Patent Application
20180022544
This invention relates generally to a refuse receptacle and, in particular, to a blow molded utility refuse receptacle having an injection molded handle designed to securely lock to the body of the refuse receptacle during the formation of the receptacle body, and designed to mate with a structural foam-injection molded wheeled dolly.
Receptacles, or containers, for refuse have a variety of useful applications and are available in a number of different sizes. For example, large receptacles of 44 or 55 gallons are commonly used for disposal of trash, grass, leaves, and other materials. These large sizes of trash receptacles can be difficult to move as a person attempts to move the receptacle to a dumpster or other place where the contents of the receptacle can be emptied.
Some receptacles come with attached wheels to allow a person to wheel the receptacle to the curb or other place where it can be picked up. These are commonly used at homes where trash and recycling containers are filled with refuse from the home and then wheeled to the curb once or twice a week so that they can be emptied by city waste management.
Commercial refuse receptacles, however, generally come in cylindrical shapes without attached wheels. When these need to be moved, they are often dragged across the ground, often on the corner to decrease friction and allow them to be dragged with less effort. Dragging these receptacles on a corner can wear down the plastic that forms the body of the receptacle and lead to holes or cracking over time. This can also lead to excess stress on the handles and upper rim of the receptacle, which can lead to wear and cracking.
Alternatively, dollies have been employed to allow for easier transportation of refuse containers. Common dollies employ a variant of a “bayonet” or screw attachment design. In this type of design, the container is placed onto the dolly, or the container is inverted and the dolly is placed onto the container, and the mating bayonet flights or threads between the container and dolly are engaged. The dolly and container are then rotated with respect to one another until the dolly and container have been drawn up snugly against one another.
If the container is not inverted, a user must place the container upright on the dolly, grasp the dolly between their feet, and rotate the container to tighten the container down. Often times a user cannot be certain that the engagement has been successfully accomplished or sufficiently tight to avoid a disastrous and unexpected separation of the dolly from the container.
Alternatively, a user must bend down and hold the dolly with one hand while attempting to rotate the container with the other hand. This exposes the user to the accumulated dirt and other contaminants on the dolly, and again, cannot be accomplished with absolute certainty that the engagement was successful. For users with physical limitations, such a procedure can be impossible.
Receptacles are commonly manufactured by extrusion blow molding, injection molding, and rotational molding. Extrusion blow molding is the easiest and cheapest method for making hollow plastic receptacles. However, blow molding typically does not allow for the formation of durable handles that can withstand heavier weights when grasped. Injection molding, on the other hand, allows for the creation of more durable handles that can be made as part of the receptacle body. However, the injection molding process is more costly and takes more time.
Blow molding is a manufacturing process by which hollow plastic parts are formed. The blow molding process starts with melting down the plastic and forming it into a parison. The parison is a tube-like piece of plastic. This parison is then extruded into a chamber where it is captured by closing it into a cooled metal mold. Air is then blown into the parison, inflating it to fill into the shape of the hollow shape of the mold. After the plastic has cooled sufficiently, the mold is opened and the part is ejected. Additional plastic can then be trimmed off of the newly formed hollow piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,888 describes a container and dolly assembly comprising a container having a planar rearward side and a lid that is pivotally coupled to one of the container handles and pivots thereabout into a vertical orientation against the container. Retention flanges of the container and the lid, respectively, overlap to lock the lid in the open position. The dolly is provided having upwardly directed tine members that engage flanges on the container as the container is lowered upon the dolly and latch the container and dolly together. A pivotal foot pedal is operable to laterally move one dolly tine member and thereby facilitate disengagement of both container flanges from the dolly tine members.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,338 describes a method of blow molding a hollow article, comprising the adaption of a die pin to include spaced apart channels therein that extend from top to bottom along the sides of the die pin. The channels are reinforcement ribs along the inside surface of a formed parison. The ribs expand with the parison into a final form and serve to reinforce the resultant body while being visible only from the inside. The channels are each bifurcated to provide a segment below a shut-off surface in which plastic exiting the die pin can expand to form ribs of substantial thickness. Portions of the parison sidewalls between the ribs are thinned to reduce part weight, and the ribs reinforce the sidewalls to compensate, yet, being visible only from the inside, do not detract from the external appearance of the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,712,623 describes a receptacle with a vent enabling fluid communication from a first chamber section at the bottom of the receptacle to a second chamber section which rests above the first chamber section, which reduces the suction, or vacuum, effect in the bottom portion of the receptacle as trash bags or polyliners are removed therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,757,428 describes a refuse carrying device with a variety of handling features, including an attachable secondary handle, an attachable wheel assembly, and a shoulder resting recess. The durable container has an open top adapted for receiving refuse, with opposing sides of a top edge including a pair of handles. A selectably attachable, secondary, side handle and a selectably attachable wheel assembly are positioned along an outer lower perimeter edge of the container. The shoulder recess is an indentation along the lower perimeter edge opposite the secondary handle, and includes an attachable padded cushion to line the recess.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,807,381 describes a receptacle or container for refuse that includes a body configured to receive a liner and a cinch disposed on the body. The cinch includes a projection disposed outward of the body, and is configured such that at least a portion of the liner can be disposed between the projection and the body. The cinch further includes a slot having an open end and a closed end, wherein the slot is disposed substantially adjacent the projection and configured such that at least a portion of the liner can be disposed and retained within the slot.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,027,778 describes a receptacle comprising a container, a first standoff, and an air-permeable support, configurable for the removal of air or atmosphere from a container while preventing solids and liquids from entering a means for removing the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,050,995 describes a device for transporting a plurality of refuse containers across either a support surface or a winter surface, including a housing which is partitioned into a plurality of compartments, each compartment being shaped and dimensionalized to receive a refuse container.
