Patent Publication Number: US-7911169-B2

Title: Induction actuated container

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a Continuation application that claims the benefit of priority under 35U.S.C. §119 to a non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 12/658,102, filed Feb. 1, 2010, which is a Continuation application that claims the benefit of priority under 35U.S.C. §119 to a non-provisional application, application Ser. No. 11/544,372, filed Oct. 7, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,750,591. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly to an induction actuated container which is capable of automatically opening when a user is approaching. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     A conventional container for storing predetermined objects, such as a trash container, usually comprises a container body having a receiving cavity formed therein, and an opening communicated with the receiving cavity, and a cover panel movably mounted on top of the container body for selectively opening and enclosing the receiving cavity for allowing the user to dispose predetermined objects into the container body. When the container is not in use, the receiving cavity is substantially enclosed for physically separating the objects disposed in the receiving cavity from an exterior of the container. 
     In a number of situations, such as when a person is holding a lot of trash in both of his hands, it is inconvenient or difficult for the person to lift up the cover panel in that the person simply does not have spare hands to lift up the cover panel. If the person nevertheless tries to lift up the cover panel, he risks dropping all the trash in his or her hands onto the floor. 
     Because of this deep-seated difficulty with respect to the above-mentioned conventional container, there exist several other kinds of containers in which the cover panels are mainly designed to be actuated by feet instead of hands. These containers have substantially solved the problem of inconvenient or difficult lifting of the cover panel when the user has a lot of, say, trash, in his or her hands. However, they create other problems. For example, a substantially amount of force has to be applied to the paddle in order to lift up the cover panel. This may perhaps pose a certain degree of difficulty for such users as children and elderly. Moreover, since the operation of the containers is mainly relies on stepping force on the part of the user, the paddle would break very easily especially when people apply unknowingly excessive stepping force on it. 
     In recent years, electrically-operated containers have been developed in which the cover panel is largely driven by electrical components so as to achieve automatic opening or closing of that cover panel. For most of these electrically-operated containers, such as electrically-operated trash cans, a sensor is utilized for detecting a target movement, such as a movement of the person throwing trash, in a detection range, so that when that person stands in that detection range, the sensor will send a signal to the relevant electrical components so as to automatically lift up the cover panel, and when the user has left the detection range, the sensor will send a corresponding signal to those electrical components for automatically lowering down the cover panel so as to close the container. 
     There are a number of disadvantages in relation to this kind of electrically-powered containers. First, virtually all electrically-powered containers employed some sorts of sensors for detecting user&#39;s position so as to determine the exact time at which the cover panel is to be automatically actuated. However, the position of the sensors with respect to the corresponding container body may not be optimal so that the cover panel may be unnecessarily lifted up. This result may also occur when the sensor is too sensitive. Conversely, when the sensor is too insensitive, there may occur a situation where the cover panel does not lift up when in fact it is necessary. 
     Second, it is well-known in the art that when the cover panel is electrically-powered, it is difficult to effectively control the actual physical motion of the cover panel, especially when the cover panel is driven to lower down to cover the container body. More specifically, when the cover panel is pivotally moved to enclose the container body, gravitational force (due to the weight of the cover panel) has largely been ignored by many so that the cover panel is usually subject to excessive force when being driven to enclose the container body. As a result, it is suggested that some sort of mechanisms is required to actually controllably resist the gravitational force when the cover panel is driven to enclose the container body so as to prevent accidental damage to the electrical components, the container body, or even the cover panel itself. 
     Third, for some electrically-powered containers (such as trash cans), because of their utility function, are usually placed in an environment which not clean. Similarly, the objects which are to be disposed into the receiving cavity of the container body may contain liquid. All these adverse factors may eventually affect the durability of the electrical components of the relevant electrically-powered containers. Therefore, protection of the electrical components within the container is a very important issue. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     A main object of the present invention is to provide an induction actuated container which is capable of automatically opening when a user is approaching, and automatically closing when the user has left. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an induction actuated container which comprises an automatic driving arrangement which is strategically positioned to accurately sense a user&#39;s movement for actuating an opening or closing of a cover panel at the optimal time. In other words, the present invention substantially resolves the deep-seated problem of inappropriate actuation of the cover panel as occurred in the above-mentioned conventional containers. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an induction actuated container comprising an automatic driving arrangement which is effectively protected within a control housing against such adverse environmental factor as excess humidity, so as to prolong a general life span of the present invention. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an induction actuated container comprising an automatic driving arrangement which is capable of lifting a cover panel in a controlled manner so as to prevent accidental damage of the electrical components of the automatic driving arrangement when the cover panel is being drive to operate. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide an induction actuated container comprising an automatic driving arrangement, wherein the induction actuated container can be adapted to perform a wide variety of functions so as to allow widespread application of the present invention. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling an operation of an induction actuated container cover for a container body having a storage cavity, wherein a cover panel is to be actuated between a closed position and an opened position. 
