Abstract:
A trash container has an upper waste bin and a lower storage compartment for storing disposable plastic bags. The waste bin utilizes plastic bags as bin liners. Opposing side panels of the trash bin have tabs for securing the handles of a plastic bag.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/752,071, filed Dec. 20, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to trash containers, and more particularly, to a trash container having an upper waste bin designed to utilize a plastic bag as a bin liner and a lower compartment for storing plastic bags for later use.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     It is common in homes and offices to have several small trash containers spread around several rooms. They are often substantially smaller than the volume of a standard trash bag. Preferably they are kept out of sight in a cabinet or behind or between furniture. Constantly replacing waste bin liners is an expense people and companies try to avoid. Often, no waste bin liner is used at all. This results in particulate matter adhering to the inside of the trash containers. This causes unpleasant odors and an unsanitary condition. It also requires the additional work of periodically cleaning and sanitizing these trash containers.  
         [0004]     It has become common for retail stores such as grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and other retail outlets to pack products purchased by customers into relatively small plastic bags for transport. Similarly, restaurants commonly provide plastic bags with to-go orders and with take-home boxes. These bags are provided free of charge. Unfortunately, because such bags are difficult to fold it is very difficult to store them. If stored at all, they usually consist of a wad of plastic bags stuffed into a cabinet or drawer.  
         [0005]     Several designs have been developed to provide waste containers that utilize these disposable plastic bags provided by retail outlets and restaurants as waste container bin liners. This reduces waste and saves cost. However, existing designs for waste containers that utilize plastic bags as bin liners do not resolve the problem of extra plastic bag storage. The problem of unsightly and impractical storage of excess plastic bags remains.  
         [0006]     It is therefore desirable to provide a means of utilizing plastic bags for waste containment and to provide a practical method for storing excess plastic bags.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention provides a trash container that utilizes a plastic bag as a bin liner and provides a convenient and practical storage compartment associated with it. The invention has two sections. First, an upper waste container that has four sides and a bottom that form a waste bin. Two opposing sides have securing tabs to which the two handles of a common plastic bag may be securely attached. The storage portion of the bag itself then fits into the bin to form a bin liner.  
         [0008]     Attached to the bottom of the waste bin is a compartment having roughly the same length and width as the bin. An opening in the front of the second, lower compartment provides ready access to it. The second compartment may be used to store extra plastic bags for use when the bag in the waste bin becomes full. Many plastic bags may be placed within the storage compartment where they are out of sight.  
         [0009]     The device is preferably made in whole or in part of a plastic or cardboard material. The back of the waste container may have any of several means to allow it to be attached to the inside of a cabinet. This makes it very easy to place the waste container out of sight. The waste containing compartment and the bottom storage compartment are separated by a firm divider that provides support for the plastic bag in the waste bin. The waste bin may optionally include a lid that is fully removable from the waste bin or may be attached to the back or one of the sides of the waste bin.  
         [0010]     It is likely that a consumer will purchase the present invention at the same location where he or she obtains plastic bags to be used with the invention. Therefore, it may be preferable for the waste container to have ornamentation on its front. Specifically, retail stores, restaurants or other companies may wish to display their trademark across the front of the waste container. It may also be desirable to portray various cultural icons on the front of the container. It would be relatively simple to add this feature at the time of manufacture or to simply allow retailers to apply whatever designs they wish.  
         [0011]     These and other features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the alternative embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     The present invention is a trash container that combines a waste bin with a storage compartment. The trash container may be square, rectangular, circular, elliptical, or any other geometric shape. Tabs incorporated into the sides of the waste bin are designed to allow the handles of a plastic bag to be securely attached. This allows the plastic bag to be used as a bin liner. Additionally, extra plastic bags may be stored in the storage compartment directly beneath the bin. An aperture in the storage compartment allows ready access to extra bags.  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows a trash container  10  that is a combination of a waste bin  14  and storage compartment  16 . Waste bin  14  and storage compartment  16  are formed by the front panel  24 , back panel  12 , and two side panels  20 . A partition  22  separates the waste bin  14  and the storage compartment  16 . Aperture  18  provides access to storage compartment  16 . Extra plastic bags are placed in and removed from storage compartment  16  by means of aperture  18 . Side panels  20  have tabs  26  that are designed to engage the handles of a plastic bag. By placing the plastic bag handles over tabs  26  the plastic bag is secured firmly in waste bin  14 . The plastic bag then lines the inside of bin  14 .  
