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1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates generally to vehicles and systems for collecting and removing trash in commercial and residential community settings and more particularly to a system and trash receptacle for intermittently compacting trash deposited within the trash receptacle to reduce the frequency of trash receptacle emptying required.
2. Description of Related Art
In commercial and residential community settings, large receptacles or bins are provided at strategic locations for individual depositing of trash into one or more trash receptacles. One or more lids are typically pivotally openable for trash to be deposited into the receptacle and periodically, a large waste collection vehicle is scheduled to visit each of the trash receptacles and by interengagement with large forwardly extending forks, temporary engagement with each trash receptacle to lift it and invert it over the open top of the truck cargo bed of the vehicle to empty trash from the trash receptacle and then to replace it on the ground for continued use.
The trash pick up service for this routine scheduled emptying of the trash receptacles constitutes a significant expenditure for the commercial establishment or residential community and is typically billed on a per-visit basis. However, many times these trash receptacles are less than full and the emptying schedule is excessive in that the trash receptacles could easily be filled with additional trash before emptying occurs.
Moreover, trash which is typically loosely thrown into these trash receptacles accelerates the appearance of trash receptacle fullness whereas, if somehow compacted or otherwise reduced in overall volume, the trash receptacle could easily handle significantly increased amounts of compacted trash before the receptacle would be required to be emptied.
A number of prior art vehicles, systems and receptacles are known in prior art which attempt to address this issue of increasing the efficiency and cost of trash removal as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,691,967 to Mettetal, Jr. discloses a mobile apparatus for compacting refused. It is the primary object of the '967 patent to provide a mobile refuse compacting vehicle for compacting refused contained in separately located receptacles which will extend the time interval between the unloading of such receptacles. LaBarbera teaches a mobile trash pulverizer in U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,535. As is shown in
A device for compacting waste in containers is disclosed in newly-issued U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,500 to Soler as shown in
Shinjo, et al. teach a solid substance crushing vehicle which is able to move to a collection center in U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,626 and a waste recycling processing vehicle is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,652 to Warsing, et al.
A compactor comprising a rotating auger for breaking waste material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,201 to Fenner, et al. and Faccia teaches a combined shredding and mixing truck in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,465,914 and 6,983,902.
Waste compaction apparatus with a screw conveyor for waste material compacting is taught by Hamilton in U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,662 and the method and apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,505.550. The front page of a refuse collecting and disposal handling vehicle teaching two vehicles working in tandem is taught by Talamantez in U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,625.
The present disclosure teaches a unique system and trash receptacle as a separate service offering for compacting trash deposited within the trash receptacle periodically in between times of trash removal by a commercial trash collection operation. A compaction vehicle periodically visits each trash receptacle in the system to operate a power unit which effects compaction of the trash collected within the trash receptacle and, at a point when the operator of the compaction vehicle determines that the compacted trash has adequately filled the receptacle, a radio signal is activated to advise the waste collection company that the trash receptacle is ready for emptying.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.
This disclosure is directed to a system for compacting trash within a trash receptacle including a trash receptacle having upstanding front, side and back panels, a closed bottom, and a lid. The front panel is pivotably movable about a lower pivot axis located at a lower margin thereof by a drivable power unit operably connected between one side panel and a front panel. This pivotal movement of the front panel into the interior volume of the trash receptacle compacts the trash within the receptacle to minimize the frequency of receptacle emptying required. A mobile vehicle includes a power output which is temporarily engagable with the power unit as the vehicle is driven up to the trash receptacle, the power output driving the power unit to close the front panel to compact the trash within the receptacle.
It is therefore an object of this disclosure to provide a system for compacting trash within a trash receptacle of the system at least once in between scheduled periods of emptying of the trash receptacle.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a means for compacting loose trash deposited within a uniquely configured trash receptacle to reduce the cost and frequency of emptying of the trash receptacle by use of a commercial trash collection vehicle.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a trash receptacle which is adapted for compacting loose trash deposited therewithin by a compaction vehicle equipped with a power output for temporary engagement with a power unit of the trash receptacle to effect compaction of the loose trash collected within the trash receptacle.
