Patent Publication Number: US-6211637-B1

Title: Container for polluted and/or contaminated materials

Description:
The present invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim  1  and to the preferred use thereof. 
     A container for kitchen waste is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,467 and is provided on its front surface with infrared sensors which detect a potential user and actuate an electric stepping motor which opens a lid on top of the container via a cable pull. The stepping motor is designed for clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation. It opens the lid during a predetermined period, for example 30 s, and closes it by electrical reversal of the direction of rotation. The cable pull engages a lever-type extension of the lid so that, during the entire process, the electric motor has to overcome the turning moment generated by the lid and has a correspondingly high energy requirement. 
     The necessary, relatively high output of the stepping motor and its high energy requirement, which excludes battery operation and necessitates a mains power supply, are consequently disadvantageous. 
     It is generally known that, in public toilets, in hotels and also at home, objects are thrown into the toilets, blocking them and often even preventing drainage into the sewers. 
     The reason for this behaviour, which has serious consequences, is usually because suitable containers are not provided at the desired site of disposal and/or they are unpleasant to use. 
     Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a device, by means of which soiled and/or contaminated objects and materials can be collected without it being necessary to touch the outside of the containers provided, in particular their openings and closures. 
     The device must function with minimal auxiliary power so that battery-operated versions are also feasible. In addition, it must be manually operable, for example if there is insufficient or no supply voltage. 
     This object is achieved by the features of claim  1 . 
     The invention prevents soiled and/or contaminated objects from coming into contact with the opening region of the container and eliminates the need to touch the container, either with one&#39;s hands or by means of implements. 
     The defined opening angle of the lid, ensured by the drive mechanism, also prevents objects from missing the container and polluting the environment. 
     The resulting, gravitationally induced replacement of the lid is especially energy-saving. The cable-operated drive mechanism causes only slight friction losses and therefore also requires only a small amount of electrical energy. 
     If necessary, the lid can be opened by hand without damaging the drive. 
     The formation of the cable pull by means of a pivoted lever is kinematically advantageous and very economical. 
     Further developments of the subject of the invention are described in dependent claims. 
     The use of gearwheels according to claim  2  provides non-slip force transmission. 
     The device according to claim  3  causes deflection of the pivoting movement, preferably through 90°, so that the resulting rotation movement is directly or indirectly transmittable to the lid. 
     The arrangement according to claim  4 , which is preferably formed integrally with the pivoted lever and separately from the rocker arm, is particularly space-saving and can advantageously be manufactured by plastics die casting. 
     The arrangement according to claim  5  is particularly advantageous; it enables the device to be wall-mounted. 
     The embodiment according to claim  6  ensures very easy replacement of the containers. 
     According to claim  7 , the power supply is not switched on until a container has been mounted ready for use. 
     A self-contained power supply—by means of batteries and/or solar cells (photovoltaic)—ensures universal use of the device, also in locations at which there is no mains voltage. 
    
    
     A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in the following with reference to drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 shows a part sectional side view of a device for the disposal of sanitary towels in a toilet area; 
     FIGS. 2 to  4  show three views of the container according to FIG. 1 in the dismounted state, wherein 
     FIG. 4 shows the container with open lid; 
     FIG. 5 shows the supporting housing according to FIG. 1, without the housing cover and with its drive mechanism and the associated control electronics with proximity detector, and 
     FIG. 6 shows a simplified block diagram of the control means for the lid. 
    
    
     In FIG. 1,  1  designates a replaceable container comprising a lid  2  having a gripping plate  3  serving chiefly as decoration. 
     The container  1  is shown partly in section. A sidewall  4  is provided on the lid  2  and has ribs  5  facilitating the sliding down of materials. The lid  2  is pivotable about internal pins  6  arranged on a rhomboidal link  7 . A rocker arm  8  is also shown which has a cam  9  resting against the rear surface of the link  7 . The rocker arm  8  is pivotable about a pivot pin  11  mounted in a supporting flange  10 . A restoring spring  21  engages the rocker arm  8 . 
