Patent Application
20170197785
The present invention relates to blow molded waste carts, also referred to as wheeled trashcans, which are substantially constructed of blow-molded polymeric materials. The present invention related specifically to a blow-molded axle-retaining device. The axle retaining straps provide a strong and resilient mechanism for mounting the axle to the waste cart without the use of mechanical fasteners or adhesives. A blow molded waste cart that is assembled without the use of mechanical fasteners or adhesives provides a sturdier cart with reduced assembly cost and improved durability.
Blow molding is used to produce generally hollow plastic parts by melting plastic infeed material, forming a parison (a tubular piece of plastic), placing the parison into a mold and blowing air into the parison to force the plastic out to match the mold. The plastic cools and hardens within the mold and the mold is opened and the part is ejected. The main bodies of waste carts have been made by the blow molding process for many years; however, previous blow-molded waste carts required a substantial number of additional mechanically attached parts. Alternatively, a separate hole must be drilled or a snap fit fixture is used that may come apart under stress. The use of mechanical attachments or snap fit connections increases the cost of manufacture while increasing the number of potential failure points while in use.
The present invention relates to blow-molded waste carts and more specifically to waste carts with to a blow-molded axle-retaining device. The axle retaining straps disclosed provide a strong and resilient mechanism for mounting the axle to the waste cart without the use of mechanical fasteners, snap fit attachments or adhesives. Specifically, a body for a blow-molded waste cart and a waste cart is disclosed having a blow-molded hollow body with a rear wall and a handle keyway formed in the rear wall
A more complete appreciation of the invention and the many embodiments thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention will now be described with occasional reference to the specific embodiments of the invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, and so forth as used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical properties set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained in embodiments of the present invention. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical values, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from error found in their respective measurements.
A blow molded waste cart is shown in
The blow-molded cart of the present invention, including axle retaining straps for mounting an axle to the waste cart in accordance with the present invention is shown in
The blow-molded cart of the present invention is shown in greater detail in
The axle straps are shown in a perspective view in
The axle straps are shown in a perspective view in
The waste cart is formed in a blow molding manufacturing process. The blow molding process begins melting the polymer material and forming a forming it into a parison. The parison is a polymer sleeve that is clamped into a mold. The mold includes two halves, which are generally referred to as the pin half and the bushing half. The pin half and bushing half are clamped around the parison. Air is then blown into the mold to force the parison against the mold to form the general shape of the can and axle straps. The mold includes a pair of opposed pins at each axle strap. After the waste cart body is formed, but while the polymer is warm and pliable in the mold, the pins slide into position to compress the polymer of the strap and form a strap bearing surface that is co-planar with the longitudinal bearing surface formed in the cart body. Once the waste cart is formed and the plastic has cooled somewhat the pins disengaged, the mold is opened and the waste cart is ejected.
The invention of this application has been described above both generically and with regard to specific embodiments. Although the invention has been set forth in what is believed to be the preferred embodiments, a wide variety of alternatives known to those of skill in the art can be selected within the generic disclosure. The invention is not otherwise limited, except for the recitation of the claims set forth below.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62170531 | Jun 2015 | US |
