Patent Publication Number: US-2009230131-A1

Title: Trash and recyclables receptacle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/036,224, filed on Mar. 13, 2008, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention is related to receptacles for accumulating various types of trash and/or recyclables and for easing and accommodating the disposition thereof. 
     Trash receptacles are often lined with a liner bag. When the receptacle is filled, its contents can be removed by removing the filled liner bag. However, in some trash receptacles, particularly when the receptacle is near capacity, removable of the liner bag can be difficult due to the pressure of the contents on the interior walls of the receptacle. Removal of the liner bag can be made even more difficult due to the formation of a low pressure “vacuum” inside the receptacle as the bag is pulled out. As a further complication, in some receptacles, the liner bag can fall into the receptacle as it is being filled, thereby making it later difficult to remove the contents. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, in general, a trash and/or recyclables receptacle includes a housing that defines a cavity and has a lid that is openable to create an orifice to access the cavity. A bin is disposed in the cavity having an open portion at one end. The bin has a number of portions that form an interior region. The portions are engaged with one another permitting the bin to change from a first configuration to a second configuration such that the volume of the interior region of the bin is larger in the second configuration than in the first configuration. 
     Aspects can include one or more of the following features. 
     The bin has two wall portions that are pivotably coupled to one another to permit changing from the first configuration to the second configuration of the bin by pivoting the wall portions relative to one another. 
     The second configuration the bin has a relatively greater degree of upward tapering than in the first configuration. 
     The bin is removable through the orifice formed when the lid is opened. 
     The lid, when closed, maintains the bin in the first configuration. The lid can include a door that when open while maintaining the lid closed provides access to the interior region of the bin. The lid, when closed, can mate with the bin for securing a liner bag for the bin. 
     In another aspect, in general, a trash receptacle has a housing defining a cavity and has a lid openable to create an orifice to access the cavity, with a bin disposed in the cavity and removable there-from through the orifice. The bin may have a bottom surface and an upstanding peripheral wall, the wall having two portions which may one or both pivotably engage the bottom surface such that the two portions are relatively separable to ease the removal of a filled liner bag. 
     The bin may alternatively have a primary bin portion that has a bottom surface and an upstanding primary wall, and a secondary bin portion that has an upstanding secondary wall cooperating with the primary wall to form an upstanding peripheral wall, where the primary and secondary walls may be relatively pivotably engaged such that the two bin portions are relatively separable to ease the removal of a filled liner bag. 
     The peripheral wall may terminate at its top in an annular rim, and the bin may be adapted to receive the liner bag lining the interior of the peripheral wall and draped outwardly over the annular rim. The lid may have a downwardly extending annular wall adapted to engage the bin&#39;s annular rim to secure the draped-over portion of the liner bag to the annular rim when the lid is in its closed state. The receptacle may have a timer and an indicator associated therewith for alerting when it is time for disposing of trash. 
     Advantages of one or more aspect can include the following. 
     Providing a bin with relatively separable wall portions, for example, that increase the volume of the interior region of the bin and/or increase the degree of upward taper when separated, reduces the effort required to remove a filled liner bag from the bin. Furthermore, providing air vents in the bin, for example, in the wall portions, further reduces the effort required by avoiding formation of a vacuum in the bin when removing liner bag. 
     Numerous other features may be included, not limited to those disclosed and taught in the Detailed Description of a representative embodiments included herein. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings showing the representative embodiments of the accompanying Detailed Description. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective of a trash receptacle; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a right side view of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5A  is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5B  is an exploded right side view of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a close up perspective view of the top of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a close up perspective view of the top of the receptacle of  FIG. 1  with the lid&#39;s inner door being opened; 
         FIG. 8A  is a close up perspective view of the top of the receptacle of  FIG. 1  with the lid and inner door being opened; 
         FIG. 8B  is a right side view of the top of the receptacle of  FIG. 1  with the lid and inner door being opened; 
         FIG. 9  is a side cross section of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the bin of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the bin of the receptacle of  FIG. 1  in its split open condition; 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view of the bin of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a side cross section of the bin of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a close up view of the control/display panel of the receptacle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 15A and 15B  are side cross section views of the lid of the receptacle; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective cut away view of a pedal operated inner door; 
         FIGS. 17A and 17B  are side cross section views of a pedal operated bin restraint; and 
         FIG. 18  is a side view of a second exemplary embodiment of a bin. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A receptacle for trash and/or recyclables according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 1 through 14 . As used herein the terms “trash” and “recyclables” should be understood broadly to include, for example, items that are discarded and items that are collected to be reused in one form or another (e.g., by collection and re-manufacture as with plastic bottles, or collection for washing, laundering, etc. in the form that they are collected). 
