DEVICE FOR THE COLLECTION OF WASTE ITEMS, IN PARTICULAR SANITARY TOWELS

Abstract: Device for the hygienic and odour-free collection of waste items (5), in particular sanitary towels, comprising a container (8) with an inlet (9) before which an operable device is provided for receiving a waste item, totally enclosing said item with an airtight material, and placing the thus enclosed waste item in the container. Said device comprises two rolls (1) of said material which are mounted for a free rotational movement, and operable means formed by two roll-type elements (4), of which peripheral parts are in contact with each other for the formation of a pinch between which material parts unrolled from said two rolls are passed for pressing said material parts against each other and bending them around a waste item disposed between said parts and conveying into the container said waste item thus completely enclosed by said material parts.

Description: The invention relates to a device for the hygienic and odour-free collection of sanitary towels or similar waste items, comprising a container with an inlet in which the waste items are to be placed and an operable device located before the inlet of the container, said operable device having means for receiving and enclosing a waste item in an airtight material, and placing the enclosed waste item in the container, which device further comprises a stock of airtight material with means for forming parts of this material having a gap between them, so that a waste item is able to be placed between said parts, means for pressing and bonding the enclosing material, so that the introduced waste item is enclosed by said material and conveyance means for conveying into the container the waste item thus completely enclosed by the material, which conveyance means comprises at least two roll-type elements at least one of which can be set in rotation by operating means, and of which at least peripheral parts essentially touch each other for the formation of a pinch between which said material parts are to be directed. A known device comprises only a container with a lid which covers the inlet thereof, but which can be opened, said container being filled with a disinfecting fluid into which the sanitary towels are thrown. After some time the container containing the sanitary towels immersed in the fluid is removed from the room in which the device is placed, for example a toilet, following which the entire contents of the container are dumped or destroyed in one way or another. The disadvantage of the known device is that its removal from the above-mentioned room is a time-consuming affair, since it has to take place with care and in such a way that the fluid remains inside the container. Moreover, the disinfecting fluid is environmentally unfriendly and thus gives rise to problems during dumping and destroying. US-A-2281630 discloses a sanitary receptacle of the above mentioned known type. However, in this device an atomizer is arranged in the container so that when the lid is opened and a sanitary napkin is deposited into the container and the lid closes again, a quantity of disinfectant fluid is sprayed onto the sanitary napkins. Moreover the sterilized napkins fall into a drawer at the bottom of the container, which drawer is to be destroyed after sufficient napkins have been deposited therein. US-A-3665522 corresponding to the preamble of claim 1 and NL-A-7400015 disclose a dry-closet for collecting solid or liquid wastes in which one end of a hose of a thin flexible material is passed down from a supply source into a container, said hose end being sealed to form a hose bag structure adapted to receive the waste. Down-feed means are provided which, unobstructed by the bulky waste-filled portion of said bag structure, are able to constrict and advance said hose downwardly a given distance. Said down-feed means are formed by two opposing rolls of which one roll presents a solid portion and at least two flange-like portions so that the bulky portion of the hose containing the waste can be fed down between the grooves left free between said flanges. Means may be provided for sealing the hose at the roll nip. For facilitating said sealing the inner surface of the hose may be coated with an adhesive. In NL-A-7400015 the down-feed means are formed by two spaced apart pairs of rollers which are in contact which each other and sealing jaws mounted upstream of and cooperating with said pairs of rollers. In US-A-2794989 a sanitary dry-commode is disclosed in which two paper strips unrolled from paper rolls by drive rollers constitute both a lining for two trap-door plates and a conveyor for fecal material deposited thereon. In drawing the paper from the paper rolls a pressure is exerted which acts to swing the trap-door plates downwardly into a container so that the fecal matter on the paper strip is dropped into said container and the soiled paper is wound on the drive rollers. US-A-2920968 relates to a frozen food pack comprising a container having therein at least two package strip layers, each of which layers containing a plurality of food articles which are individually sealed in spaced-apart relation along the strip. Said package strip layers each comprise two superimposed sheets of heat sealable material which are sealed together with the food articles between them. The object of the invention is to produce a device of the known type which does not have these disadvantages. This object is achieved in that in the device according to the invention said stock of airtight material comprises two rolls of this material in sheet form and formed by a self-adhesive material, for example plastic films capable to be bonded to each other through the exertion of pressure which rolls extend parallel to each other in spaced apart relation, and are mounted for a free rotation, said conveyance means being adapted for unrolling from each of these rolls two opposite parts of said sheet material with a gap between them, and that annular peripheral parts of said roll-type elements are of an elastic material so that said roll-type elements press the film parts against each other and bond them around the inserted waste item. With a device designed in this way according to the invention, the sanitary towels are thus packed, as it were, airtight before they go into the container, so that they are fully insulated from the environment when they are collected in the container. Due to the fact that no fluid is present, the container can be removed very quickly from the room, and the contents can then be emptied into a sort of refuse bin. Dumping or destroying the contents of the container does not give rise to any problems either, due to the absence of substances which are environmentally unfriendly. Since the enclosing material in sheet form is formed by a self-adhesive material, for example plastic films which are capable to be bonded to each other through the exertion of pressure, it is not necessary to provide for example, heated welding dies for the formation of heat seals around the waste items. It is also possible for at least one pressure roller to be fitted upstream of the conveyance means formed by two roll-type elements, viewed in the direction of conveyance, at least the periphery of said pressure roller being made of elastic material. Since in the device according to the invention no fluid is present in the container, this container can be made of very cheap material and thus be in the form of a disposable article, so that the container together with its contents can be, for example, incinerated. The invention is explained in greater detail with reference to the examples of embodiments of a device according to the invention shown in the drawing. Fig. 1 shows schematically a first embodiment of a device according to the invention, and Fig. 2 shows schematically the main parts of a second embodiment of a device according to the invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the device comprises two stock rolls 1 of an enclosing material in sheet form, in particular a plastic film. Enclosing material parts 2 are unrolled from these rolls 1 and are directed to a pressure roller 3, at least the periphery of said roller 3 being made of an elastic material. Two conveyance rollers 4, which are each provided with annular peripheral parts of an elastic material, and which touch each other for the formation of a pinch, are also present. Reference number 6 indicates a collection container. All of the device described above sits inside a casing 8 which is provided with an operable flap lid 9. When the device is being used, a foot pedal (not shown), for example, is depressed, thus causing the lid 9 to open. A sanitary towel can then be placed between the enclosing material parts 2, following which the foot pedal is released again. As a result of this, the flap lid 9 closes again, and one of the conveyance rollers 4 is set in rotation in such a way that the material parts 2 are conveyed a certain distance in the direction of the container 6, while these parts 2 are pressed against each other around the inserted sanitary towel and thereby bonded to each other, so that said towel is also totally enclosed by the material parts 2, and is carried along by these parts in the direction of the container 6. After some time, a zigzag piece of enclosing material, made up of two parts bonded together, has formed inside the container 6, with sanitary towels between said parts, as indicated at 5, said towels being entirely enclosed by the material parts 2. When the container 6 is filled, it can be removed from the casing 8, and the contents of the container 6 are then destroyed in one way or another, possibly together with the container 6. The embodiment shown in Fig. 2 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 only in that the pressure roller 3 is omitted. The parts of this second embodiment which correspond to those of the first embodiment are provided with the same reference number, but with the addition of an apostrophe. The container 6 and the casing 8 are omitted in Fig. 2, for the sake of simplicity.

