Trash receptacle with built-in dustpan and broom

A trash receptacle in the form of a housing which has a lid covering the access opening into the internal chamber of the housing. The lid includes a dustpan. The dustpan is formed of an upper leg which is connected at approximately a ninety degree angle to the lower leg. The dustpan is to be removable from the lid and receptacle and turned upside down and used to collect loose debris by the loose debris being swept onto the interior surface of the dustpan. The housing of the trash receptacle has a recess arrangement formed in the exterior wall surface of the trash receptacle. The recess arrangement is basically in the shape of a conventional broom. The broom is to snappingly engage with the recess arrangement and be stored therein when not in use. The broom is to be removable from the recess arrangement to be used.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1) FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The field of this invention relates to appliances to facilitate cleaning of 
floors within homes and businesses and more particularly to a combination 
trash receptacle, dustpan and broom. The dustpan and broom can be removed 
from the trash receptacle and utilized to collect loose debris which is to 
be deposited within the trash receptacle. 
2) DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
Common appliances for collecting of loose debris are a broom and a dustpan. 
Loose debris is normally swept from a floor onto a dustpan and then the 
loose debris is carried in the dustpan and then is deposited from the 
dustpan to within a trash receptacle. The broom and the dustpan may be 
stored at a location which is not convenient relative to the trash 
receptacle, causing many trips to same. 
In an effort to make the collecting and storing of trash convenient, it has 
been common to incorporate a dustpan in conjunction with a trash 
receptacle. The dustpan may actually be part of the trash receptacle and 
function as a lid to close the trash receptacle during the time it is not 
being used. The lid is to be removable from the trash receptacle and 
utilizable as a dustpan. However, in the past, such combined trash 
receptacles and dustpans have not been designed to function in the most 
efficient manner. 
Also, trash receptacles of the prior art have been known to include a broom 
with the broom being mounted on the side of the trash receptacle. However, 
such attachment of a broom to the side of the trash receptacle is not 
attractive in appearance which makes the combined trash receptacle and 
broom unappealing. Also, the trash receptacle with the attached broom 
locates the broom in such a manner that it can interfere with the 
depositing of trash within the trash receptacle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A trash receptacle formed of a thin sheet material housing which has an 
internal chamber. The internal chamber is open at its upper end forming an 
access opening. The access opening is normally closed by means of a lid. 
The lid includes a dustpan with the dustpan being pivotally movable on the 
lid from a normally closed position to an open position so that when the 
dustpan is not being used, debris can be deposited through the access 
opening into the internal chamber of the trash receptacle. The dustpan is 
formed of two sheet material leg members which are connected together in 
an L-shaped arrangement. Formed within one of the leg members is a handle 
which facilitates manual grasping of the dustpan and its disengagement 
from the lid. The dustpan is to be turned upside down with loose debris to 
be swept onto the interior surface of the lower leg of the dustpan. The 
upper leg functions as a backstop when collecting of loose debris on the 
lower leg. A broom is to be utilized to affect the sweeping of loose 
debris onto the dustpan. Formed on the exterior surface of the housing of 
the trash receptacle is a recess arrangement which is substantially 
similar to the shape of the broom. The recess arrangement includes a 
necked-down area formed within the portion of the recess arrangement that 
is to accommodate the handle of the broom. The handle of the broom is to 
be snappingly engaged with the necked-down area thereby securing in 
position the broom with the trash receptacle when not in use. 
One of the primary objectives of the present invention is to incorporate 
into a single unit a trash receptacle, a dustpan and a broom. 
Another objective of the present invention is to construct a trash 
receptacle which can be portable to the location of the debris and which 
facilitates the picking up and discarding of loose debris with the 
appliances used for such picking up to be directly mounted in conjunction 
with the trash receptacle. 
Another objective of the present invention is to construct a trash 
receptacle which includes both a dustpan and a broom which are stored when 
not in use in conjunction with the trash receptacle in a manner convenient 
to the trash receptacle and also in an attractive manner. 
