Patent Application
20150360430
The present technology relates generally to the field of waste collection. More specifically, the present technology relates to a device and method for perforating and collapsing spent beverage containers such as plastic bottles for water, soft drinks, milk and juices.
This section is intended to provide a background or context to the subject matter recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Public venues, such as theme parks or sports arenas face the challenge of recycling or otherwise disposing of a vast number of spent beverage containers per year. Certain public venues, such as state and federal parks or interstate rest areas face the added challenge of disposing of the spent beverage containers without a source of electricity to utilize in the disposal process.
A capped plastic beverage container can withstand 200 psi before the lid is compromised and the container expels the air inside. Therefore a capped spent beverage container must have holes punctured into its surface to allow trapped air to escape so the container can be properly collapsed to reduce its physical volume.
A need exists for improved technology, including technology that may address the above described problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and method for perforating and collapsing spent, plastic beverage containers that is performed manually by a user without requiring electricity to operate the device. Allowing the user to perforate and collapse spent plastic beverage containers will benefit the recycling process of plastic beverage containers from start to finish, from the owner of the device to the large plastic recycling processor by increasing the amount of plastic bottles per cu. ft., ultimately decreasing the handling costs associated with disposing spent, plastic beverage containers. Such a device and method may reduce maintenance labor costs by increasing the volume of plastic recycling containers up to 64%.
In one aspect, an apparatus is provided for perforating and collapsing a plastic container that includes a housing, a first rotating drum member configured to rotate in a first direction, a second rotating drum member configured to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction, a structural frame mounted to the second rotating drum member and configured to vary a size of a clearance between the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member and a stationary comb mounted perpendicular to a bottom of the first rotating drum member. A plurality of evenly-spaced spike strips are provided around a circumference of the first rotating drum member. Each spike strip extends along a length of the first rotating drum member. A plurality of evenly-spaced crimp bars are provided around a circumference of the second rotating drum member. Each crimp bar extends along a length of the second rotating drum member. A drive wheel is manually rotated to actuate the first rotating drum member and the second rotating drum member such that the plastic bottle is perforated and collapsed between the plurality of spike strips and the plurality of crimp bars.
Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the technology may be set forth from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the present disclosure and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without further limiting the scope of the present disclosure claimed.
The disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, in which:
Before turning to the figures, which illustrate the exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the details or methodology set forth in the description or illustrated in the figures. It should also be understood that the terminology is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting.
Referring, in general, to the figures, a device 100 for perforating/tearing and collapsing/crimping spent beverage containers and the associated parts of the device 100 are illustrated.
Referring now to
At least one perforating tearing spike strip 2 is attached to the rotating drum member 1 and extends along a length of the rotating drum member 1. As seen in
Each perforating tearing spike strip 2 includes a plurality of pointed, ribbed spikes 2a that are configured to puncture and tear a surface of a spent, plastic beverage container in order to expel trapped gases. The pointed, ribbed spikes 2a are also configured to restrain the spent, plastic beverage container to assist in feeding the spent, plastic beverage container through the one step method for perforating and collapsing the spent, plastic beverage container. In one embodiment, the pointed ribbed spikes 2a are stainless steel sheet metal screws. The ribbed surfaces of the pointed ribbed spikes 2a allow the spikes 2a to tear the plastic surface of the bottle. In particular, the pointed, ribbed spikes 2a puncture the surface of the bottle and cause the bottle to deform, leaving a puncture (i.e., a hole) that prevents the bottle from re-expanding and retaining air. The tear to the plastic surface of the bottle gives the puncture strength, allowing the puncture to remain open. In contrast, a smooth spike (i.e., not ribbed spiked) may allow the puncture to re-close, allowing the bottle to re-expand, thereby resulting in minimal compaction. In particular, a smooth spike may not deform the surface of the bottle when it punctures the bottle, which may allow the bottle to re-expand and retain air.
In some embodiments, the tearing spike strips 2 may be individually removable and replaceable for repair or maintenance purposes. For example, if the ribbed spikes 2a on a single tearing spike strip 2 are damaged, the single tearing spike strip 2 can be removed and replaced without replacing the other tearing spike strips 2 or the entire rotating drum member 1.
At least one crimp bar 4 is attached to the rotating drum member 3 and extends along a length of the rotating drum member 3. The crimp bar 4 is configured to compress the spent, plastic beverage container to expel trapped gases and to deform the spent, plastic beverage container's shape, leaving the spent, plastic beverage container in a compressed flat state. As seen in
The crimp bar 4 includes a plurality of protrusions and grooves. In one embodiment, the protrusions and grooves are substantially rectangular-shaped. The protrusions or raised bars of the crimp bar 4 are configured to collapse and deform the spent beverage container into a permanent flat state, reducing the spent beverage container's physical pre-collapsed volume. The grooves are provided to allow the spikes 2a to pass the crimp bar 4 without contact, in the event that the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 are out of sync. For example, in some embodiments, the grooves are configured to consistently hold a ⅛″ minimum clearance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3. The minimum clearance may vary depending on the size and requirements of the device 100. The grooves may also assist in deforming the surface of the bottle such that the bottle remains in a compacted state. Although the protrusions and grooves are substantially rectangular-shaped, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other shapes may be used, including, but not limited to triangular-shaped or square-shaped protrusions and grooves.