     Accordingly, in order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a method of controlling an operation of an induction actuated container cover for a container body having a storage cavity, wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
     (a) normally retaining a cover panel of the container cover in a closed position to enclose the storage cavity of the container body; 
     (b) detecting a target movement of a user by a sensor within a predetermined detecting range, wherein the user approaches to the sensor at an approaching direction; 
     (c) generating a first actuating signal to an actuation unit when the sensor detects the target movement of the user; 
     (d) generating an actuation output from the actuation unit to the cover panel of the container cover, wherein the actuation output contains a decelerating and torque enhancing force which powerful enough to pivotally move the cover panel of the container cover at an opened position in a hydraulic manner; 
     (e) pivotally actuating the cover panel of the container cover at the opened position via the actuation output to expose the storage cavity of the container body, wherein the cover panel of the container cover is pivotally moved that a cover opening of the container cover faces towards the approaching direction for allowing the user to access the storage cavity of the container body; 
     (f) generating a second actuating signal after a predetermined time to pivotally actuate the cover panel of the container cover back to the closed position to enclose the storage cavity of the container body. 
     Moreover, the present invention provides an induction actuated container cover for a container body having a storage cavity and a container opening at an upper portion of the container body, wherein the induction actuated container cover comprises: 
     a control housing, having a cover opening, adapted for mounting at the container body at the container opening thereof to communicate the cover opening with the receiving cavity of the container body, wherein the cover opening has a width defining between two sidewalls of the control housing; 
     a cover panel pivotally mounted to the control housing to pivotally move between a closed position that the cover panel covers at the cover opening to enclose the receiving cavity and an opened position that the cover panel exposes the cover opening for communicating with the receiving cavity, wherein the cover panel has two side covering rims covering at two outer side edges of the cover opening of the control housing respectively to maximize an usable area of the cover opening when the cover panel is pivotally moved at the opened position; 
     an automatic driving arrangement, which comprises: 
     a sensor mounted on a front portion of the control housing for detecting a target movement of a user; and 
     an actuation unit supported in the control housing at a rear portion thereof, wherein the actuation unit comprises an actuation input operatively linked to the sensor and an actuation output coupling with the cover panel, wherein when the sensor is activated with respect to the target movement, the actuation output generates a decelerating and torque enhancing force to pivotally move the cover panel at the opened position in a hydraulic manner that the cover opening faces towards an approaching direction of the user for allowing the user to access the storage cavity of the container body. 
     These and other objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of the induction actuated container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional side view of the control housing of the induction actuated container according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional front view of the control housing of the induction actuated container according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a method of controlling an operation of an induction actuated container cover according to the above preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3  of the drawings, an induction actuated container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, in which the induction actuated container comprises a container body  10 , and an induction actuated container cover  20 . 
     The container body  10  has a storage cavity  11  and a container opening  12  formed at an upper portion of the container body  10 , wherein the storage cavity  11  is utilized for storing predetermined objects, such as trash, disposed by a user of the present invention. 
     The induction actuated container cover  20  comprises a control housing  21 , a cover panel  22  and an automatic driving arrangement  23 . The control housing  21 , having a cover opening  211 , is adapted for mounting at the container body  10  at the container opening  12  thereof to communicate the cover opening  211  with the receiving cavity  11  of the container body  10 , wherein the cover opening  211  has a width being defined between as the width between the two sidewalls  212  of the control housing  21 . 
     The cover panel  22  is pivotally mounted to the control housing  21  to pivotally move between a closed position that the cover panel  22  covers at the cover opening  211  to enclose the receiving cavity  11 , and an opened position that the cover panel  22  exposes the cover opening  211  for communicating with the receiving cavity  11 , wherein the cover panel  22  has two side covering rims  221  covering at two outer side edges of the cover opening  211  of the control housing  21  respectively to maximize an usable area of the cover opening  211  when the cover panel  22  is pivotally moved at the opened position. 
     The automatic driving arrangement  23  comprises a sensor  231  and an actuation unit  232 . The sensor  231  is mounted on a front portion of the control housing  21  for detecting a target movement of the user. 
