Patent Publication Number: US-2021179349-A1

Title: Roll out cart

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Containers for trash, recycling, or organic waste (compost), etc. often attract the interest of animals, such as rodents, dogs, raccoons, etc. Many containers include lids that latch, but some animals can pry under the lid and force the container open. In some areas, bears may try to force the container open. 
     SUMMARY 
     A container, such as a roll-out cart, includes a body portion and a lid. The body portion includes an outer wall extending upward from a base wall to a mouth of the body portion. The lid is secured to the body portion and pivotable between a closed position over the mouth and an open position. The lid includes an upper lid portion and a lower lid portion. The upper lid portion extends downward to an outer lip. The lower lid portion extends downward to an inner lip. The inner lip is inward of the outer wall of the body portion when the lid is in the closed position. The outer lip is outward of the outer wall of the body when the lid is in the closed position. 
     The lid may be thermoformed or rotomolded. An RFID tag may be secured between the upper lid portion and the lower lid portion. 
     The upper lid portion protects the interior of the body portion. The outer lip of the upper lid portion fits tightly around the outer perimeter of the upper portion of the wall of the body portion including the lip when the lid is closed. The tight fit makes it challenging for the bear to get its claws in-between the lid and the body portion. The lower lid portion is attached to the upper lid portion on the interior of the lid. The lower lid portion creates an added layer of protection to the lid improving the overall strength. The lower lid portion also acts as a second barrier if the bear tries to pry the lid open. When a bear pulls on the outer lip, the inner lip is pushed up against the interior of the wall and blocks off the entry point of the container. 
     According to another feature disclosed herein, the body portion may further include a lip projecting outward and downward from the outer wall. A reinforcement member may be received between the lip and the outer wall of the body portion. A plurality of ribs may extend from the outer wall to the lip, and the reinforcement member may be received in a plurality of apertures through the plurality of ribs. The body portion may further include a handle portion spaced rearwardly of an upper edge of the outer wall of the body portion, and the lid may be pivotably connected to the handle portion. An upper edge of the outer wall of the body portion includes a rear portion from which the handle portion extends and a pair of side portions extending forward from the rear portion The reinforcement member may be a first reinforcement member received between the lip and the outer wall along one of the side portions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a roll-out cart according to a first embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front view of the container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the lid of the container of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a section view of the lid of  FIG. 5  taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the lid of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the lid of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of the lid of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the upper portion of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 11  is a section view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a roll-out cart according to a second embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  is a side view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  is a top view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 15  is a front view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 16  is a top view of the lid of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 17  is a section view through the lid taken along line  17 - 17  of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 18  is a bottom view of the lid of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 19  is a side view of the lid of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 20  is an upper perspective view of the lid of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 21  is a bottom perspective view of the lid of  FIG. 16 . 
         FIG. 22  is a side view of an upper portion of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 23  is a section view taken along line  23 - 23  of  FIG. 22 . 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of a roll-out cart according to a third embodiment. 
         FIG. 25  is a side view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 24 . 
         FIG. 26  is a top view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 24 . 
         FIG. 27  is a front view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 24 . 
         FIG. 28  is an exploded view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 24 . 
         FIG. 29  is a bottom, rear perspective view of the body portion of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 24 . 
         FIG. 30  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 29 . 
         FIG. 31  is an exploded perspective view of the lid of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 24 . 
         FIG. 32  is a top view of the lid of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 33  is a bottom view of the lid of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 34  is a section view through a portion of the lid of  FIG. 31 . 
         FIG. 35  is an exploded view of a lid according to a fourth embodiment. 
         FIG. 36  is a section view through a portion of the lid of  FIG. 35  on the body portion of a roll-out cart. 
         FIG. 37  shows steps  1 - 3  of a method of making the lid of  FIG. 35 . 
         FIG. 38  shows steps  4 - 7  of a method of making the lid of  FIG. 35 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A container  10 , more specifically a roll out container  10 , is shown in  FIG. 1 . The container  10  includes a body portion  12  and a lid  14 . The body portion  12  includes an outer wall  16  extending upward from a base wall to a mouth of the body portion  12  which is selectively covered by the lid  14 . An upper edge of the body portion  12  includes a lip projecting outward and then downward. The lid  14  is hingeably connected to a handle portion  20  spaced rearwardly of an upper edge of the body portion  12 . The container  10  includes a latch  22  selectively securing the body portion  12  to the lid  14  at a front edge of the container  10 , i.e. opposite the handle portion  20 . The latch  22  may be a gravity latch that automatically releases the lid  14  from the body portion  12  when the container  10  is inverted, such as by a lift arm on a collection truck. 