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1 through 5B , there are shown several external views of receptacle  100 . The receptacle includes rectilinear housing  102  having carrying handles  104 R and  104 L on its left and right sides, respectively. On the horizontal top surface of the housing, lid  106  has an inner door  108 . As seen in  FIGS. 6 to 8B , the lid is pivotably connected to the housing at hinge  112  so that it may swing up to open and fully expose the interior of the housing. Pressing the logo plate  113 , which additionally serves as a release button for the lid, unlatches the lid and allows it to swing up and open. In some embodiments, the lid swings open under the bias of a torsion spring associated with the lid&#39;s hinge. 
     Also seen in  FIGS. 6 to 8B , inner door  108  is unlatched and re-latched by a typical “push-push” latching mechanism. In some embodiments, the door is biased open about the hinge  114  coupling it to the lid by a torsion spring (not show) and held closed and latched by the latching mechanism. Slight downward push near the forward portion of the door causes unlatching of the mechanism and allows the spring to lift the door up and back approximately ninety angular degrees to gain limited access into the housing, such as for depositing trash there-through. Pushing the lid back to its closed state against the bias of the spring closes the door and re-latches the latching mechanism. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 15A and 15B , in some embodiments the lid  106  includes a number of alignment tabs  310 , for example two tabs with one on each side of the receptacle. The tabs mate with recesses in the housing providing stability to the lid when closed. Each recess includes a spring  320  at its base which is compressed when the tab  310  mates with the recess as shown in  FIG. 15A . When the lid is released, for example, when the lid is unlatched by pressing the release button  113 , the lid is forced at least partially upward by the spring as shown in  FIG. 15B . This may allow a user to insert his or her fingers in a gap formed between the lid and the housing to further open the lid. 
     In some embodiments, the lid or the inner door, or both, may be opened by one or more typical foot pedal actuators for hands-free opening. The pedal may be partially or preferably fully recessed relative to the front face of the housing. The lid or inner door may also be equipped with a replaceable odor reducing system, such as an odor-absorbing charcoal pad. 
     Referring to  FIG. 16 , in some embodiments in which a foot pedal actuator  400  used to open the inner door, one or more linkages  410  connect a pedal lever  420  with the inner door  108 . When the lid  106  is closed (as shown in  FIG. 16 ), depressing the foot pedal causes the pedal lever to rise, thereby pushing the linkage upward. The linkage is coupled to the inner door such that when the linkage is pushed upward, the inner door opens (as shown in  FIG. 16 ). When the lid  106  is opened and inner door in the lid remains closed, the distance between the point  414  at which the linkage  410  is coupled to the inner door and the point  412  at which it is coupled to the pedal lever increases. To accommodate this increase the linkage  410  in made up of two telescoping sections that can be pulled apart as the lid  106  is opened and then contract again when the lid is closed. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 9 to 13 , disposed within the housing&#39;s interior is a collection bin  116 , which is optionally removable from the housing, for example, by pulling it upwardly through the top of the housing when lid  106  is opened. The bin includes a base pan  118  having a bottom surface  122  and an upstanding periphery  124 . In some embodiments, the base pan forms a watertight container for capturing spilled liquid without requiring that the bin as whole be watertight. First and second peripheral wall portions  126 A and  126 B are received in the base&#39;s upstanding periphery and extend upwardly there-from to define an annular open top rim  128  and a hollow interior chamber  132 . When the bin is properly positioned in housing  102 , annular open top rim  128  and interior chamber  132  are disposed directly below inner door  108  so that trash dropped though the opened doorway will fall into the chamber. 
     Preferably, the bin has a trash-storing capacity of approximately 10 gallons, and is approximately twelve inches wide by seventeen inches deep by twenty-eight inches tall. 
     The bin is adapted to receive a disposable liner bag (not shown), which lines interior chamber  132  and has an upper open end that is draped outwardly over annular rim  128 . When the bin is disposed in the housing, the annular top rim sits vertically above the orifice created by open lid  106 , as seen best in  FIG. 9 . The orifice and rim cooperate to form an annular gap  142  for receiving the draped-over portion of the liner bag. The gap of the disclosed embodiment is one and one-half to two inches wide all the way around, and preferably at least one-half of an inch wide, to allow the user&#39;s fingers top push the draped-over portion of the liner bag down and there-into, no matter how long the draped over portion may be. This prevents the unsightly appearance of having the end of the bag extend outside the housing when the lid is closed. 
     Lid  106  has a downwardly extending annular wall  144  adapted to engage annular gap  142  and annular rim  128  to force the draped-over end  302  of the liner bag into the gap and to secure the draped-over portion to the annular rim when the lid is in its closed state. 
