bag when in use and mounts the assembly on a vertical pipe. The bracket comprises a front plate having an arcuate socket formed therein and bolt hole openings at spaced locations and a back plate which is bent to form flanges and side members extending from a center plate. The center plate includes an inwardly extending channel to receive one portion of the ring and an outwardly extending channel to receive one portion of the ring and an outwardly extending channel for another portion of the ring which is sprung into position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Refuse and garbage containers and especially racks and supports therefor. Supports for garbage bags and the like.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The prior art includes numerous supports for garbage bags and particularly open ring-like supports which have a pivoted lid to cover the open plastic garbage bag when not in use. Some of the arrangements for assemblying the lid, the support ring arrangement and the support post for the support ring arrangement are rather involved, complicated and costly and do not lend themselves to shipping in a disassembled condition, for example, from a retail store in a box, and then simple installation and assembly by an inexperienced home owner. The problem with the prior art has resided not in the concept which is old but rather in the execution of the concept from the standpoint of reducing the cost of this particular type of refuse container, which inherently involves the purchase of non-reusable plastic bags, so that the initial investment of the homeowner is negligible and the assembly, installation and use is effective and without problems. The prior art provides many ways of attaching the open plastic bag in place and with or without various closure arrangements. The present invention is directed to the assembly of the bag support and closure through the use of a particular bracket arrangement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a bracket arrangement for assemblying a bag support device such as an open ring construction to a closure lid and provide means for mounting the whole assembly on a pipe or some other surface.

One primary advantage found in the present invention resides in the arrangement of the preferred form wherein a bracket is constructed in two parts each of which may be bent from metal plate and punched with assembly holes whereby the whole assembly may be easily put together.

Another advantage resides in the arrangement set forth in the foregoing paragraph together with the strength and rigidity which is obtained whereby the completed assembly readily supports a heavy bag of trash.

One specific feature of the present support bracket arrangement is found in the oppositely extending curve channel portions of the bracket whereby upper and lower members of the bag support are attached and sprung in place easily but in such a way as to prevent accidental detachment or dislodgement.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will appear from a review of the drawings and specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refuse bag support and closure assembly utilizing the present bracket arrangement.

FIG. 2 is a perspective, assembly view of the bracket of the present invention in FIG. 1 disassembled.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1 a typical refuse bag support assembly 10 comprises a support ring frame arrangement 12 which is an open, peripheral ring of continuous construction made from steel wire or the like, which may be spring steel, covered with a soft plastic or rubber material and defining a front portion 14, side members 16, a top rear member 18 and a bottom rear member 20 which are spaced apart with the ends 22 of member 20 bending upwardly and being welded or otherwise attached beneath the the side member 16. The arrangement just described defines a frame which may be made from any appropriate material. A common plastic garbage bag made from polyethylene or any other suitable plastic, paper or other suitable material is attached with the bag opening on the frame 12 and with the top edges of the bag stretched around the frame front 14, sides 16 and rear 18 or held in place by any suitable attachment arrangement, such as a bag clamp or clips (not shown).

The frame 14 is mounted on the bracket arrangement 30 of the present invention which is to be described in detail hereafter and a plastic lid 32 having a solid top 34 and side flanges 36 is pivotally attached to the bracket 30 by means of a pivot pin 38. Bracket 30 is mounted on a pipe or pole 40 which may be set in concrete in the ground or may be attached to some other support by means of a U-clamp or other attachment device (not shown).

Bracket 30, which is shown in detail and disassembled in FIG. 2, comprises two component parts -- a first plate 42 and a second plate 44 which are connected together during the assembly of bracket 30. First plate 42 comprises a flat plate 46 and a socket arrangement 48 which is formed by bending the metal from the plate 46 to create arcuate portions 50. Various bolt openings 52 are formed by punching plate 42. The second plate 44 comprises a center section 56 which has an inturned channel 58 at the top and an outwardly turned channel 60 at the bottom receiving respectively the upper wire 18 and the lower wire 20 of the bag support frame 12 which are compressed together by hand and allowed to spring into the channels 58, 60 on upper wire 18 inserted and then lower wire sprung into channel 60. Extending perpendicular to the center section 56 is a pair of side sections 62, 64 which are metal plates having bolt openings 66 punched therein and each of the sections 62, 64 terminate in outwardly extending flange portions 68 which have bolt openings 70 matching with openings 52 in first plate 42.