     The actuation unit  232  is supported in the control housing  21  at a rear portion thereof, wherein the actuation unit  232  comprises an actuation input  2321  operatively linked to the sensor  231  and an actuation output  2322  coupling with the cover panel  22 , wherein when the sensor  231  is activated with respect to the target movement, the actuation output  2322  generates a decelerating and torque enhancing force to pivotally move the cover panel  22  at the opened position in a hydraulic manner that the cover opening  211  faces towards an approaching direction of the user for allowing the user to access the storage cavity  11  of the container body  10 . 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control housing  21  is adapted to fittedly cover on top of the container body  10  so as to selectively enclose the storage cavity  11 , wherein the cover opening  211  is well-aligned with the container opening  12  in such a manner that when the cover panel  22  is in the opened position, the storage cavity  11  is exposed to an exterior of the container body  10  via the cover opening  211 . As a result, the user is able to dispose the objects, such as trash, into the storage cavity  11 . 
     The cover opening  211  is formed between two sidewalls  212  of the control housing  21 , wherein the control housing  21  has two L-shaped retaining slots  218  indently formed at the two outer sidewalls  212  of the control housing  21  to engage with the two side covering rims  221  of the cover panel  22  respectively for fittedly enclosing the cover opening  211  when the cover panel  22  is at the closed position. 
     Moreover, it is important to point out that a height of the control housing  21  is gradually decreasing from a rear side thereof to a front side of the control housing  21  so as to constitute a substantially trapezoidal cross section when viewed from the side ( FIG. 2  of the drawings). As a result, when the user is approaching the induction actuated container from a front side thereof, his movement would trigger the actuation of the cover panel  22  for being driven to move from the normal closed position to the opened position, and expose the maximum area over which the user could dispose the objects into the storage cavity  11 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 3  of the drawings, the actuation unit  232  of the automatic driving arrangement  23  is position at a rear upper portion of the control housing  11  such that any unwanted residuals, such as trash residuals, which are accidentally disposed onto the control housing  21  is arranged to be naturally guided (by gravitational force) to slide towards the front side of the control housing  21  so as to minimize the chance of the unwanted residuals adversely affecting the actuation unit  232 . 
     Accordingly, the control housing  21  comprises a base sealing frame  213  having a peripheral sealing edge  2131  adapted for sealingly covering the container opening  12  of the container body  10 , and a main housing body  214 , having the substantial trapezoid cross section to define the two sidewalls  212  of the control housing  21  and a top slanted ceiling  215  thereof, provided on top of the base sealing frame  213 , wherein the cover opening  211  of the control housing  21  is formed on the top slanted ceiling  215  to align with the container opening  12  of the container body. Hence, the cover panel  22  is pivotally provided at the top slanted ceiling  215  for being driven to move between the normal closed position and the opened position. 
     Since the main housing body  214  has a trapezoidal cross section, a height of the front portion of the control housing  21  is shorter that that of the rear portion thereof, and the cover opening  211  is formed on the slanted ceiling  215  of the housing body  214  between the front and rear portions of the control housing  21  such that a surrounding wall of the cover opening  211  is extended inclinedly to maximize an opening area of the cover opening  211 . 
     The control housing  21  further comprises a protection boundary  216  provided in the main housing body  214  and peripherally encircles the cover opening  211  underneath thereof to divide the main housing body  214  into a front access portion  2141  and a rear actuation compartment  2142 , wherein the actuation unit  232  is securely received within the actuation compartment  2142  for driving the cover panel  22  to move between the closed position and the opened position. 
     More specifically, a rear enclosing wall  2161  of the cover opening  211  is upwardly extended to pivotally connect to a rear edge of the cover panel  22  to partition the housing body  214  to the front access portion  2141  in front of the rear enclosing wall  2161  and the rear actuation compartment  2142  behind the rear enclosing wall  2161 , wherein the actuation unit  232  is supported within the rear actuation compartment  2142  in an enclosed manner for sealedly separating the actuation unit  232  from the cover opening  211 . 
