A BIN LID LIFTING ASSEMBLY

Abstract: A mobile bin has an attached lid lifting assembly, the assembly having a pivoting foot operated arm member which is pivotally attached to the bin side wall for pivoting movement about a horizontal axis, and which is attached to the bin wall adjacent a lower portion of the bin, the arm member having a forward portion which can be depressed by a person's foot and a rear portion, a rigid link member having a lower portion attached to the rear portion of the arm member and which extends to the bin lid and is closely spaced from the side wall of the bin at least between a position from above the bin wheels to below the bin lid, the link member having an upper portion which abuts against the bin lid, whereby depression of the arm member causes the link member to move upwardly to open the bin lid.

Description: A BIN LID LIFTING ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a bin lid lifting assembly which is attached to a mobile bin (typically a wheelie bin) and which allows the bin lid to be opened by depression of a foot pedal. The assembly is constructed and attached in a manner which provides advantages over and above other types of known bin lid lifters. BACKGROUND ART Mobile refuse bins (sometimes known as "wheelie bins") are made of strong plastic material. The bins have a lower rear axle on which a pair of wheels are mounted. The top of the bin is fitted with a pivoting bin lid with the lid having upper handles to allow it to be lifted by a person's hand. These bins have various volumes but are typically between 120 to 240lt. It is desirable to be able to open the bin lid without having to lift it. For instance, a person may have his or her hands full with garbage bags which makes lifting of the bin lid clumsy. In food outlets, hygiene considerations play a part and it is generally not desired to have the bin lid touched by a person's hand. Similar considerations apply in hospitals and industrial areas where the bin may contain hazardous or toxic waste products. Bin lid lifters are known in the art. Most bin lid lifters have a foot operated pedal which is in some way attached to or connected to the bin wheel or bin axle. This arrangement is not satisfactory. For instance, one type of lid lifting device has a bracket which is attached over the wheel which means that free rotation of the wheel is restricted. Other arrangements are clamped to the steel wheel axle but this can also hinder or restrict rotation of the bin wheels. As well, mobile bin designs can change to remove the steel wheel axle, or to reconfigure the lower end of the bin such that the bin wheels are recessed within the bin, making it extremely difficult to have a bin lid lifter attached either to the wheel or to the wheel axle. ~ Another disadvantage with existing bin lid lifters is that most protrude substantially from the bin wall. For instance, one type of bin lid lifter is mounted to the bin wheel and has a lever arm which needs to project quite substantially behind the bin. When attached, the bin cannot be placed against a wall or in a bin enclosure as the lever arm projects too far from the rear wall of the bin. Bin lid lifting devices having projecting or extending arm member brackets and the like are also dangerous in the sense that these protruding parts present a snag point and an injury point for persons working around the bin. Another disadvantage with existing bin lid lifting devices is that many have a push rod or link member which is attached to the bin lid. A disadvantage with this arrangement is that mobile bins are emptied by a refuse truck which has a mechanical grab arm which grabs the bin around the bin side walls, inverts the bin and vigorously shakes the bin to dislodge the contents. It is found that any bin lid lifting device which has a portion always attached to the bin lid can obstruct free movement of the bin lid during the emptying process. Some bin lid lifters attempt to overcome this problem by having a lid lifting portion attached to the rearmost portion of the lid and almost next to the pivot axis of the lid. This arrangement has the disadvantage that quite high forces are required to lift the lid as the push rod is very close to the lid pivot axis. Also, it is found that if the foot pedal is depressed rather quickly, the lid can flick up extremely fast and can strike and unwary person. Another disadvantage is that if the lid flips over past the hinge point, the foot lever can suddenly rise up and strike an unwary person but can also interfere with the refuse truck grab arm. A major disadvantage with most bin lid lifting devices is that they need to be decoupled from the bin prior to the bin being emptied by the refuse truck. This is because the grab