Abstract:
A cover for a container is provided in one embodiment. The cover has an upper side and an underside. The underside comes in physical contact with a container when the cover is in a closed position. A hinge pivotally secures the cover to the container. A lock is secured opposite the hinge and on the underside of the cover. The lock automatically and securely affixes the cover to the container when the cover is in the closed position. A release is positioned on the upper side of the cover to disengage the lock and releases the cover from the container. In another embodiment, the cover tilts at an angle when not fully closed, revealing a high contrast color on the upper inner sidewall of the container, providing a visible indication that the container is open.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention generally relates to an automatic locking mechanism for securing a lid to a container.  
         [0002]     Hazardous waste, such as volatile organic compounds and chemicals, is commonly stored in containers such as thirty or fifty-five gallon drums. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has imposed stringent regulations regarding spill protection for hazardous waste containers. More particularly, hazardous waste contained within storage containers must be locked when not depositing the hazardous waste in order to prevent the accidental escape of hazardous material.  
         [0003]     There are several methods of securing the container lid to the container body. One way to seal the container is by using a bolt ring that bolts the lid to the container. Other methods of securing a lid to the container body include using a screw-on lid and a dual-bung drums with both bungs securely in place. However, it is often difficult to determine using these methods whether a secure seal was obtained between the lid and the body. Further, it can be time-consuming to ensure that a proper seal was created between the lid and the body using these methods.  
         [0004]     Accordingly, there is a need for an automatic locking mechanism that fits on a container lid to allow for the “auto-locking” and sealing of the container lid to the container body upon closing in order to facilitate the compliance with the EPA regulations as well as to reduce the amount of human error associated with keeping a container securely locked.  
         [0005]     There is an additional need for a quick and simple method to easily determine whether the container lid is open or locked.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     According to one embodiment of the present invention, a cover is provided. The cover has an upper side and an underside. The underside comes in physical contact with a container when the cover is in a closed position. A hinge pivotally secures the cover to the container. A lock is secured opposite the hinge and on the underside of the cover. The lock automatically and securely affixes the cover to the container when the cover is in the closed position. A release is positioned on the upper side of the cover to disengage the lock and releases the cover from the container.  
         [0007]     According to another embodiment of the present invention, a cover for a container wherein the cover is securely affixed onto a body of the container is provided. The body of the container is formed from elongated sidewalls. The cover has an upper side and an underside. The underside of the cover comes in physical contact with the upper edge of the sidewalls when the cover is in a closed position. The upper edge is colored and the coloring is visible when the cover is an open position. A hinge pivotally secures the cover to the container. A lock is secured opposite the hinge. The lock automatically seals the cover to the upper edge of the sidewalls when the cover is closed.  
         [0008]     According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a cover for a container is provided. The cover is securely affixed onto a body of the container. The body of the container is formed by elongated sidewalls. The cover has an upper side and an underside. The underside is in physical contact with the elongated sidewalls when the cover is closed. A hinge pivotally secures the cover to the body of the container. A handle on the upper side of the cover is secured opposite the hinge. A lock is secured opposite the hinge and is proximate to the handle. The lock automatically locks the cover to the body of the container creating a secure seal when the cover is in the closed position.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, it is a feature of at least some embodiments of the present invention to provide a cover fitted onto a container that automatically self-locks the cover to the container when the cover is in the closed position.  
         [0010]     It is another feature of at least some embodiments of the present invention to provide for a simple method to quickly and easily determine whether a cover of a container is sealed and in the closed position.  
         [0011]     Other features of the embodiments of the present invention will be apparent in light of the description of the invention embodied herein. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an automatic locking cover in the closed position according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  illustrates the striker element of an automatic locking assembly, as attached to the inside of a container according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of a latching mechanism on the underside of an automatic locking cover, according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of a paddle latch assembly of an automatic locking cover, according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an automatic locking cover used in conjunction with a lid body in the closed position according to one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an automatic locking cover used in conjunction with a lid body in the open position according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     In the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration, and not by way of limitation, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0020]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a container  10  for containing and storing material is illustrated. One type of container  10  that can be used is an open head container. The container  10 , as illustrated, comprises a drum but can comprise any other type of open head container designed to store hazardous material such as, for example, a can, a tote bin, a jug or a roll-off box. The container  10  can have elongated sidewalls which form the body  20  of the container  10 . The body  20  of the container  10  can have a solid, closed-off bottom and an open end top.  
         [0021]     The open head container  10  can have a cover  46  with the same general dimensions as the open end of the container  10 . The cover  46  may be opened, or lifted, from the container  10  to add material or to allow for the addition of more material to the container  10 . The cover  46  can be securely mated with the open end top of container body  20  to maintain a secure seal between the cover  46  and the sidewalls of the container  10  to prevent the material from spilling or unintentionally escaping from the container  10  into the surroundings. The stored material can be hazardous waste such as volatile organic compounds or chemicals.  
         [0022]     The cover  46  can be pivotally secured to the body  20  of the container  10  via a hinge  22 . In one embodiment, spring tensions may be applied to hinge  22  to prevent the free-fall of the cover  46  onto the container  10 . In addition, a handle  34  may be secured to the cover  46  so that a worker can obtain a better hold of the cover  46  to open the cover  46  to add additional material to the container  10 .  