     Moreover, the peripheral sealing edge  2131  of the base sealing frame  213  has two parallel sealing walls  2132  extending downwardly to define a sealing channel therebetween for receiving the surrounding edge of the container opening  12  between the two sealing walls  2132  so as to sealedly mount the control housing  21  on the container body  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  of the drawings, the control housing  21  further comprises a plurality of reinforcing ribs  217  upwardly and integrally extended from the base sealing frame  213  to engage with the main housing body  214  for preventing a lateral movement between the base sealing frame  213  and the main housing body  214  and reinforcing a strength of the control housing  21  when the automatic driving arrangement  23  is operating. More specifically, the main housing body  214  further comprises a plurality of elongated guiding members  2143  spacedly provided within the actuation compartment  2142  to form a corresponding number of guiding slots  2144  between each two guiding members  2143 , wherein the reinforcing ribs  217  are slidably inserted into the guiding slots  2144  respectively so as to substantially prevent the lateral movement between the base sealing frame  213  and the main housing body  214 . With all these features, the general life span of the induction actuated container of the present invention can be maximally prolonged. 
     In order to further enhance the strength of the control housing  21 , the control housing  21  further comprises a plurality of first screw posts  219  downwardly extended from the housing body  214  and a plurality of second screw posts  2191  upwardly extended from the base sealing frame  213  to align with the first screw posts  219  respectively, such that the first screw posts  219  are respectively coupled with the second screw posts  2191  end-to-end to substantially support the housing body  214  on the base sealing frame  213 . Thus, when the reinforcing ribs  217  slidably engage with the guiding members  2143  respectively, the reinforcing ribs  217  not only guide the second screw posts  2191  alignedly coupled with the first screw posts  219  respectively but also substantially prevent a lateral movement between the base sealing frame  213  and the main housing body  214 . 
     The sensor  231  of the automatic driving arrangement  23  comprises a sensing unit  2311  mounted at a front side of the control housing  21  for delivering a sensor signal from a front side of the control housing  21  to detect a user&#39;s movement in front of the container body  10 . The sensor  231  further comprises a sensor circuit  2312  mounted within the main housing body  214 , and electrically connected to the actuation input  2321  and the sensing unit  2311  in such a manner that when the sensing unit  2311  detects the user&#39;s movement in front of the container body  10 , the sensor circuit  2312  will send a corresponding sensor signal to the actuation input  2321  for actuating the cover panel  22  to move from the normal closed position to the opened position. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensor circuit  2312  is mounted in front of the protection boundary  216  and is electrically connected to the actuation input  2321  of the automatic driving arrangement  23 , preferably by an electric cable. 
     It is worth mentioning that the control housing  21  has a slanted front wall  210  that the sensor  231  is inclinedly supported at the front wall  210  of the control housing  21 , such that the sensor  231  is located in front of the cover panel  22  to maximize the detecting range of the sensor  231  at the approaching direction for detecting the target movement. 
     The actuation input  2312  comprises an actuation control circuit securely mounted within the rear actuation compartment  2142  of the main housing body  214  for generating an actuation signal to the actuation output  2322  when it receives the sensor signal transmitted from the sensor circuit  2312 . 
     On the other hand, the actuation output  2322  comprises an electric driving unit  2323 , such as a servo motor, and a gear transmission unit  2324  mounted in within the rear actuation compartment  2142  of the main housing body  214  and is operatively communicated with the cover panel  22 , in such a manner that when the actuation output  2322  is actuated by the actuation signal, the servo motor is driven to operate for providing rotational power which is transmitted by the gear transmission unit  2324  for controllably lifting up the cover panel  22  at a speed determined by the gear ratios of the gear transmission unit  2324 . It is worth mentioning that, with the help of the gear transmission unit  2324 , the cover panel  22  can be lifted up and down in a manner as though it is lifted up and down hydraulically, i.e. generation of a decelerating and torque enhancing force in a stable and controllable manner. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  of the drawings, the induction actuated container cover  20  further comprises a plurality of resilient elements  24  mounting between a rear edge of the cover panel  22  and the main housing body  214  for normally applying an urging force as an initial force towards the cover panel  22  for initially pushing up the cover panel  22  simultaneously when the decelerating and torque enhancing force starts to pivotally move the cover panel  22  at the opened position. 
     Moreover, the induction actuated container cover  20  further comprises a power supply unit  25  provided within the main housing body  214  and electrically communicated with the automatic driving arrangement  23  for providing power thereto. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the power supply unit  25  is adapted for receiving a plurality of batteries (such as a plurality of conventional disposable batteries) which acts as energy source for operating the automatic driving arrangement. Alternatively, the power supply unit  25  may be electrically connected to an external AC power source or utilizes rechargeable batteries for providing power to the automatic driving arrangement  23 . In any event, however, hydraulics power is not needed, yet the cover panel  22  can be controllably lifted up and down as though hydraulics equipments are employed. 
