Abstract:
A method and apparatus for interrupting flatware from falling into a receptacle allow debris or other material potentially containing flatware to fall through a vertical chute toward a receptacle, sense the presence of flatware within the falling debris or other material and move a hinged panel across the vertical chute in response to the step of sensing to deflect such flatware laterally through an opening in a sidewall of the chute.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/778,464, filed Mar. 2, 2006. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention relates generally to the retention of discarded flatware in the restaurant business, and more particularly, to the interception of flatware pieces being dropped into a garbage receptacle.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     It is known that the restaurant and hospitality industry in the United States alone loses millions of dollars in replacing flatware lost by being discarded with dish room garbage and dirty linen in collection. As used herein the term “flatware” typically means table cutlery which might be disposed of in the process of clearing a meal table either with food debris from a plate or with napkins being deposited into a laundry receptacle. The flatware is also intended to mean any other metal objects which might be left on a meal table and accidentally disposed of.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     In one embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for interrupting flatware from falling into a receptacle, comprises: a housing adapted for location on top of a receptacle; a chute mounted in the housing and having a vertical section with a bottom opening adapted to access a receptacles a side wall forming part of the vertical section and having a lateral opening there through; a hinged panel adapted to selectively block the vertical section and deflect items falling in the vertical section through the lateral opening in the sidewall.  
         [0005]     The apparatus may further comprise a catch basin positioned adjacent to the lateral opening. The apparatus may further comprise a removable catch basket adapted for location within the catch basin. The removable catch basket may have at least one partially enclosed side adapted to retain latterly moving flatware within the catch basket. The catch basket may have enclosed sides and top adapted to retain flatware moving through the lateral opening. The apparatus may further comprise a safety device adapted to prevent the movement of the hinged panel when the catch basket is not located within the catch basin. The catch basin and the catch basket may each have an open mesh bottom sized to retain a smallest dimension of flatware.  
         [0006]     The apparatus may further comprise a metal detector adapted for sensing flatware moving either rough or towards the chute and located within the housing and adjacent to the chute at a level higher than the lateral opening. The hinged panel may be hinged at either a top or bottom thereof  
         [0007]     The housing may further include one or more downwardly and laterally sloping surfaces extending to the chute and adapted to receive materials intended for the chute. The chute may be removable from the housing in a simple manner to facilitate washing.  
         [0008]     In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for interrupting flatware from falling into a receptacle, comprises of the steps of: allowing debris or other material potentially containing flatware to fall through a vertical chute toward a receptacle; sensing the presence of flatware within the falling debris or other material; and moving a hinged panel across the vertical chute in response to the step of sensing to deflect such flatware laterally through an opening in a sidewall of the chute.  
         [0009]     The method may further comprise locating a catch basin adjacent the lateral opening in the chute to receive flatware moved through the chute by the step of moving a hinged panel. The method may further comprise locating a catch basket within the catch basin and adjacent to the lateral opening.  
         [0010]     The method may further comprise the step of retaining flatware moving through the lateral opening in the catch basket. The method may further comprise the step of disabling the step of moving if the catch basket is not located within the catch basin.  
         [0011]     The method may further comprise the step of initially receiving the debris or other material on a downwardly and laterally sloping surface adjoining the chute.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The present invention may best be understood from the following detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, wherein:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a side schematic view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  shown in a different operative condition;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a side schematic view of the apparatus as shown in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a partially sectioned side schematic view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a partially sectioned side schematic view of the apparatus of  FIG. 5  having a different operative condition;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is a partially sectioned side schematic view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with vet another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]     The perspective view of  FIG. 1  shows an apparatus  10  generally including a housing  12  and a base  14 . The housing  12  includes a chute  16  and a flat side  18  having a lateral opening  20  covered by a door or flat panel  22 . The top of housing  12  also includes one or more surfaces  24 ,  25  which slope downwardly and laterally towards vertical chute  16 . The side schematic view of  FIG. 2  shows the same apparatus  10  with housing  12  and base  14  and shows vertical chute  16  being open and clear of obstruction. Apparatus  10  is intended to be located on top of a standard sized garbage barrel or receptacle.