arm of the refuse truck strongly grabs the side walls and sometimes the rear wall and front wall of the bin. The grab arm will not work efficiently if the grab arm also grabs the push rod or link member of the bin lid lifting device. Some lid lifters attempt to overcome this by having the working parts extending along a rear wall of the bin, however some grab arms do extend entirely around the bin. Also, if the working parts are on the rear wall of the bin, more complicated lever actions and connecting mechanisms are required to ensure that the lid can be lifted safely and without jerking when the foot pedal is depressed. Known lid lifting devices which have a push rod or link member extending along the side wall of the bin are always spaced appreciably from the side wall such that the push rod or link member can extend past the quite wide top horizontal rim of the bin. In doing so, the refuse truck grab arm cannot properly lift the bin or will crush or deform the push rod or link member. Therefore, this type of bin lid lifting device must be removed from the bin prior to the bin being emptied. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a lid lifting assembly which can at least partially overcome the abovementioned disadvantages by providing an assembly where the push rod or link member does not extend significantly from the bin wall and therefore will not interfere with the grab arm of the refuse truck. The assembly can lift the bin lid in a safe and controlled manner but is not attached to the lid and therefore will not interfere with the free pivoting of the lid when the bin is inverted and vigorously shaken to empty the contents. The assembly can have other features to improve safety, user friendliness and the like. In one form, the invention resides in a foot operated bin lid lifting device which contains a main body, which in turn is connected to an axle which is connected to the wheelie bin at a suitable area. Connected to the main body is a push rod which protrudes through the top rim of the bin and engages with the lid of the bin and when downward pressure is applied to the foot pedal, it raises the lid of the wheelie bin to a suitable position. In another form, the invention resides in a mobile bin having an attached lid lifting assembly, the assembly having a pivoting foot operated arm member which is pivotally attached to, or relative to, the bin side wall, or somewhere else on the bin, for pivoting movement about a horizontal axis, and which is attached to the bin wall adjacent a lower portion of the bin, the arm member having a forward portion which can be depressed by a persons foot and a rear portion, a rigid link member having a lower portion attached to the rear portion of the arm member and which extends to the bin lid and is closely spaced from the side wall of the bin at least between a position from above the bin wheels to below the bin lid, the link member having an upper portion which abuts against the bin lid, whereby depression of the arm member causes the link member to move upwardly to open the bin lid. In another form, the link member as described above is substantially straight and has an upper portion which passes through an opening in a top rim of the bin to contact the lid, thereby allowing the link member to remain closely spaced from the bin side wall throughout its length. By having a rigid link member which is closely spaced from the side wall of the bin, many of the abovementioned disadvantages with existing bin lid lifting devices are eliminated as the assembly can now remain attached to the bin when the bin is emptied as the link member, by being virtually against the bin wall, will not interfere with the grab arm. This in turn allows the assembly and particularly the pivoting foot operated arm member to be attached to the side wall with the link member also extending along the side wall, which does away with the more complicated mechanisms required if the components need to extend along a rear wall. The link member, in one form of the invention, passes through an opening in the top rim of the bin which means that it can stay virtually against the side wall of the bin along its entire length. The link member can abut against the bottom wall of the bin lid and appreciably spaced in front of the lid pivot axis which allows the lid to be raised in a smoother manner and with less force required on the foot pedal. The link member does not need to be attached to the lid which means that the lid can be free swinging with no restriction being placed on the swinging movement by any part of the lid lifting assembly. The lifting assembly can have a fairly low profile with no part of the assembly extending past the wheels of the wheelie bin (and therefore