     The operation of the present invention is as follows: when the automatic driving arrangement  23  is turned on, the sensor  231  is activated to search for user&#39;s movement in a detection range, e.g. an area in front of the induction actuated container, and when a user actually enters the detection range and approaches the induction actuated container, the sensor  231  will generate an actuation signal to the actuation input  2321  which then activates the actuation output  2322  for controllably lifting up the cover panel  22  from the closed position to the opened position, and when the user leaves the detection range, the sensor  231  will also send another actuation signal to the actuation input  2321  which then actuates the actuation output  2322  for moving the cover panel  22  from the opened position back to the closed position. 
     It is worth mentioning that, even if the user does not leave the detection range for long, the sensor circuit  2312  is pre-programmed to activate closing of the cover panel  22  when a predetermined time lapses after the cover panel  22  has been opened. This ensures that the cover panel  22  will be closed after a predetermined time period. Thus, it is important to stress that the sensor circuit  2312  can actually pre-programmed in a wide variety of ways so as to fit specific needs of individual manufacturers or users. Moreover, the cover panel  22  may also be manually operated through a plurality of control buttons  2313  provided on the control housing  21 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  of the drawings, a method of controlling an operation of an induction actuated container cover  20  for a container body  10  having a storage cavity  11 , wherein the method comprises the steps of: 
     (a) normally retaining a cover panel  22  of the container cover  20  in a closed position to enclose the storage cavity  11  of the container body  10 ; 
     (b) detecting a target movement of a user by a sensor  231  within a predetermined detecting range, wherein the user approaches to the sensor  231  at an approaching direction; 
     (c) generating a first actuating signal to an actuation unit  232  when the sensor  231  detects the target movement of the user; 
     (d) generating an actuation output  2322  from the actuation unit  232  to the cover panel  22  of the container cover  20 , wherein the actuation output  2322  contains a decelerating and torque enhancing force which powerful enough to pivotally move the cover panel  22  of the container cover  20  at an opened position in a hydraulic manner; 
     (e) pivotally actuating the cover panel  22  of the container cover  20  at the opened position via the actuation output  2322  to expose the storage cavity of the container body  10 , wherein the cover panel  22  of the container cover  20  is pivotally moved that a cover opening  211  of the container cover  20  faces towards the approaching direction for allowing the user to access the storage cavity  11  of the container body  10 ; 
     (f) generating a second actuating signal after a predetermined time to pivotally actuate the cover panel  22  of the container cover  20  back to the closed position to enclose the storage cavity  11  of the container body  10 . 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, step (a) comprises a step of normally applying an urging force as an initial force by at least a resilient element  24  towards the cover panel  22  for initially pushing up the cover panel  22  simultaneously when the decelerating and torque enhancing force starts to pivotally move the cover panel  22  at the opened position. Thus, the cover panel is easier to be opened by the normal urging force of the resilient element  24 . 
     Step (b) comprises the steps of: 
     (b.1) sending sensor signal in the detection range for detecting user&#39;s movement in the detection range; and 
     (b.2) receiving response signal from the detection range for confirming the user&#39;s movement in the detection range. The response signal may be in the form of reflection of the sensor signal from the detection range so that the sensor  231  can detect any difference between the outgoing sensor signal and the incoming response signal. 
     Moreover, step (b) further comprises a step of inclinedly supporting the sensor  231  at the container cover  20  at a position that the sensor  231  is located in front of the cover panel  22  to maximize the detecting range of the sensor  231  at the approaching direction for detecting the target movement. 
     Step (e) comprises the steps of: 
     (e.1) generating a first rotational movement by a motor  2323  of the actuation output  232 ; and 
     (e.2) converting the first rotational movement of the motor  2323  into the controlled decelerating and torque enhancing force by a gear transmission unit  2324  so as to pivotally lift up the cover panel  22  in a hydraulic manner. 
     Step (f) comprises the steps of: 
     (f.1) generating a second rotational movement by a motor  2323  of the actuation output  232 , wherein a direction of the rotational movement is opposite to the rotational movement stated in step (e); and 
     (f.2) converting the rotational movement of the motor  2323  into the controlled decelerating and torque enhancing force by a gear transmission unit  2324  so as to pivotally close the cover panel  22  in a hydraulic manner. 
     One skilled in the art will understand that the embodiment of the present invention as shown in the drawings and described above is exemplary only and not intended to be limiting. 
     It will thus be seen that the objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It embodiments have been shown and described for the purposes of illustrating the functional and structural principles of the present invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.