1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions relate to receptacles, such as trashcans, and more particularly, to receptacles that are configured to fit into the corner of a room.
2. Description of the Related Art
Receptacles and other devices having lids or doors are used in a variety of different settings. For example, in both residential and commercial settings, trashcans and other devices often have lids or doors for protecting or preventing the escape of the contents of the receptacle. In the context of trashcans, some trashcans include lids or doors to prevent odors from escaping and to hide the trash within the receptacle from view. Additionally, the lid of trashcan can help prevent contamination from escaping the receptacle.
Many designs of such trashcans include a pedal actuated lid. In these designs, a user can step on a pedal to open the lid. Additionally, many of these designs also include a damper, such as a rotary damper or a gas damper, for slowing the closing motion of the lid and thereby preventing a loud slamming noise when the lid is moved from an open position to a closed position.
As aspect of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein includes the realization that with regard to receptacles that are shaped to be placed in the corner of a room, an advantage can be achieved by mounting the lid such that when it is opened, it lies approximately flat against one of the walls in a corner of the room. For example, such a trashcan have a lid that is hinged along its right side edge such that when the lid is opened, it lies generally flat against the wall on the right side of the can, i.e., the wall that would be on the left side of a user facing the front of the trashcan. In this position, the lid of the trashcan can act as a backboard when a user throws a piece of trash into the trashcan. Additionally, because this lid would be oriented on the left side of a user facing a trashcan, the backboard use of this lid is convenient for a user because most users are right-handed. A right-handed user would tend to throw a piece of trash across the front of their body toward the left side of their body. As such, the lid would be in a proper orientation to act as a backboard, thereby preventing trash from staining the wall.
Thus, in accordance with an embodiment, a trash can comprise a lower portion and a wall extending upwardly from the lower portion and defining a cavity, the wall defining a generally triangular cross-section with left and right sides joined at a first corner and extending generally normal to each other and a front side connecting distal ends of the left and right sides. A lid can be configured to close an upper end of the cavity defined by the wall. A hinge can be configured to allow the lid to pivot between open and closed positions, the hinge extending along an axis generally parallel to the right side and being mounted in the vicinity of an upper portion of the right side.
Another aspect of at least one of the invention herein includes the realization that a damper member can be provided with two apertures oriented in a skewed relation to one another so as to allow the damper to be mounted in an appropriate location to provide a balanced load on the pedal and provide a smooth, low-resistance, attachment for operating the lid opening mechanism. For example, in some embodiments, a trashcan can be generally triangular or pie-shaped with one corner of the triangle disposed toward a corner of a room and the pedal projecting outwardly at roughly 45° from that corner. In this orientation, the damper can be located in a portion of the trashcan adjacent the corner and oriented such that it is generally symmetrically oriented relative to the pedal. This provides a more optimum placement and load generation against the movement of the pedal and the associated lid. With the lid hinged to one of the sides of the trashcan adjacent a wall of the room, a lifting rod connecting an end of the pedal mechanism to the lid will pivot about an axis that is skewed relative to the aperture connecting the damper to the pedal. Thus, by providing another aperture skewed relative to the main aperture, for connecting the lifting rod to the damper, the lifting rod can operate in a smoother fashion.
In accordance with another embodiment, a trash can comprise a lower portion and a wall extending upwardly from the lower portion and defining a cavity. A lid can be disposed at an upper end of the wall and can be configured to be movable between an open position in the closed position. A pedal actuator assembly can be configured to allow a user to open and close the lid. A damping mechanism can be configured to slow the movement of the lid from the open position toward the closed position. The dampening mechanism can comprise a first member having first and second apertures skewed relative to each other. Additionally, the pedal actuator assembly can comprise a pedal bar having a first end connected to the first aperture and a link member having a first end connected to the second aperture.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, an air damper can comprise a housing defining an inner bore, a piston configured to reciprocate within the bore, and a piston rod connected to the piston. The piston rod can comprise first and second apertures extending along first and second axes, respectively, the first and second axes being skewed relative to each other.