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the container  10 .  FIG. 3  is a front view.  FIG. 4  is a side view. 
       FIGS. 5-8  show top, section, bottom, and side views of the lid  14 , respectively. As shown in  FIG. 9 , the lid  14  is initially formed in two pieces, upper lid portion  30  and lower lid portion  38 . The upper lid portion  30  and lower lid portion  38  may be thermoformed and subsequently joined or joined during thermoforming, but are shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 9 . The upper lid portion  30  includes an outer lip  32  extending downward from a periphery of an upper panel portion  34 . The lower lid portion  38  includes an inner lip  42  extending downward from a periphery of a lower panel portion  44  having a large upper planar portion  40 . 
       FIG. 10  is a side view of the container  10 .  FIG. 11  is a section view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , the upper lid portion  30  and lower lid portion  38  are joined (e.g. via adhesive, welding, fasteners, thermoforming, etc) to one another. The upper lid portion  30  and lower lid portion  38  diverge near the outer lip  32  and the inner lip  42  so that the outer lip  32  and the inner lip  42  are spaced apart to receive the upper end of the wall  16  of the body portion  12  and the lip  18  of the body portion  12  therebetween when the lid  14  is closed. The outer lip  32  extends downward to contact the upper surface of the lip  18  and then extends outward and then downward over the outside of the lip  18 . The inner lip  42  extends downward along the inside of the upper portion of the wall  16  of the body portion  12 . 
     The upper lid portion  30  protects the interior of the body portion  12 . The outer lip  32  of the upper lid portion  30  fits tightly around the outer perimeter of the upper portion of the wall  16  of the body portion  12  including the lip  18  when the lid  14  is closed. The tight fit makes it challenging for the bear to get its claws in-between the lid  14  and the body portion  12 . The lower lid portion  38  is attached to the upper lid portion  30  on the interior of the lid  14 . The lower lid portion  38  creates an added layer of protection to the lid  14  improving the overall strength. The lower lid portion  38  also acts as a second barrier if the bear tries to pry the lid  14  open. When a bear pulls on the outer lip  32 , the inner lip  42  is pushed up against the interior of the wall  16  and blocks off the entry point of the container  10 . 
       FIG. 12  shows a second embodiment of a container  110 , including the body portion  12  previously described with handle  20  and latch  22 , but with an alternate lid  114 . The alternate lid  114  is rotationally molded (or rotomolded) but has features similar to that of the first embodiment. 
       FIGS. 13-15  are side, top and front view of the container  110 , respectively. 
       FIG. 16  is a top view of the lid  114 .  FIG. 17  is a section view through the lid  114  taken along line  17 - 17  of  FIG. 16 .  FIG. 18  is a bottom view of the lid  114 .  FIG. 19  is a side view of the lid  114 . 
       FIG. 20  is an upper perspective view of the lid  114 . The lid  114  includes an upper wall portion  130  having an outer lip  132  extending downward from a periphery thereof.  FIG. 21  shows a bottom perspective view of the lid  114 . The lid  114  includes a lower wall portion  138  having an inner lip  142  extending downward from a periphery, and spaced inward from the lip  132 . A plurality of radial ridges  144  reinforce the lower wall portion  138 . The radial ridges  144  radiate outward of an annular ridge  146 . Inside the annular ridge  146  a cylindrical rib  148  extends to the upper wall portion  130  of the lid  14 . 
       FIG. 22  is a side view of the container  110 .  FIG. 23  is a section view through the container  110  of  FIG. 22 . As shown, the lid  114  is a hollow, rotomolded single piece of plastic. The outer lip  132  is double-walled or hollow and is spaced outward of the inner lip  142 , which is also double-walled or hollow, due to the rotomolding process. When the lid  114  is closed, the outer lip  132  contacts the upper surface of the lip  18  and the inner lip  142  is inward of the wall  16  of the body portion. If a bear tries to pry under the outer lip  132  of the lid  114 , this will cause the inner lip  142  to impinge upon the inner surface of the wall  16  of the body portion  12 , thereby blocking access to the interior of the container  110 . 