Claims: Waste disposal device for the hygienic and odour-free collection of sanitary towels or similar waste items, comprising a container (6) with an inlet in which the items are to be placed, and an operable device located before the inlet of the container (6), said operable device having means (1, 2, 3, 4) for receiving and enclosing a waste item in an airtight material (2), and placing the enclosed waste item in the container (6), which device further comprises a stock of airtight material (2) with means (1, 2, 3) for forming parts of this material (2) having a gap between them, so that a waste item is able to be placed between said parts, means (3, 4) for pressing and bonding the enclosing material (2), so that the introduced waste item is enclosed by said material and conveyance means for conveying into the container (6) the waste item thus completely enclosed by the material (2), which conveyance means comprises at least two roll-type elements (4, 4′) at least one of which can be set in rotation by operating means, and of which at least peripheral parts essentially touch each other for the formation of a pinch between which said material parts are to be directed, characterized in that said stock of airtight material comprises two rolls (2) of this material in sheet form and formed by a self-adhesive material, for example plastic films capable to be bonded to each other through the exertion of pressure, which rolls extend parallel to each other in spaced apart relation, and are mounted for a free rotation, said conveyance means (4, 4′) being adapted for unrolling from each of these rolls two opposite parts of said sheet material (2) with a gap between them, and that annular peripheral parts of said roll-type elements (4, 4′) are of an elastic material so that said roll-type elements (4; 4′) press the film parts (2) against each other and bond them around the inserted waste item (5). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one pressure roller (3) is fitted upstream of the conveyance means (4) formed by said two roll-type elements, viewed in the direction of conveyance, of which at least the periphery is made of elastic material. Device according to claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the container (6) is designed as a disposable article.

Inventors: DEN DEKKER, DIRK JAN MARINUS
Applicants: DEN DEKKER HOLDING B.V.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B65F1
IPC codes: B65F1