As seen in
The rotating drum member 3 is mounted to a structural c-frame 7 that is configured to expand the distance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 in order to allow passage of foreign objects that are not collapsible. The c-frame 7 allows the device 100 to perforate and collapse multiple sizes of spent beverage containers. Without the ability to expand the clearance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3, via the c-frame 7, the device 100 could not be manually operated because of the force required to pass the top portion of the spent beverage container between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3. The c-frame 7 is mounted between two rails of the structural frame 21: an upper rail 21a and a lower rail 21b. See
The device 100 further includes a stabilizer plate 8 configured to provide a solid mounting surface for at least one coil spring 9. In one embodiment, as illustrated in
The coil springs 9 are configured to provide a positive, inward pressure to the c-frame 7, to allow the rotating drum member 3 to collapse and deform the perforated beverage containers. In particular, although the c-frame 7 is configured to expand the clearance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3, the coil springs 9 provide the positive inward pressure that allows the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 to return to a home position (i.e., a predetermined distance apart). In particular, the coil springs 9 are configured to push and hold the rotating drum member 3 and the c-frame 7 forward in the slot in the structural frame 21, thereby maintaining a minimum predetermined distance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 across an entire surface of the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3. For example, the minimum predetermined distance may be ⅛″. When an object enters the clearance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3, the coil springs 9 are configured to contract, allowing the clearance (i.e., the distance) between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 to expand and allow the object to pass. The coil springs 9 apply positive pressure to the c-frame 7, forcing the rotating drum member 3 towards the rotating drum member 1 during the entire process. The forward pressure provided by the coil springs 9 to the rotating drum member 3 assures maximum compaction and perforation to the container passing between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3. As discussed above, the distance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 is variable. Therefore, if the device 100 is in a remote area (e.g., a state park) and a user puts a foreign object such as a rock in the device 100, the distance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 will expand, allowing the rock to pass through the clearance and cause minimal damage to the spikes 2a and the crimp bars 4. The variable distance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 may also facilitate maintenance and improve the lifespan of the device 100. In addition, the variable distance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 may assist in decreasing the amount of force it takes to manually crush a bottle, by letting the thicker mouth of the bottle pass through the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 with less resistance.
As seen in
The actuating mechanism of the device 100 includes a plurality of sprockets. The variable diameter manual drive wheel 10 actuates a drive sprocket 13, rotating drum member 1, and rotating drum member 3. Variable diameter sprockets 11 and 11a rotate about an axis 16 and an axis 17, respectively. The variable diameter sprockets 11 and 11a are connected to the rotating drum members 1 and 3. A variable diameter idle sprocket 12 rotates about an axis 18. An adjustable variable diameter idle sprocket 13 rotates about an axis 19. The adjustable idle sprocket 13 keeps the drive train under tension when the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 are expanded apart so that the drive chain will not slip during operation. A variable diameter drive sprocket 14 rotates about an axis 20. The combination of sprockets allows a user to rotate a handle of the variable diameter manual drive wheel 10 to simultaneously rotate the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 at the same speed, to perforate and collapse spent beverage containers in a one step process. All of the drive and idle sprockets are designed to allow for minimum force to operate the device 100 manually (i.e., without an electric motor). One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the diameters of any of the sprockets may be varied to change the speed of rotation of one or both of the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3. In some embodiments, the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 may rotate at different speeds.
Referring now to
The container deposit door 24 may include a protrusion 24a (see
A handle of the manual drive wheel 10 is configured to protrude from the housing enclosure 200, to allow the user to initiate the perforating and collapsing process by rotating the handle, for example, in a counter-clockwise direction. In other embodiments, in place of a handle, a circumference of the manual drive wheel 10 may be recessed such that the user can turn the manual drive wheel 10 by placing his or her finger tips in the recess and turning the manual drive wheel 10.
The housing enclosure 200 further includes a container access door 25 to allow an employee to remove a collection container filled with the perforated and collapsed beverage containers that have passed through the device 100. The housing enclosure 200 may further include a removable side panel 26 configured to provide access to the device 100 to facilitate maintenance of the device 100. In some embodiments, the panel 26 may also serve a dual purpose of being an advertising panel.
A method of operating the device 100 will now be described. A user deposits a spent beverage container in the spent beverage container deposit door 24 of the housing enclosure 200. The user then rotates the handle of the variable diameter manual drive wheel 10, which simultaneously engages and rotates the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3. The rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3 rotate in opposite directions such that the spent beverage container is introduced into the clearance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3. The flexible container grabber 5 may assist in directing the spent beverage container into the clearance between the rotating drum member 1 and the rotating drum member 3.
