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The disclosure relates to refuse receptacles and more particularly pertains to a new refuse receptacle for facilitating removal of full or partially full trash can liners. The present invention discloses a refuse receptacle having a false bottom which is vertically adjustable by depressing a pedal to activate a telescopic cylinder to raise the false bottom.
The prior art relates to refuse receptacles. Prior art refuse receptacles may comprise pedals attached to levers, which when pressed down upon raise false bottoms within refuse receptacles. The extent to which the false bottom is raised is restricted to a degree of motion of a load end of the lever relative to a fulcrum. What is lacking in the prior art is a refuse receptacle having a false bottom which is vertically adjustable by depressing a pedal to activate a telescopic cylinder to raise the false bottom.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tubular housing and a false bottom. The tubular housing has a true bottom and a top. The true bottom is closed. The top is open and thus is configured for insertion of a trash can liner into the tubular housing. The false bottom is sized and shaped complementarily to the true bottom. The false bottom is operationally engaged to an actuator, which is engaged to the tubular housing. The actuator is positioned to selectively motivate the false bottom from proximate to the true bottom toward the top of the tubular housing. A controller is engaged to the tubular housing so that the controller is accessible to a user. The controller is operationally engaged to the actuator and is configured to be selectively manipulated by the user to activate the actuator to motivate the false bottom, the trash can liner, and contents of the trash can liner from proximate to the true bottom toward the top, facilitating removal of the trash can liner and its contents from the tubular housing.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The true bottom 14 is closed. The top 18 is open and thus is configured for insertion of a trash can liner 20 into the tubular housing 12. The internal lift equipped refuse receptacle assembly 10 also may comprise a lid 22, which is engaged to or selectively engageable to the tubular housing 12 to close the top 18. The lid 22 may be hingedly engaged to the tubular housing 12, as shown in
The false bottom 16 is sized and shaped complementarily to the true bottom 14. The false bottom 16 is operationally engaged to an actuator 24, which is engaged to the tubular housing 12. The actuator 24 is positioned to selectively motivate the false bottom 16 from proximate to the true bottom 14 toward the top 18 of the tubular housing 12.
A controller 26 is engaged to the tubular housing 12 so that the controller 26 is accessible to a user. The controller 26 is operationally engaged to the actuator 24 and is configured to be selectively manipulated by the user to activate the actuator 24 to motivate the false bottom 16, the trash can liner 20, and contents of the trash can liner 20 from proximate to the true bottom 14 toward the top 18, facilitating removal of the trash can liner 20 and its contents from the tubular housing 12.
The actuator 24 may comprise a telescopic cylinder 28, which is engaged to and extends between the true bottom 14 and the false bottom 16, or other actuating means, such as, but not limited to, scissor lifts, racks and pinions, bottle jacks, inflatable jacks, and the like. In this configuration, the controller 26 comprises a pedal 30, which is hingedly engaged to the tubular housing 12. The pedal 30 is configured to be repeatedly depressed by a foot of the user to extend the telescopic cylinder 28. As shown in
The present invention also anticipated the telescopic cylinder 28 being hydraulically or pneumatically actuated, in which case the pedal 30 would act to switch the telescopic cylinder 28 on and off.
A plurality of apertures 34 may be positioned in the tubular housing 12, as shown in
A pair of wheels 38 is engaged to the tubular housing 12 and is positioned proximate to the true bottom 14 and a back 40 of the tubular housing 12. Each wheel 38 is positioned proximate to a respective opposed side 42 of the tubular housing 12. A handle 44 is engaged to the back 40 of the tubular housing 12 and is positioned proximate to the top 18. The handle 44 is configured to be grasped in a hand of the user, positioning the user to tilt the tubular housing 12 so that a center of mass of the tubular housing 12, and its contents, is positioned substantially above the pair of wheels 38. The user thus is positioned to locomote the tubular housing 12 and its contents upon the wheels 38.
In use, a trash can liner 20 is engaged to and positioned in the tubular housing 12. The internal lift equipped refuse receptacle assembly 10 then is utilized as per usual to collect rubbish, recyclables, and the like. When removal of the trash can liner 20 is desired, the pedal 30 is repeatedly depressed to extend the telescopic cylinder 28, thus raising the false bottom 16, the trash can liner 20, and contents of the trash can liner 20.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5361978 | Monroe | Nov 1994 | A |
5373732 | Bowers | Dec 1994 | A |
5388717 | LaVasseur | Feb 1995 | A |
6102343 | Grimesey | Aug 2000 | A |
7273155 | Gray | Sep 2007 | B1 |
10464747 | Abang, Jr. | Nov 2019 | B2 |
20110272407 | Golcheh | Nov 2011 | A1 |
20120312828 | Herndon | Dec 2012 | A1 |
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108773601 | Nov 2018 | CN |
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20190096064 | Aug 2019 | KR |
20200038918 | Apr 2020 | KR |
WO2011071464 | Jun 2011 | WO |