The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative and not limiting in scope. In various embodiments one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated while other embodiments are directed to other improvements. In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by reference of the drawings and by study of the following descriptions.
Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in reference figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered to illustrative rather than limiting.
Referring now to the drawings, the system of this disclosure in its preferred embodiment is shown generally at numeral 10 in the various figures. This system generally includes a uniquely configured trash receptacle 12 and a compaction vehicle 14. The trash receptacle 12 includes a receptacle 16 having upstanding side panels, a back panel, a bottom, an openable lid 40 hingedly attached to the upright back panel for emptying of the contents of the trash receptacle 12 as will be described herebelow.
A front panel 18 forming the front of the receptacle 16 is pivotally connected by an elongated hinge 26 disposed along the horizontal lower margin of the front panel 18 and is biased toward the open position by coil springs 34 positioned around the hinge 26. End panels 20 are connected along the upright of the end margins of the front panel 18 and extend orthogonally inwardly from the front panel 18 into the interior volume 44 of the receptacle 16 and serve to prevent trash within the receptacle 16 from inadvertently falling out onto the ground when the front panel 18 is in the open position.
The trash receptacle 12, when in the open configuration as shown in
The trash receptacle 12 also includes a drivable power unit 22 positioned on one side panel of the receptacle 16 and is designed to be rotated in the direction of arrow C and, when so drivingly rotated, to retract a flexible cable 24, one end of which 24a is operably connected around the interior end of the power unit 22 as best seen in
The compaction vehicle 14 which, of course, is mobile and easily driven to each trash receptacle 12, slowly approaches the trash receptacle 12 for interengagement of an output shaft 36 (best seen in
When the operator of the compaction vehicle 14 determines that the trash receptacle 12 is completely or substantially completely filled with compressed trash and ready for emptying, a wireless signal will be emitted from transmitter 32 into receiver/transmitter 28 powered by a solar battery panel 38. This transmitter/receiver 28 will then begin emitting a separate wireless signal advising the trash collection company that this particular trash receptacle 12 is ready for emptying. By visually monitoring the content of each of these trash receptacles 12 by the operator of the compaction vehicle 14, premature emptying of only a partially trash filled receptacle 16 is thus avoided at a cost savings to the users of the trash receptacle(s).
When the trash collection facility has been advised that a particular trash receptacle 12 is filled with compacted trash and ready for emptying, a separate trash collection truck (not shown) of well known configuration is sent to the site of the filled trash receptacle 12 whereupon forks extending from the forwardly end of the collection truck interengage with elongated tubular members 42 connected and generally horizontally disposed along the outer surfaces of the side panels of the receptacle 16. As best seen in
Referring now to
Referring now to
While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permeations and additions and subcombinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereinafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permeations, additions and subcombinations that are within their true spirit and scope.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3691967 | Mettetal, Jr. | Sep 1972 | A |
3955492 | Topolay | May 1976 | A |
4152979 | Schmidt | May 1979 | A |
4290352 | Schmidt et al. | Sep 1981 | A |
5465914 | Faccia | Nov 1995 | A |
5575201 | Fenner et al. | Nov 1996 | A |
5842652 | Warsing et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5927626 | Shinjo et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
6158336 | Cambiano | Dec 2000 | A |
6247662 | Hamilton | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6505550 | Hamilton | Jan 2003 | B2 |
6543343 | Taylor | Apr 2003 | B2 |
6739535 | Labarbera | May 2004 | B2 |
6983902 | Faccia | Jan 2006 | B2 |
7100500 | Soler | Sep 2006 | B2 |
20040031403 | Johnson | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20070101875 | Poss et al. | May 2007 | A1 |