         [0023]     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the sidewall of the body  20  of the container  10  may have a striker element  24  mounted on it. The striker element  24  may be positioned opposite the hinge  22 . In one embodiment, the striker element  24  may be a substantially L-shaped flange that extends outward from the sidewall of the body  20  into the interior of the container  10 . The substantially L-shaped flange of the striker element  24  can be configured to automatically engage a latching mechanism  32  that is associated with the cover  46  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The engagement of the latching mechanism  32  with the striker element  24  securely locks, or seals, the cover  46  to the body  20  of the container  10  automatically when the cover  46  is moved to the closed position. The striker element  24  may be made of a non-sparking material. Non-sparking material is a material that will not spark when struck against another object. Examples of non-sparking material include metals such as brass, bronze, aluminum, zinc, Monel metal (copper-nickel alloy), copper-aluminum alloys (aluminum bronze), copper-beryllium alloys (beryllium bronze), and titanium.  
         [0024]     The automatic latching mechanism  32  can be mounted to the underside of the cover  46  with, for example, a mounting bracket  42 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 5  and  6 , the automatic latching mechanism  32  may be located opposite of the hinge  22  on the underside of the cover  46  in the proximity of the handle  34 . In addition, a release  38  may be provided on the upper side of the cover  46  in the general proximity of the handle  34  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 4 - 6 . The release  38  unlocks, or unseals, the cover  46  from the body  20  of the container  10 . The release  38  can be actuated using one hand. The release  38  may also be actuated while holding the handle  34  which allows a worker to open, or unseal, the cover  46  and to lift the cover  46  into an open position with one hand.  
         [0025]     In one embodiment, the automatic latching mechanism  32  may comprise a latch assembly  36 , such as, for example, a sliding, slam type paddle latch. In this embodiment, the paddle latch includes a striker element  24 , a release  38  and a slide  40 .  FIG. 4  illustrates a cross sectional view of a paddle latch mechanism  36  of an automatic locking cover  46 . As discussed above and illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the paddle latch assembly  36  may be secured to the cover  46  of the container  10  via mounting bracket  42 . The slide  40  can be made of high strength low alloy steel, stainless steel, die cast zinc, powder metal, plastic, or any other suitable material. The paddle latch assembly  36  can be actuated by the release  38  that can be connected to the slide  40 . The slide  40  engages the striker element  24  and rests beneath the striker element  24 , when the cover  46  is in physical contact with the body  20  of the container  10 , to automatically hold the cover  46  in the closed position. In operation, the cover  46  may be opened by pulling upward on the release  38  of the paddle latch assembly  36 , thereby disengaging the slide  40  from striker element  24  by sliding the slide  40  out from under the substantially L-shaped flange of the striker element  24  and in towards the interior of the latch assembly  36  and towards the center of the cover  46 . The cover  46  may be securely closed and sealed by simply dropping the cover  46  towards container  10  and allowing the angled surface of the slide  40  to contact the striker element  24 , slide inwardly due to the contact, slide back outwardly after the striker element  24  is cleared, and the rest under the substantially L-shaped flange of the striker element  24 , in order to securely hold the cover  46  in the closed position.  
         [0026]     In another embodiment, the automatic latching mechanism  32  may comprise a trigger activated latching mechanism. In this embodiment, a detent is connected to the release  38 , or a trigger, on the upper side of the cover  46 . The detent can be engagable with the striker element  24  mounted on the sidewall of the container  10 . The actuation of the release  38  causes the detent to move from a latched position in which the detent engages the striker element  24  for latching the cover  46  closed to an unlatched position in which the detent can be disengaged from the striker element  24  for allowing the cover  46  to be opened. The release  38  can be actuated by pressing down on the release  38  which disengages the detent. The cover  46  may be automatically and securely closed and sealed by simply dropping the cover  46  towards container  10  and allowing the detent to engage the striker element  24 . However, any type of automatic latching mechanism  32  assembly can be incorporated with the container  10  to achieve the foregoing automatic closing and sealing of the cover  46  to the container body  20 , such as, for example a spring-loaded latching mechanism or a magnetic latching mechanism.  
         [0027]     In another embodiment, such as that illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the container  10  also comprises a lid body  30 , having sidewalls  35  and a lower skirt  37  extending outwardly from the sidewalls  35  between the container body  20  and the cover  46 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . The bottom edge of the lid body  30  can have a three dimensional shape that can be substantially the same two-dimensional shape as the open end top of the container  10 . The upper edge  44  defined by the sidewalls  35  has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the container  10  so as to provide a stepped cap configuration. The lid body  30  is securely affixed to the sidewalls of the body  20  of the container  10  by the use of a bolt ring or any other method that ensures that the lid body  30  is tightly attached and sealed to the body  20  of the container  10 . The lid body  30  can be comprised of a non-corrosive material such as steel. The lid body  30  is hollow to allow for the passage of material through the lid body  30  into the container body  20 .  
         [0028]      FIG. 6  illustrates a top view of the container  10  with the cover  46  of the lid body  30  in the open position. The upper edge  44  of the sidewalls  35  of the lid body  30  is colored or shaded in a high-contrast (relative to the container  10  and/or cover  46 ) easily visible color as a simple method for the worker to quickly determine at a glance that the cover  46  is open and is not securely sealed to the container body  20 . The upper edge  44  can be colored yellow or any other high-contrast color that can be easily seen or noticed by the worker.  
         [0029]     For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention it is noted that the term “substantially” is utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. The term “substantially” is also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.  
         [0030]     Having described the invention in detail and by reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible More specifically, although some aspects of the present invention are identified herein as preferred or particularly advantageous, it is contemplated that the present invention is not necessarily limited to these preferred aspects of the invention.