Recycling cart

A recycling cart (100) for sorting, retaining, and transferring articles is provided. The recycling cart includes a waste container (10), at least four supporting members (20), at least four rotating members (30), and a sorting member (50). The supporting members are attached with the waste container. The rotating members are attached with the supporting members and configured for facilitating moving the recycling cart. The sorting member is configured for sorting articles. The sorting member is hinged with two of at least four supporting members and located above the waste container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to recycling carts, particularly to a recycling cart used for sorting, retaining, and transferring articles.

2. Description of Related Art

In manufacturing, waste articles, such as waste materials, waste products, and the like, ought to be cleaned and collected at any time for maintaining neatness of the workshop. A typically implemented way is to manually dump the waste articles into a waste bin by operators.

However, the dumped waste articles often contain some useful articles, such as raw materials, small components (e.g., screws or bolts), or the like. If the useful articles do not get sorted from other waste articles and directly coped without recycling, the useful articles become waste. Moreover, in maintaining neatness of the workshop, additional operators may be required thus, increasing the cost of labor.

Therefore, a heretofore-unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY

In present aspect, a recycling cart for sorting, retaining, and transferring articles is provided. The recycling cart includes a waste container, at least four supporting members, at least four rotating members, and a sorting member. The supporting members are attached with the waste container. The rotating members are attached with the supporting members and configured for facilitating movement of the recycling cart. The sorting member is configured for sorting articles. The sorting member is hinged with two of at least four supporting members and located above the waste container.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications therein may be affected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present recycling cart for sorting, retaining, and transferring articles is described here in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inFIGS. 1 through 3.

Referring toFIG. 1, the recycling cart100includes a waste container10, four supporting members20, four rotating members30, a handrail40, a sorting member50, two adjusting members60, and two cleaning members70.

The waste container10is generally cubic-shaped with four corners and defining a containing space13. The containing space13has an open end (not labeled) thereof and is configured (e.g., structure/arranged) for containing/accommodating waste articles (not shown) therein. The waste container10can be made of one or more materials including wood material, metallic material, rattan material, and etc.

The four supporting members20each are configured for directly fixing/attaching (e.g., welding, adhering, or integrally formed) with one respective corner of the waste container10, thus, cooperatively directly supporting the waste container10. Each supporting member20is cylindrical-shaped post and exposes from one close end opposite to the open end of the waste container10when fixed with the waste container10.

The four rotating members30each are configured for fixing/attaching (e.g., welding, adhering, or integrally formed) with one respective supporting member20, thus, cooperatively facilitating a rotational movement of the waste container10. Each rotating members30is a round wheel and located below the close end of the waste container10when fixed with the supporting member20.

The handrail40is used for conveniently moving the recycling cart100, which generally has a U-shaped rail and has two ends thereof respectively attached (e.g., welding or integrally formed) with two adjacent supporting members20. The handrail40is located above the open end of the waste container10as attached with the supporting members20.

Referring further toFIG. 2, the sorting member50is configured for sorting articles and separating them into two types of article grades, i.e., waste article grade and useful article grade, and being directly hinged with two of the four supporting members20. The sorting member50includes a base plate51, a sorting screen53, two first hinge members57, and two second hinge members58. The base plate51is advantageously a recessed plate with an accommodating space511for accommodating the sorted articles (not shown). The sorting screen53is detachably secured within the accommodating space511, thereby separating the accommodating space511into a top space (not labeled) and a bottom space (not labeled). The sorting screen53is advantageously latticed with a plurality of meshes defined therein. The meshes are scaled/configured for sorting the articles, i.e., separating the useful articles with the waste articles, where the useful articles pass through the meshes into the bottom surface end the waste articles stay on the top surface of the sorting screen53.

The two first hinge members57are advantageously bolts, which respectively engage through two opposite engaging holes512and515defined through two opposite sidewalls of the base plate51and into two corresponding matching holes (not labeled) of the handrail40, thereby fascinating the hinge of the sorting member50and the handrail40. The sorting member50thus attaches with the handrail40and rotates relative to the handrail40around the two first hinge members57.

The two second hinge members58each have a first connecting board581and a second connecting board585hinged with the first connecting board581. The two first connecting boards581each have a first fixing hole583defined therethrough. The two first fixing holes583respectively correspond to two opposite securing holes514and517defined through the two opposite sidewalls of the sorting member50and each located adjacent to one respective engaging hole512or515. The two first fixing holes583combined with the two securing holes514and517to facilitate the fixing (e.g., screwing or welding) of the first connecting board581with the sorting member50.

The two second connecting board585each have a second fixing hole587defined therethrough. The two second fixing holes587respectively correspond to two opposite attaching holes (not labeled) defined through two opposite supporting members20. The two second fixing holes587combined with the two attaching holes to facilitate the fixing (e.g., screwing or welding) of the second connecting board585with the supporting member20. The two second hinge members58thus facilitate holding the sorting member50with the supporting members20and turning the sorting member50towards the containing space13of the waste container10.

