Patent Grant
8234977
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to transportable containers and more particularly to a materials handling apparatus for facilitating the placement of various articles in containers and transporting of the containerized articles.
2. Description of the Background Art
Although the materials handling apparatus of present invention may be used for handling a large variety of articles, for purposes of this description, the articles to be placed in containers and transported will be described as waste materials such as household refuse, yard and garden trimmings and the like.
Various types of containers have traditionally been used to receive and contain waste materials and in recent times trash bags have come into wide use. Such bags come in various sizes and are most often made of synthetic resin (plastic) and sometimes of they are made of paper. In either case the bags are flimsy and are not self supporting which makes loading waste materials into them difficult unless they are supported is a suitable container. When such trash bags are used inside a home they are usually relatively small and are supported in waste baskets and are therefore well suited for such use. When this type of trash bag is used in commercial establishments, such as a restaurant, they are relatively large and are contained within trash cans.
However, when these bags are used outside such as for yard and garden clean-up they are usually relatively large and can be difficult to use. Most of the time people will struggle to manually hold these larger trash bags upright and open while trying to accomplish the loading operation and this can be a frustrating and often unsuccessful task. About the only time that such a bag loading operation is even reasonably successful is when one person holds the bag while another does the filling.
Another method for loading the larger trash bags is to insert them in a conventional cylindrical garbage can with the upper portion of the bag being folded over the rim of the can to hold the bag in the upright and open position. This method limits the amount of waste material that can be loaded into the bag in that loading an excessive amount of materials into the bag can make its removal from the garbage can difficult due to excessive weight and due to bulging of the sides of the bag into engagement with the interior walls of the can.
Therefore a need exists for a new and useful materials handling apparatus for aiding the containment and transporting of various materials.
In accordance with the present invention a new and useful materials handling apparatus is disclosed for aiding the loading of various materials, especially waste materials, into trash bags and transporting them between different pickup sites and ultimately to a suitable disposal site.
The materials handling apparatus of the present invention includes three major components, a wheeled cart, a truncated conical cylinder and a compaction lid. The wheeled cart is formed with a base platform from which a body extends upwardly with a semi-circular in cross-section cavity formed therein with the cavity being open at its upper end. The truncated conical cylinder is open at its opposite ends and is removably supported on the base platform of the wheeled cart for positioning within the cavity thereof and is held in the cavity by suitable straps provided on the wheeled cart. The compaction lid is provided with extensible support members which when in the retracted position allows the compaction lid to be moved downwardly into the conical cylinder and when in the extended position will support the lid atop the conical cylinder. The above described major components provide the materials handling apparatus with the capability of being operated in three different modes for aiding in the collection of various materials, especially waste materials.
In a first operational mode a trash bag is placed inside the conical cylinder with its upper end folded over the rim of the cylinder and held in place by an elastic band. The cylinder and trash bag are positioned within the semi-circular cavity of the cart and are held therein by the straps provided on the cart. When the materials handling apparatus of the present invention is configured in this manner, it serves as a conventional trash can which can be covered by the compactor lid having its support members in the extended position. When the bag is filled, the compaction lid is removed and the straps of the cart are released, the cylinder can then be lifted vertically off of the trash bag to leave the bag on the cart for transport to a suitable disposal site thus eliminating the prior art need for lifting a filled bag out of a supporting can and carrying it to the disposal site.
In the second operational mode the conical cylinder is placed within the trash bag with the bag being held on the cylinder by the elastic band. As in the first operational mode, the conical cylinder and the trash bag are held in place in the semi-circular cavity of the cart by the straps provided on the cart. When the materials handling apparatus of the present invention is configured in this manner it is intended for use in handling difficult trash such as tree and shrub clippings, rose bush trimmings and any other refuse which could tear the trash bag. During loading, the compaction lid with its extensible members in the retracted position can be pushed down into the bag for compacting the contents thereof. When the contents are tree and shrub clippings, the compaction lid can be rotated while being pushed down which will cause an interweaving of the clippings into a compact mass similar to a birds nest for ease of handling.
In the third operational mode, the conical cylinder is placed in the wheeled cart and no trash bag is used. The waste material at a site being cleaned up is loaded directly into the conical cylinder and can be compacted in the manner described above. When the site clean-up is completed, the cart can be moved to a disposal site and lifting of the conical cylinder will expose the waste materials for direct deposit into the disposal site and a suitable tool, such as a pitchfork can be used if needed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful materials handling apparatus for aiding the loading of various materials, especially waste materials, into trash bags and transporting them between different pickup sites and ultimately to a suitable disposal site.
The foregoing object of the present invention as well as the invention itself will be more fully understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Referring more particularly to the drawings,
As seen best in
The truncated conical cylinder 14 has an open top 32 and bottom 34 with the top having a circumference which is approximately 95% as large as the circumference of the bottom. That is, the circumference of the top 32 is approximately 5% smaller than the circumference of the bottom 34. The cylinder 14 is provided with a pair of handles 36 for lifting of the cylinder.
The compaction lid 16 has a circular body 38 with a plurality of extensible members 40 mounted on the upper surface thereof. A typical one of the extensible members 40 is seen in
The above described major components provide the apparatus 10 with the capability of being operated in three different modes for aiding in the collection of various materials, especially waste materials, and transporting them between different pickup sites and ultimately to a suitable disposal site. In the first two operational modes, the collected materials are loaded into trash bags, such as the bag shown at reference numeral 46 in
In a first one of the operational modes the trash bag 46, as best seen in
In the second operational mode the conical cylinder 14 is placed inside the trash bag 46 as seen in
In the third operational mode, the conical cylinder 14 is placed in the wheeled cart 12 in the manner described above and no trash bag is used. The waste material at a site being cleaned up is loaded directly into the conical cylinder 14 and can be compacted in the manner described above. When the site clean-up is completed, the cart 12 can be moved to a disposal site where the straps 28 are released and lifting of the conical cylinder 14 will expose the waste materials for deposit into the disposal site and a tool, such as a pitchfork (not shown) can be used if needed.
While the principles of the invention have now been clear in illustrated embodiments, many modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art which do not depart from those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/265,300 filed on Nov. 30, 2009 incorporated herein by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110126724 A1 | Jun 2011 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61265300 | Nov 2009 | US |