     A container  210 , more specifically a roll out container  210 , according to a third embodiment is shown in  FIG. 24 . The container  210  includes a body portion  212  similar to that described above except as described below or as shown in the drawings. The container  210  also includes an alternative lid  214 . The body portion  212  includes an outer wall  216  extending upward from a base wall to a mouth of the body portion  212  which is selectively covered by the lid  214 . An upper edge of the body portion  212  includes a lip  218  projecting outward and then downward. The lid  214  is hingeably connected to a handle portion  220  spaced rearwardly of an upper edge of the body portion  212 . An upper surface of the lid  214  may include a molded-in logo  246 , such as an image of the face of a bear, and a plurality of molded-in logos  248  about the periphery of the lid  214 , such as bear claws. The container  210  includes a latch  222  selectively securing the body portion  212  to the lid  214  at a front edge of the container  210 , i.e. opposite the handle portion  220 . The latch  222  may be a gravity latch that automatically releases the lid  214  from the body portion  212  when the container  210  is inverted, such as by a lift arm on a collection truck. 
       FIG. 25  is a top view of the container  210 .  FIG. 26  is a front view.  FIG. 27  is a side view. 
       FIG. 28  is an exploded view of the container  210 . The latch  222  includes a lower portion  222   a  secured to the body portion  212  and an upper portion  222   b  secured to the lid  214 . A grab bar  250  is secured to the front of the body portion  212 . Hinge pins  252  secure the lid  214  to the handle portion  220  of the body portion  212 . An axle  254  rotatably secures the wheels  256 ) to the body portion  212 . Reinforcement rods  258  are received in the lip  218  at the sides of the body portion  212 . An optional RFID tag  272  may be mounted on or inside the lid  214 . 
       FIG. 29  is a bottom, rear perspective view of the body portion  212 .  FIG. 30  is an enlarged view of a portion of  FIG. 29 , showing the underside of the lip  218  at one side of the body portion  212 . A plurality of ribs  260  extend from the side wall  216  to the lip  218 . An aperture is formed through each rib  260  so that the reinforcement rod  258  can be inserted into the apertures  262 . The reinforcement rod  258  can be inserted from the rear of the body portion  212  through the rearward-most aperture  262  and into the ribs  260  connecting the lip  218  to the side of the body portion  212 . The reinforcement rods  258  are preferably metal rods  258  installed without any attachment hardware by sliding them in from the back of the body portion  212 . The reinforcement rods  258  add support to the body portion  212  to keep it from flexing or bending when an animal presses the side wall  216  inward. This feature adds strength to the overall design without jeopardizing the structural integrity of the body portion  212  design. A similar reinforcement rod may be added to the front edge of the body portion  212 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 31 , the lid  214  is initially formed in two pieces, upper lid portion  230  and lower lid portion  238 . The upper lid portion  230  and lower lid portion  238  in this example are thermoformed and subsequently joined, but are shown in an exploded view in  FIG. 31 . The upper lid portion  230  includes an upper lip  232  extending downward from a periphery of an upper panel portion  234 . The lower lid portion  238  includes a lower lip  242  extending downward from a periphery of a lower panel portion  244 , which is convex upwardly and has a large upper planar portion  240 . 
       FIG. 32  is a top view of the upper lid portion  230 .  FIG. 33  is a bottom view of the lower lid portion  238 . 
       FIG. 34  is a section view taken through the side edge of the container  210 . As shown in  FIG. 34 , the upper lid portion  230  and lower lid portion  238  are joined (e.g. via twin sheet thermoforming, adhesive, welding, fasteners, etc) to one another. The upper lid portion  230  and lower lid portion  238  connect (among other places) at the upper lip  232  and the lower lip  242 . As shown, the lower lid portion  238  includes an inner lip  266  is spaced inward of the lower lip  242  to receive the upper end of the wall  216  of the body portion  212  and the lip  218  of the body portion  212  therebetween when the lid  214  is closed. The inner lip  266  extends about at least the front and sides of the lower lid portion  238  (also see  FIG. 31 ). The upper lip  232  and lower lip  242  extend downward over the outside of the lip  218 . The inner lip  266  extends downward along the inside of the upper portion of the wall  216  of the body portion  212 . The lower panel portion  244  extends upward and inward from the bottom of the inner lip  266 , creating a double-walled, hollow lip. 
