Patent ID: 7347657
Filing Date: 2008-03-25
Classification: B65F

Abstract:
1. Refuse collection apparatus comprising: collection container grasping mechanism including a pair of grasping arms mounted for movement between an at-rest position and a grasping position, each grasping arm of the pair of grasping arms is pivotally mounted at one end in a mounting base, the one end of each of the grasping arms having a lower mounting plate, an upper mounting plate spaced apart from the lower mounting plate, and an actuating pin mounted between the lower mounting plate and the upper mounting plate of each grasping arm, a first hydraulic cylinder having a piston arm extending between the pivotally mounted ends of the pair of mounting arms and the actuating pins and terminating in an actuating element having a surface contacting the actuating pin of each grasping arm, the surface of the actuating element contacting the actuating pins of each grasping arm when the first hydraulic cylinder is moved to a withdrawn position in which the actuating element is moved toward the first hydraulic cylinder to pivotally rotate the pair of grasping arms into the grasping position, and disengaging the actuating pins when the first hydraulic cylinder is moved to an extended position; and lifting and dumping mechanism coupled to the grasping mechanism for moving the grasping mechanism from a refuse container grasping position to a dumping position, the lifting and dumping mechanism including a plurality of elongated linking arms and a driving hydraulic cylinder coupled in a four point movement for simultaneously lifting and rotating the grasping mechanism from the refuse container grasping position into the dumping position.