Slow-closing door and refuse container embodying same

Abstract

A refuse container contains at least one door which may be easily pushed toward an open position in which the door rotates into an interior of the container. The door returns to a closed position under the force of a closing mechanism which may be a spring. However, the closing of the door is slowed by a damping mechanism.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a door for closing an opening and, more particularly, to a refuse container door that may be quickly opened but closes slowly.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Refuse containers often have doors that close openings in the container. A common, conventional refuse container includes a spring that biases the door toward a closed position, so that the door will automatically return to the closed position after a person opens it to deposit trash. Refuse container doors are biased toward the closed position for a number of reasons including flame retardation, odor containment, etc.

[0005] The spring biasing used in conventional refuse containers has its disadvantages. Because the spring constantly biases the door toward the closed position with relatively sizeable force, oftentimes the user brushes trash against the door while depositing the trash in the refuse container, resulting in contamination of the door. Contaminants on the door are often transferred to subsequent users because the contaminated door often contacts the user's hand after the user drops trash into the refuse container due to the spring biasing of the door toward the closed position. The contact between the individual's hand and the door is undesirable because germs may be transferred to the individual. In addition, if a door closes too quickly, it may close on the individual's hand thereby causing harm to the individual.

[0006] Other conventional refuse containers delay closing their doors. For example, a conventional refuse container has a latching mechanism (magnet) that engages the door and holds it in the open position. After an individual has withdrawn his hand, he can activate a disengaging mechanism that unlatches the door thereby allowing it to close. This requires a two-step procedure, i.e., the user must perform separate actions to open and to close the door.

[0007] Another conventional refuse container holds the door in an open position and incorporates an automatic release mechanism which is activated by a timer. After a predetermined time period has lapsed after the door was opened (and latched in the open position), the timer activates the release mechanism thereby causing the door to close. This requires costly and complex circuitry and also requires electrical power to drive the circuitry. The need for power dictates that the refuse container be located proximate to a power source such as an electrical outlet.

[0008] For these and other reasons, a door particularly applicable to refuse container is needed that remedies one or more of the aforementioned deficiencies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A first aspect of the invention involves an apparatus which includes at least one wall having an opening therein. A door, which is adapted to move between an open position and a closed position, substantially closes the opening when in the closed position. A support structure supports the door for movement between the open and closed positions. In addition, a closing mechanism supplies a force that biases the door toward the closed position and a damping mechanism opposes the force supplied by the closing mechanism; the damping mechanism retards movement of the door from the open position to the closed position.

[0010] In this first aspect of the invention, the apparatus may also include a base separably supporting the at least one wall. The door may be configured to move inward from the closed position to the open position and outward from the open position to the closed position. Moreover, the door may be adapted to move from the open position to the closed position in greater than about three seconds and in less than about ten seconds. In addition, the closing mechanism may be a spring and the damping mechanism may be selected from the group consisting of a rotary damper, a linear damper, a servomotor, an actuator, a variable rate spring, friction, and a gas spring.

[0011] A second aspect of the invention addresses a method of producing refuse containers. This method includes: (a) providing refuse containers each having at least one wall with an opening therein, a door sized to substantially fill the opening when in a closed position, and a door closing mechanism for connecting to an inner surface of the at least one wall and to an inner surface of the door; and (b) providing a damping mechanism, which opposes force supplied by the door closing mechanism, in selected ones of the refuse containers and omitting the damping mechanism from selected ones of the refuse containers.

[0012] In the second aspect of the invention, the method may also include, for those containers in which a damping mechanism is not provided, (c) retrofitting, at a later time, the containers not having a damping mechanism to include a damping mechanism that opposes force supplied by the door closing mechanism.