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  shows the same perspective view of apparatus  10  as  FIG. 1  except that the door or flat panel  22  which is hinged along its bottom edge  23 , is in the open position. The schematic side view of  FIG. 4  reflects this condition because flat panel  22  walks chute  16  and opens lateral opening  20 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  shows an apparatus  30  located on top of a garbage receptacle  32 . Apparatus  30  generally includes a housing  34 , a base  36  a centrally located chute  38  and a flatware catch basket  40 . Catch basket  40  is removably located within a catch basin  42 . All parts of apparatus  30  are mounted to base  36  to derive support from the top of garbage barrel  32  and are sized to properly fit on top of a standard barrel. Centrally located chute  38  is vertical and includes a bottom opening  44 , which directly accesses garbage barrel  32  to enable food debris dropped into chute  38  to directly access garbage barrel  32  with minimal deflection and resulting build up of food scraps. Chute  38  does include one deflector  46  which extends across chute  38  in the direction normal to the plane of the drawing. Chute  38  further includes a lateral opening  48  to allow the recovery of flatware items falling through chute  38 . Lateral opening  48  is the location of a door or flat panel  50 , which is used to block chute  38  and intercept the travel of flatware there through. Flat panel  50  is connected to a suitable drive mechanism  52  and is also shown to be retained in a closed position by a catch  54 . Any suitable drive mechanism  52  may be used including a spring bias to quickly open flat panel  50  upon the release of catch  54 . The opening of flat panel  50  is controlled by a controller  56  which is directly wired to drive mechanism  52  and catch  54 . Controller  56  operates in response to the sensing of flatware within chute  38  by a magnetic sensor  58  located within housing  34 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  is the same view of apparatus  30  as  FIG. 5  except that the flat panel  50  is located in the open position to diverge the fall of flatware  60  through chute  38  and send it laterally into catch basket  40 . The upper edge  50   a  of panel  50  is shown to reach underneath deflector  46  to catch all debris currently falling through chute  38 . It can also be noted that flat panel  50  is hinged at point  50   b  before it∝s end  50   c  so that end  50   c  extends over basket  40  with flat panel  50  in the open position.  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  further differs from  FIG. 5  in that recess  41  is shown to be open from the side of housing  34 . Alternatively recess  41  may be closed by a door  43  ( FIG. 5 ). A safety device  45  may be used to sense either the proper closure of door  43  or the proper location of catch basket  40 , or both. Device  45  can be connected to interrupt the operation of apparatus  30  unless it is indicating a safe condition. Without the appropriate safety conditions, flatware falling through chute  38  might be expelled through lateral opening  48  and present a hazardous condition.  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is a side schematic view of another apparatus  70  constructed in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. Apparatus  70  includes a similar housing  72 , base  74  and centrally located vertical chute  76 , as the embodiments of  FIGS. 5 and 6 . Apparatus  70  also includes a door or flat panel  80 , which is hinged from its upper end  82  and beneath deflector  84 . Flat panel  80  is shown in the interrupt or intercept position to cause flatware falling within chute  76  to bounce laterally into catch basket  86 .  FIG. 7  also shows a phantom line  88  where flat panel  80  would be located during the normal operation of apparatus  70  in the absence of flatware in chute  76 . Panel  80  may be activated by drive mechanism  90  and similarly controlled by a controller  92  working in response to a metal detector  94 .  
         [0026]     Housing  72  and apparatus  70  further include an upward protrusion  96  which allows a higher location for metal or magnetic detector  94 . This provides more time for the activation of flat panel  80  in the presence of flatware within chute  76 . Protrusion  96  further provides a downwardly and laterally sloping surface  98  which may be used for the direction of waste towards chute  76 . The metal or magnetic detector  94  may be of a type that detects only silver so that only silverware is to be retrieved. Alternatively, the metal detector  94  may be of a type that detects any type of metal that is used in the manufacture of flatware in order to retrieve all types of metal flatware.  
         [0027]     Catch baskets  40 ,  86  are shown to have a wire screen construction with openings that are sized to retain the smallest dimension of flatware and at the same time allow food debris to pass that there through. This construction, or any comparable construction, extends across the bottom  62  of catch basket  40  as well as the bottom  64  of catch basin  42 , and similarly for catch basket  86  and catch basin  89 . It is preferred that catch baskets  40 ,  86  be sized to allow removal from their respective recesses  41 ,  87  and their respective catch basins  42 ,  89  to allow easy access to flatware contained therein. Once in a flatware is retrieved the contents of catch baskets  40 ,  86  may be dumped into their respective chutes  38 ,  76 . It is also preferred that catch basins  40 ,  86  be shaped to intercept the lateral movement of any items from their respective shoots  38 ,  76  to prevent the occurrence of any hazardous conditions.  
         [0028]     It is generally preferred that the embodiments of the present invention be constructed of heavy duty washable molded material and also that they have a modular construction for easy repair and cleaning. It is also preferred that the various chutes and flat panels be easily removable from the apparatus for cleaning purposes and further sized appropriately to fit within commercial dishwashers.  
         [0029]     The closure of doors or flat panels  22 ,  50 ,  80  by the various control units may be performed on a manual or automatic basis. Thus, the presence of flatware within the respective chutes may trigger the respective flat panels to close the respective chutes and remained in that condition until they are manually reset, for example by electrical operation. Alternatively, the various control units may be programmed to block the respective chut andes temporarily to divert whatever flatware was sensed and then automatically re-opened to allow continued use of the waste disposal unit.  
         [0030]     Although the embodiments described herein generally referred to add occasion of the present invention to work with cylindrical garbage containers, such as a standard 32/44 gallon round garbage can, the apparatus of the present invention may of course be adapted to interface with various other shapes of garbage containers.  
         [0031]     It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments are simply illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.