Abstract:
The present invention relates to composting bins assembled from at least one elongated sheet of semi-rigid, flexible material with a means for locking the near and far ends of the elongated sheet together while the near and far ends overlap to form the enclosed space for containing decomposing organic waste matter.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to composting bins. More particularly, the present invention relates to a composting bin constructed using one or more elongated sheets of semi-rigid, flexible material, the ends of which are attached using a fastening means. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Compost for use in gardening consists of decomposed waste organic material. A number of different devices have been and are still used to contain the waste material during the decomposition process. The earliest devices used were pits dug in the earth. Using a pit for decomposing materials has several shortcomings. First, there is the labor involved in digging the pit. In an urban environment, one must also be concerned about the appearance and odor of a pit containing decomposing waste material located in one&#39;s yard. Finally, the decomposition process requires ventilation and the waste material must be &#34;turned&#34; periodically to facilitate proper decomposition. 
     More recent above ground devices have been used as composting bins to contain the decomposing waste material. These devices also have a number of problems in achieving the desired result. Composting bins constructed of wire panels, as disclosed in Ringer (U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,033), present several shortcomings. First, the decomposition process requires both heat and moisture. The wire panels of Ringer allow both to escape. Further, the wire panels are needlessly heavy, complex to manufacture, and therefore, expensive. 
     Wilson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,294) resolves some of the problems of wire composting bins as represented by Ringer, but has other shortcomings. Wilson discloses a plurality of panels with ends that have interlocking beads and channels. The panels are interlocked in a circular manner to form the composting bin. The beads and channels of the panels in the Wilson apparatus would require special moldings in manufacture, increasing the cost of the apparatus. Also, the number of panels required to construct the Wilson apparatus reduce the ease and convenience of its assembly. 
     As illustrated by the present discussion, there are a number of desirable features for a composting bin apparatus. The bin should be lightweight, easy to manufacture and assemble, relatively inexpensive, and able to retain the heat and moisture resulting from the decomposition of the waste material. Further, it would be desirable for a composting bin to be transportable and collapsible for easy storage when not in use. To allow its use in different situations, one should be able to adjust the capacity of the bin. 
     Although the discussion herein relates to composting bins, it is not intended that the invention be limited to this situation. It will be obvious from the description that follows that the present invention will be useful in other applications with problems common to those described herein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to contain decomposing organic waste material to provide compost for gardens. 
     It is also the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is easy and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. 
     It is the further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that is lightweight and easy to assemble. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that will retain the heat and moisture generated decomposing waste material. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with a capacity that easily can be adjusted. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can be easily disassembled and stored when not in use. 
     The present invention achieves these objectives and other objectives which will become apparent from the description that follows, by providing at least one elongated sheet of semi-rigid, flexible material with a means of fastening the two ends of the same sheet or the opposite ends of two or more sheets together to form an enclosed space in which to contain the decomposing waste material. 
     The fastening means generally involves a plurality of apertures through the elongated sheet(s) in proximity to one end and a plurality of u-shaped members attached to the elongated sheet(s) in proximity to the other end. The apertures and u-shaped members are arranged so that when the end of the sheet(s) containing the apertures overlaps u-shaped members attached to the opposite end, the apertures and the u-shaped members align and u-shaped members extend through the apertures, forming a plurality of bores that are substantially in line. An elongated structural member, such as a thin wooden or metal stake is then placed through the bores, thereby locking the two ends together. For stability of the resultant composting bin, the stake can be driven into the ground. 
     In alternate embodiments, there can be apertures at both ends of the elongated sheet(s) which align when one end overlaps the opposite end. After the ends overlap one another in this embodiment, the u-shaped members are then extended through both apertures forming essentially the same plurality of bores discussed above. 
     In another alternate embodiment, the u-shaped members are attached to a backing sheet, which in turn, is attached to one end of the elongated sheet(s). As with the above embodiments, the u-shaped members then extend through the apertures when one end of the elongated sheet(s) overlaps the other end. 
     Multiple elongated sheets may be used with any of the fastening means. An end of one sheet overlaps the opposite end of another sheet, aligning the apertures so that the u-shaped members can extend through them and form the bores. This is done with each sheet until an enclosed space is formed. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a partial, side elevation view of a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial side elevation view of a preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, taken along lines 4--4 of FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an auxiliary structural member used in an alternative preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of an alternative preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of a second alternative preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIG.&#39;s 1-4. In this embodiment, a composting bin 10 is constructed from a single elongated sheet 12 of semirigid, flexible material, such as plastic or treated cardboard. As shown in FIG. 2, there are a plurality of apertures 26 through the elongated sheet in proximity to its near end 14. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.&#39;s 1-4, there is a second plurality of apertures 26 through the elongated sheet in proximity to its far end 16. The apertures are located so that when the end of the sheet overlaps the far end, the apertures are as shown best in FIG.&#39;s 1 and 4. 
     The apertures are of such a size and that u-shaped members 22 can be extended through the aperture. The u-shaped members are sufficiently high to extend t beyond two thicknesses of the elongated sheet when the ends of the sheet are overlapped as illustrated in FIG. 4. When the u-shaped members are extended through the apertures, a plurality of bores 28 are formed. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the apertures are arranged so that the bores are substantially in line. Also shown in FIG. 4 are the tabs 24 which prevent the u-shaped members from passing completely through the apertures. 