[0013] A third aspect of the invention, involves a second method. The second method includes: (a) providing a refuse container, the container comprising: (i) at least one wall having an opening therein; (ii) a door adapted to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein the door substantially closes the opening when in the closed position; (iii) support structure that supports the door for movement between the open and closed positions; (iv) a closing mechanism supplying a force that biases the door toward the closed position; and (v) a damping mechanism that opposes the force supplied by the closing mechanism to retard movement of the door from the open position to the closed position; (b) moving the door from the closed position to the open position, wherein the moving of the door to the open position is retarded by the closing mechanism but not by the damping mechanism; (c) moving the door from the open position to the closed position, wherein the moving of the door to the closed position is retarded by the damping mechanism.

[0014] The second method may also include, between the steps of (b) moving the door from the closed position to the open position and (c) moving the door from the open position to the closed position: (d) passing refuse through the opening; and (e) releasing the refuse into the refuse container. In addition, the door may be configured to move inward toward an interior of the refuse container when moving from the closed position to the open position. Similarly, the door may be configured to move outward toward an exterior of the refuse container when moving from the open position to the closed position. In addition, the door may be adapted to move from the open position to the closed position in greater than about three seconds and in less than about ten seconds. Similar to the aforementioned aspects of the invention, the closing mechanism may include a spring and the damping mechanism may be selected from the group consisting of a rotary damper, a linear damper, a servomotor, an actuator, a variable rate spring, friction, and a gas spring.

[0015] A fourth aspect of the invention addresses method of depositing trash in a refuse container. This method includes: (a) opening a door of a refuse container at a first speed; (b) depositing trash in the refuse container; and (c) allowing the door to close, due at least to a force supplied by a closing mechanism, at a second speed that is slower than the first speed

[0016] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description, appended claims, and accompanying exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0018] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a refuse container having a cover thereon according to one embodiment of the invention herein described;

[0019] FIG. 1B is an perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a refuse container;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cover of the refuse container of FIG. 1A in which one of the doors is in an open position;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a break-away perspective view of the cover of refuse container of FIG. 1A showing the orientation of the both a closing mechanism and a damping mechanism;

[0022] FIG. 4 is an underside perspective view of the cover of the refuse container shown in FIG. 3 in which a pivot block has been removed to show the orientation of the closing mechanism, a door pivot, and the damping mechanism;

[0023] FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a damping mechanism being rotated in an opening direction; and

[0024] FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the damping mechanism of FIG. 5A being rotated in a closing direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0026] FIG. 1A shows a refuse container 10, which is an embodiment of apparatus according to the present invention. The refuse container 10 includes a wall having an opening 18 therein and a door 16 adapted to move between an open position and a closed position. The door 16 substantially closes the opening 18 when in the closed position. The apparatus further includes support structure 60 that supports the door 16 for movement between the open and closed positions. A closing mechanism 30 supplies a force that biases the door 16 toward the closed position. A damping mechanism 40 opposes the force supplied by the closing mechanism 30 to retard movement of the door 16 from the open position to the closed position.

[0027] The wall 26 of the container 10 preferably forms at least a portion of the boundary of the container 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the container 10 includes a separable cover 14 that sits on a base 12. The cover 14 shown in FIG. 1A has a plurality of walls 26 and a top side 28 connected to, or integrally formed with, the walls 26. Each of the walls 26 in this embodiment has an opening 18 therein, which permits trash to be deposited in the container 10.

[0028] The trash container 10 preferably includes a bottom side 24. In certain embodiments, such as one in which a trash receptacle will be housed within the container 10 (such as, for example, if the refuse container 10 is to serve as a protective shell to protect a trash receptacle or if it will serve a decorative purpose by which an unsightly trash receptacle will be hidden from view), it may be desirable to omit the bottom side 24.

[0029] Although the refuse container 10, cover 14 and base 12 are shown in FIG. 1A as being four-sided, they could have other shapes. For instance, the container 10, cover 14 and base 12 could be round in two dimensions, such as the container 10′ shown in FIG. 1B. Moreover, as additionally shown in FIG. 1B, the cover 14 could be round in three dimensions (i.e., dome shaped); in this embodiment, there is no distinct top side 28. In addition, the refuse container 10 need not have a separate cover 14 and base 12, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. For example, the refuse container 10 could be a single, integral component.