     Peripheral wall portions  126 A and  126 B of bin  116  both pivotably engage the base pan at hinges  146 A and  146 B, respectively, such that the wall portions may each be swung outwardly and are relatively separable by spreading open rim  128  and splitting it apart while the bin remains in the receptacle. In  FIG. 9 , the bin  116  is shown with the wall portions together, with a space between the bin  116  and the housing  102  being available for the expansion of the bin. The bin  116  in its expanded state is shown in  FIG. 11  without the housing. The upwardly tapering expansion (i.e., progressively widening toward the top) of interior chamber  132  can allow the liner bag to be more easily removed, for example, when it has been over-stuffed with trash. In some embodiments, the positioning of the hinges allows gravity to cause the wall portions to drop back together after the bag is removed. In some embodiments, the wall portions are identical to each other so that only one mold is required to make both portions. In other embodiments, the wall portions have different shapes and use different molds. Extensions from each portion towards the other cover and avoid a gap during the spreading open. In some embodiments, the engagement of the lid  106  with the bin  116  inhibits the wall portions of the bin from spreading, and when the lid  106  is opened disengaging the wall portions, gravity and/or pressure from trash or recyclables that have been collected in a liner bag in the bin causes the walls to separate. In some embodiments, the wall portions may be biased, for example by a spring mechanism, to open when the lid  106  is opened, or may be biased to oppose pressure from the contents avoiding excessive spreading. In some embodiments, closing of the lid  106  optionally causes the walls to come together, for example, if they have been spread somewhat from the pressure of a partially-filled bin. 
     The peripheral wall portions cooperate with the base pan to form vents  148  to allow air to enter the lower portion of interior chamber  132  as the stuffed bag is being removed, to further ease its removal by eliminating the creation of a vacuum. The vents have air intake openings  152  exterior of the peripheral wall portions and air exhaust openings  154  disposed within the hollow interior chamber and below the air intake opening, so that liquids inadvertently spilled into the bin are retained within the base pan and not allowed to flow into housing  102 . 
     In some embodiments, the receptacle includes a disengagable restraint mechanism that prevents the bin from being removed from the receptacle. For example, the user of the receptacle can leave the mechanism engaged when removing a filled liner bag from the receptable to prevent the bin from being pulled out along with the bag. In some embodiments, a foot pedal is used to disengage the mechanism. In some embodiments in which depressing a foot pedal opens the inner door, depressing the pedal also disengages the restraint mechanism allowing the bin to be removed. Referring to  FIG. 17A , one form of restraint mechanism is a hook  510  that pivots and disengages a slot  530  in the base of the bin when the pedal is depressed. Referring to  FIG. 17B , the hook  520  engages the slot  530  when the pedal is released. In some embodiments, the restraint mechanism uses a magnet that is disengaged to permit the bin to be removed. For example, the bin has a first fixed magnet in its base, and a second magnet is attached to the main body such that depressing the pedal causes the second magnet to separate from the first magnet, thereby reducing the force restraining the bin. 
     Wall portions  126 A and  126 B are removable from base pan  118  to ease cleaning, and base pan  118  may be made of a high temperature material to allow dish-washer cleaning. 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , receptacle  100  further includes an electrical system having a timer and an indicator associated therewith for alerting when the contents of the receptacle should be emptied. Control/Display panel  156  allows the user to operate and observe the electronic functions of the system. The timer is preferably a seven-day timer programmable to set a “trash day”, such as when the garbage disposal service is scheduled or when the user would normally bring trash to the dump. LCD display  164  normally shows the current time and day of the week. An indicator alert icon becomes visible and blinks on the LCD display and an audible signal is produced when it is the “trash day”. The current day/time may be set using the “current day/time” selector switch  162  and the alert time may be pre-set using the alert time selector switch  160 . In other embodiments, other criteria for generating the alert, for example, according to a time since the last emptying of the receptacle and/or according to a number of times the inner door  108  has been opened. 
     The electrical system is preferably batter-operated with the LCD display including a low battery icon that becomes visible and/or blinks when the battery voltage drops below a pre-determined level. 
     Referring to  FIG. 15 , there is shown an alternative embodiment of bin for use in a receptacle. The bin  216  has a primary bin portion  226 A that has a bottom surface  222  and an upstanding primary wall  224 A, and a secondary bin portion  226 B that has an upstanding secondary wall  224 B cooperating with the primary wall to form an upstanding peripheral wall, where the primary and secondary walls are be relatively pivotably engaged at hinge  246  such that the two bin portions are relatively separable to ease the removal of a filled liner bag. That is, in this embodiment there are two wall portions which separate relative to one another, with one of the wall portions moving with respect to the housing  102  and the other remaining fixed. In other embodiments, a base pan is not necessary used, for example, with two wall portions being engaged such that they together form a base portion. 
     In other embodiments, the wall portions are not necessarily pivotably attached to one another. Other approaches to engaging the wall portions can be used while providing the capability that the wall portions can move relative to one another to enlarge the volume of the inner chamber  132  and/or increase a degree of taper of the shape of the inner chamber. For example, a wall portion may be slideably coupled. 