subject to snagging and damage) and where no part of the lifting assembly needs to extend beyond the back wall of the bin. The assembly merely has a foot pedal extending slightly forward of the front wall of the bin, although it is envisaged that the foot pedal could also be kept entirely within the side wall of the bin. The pivoting foot operated arm member can be formed from rigid materials such as a plastic or metal plate, rod, tube and the like. The forward portion of the arm member which is depressed by a person's foot typically has a foot pad on it such as a rubber pad. The length of the arm member and the position of the pivot point has bearing on the distance the bin lid is lifted upon depression of the arm member. The arm member can have a length such that it extends slightly in front of the bin front wall to a position forward of the bin wheels such that no part of the arm member extends into the wheel area. For a typical sized bin, the arm member has a length of between 350 to 400mm, a width of about 50mm and a thickness of about 12mm. Of course, this will vary depending on the size of the bin. The front portion of the arm member, which typically has a non- slip rubber foot pad on it, can extend in front of the bin front wall but still sit below the upper front rim of the bin such that if the bin is viewed in plan, the arm member is not visible. It is also preferred that the entire arm member sits fairly closely against the side wall of the bin such that no part protrudes from the upper peripheral rim of the bin when the bin is viewed in plan. This arrangement minimises any snag points or injury points. The arm member is pivotally attached to, or relative to, the bin side wall for pivoting movement about a horizontal axis when the bin is in an upright position. In one form, the pivot axis or axle is adjacent a lower portion " of the bin and below the uppermost portion of the bin wheels. That is, the pivot axis in one form of the invention does not project above the height of the bin wheels. In one form, the pivot axis is spaced substantially from the rear wheels of the bin such that the rear portion of the arm member can extend rearwardly of the pivot axis but still in front of the bin wheels. Typically, the pivot axis is positioned between 200 to 300mm in front of the bin wheels. The arm member can be pivotally attached to the bin in a number of different ways. In one form, an opening can be formed in the bin side wall and an axle can be pushed through the opening and fastened relative to the opening, the axle providing the pivot point for the arm member. In another form, a boss or like member can be fastened, moulded or otherwise formed on the bin side wall and an axle can be attached to the boss or like member. In this form, an opening is not formed in the bin wall. In yet another form, the lid lifting assembly can be attached in a manner that no specially molded boss, or a drilled axle opening into the interior of the bin is required. In this form, the arm member can be pivotally mounted to an axle bracket, and the axle bracket can be clipped, clamped, or otherwise fastened to an existing part of the bin which is not part of the main bin body. For instance, the bracket can be attached to an existing rib or flange which normally extends from the bottom wall of the bin. This attachment means that a hole does not need to be formed in the main body of the bin. The axle bracket can position the axle and thus the arm member in a desired position. The rigid link member or push rod is attached to the rear portion of the arm member. The rigid link member can be a rod, tube, plate and the like but it is preferred that the link member is not too thick or have a profile which will appreciably interfere with the grab arm of the refuse truck. A metal rod having a diameter of approximately 8mm or so is suitable. The link member is closely spaced from the side wall of the bin by which is meant that the link member is not an appreciable distance from the bin side wall. It is preferred that the link member is as close as possible against the side wall of the bin and can even slide against the side wall of the bin as long as no appreciable damage occurs on the bin side wall. In one form of the invention, the link member is spaced no more than 10mm or so from the bin side wall but is preferably more or less against the side wall of the bin. It is envisaged that the link member can ~ slide along the inside wall of the bin, for instance in a guide moulded or attached to the inside wall. While it is preferred that the link member is straight such that virtually all of the link member moves against the side wall of the bin, it is possible for only a portion of the link member to be adjacent the side