The above mentioned and other features of the inventions disclosed herein are described below with reference to the drawings of preferred embodiments. The illustrated embodiments are intended to illustrate, but not to limit the inventions. The drawings contain the following figures:
The embodiments of a receptacle with a lid configured to fit into a corner of a room is disclosed in the context of a trashcan. The inventions disclosed herein are described in the context of a trashcan because they have particular utility in this context. However, the inventions disclosed herein can be used in other contexts as well, including, for example, but without limitation, large commercial trashcans, food containers, and/or other types of storage devices, actuators, linkages for actuators, pistons, etc.
The figures illustrate embodiments of a receptacle 10. The receptacle 10 can include an outer shell 12 and an inner liner 14 (
The outer shell 12 can be optionally supported on a base 16. An upper support frame 18 can be secured to the top of the outer shell 12. The support frame 18 can be made from the same or a different material from that used to form the outer shell.
The outer shell 12 and the support frame 18 can be made from any material, such as, but without limitation, aluminum, steel, stainless steel, plastics, etc. Additionally, as noted above, the frame 18 can be made from a different material from that used from the shell 12.
The outer shell 12 can be formed in any configuration. The exemplary, non-limiting embodiment illustrated in
Additionally, in the illustrated embodiment, the transitions between the walls 20, 22, 24, are generally rounded. However, this is merely one optional configuration. The outer shell 12 can have sharp corners between the walls 20, 22, 24 and/or other configurations.
A lid 26 can be pivotally connected to an upper edge of the shell 12 or the frame 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the lid 26 can be hinged to the frame 18 with a hinge device 28. Additionally, as illustrated in
With continued reference to
As such, when the lifting rod 36 is pushed upwardly, the upper end of the rod 36 presses against the aperture, and thereby pivots the lid 26 upwardly about the hinge 28. Similarly, as the lid 26 closes, the lifting rod 36 can fall together with the leg 34 of the bracket 30.
Additionally, in some embodiments, the receptacle 10 can include a lid locking mechanism 38 configured to allow a user to lock the lid 26 in an open position (illustrated in
The frame 18 can also include a retaining lip 42 extending around an upper inner periphery of the frame 18. The lip 42 can be configured to engage with a corresponding lip on an outer surface of the liner 14 and thereby support the weight of the liner 14 and any contents thereof.
The frame 18 can also include finger recesses 44, 46 shaped in size to allow a user to easily insert their fingers below the upper lip on the outer surface of the liner 14, thereby allowing the user to easily lift the liner out of the receptacle 10. In some embodiments, the recesses 44, 46 can be disposed on opposite sides of the front wall 20 of the receptacle 10. However, other configurations can also be used.
Optionally, the receptacle 10 can also include an aperture 48 in any one of the walls 20, 22, 24 configured to allow a user to insert their fingers through the aperture 48 and thereby carry or move the receptacle 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the aperture 48 is provided on wall 22, near the upper end of the shell 12, below the frame 18. However, other positions can also be used.
With reference to
The pedal bar 54 can be pivotably coupled to the receptacle 10, for example, using a fulcrum rod 56, as is well known in the art. As such, the fulcrum rod 56 can define a pivot axis located at about a center of the pedal bar 54. In some embodiments, the pivot axis can be spaced from the center of gravity of the pedal bar 54. As such, the weight of the pedal bar 54 can be used to bias the orientation of the pedal bar toward a position corresponding toward the closed position of the lid 26. Optionally, other biasing devices can be used to bias the lid 26 toward the closed position.
The pedal bar 54 can be made from any material. Preferably, the pedal bar is made from a relatively heavy metal, so as to provide some ballast to the receptacle 10 and/or as noted above, a biasing effect for biasing the lid 26 toward the closed position. However, the pedal bar 54 can be made from any material, including light-weight material, such as plastic, aluminum, or heavier material such as steel, or any other metal or plastic or wood. The front end of the pedal bar 54 can be connected to the pedal member 52 in any known manner. The rear end of the pedal bar 54, on the other hand, can be connected to a dampening mechanism 60, described in greater detail below.
