Waste receptacle dumping mechanism

Abstract

Dumping mechanism preferably mounted on the side of a pick-up vehicle embodying an upwardly rotatable frame having an upper saddle for engaging in a recess in the exterior of a portable waste receptacle to lift and invert the receptacle as the frame rotates, and a lower hook on the frame which is actuated by a cam fixed on the vehicle over a lower cross bar on the receptacle as the frame rotates to hold the receptacle in inverted position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Certain prior devices for dumping portable waste receptacles into pick-up trucks and the like have been complicated and expensive. Some of those prior devices have included means for detachably engaging and holding the receptacle in inverted position as it is being dumped, but the holding means is sometimes accidentally released by being jarred or bumped, allowing the inverted receptacle to fall into the pick-up truck.

In the copending application of Brown, et al., Ser. No. 339,636, allowed Nov. 5, 1973, there is disclosed a dumping mechanism having a lower hook which is positively moved into locking engagement with a cross bar on the receptacle as the receptacle is being inverted. However, that dumping mechanism is adapted to be mounted on the rear of the pick-up vehicle and swings about a fixed pivot offset from the axis of the actuator shaft, so that the height above ground of the dumping mechanism is narrowly restricted and can not be readily accommodated to the varying heights required in mounting the dumping mechanism on different pick-up vehicles. Also in the "down" or loading position the dumping mechanism is not locked but is free to swing in response to accidental movements of the pick-up vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dumping mechanism mounted on a pick-up or collector vehicle for dumping waste receptacles into the vehicle.

Another object is to provide improved dumping mechanism adapted to be mounted on the side of the pick-up vehicle for lifting and dumping waste receptacles into the side of the vehicle.

A further object is to provide improved dumping mechanism for a pick-up vehicle adapted to engage and invert a portable waste receptacle having an upper exterior downwardly directed overhanging wall and an exterior lower cross bar or abutment which cooperates with the dumping mechanism to hold the receptacle in inverted position.

Another object is to provide dumping mechanism which can be easily modified to accommodate various loading heights presented by different pick-up vehicles.

A still further object is to provide improved dumping mechanism which is locked in the loading position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing a receptacle in position to be lifted by the improved dumping mechanism, the receptacle being shown in partly lifted and tilted position in phantom lines.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the receptacle inverted and tilted to dumping position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly broken away and in section, similar to FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the receptacle in partly raised and tilted position.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly broken away and in section similar to FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a vertical elevational view, partly broken away and in section, on line 6--6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a portable waste receptacle adapted to be lifted and dumped by the improved dumping mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The improved waste receptacle indicated generally at 10 is the same as that disclosed in said copending application of Brown, et al., Ser. No. 339,636, and has a front wall 13, with supporting wheels 95 journaled in the side walls 14. The front wall 13 has an elongated recess 25 therein extending from the bottom upwardly into the top portion 18 of the receptacle. A cover 22 is preferably hinged on the handle 20 provided at the top rear edge of the receptacle. An overhanging wall 26 is formed over the top of the recess and provides a transverse bar by which the receptacle may be lifted by the improved dumping mechanism. A lower transverse bar 27 spans the recess 25 and forms an abutment adapted to be engaged by a downwardly directed locking hook on the improved dumping mechanism.

The improved dumping mechanism indicated generally at 29 is preferably mounted on the side of a pick-up or collector vehicle having a cylindrical housing, a portion of which is shown generally at 30 and has circumferential flanges 31 between which the dumping mechanism is mounted. A side access opening 32 is provided in the housing 30 through which the waste receptacle may be dumped. A pair of circumferentially spaced angles 33 extends longitudinally of the housing between two circumferential flanges 31 with the ends of the angles secured to the flanges by angle brackets 34 welded to the angles 33 and bolted to the flanges 31 by bolts 35 (FIG. 6).

Spaced apart longitudinally within the angles 33 is a pair of rectangular plates 36 and 37 having their edges welded to the angles as indicated, and a rotary motor or activator 38 of known construction is mounted on plate 36 by bolts 39. The activator has a drive shaft 40 with its ends projecting from opposite sides of the motor, and lifting arm channels 41 and 42 are fixed onto the respective ends of the shaft by keys 43 and set screws 44. The channels 41 and 42 extend radially downward from the shaft in the loading position of the dumping mechanism shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6.

A lifting frame is supported on the lower ends of the arms 41 and 42 and comprises angles 45 welded to and extending laterally from the ends of the arms, and a transverse channel 46 extending between the ends of the arms. Angles 47 are welded to the outer ends of angles 45 and extend upwardly therefrom at a slight outward inclination. Downwardly and rearwardly inclined angles 48 are welded at their upper ends to angles 47 and at their lower ends to the near sides of lifting arm channels 41 and 42. Bottom, front and top cover plates 49, 50 and 51 are preferably welded to the exteriors of and extend between the angles 45, 47 and 48, respectively.

A saddle for engaging under and supporting the overhanging wall 26 of the receptacle comprises an upwardly curved channel 53 welded at its inner edge to the front cover plate 50 near its top edge. A support angle 54 is welded to the plate 50 under the saddle with its upper leg in abutment therewith. Preferably, a bumper bead 55 is welded to the top edge of plate 50 to abut the front wall of receptacle portion 18 when the overhanging wall is entered into the saddle 53.