wall, this portion being where the grab arm of the refuse truck grabs the bin. However, for the sake of simplicity it is preferred that the entire link member is straight and closely spaced from the bin side wall. The link member can be curved or angular in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the bin wall, but a straight link member seems to be the simplest solution., The link member has an upper portion or upper end which abuts against the bin lid such that the bin lid is lifted when the foot pedal is depressed. In one form, an opening is provided in the rather wide top rim of the bin through which the link member passes such that the link member can stay as close as possible to the bin side wall. If the link member passes through such an opening, it is preferred that the upper part of the link member has some means on it such as a bent end or a thickened portion which prevents the link member from passing entirely through the opening and thus becoming dislodged from the bin. The assembly can be provided with some safety factors or configurations which facilitate use of the assembly. One such feature is a link member stop arrangement which prevents the link member from opening the bin lid too much and/or prevents the link member from falling out of the opening on the bin rim. The lifting assembly may have additional safety features. For instance, one complaint with existing lid lifters is that if the bin is not very full, and if the foot lever is side mounted on the bin, depression of the foot lever can cause the bin to tip over. This is a particular problem if the bin is on an uneven surface. While this tipping problem is not as apparent with lid lifters which are attached to the wheel axle, axle attached bin lid lifters have numerous other disadvantages which make them not entirely suitable in the marketplace. As the foot operated arm member in the present invention is side mounted to the bin, one form of the invention has the rear portion of the arm member being ground engageable before the arm member is depressed. By having the rear portion ground engageable, it provides additional stability against tipping of the bin when the arm member is initially depressed. Another part of the assembly which can be provided is an additional safety feature which prevents the arm member from being depressed too far. This safety feature uses stop members or abutment members which prevents pivoting movement of the arm member past predetermined pivot angles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the invention will be illustrated with reference to the following figures in which Figures 1A and 1 B show a mobile bin having an attached lid lifting assembly with Figure 1A showing the assembly in the rest position and Figure 1 B showing the assembly in the use position. Figure 2 illustrates in greater detail the foot operated arm member of Figure 1. Figures 3A and 3B show two different versions of the foot operated arm member. Figures 4 and 5 show two versions of an axle to which the foot operated arm member can be pivotally attached. Figures 6A-6D show various views of the end of the rear portion of the foot operated arm member and where the link member is attached to the rear portion. Figures 7A-7E show various views of attachment of the link member to the foot operated arm member. Figures 8 to 10 show various different types of link members. Figure 11 illustrates another version of the foot operated arm member. Figure 12 shows a cap having stop members which limits the pivoting movement of the foot operated arm member. Figure 13 shows a foot pedal assembly which has an axle bracket to mount the assembly to the bin. Figure 14 is a side view of the assembly of Figure 13. Figure 15 is a side view of a slightly different foot pedal assembly which has a portion extending underneath the bin. Figure 16 shows a push rod according to an embodiment of the invention. Figures 17A-17C show outside, top and inside views of a foot pedal assembly according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 18 shows the foot pedal assembly of a bin, the bin being grabbed by a bin lifting device. BEST MODE Referring to the drawings and initially to Figures 1A and 1B, there is illustrated a mobile refuse bin or wheelie bin 10 which is of known design and which has a front wall 11 , rear wall 12, side wall 13, lower wheels 14 rotatably mounted to axle 15, upper lid 16 which is mounted to the remainder of bin 10 via a rear pivot axle 17 and a wide horizontal peripheral rim 18 which extends about the mouth of the bin. Attached to bin 12 is a lid lifting assembly which has a pivoting foot operated arm member 19 (alternatively called a "main body" or "foot pedal") which has a forward portion 20, a rear