[0030] The door 16 substantially closes the opening 18 in the wall 26. Typically, the number of door 16 will be commensurate with the number of openings 18. Moreover, the number of openings 18 and doors 16 may be modified.

[0031] Support structure 60 supports the door 16 for movement between the open and closed positions. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the doors 16 are shown in a closed position. FIG. 2, by way of contrast, shows a perspective view of the refuse container 10 in which one of the doors 16 is in an open position. The door 16 has a door wing 50, which is preferably integrally connected to a door pivot 32. The door pivot 32 preferably is a cylindrical member which projects into a recess in a pivot block 38. The pivot block 38 preferably has a generally U-shaped cross-section. In the preferred embodiment, the door pivot 32, the door wing 50, and the pivot block 38 provide the support structure 60 that supports the door 16 for movement between the open and closed positions.

[0032] The interaction of the door pivot 32 and the pivot block 28 causes the door 16 to rotate, between the closed and open positions, about an axis of rotation 42. When a lower portion 17 of the door 16 is pushed, the door wing 50 will move. As the door wing 50 is connected to the door pivot 32, the door pivot 32 rotates within the pivot block 38.

[0033] The closing mechanism 30, which supplies a force that biases the door 16 toward the closed position, may include a torsion spring 30. The torsion spring 30 can be essentially a looped piece of elastic material having two functional arms 44, 46 (both of which are visible in FIG. 4). The functional arms 44, 46 are preferably in contact (either directly or indirectly) with the an interior surface of the refuse container 10 (at a location other than the door 16) and the door 16, respectively. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the spring 30 is looped around the door pivot 32. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the functional arm 44 rests within a groove 48 which, in turn, is connected to an inner portion of the top side 28. The other functional arm 46 rests in a groove 54 which, in turn, is connected to the door wing 50. In addition to gravity acting on the door 16, the spring 30 biases the door 16 toward the closed position. The spring 30 can overcome forces that inhibit closing of the door 16, such as frictional forces created by the door support structure 60 and, if the door 16 must move past vertical to close, gravitational forces. With regard to the latter, note FIGS. 1A and 1B where the lower portion 17 of the door 16 must travel upward, i.e., against gravitational force, just before closing.

[0034] The damping mechanism 40 opposes the force supplied by the closing mechanism 30 to retard movement of the door 16 from the open position to the closed position. The damping mechanism 40 may take the form of, for example, a rotary damper, linear damper, gas spring, servomotor, actuator, variable rate spring, friction (including friction clutches), etc.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a preferred damping mechanism is a rotary damper 40 manufactured by Sankyo Seiki America, Inc. (“Sankyo”) under part no. TGA-371. The preferred rotary damper includes a rotary body 70 which is adapted to engage an axle 36. The other end of the axle 36 engages the door pivot 32. The axle 36 preferably has a square cross section, although other cross-sectional shapes could be used. One end of the axle 36 is received within a recess 56 of square cross section formed in the door pivot 32. The axle 36 and door pivot 32 are fixed together such that they do not rotate relative to one another. The other end of the axle 36 is received in a recess 75 in a central shaft 74 in the damper body 70. The axle 36 and central shaft 74 are fixed together such that they do not rotate relative to one another. To prevent rotation of the rotary damper 40 with respect to the refuse container 10, the Sankyo rotary damper 40 has external protrusions 120 (shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B) which enable the rotary damper 40 to rest, without rotation, on an inner surface of the refuse container 10 such as the top side 28.

[0036] The rotary damper 40 contains a rotary dashpot the details of which are shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The dashpot includes a viscous fluid 100 such as oil and a plurality of wipers 72 rotatably connected at periodic locations around the central shaft 74. In the preferred rotary damper, two wipers 72 are provided. In addition, the interior of the damper body 70 is formed by two generally hemispherical chambers 76, 78. O-rings 102 (or other suitable sealing means), only one of which is visible in FIGS. 5A and 5B, are provided at the ends of the central shaft 74 to prevent the viscous fluid 100 from leaking out of the body 70 of the damping mechanism 40.

