Newspaper bundler

A paper bundler for stacking and bundling recyclable paper waste, such as newspapers, magazines, and legal size or letter size office paper. The apparatus has two main parts, a basket and a cradle. The basket is made in two parts which are independently mounted to the cradle so they are free to rotate. Together, the halves of the basket form a paper receptacle which is rectangular and open at the top, with a gap in the middle for applying a strapping agent, such as masking tape. The cradle has a rectangular base and two vertical sides which support the rotating basket. A compression bar with a toggle latch is mounted on each half of the basket adjacent the gap between the two halves. The papers can be placed directly in the bundler as they are discarded. When the stack reaches a convenient size, the compression bars are used to compact the loose stack of newspapers into a tight bundle and hold them as the basket is rotated to apply the strapping agent to complete the bundling operation. The bundles thus formed are neat, compact, uniform in size, and very unlikely to come undone, even after rough handling.

This invention relates to a recycling aid for newspaper and other waste 
paper. More particularly, it relates to a bundler for papers to be 
recycled that is easy to operate and that produces neat bundles of 
reproducible shape and size. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
These days more and more people are becoming aware of the strain that 
excessive waste puts on our natural resources. One of the easiest ways for 
an individual or a company to contribute to the reduction of that waste is 
by recycling. Newspapers and spent papers from the office can be recycled 
to produce grocery bags and cardboard boxes, among other things. This not 
only reduces the need for wood pulp to make the paper, but it reduces the 
load on our landfills. Newspaper is one of the largest components of waste 
in landfills today, and it decomposes so slowly that it is likely to 
remain a large contributor for many years to come. 
While recycling sounds like a simple idea, it comes with a few irritations 
that result in less recycling by offices and households than might 
otherwise be the case. Take, for instance, the case of curbside pickup for 
recycling. This is surely a best case scenario since the recycler need 
only put the papers out to be collected once a week. Plastic bins to 
contain the papers are usually provided free of charge by the collection 
company. Unfortunately, these bins have their problems. Being of a fixed 
size, the bins place an absolute limit on the amount of paper that can be 
collected at one time. Since most users will wait until the bin is full, 
the bin is nearly always too heavy to be conveniently handled, by the 
householder or the collector, by the time it is placed on the curb. Then, 
again, there must be some use to which they are most perfectly suited, 
since the bins tend to disappear with appalling frequency, leaving the 
recycler and the collectors at a loss. 
Even when collecting bins are used, some collectors require that recyclers 
put their papers in paper bags or tie them in stacks with twine or 
something similar. Putting recyclable paper, especially white office 
paper, into lower quality paper bags before recycling reflects a committee 
decision. Either the high quality paper is recycled along with the lower 
quality bag into a lower quality than necessary product, or the bags must 
be separated after collection and before recycling. The twine option may 
involve less sorting at the recyclery, although this is by no means clear, 
but it certainly involves more work on the part of the recycler. Most 
householders simply do not know how to tie an unruly stack of newspapers 
into a neat bundle that is robust enough to stay together after being 
thrown into a collection truck. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The objective of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the 
prior art by providing an intermediate destination for newspapers and 
spent papers of any kind bound for the recyclery. It is also an objective 
of the invention to provide a convenient apparatus for stacking these 
papers into a compact and strudy bundle without twine or paper bags. A 
further objective is to encourage paper recycling by relieving the little 
irritations that can deter all but the most environmentally correct from 
persevering. 
To this end, the present invention provides a modular paper bundler for 
stacking and bundling recyclable paper waste. The bundler may be made in 
different sizes to accommodate newspapers, magazines, legal size paper, 
and letter size paper. The papers can be placed directly in the bundler as 
they are discarded. Then, when the stack reaches a convenient size, the 
stack is bundled and the papers recycled. 
The apparatus itself has two main parts, a basket and a cradle. The basket 
is chosen according to the size of paper to be bundled, for example a 
folded newspaper. The basket is made in two parts which are independently 
mounted to the cradle so they are free to rotate. Together, the halves of 
the basket form a paper receptacle which is rectangular, open at the top, 
and cut crosswise in the middle to create an opening for the strapping 
agent. The cradle matches the basket in size. It also has a rectangular 
shape with two vertical sides attached to the base. 
A means for compressing the stack of newspapers is mounted on each half of 
the basket adjacent the gap between the two halves. These compressors 
serve to compact a loose stack of newspapers into a tight bundle and hold 
them as a strapping agent is applied to complete the bundling operation. 
The bundles thus formed are neat, compact, uniform in size, and very 
unlikely to come undone, even after rough handling. 
A number of advantages accrue from the compression action of the newspaper 
bundler. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made 
apparent by the following description and the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the newspaper bundler built in 
accordance with the present invention. The two major parts of the bundler 
are the cradle 1 and the basket 2. The cradle 1 forms the base and the 
supporting structure for the basket 2. The basket 2 is actually made of 
two parts which are mirror images of one another. Each half of the basket 
2 is rotatably attached to the cradle 1 by a bearing 3 that allows the 
halves of the basket 2 to rotate 360.degree.. 
