Abstract:
A biased lid support device for easy access to inside the containers by propping open the lids. The biased lid support device includes a biased support assembly including a bracket adapted to be coupled to a container and also including at least one biased element connected to the bracket and extending outwardly therefrom and adapted to be engagable with a lid pivotally attached to the container, wherein the bracket includes an elongate planar base portion having a planar surface and opposed ends and adapted to be securely coupled to the container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to lid supports and more particularly pertains to a new biased lid support device for easy access to inside the containers by propping open the lids. 
     Description of the Prior Art 
     The use of lid supports is known in the prior art. More specifically, lid supports heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. 
     The prior art includes a trash container lid system for placement on top of large industrial trash bins of the type utilized in hotels, apartment houses, etc., in which a lid section is rotatably coupled to a trash bin via lever arms rotatably coupled at one end to the sides of the trash bin and at another end to the back of the lid section. A pair of brace members are fixedly attached to the outer surfaces of the sides of the lid and extend downwardly, each being in physical abutment with one of the lever arms. Another prior art includes a tube assembly including an upper component having a downwardly extending section received within the upper end of the main body portion. The upper component has an upwardly extending section and a transitional section coupling the upwardly and downwardly extending sections. The tube assembly includes a lower component having an upwardly projecting section received within the lower end of the main body portion and downwardly projecting sections. Also another prior art includes a means for lifting the top consisting of at least one leaf spring, one of whose ends is fixed to the base and the other of whose ends is able to slide on the bowl of the top, the leaf spring being under tension when the top is closed, and being relaxed or partially relaxed when the top is in the fully open position. While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new biased lid support device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new biased lid support device which has many of the advantages of the lid supports mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new biased lid support device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art lid supports, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a biased support assembly including a bracket adapted to be coupled to a container and also including at least one biased element connected to the bracket and extending outwardly therefrom and adapted to be engagable with a lid pivotally attached to the container, wherein the bracket includes an elongate planar base portion having a planar surface and opposed ends and adapted to be securely coupled to the container. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the biased lid support device 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 invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a new biased lid support device which has many of the advantages of the lid supports mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new biased lid support device which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art lid supports, either alone or in any combination thereof. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new biased lid support device for easy access to inside the containers by propping open the lids. 
     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new biased lid support device that allows a user to at least partially open a lid on a container so that the user can access the inside of the container without having to hold the lid. 
     Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new biased lid support device that allows the user to open and close a lid without having to first insert a support between the lid and the container and then remove the support to close the lid on the container. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention 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: 
         FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a new biased lid support device according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the present invention in use with a dumpster. 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the present invention in use with the lid propped open upon the container and also showing how far the lid can swing open relative to the container in dashes. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention in use with a dumpster. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new biased lid support device embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the biased lid support device  10  generally may comprise a biased support assembly  11  including a rigid bracket  12  adapted to be coupled to a container  60  and also including one or more biased elements  25 ,  26  integrally connected to the bracket  12  and extending outwardly therefrom and adapted to be engagable with a lid  61  pivotally attached to the container  60 . The bracket  12  may include a rigid elongate planar base portion  13  having a planar surface  16 , holes  59  disposed therethrough, and opposed ends  14 ,  15  and adapted to be securely coupled to the container  60 . The bracket  12  may also include a pair of appendages  17 ,  21  each integrally connected at a respective end  14 ,  15  of and extending outwardly from the base portion  13 . Each of the appendages  17 ,  21  may have a planar main portion  18 ,  22  having a proximate end  63 ,  64  integrally attached to the base portion  13  and also having a distal end  19 ,  23  with the planar main portion  18 ,  22  extending perpendicular to the base portion  13 . Each of the appendages  17 ,  21  may also have a planar end portion  20 ,  24  integrally attached to and angled from the distal end  19 ,  23  of a respective main portion  18 ,  22  and also spaced from and extending parallel to the base portion  13  with the bracket  12  adapted to receive a portion of a wall  62  of the container  60  between the base portion  13  and the end portions  20 ,  24 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the one or more biased elements  25 ,  26  may include a rigid planar cantilever  27  having a width and length and a proximate end  28  integrally attached to the base portion  13  between the appendages  17 ,  21  and extending