Abstract:
A refuse and recycling collection system for use with a vehicle that collects both refuse and recyclable materials configured with a grapple arm for grabbing, lifting and inverting a waste bin that has a hinged lid. The apparatus includes a movable retention member extending upwardly from the grapple arm for the selective retention of the hinged lid while the grapple arm holds the waste bin. The waste bin is configured with a first compartment for the containment of refuse, and a second compartment adjacent said at least one side wall for the containment of recyclable materials.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/890,373, entitled “Refuse Collection System,” filed on Feb. 16, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       [0002]    The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary refuse/recycling collection vehicle; 
         [0004]      FIG. 2A  depicts an exemplary waste bin modified to include one embodiment of a recycling bin receiver assembly; 
         [0005]      FIG. 2B  illustrates an embodiment of a recycling bin receiver assembly; 
         [0006]      FIG. 2C  is an elevational front view of an exemplary recycling bin receiver assembly; 
         [0007]      FIG. 2D  is an elevational side view of an exemplary recycling bin receiver assembly; 
         [0008]      FIG. 2E  is an elevational side view of another embodiment of an exemplary recycling bin receiver assembly; 
         [0009]      FIG. 3A  illustrates an exemplary grapple adapted to include one embodiment of a thumb apparatus; 
         [0010]      FIG. 3B  is a perspective view of the exemplary grapple of  FIG. 3A  with the thumb extended; 
         [0011]      FIG. 3C  is a perspective view of the exemplary grapple of  3 A with the thumb lowered; 
         [0012]      FIG. 4A  is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the thumb; 
         [0013]      FIG. 4B  is a side elevation view of an embodiment of the thumb; and 
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the thumb. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The various embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to  FIGS. 1 through 5  of the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. Throughout the drawings, like numerals are used for like and corresponding parts of the various drawings. 
         [0016]    Furthermore, reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “various embodiments,” or any variant thereof means that a particular feature or aspect of the invention described in conjunction with the particular embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in another embodiment,” or variations thereof in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to its respective embodiment. Moreover, features described with respect to a particular embodiment may also be employed in other disclosed embodiments as those skilled in the relevant arts will appreciate. This invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics as described herein. The embodiments described below are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative only and not restrictive in any manner. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary refuse/recycling truck  10  with which an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented. In this embodiment, truck  10  is of the type that is designed to pick up and transport refuse material, such as municipal garbage and trash, as well as materials offered for recycling, such as, without limitation, plastic articles, aluminum products, paper. Such a truck generally comprises two internal compartments (not shown) in its cargo area  105  and a common material receiving area  110  for receiving both refuse and recycling materials. The common receiving area  110  typically includes a means for diverting the material into the appropriate compartment. For example, the truck  10  of  FIG. 1  includes a common receiving area  110  with a sweeping diverter plate  117 . The diverter plate  117  in this exemplary truck may be initially commanded to a first position which closes off a first opening to one of the compartments, for example, the compartment in which refuse is carried. Then, when it is desired to collect recycling materials, recycling materials are poured into the receiving area  110 . Then diverter plate  117  is commanded to sweep to the opposite side of the receiving area  110 , pushing ahead of it any recycling material on the floor of the receiving area  110  into the compartment for recycling material and closing off the opening to that compartment and leaving open the compartment for refuse. Next, when it is desired to collect refuse, refuse material is dumped into the receiving area  110  and the diverter plate  117  may be swept back across the receiving area  110  to push the refuse materials into the refuse compartment. 
         [0018]    One example of this type of equipment is known as the “Rapid Rail Co-Collector” offered by Heil Environmental Industries, Ltd, of Chattanooga, Tenn. There are other examples of collection vehicles that collect and transport more than one category of discarded materials (e.g., refuse, recycling materials, and yard waste, or the like). Some of these examples are described the following U.S. Pat. References: U.S. Pat No. 6,655,894 to Boivin, entitled Refuse collection Vehicle with Dual Storage Chute System; U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,698 to Mezey, entitled Waste Collection System for Segregating Solid Waste into Preselected Component Materials; U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,564 to Matsumoto, entitled Truck Body Construction for Separate Handling of Re-cyclable Refuse. Another type of multi-compartment collection vehicle with which embodiment of the apparatus disclosed herein may be implemented is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,853 to Carson, and entitled System and Apparatus for Automatic Collection of Recyclable Materials. All of the above patent references are incorporated by reference herein. 
