Patent Application
20090127257
The invention is generally directed to portable containers and specifically directed to foldable recycling containers for use in the home.
Recycling has become an important part of reducing the environmental footprint of people. More and more, people, municipalities and other localities have programs directed to recycling common household waste. This creates the problem of sorting, storing and transporting recyclable materials in the home. There is a need for useful, flexible, and architecturally pleasing recycling stations or bins for use in the home.
In one aspect, the invention provides a foldable recycling apparatus comprising a foldable frame and a plurality of flexible containers for holding materials.
In some embodiments, the foldable frame comprises articulated struts and dowels to allow for accordion-like folding. The struts and dowels may be made of any stiff material, for example metal, plastic, carbon fiber, or cellulosic material.
In some embodiments, the flexible containers comprise flexible materials, such as burlap or plastic sheeting. In one embodiment, the flexible container is a burlap or other natural fiber bag.
In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more modules, wherein each module comprises a container fastened to a modular foldable frame, and wherein each module is attached to one or two other modules in series. In some embodiments, the modules are separable into one or more single modules. each modular frame is connected to one or two other modular frames. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises 3 modules connectable in series.
The invention provides a foldable recycling apparatus, which comprises a foldable modular frame and a plurality of containers for sorting, storing and/or transporting trash or recyclable materials. Described is an apparatus that accommodates three containers. However, it is understood that the apparatus may accommodate as few as two containers, with no upper limit. The foldable frame, being modular, can be expanded to accommodate additional modules. As used herein, the term “module” means a portion of the frame of the apparatus that accommodates a single container.
The foldable modular frame comprises struts that are interconnected in an articulating fashion to enable folding via rotation at the joints between struts. A joint comprise a dowel, which can serve as an articulated hinge and as a supporting structure for attaching a container. The foldable modular frame can be expanded to accommodate a fully expanded container, and it can be folded to decrease the foot-print of the apparatus and to enable storing of the apparatus in a smaller space. The struts may be made from any material that is essentially inflexible along the short axis and semi-flexible to inflexible along the long axis. Thus, the struts may be made from material such as but not limited to cellulose fiber, such as e.g. wood, recycled laminate wood, bamboo, wicker, et cetera, plastic, metal, such as e.g. aluminum, steel, titanium, alloys, et cetera, glass, fiberglass, carbon fibers, ceramic, and composite material.
Each container of the plurality of containers is seated within an individual module of the frame. Each container can be removed from its module to enable, inter alia, the transportation of the contents of the container, the washing of the container, and/or replacement of the container. In some embodiments, the container is flexible and can be a sack, such as a burlap bag. Thus, the container can be made of any flexible material, such as, but not limited to plastic, cloth, and the like. A preferred material is a durable natural material, such as canvas or burlap.
In yet another embodiment, the modules are separable into individual “stand alone” units. For example, for an apparatus comprising 3 modules attached in series, the apparatus can be subdivided into 3 individual modules or 1 individual module and one duplex consisting of 2 attached modules.
In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a kit comprising struts, dowels and instructions for assembling the apparatus in a box. Optionally, the kit comprises containers. Preferred containers are bags made from a durable natural material, such as e.g. burlap.
While the inventor envisions that the apparatus is useful as a recycling apparatus for in-home use, the end-user would readily recognize that the invention has many other uses and can accommodate any material. For example, the apparatus can be used, inter alia, to store clothing, sports equipment, food, et cetera. The apparatus is not limited by size, and may be sized for use in a kitchen, garage, truck bed, garden, tool shed, automobile, and/or the like. In one preferred embodiment, the apparatus is of a size to fit within a kitchen or utility room, having the overall and non-limiting dimensions for a single module and container of, e.g., approximately 3 ft tall by 1 to 2 feet wide.
Modules (d) can be separated by removing the top and bottom dowels at the joint between two (2) adjacent modules. Additional dowels are inserted at the new end of the single module to maintain the integrity of the single module frame (
A container (c), such as a burlap bag, can be hung onto the frame by a hanging means, such as a strap (e), as shown in the top down view of
The foregoing disclosure is providing by way of example and is not meant to limit the invention. The skilled artisan, in the practice of the invention would readily recognize other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is provided in the claims that follow.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/003,281 which was filed on Nov. 16, 2007.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61003281 | Nov 2007 | US |