With reference to
In some embodiments, with reference to
With reference to
As shown in
With reference to
The base 16 can also include one or a plurality of legs 100 configured to support the base 16 on a flat surface, such as a floor. However, other configurations can also be used. In some embodiments, the base 16 can include a peripheral skirt portion 102 disposed below the outer peripheral wall 82 so as to provide a clean aesthetically pleasing outer appearance. As noted above, the fulcrum rod 56 can be supported by the base 16 to allow the pedal bar 54 to pivot thereabout.
With reference to
As shown in
In some embodiments, the lower portion 112 can include additional stiffening walls 126, 128 to provide additional stiffness for the lower portion 112.
With reference to
For example, the piston 142 can be sized to fit snuggly within the bore 146. In some embodiments, the piston 142 can be configured to provide relatively little resistance to the upward movement of the piston 142, but provide greater resistance against the downward movement of the piston 142. This can be accomplished in any known manner.
For example, the piston 142 can be formed from a pair of plate members having an outer diameter that is close to the inner diameter of the bore 146. A lubricant can be disposed in the housing 144 so as to reduce the sliding friction between the outer edges of the piston plates 142 and the inner bore 146. In some embodiments, the piston 142 can include check valves to allow air to pass through the piston 142 during the upward movement of the piston 142 but to generate resistance against the flow of air through the piston 142 during the downward movement of the piston 142.
In some embodiments, this effect can be provided by a lip seal 148 which can be connected to an outer periphery of the piston 148 and can be configured to operate similarly to a check valve. Such a design is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/475,349 filed Jun. 27, 2006 published as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0012699A1 on Jan. 18, 2007, the contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. Additionally, the disclosure of the lip seal as incorporated into the housing of the damper, its manufacture and use are incorporated herein by reference. The lip seal from the U.S. 2007/0012699A1 publication can also be used as the lip seal 148 of
With reference to
As shown in
In some embodiments, the relative angles A between the axis 150 and axes 120, 122 can be any angle, depending on the configuration of the receptacle 10. In some embodiments, the angle A can be about 45°.
A 45° orientation can provide additional advantages. For example, also illustrated in
With the receptacle 10 placed such that the shell 12 has its rear corner disposed adjacent to corner C of a room, which is formed by walls that extend in a generally 90° angle, the axis 162 of the hinge device 28 extends generally parallel to one of the walls. Additionally, axis 160 of the pedal bar 54 extends generally directly toward the corner C, roughly at a 45° angle relative to the walls and the axis 162. In this orientation, although not illustrated in
Additionally, the lower end of the lifting rod 36 extends through the aperture 116 generally parallel to the axis 150. Thus, during operation, the lower end of the lifting rod 36 and the upper end of the lifting rod 36 can pivot about axes that are parallel to the axis 150 and axis 162. Thus, the pedal bar 54 and the pin 110 pivot about axes that are parallel with each other and the lower and upper end of the lifting rod 36 as well as the lid 26 also pivot about axes that are parallel with each other, while the lower portion 112 moves in a generally vertical direction. This provides a smooth operation as well as a secure fixation of the spacing between the apertures 114, 116.
With the apertures 114, 116 disposed in the lower portion 112, which is formed as a single component, these apertures are fixed relative to each other. In some embodiments, the lower portion 112, including the apertures 114, 116, can be formed from a single monolithic piece of material, such as a plastic, metal or any other material. However, in other embodiments, the components of the lower portion 112, including those components forming the apertures 114, 116, can be from separate components connected together.
As noted above, the lower end of the lifting rod 36 pivots about the axis 150 as the lower portion 112 moves in a vertical direction. For example, as is apparent from
Additionally, the upper end of the lifting rod 36 pivots about an axis 170. Thus, during movement from the lower portion from the lower position to the upper position, the upper end of the lifting rod 36 also pivots in a clockwise direction about the axis 170. These pivoting motions, about the axes 150, 170 are both parallel to the axis 162 of the hinge device 128.
Although these inventions have been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. In addition, while several variations of the inventions have been shown and described in detail, other modifications, which are within the scope of these inventions, will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplated that various combination or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at least some of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above.
This application is a non-provisional of and claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/969,502, filed Aug. 31, 2007, the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60969502 | Aug 2007 | US |