Abstract:
A reusable cement receptacle is provided that stores and dries wet cement. The dried cement is then removed for disposal from the receptacle by inverting the receptacle, at least partially.

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE  
         [0001]    Applicant incorporates herein by reference any and all U.S. patents, U.S. patent applications, and other documents cited or referred to in this application or cited or referred to in the U.S. patents and U.S. patent applications incorporated herein by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    Cement mixers are used to mix water and concrete mixture forming a liquid cement to be used as a building medium. These cement mixers are cleansed by rinsing their interior with water, which results in a waste, wet cement that poses an environmental hazard requiring proper disposal. The waste wet cement is poured from the cement mixer into a waste bin typically built from wood planks and lined with a plastic sheet that, when the wet cement is dried, sometimes becomes embedded in the dried concrete. Notwithstanding the plastic lining, cement contaminated water from the wet cement sometimes seeps from the bin and is a source of water pollution. Typically, the waste wet cement is allowed to dry and harden into a solid block in the wooden bin. After hardening of the waste wet cement into such a solid block, the wooden bin is deconstructed, and block is broken into smaller pieces for disposal or recycling. U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,036 B2 suggests using a waste container with flexible walls. To move this container, however, it must be placed on a flat bed tow truck.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0003]    This invention has several features that are summarized in the CLAIMS. These features provide this invention with its many desirable attributes. After reading the following section entitled “DETAILED DESCRIPTION,” one will understand how the features of this invention provide its benefits, which include, but are not limited to, providing a reusable wet cement waste container that is sturdy, resists corrosion, reduces labor costs, and is portable.  
           [0004]    Briefly, the invention is a reusable concrete waste container comprising a rigid, non-porous receptacle providing a storage zone with an open top and at least one sleeve affixed to the underside of the receptacle. The sleeve cooperates with a lifting mechanism, such as, a forklift, for lifting the container to an elevated position. Optionally, one or more dividers are in the storage zone to divide the storage zone into multiple compartments.  
           [0005]    This invention also includes a method of storing and disposing of wet waste cement. According to this method, waste wet cement is deposited into the container and allowed to dry to produce a solid block or blocks of dry concrete. The container is then inverted so the open top substantially faces downwards and then raised so that the dry concrete block slides from the storage zone. The container may be raised and inverted using a lifting mechanism such as, for example, a forklift. An interior surface of the container may be coated with a release agent prior to depositing the wet cement in the container. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    One preferred embodiment of this invention, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. This embodiment depicts the novel and non-obvious reusable cement container and method of this invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only. These drawings include the following figures (FIGS.), with like numerals indicating like parts:  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cement container of this invention.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a plan view of the open top of the cement container.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bottom side of the cement container.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a view of the side of the cement container and a forklift moving into a position to engage the container and lift it.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 illustrates the container being lifted by the forklift shown in FIG. 5 to an elevated position.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 7 illustrates waste cement being poured from a cement mixer into the container after being moved by the forklift next to the cement mixer.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 8 illustrates the forklift in contact with an upper exterior side of the cement container.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 9 illustrates the forklift beginning to invert the container.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 10 illustrates the forklift continuing to invert the container.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 11 illustrates the container moving into the inverted position.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 12 illustrates the container raised above a supporting surface by the forklift.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 13 illustrates the inverted container being lifted to an elevation higher than the depth of the container to separate the container from a dry concrete block and depositing the block on the supporting surface.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
     One Preferred Embodiment  
       [0020]    Referring to FIGS.  1 - 4 , the container  10  of this invention comprises a box-type receptacle  8  with an open top T and an underside  20   b  to which are attached a pair of spaced apart sleeves  28  and  30 . The receptacle  8  is a rigid, non-porous structure that holds waste wet cement deposited therein through an open top T. As depicted in FIG. 7, because the receptacle  8  is non-porous, during air drying of the waste wet cementj, seepage of water from the wet cement onto the surrounding ground G supporting the container  10  is avoided. Typically, the receptacle  8  has a length L from about 3 to about 15 feet, a width W from about 2 to about 10 feet, and a height H from about 1 to about 5 feet,  
         [0021]    The receptacle  8 , and preferably also the sleeves  28 ,  30 , do not react chemically with wet cement. They may be made of a metallic sheet material such as certain types of corrosion resistant steel or they may be coated or painted with a suitable material that does not react chemically with wet cement. Such steel sheets may be welded to form, or attach, the components of the container  10  together. The container  10  may also be fabricated by casting or press bending forming techniques. Preferably, sttel sheets having a thickness of at least {fraction (5/64)} inch are used to make the receptacle  8  and sleeves  28  and  30 . Typically, the steel sheets have a thickness from about {fraction (3/16)} to ½ inch. The pair of sleeves  28 ,  30  is welded to the exterior EX (FIG. 4) of the underside  20   b  of the receptacle  8 . As depicted in FIG. 2, the cross-section of the sleeves  28 ,  30  may be rectangular in shape. These sleeves  28 ,  30  are hollow and each has opposed open ends E 1  and E 2  (FIG. 4) that allow the forks  44  of a forklift  40  (FIG. 5) to be received therein when the container  10  is to be moved. The bottom wall  20 , which preferably has a rectangular configuration, has a longitudinal axis X, and the sleeves  28 ,  30  provide an elongated tunnel that is substantially at a right angle with respect to this longitudinal axis. The sleeves  28 ,  30  may also be positioned so that they are parallel to the longitudinal axis X.  
