Abstract:
A trash container stowing assembly ( 10 ) for installation on a lawn area ( 11 ) next to a roadway ( 12 ) adjacent a curb ( 13 ). The assembly ( 10 ) comprises a bracket ( 20 ) propped up by a post ( 30 ) anchored to the ground. Trash containers ( 40 ) having side handles ( 42 ) are secured to hooks on opposite sides of the bracket ( 30 ) so as to prevent them from falling over, blowing off, rolling away, or otherwise causing havoc on the roadway ( 12 ).

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/567,566 filed on Dec. 6, 2011. The entire disclosure of this provisional application is hereby incorporated by reference. To the extent that any inconsistencies exist between the present disclosure and that of the incorporated provisional application, the present disclosure should be used to govern interpretation for the purposes of avoiding indefiniteness and/or clarity issues. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Trash creation, accumulation, and collection has become a routine part of residential life. Typically, residents will accumulate trash from their homes into large outside containers placed near an entrance or exit door. On a predetermined day of the week, the containers are moved to a location adjacent the street (e.g., the curb) for convenient emptying by a trash collection crew. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    A trash container stowing assembly is provided which can be easily installed on a lawn area next to a roadway (e.g., adjacent a curb). The stowing assembly is adapted to secure conventional trash containers so as to prevent them from falling over, blowing off, rolling away, or otherwise causing havoc on the roadway. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0004]      FIGS. 1-5  show the stowing assembly installed on a lawn area adjacent a roadway. 
           [0005]      FIGS. 6-8  show various views of a bracket of the stowing assembly. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0006]    Referring now to the drawings, and initially to  FIG. 1 , the trash container stowing assembly  10  is shown installed on lawn area  11  next to a roadway  12  (e.g., adjacent the curb  13 ). The assembly  10  is no more intrusive than, and just as attractive as, a conventional mailbox  14  and associated post  15  installed on the lawn  11 . 
         [0007]    The trash container stowing assembly  10  generally comprises a bracket  20  and a post  30 . The post  30  is anchored in the ground and the bracket  20  is attached thereto. The post  30  can be similar to the post  15  used for the mailbox  14 . In other words, for example, it can be wooden, plastic, or metal, and/or it can have a square, circular or other cross-sectional shape. 
         [0008]    As shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , the stowing assembly  10  is adapted to accommodate at least one conventional trash container  40  and, in the illustrated embodiment, it is adapted to accommodate two such containers  40 . Such containers  40  are often made of plastic (e.g., polyethylene) and capacities in the range of twenty to forty gallons. That being said, using nonplastic containers and/or different capacity containers with the stowing assembly  10  is feasible and foreseeable. 
         [0009]    Each trash container  40  comprises a cylindrical trash-holding receptacle  41  with side handles  42  attached thereto. The handles  42  are situated for lifting, carrying, or otherwise maneuvering the receptacle  41 . Although many handle designs may be employed, most include an opening for finger insertion when they are being grasped. 
         [0010]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the trash containers  40  are full (or at least partially filled), their handles  42  can be hooked onto to the bracket  20 . The bracket  20  can be situated at such a height on the post  30  that the containers  40  rest on the ground when they are hooked to the bracket. The hooking should require only a slight lifting of one side the container  40 . 
         [0011]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , after the trash containers  40  are emptied, they can be inverted and placed over the post  30  (and the bracket  30 ). Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the emptied trash containers  40  can be rehooked to the bracket  20 . And as shown in  FIG. 5 , the latter returning step may be preferred when the containers  40  include lids  43 . 
         [0012]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , the bracket  20  comprises a sleeve  50  and a hook  60  attached thereto and extending laterally therefrom. As best seen by referring briefly back to  FIGS. 1-5 , the hooks  60  of the bracket  20  can extend laterally outward from the sleeve  50  in a direction substantially parallel to the roadway  12 . 
         [0013]    The sleeve  50  can have an open top, an open bottom, and lateral walls  51 - 54 . The lateral walls  51 - 54  define a post-receiving chamber  55  which mirrors the cross-sectional shape of the post  30 . Thus, if the post  30  has a square cross-sectional shape, the chamber  55  will likewise have a square cross-sectional shape. 
         [0014]    If the stowing assembly  10  is intended to accommodate two trash containers  40 , a hook  60  can extend from each of two opposing sides of the sleeve  50 . For example, in the illustrated embodiment, a hook extends laterally outward from the wall  51  and the wall  53 . Openings  56  are provided on wall  52  and wall  54  which receive fasteners (e.g., nails, screws, bolts, rivets, etc.) for securing the sleeve  60  to the post  30 . 
         [0015]    Each hook  60  includes a distal handle-engaging portion  61  and a proximal sleeve-bridging portion  62 . The hook&#39;s distal portion  61  which can comprise a ledge  63  oriented substantially parallel with the attached-to wall  51 / 53 . The bridge portion  62  can comprise a pair of arms  64  each of which is attached to an edge of the attached-to-wall  51 / 53  and which is aligned perpendicular therewith. A web  65  can extend between the arms  64  at location laterally intermediate the ledge  63  and the corresponding wall  51 / 53 . 
         [0016]    The sleeve  50 , the sleeve walls  51 - 54 , the hook  60 , the hook portions  61 - 62 , and/or the bracket  20  can be made of plastic (e.g., polypropylene). Additionally or alternatively, the sleeve walls  51 - 54  can be formed (e.g., molded) in one piece with each other, the hook portions  61 - 62  can be formed (e.g., molded) in one piece with each other, and/or the sleeve  50  and the hooks  60  can be formed (e.g., molded) in one piece with each other. However, nonplastic brackets  20  and/or multi-piece brackets  20  are equally possible and practical. For example, a metal sleeve could be attached to a metal hook parts by soldering, welding, or other attachment techniques. Furthermore, a plastic sleeve  50  could be combined with metal hooks  60  or vice-a-versa. 
         [0017]    To assemble the stowing assembly  10 , the lower portion of the post  30  is anchored in the ground. The sleeve  50  is then oriented with respect to the post  30  so that the hooks  60  will extend in the desired directions. The post&#39;s upper portion is then inserted through the chamber  55  and vertically adjusted to a height whereat the hooks  60  are at the same level as the handles  42  on the trash containers  40 . The sleeve  50  can then permanently mounted on the post  30  by fasteners inserted through the openings  56 . 
         [0018]    One may now appreciate that the stowing assembly safely and securely stows trash containers  40  adjacent the curb  13  for convenient pickup. Although the stowing assembly  10 , the bracket  20 , the post  30 , the trash containers  40 , the sleeve  50 , and/or the hooks  60  have been shown and described with respect to certain embodiments, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. For example, the stowing assembly  10  needs not be placed by roadside  12  and/or curb  13 , as it could also find application in other areas. Also, a one-piece assembly  10  wherein the bracket  20  and the post  30  are formed in one piece is possible and predictable. Additionally or alternatively, trash bags can also or instead be served by the stowing assembly  10  by, for example, latching their tie handles to the bracket hooks  60 . 
       REFERENCE NUMBERS 
       [0000]    
       
           10  stowing assembly 
           11  lawn area 
           12  roadway 
           13  curb 
           14  mailbox 
           15  mailbox post 
           20  bracket 
           30  post 
           40  trash containers 
           41  trash-holding receptacle 
           42  side handles 
           43  lid 
           50  sleeve 
           51  lateral wall 
           52  lateral wall 
           53  lateral wall 
           54  lateral wall 
           55  post-receiving chamber 
           56  fastener-receiving openings 
           60  hook 
           61  distal handle-engaging portion 
           62  proximal sleeve-bridging portion 
           63  ledge