REFUSE COLLECTION CONTAINER

Abstract: A refuse collection container (1), (Figs. 1-3) is embodied with a hand grip (13), which is mounted displaceably in the upward and downward directions on a rearward limiting surface (6) of the container (1) between an upper operational position in which the upper part (14) of the hand grip is raised a distance above the top edge (9) of the container (1) and a lower position in which the upper part (14) of the hand grip is approximately level with the edge (9) as there are means (19-23 and 27), (Fig. 4) co-operating with the upper edge (9) for the locking - and unlocking - of the hand grip (13) in the upper position. The hand grip does not obstruct the opening and closing of lids (12) on the top of the container nor the charging of material. Furthermore, a space problem is avoided during the storing and transportation of containers.

Description: REFUSE COLLECTION CONTAINER The present invention relates to a refuse collection container of the kind described in the introduction to claim 1. In these known refuse collection containers the handle or hand grip is firmly attached by being either screwed, glued or cast integrally with the container. As the hand grip stretches over the top edge of the container, the lid or lids closing the opening at the top of the container, can be opened only to the side/sides of the container where the hand grip is not mounted. When the refuse collection container is to be placed in a refuse chute the hand grip will be facing forward towards the user or the renovation worker, and thereby obstruct the opening and closing of the lids and the charging of material. Furthermore, the the permanently mounted hand grip will present a space problem with regard to the firmly attached hand grips in the case of storing and transportation of refuse collection containers. It is the purpose of the present invention to describe a refuse collection container which is without the said drawbacks exhibited by the known refuse collection containers. This is achieved by designing the refuse collection container as described in the characterising part of claim 1. This means that the hinges can be arranged so that the lid or lids can be opened to all sides, and that the hand grip is no obstruction when the container is in use. Claim 2 deals with a preferred attachment of the hand grip so that it can be displaced in the upward or downward direction. Claim 3 deals with a preferred embodiment of the guiding grooves so that the hand grip is easy to mount. Claim 4 deals with preferred means for the locking of the hand grip in its upper operational position and releasing when it is to be lowered. Due to the effect dealt with in claim 5 the outward bending of the lowest part of the locking grip is limited, when it is activated by a rearward directed pull exerted in order to release the locking grip out of engagement with the upper edge of the container. Claim 6 deals with a preferred material for the production of the locking grip for a refuse collection container according to the invention. The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the drawing in which fig. 1 shows a refuse collection container according to the invention, viewed from the rear, with the hand grip in its raised operational position, fig. 2 is an illustration corresponding to that in fig. 1 in which the hand grip is lowered to its lowest position, fig. 3 is a sectional view after the line l-l in fig. 1 in the refuse collection container with the hand grip locked in the operational position, fig. 4 is a larger scale illustration of a part of the hand grip and the locking grip in engagement with the upper edge of the refuse collection container, fig. 5 is a larger-scale partial section in a refuse collection container according to the invention and a corresponding hand grip in which a spring in the hand grip is engaged in a groove in the container, and fig. 6 is a partial sectional view of a hand grip mounted in the upper operational position of a container according to the invention and the hand grip detached. As shown in the drawing a refuse collection container 1 is embodied with a bottom 2 on which is mounted a shaft 3 for two rolling wheels 4. The container 1 has a front 5 and a rear 6 limiting surfaces and two side surfaces 7 and 8. At the top the two limiting surfaces and side surfaces end in a circumferential edge 9 on which is mounted fittings for two sets of hinge pins 11 , which are oriented in parallel with the edge 9 along the corresponding side surface. On each set of hinge pins is mounted a lid 12. On the limiting surface 6 is mounted a hand grip 13. According to the invention the hand grip 13 is mounted displaceably in the upward and downward directions on the limiting surface 6 between an upper operational position, in which the top portion 14 of the hand grip is raised a distance - figs. 1 ,3 and 6 - above the edge 9 by means provided for the locking and unlocking of the hand grip, and a lower position in which the upper portion 14 of the hand grip is approximately level with the edge 9. As shown in figs. 1 and 2 the hand grip can be embodied as a bowed member consisting of an upper horizontal branch 14 and two side branches 15, which at the bottom are mutually attached to a plate member 16. As shown in fig. 3 the side branches 15 can be bent so that the upper part of the side branches is turned backwards obliquely from the horizontal branch 14. If it is decided to mount the fittings 10 on the edge 9 along the limiting surfaces 5 and 6, a lid 12 can be tilted in over the hand grip 13, when the latter is in its lower position and come to rest against the side branches 15. The hinges 10,11 are embodied so that an opposite lid 12, which is hinged to an edge 9 along the limiting surface 5, can be tilted 270° from the closed position to a position in which it hangs vertically down along the limiting surface 5. As shown in figs. 1 and 5 the hand grip 13 is embodied with two springs 17, which are arranged at a distance from each other so that they can move each in its own groove 18 in or on the limiting surface 6. The springs 17 can, as shown, have the geometry of a T, and the grooves 18 are designed to accommodate the spring so that the latter