     During manufacture, the u-shaped members may be extended through the apertures near the far end of the sheet and attached directly to the inner surface 18 of the elongated sheet by some means, such as an adhesive, rivets, or staples. Alternately, the members may be left as separate pieces which are pushed through the apertures when the bin is actually assembled. 
     To assemble the composting bin, one takes the elongated sheet and wraps it around so that the near end is overlapping the far end and the outer surface 20 is on the outside of the resulting structure as shown in FIG. 1. If the u-shaped members have already been attached to the sheet, the near end is moved until the apertures are aligned with the attached u-shaped members and then the members are extended through the apertures through the near end of the sheet, forming the plurality of bores. If the u-shaped members have not been previously attached, the two ends of the elongated sheet are moved until the two pluralities of apertures are aligned and then the u-shaped members are extended through both apertures to form the plurality of bores as shown in FIG. 1. 
     Once the bores have been formed, the assembler takes an elongated structural member, such as a wooden stake or a metal rod, that is both sufficiently narrow and long to pass through all of the bores simultaneously. When the elongated structural member is passed through the bores, it locks the two ends together and forms the enclosed space of the composting bin. After the elongated member has been passed through the bores, its sharpened forward end may be driven into the ground to enhance the stability of the composting bin. At this point, the organic waste material can be placed into the bin. 
     An alternative embodiment in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this embodiment, the u-shaped members 42 are attached to a backing sheet 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the tabs 44 on the u-shaped members are attached directly to the backing sheet by some means, such as an adhesive, rivets, or staples, forming an auxiliary structural member 38. Backing sheet 40 is advantageously constructed of a substantially rigid material such as thick plastic. 
     Assembly of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment discussed above. The auxiliary structural member may be attached to the inner surface 56 of an elongated sheet 51 during manufacture. This extends the u-shaped members through the apertures 46 near the far end 54 of the sheet. Alternately, the auxiliary structural member may be left as a separate piece until assembly. Regardless of the method utilized, the near end 52 of the sheet overlaps the far end and is moved until apertures are aligned and the u-shaped members can be extended through them. As discussed above and shown in FIG. 6, this forms a plurality of bores 48 that are in line. After the bores are formed, an elongated structural member 49 is passed through all of the bores simultaneously, locking the two ends of the elongated sheet together between backing sheet 40 and the elongated structural member, and may be driven into the ground. 
     This embodiment has several advantages in addition to the advantages present in the general invention. First, the auxiliary structural member allows for even quicker assembly of the composting bin than with the first embodiment, by reducing the number of pieces required for assembly and fixing all of the u-shaped members in the correct position so that one may take the auxiliary structural member and extend all of the u-shaped members through the apertures simultaneously. The auxiliary structural member can also provide greater structural integrity to the assembled composting bin. 
     A third alternative embodiment in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 7. This embodiment allows the assembly of a composting bin with a greater storage capacity by using more than one elongated sheet. Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 uses two elongated sheets 60, any number of sheets could be used in assembly of a composting bin limited only by the desired size and the availability of space. 
     As with the other embodiments of the invention, there is a set of apertures 74 though each elongated sheet in proximity to the near end 66 of that sheet. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, there is also a set of apertures through each sheet in proximity to the far end 68 of that sheet. As with the other embodiments discussed, the u-shaped members 70 can be attached to each sheet during manufacture or left as separate pieces until assembly. 
     During assembly, instead of wrapping one sheet around on itself to overlap the two ends, the near end of one sheet overlaps the far end of a different sheet. When the apertures are aligned, the u-shaped members are extended through the apertures to form a set of bores 76 that are in line. An elongated structural member 78 then is passed through all of the bores in that particular set and can be driven into the ground. This assembly is repeated with additional elongated sheets until the desired size for the composting bin is achieved. When the two ends of the first and the last elongated sheets used are overlapped and locked together by an elongated structural member, the composting bin is assembled and ready to receive the organic waste material as shown in FIG. 7 for two elongated sheets. 
     The auxiliary structural member discussed in the second alternative embodiment could also be used with this embodiment. Also, since the composting bin is easily assembled and disassembled, if there was a desire to expand the capacity of an existing composting bin, such an expansion could be accomplished merely by purchasing the appropriate pieces and adding those pieces to an existing bin. 
     It can be seen from the above discussion that the present invention as represented by these and other embodiments, is lightweight, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, quick and easy to assemble, readily portable, easy to store, and adjustable for capacity. Also, the pieces of the unassembled or partially assembled composting bin can be rolled into an assembly compact enough to be placed into a relatively small box for sale. The present invention has possible applications in any area in which lightweight, inexpensive, easy-to-assemble, easy-to-transport temporary storage is needed, such as temporary waste containers at outdoor concerts and other large outdoor assemblies, or as temporary storage for produce in fields. 
     Other variations and embodiments of the present invention are contemplated. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate such variations upon carefully reviewing the above disclosure. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited by the above description, but is to be determined in the scope of the claims which follow.