     For reasons of stability, the cam drive described above is of twin construction, i.e. symmetrically constructed on either narrow side of the lid  2 . 
     The “open” movement of the lid  2  and the pivot path of the rocker arm  8  are designated by A. 
     The lower part of the container  1  is filled with a deodorising gel  15 , in which thrown-in sanitary towels land. 
     Owing to the secure closure of the lid  2  and the deodorising gel which is mixed with a conventional disinfectant (camphor), decomposition odours also cannot pass into the environment for a relatively long time. 
     The container  1  is suspended from a supporting housing  12  accommodating the entire drive mechanism with the power supply and control means under the housing cover  12 ′. 
     The floor  16  and part of the wall  17  of the toilet are shown. A wall hook  18  is attached to the wall  17  by means of a fixing  19 , the wall hook  18  projecting through an eye in the supporting housing  12  and carrying the latter. A status indicator  51  is provided in the surface of the housing cover  12 ′ and signals the readiness of the device for use. A proximity detector  50  is flush-mounted below the status indicator  51 . In order to prevent unauthorised opening of the device, it is securable by a lock  13 . 
     FIG. 2 shows a front view of the container  1 . The lid  2  and the lip-type gripping plate  3  can also be seen. Projections  20  are provided underneath the container  1  and allow the replaceable container  1  to stand steady on the floor, for example during its replacement. 
     The plan view according to FIG. 3 again shows the lid  2 —this time the external form thereof—and the projecting gripping plate  3  which, if necessary enables the container  1  to be easily opened manually, is aesthetically pleasing and provides additional weight for restoring the container  1  to the closed state. 
     The side view according to FIG. 4 shows the container  1  in the open state A. The further form of the gripping plate  3 , the lid  2  with its sidewalls  4  and reinforcing ribs  4 ′, and a link  7  with its concealed pin  6 , acting as a pivot, can also be seen. 
     FIG. 5 shows all the components arranged on the supporting housing  12 . This support  12  is suspended from a hook on a wall by means of its eye  18  and is fixed to the wall by means of mounting bores  60 . Carrying tabs  59 , provided for suspending the above-described container  1 , are also integrally connected to the supporting housing  12 . The presence of a container  1  is signalled by a microswitch  33  mounted on the supporting housing  12 , a contact spring  33 ′ provided on the microswitch  33  being actuated and the device being electrically connected ready for use by the weight of the container  1 . 
     The whole assembly is protected by a housing cover  12 ′ (not shown in this Figure) positioned on reinforcing boundary strips  57  and centering pins  62  and secured by a locking member  61 . 
     The electric motor  22 , provided for driving the lid  2 , is mounted in the bottom right-hand corner of the supporting plate  12  by means of clamps  23 . The motor spindle  24  carries a small pulley  25  in which a thin cable  26  is secured by a knot in a bore (not shown). The electric motor  22  is powered via Its connecting terminals  27  by way of power supply lines  28 ,  28 ′ leading to further connecting terminals  27 ′ arranged on a battery box  63  and providing a terminal voltage of 6V direct current. 
     The other end of the cable  26  is knotted in a bore  30  provided in a pivoted lever  29  having a pivot pin  31  on the left-hand side. Gearwheel segments  32  are integrally connected to the plastics lever  29 . They form part of a bevel-gear transmission and mesh, at an angle of 45°, with further gearwheel segments  32 ′ which are connected to a pivot pin  11  with a lateral bearing  11 ′ and carry a cam  9 . The transmission is mounted in the plane orthogonal to the supporting housing  12  in a supporting flange  10 . 
     The opposing bearing is formed analogously, although a restoring spring  21  additionally engages the cam  9  on the right-hand side. 