portion 21 and a pivot axle 22. Connected to rear portion 21 is a rigid link member in the form of a push rod 23. Push rod 23 extends closely along the side wall 13 of bin 10 and extends through an opening 24 in rim 18 of the bin. The uppermost end 25 of push rod 23 abuts against the inside wall of lid 16. In the embodiment, the bin is a conventional 240lt bin. Arm member 19 has a length of 390mm, a width of 50mm and a thickness of 12mm which gives arm member 19 a plate-like configuration. In the embodiment, the arm member is made of a good strong plastic although other materials such as metals can also be used. Axle or pivot point 22 is positioned on side wall 13 of the bin at a position which is lower than the uppermost end 26 of wheels 14. Also, axle 22 is spaced quite considerably away from wheels 14 and in the embodiment, axle 22 is approximately 230mm in front of wheel 14. This positioning allows for rear portion 21 to have a length of approximately 230mm without rear portion 21 striking wheels 14 or passing between wheels 14 and side wall 13. In essence, no part of the lid lifting assembly therefore interferes with any part of the bin wheels and the assembly is independent of the bin wheels which means that should newly designed bins have recessed wheels or wheels positioned in other areas, the lid lifting assembly can still be used. Push rod 23 in the embodiment is a metal rod circular in cross- section and having a diameter of 8mm. This can of course vary to suit. The push rod for the conventionally sized wheelie bin has a length of 1 m. Push rod 23 has a lower end 27 pivotally attached to rear portion 21 with greater detail of the pivot attachment being illustrated in Figures 2, 3A and 3B. The uppermost end 25 can either be bare, although in the embodiment it is preferred that the uppermost end has some form of means such as a cap, disc, thickened portion or even a bent end (see for instance Figures 8, 9 and 10) which function to provide a greater surface area against pushing the lid open and also prevents rod 23 from inadvertently being pulled out of opening 24. The thickness of arm member 19, the shape and thickness of the push rod 23, and the positioning of arm member 19 closely against side wall 13 all allow push rod 23 to move more or less against the bin wall or only slightly spaced from the bin wall. The spacing should be as close as possible to the bin wall but the spacing should not be so large that the grab arm of a refuse truck will function inefficiently because of the protruding push rod 23. Push rod 23 pushes against the bin lid at a position which is quite well spaced from axle 17 which means that the forward portion 20 does not need to be depressed very hard in order to lift the lid (it being appreciated that the closer the push rod is to axle 17 the harder it is to lift the lid by depression of the foot pedal). The push rod 23, apart from abutting against lid 16, is in no way connected to the lid which means that the lid can pivot freely during emptying or during manual handling. It is preferred that the lifting assembly arrangement is such that the weight of the bin lid 16 is sufficient to push down push rod 23 such that the lid can naturally close. This can be helped along by some form of biasing means such as a spring which can be positioned around or adjacent axle 22 to naturally bias the lid lifting assembly to the closed position illustrated in Figure 1A. Another advantage of having the thickened portion on the upper end of push rod (and as illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and 10) is that the upper end will slide along the inside wall of bin lid 16 as the lid lifts up, and this thickened arrangement facilitates smooth sliding movement without damage to the bin lid or catching of any sharp edges of end 25 against the bin lid. It can be seen that the lid lifting assembly can be fitted to the left-hand or right-hand side of the bin to suit. Figure 2 illustrates arm member in greater detail but also particularly illustrates a preferred attachment of rod 23 to the rear of arm member 19. The arm member in Figure 2 is shown in the rest position and in the embodiment, the rear portion 21 of the arm member has a terminal rounded portion 28 which sits against the ground when the lid lifting assembly is in the non-use position. This arrangement provides a safety aspect as it provides a measure of protection against sideways tipping of the bin when the foot pedal is initially depressed. Rounded portion 28 has a V-shaped cut-out portion 29 and the lowermost end of push rod 23 is pivotally coupled to rear portion 21 through pivot pin 30 but between the V-shaped portion 29. This limits the degree of pivoting movement of arm member 19. For instance, in the