The above cited references are incorporated herein by reference.
Accordingly, lacking in the prior art is a way of reinforcing the strength of the handles on blow molded refuse receptacles, allowing for increased strength and durability of the overall receptacle.
The present invention relates to trash receptacles, and more specifically, to a receptacle including a body configured to receive refuse items having a handle mated to the receptacle with blow molded plastic. The handle includes a base plate and a gripping portion connected by one or more sidewalls. The back side of said base plate contains a projection to allow the handle to mate with the body of the receptacle during the blow molding process. The projection includes two regions offset from each other so that, when the body of the receptacle is formed by blow molding, the body can fill around the projection, thereby securely attaching the two together. The handle can further include a cinch so that, if a liner is used within the body of the receptacle, there is a place to tie it off on the handle. Multiple handles can be mated to a single receptacle body in the same manner.
Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the instant invention to provide a trash receptacle having at least one handle secured to the receptacle during the blow molding process.
It is a further objective of the instant invention to provide a method of attaching a handle to a trash receptacle during manufacture thereof.
It is yet another objective of the instant invention to provide a handle for a trash receptacle that includes features allowing attachment during the blow molding process.
It is further an objective of the instant invention to provide a trash receptacle that includes compression molded portions for high wear properties.
It is a still further objective of the instant invention to provide a trash receptacle having compression molded upper and lower rim portions.
It is an additional objective of the instant invention to provide a method of compressing portions of the trash receptacle during a blow molding manufacturing process.
It is yet another additional objective of the instant invention to provide a trash receptacle having integrally formed dolly attachment means.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
The present invention is a refuse receptacle (10). It can be manufactured in various sizes, including industry standard sizes of 20 gallons, 32 gallons, 44 gallons, and 55 gallons. As depicted in
A handle (20) is attached to the body (12) in an upper portion of the receptacle, providing a user a place to grasp the receptacle (10) while using it. At the bottom (22) of the body, a base handle (30) is formed as an indentation along the bottom rim (24). This base handle (30) provides a gripping position for a user to invert the receptacle (10) to empty the contents contained therein. Grip identification markings (32) are included to provide an easy visual cue to allow a user to quickly identify the location of the base handle (30).
In
A lid (14), as shown in
The handle (20) is formed from a base plate (60), from which a pair of opposing sidewalls (62) project out from the front surface. A gripping portion (68) extends between the opposing sidewalls (62). On the outside of one of the sidewalls, a cinch (70) is shown which can be used to tie off a liner used within the receptacle (10). The base plate can include a logo aperture (72) so that, during the formation of the body (12), while the body is mating to the handle (20), a portion of the parison can pass through the logo aperture (72) and press against the mold to form a company logo.
The base plate back side (64) contains at least one mating projection (74). As shown in
During formation of the body (12), the handle (20) is presented into the mold so that the mating projection (74) is disposed towards the parison (not shown). When air pressure fills the parison and expands it out to fill the mold, the parison wraps around the mating projection (74), locking it into the body (12) itself. Apertures, or shutoffs, (76) are molded into the mating projection (74), allowing the parison plastic to interlock with the handle (20).
In
The dolly (36) is shown in
In
Another novel feature of the receptacle (10) is found at the top rim (16) and bottom rim (24). As seen in
The lower portion (19) of the receptacle (10), as is customary with similar receptacles (10), can taper as the body (12) approaches the bottom (22). This tapering allows multiple receptacles (10) to stack together in a nested configuration, as shown in
All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein.
One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.