outwardly therefrom and also having a distal end  29 . The one or more biased elements  25 ,  26  may also include a connector  30  integrally attached at the distal end  29  of the cantilever  27  and may further include a spring  36  integrally connected to the connector  30  and spacedly and depressibly overlaying the cantilever  27  and adapted to support the lid  61  in an open position relative to the container  60 . The cantilever  27  may extend at an angle relative to the planar surface  16  of the base portion  13 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the connector  30  may have a first planar end portion  31  integrally attached to the distal end  29  of the cantilever  27  and extending at an angle relative to the cantilever  27  and extending parallel to the base portion  13  of the bracket  12 , and also has an intermediate planar portion  33  integrally attached to and extending from an outer end  32  of the first planar end portion  31  and extending generally parallel to the main portions  18 ,  22  of the appendages  17 ,  21 , and may further have a second planar end portion  34  opposite to the first planar end portion  31  and integrally attached to and extending from the intermediate planar portion  33  and extending parallel to the base portion  13  of the bracket  12  and forming a lid stopper to limit how far the lid  61  can open relative to the container  60 . The spring  36  may include a planar main portion  37  having an outer surface  38  facing away from the cantilever  27  and a first end  65  integrally coupled to an outer end  35  of the second planar end portion  34  of the connector  30  with the planar main portion  37  extending parallel to the cantilever  27 . The spring  36  may also include a distal end portion  39  integrally extending from the planar main portion  37  of the spring  36  and being engagable to and hold the lid  61  in an open position relative to the container  60 . The distal end portion  39  of the spring  36  may include a rounded projecting portion  40  extending outwardly from the outer surface  38  of the planar main portion  37  forming a transverse ledge across the spring to engage the lid  61  and hold the lid  61  in an open position, and may also include an end portion  41  which integrally loops from the projecting portion  40  back towards the cantilever  27  and extends between the planar main portion  37  of the spring  36  and the cantilever  27  and curves toward the planar main portion  37  of the spring  36  forming a restrictor to limit how far the spring  36  can be depressed towards the cantilever  27 . The biased support assembly  11  may further include a biased resistance member  42  compressibly, engageably and integrally disposed between the cantilever  27  and the spring  36  to provide resistance to the spring  36  when supporting the lid  61 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4-5 , as a second embodiment, the one or more biased elements  25 ,  26  may include a pair of spaced cantilevered springs  43 ,  51  each integrally attached to a respective end  15 ,  15  of the planar base portion  13  and extending outwardly therefrom and having an outer side  67 ,  68  facing away from the base portion  13  of the bracket  12  and the opposed cantilevered spring  43 ,  51 . Each of the cantilevered springs  43 ,  51  may include a planar support portion  44 ,  52  integrally attached to and extending outwardly perpendicular to the planar base portion  13  of the bracket  12 . Each of the cantilevered springs  43 ,  51  may also include an intermediate portion  45 ,  53  integrally connected to the planar support portion  44 ,  52  and having a projecting portion  46 ,  54  extending outwardly of the outer side  67 ,  68  of a respective cantilevered spring  43 ,  51  and away from the base portion  13  of the bracket  12  and forming a transverse ledge for engaging a lid bracket  69 ,  70  supporting the lid  61  in an open position. The projecting portion  46 ,  54  of the respective cantilevered spring  43 ,  51  may include a first portion  47 ,  55  integrally connected to the planar support portion  44 ,  52  and slanted outwardly of the outer side  67 ,  68  and away from the planar support portion  44 ,  52  of the respective cantilevered spring  43 ,  51 , and may also include a second portion  48 ,  56  integrally connected to the first portion  47 ,  55  and slanted outwardly of the outer side  67 ,  68  and towards the planar support portion  44 ,  52  of the respective cantilevered spring  43 ,  51  to form the transverse ledge with the second portion  48 ,  56  being engagable to the lid  61  in an open position. Each of the cantilevered springs  43 ,  51  may further include a distal end portion  49 ,  57  integrally connected to the intermediate portion  45 ,  53  and having an outer portion  50 ,  58  slanted inwardly towards the opposed cantilevered spring  43 ,  51  to allow a user to manipulate and move the respective cantilevered spring  43 ,  51  as desired. 
     In use, the user conventionally attaches the bracket  12  to a container  60  having a removable and pivotable lid  61  by inserting fasteners through the holes  59  of the bracket  12 . The bracket  12  may be conventionally attached along a top edge of the wall  62  of the container  60  with the one or more biased elements  25 ,  26  extending outwardly above the top edge of the wall  62 . For the first embodiment, an elongate lid support member  66  or rod may be disposed between the cantilever  27  and the spring  36 . For the second embodiment, the cantilevered springs  43 ,  51  may be positioned adjacent to and engagable with the lid support brackets  69 ,  70  supporting the lid  61 . To gain access to inside the container  60 , the user opens the lid  61  relative to the container  60  with the lid  61  engaging the one or more biased elements  25 ,  26  in an open position. The lid  61  engages the one or more projecting portions  40 ,  46 ,  54  in the open position with the lid  61  remaining open and the lid stopper, for the first embodiment, prevents the user from flipping the lid  61  over the back of the container  60 . The user may close the lid  61  upon the container  60  by disengaging the lid  61  from the one or more projecting portions  40 ,  46 ,  54  and closing the lid  61  upon the container  60  when access to the inside of the container  60  is no longer needed. 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, 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 the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the biased lid support device. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, failing within the scope of the invention.