can be moved longitudinally in the groove, but cannot be pulled sideways out of engagement. As shown in fig. 1 the grooves 18 are open at the lowest end 18'. The hand grip 13 can therefore be mounted when the springs 17 are inserted into the grooves 18 from below. As shown in figs. 1-4 and 6 the hand grip can be locked in an upper operational position by means of a locking grip 19, which can be attached to the plate member 16. The locking grip 19 is - as shown in fig. 4 - embodied with a handle 20 and a protruding part 21 , which on the underside has a notch shaped with a horizontal contact face 22 and a vertical contact face 23, which in their operational positions come to rest against an upper side 24 and a side surface 25, respectively, on the upper edge 9. When the hand grip is to be released from engagement with the edge 9 this is done by pulling the locking grip 19 backwards and simultaneously pushing the hand grip downwards. This will bring the front edge of the protruding part 21 to rest against the side surface 25 of the edge 9 during its downward movement. As shown in fig. 4 the upper edge 9 - at least at an area level with the locking grip 19 - is embodied so that together with the limiting surface 6 it has the shape of an inverted U with an inside opening 26. Below the surface 23 the locking grip 19 is embodied with a projection 27 shaped and mounted in such a way that during the upper upward-going movement of the locking grip 19, where the protruding part 22 has come to rest against the surface 25, is moved up into the opening 26. When a rearward directed pull is exerted on the locking grip 19, a surface 28 on the projection 27 comes to rest against a internal surface 29 in the opening 26 and thus prevents the locking grip from being tilted too much backwards. The shown and described refuse collection container serves only to illustrate the invention. It is possible within the framework of the invention to imagine various modifications. For example, the hand grip and the locking grip can be embodied in other ways.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Refuse collection container which comprises a bottom (2) on which is mounted a shaft (3) carrying two rolling wheels (4), a front limiting surface (5) and a rear limiting surface (6) and two side surfaces (7) and (8), the said limiting and side surfaces being embodied at the top with a circumferential edge (9) to which - at least level with one of the side surfaces, but preferably level with both side surfaces (7,8) - are mounted fixings (10) for two sets of hinge pins (11 ), which are oriented parallel with the edge (9) along the side surfaces, and on which two lids (12) can turn from a closed to an open position, or vice versa, and a hand grip (13), which is mounted on the rear limiting surface (6) of the refuse collection container, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the fact that the hand grip (13) is mounted displaceably in the upward and downward directions on the limiting surface (6) between an upper operational position in which the upper part (14) of the hand grip (13) is raised a distance above the edge (9), as there are means for the locking and unlocking of the hand grip (13) in this upper position, and a lower position in which the upper part (14) of the hand grip is approximately level with the edge (9). 2. Refuse collection container according to claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the fact that the hand grip (13) is embodied with at least one, but preferably with two springs (17) arranged at a distance from each other, for example of the shape of a T, which can move each in its own slot or groove (18), which has a geometry suited to the spring, and which is embodied in or on the limiting surface (6), Figs. 1 and 5. 3. Refuse collection container according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the fact that the grooves (18) are open at the lower end (18'), Fig. 1 , and that the handle is mounted on the container by inserting the springs (17) in the grooves (18) from the bottom upwards. 4. Refuse collection container according to claim 1 , 5 c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the fact that the means for the locking of the hand grip (13) in its upper operational position consist of a spring element or locking grip (19) which is connected to the hand grip (13), and is embodied with a handle (20) and a protruding part (21 ), which on its under side has a notch consisting of a horizontal (22) and a vertical (23) contact face, which in the operational position comes to 10 rest against an upper surface (24) and a side surface (25), respectively, on the upper edge (9) of the container - Fig. 4 -, that the hand grip (13) can be moved out of engagement with the edge (9) by a rearward directed pull at the locking grip (19) and a downward directed push on the hand grip (13), whereby a front edge of the protruding part (21 ) comes to rest against the side surface (25) during the 15 downward movement of the hand grip (13). 5. Refuse collection container according to claims 1 and 4. c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the fact that the upper edge (9) of the container - at least in an area level with the locking grip (19) - is embodied so that together with the upper part of the limiting surface (6) it has the shape of an inverted U with an 20 inside opening (26), and that under the surface (23) of the locking grip (19) is mounted a projection 27, which is embodied so that during the upper upward movement of the locking grip (19), where the protruding part (22) is resting against the surface (25), it is moved upward into the opening (26), and that a surface (28) on the projection can come to rest against an internal side surface (29) in the 25 opening (26), when a rearward directed pull is exerted on the locking grip (19), Fig. 4. 6. Refuse collection container according to claims 1 and 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by the fact that the locking grip is produced of a synthetic material.

Inventors: SKOENAGER JENS PETER, SKOENAGER, JENS, PETER
Applicants: RIPLADAN AS, SKOENAGER JENS PETER, RIPLADAN A/S, SKOENAGER, JENS, PETER
Application year: 1999
Main classification: B65F1
IPC codes: B65F1