Considered as a whole, the basket 2 forms a rectangular box which is open 
at the top and which has a gap 5 across the middle which separates the two 
sides of the basket 2. When sized for bundling newspapers, the basket 2 
has inside measurements of approximately 14 inches long (including the gap 
5 of about 1 inch), 12 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. These inside 
dimensions are just slightly larger than the size of a newspaper folded 
once, so that the newspapers will tend to align themselves into a neat 
bundle as they are stacked in the basket 2. 
At the top of each half of the basket 2 is mounted a compressor 4 which is 
used to compress the loosely stacked newspapers into a tightly packed 
bundle before they are fastened together with a strapping agent dispensed 
from a dispenser 6 mounted on the cradle 1. 
The bundler may be made from any material that is sufficiently rigid such 
as wood, plywood, metal, or plastic. Preferably, the bundler itself is 
made from recycled material such as molded recycled plastic. 
Please refer to FIG. 2 for the following detailed description of the 
newspaper bundler. 
The cradle 1 has a base 1a and two vertical sides 1b. The sides 1b may be 
straight or tapered. A front wall 1c and a back wall (not shown) about 
three inches high are added to rigidify the cradle 1 and to hold the sides 
1b perpendicular to the base 1a. Optionally, the sides 1b may be extended 
above the basket 2 and joined together at the top by a cross member (not 
shown) to further rigidify the structure. 
Each half of the two-part basket 2 has a front wall 2a, a back wall 2b, a 
side wall 2c, and a bottom panel 2d. The two halves are mirror images of 
one another which go together to form one rectangular basket 2 with a gap 
5 an inch or so wide between the two halves. 
In the preferred embodiment, the bottom 2d of each side of the basket 2 is 
slanted so that it is higher near the gap 5 in the center of the basket 2 
and lower near the sides 2c of the basket. This slanting of the bottom 
panel 2d adds to the compression of the stack of newspapers directly 
adjacent to the gap 5 in the basket. The compression from the slanted 
bottom panels 2d works together with the compressors 4 to optimally 
compact the stack of newspapers prior to bundling. An angle of about 
22.degree. from the horizontal has been found to be very effective for 
helping to compress materials like newspapers or junk mail, though higher 
or lower angles (right down to no slant at all) may be chosen for bundling 
other materials. 
The sidewalls 2c of the basket 2 are rotatably mounted to the vertical 
sides 1b of the cradle 1 by a bearing 3 that allows each half of the 
basket to rotate 360.degree. around axes which are collinear with one 
another. In the current model of bundler, each bearing 3 is made with a 
short axle which is attached to the basket sidewall 2c by a flange 
fitting. The axle passes through a hole in the vertical side 1b of the 
cradle 1 and is fastened on the other side with a heavy duty washer and a 
cotter pin. The diameter of the hole closely matches the diameter of the 
axle. Future models, it is anticipated, will have a larger diameter 
drum-shaped bearing with flanges for attachment to the basket 2 and the 
cradle 1. 
The compressors 4 are an important component that gives the present 
invention significant advantages over the prior art. Each half of the 
basket 2 has a compressor 4 mounted near the top of the basket adjacent 
the gap 5. In the preferred embodiment each compressor 4 is made up of a 
compression bar 4a which is attached to the back wall 2b of the basket 2 
by a hinge 4b, and which is removably attached to the front wall 2a by a 
latching device 4c and a catch 4d. The latch 4c should be of the 
reciprocating action type known as toggle clamps. (Examples of this type 
of latch can commonly be found on modern day ski boots). The latching 
device 4c provides a mechanical advantage for compressing the loosely 
stacked newspapers into a compact bundle prior to strapping. This type of 
clamp has the advantage that any downward pull on the lever of the clamp 
is automatically compensated by an equal upward force, thereby canceling 
out any downward pressure on the front of the basket in the compression 
process. 
It should be understood that certain modifications to the compressors 4 can 
be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, 
the compression bars 4a may be made detachable from the basket 2 by 
replacing the hinges 4b with catches into which the rear of the 
compression bars 4a could be inserted. This would have the advantage that 
the compression bars 4a could be removed and stored, for instance in a 
compartment built into the cradle 1, when not needed. It should also be 
understood that the flat rectangular compression bars 4a, as illustrated, 
could be replaced with like elements of other configurations, such as 
rods, without departing from the scope of the invention. 