The spent beverage container is punctured/torn and impaled on the pointed ribbed spikes 2a of the rotating drum member 1. At the same time, the protrusions of the crimp bar 4 of the rotating drum member 3 crush/crimp the spent beverage container by forcing the spent container into the face of the rotating drum member 1 under pressure, causing the spent container to collapse and deform into a permanent flat state, thereby reducing the spent beverage container's pre-collapsed volume. The stationary comb 6 contacts and dislodges the impaled spent beverage container or other trash that has accumulated on the spikes 2a of the rotating drum member 1. The perforated and collapsed spent beverage container then falls by gravity into a container (e.g., a recycling container) disposed below the device 100. An employee of the facility can remove the container through the container access door 25 of the enclosure 200 and the perforated and collapsed beverage containers can be sent to a recycling plant or other waste facility.
A first experiment was conducted to determine the increased capacity of a collection container disposed below the device 100 with respect to the capacity of a collection container configured to collect spent beverage containers that were not first perforated and collapsed by the device 100. The collection container had a length of 14.5 inches, a width of 13 inches and a height of 16 inches. The total volume of the collection container was 3016 inches3. A random assortment of spent beverage containers having different volumes were dropped from a consistent height of 30 inches in a non-compacted state (i.e., a state in which the spent beverage container was dropped into the collection container without pre-processing by the device 100), and then in a compacted state (i.e., a state after the spent beverage container was perforated and collapsed by the device 100). The collection container was capable of holding 50 uncollapsed bottles, while the same collection container was capable of holding 80 collapsed bottles. The same 30 bottles were used when evaluating the collection container's capacity for uncollapsed and collapsed bottles, and an additional 30 bottles of the same size, shape, and material were collapsed to fill the container completely when evaluating the container's capacity for collapsed bottles. The container was deemed at capacity when no more bottles could be dropped into the container without the bottles already in the container falling out. In other words, pre-processing by the device 100 increased the bottle capacity of the container by 60%.
In a second experiment, a different set of bottles was used from the first experiment. The volume of each bottle was measured before and after compaction with the device 100. Volumes were measured using a dry sand method including a one-gallon pitcher, a four-cup measuring cup, and a 50 lb bag of dry sand. In particular, a half-cup of sand was placed in the pitcher and spread evenly across the bottom of the one gallon pitcher. A non-compacted bottle (i.e., a spent beverage container that did not undergo pre-processing by the device 100) was then placed upright in the pitcher, and dry sand was added to the pitcher with the four-cup measuring cup until the pitcher was filled to a predetermined measured mark on the pitcher, at which sand covered the top of the bottle completely. The dry sand method was repeated for the same bottle after the bottle was compacted (i.e., after the spent beverage container was perforated and collapsed by the device 100). Several different brands and sizes of bottles were tested, and the results were averaged.
After averaging five trials, the inventor found that a non-compacted 20 oz. water bottle required an average of 12.5 cups of sand to cover the bottle to the mark, while a compacted 20 oz. water bottle required an average of 13.5 cups of sand to cover the bottle to the mark. In other words, the decrease in volume of the compacted water bottle was 1 cup (i.e., 8 oz), which is a 40% reduction in volume. For 16.9 oz. water bottles, pre-processing in the device 100 reduced the volume of the bottles by an average of 64%. For 20 oz. soda bottles, pre-processing in the device 100 reduced the volume of the bottles by an average of 42.5%. The average total reduction of volume for miscellaneous plastic bottles pre-processed in the device 100 was 48.33%. The differences in compaction percent for 20 oz. water bottles and 20 oz. soda bottles may be attributed to the different thicknesses of the bottles.
As illustrated in
The device 100 and method of operating the device 100 described in the embodiments above perforates and collapses used plastic beverage containers to decrease the physical area consumed by non-collapsed plastic bottles. This reduces the overall cost of handling the spent plastic beverage containers by increasing the volume of spent, plastic beverage containers a recycling container or garbage container can hold. The device 100 can be installed in any location because it requires no electricity to operate. For example, the device 100 can be installed at military bases, parks, interstate rest areas, cruise ships, naval ships, theme parks, sports arenas, private and public schools and colleges. Moreover, the device 100 is considered a GREEN product because it does not require the use of electricity or fossil fuels to operate. Therefore, the device 100 also assists in the reduction of the carbon footprint of a facility that utilizes the device 100, which could result in the facility owner being eligible for carbon credits.
The construction and arrangements of the device for perforating and collapsing spent beverage containers, as shown in the various exemplary embodiments, are illustrative only. As used herein, the terms “bottle,” “container” and “spent beverage container” may be used interchangeably. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, image processing and segmentation algorithms, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. Some elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence of any process, logical algorithm, or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.
As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”, and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony with the common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should be understood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure that these terms are intended to allow a description of certain features described and claimed without restricting the scope of these features to the precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms should be interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequential modifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimed are considered to be within the scope of the invention as recited in the appended claims.
The terms “coupled,” “connected,” and the like as used herein mean the joining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary (e.g., permanent) or moveable (e.g., removable or releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two members or the two members and any additional intermediate members being attached to one another.
References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “above,” “below,” etc.) are merely used to describe the orientation of various elements in the FIGURES. It should be noted that the orientation of various elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments, and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.
With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for the sake of clarity.