     The upper lid portion  230  protects the interior of the body portion  212 . The upper lip  232  of the upper lid portion  230  and the lower lip  242  of the lower lid portion  238  fit tightly around the outer perimeter of the upper portion of the wall  216  of the body portion  212  including the lip  218  when the lid  214  is closed. The tight fit makes it challenging for the bear to get its claws in-between the lid  214  and the body portion  212 . The lower lid portion  238  is attached to the upper lid portion  230  on the interior of the lid  214 . The lower lid portion  238  creates an added layer of protection to the lid  214  improving the overall strength. The lower lid portion  238 , particularly the inner lip  266 , also acts as a second barrier if the bear tries to pry the lid  214  open. When a bear pulls on the upper lip  232  and the lower lip  242 , this pulls the inner lip  266  against the interior of the wall  216  and blocks off the entry point of the container  210 . In other words, the more the lid  214  is flexed or warped, the more the lower lid portion  238 , particularly the inner lip  266 , seals against the inner surface of the body portion  212 , both resisting deformation of the lid  214  and closing off any entry into the container  210 . 
     An exploded view of an alternate lid  314  is shown in  FIG. 35 . The lid  314  is the same as the lid  214  of  FIG. 31 , with the addition of an RFID tag  372 . The lid  314  includes upper lid portion  330  and lower lid portion  338 . The upper lid portion  330  includes an upper lip  332  extending downward from a periphery of an upper panel portion  334 . The lower lid portion  338  includes a lower lip  342  extending downward from a periphery of a lower panel portion  344 , which is convex upwardly and has a large upper planar portion  340 . The lower lid portion  338  also includes a front platform  368 , which is higher than the periphery of the lower lid portion  338 . The front platform  368  is adjacent a front edge of the lower lid portion  338  and includes an upper surface  370 . The RFID tag  372  is positioned on the upper surface  370 . The RFID tag  372  can be any available RFID tag, such as passive, active, battery-assisted, programmable, etc. 
       FIG. 36  is a section view taken through the side edge of the container  310 . As shown in  FIG. 36 , the upper lid portion  330  and lower lid portion  338  are joined (e.g. via twin sheet thermoforming, or adhesive, welding, fasteners, etc) to one another. The upper lid portion  330  and lower lid portion  338  connect (among other places) at the upper lip  332  and the lower lip  342 . As shown, the lower lid portion  338  includes an inner lip  366  is spaced inward of the lower lip  342  apart to receive the upper end of the wall  316  of the body portion  312  and the lip  318  of the body portion  312  therebetween when the lid  314  is closed. The inner lip  366  extends about at least the front and sides of the lower lid portion  338  (also see  FIG. 31 ). The upper lip  332  and lower lip  342  extend downward over the outside of the lip  318 . The inner lip  366  extends downward along the inside of the upper portion of the wall  316  of the body portion  312 . The lower panel portion  344  of the lower lid portion  338  extends upward from the inner lip  366  to the platform  368 . The lower panel portion  344  extends upward and inward from the bottom of the inner lip  366 , creating a double-walled, hollow lip. The RFID tag  372  is secured to the upper surface  370  of the platform  368 , and is sealed between the lower lid portion  338  and upper lid portion  330 . The RFID tag  372  is protected inside the lid  314  between the upper lid portion  330  and the lower lid portion  338 , but can still be easily read by an RFID reader. 
       FIG. 37  shows Steps  1 - 3  of a method of making the lid  314 . In Step  1 , RFID tags  372  are secured (such as by adhesive tape or glue) to a polymer sheet  376  (such as HDPE). In Step  2 , the sheet  376  and RFID tags  372  are heated in an oven (e.g. at 375 degrees) for thermoforming process, which fuses the RFID tags  372  to the sheet  376 . 
     In Step  3 , the sheet  376  and RFID tags  372  undergo the thermoformed molding process on a bottom mold  380 . The sheet  376  and RFID tags  72  may be formed between bottom mold  380  and top mold  378 . 
       FIG. 38  shows Steps  4 - 6  of the method. In Step  4 , the top polymer sheet  382  (e.g. HDPE) is inserted into the mold between top mold  378  and the bottom sheet  376 . In Step  5 , the top sheet  382  is vacuum formed to the top mold  378 . The mold halves  378 ,  380  are brought together and the sheets  382 ,  376  are fused to one another at multiple points. The RFID tags  372  are embedded inside the lid  314  inside hollow cavities between the sheets  382 ,  376 . The lid  314  is removed from the mold and trimmed. The RFID tags  372  are now embedded inside each lid  314  and no longer visible on the exterior of the lid  314  but easily readable by an RFID reader. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes and jurisprudence, exemplary configurations described above are considered to represent a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.