An optional feature of the basket 2 is that the front walls 2a and the back 
walls 2b can have cutouts 2e in them at the top and adjacent to the gap 5 
in the middle of the basket 2. The four cutouts 2e in the current model 
bundler measure 21/4 inches high by 11/2 inches wide. These cutouts 2e 
perform two functions. First, they serve as markings for stacking 
newspapers in the basket 2. The top of the cutouts 2e mark the proper 
stacking height for the loosely stacked newspapers, and the bottom of the 
cutouts 2e marks the compressed height of the compacted newspapers. The 
second function is to provide a mounting place for the compressors 4, so 
that when the papers are fully compressed, the compression bars 4a rest on 
the bottom of the cutouts 2e. Thus, the cutouts 2e assure that the 
newspaper bundles are uniform in size and optimally compressed. 
Another optional feature of the basket 2 is that handles or rails may be 
provided on the front wall 2a for easy grasping to facilitate rotation of 
the basket 2. An easy way to add this feature is to cut a slot 2f near the 
top of the front wall 2a. This effectively turns the top edge of the front 
wall 2a into an easy to grasp handle 2g. 
The strapping agent dispenser 6 is mounted on the base 1a of the cradle 1 
aligned with the gap 5 in the basket 2. The dispenser 6 contains a supply 
of a strapping agent 6a. The strapping agent can be string or adhesive 
tape or any other appropriate strapping agent. The preferred strapping 
agent 6a is a roll of ordinary masking tape. Masking tape has a number of 
advantages. First, it is cheap and readily available. Second, it is made 
of paper and therefore can be recycled along with the newspapers. Third, 
because it is adhesive backed, the end of the tape can be attached to the 
compressed newspapers anywhere along the gap 5, and when the basket 2 is 
rotated, the masking tape 6a automatically applies itself to the newspaper 
bundle. 
It is preferable that the masking tape or other strapping agent 6a be 
applied under tension. This assures that the tape is applied tightly and 
uniformly around the bundle, for the optimum adhesion. The tension can be 
supplied by a friction device 6b that resists the rotation of the roll of 
tape as it unwinds. The dispenser 6 in the current model has a friction 
device 6b that has a bolt 6d that passes through the sides 6c of the 
dispenser and through the center of the roll of masking tape 6a. When a 
wing nut 6e on the end of the bolt 6d is tightened, it presses the sides 
6c of the dispenser against the roll of tape 6a to cause friction. 
FIG. 3 is provided to show the compressors 4 in the open position so that 
newspapers can be stacked in the basket 2. The catches 4d separate from 
the latches 4c so that the compression bars 4a can be rotated upward and 
out of the way. 
OPERATIONAL DESCRIPTION 
The operation of the bundler has three steps--stacking, compression and 
bundling: 
STACKING 
For loading, the compression bars 4a are retracted, as shown in FIG. 3, or 
removed, and each part of the basket 2 is aligned with the open part 
facing upward. The material to be processed is fed into the basket 
approximately horizontally, so that is can align itself with the basket as 
it settles to the bottom. Large items can be folded to fit, while small 
items can be placed more or less in the center so the stack comes out 
even. The material is loaded in until the loose stack reaches the level of 
the top of the cutouts 2e. 
COMPRESSION 
When the basket 2 is full, the compression bars 4a are repositioned on top 
of the stack. The catch 4d on the front end of the compression bar 4a 
engages the latch 4c which is mounted directly below the cutout 2e on the 
front of the basket. The latch is then closed, compressing the stack to 
the level of the bottom of the cutouts 2e. Once the latches 2c are 
closed, the two halves of the basket are effectively locked together so 
the entire basket 2 rotates as a unit. 
BUNDLING 
The placement of the compression means 4 and the latches 2c is designed to 
leave an opening 5 for strapping the bundle. The adhesive tape is attached 
to the newspapers at the top of the stack or anywhere else along the gap 
5, then the basket is rotated to apply the tape all the way around the 
stack. As the tape is used up, the tension can be adjusted by turning the 
wing nut 6e on the dispensing unit 6. Up to the point at which rotation is 
restricted, more tension on the tape produces a better result. One 
complete turn of the basket is generally enough, but there is no limit to 
the number of turns through which the basket can be rotated, each turn 
contributing one layer of tape. 
After the bundle has been strapped, the compression means 4 are freed from 
their latches 4c and retracted or removed. The stack will rebound against 
the tape, increasing the adhesion between the two, still further reducing 
the possibility that the bundle will come undone. The result is always a 
perfectly aligned, properly compressed, and virtually indestructible 
bundle of consistent size and weight, ready for private delivery or 
curbside collection. 
CONCLUSIONS, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE 
Although the above examples include many specificities, they are intended 
as illustrative of only one possible embodiment of the invention. Other 
embodiments and possible modifications will, no doubt, occur to those 
skilled in the art. An example of such a modification would be to motorize 
the compressors or the basket so the bundling operation is carried out 
automatically. As well, the present invention may be used for bundling a 
wide variety of materials other than waste paper. Thus, the examples given 
should only be interpreted as illustrations of some of the preferred 
embodiments of the invention, and the full scope of the invention should 
be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.