         [0019]    Referring back to  FIG. 1 , truck  10  includes an exemplary retrieving arm  119  with a clam-shell type grapple  102 . Grapple  102  has been modified to include a thumb member  101  which will be described in greater detail below. Grapple  102  is designed to retrieve and enable the elevation and inversion of a modified waste bin  118  and recycling bin  107  in combination. Movement of retrieving arm  119  is actuated using either hydraulic or pneumatic power, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
         [0020]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2A through 2E , waste bin  118 , as disclosed above includes a receiver assembly  201  for mounting a recycling material bin  107  thereto. If necessary, waste bin  118  may be modified to have an extended axle  250  which extends from the base of the waste bin  118  on the same side on which receiver assembly  201  is mounted to prevent the bin from tipping sideways when the attached recycling material bin  107  is full. It will understood by those skilled in the relevant arts that waste bins  118  may be configured with a wider base in order to support the additional weight of a fill recycling bin, instead of configuring the waste bin  118  with an extended axle. 
         [0021]    Receiver assembly  201  comprises a frame  211  that is oriented generally horizontally and includes a horizontal top surface  217  within which is an opening  229 . Lateral walls  203   a, b  extend downwardly from the top surface  217  and each wall includes a lip  209  that extends inwardly from the lower edge of the wall  203   a, b.  The frame walls  203   a, b  and lips  209  form a slot ( FIG. 2C   219 ) for receiving and holding a recycling bin  107  of the type having outward-tending lips extending from a top rim that engage and rest upon the inward-tending lips  209  of the receiver assembly  201 . Further, frame walls  203  and inward lips  209  may extend horizontally beyond top surface  217  of frame  211 . Opening  229  is preferably dimensioned to be the same shape and no greater than the area of the opening of a recycling bin which is carried by the receiver assembly. 
         [0022]    Assembly  201  also includes generally vertical members  220   a, b  by which assembly may be attached to waste bin  118 . Attachment to waste bin  118  may be achieved with suitable fasteners. For additional support, assembly  201  includes brace members  213   a, b  attached at one end to vertical members  220   a, b  and at the other to walls  203   a, b.    
         [0023]    In an alternative embodiment, assembly may include a bar  225  that ties vertical members together in parallel. In another embodiment, vertical members  220   a, b  may be a single vertical member to which the frame and brace members are attached. In yet another embodiment, vertical members may be three or more vertical members tied in parallel with one or more tie bars as would be understood by those skilled in the art. 
         [0024]    A further embodiment of assembly is discussed with reference to  FIG. 2E , wherein vertical member(s)  221  are “inverted u”-shaped. Thus, the vertical member(s)  221  may hook over the wall waste bin  118 . Fasteners may be used in addition to secure vertical member(s)  221  to the wall of the waste bin  118 . 
         [0025]    It will be recognized that receiver assembly  201  may be fabricated by attaching separate pieces together by welding. In that case, receiver assembly  201  could be formed from a plurality of steel members, including bars, and angles. Alternatively, receiver could be formed from casting as one piece using any suitable material, for example and without limitation, metals, including steel and aluminum, plastics, including polystyrene, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and other suitable polymerics. Of course, a combination of casting and assembly may also be used as would be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant arts. 
         [0026]    Turning to  FIGS. 3A-C , as discussed above, grapple  102  is a clam-shell type grapple having two opposing claw arms  310 ,  311  and that is modified to include a generally vertical “thumb” member  101 . In one exemplary embodiment, thumb member  101  is articulated and is comprised of two or more arms  303   a, b  pivotally connected by one or more joints  306 . The number of arms and joints are a design choice as would be understood by those skilled in the relevant arts. 
         [0027]    The lowermost arm  303   b  may be generally vertical extending upwardly from the grapple arm terminus  308 . The figures depict an embodiment in which a grapple  102  has been modified to include the thumb assembly  101 . Thus, lower arm  303   b  includes a “c” hook  305  at its bottom end, shaped to fit on the inward portion the grapple terminus  308  with respect to the grapple  102 . The “c” hook includes flanges through which apertures are disposed. These apertures correspond to apertures formed in the grapple terminus and through which fasteners are inserted to hold the lower arm, and thus, the thumb assembly, to the grapple. It should be noted, however, that grapple  102  may be manufactured with the lower arm  303   b  extending upwardly therefrom as a unitary piece. 