[0037] A leading edge 108 of each of the wipers 72 is rotatably connected to the central shaft 74 at pivots 104. The wipers 72 may rotate from a position in which a face 112 of the wipers 72 is substantially tangential to the central shaft 74 (as shown in FIG. 5A) to a position which the faces 112 are extended with respect to the central shaft 74 (as shown in FIG. 5B). As shown in FIG. 5A, when the central shaft 74 is rotated in the opening direction, the wipers 72 are forced, by the viscous fluid 100, into the position in which they are substantially tangential to the central shaft 74. In this position, as the central shaft 74 rotates, only the leading edge 108 must initially pass through the fluid 100, the faces 112 of the wipers 72 follow in the wake of the leading edge 108 and are, thereby, not subject to any significant frictional impedance.

[0038] By way of contrast and as shown in FIG. 5B, when the central shaft 74 is rotated in the closing direction, the wipers 72 are forced, by the viscous fluid 100, to rotate into the extended position. In the extended position, the faces 112 of the wipers 72 confront the viscous fluid 100 as the central shaft 74 is turned. As the faces 112 begin to rotate and thereby confront the fluid 100, a damping force is generated by the viscous fluid 100. More importantly, however, as the edges 110 of the wipers 72 opposite the leading edges 108 extend to scrape an inner surface 68 of the rotary body 70, the viscous fluid 100 does not pass between the inner surface 68 and the edge 110 of the wipers 72 scraping the inner surface 68. In this manner, for the wipers 72 to rotate (in conjunction with the central shaft 74), they must simultaneously push the viscous fluid 100 through the hemispherical chambers 76, 78; the pushing of the fluid 100, in this manner, generates a substantial damping force. Finally, after the central shaft 74 has rotated approximately 110°, the edges 110 of the wipers 72 scraping the inner surface 68 abut walls 80 of the hemispherical chambers 76, 78 thereby preventing further rotation of the wipers 72 and the central shaft 74.

[0039] When the door 16 moves in the opening direction, the axle 36 and central shaft 74 are rotated. Valves (not shown) in the damper body 70 are opened and no significant rotational resistive force (i.e. torque) is output. When the door 16 moves in the closing direction, however, the valves in the damper body 70 close and a torque is generated. This torque provides a force that opposes the force supplied by the closing mechanism 30 to retard movement of the door 16 from the open position to the closed position. The magnitude of the torque is related to the angular velocity of the door 16 as it rotates toward the closed position. Accordingly, when the angular velocity is zero (i.e., when the door 16 is closed), the damper 40 outputs no torque.

[0040] The door pivot 32 could be eliminated, and the axle 36 extended to the door wing 50. However, it is preferable to retain the door pivot 32 for at least the following reason. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the use of the door pivot 32 permits the refuse container 10 to be made with or without a damping mechanism 40, and further permits a user to remove (or install) the damping mechanism. In particular, the door pivot 32 provides a pivotal connection between the door 16 and another portion of the refuse container 10. Even if the damping mechanism 40 is not present, the door 16 will still be functional. It will pivot about axis 42 between the open and closed positions, and the spring 30 will bias the door 16 toward the closed position. The manufacturer can thus choose to install or not to install a damping mechanism 40 on the refuse container 10. Similarly, a consumer can remove a damping mechanism 40 from the container or add a damping mechanism 40 to the container 10, and the device remains functional.

[0041] Having described the structure of the refuse container 10, a method of using the refuse container 10 will now be described. When an individual wants to drop a piece of refuse into the refuse container 10, the individual pushes on the door 16 with sufficient force to overcome the biasing force provided by the closing mechanism (which pushes the door 16 toward the closed position). By overcoming the biasing force, the door 16 will swing inward toward the open position. The damping mechanism does not apply any significant torque while the door 16 is opening and does not retard the movement toward the open position.