A set screw 74 threadedly engages a tapped opening 76 in the arcuate portion 50, to tighten the first plate 42 on the post or pipe 40. The first plate 42 is assembled to the second plate 44 by means of bolts 80 with nuts 82 in the manner shown in FIG. 2 as well as FIG. 1. The pivot pin 38 inserts through the sides 62, 64 of the second plate 44 and through a pair of flaps 84 formed as part of the lid 32.

Thus, it is seen that the frame 12 is rigidly attached in place by means of the bracket 30 but is easily attached thereto or detached therefrom. Also, the lid or closure 32 is readily attached or removed so that the entire assembly, with or without a post 40, may be shipped in disassembled condition and easily assembled by the homeowner.

If desired, the post 40 may be omitted in instances where the bracket 30 is to be attached directly to a wall surface (not shown) as for example where the bracket would be attached to a concrete wall by means of concrete nails or other common fasteners inserted through the holes 70, 52 into the wall surface or by means of lag screws which may be screwed directly into wood posts.

Accordingly, while I have shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention together with a suggested use and also in conjunction with a more or less common and conventional bag support frame and lid, this is by way of illustration only and does not constitute any sort of limitation on the scope of the invention since there are various alterations, changes, deviations, amendments, omissions, additions, revisions and departures which may be made in the embodiment shown without departing from the scope of my invention which is defined only by interpretation of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed:

1. In a support device for a flexible bag which has an open top:

a. a support frame comprising an open peripheral and continuous member about which the top of the flexible bag is turned-back to support said bag with the open top inside of said frame, said frame having a front portion, side portions and a back portion substantially in the same plane and about which said bag top is turned-back,

b. a bottom rear member attached to and spaced from said support frame at the back portion thereof and extending from each side member and substantially coextensively with said back portion, at least one of said bottom rear member and said back portion being resilient whereby there is relative motion between said bottom rear member and said back portion to reduce the distance therebetween when compressed together by hand and held and whereby said back portion and said bottom rear member will return and spring into place when released,

c. a bracket on which said support frame is detachably secured so that said support frame projects outwardly therefrom with said bag hanging therefrom and said bag top open thereon, said bracket comprising a back portion which is attachable to an upright support means and a front projecting bracket portion which comprises a center section and side sections extending from said back portion,

d. an inturned channel at the top of said center section and an outwardly turned channel at the bottom of said center section receiving respectfully the back portion of said support frame and the bottom rear member which are inserted and positioned only by bringing said back portion and bottom rear member toward each other sufficiently to enter said channels placing said bottom rear member and said back portion on opposite sides of said center section whereby said bottom rear member in place extends from said support frame to said bracket and below said support frame.

2. The device claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said back portion of said bracket comprises a plate having an arcuate central portion formed therein to receive a post or pipe and the like and flat side plates,

said side sections of said front projecting bracket portion having flanges which abut said flat side plates of said back portion of said bracket.

3. The device in claim 1:

a pivoted closure lid for said bag frame to cover the opening of a bag supported in open condition on said frame.

4. The device in claim 3:

a pivot pin extending through said bracket and said closure lid.

5. The device in claim 1:

bolt openings in said side sections of said front projecting bracket portion and bolts for said openings.

6. The device in claim 4, wherein:

said back portion of said bracket comprises a plate having an arcuate central portion formed therein to receive a post or pipe and the like, and flat side plates,

said side sections of said front projecting bracket portion having flanges which abut said flat side plates of said back portion of said bracket.