         [0022]    As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the receptacle  8  comprises a bottom wall  20  and attached sidewall  21 . The sidewall  21  includes a first pair of opposed sides  12 ,  16  and a second pair of opposed sides  14 ,  18  that define a storage zone Z within the receptacle  8  where the wet cement is deposited and allowed to dry, forming within this zone Z a block or blocks of solid concrete. The storage zone Z has a volume of at least 5 cubic feet, and preferably is from 6 to 750 cubic feet. The first pair of opposed sides  12 ,  16  and second pair of opposed sides  14 ,  18  extend upward from an internal surface  20   a  of the bottom wall  20 . The sides  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  may extend from the bottom wall  20  at an angle α (FIG. 2). For example, the angle α may range from about 90 to about 140 degrees. When greater than ninety degrees relative to the bottom wall  20 , the sides  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  taper outward as best illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 , facilitating the release from the receptacle  8  of a dried concrete block  61  (FIG. 13). Each opposed side  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  has a bottom end  12   a ,  14   a ,  16   a ,  18   a , respectively, and a top end  12   b ,  14   b ,  16   b ,  18   b , respectively. As best shown in FIG. 4, the sides  12 ,  14 ,  16 , and  18  are welded together and to the bottom wall  20 .  
         [0023]    As best depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3, a lip  32  provides a frame that is rectangular configured and welded to the top ends  12   b ,  14   b ,  16   b , and  18   b  of respectively of the sides  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18 . This lip  32  enhances the rigidity of the receptacle  8  to reduce the likelihood of the sides  12 ,  14 ,  16 ,  18  bowing outward upon filling the receptacle with wet cement. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, on the exteriors of the sides  12  and  16  are, respectively, pairs of reinforcing braces  52   a  and  54   b  and  52   b  and  54   b . These braces  52   a ,  54   a ,  52   b , and  54   b  are oriented substantially vertically, extending along substantially the entire height of the sides  12  and  16  from the bottom wall  20 . The braces  52   a  and  54   b  are respectively aligned with the open ends E 1  of the sleeves  28  and  30 , and the braces  52   b  and  54   b  are respectively aligned with the open ends E 2  of the sleeves  28  and  30 . The opposed ends, respectively, E 1  and E 2  of the sleeves  28  and  30  projected outward beyond the bottom wall  20 , and the lower ends E 3  of the  52   a ,  54   a ,  52   b , and  54   b  are welded to these outwardly projecting sleeve ends SE 1  and SE 2 . These braces  52   a ,  54   a ,  52   b , and  54   b  each have their upper ends E 4  welded to the underside  32   a  of the lip  32 . This configuration of the braces  52   a ,  54   a ,  52   b , and  54   b  serves a threefold purpose: One, it provides support for the sides  12  and  16 , so that these sides resist bulging outward when the receptacle  8  is filled with waste wet cement. Two, it strengthens the sleeves  28  and  30 , making them more robust when interacting with the forks  44  of the forklift  40 . And three, it assists in providing overall structural rigidity to the container  10 .  
         [0024]    An optional feature of the invention is the use of at least one divider to create separate compartments within the storage zone Z. Preferably, two dividers  24  and  26  are disposed in the storage zone Z to create storage compartments  22   a ,  22   b , and  22   c . These dividers  24  and  26  are welded in position between the opposed sides  12  and  16 . The upper ends E 5  and E 6  of the dividers  24  and  26  as shown in FIG. 2 are beneath the lip  32 . Each divider  24  and  26  has a pair of opposed walls  24   b  and  26   a  that taper from a top segment  27  outwardly towards the bottom wall  20 . As discussed subsequently in greater detail, the compartments  22   a ,  22   b , and  22   c  assist in forming three segments of dried concrete, and may eliminate crushing dried blocks of concrete.  