         [0028]      FIGS. 4A , B illustrate the thumb assembly  101 , and the articulation of the arms in detail, showing a hydraulic actuator  401  housed within lower arm  303   b.  Hydraulic actuator  401  imparts axial force to piston arm  403  the exposed, uppermost, end of which is pivotally connected to a first trunnion  405  mounted within the lower end of upper arm  303   a . A second trunnion  407  pivotally connects the upper arm  303   a , to the upper end of the lower arm  303   b  in a lever manner. In lowering the upper arm  303   a , actuator  401  imparts force to piston arm  405  which extends from actuator and imparts force on the first trunnion  405  in the lower end of the upper arm  303   a.  This causes the lower end of the upper arm  303   a  to rise, and the upper end thereof to lower. ( FIG. 4B ). 
         [0029]    In operation, truck  10  retrieves a waste bin  118  that has been modified to include the recycling bin receiver assembly  201 . Claw arms  310 ,  311  extend about and encase the waste bin  118 . Upper arm  303   a  of thumb  101  is lowered to hold down the lid of the waste bin  118  and the waste bin  118  combined with the recycling bin  107  held in the receiver assembly  201  is raised, brought to a point over the receiver area  110  and inverted. Contents of the recycling bin  107  are emptied into the receiver area  110  and the diverter plate  117  is commanded to sweep to the opposing side of the receiver area  110  and push the recycling material into the appropriate compartment. Retrieving arm  119  is lowered, the waste bin  118  is turned upright, and the thumb  101  upper arm  303   a  is raised, releasing the lid of the waste bin  118 . The waste bin  118  is then lifted again and inverted, this time emptying the contents of the waste bin  118 , i.e., refuse, into the receiving area  110  to be pushed in the refuse compartment of the truck  10 . 
         [0030]    A further embodiment is described with reference to  FIG. 5 . In this embodiment, a generally vertical hollow stanchion  501  houses a hydraulic actuator  503  that imparts axial force, generally vertically, to a piston arm  505 . Both the actuator  503  and the piston arm  505  are indicated in the  FIG. 5  by dashed lines. Piston arm  505  extends from actuator  503  and has a terminal end attached to lower arm  303   b  of thumb  101 . Stanchion  501  and lower arm  303   b  are dimensioned so that lower arm  303   b  may be slidably received within stanchion  501 . Upper arm  303   a  is pivotally connected to lower arm  303   b  as described above with reference to  FIGS. 4A&amp;B . Although not shown in the figure, stanchion is to be fixedly mounted to grapple arm terminus ( 308  of  FIG. 3 ) similar to the manner in which lower arm  303   b  of  FIG. 3  is attached to grapple arm terminus. 
         [0031]    In operation, when the bin  118  is received in the claw arms of grapple  102 , thumb  101  is in an extended position. As the claw arms encircle the bin, thumb  101  is retracted by actuation of the hydraulic actuator housed within stanchion. When the thumb  101  is retracted, the upper arm  303   a  is lowered as described above and contacts the lid of the bin  118 , keeping it closed. The bin  118  may be raised, inverted and the contents of the recycling bin may be emptied in to the receiving area of the truck. The bin may be returned upright, the thumb  101  and upper arm  303   a  are extended which releases the lid. The bin may then be inverted again to empty the content of the bin  118  into the truck&#39;s receiving area. 
         [0032]    Those skilled in the arts will appreciated that upper and lower arms may be fixedly connected so that the combination arm is not articulated, and the upper arm  303   a  does not pivotally raise and lower. In this case, it is preferable for upper arm  303   a  to be oriented generally horizontal or parallel with the ground. In addition, thumb  101  maybe a unitary generally “L”-shaped member. 
         [0033]    The above disclosure describes, for illustration purposes only, the operation of the present invention with a unit such as the Heil® “Rapid Rail Co-Collector.” However, it will be appreciated that embodiments of the disclosed apparatus may be adapted for use with any vehicle designed to collect and transport multiple categories of disposed of materials where the vehicle includes a hydraulic grapple arm. 
         [0034]    As described above and shown in the associated drawings, the present invention comprises refuse and recycling collection system. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is, therefore, contemplated that any claims issuing in an ensuing patent will cover any and all such modifications that incorporate those features or those improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention.