A DEVICE FOR THE SEPARATION OF DOMESTIC WASTE DESIGNED TO BE ACCOMMODATED IN A SPACE HAVING AT LEAST ONE FROM SAID SPACE OUTWARDLY HINGED DOOR

Abstract: The present invention concerns a device for separating domestic waste intended for mounting in a space with least one outwardly hinged door, preferably the space under a kitchen sink unit. To allow the use of relatively large collection units, the device includes an initial and a second holder (1, 1') to support respective collection units for waste where the first holder is attached to the inside of the door and the second holder (1') is supported on a supporting arm (8), which can be rotated about a pivot (11) on a wall section (10) adjacent to door (7) and that can travel on a guide on the supporting arm along the length of the supporting arm (8), plus a linking arm (17) that extends between the first and the second holding devices (1, 1') whereby the supporting arm (8), during the initial phase of the door-opening movement when affected by linking arm (17), rotates about its pivot or rotation to adopt an swung-out position relative to the wall section (10) adjacent to door (7).

Description: A device, for the separation of domestic waste designed to be accommodated in a space having at least one from said space outwardly hinged door. The present invention concerns a device for separating domestic waste intended for mounting in a space with least one outwardly hinged door, preferably the space under a kitchen sink unit. During recent years, the interest for collecting and separating domestic waste in the home has increased. The approach that has gained most ground means that, as far as possible, the waste should be separated as early in the consumption and transportation cycles as practical, i.e., as close to the consumer as possible. This places especially high demands on the design of a system for separating waste intended for installation in the restricted space commonly available in the cupboard beneath a kitchen sink or in similar cupboards of relatively small dimensions. A particular objective is a separation unit with waste collection containers that are easily accessible and arranged so that they operate in a co-ordinated way when separating waste. An especially significant problem is that containers that are positioned furthest in in the cupboard are difficult to reach and thus lead to discomfort for users. To address this problem, the most well known solutions consist in principle of a number of containers arranged in a row and intended to be mounted on the bottom of the cupboard supported on rails or similar devices so that they can slide and thus be pulled out from the cupboard. The disadvantage of this solution is that in most cases it is not possible to install in an existing cupboard under a kitchen sink because the waste disposal pipes that lead down from the sink plug hole occupy a significant part of the centre of the cupboard. In the majority of cases, the pipes have simply to be repositioned entirely or be replaced by new ones if these recognised systems of collection units are to have the space they require in the cupboard. Due of the limited space available and as a consequence of this, the containers have additionally been assigned a volume that is far too small to be practically useful for the task of holding domestic waste. One object of the present invention is therefore to accomplish a device for separating domestic waste that allows the use of relatively large collection containers without the risk of knocking against or colliding with the waste pipes leading down from the sink ' s plug hole. According to another aspect of the invention, a holder that permits the function of the invention to be performed in a particularly advantageous way and that in a simple manner also has the combined function of allowing a rubbish bag or alternatively a bin to be lifted up is accomplished. This holder displays characteristics according to claim 3. This objective of the invention is met by the device according to the invention displaying the characteristics specified in claim 1. The device according to the invention is described in greater detail below with reference to the enclosed drawings, where fig. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the device according to the invention fitted in the space under a kitchen sink in a traditional cupboard with outwardly hinged doors, fig. 2 shows a perspective view of an attachment with a supporting arm that can be swung out around a pivot together with an unattached holder that is included in the invention, fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a linking arm included in the device according to the invention arranged between two partially shown holders, fig. 4 shows a view from above of the supporting arm according to fig. 2 in its swung-out position, fig. 5 shows the supporting arm according to fig. 4 swung back to its closed position, and fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the separate parts of the holder according to fig. 2 with all the components included. Fig. 1 shows two devices according to the invention fitted in the storage space with two outwardly hinged doors commonly found under a kitchen sink. These are arranged as several collection units, such as rubbish bins or bags, for separating domestic waste into different containers in this space. It is advantageous if several of the parts described below that are included in the device according to the invention are made from a relatively stiff material, preferably a plastic material that can easily be made by compression or injection moulding. As the space under the kitchen sink shown in fig. 1 is arranged with two identical devices according to the invention, only one of them, the one shown on the left in the figure, will be described for reasons of simplicity. The device according to the invention includes a holder 1,1 ' that, as is best evident from fig. 2 and 5, displays a flat attachment section 2 for fitting to a flat surface, and a frame section 3 extending from the flat attachment section whose edges together define an opening 4 that accommodates the collection unit 5. An outer-facing strengthening lip 6, formed as an integral part of the said holder, runs around the upper edge of the frame around the opening 4. It should be clear that the term "collection unit" as used here applies to any suitable device for accommodating waste, but preferably to a unit in the form of a rubbish bin or a bag. The first of the holders 1 is suitable for fitting to the inside of the door designated 7 with screws, and the second holder 1 ' is supported by the supporting arm 8. This supporting arm 8 can be swung out and back again from the attachment device 9 that is fitted by screws or similar attaching devices to the wall section 10 in the space adjacent to door 7 so that the second holder 1 ' can be swung out around a pivoting axis 11 that is parallel with the swinging axis of the door. As is evident from fig. 2 and 3, the supporting arm 8 includes firstly a flat section that is attached to the attachment device 9 via an axle 13, and a second flat supporting arm 14 that supports the holder 1 ', which, as indicated by the double-headed arrow in fig. 2, can be slid along the length of the flat arm section 12 along a guide 15 between two stop positions that limit the extent of this travel. An attachment lug 6, 16 ' projects freely from the outer edge of the frame 3 on the first 1 and second 1 ' holders between which a linking arm 17 is attached (see fig. 3). The fulcrums on linking arm 17 for the projectioning lugs 16, 16' on holders 1, 1 ' respectively are chosen so that when door 7 is closed, the supporting arm 8 (fig. 5) adopts an position essentially parallel with the wall section 10 in the space adjacent to door 7. When door 7 swings out from its closed position to an open one, the initial opening movement causes the second holder 1 ' to be pulled in a direction along the supporting arm 8 on the flat second arm section 14 towards the axis of rotation 11 until its movement finally ceases when it comes up against a stop position. At this point, the pulling effect is transferred to form a momentum that causes the supporting arm 8 to rotate around its pivot 11 and adopt a swung-out angle relative to the wall section 10 adjacent to the door 7 (fig. 1 and 4). The angle of this position can naturally be varied by choosing the length of the linking arm and the internal distance and relationship of the fulcrums but, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, is preferably chosen to result in an angle of about 90° to the wall section 10. With the door 7 in its open position as shown in fig. 1, both collection units, i.e. the unit 5 that is attached to the inside of the door 7 and the unit 5 ' that is supported by the supporting arm 8 are situated very close to each other. This proximity means that the collection units are both easily accessible and have a comfortable operating position for the user, which is exactly in line with the general objective for a system for separating domestic waste. As can be envisaged, closing door 7 is accomplished by reversing the operation described above. Thus, applying a pushing force on the second holder 1 ' causes the supporting arm 8 to rotate around its pivot 11 and adopt aswung-back position in which it is essentially parallel with the wall section 10 that is adjacent to door 7, after which the supported collection unit 5 ' held in holder 1 ' is finally returned its storage position by sliding along the supporting arm 8 in a direction away from its pivot of rotation. The rotation of the supporting arm 8 around its pivot of rotation 11 during the initial movement to close door 7 is ensured with the help of a catch that is arranged at the stop position on the flat section 14 adjacent to the centre of rotation 1 1 and which operates in the direction that holder 1 ' travels along the supporting arm 8. This catch 18 is arranged so that it is released from its locking position when the momentum around the pivot 11 is transferred to form a pre-determined force in the direction of travel of the second collection unit 1 '. This catch, which is not shown in detail in the drawings, operates between the first and second flat parallel sections 12, 14 that form the supporting arm 8 and is of the kind that is commonly employed when using plastic materials in the furniture industry. Punching or cutting out the catch from a sheet of plastic, for example, forms a lip that is an integral part of the material, and that due to the effect of the plastic material ' s spring-like characteristics, can be set in locked and released positions with adjoining areas to the side of the lip. This type of catch is well-known within the furniture industry and is used extensively for securing drawers in a set position, for example. According to the invention, the catch 18 presented is designed so that it can be released from its locking role in the end position by the application of a predetermined force in the direction of travel of holder 1 ' , i.e. in a direction away from pivot 1 1 of supporting arm 8. The holders 1, 1 ' shown here that are included in the invention merit further description. As can best be seen from fig. 1 and fig. 6, these are designed so that as well as a bin, they can alternatively support and facilitate the exchange of rubbish bags. This is achieved by a locking frame 19 matching the shape of the edge of frame 3 and hinged with the flat part of the frame 2 so that it can be lowered to the upper strengthening rim 6 of frame 3 and attached with snap-on or inset connectors 20. The rubbish bag will then be griped firmly between the locking frame 19 and frame 3. Without the locking frame 19 mounted on the holder 1 , it can then accommodate and support a bin 5 that matches the opening 4 of the frame. The holder 1 can also be fitted with a lid 21 hinged to the flat section 2 of the holder in the same way as the locking frame 19, irrespective of whether the holder is used to hold a bin or a rubbish bag, to close the opening and thereby help prevents bad smells emerging from the waste. The device according to the invention accomplishes a very flexible and user-friendly arrangement for sorting household waste. It not only allows the use of large collection units that do not risk knocking against waste pipes emerging from the sink plug hole, it is also a system that, when the door to the cupboard under the kitchen sink unit is opened, always presents the collection units in a manner that is easy and comfortable for the user. In addition, the design of holder included in the invention has the further advantage that it can be used to support both rubbish bins and bags. The invention presented is not confined to that described above or to the drawings shown, but can be changed and modified in many different ways within the scope of the idea of the invention specified in the following claims.

Claims: Claims 1. Device for separating domestic waste intended for mounting in a space with least one outwardly hinged door (7), preferably the space under a kitchen sink unit characteri sed in that it includes an initial holder (1) and a second holder (1 ') for supporting respective collection units (5) for waste where the first holder (1 ) is attached to the inside of door (7) and the second holder (1 ') is supported on a supporting arm (8), the end of which can be rotated about a spindle on a wall section (10) of the space adjacent to door (7) and that can travel along the length of the said supporting arm (8) on an attached guide, plus a linking arm (17) that extends between the first and the second holding devices (1,1 ') whose fulcrums of the said parts are chosen so that during the initial phase of the door opening, while the supporting arm (8) is located in position that is essentially parallel to the wall section (10) of the space, the second holding device is pulled in a direction along the supporting arm (8) on the flat second arm section (14) towards the pivot of rotation (11) until it comes up against a stop position when the pulling force is transferred to form a sufficiently great momentum that causes the supporting arm (8) to rotate around its pivot (11) and adopt a swung-out angle relative to the wall section (10) adjacent to door (7), to ensure that the given method of operation for the device works in reverse when the door (7) is closed, a catch positioned at a stop position and arranged in the direction of travel of the second holding device 1 ' that can be released from its locked position when the momentum is transferred to form a pre-determined force in the direction of travel of the second collection unit 1 ' . 2. Device according to claim 1 characterised in that it includes a supporting arm 8 including firstly a flat section (12) and a second flat supporting arm (14) that supports holder (1 ') and that can slide along a guide (15) on the first arm section (12) in the direction of travel of the first arm section (12) between two end positions that limit the travel, and that the catch that operates at one of the stop positions comprises a lip that is an integral part of the flat sections that, due to its spring-like characteristics, can be set in locked and released positions with adjoining areas of the flat parts. 3. Holder that is included in the device according to claim 1 characteri sed in that it includes an opening (4) defined by frame section (3) that accommodates and permits the exchange of a collection unit (5) for waste, and that the outside of frame section (3) is provided with attachment lugs (16) between which the linking arm (17) is joined. 4. Holder according to claim 3 characterised in that it includes a locking frame (19) matching the shape of frame (3) that can be swung down and, via snap-on or inset connectors, be connected to the edge of the holder to tightly grip a rubbish bag between itself and the frame (3), a lid (21) arranged so that it can be swung down to meet the holder and close the opening (4). 5. Holder according to claims 3 or 4 characterised in that it includes a frame section (3) including an essentially flat section (2) for attachment. 6. Holder according to any of claims 3 to 5 characteri sed in that it includes an opening (4) as defined by the frame section (3) arranged to accommodate a bin of equivalent shape in the absence of the locking frame (19) from the hoUer.

Inventors: RUNDGREN IVAN, RUNDGREN, IVAN
Applicants: DENSET AB, RUNDGREN IVAN, RUNDGREN, IVAN
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B65F1
IPC codes: A47B77, B65F1