         [0020]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the waste bin  14  is approximately 11 inches high, 7 inches wide and 11.5 inches long. The storage compartment  16  extends approximately 6 inches down from the bin, and is 7 inches wide and 11.5 inches long. This gives the trash container an overall height of 17 inches. These dimensions allow the waste bin to be lined with a plastic bag of the size commonly used by grocery stores, and allows storage of approximately 30 extra bags. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these dimensions may be changed to accommodate bags of different size in the waste bin. The size of the storage compartment may also be adjusted to store more or fewer bags.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  shows an alternative embodiment of a trash container  30  having a waste bin  32  and a storage compartment  34  divided by partition  38 . Storage compartment  34  is accessed by aperture  36 . Waste bin  32  has opposing side panels  40  that each has a first pair of tabs  42  and a second, lower pair of tabs  44 . Having a second set of tabs allows waste bin  32  to accommodate plastic bags of different sizes. Larger plastic bags would be attached to tabs  44  while smaller ones would be attached to tabs  42 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. As with the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , trash container  50  has a storage compartment  52  accessed by aperture  54  and has a waste bin  56  above it. In this embodiment, the front  60  of the waste bin  56  has a store&#39;s trademark/logo printed on it as ornamentation  62 . In addition, lid  58  is provided that may be placed over the top of bin  56 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that use of a lid prevents items from accidentally falling into the waste bin and prevents unpleasant odors from escaping the waste bin. In this embodiment, lid  58  is separate from trash container  50 . Lid  58  may also optionally include ornamentation.  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows a trash container  70  having a waste bin  72  and a storage compartment  76 . Waste bin  72  and storage compartment  76  are separated by partition  88 . Aperture  78  is rectangular instead of oval like the apertures disclosed in  FIGS. 1-3 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that aperture  78  may be any of a variety of geometric shapes so long as it provides access to the interior of storage compartment  76  so that plastic bags may be easily inserted and retrieved from the storage compartment  76 . In addition, tabs  84  and  86  on opposing side panels  74  are rectangular in shape as opposed to the tabs shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , which are substantially triangular. The tabs of the present invention may be of any of a variety of shapes so long as the handles of a plastic bag may be securely attached to them. Waste bin  72  has a lid  80  that is pivotally attached to the back  90  of waste bin  72 . Back  90  also includes holes  82  so that screws may be used to mount trash container  70  onto a wall or cabinet door. Adhesives or other materials may alternatively be used to attach the invention to a wall or cabinet door.  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this particular embodiment, trash container  100  is tapered. Because trash container  100  is tapered, several such trash containers may be stacked together. Trash container  100  is comprised of a trash bin  102  and a storage compartment  104 .  FIG. 6  shows a side view of trash container  100 . Side panel  106  includes circular tab  108  for securing plastic bags to the trash bin. As discussed above, securing tabs may be any of a variety of shapes so long as they adequately secure the plastic bag to the waste bin. Aperture  110  provides access to storage compartment  104 . In this embodiment, access aperture  110  is located on the side of the trash container. Aperture  110  is also circular as opposed to oval or rectangular.  
         [0025]     The storage compartments shown in the above figures preferably all have rigid walls. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the storage compartment may also be comprised of a flexible, soft material.  
         [0026]     While the invention has been shown and described in some detail with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, there is no intention that the invention be limited to such detail. On the contrary, the invention is intended to include any alternative or equivalent embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described above and as recited in the appended claims.