Accessory arm to help maintain a close lid on trash receptacles

The present invention features a receptacle lift arm 100 that can maintain the receptacle lid closed after the receptacle is picked up and the contents there in are dumped.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention features an accessory arm to help maintain a close lid on trash receptacles after the receptacles have been emptied by dump trucks.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now toFIG. 1-5, the present invention features a receptacle lift arm100that can maintain the receptacle lid closed after the receptacle is picked up and the contents there in are dumped.

In some embodiments, the lift arm100comprises an accessory arm110that helps maintain a lid120closed on a receptacle130. The accessory arm110has a shaft portion112, a first end114and a second end116. The first end114secures to a portion of the receptacle arm that wraps around the receptacle102. The second end116extends upward above the receptacle lift arm100and permanently bends toward a direction of a second receptacle lift arm104to form a bent portion109, seeFIG. 4. In some embodiments, the angle between the bent portion109and the shaft portion112is fixed and is not variable.

The bent portion109functions to prevent the lid120from opening more than 90 degrees, by hooking over the lid120when it is swung open during the emptying process, seeFIG. 5. When the receptacle is flatly sitting on the ground and the lid is closed, the lid is at a zero degree angle. When it is opened straight up, the lid is opened at a 90 degrees angle, seeFIG. 5. InFIG. 5, the lid is opened at about a 45 degrees angle as it is hooked in by the bent portion109. When the lid120is prevented from opening at more than 90 degrees when the receptacle is being emptied, the lid120can naturally fall back to its closed position when the receptacle is lowered back to the ground.

In some embodiments, the shaft portion112can be shortened or lengthened. For example, the shaft portion112may comprise a first section113connected to a second section114, and are connected to each other at various locations to provide for various length. The shaft portion112may be of any appropriate length to allow the bent portion109to hover at the appropriate height over the receptacle to stop the lid from swinging more than 90 degrees during the emptying process. One of ordinary skill could readily determine the length of the portion112in light of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the first end114has three prongs115that attaches to the receptacle lift arm100. The three prongs can provide for a more stable hold of the shaft.