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A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates generally to trash containers, and more particularly to a trash container adapted with an automated replacement bag dispensing system.
The art described in this section is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “prior art” with respect to this invention, unless specifically designated as such. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.56(a) exists.
Trash cans for storing garbage are essential devices found in virtually every residential and commercial building. A conventional trash can typically includes a lightweight container that receives a disposable liner or bag fabricated from lightweight material such as paper or plastic to facilitate disposal of trash while minimizing soiling of the container. When the trash bag is filled with trash the bag is removed and disposed of Once removed, a new liner must be installed. The installation of a new liner requires the user to retrieve a fresh liner from its stored location, unfold and open the liner, and place the liner into the trash can while securing the upper edge of the liner in some manner.
In an effort to simplify this process the background art reveals apparatus that incorporate a supply of perforated trash can liners in a holder located at or near the bottom of the trash receptacle. Typically, these bags/liners are connected in end-to-end fashion along transverse perforations. As a leading, filled bag is manually removed from the trash can, a following new bag is drawn into position. The user must then separate the bags along the line of perforation and secure the bag over the top rim of the trash receptacle.
Examples of trash cans incorporating manual bag replacement apparatus are found in several U.S. Patents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,453, issued to Heck, discloses a waste receptacle having an internal dispenser for disposable liners located at the bottom of the receptacle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,123, issued to Yang, discloses a garbage can with a packaged and folded plastic liner supplier disposed at the bottom of the can. U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,505, issued to Battaglia, discloses a trash receptacle lining system wherein trash bags are deployed from a spindle. Other systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,157 (Darden); U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,292 (Cucchia); U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,334 (Triglia); U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,239 (Triglia); U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,809 (Shuval); Meshorer (U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,900); U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,591 (Miller); U.S. Pat. No. 8,807,379 (Hammond); and U.S. Pat. No. 9,701,469 (Reith).
While the references disclosed in the background art are generally suitable for the limited purposes for which they are intended, they remain burdened by significant limitations and disadvantages. In particular, the background art references are limited to manual systems that continue to rely significantly on user-action to install replacement trash bag. Accordingly, there exists a need for further advancement in the art of trash containers. In particular, there exists a need for improvements directed to automating the installation of replacement trash bags.
The present invention overcomes the limitations and disadvantages in the art by providing a trash container having an automated replacement bag dispensing system which automatically deploys a replacement trash bag upon removal of a filled bag. A trash container in accordance with the present invention is adapted with a supply of trash bags which are fed into the main trash container by a motorized roller assembly. A pair of opposing suction pads are pivotally deployed inward and suction activation attracts the opposing sides of the bag to corresponding suction pads. Retraction of the suction pads functions to expand the bag to an open configuration whereby it is suitably configured to receive trash.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide advancements in the field of trash containers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a trash container adapted with an automated system for replacement of trash bags.
These and other objects are met by the present invention which will become more apparent from the accompanying drawing and the following detailed description of the drawings and preferred embodiments.
The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting of the claimed invention. Any and all patents and other publications identified in this specification are incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
In describing this invention, the word “connected” is used. By “connected” is meant that the article or structure referred to is joined, either directly, or indirectly, to another article or structure. By “indirectly joined” is meant that there may be an intervening article or structure imposed between the two articles which are “connected”. “Directly joined” means that the two articles or structures are in contact with one another or are essentially continuous with one another. By adjacent to a structure is meant that the location is near the identified structure.
Also, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment.
Turning now to the drawings,
Turning now to
The present invention further contemplates adapting suction pad assembly 60 to close and seal the top of the bag when it is full. In accordance with this aspect of the present invention the pair of opposing suction pad assemblies are again deployed to force opposing sides of the bag to a closed configuration. One of the suction pad assemblies includes a mechanism (not shown) that folds the bag to a closed configuration. In yet another contemplated configuration a sealing mechanism (not shown) that is applied to the bag to maintain it in the closed configuration. Suitable sealing structures may include application of an adhesive or mechanical clip or clamp to maintain the bag in the closed configuration. In a first contemplated activation embodiment a push button or other input user actuated device is provided to allow for user activation of the closing and sealing process. In a second contemplated activation embodiment the trash container is further adapted with one or more additional sensors, such as a weight sensor and/or a bag fill level sensor, that automatically activate the bag closing and sealing process when the bag has reached a predetermined weight and/or a predetermined level of trash has accumulated within the bag.
The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.
This application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/046,084, filed on Jun. 30, 2020.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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63046084 | Jun 2020 | US |