illustration in Figure 2, arm member 19 cannot pivot up any further due to abutment of rod 23 against one wall of the V-shaped portion 29. In Figure 2, rounded portion 28 also prevents further upward movement of arm member 19, but should the bin be on uneven ground, rounded portion 28 may not be ground engaging and then the abutment of rod 23 against one wall of V- shaped portion 29 prevents upward pivoting movement of arm member 19. Similarly, arm member 19 cannot be pushed downwardly too far as should this occur, push rod 23 will abut against the other wall of V-shaped portion 29 and again limits further depression of arm member 19. All of this provides a degree of safety by preventing the push rod from opening the lid too far or preventing the arm member from being raised too far (and therefore possibly interfering with the grab arm of the refuse truck) or being depressed too far. Another reason for possibly including a spring or the like which can be attached to axle 22 is to keep arm member 19 in its rest position when the bin is inverted and emptied by the refuse truck. Figures 3A and 3B illustrate variations in the arm member 19. The main difference between Figures 3A and 3B is with the shape of end 27. In Figure 3A, the rear end portion 31 has a thick disc-like configuration with a slot formed therein the slot being substantially V-shaped and similar to that illustrated with respect to Figure 2 to define limits or stops to the angle between push rod 23 and arm member 19. In Figure 3B, the same portion 32 is a simplified portion and is a disc having a V-portion cut out of it again to define stops or limits for push rod 23. Figures 4 and 5 show two methods by which arm member 19 is attached to the side wall of the bin. In Figure 4, the side wall 13 of the bin has a 20mm hole 35 drilled through it. An axle 33 having a diameter of about 20mm is pushed through the hole and from the inside of the bin such that axle 23 projects out of the side wall of the bin. Axle 33 is attached to a backing plate and backing plate 34 functions to hold axle 33 in place and to strengthen the area around the hole 35 drilled through the bin side wall. A mounting plate 36 of more or less circular configuration when viewed in plan has a corresponding bore 37 extending therethrough and mounting plate 36 mounts over axle 33 and onto the outside of the bin. Axle 33 has a bore 38 passing through it and once mounting plate 36 has been attached to the axle, bore 38 extends to the other side of the mounting plate and a pin or clip passes through bore 38 to retain mounting plate 36 onto axle 33. Mounting plate 36 has screw openings 39 which align with corresponding screw openings 40 on backing plate 34 and this allows the mounting plate and the backing plate to be firmly fastened together. The upper end of mounting plate 36 has a shoulder or stop member 41 the function of which is to prevent overpivoting of arm member 19. (In Figure 4, arm member 19 is shown in section and extends out of the page.) Arm member 19 has a bore 43 to allow it to mount onto axle 33. In an alternative, the mounting plate and backing plate can be screw threaded together, for instance by having threads on a portion of the axle and the bore in the mounting plate. Figure 5 shows an alternative mounting arrangement which does not require a hole to be drilled through the bin side wall. In this embodiment, the bin is formed with a protruding boss 44 which is circular when viewed from side on. A combined axle/mounting plate arrangement 45 which consists of an axle 46 similar to that described with reference to Figure 4 and a mounting plate or backing plate 47 which has the screw openings 48 and the stop member 49 and which is screwed to boss 44. An arm member (not shown) can be pivotally connected to axle 46 and a pin or clip (not illustrated) passes through passageway 50 to mount the arm member to axle 48. Stop member 49 functions to prevent overpivoting of the arm member in a manner similar to that described with reference to Figure 4. Referring to Figures 6A-6D, there is shown an embodiment by which push rod 23 is attached to rear portion 21 of arm member 19. Figure 6A illustrates the rear axle 51 fitted with a pivot pin 52. Figure 6B is a plan view of the rear axle of Figure 6A. Figure 6B is a side view of the end of rear portion 21 and where the push rod 23 is attached to rear portion 21. Figure 6C illustrates the push rod stop faces 53, 54. Figure 6D illustrates a cover plate and axle housing 55 for the rear axle. Figures 7A-7E show an alternative fixing arrangement to fix push rod 23 to the rear portion 21 of arm member 19. Figure 7A shows push rod stop faces 56, 57 which are on a plate 58 which is attached to one side of rear portion 21 (see Figure 