Another objective of the present invention is to construct a trash 
receptacle which includes a dustpan and broom which can be manufactured at 
a reasonable cost and thereby sold at a reasonable cost to the consumer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring particularly to the drawings, there is shown the trash receptacle 
10 of this invention. The trash receptacle 10 includes a sheet material 
housing 12 which is formed of a plurality of rectangularly shaped 
sidewalls such as sidewalls 14 and 15. Sidewall 14 has formed therein a 
recess arrangement in the form of handle recess 16 and broom head recess 
18. The handle recess 16 includes a narrowed section 24 which includes a 
necked-down section 25. The handle 22 of a broom 20 is to be locatable 
within the handle recess 16. A portion of the handle 22 is located within 
the narrowed section 24. The necked-down section 25 defines a space there 
between which is slightly narrower than the diameter of the handle 22. The 
result is the handle 22 must be forcefully inserted within the handle 
recess 16 with the necked-down section 25 functioning to securely hold in 
position the handle 22 when located within the handle recess 16 and the 
narrowed section 24. The head 23 and the bristles 21 of the broom 20 are 
to be located within the broom head recess 18. It is to be understood that 
the broom 20 is to be manually disconnected from the recesses 16 and 18 so 
as to facilitate usage of the broom 20. Sidewall 15 also has a handle 
recess 17 which is to be used with a similar recess (not shown) on the 
opposite sidewall to lift and carry the receptacle 12. 
Trash receptacle 10 includes an internal chamber 11. Access into internal 
chamber 11 is accomplished through an access opening 26. The lid of the 
trash receptacle 12 includes a ledge 28 surrounding access opening 26. 
Mounted on the ledge 28 at opposite ends thereof are triangularly-shaped 
side panels 30 and 32. The triangularly-shaped side panels 30 and 32 are 
located in a facing relationship with circular recess 34 of the 
triangularly-shaped side panel 30 facing circular recess 36 of the 
triangularly-shaped side panel 32. Rounded protrusion 40 of a dustpan 38 
is to connect with recess 36. In a similar manner, rounded protrusion 42 
of dustpan 38 is to connect with recess 34. The dustpan 38 is then mounted 
in recesses 36 and 34 between the triangularly-shaped side panels 30 and 
32 and functions to close the access opening 26. The dustpan 38 can be 
manually deflected with pivoting occurring by means of the rounded 
protrusions 40 and 42 in their respective recesses 36 and 34. Pivoting of 
dustpan 38 on the rounded protrusions will locate the dustpan 38 in the 
open position permitting access past the deflected dustpan 38 through the 
access opening 26 into the internal chamber 11. 
The dustpan 38 is basically L-shaped defining a planer lower leg 47 and a 
planer upper leg 49. The planer upper leg 49 is connected to the planer 
lower leg 47 at the apex 41 with the planer upper leg 49 being located 
substantially at a right angle to the planer lower leg 47. This right 
angle arrangement is depicted by means of the ninety degree representation 
in FIG. 2. The planer lower leg 47 has an interior surface 46. The upper 
planer leg 49 has formed therein a pair of handle depressions 44. The 
handle depressions 44 are separated by a wall 45. 
The user is to place his or her fingers within one of the handle 
depressions 44 and his or her thumb in the opposite handle depression 44 
and affect a squeezing action against the wall 45. This will permit the 
user to lift the dustpan 38 from the triangularly-shaped side panels 30 
and 32. The user then is to turn the dustpan 38 upside down placing the 
exterior surface of the lower planer leg 47 in contact with a supporting 
surface such as a floor. The broom 20 is to be disconnected from the 
handle recesses 16 and 18 with the bristles 21 of the broom head 23 to be 
used to sweep loose debris from the floor onto the interior surface 46 of 
the dustpan 38. The upper leg 49 functions as a backstop for the 
collecting of that debris. Once the desired amount of debris has been 
collected on the dustpan 38, that debris is then to be deposited through 
the access opening 26 into the internal chamber 11 of the trash receptacle 
10. The dustpan 38 is then to be again turned upside down and repositioned 
in contact with the triangularly-shaped side panels 30 and 32 as is shown 
in FIG. 1 of the drawing. After usage of the dustpan 38, the broom 20 is 
to be reconnected into the stored position in conjunction with the 
recesses 16 and 18.