[0042] When the door 16 has reached the open position, the individual may drop the piece of refuse into the refuse container 10 (and possibly into a receptacle placed in the refuse container 10) and then discontinue the contact between his hand and the door 16. Rather than swing back quickly under the combined force of gravity and the positive mechanical force produced by the closing mechanism 30, the door 16 slowly swings back toward the closed position. The retarded closing is caused by the damping mechanism 40 which applies a retardation torque against the combination of the gravitational force and the positive mechanical force supplied by the closing mechanism.

[0043] In total, it takes preferably at least about three seconds for the door 16 to return to the closed position. In addition, for odor retention and fire prevention reasons, it is also preferable that the door 16 take no longer than about ten seconds to return to the closed position.

[0044] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the apparatus and method described herein is illustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention, which is indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one wall having an opening therein; a door adapted to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein the door substantially closes the opening when in the closed position; support structure that supports the door for movement between the open and closed positions; a closing mechanism supplying a force that biases the door toward the closed position; and a damping mechanism that opposes the force supplied by the closing mechanism to retard movement of the door from the open position to the closed position.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door is configured to move inward from the closed position to the open position and outward from the open position to the closed position.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closing mechanism includes a spring.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the damping mechanism is selected from the group consisting of a rotary damper, a linear damper, a servomotor, an actuator, a variable rate spring, friction, and a gas spring.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door is adapted to move from the open position to the closed position in greater than about three seconds.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door is adapted to move from the open position to the closed position in greater than about three seconds and less than about ten seconds.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a base separably supporting the at least one wall.

8. A method of producing refuse containers, comprising the steps of: providing refuse containers each having at least one wall with an opening therein, a door sized to substantially fill the opening when in a closed position, and a door closing mechanism for connecting to an inner surface of the at least one wall and to an inner surface of the door; providing a damping mechanism, which opposes force supplied by the door closing mechanism, in selected ones of the refuse containers and omitting the damping mechanism from selected ones of the refuse containers.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein in those containers in which a damping mechanism is not provided, the method further comprises the step of: retrofitting, at a later time, the containers not having a damping mechanism to include a damping mechanism that opposes force supplied by the door closing mechanism.

10. A method comprising the steps of: providing a refuse container, the container comprising: at least one wall having an opening therein; a door adapted to move between an open position and a closed position, wherein the door substantially closes the opening when in the closed position; support structure that supports the door for movement between the open and closed positions; a closing mechanism supplying a force that biases the door toward the closed position; and a damping mechanism that opposes the force supplied by the closing mechanism to retard movement of the door from the open position to the closed position; moving the door from the closed position to the open position, wherein the moving of the door to the open position is retarded by the closing mechanism but not by the damping mechanism; moving the door from the open position to the closed position, wherein the moving of the door to the closed position is retarded by the damping mechanism.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein between the steps of moving the door from the closed position to the open position and moving the door from the open position to the closed position, the method further comprises the steps of: passing refuse through the opening; and releasing the refuse into the refuse container.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the door is configured to move inward toward an interior of the refuse container when moving from the closed position to the open position, and wherein the door is configured to move outward toward an exterior of the refuse container when moving from the open position to the closed position.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the closing mechanism includes a spring.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the damping mechanism is selected from the group consisting of a rotary damper, a linear damper, a servomotor, an actuator, a variable rate spring, friction, and a gas spring.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the closing mechanism includes a spring.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the door is adapted to move from the open position to the closed position in greater than about three seconds.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the door is adapted to move from the open position to the closed position in greater than about three seconds and less than about ten seconds.

18. A method of depositing trash in a refuse container, comprising the steps of: opening a door of a refuse container at a first speed; depositing trash in the refuse container; and allowing the door to close, due at least to a force supplied by a closing mechanism, at a second speed that is slower than the first speed.