         [0025]    As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the container  10  may be moved by an operator  42  riding a forklift  40  and by inserting the forks  44  of the forklift  40  into the sleeves  28 ,  30 . Depending on the direction that the container  10  is approached, the forks  44  slide into the open ends E 1  or E 2  of the sleeves  28 ,  30 . As depicted in FIG. 6, when the operator  42  actuates a raise and lower control mechanism (not shown) on the forklift  40 , the forks  44  rise to lift the container  10  upwards in the direction U. The operator  42  then drives the forklift  40  with the elevated container  10  to a desired location such as to a cement truck  50  discharging waste wet cement  60  as shown in FIG. 7. The forklift  40  may also be used to put the container  10  into the bed of a truck or other vehicle to transport the container  10 .  
         [0026]    Referring to FIG. 7, the container  10  is initially orientated in up position so that the open top T is positioned to receive waste wet cement  60  flowing down a chute  70  of a cement truck  50 . The waste wet cement  60  is deposited into the container  10  from the mixer  50   a  into any one, or all, of the compartments  22   a ,  22   b ,  22   c . The liquid waste cement  60  in the container  10  is allow to dry by simply standing in the open air until a dry, solid concrete block  61  (FIG. 13) is formed within the compartments  22   a ,  22   b , and  22   c . The compartments  22   a ,  22   b , and  22   c  may be partially filled or completely filled up to the lip  32 .  
         [0027]    After a container  10  is filled with the wet cement  60  as discussed above, and the wet cement is allowed to dry, the forklift  40  is used to invert the container  10 , such that the open top T of the container  10  faces downward. The solid concrete block  61  will now, due to gravity, fall onto the ground&#39;s G supporting surface  100  or into a recycling bin (not shown). As shown in FIG. 8, the forks  44  of the forklift  40  engage the container  10  to tip it over. By contacting the underside  32   a  of the lip  32 , and side  16  at a point nearby the lip  32 , and moving the forklift  40  forward while the forks  44  are raised, the container  10  pivots about corner A as depicted in FIG. 9. As the container  10  turns, the point where the fork  44  contacts the container  10  moves from a point on the side  16  nearby the lip  32  to a point on side  16  nearby the bottom wall  20 . Specifically, as the forklift  40  moves forward, the forks  44  push against the side  16 . When using a reach fork lift (not shown), its forks are partially inserted into the sleeves  28 ,  30  and the forks simultaneously lift and turn to invert the container  10 .  
         [0028]    The forklift  40  continues to turn the container  10  as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Referring to FIG. 10, the container  10  is inverted so that it lies with side  12  facing the supporting surface  100 . As the forklift  40  continues to move forward, the forks  44  push against the underside  20   b  of the receptacle  8 . As the forks  44  push the container  10 , the container  10  continues to tip over as shown in FIG. 11, with the corner B of the container  10  contacting the supporting surface  100 . Also, as the container  10  is turned, the contact point of the fork  44  with the container  10  moves from a point on the underside  20   b  to a point on the underside  20   b  nearby sidewall  12 .  
         [0029]    Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the container  10  is turned until it is in a top down position as shown in FIG. 12 with the open top T facing the ground G. The forks  44  are then inserted into the sleeves  28 ,  30  and the container  10  is raised as illustrated in FIG. 13, causing the dry solid concrete block  61  to slide from the storage zone Z due to gravity. If the compartments  22   a ,  22   b  and  22   c  are only partially filled, three separate solid blocks are formed upon the wet cement drying. Typically, the weight of the dry cement block or blocks  61  is enough to cause the solid block or blocks to slide from the container  10 . The dry solid concrete block or blocks  61  may then be broken into smaller pieces for disposal.  
         [0030]    A release agent may be used to assist in the removal step. For example, prior to filling the storage zone Z with the wet cement, the interior surfaces of the storage zone may be coated with a commonly used lubricant such as form oil. Such form oil would be used each time the container is used. Alternately, the interior surfaces of the storage zone may be coated with a polymer that the dried concrete will not stick too, for example a fluorocarbon polymer such as Teflon®.  
       SCOPE OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]    The above presents a description of the best mode contemplated of carrying out the present invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use this invention. This invention is, however, susceptible to modifications and alternate constructions from that discussed above which are fully equivalent. Consequently, it is not the intention to limit this invention to the particular embodiment disclosed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications and alternate constructions coming within the spirit and scope of the invention as generally expressed by the following claims, which particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter of the invention.