Referring also toFIG. 3, the two adjusting members60are respectively assembled on the two opposite sidewalls of the waste container10and located apart from the waste container10. Each adjusting member60includes a sleeve61, two adjusting portions62, a cylindrical shaft63, and a connecting portion65.

The sleeve61is generally a hollow cylinder with two open ends (not labeled) and a peripheral wall611. The peripheral wall611encloses a receiving space within the sleeve61. The peripheral wall611has a first slot613and a second slot615defined therethrough along an axis direction at one end thereof proximate to the open end of the sleeve61. The first slot613and second slot615are spaced from each other with an approximate vertical angle. It is to be understood that the first slot613and second slot615can instead be spaced from each other of any angles. It is also to be understood that the peripheral wall611may have more than two slots defined therethrough at the same end thereof. The slots can be evenly spaced from each other or otherwise be irregularly arranged with each other.

The peripheral wall611further has two adjusting holes617defined therethrough along a radial direction in communication with the receiving space. The two adjusting holes617are advantageously screw holes and located in a symmetrical manner about an axis line (not shown) of the sleeve61.

The two adjusting portions62each include an operating portion621and a fixing portion623connecting with the operating portion621. The operating portion621is roughly T-shaped so as to be relatively easy for users to operate the operating portion621to rotate the adjusting portion62. The fixing portion623is a cylindrical rod and has a mating portion625therein along a peripheral direction corresponding to the adjusting hole617of the sleeve61. The mating portion625is correspondingly a screwed portion, which has a plurality of screws defined in an exterior surface thereof.

The shaft63is configured to be slidably engages through the sleeve61. The shaft63has a retaining portion632protruded from an outer circumferential surface of the shaft63. The retaining portion632is configured to slidably engage into either the first slot613or the second slot615.

The connecting portion65is generally a bar651integrally formed with a rectangular fixing plate653on an end of the bar651. The other opposite end of the bar651is attached (e.g., welded or integrally formed) with the sleeve61. The fixing plate653is configured for facilitating the attachment (e.g., screwing or welding) of the connecting portion65with the waste container10.

As assembled, the shaft63is inserted into the sleeve61with the retaining portion632engaging into one slot613or615of the sleeve61. Two adjusting portions62are then separately adjusted via operating/rotating the operating portion621of the adjusting portion62. During this stage, the fixing portion623of the adjusting portion62is threaded into one respective adjusting hole617via the engagement between the mating portion625and the adjusting hole617. Each fixing portion623is threaded into the adjusting hole617until an end wall thereof resists against the shaft's63outer circumferential surface.

Referring back toFIG. 1, the two cleaning members70each are advantageously a swab and used for cleaning, e.g., floor of the workshop as the recycling cart moves. Each cleaning member70is attached with one end of the shaft63of the adjusting member60. The cleaning member70is located below the waste container10. The cleaning member70can instead be other device designed for cleaning such as suction cleaner, watering device, and etc. The two cleaning members70can further be a dry swab and a wet swab. The dry swab is positioned near the handrail40and the wet swab is located apart from the handrail40.

In use, the recycling cart100moves as the handrail40being pushed. Articles, i.e., waste articles mixed with useful articles, are collected/dumped by operators in the receiving space511of the sorting member50. The sorting screen53separates the useful articles with the waste articles, where the useful articles pass through the meshes into the bottom surface and the waste articles stay on the top surface of the sorting screen53. The sorting member50is turned/rotated50toward the containing space13of the waste container10around the two first hinge members57. The sorted waste articles are then dumped into the containing space13. In this case, the useful articles are accommodated within the bottom space. As sorting screen53detached from the sorting member50, the useful articles can be extracted from the sorting member50.

Moreover, positions of the cleaning members70can be adjusted by the adjusting members6. For example, the cleaning members70can be adjusted relative to floor of the workshop by adjusting the adjusting members60. The mating portion625of each adjusting portion62is separately threaded out from the adjusting hole617of the sleeve61. The shaft63is thus disengaged from the two adjusting portions62end can freely slide or rotate within the sleeve61. The height of shaft63and the cleaning member70can be adjusted relative to the floor by elevating or lowering the shaft63relative to the sleeve61. The angle of the cleaning members70can also be adjusted by enabling the retaining portion632originally secured in second slot615to engage and secure in the first slot613. As the adjustment are done, the mating portion625of each adjusting portion62is reversely threaded into the adjusting hole617of the sleeve61until an end wall of the mating portion625resists against the shaft63. The floor of the workshop is thus cleaned by the cleaning members70of the recycling cart100as the recycling cart100moves.

One main advantage of the present embodiment embodies that useful articles can be separated from the waste articles and collected via the sorting member50. Meanwhile, in same process of coping with the dumped articles, neatness of the workshop's floor is maintained by moving the recycling cart100. By using such recycling cart, only one operator is required to perform the tasks of separating/sorbing and cleaning. Cost of labor is correspondingly decreased.

Another main advantage of the present embodiment reflects that the floor of the workshop maintains neat via a cleaning of the cleaning members70as the recycling cart100moves. No additional operators are required to clean the floor. The labor cost is thus decreased.