7C). An opening 59 is provided in rear portion 21 and through which a turn end portion 60 of a push rod 61 can pass with a locking pin or clip 62 being provided to prevent the push rod from being pulled out of opening 59. Figures 8, 9 and 10 show various push rod designs. In Figure 8, push rod 63 is pivotally attached adjacent one end to rear portion 21. The upper end of push rod 63 has an attached cap 64 which abuts against the lower wall of bin lid 16. Figure 9 shows a push rod 65 having a rounded top end 66 and in Figure 10 push rod 67 has a thickened lower portion 68 which is attached to rear portion 21 of the arm member. Figure 11 shows yet a further alternative embodiment to arm member 19. In this embodiment, a cap or cover plate 70 is provided which has foot pedal end stops 71 , 72 which limits the pivoting movement of arm member 19. It can be seen that the lifting assembly is efficient, is not very bulky and is extremely practical in use. The assembly does not protrude past the outer edges of the wheelie bin and does not have to be disengaged for bin emptying. In the embodiment, the push rod is adequately attached to the arm member 19 and the wheelie bin so that it will not inadvertently become loose during emptying. In the embodiment, the arm member 19 is fitted to the bin at 100mm from the external bottom of the bin to the centre point of the axle and is 230mm from the outside of the wheel of the bin to the centre point of the axle. This allows for the foot operated device to be restricted in its rotational movement. The push rod extends through the top rim of the wheelie bin to a distance of approximately 190mm which allows the bin lid to be opened sufficiently to allow rubbish to be placed into the bin. Referring to Figures 13 and 14, there is illustrated a foot pedal assembly which is attached to the bottom skirt 80 of the wheelie bin. The foot pedal assembly has the usual arm member 81 which is formed with an axle hole 82. An axle bracket 83 is provided which has a protruding cylindrical axle 84 which extends through hole 82. An attachment clip (not show) then passes through pin or clip hole 85 (see Figure 14) in the usual manner. The bottom of axle bracket has two openings 86 through which bolts 87 pass. Behind axle bracket 83 is a particularly profiled spacer plate 88. Referring to Figure 14, spacer plate 88 is profiled such that the inner wall is tapered at 89 to mate with the angled bottom skirt 80 of the bin. Spacer plate 88 thereby presents a vertical face 90 for clamping to the back of axle bracket 83, and an inclined face 89 for good attachment to the skirt of bin 80. A backing plate 91 extends on the other side of the bin skirt 80 and a pair of nuts 92 are provided to threadingly engage with bolts 87. Thus, the axle bracket 83 can be easily attached relative to the side wall of the bin but onto the skirt 80 of the bin and therefore a hole is not drilled through the main body of the bin. The axle bracket 83 positions the axle 84 at the correct place for attachment of arm member 81. A spring 93 and cover plate 94 is provided with a spring retainer 95 extending from one side of arm member 81 for attachment to spring 93. Axle bracket 83 has a foot pedal stop end 96 which prevents arm member 81 from moving up too far and which also functions as an attachment point for the other end of spring 93 with the spring functioning to bias arm member 81 into a naturally upright position. Figure 15 is very similar to the assembly described in Figure 14 and like numbers have been used to identify like members. The major differences is that the axle bracket 97 has a right angle portion 98 which extends underneath the bin. Figure 16 illustrates another version of a push rod 99 which has a particularly configured end cap 100 which abuts against the bin lid and can slide up the rim of the lid. Figures 17A-17C illustrate another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, a foot operated arm member 110 pivots about a pivot pin 111 and has a front foot depressible portion 112. The rear area of arm member has a rounded portion 113 to which the bottom end of push rod 114 is attached. Better illustrated in Figure 17B (a plan view), rounded portion 113 has an internal slot 115 the slot being provided with two opposed tapered internal walls 116, 117 which function as stops or limits to the pivoting action of push rod 114. The lower end of the push rod extends through slot 115 and the push rod can freely pivot but only between pivot angles which are defined between walls 116, 117. Arm member 110 is pivotally attached via pivot pin 111 to a depending bracket 119. The bottom of bracket 119 has a pair of threaded steel bolts 120 extending at rights angles from the bracket. The steel bolts 