With the overhanging wall supported in the saddle 53, counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 40 will cause the lifting frame to raise and invert the receptacle to dumping position within the vehicle housing, as indicated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

It will be apparent that the lengths of the lifting arms may be varied to raise or lower the lifting saddle and thereby accommodate the dumping mechanism to vehicles having different loading heights above ground. Moreover, when the lifting arms and frame are in the loading position of FIGS. 1 and 3, they are locked in position because they are secured directly onto the activator shaft. Hence there can be no accidental swinging of the lifting and dumping mechanism due to jarring or accidental movement of the vehicle.

The improved means for holding the waste receptacle on the lifting frame when the receptacle is in inverted position as in FIG. 5, comprises a hook for locking over the transverse bar 27 on the receptacle. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, the hook 57 preferably constitutes a reentrant notch formed in the outer peripheral flange 58 of a cam plate 59 projecting through a slot 60 in plate 50 and having a pivot pin 61 journaled in bushings 62 on opposite sides of the slot. The upper inner edge of the cam plate 59 has a counterweight stop bar 63 welded thereto for maintaining the hook 57 disengaged in loading position and preventing it from accidentally rotating through the slot to an inoperative position when a waste receptacle is not adjacent thereto.

Means for positively moving the hook 57 into locking engagement with the bar 27 when the receptacle is lifted comprises a rocker lever 65 having a cam roller 65' on one end engaging the bottom curved peripheral flange 58' of cam plate 59. The rocker lever 65 is pivoted intermediate its ends on a bracket plate 66 secured to cross channel 46 of the frame and has a foot plate 67 on its other end engaged by a roller 68 on the lower end of an actuating rod 69 which is slidably mounted in an upper cross channel 70 and a lower cross bar 71, both extending between and secured to the lifting channel arms 41 and 42.

A roller 72 on the upper end of actuating rod 69 engages a fixed cam 73 formed on the housing of activator 36, thus fixedly mounting the cam with respect to the housing 30 of the pick-up vehicle, and the cam is designed to force the rod 69 radially outward from shaft 40 as the arms 42 rotate, to rock the lever 65 and rotate the cam plate 59 clockwise, positively engaging the hook 57 with bar 27.

As indicated in FIG. 3, the cam 73 is designed so that there is a slight delay when the arms 42 begin to rotate before the hook 57 is moved, so if the height of the lifting mechanism is lowered due to the vehicle load, the bar 27 will be raised to proper hook-engaging position before the hook 57 is rotated toward the bar. A compression spring 75 encircles the rod 69 and acts between bar 71 and a flange 76 on the rod to urge the roller 72 into engagement with the cam 73.

In the operation of the improved dumping mechanism, with the mechanism in the loading position of FIG. 3, the waste receptacle 10 is moved to position with its overhanging wall 26 over the saddle 53. The activator 36 is then operated to rotate the arms counterclockwise and lift the receptacle by upward rotation of the saddle. When the position of FIG. 4 is reached, the rod 69 is actuated by cam 73 to rock lever 65 and rotate hook 57 clockwise into positive locking engagement with bar 27. As the arms 42 rotate to the dumping position of FIG. 5, the cam 73 -- through the rod 69, lever 65 and plate 59 -- continues to hold the hook in locking engagement with bar 27, thus precluding downward sliding movement of the inverted receptacle into the pick-up vehicle.

When the dumping mechanism is operated to reversely rotate lifting arms 42, as the arms move from the position of FIG. 4 to the position of FIG. 3, the rod 69 under pressure of spring 75 allows the cam plate 59 to rotate the hook 57 and unlock it from the bar 27, whereupon the waste receptacle can be disengaged from the saddle 53. A stop lug 78 is provided on lifting arm channel 41 for abutment with lugs 79 and 80 on the plate 36 in loading and dumping positions, respectively.

When the improved dumping mechanism is in the loading position of FIGS. 1 and 3 and the waste receptacle detached, there can be no swinging movement of the mechanism due to accidental movement of the pick-up vehicle, because the arms 42 are locked in place by the activator until it is operated. The improved mechanism is easily modified by varying the lengths of lifting arms 42 to accommodate pick-up vehicles having different loading heights and is particularly well adapted for side loading vehicles .

Claims

I claim:

1. Dumping mechanism for lifting and dumping a waste receptacle comprising a frame rotatably mounted on a waste collector, a cam fixedly mounted on said waste collector, an upper saddle mounted on said frame, a downwardly facing hook pivotally mounted on said frame below said saddle, means to rotate said frame to lift and tilt a waste receptacle supported thereon by engagement with said saddle, and means on the frame actuated by said cam as the frame rotates to positively pivot the hook downwardly to engage it with an abutment on said waste receptacle, said cam delaying action on the means to positively pivot the hook until after the initial rotation of the frame to lift a waste receptacle supported thereon.

2. Dumping mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the means to rotate the frame is an activator mounted on the waste collector and the cam is fixedly mounted on said activator.

3. In combination, a portable waste receptacle having an upper overhanging wall and a lower abutment on the exterior of its front wall, dumping mechanism comprising a frame rotatably mounted on a waste collector and having an upper saddle adapted to engage under said overhanging wall to support said receptacle, means to rotate said frame to lift and tilt said receptacle, said means locking the frame in loading position when said means is not operating, a cam fixedly mounted on said rotating means, a downwardly directed hook pivotally mounted on said frame, and means on the frame actuated by said cam as the frame is rotated to positively pivot said hook into engagement with said lower abutment, said cam delaying action on the means to positively pivot the hook until after the initial rotation of the frame to lift a waste receptacle supported thereon.