     Various embodiments are tailored in their form for residential applications. However, non-residential applications such as commercial applications are addressed by these and/or other embodiments in which the form is adapted to meet the requirements of those applications. 
     In summary, the invention may be embodied as a trash receptacle having a housing defining a cavity and having a lid openable to create an orifice to access the cavity, with a bin disposed in the cavity and removable there-from through the orifice. The bin may have a bottom surface and an upstanding peripheral wall, the wall having two portions which may one or both pivotably engage the bottom surface such that the two portions are relatively separable. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash receptacle having a housing defining a cavity and having a lid movable into an open state to create an orifice to access the cavity and movable into a closed state for closing the orifice, with a bin disposed in the cavity and removable there-from through the orifice. The bin may have a bottom surface and an upstanding peripheral wall terminating at its top in an annular rim, and the bin may be adapted to receive a liner bag lining the interior of the peripheral wall and draped outwardly over the annular rim. The lid may have a downwardly extending annular wall adapted to engage the bin&#39;s annular rim to secure the draped-over portion of the liner bag to the annular rim when the lid is in its closed state. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash receptacle having a housing defining a cavity and having a lid openable to create an orifice to access the cavity, with a bin disposed in the cavity and removable there-from through the orifice. The bin may have a bottom surface and an upstanding peripheral wall terminating at its top in an annular rim, and the bin may be adapted to receive a liner bag lining the interior of the peripheral wall and draped outwardly over the annular rim. The orifice and peripheral rim may cooperate to form an annular gap for receiving the draped-over portion of the liner bag. The gap may be predominantly at least one-half inch in gap width to allow the insertion of a user&#39;s fingers to push the draped-over portion of the liner bag into the gap. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash receptacle having a housing defining a cavity and having a lid movable into an open state to create an orifice to access the cavity and movable into a closed state for closing the orifice, with a bin disposed in the cavity and removable there-from through the orifice. The bin may have a bottom surface and an upstanding peripheral wall terminating at its top in an annular rim, and the bin may be adapted to receive a liner bag lining the interior of the peripheral wall and draped outwardly over the annular rim. The orifice and peripheral rim may cooperate to form an annular gap for receiving the draped-over portion of the liner bag, and the lid may have a downwardly extending annular wall adapted to engage the annular gap to force the draped-over portion of the liner bag into the gap when the lid is in its closed state. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash receptacle having a housing defining a cavity and having a lid movable into an open state to create an orifice to access the cavity and movable into a closed state for closing the orifice, with a bin disposed in the cavity and removable there-from through the orifice. The bin may have a bottom surface and an upstanding peripheral wall terminating at its top in an annular rim, and the bin may be adapted to receive a liner bag lining the interior of the peripheral wall and draped outwardly over the annular rim. The orifice and peripheral rim may cooperate to form an annular gap for receiving the draped-over portion of the liner bag, and the lid may have a downwardly extending annular wall adapted to engage the annular gap and the annular rim to force the draped-over portion of the liner bag into the gap and to secure the draped-over portion to the annular rim when the lid is in its closed state. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash bin having a base pan portion having a bottom surface and an upstanding periphery, a peripheral wall portion received in the base&#39;s upstanding periphery and extending upwardly there-from to define an open-topped hollow interior chamber. The peripheral wall portion may have first and second portions which may one or both pivotably engage the base pan such that the first and second portions are relatively separable. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash bin having a base pan portion having a bottom surface and an upstanding periphery, a peripheral wall portion received in the base&#39;s upstanding periphery and extending upwardly there-from to define an open-topped hollow interior chamber. The peripheral wall portion may have first and second portions each connected to the base portion at and pivotable about a hinge such that the first and second portions are relatively separable. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash bin having a base pan portion having a bottom surface and an upstanding periphery, a peripheral wall portion received in the base&#39;s upstanding periphery and extending upwardly there-from to define an open-topped hollow interior chamber. The peripheral wall portion may cooperate with the base pan to form a vent having an air intake opening exterior of the peripheral wall portion and an air exhaust opening within the hollow interior chamber and below the air intake opening. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash receptacle having a timer and an indicator associated therewith for alerting when it is the time for disposing of trash contained therein, or the invention may be embodied as a trash receptacle having a seven-day timer and an indicator associated therewith for alerting when it is the day for disposing of trash contained therein. 
     The invention may be embodied as a trash bin having a primary bin portion having a bottom surface and an upstanding primary wall, and a secondary bin portion having an upstanding secondary wall cooperating with the primary wall to form an upstanding peripheral wall, wherein the primary and secondary walls are relatively pivotably engaged such that the two bin portions are relatively separable. 
     While the invention has been shown and described with reference to a specific exemplary embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the invention should therefore only be limited according to the following claims, including all equivalent interpretation to which they are entitled. 
     It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.