120 are fitted with a plastic sleeve 121 the sleeve having an integral bottom plate 122. The sleeve can slide along bolts 120 which means that the sleeve can be spaced away from the inner wall 123 of bracket 119. The spacing between plate 122 of sleeve 121 , and wall 123 can be adjusted and a bottom skirt or fin of the bin (not illustrated) can pass into this gap. The bolt has nuts 124 which can be tightened to clamp the assembly to the bin skirt with the bin skirt being clamped between plate 122 and wall 123. Wall 123 may be tapered in a manner described with reference to the tapering illustrated in reference numeral 88 and 80 in Figures 14 and reference numeral 88 in Figure 15. Figure 18 illustrates a wheeled plastic refuse bin 130 having the foot pedal assembly 131 attached to it and the link member 132 extending along the side of the bin wall. The bin is emptied by a refuse truck which has an extending grab arm 133 which grabs the bin, and it can be seen that grab arm 133 can work efficiently without link member 132 interfering with the operation of the grab arm and without link member 132 being damaged by the grab arm. It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A hands free lid lifting assembly for a wheeled refuse bin, the assembly having a pivoting foot operated arm member which is pivotally attached relative to the bin wall for pivoting movement about a horizontal axis and which is attached to the bin wall adjacent a lower portion of the bin, the arm member having a forward foot depressible portion, and a rear portion, a rigid link member having a lower portion attached to the rear portion of the arm member and which extends to the bin lid and is closely spaced from the side wall of the bin at least between a position from above the bin wheels to below the bin lid, the link member having an upper portion which abuts against the bin lid, whereby depression of the arm member causes the link member to move upwardly to open the bin lid. 2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the arm member is pivotally attached to an axle bracket, and the axle bracket is adapted to be fixed to the bin. 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the link member is pivotally attached to the arm member. 4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the pivotal movement of the link member is limited by stops which are provided on the arm member. 5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the axle bracket has a clamping means to clamp the assembly to the bin. 6. A mobile bin having an attached lid lifting assembly, the assembly having a pivoting foot operated arm member which is pivotally attached relative to the bin side wall for pivoting movement about a horizontal axis, and which is attached to the bin wall adjacent a lower portion of the bin, the arm member having a forward portion which can be depressed by a persons foot and a rear portion, a rigid link member having a lower portion attached to the rear portion of the arm member and which extends to the bin lid and is closely spaced from the side wall of the bin at least between a position from above the bin wheels to below the bin lid, the link member having an upper portion which abuts against the bin lid, whereby depression of the arm member causes the link member to move upwardly to open the bin lid. 7. The bin of claim 6, the bin having a top rim extending outwardly from the bin side wall, the rim having an opening passing therethrough, the link member passing through the opening in the top rim of the bin. 8. The bin of claim 7, wherein the link member abuts against the bin lid at a position in front of the lid pivot axis, and is not attached to the lid. 9. The bin of claim 8, the bin having a bottom wall which has a projection, the assembly having clamping means to clamp the assembly to the projection. 10. The bin of claim 9, wherein the arm member is pivotally attached to an axle bracket, the axle bracket being elongate and having an upper end to which the arm member is attached, and a lower end, the clamping means extending from the lower end to clamp the assembly to the bin, the arm member being on the lower side wall of the bin. 11. The bin of claim 10, the bin having a peripheral upper rim, the arm member being positioned along a side wall of the bin, the arm member being elongate and having a front end which extends in front of the front wall of the bin but which does not project in front of the peripheral rim and which is forward of the pivot point, and a rear end to which the link member is attached.

Inventors: LANSDOWN KEVIN SYDNEY, LANSDOWN, KEVIN, SYDNEY
Applicants: LANSDOWN KEVIN SYDNEY, LANSDOWN, KEVIN, SYDNEY
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65F1
IPC codes: B65F1