     All the connecting cables  56 , secured by cable fixings  58 , lead to a plug-and-socket connection  55  attached to a circuit board  52 . Apart from the electronic components shown in the block diagram according to FIG.  6 . the proximity detector  50  with its transmitter, the LED  53  and the receiver, the photodiode  54  and the status indicator  51  can also be seen on the circuit board  52  according to FIG.  5 . 
     The block diagram according to FIG. 6 shows the electronic control means for the drive mechanism according to FIG.  5 . All parts are commercially available and are adapted to the specific use in a manner known per se. 
     A microcontroller  65  is controlled by a conventional timing generator  64 . One output of the microcontroller  65  is used to activate an LED  53  emitting infrared radiation via an amplifier  68 , a driver. During operation, this IR radiation is received by a photodiode  54 . The output signal of the photodiode  54  is sent via on amplifier  69  to an input of a comparator  67 ; a reference voltage U R  is switched on at the second input and is also supplied to a further comparator  66 . The battery voltage U B , drawn from the battery box  63 , is provided at the second input of the comparator  66 . Both outputs of the comparators  66  and  67  lead to the microcontroller  65 . A status indicator  51  is connected up at two further outputs of the microcontroller  65  and has two LEDs, one of which—designated by gr. (green)—signals readiness for use, while the other—designated by rt. (red)—indicates interruption of operation. 
     A voltage regulator  70  and amplifiers  71  and  72 , which are each connected as drivers and lead to one terminal of the electric motor  22  via bridge resistors  73 ,  74 , are provided at further outputs of the microcontroller  65 . The second terminal of the electric motor  22  is connected on the one hand to the positive pole of the 6 volt source contained in the battery box  63 , and on the other hand to the single output of the voltage regulator  70 . 
     The negative pole of the battery is connected to the common earth, here designated by E. 
     A further comparator  75  regulates the current of the electric motor  22 , the one input being arranged between the output of the amplifier  72  and the bridge resistor  74 , and the other input being connected to the reference voltage U R . The output of the comparator  75  is connected to a further input of the microcontroller  65 . 
     The reference voltage U R  is generated in the microprocessor of the controller  65 . 
     If the radiation from the LED  53  is reflected onto the photodiode  54  by a hand and/or an object, the electric motor  22  begins to turn for 0.6 s and the cable  26  is wound up; see FIG.  5 . 
     As a result, the pivoted lever  29  pivots downwards. The movement is transmitted to the pivot pin  11  via the transmission  32 ,  32 ′, thereby moving the cams  9  away from the supporting housing  12 , i.e. away from the wall  17  in accordance with FIG.  1 . This causes the cams  9  to push against the links  7  and thereby open the lid  2  in the direction A. 
     After 3 s, the lid  2  falls back into the rest position under its own weight; the container  1  is closed. 
     The circuit arrangement is dimensioned and adapted so that repeated opening attempts over a period of 3 s are ineffective, with the result that unauthorised access to the interior of the container  1  is at least made more difficult. 
     A microcontroller  65  of the PICI6C620-04P type (trademark MICROCHIP, USA). a voltage regulator  70  of the LM2936Z-5 type (MICROCHIP) and an electric motor, of the RSS459HH242 direct-current motor type (trademark MARBUCHI. JP) have proved successful. 
     The motor output is 5 W with a rated speed of 700 rpm. 
     The device guarantees trouble-free operation for over a year with an average of 25 openings per day with four conventional single cells (1.5V batteries). 
     In practice, the containers are replaced at shorter or longer intervals, depending on the frequency of use, their contents are centrally disposed of and the containers are cleaned and reused. It has been shown that only a minimal quantity of gel is necessary because a vaporous atmosphere develops inside the container and satisfies all hygiene requirements. 
     Naturally, the invention is not restricted to use in toilet areas. With few modifications, it can be adapted for use in chemical laboratories, operating theatres and research laboratories. 
     Thus, for example, the container can be provided with chemical-resistant and/or radiation-absorbing materials and the lid can be provided with suitable seals. The contact pressure of the lid on the container edge can easily be adjusted by selecting the gripping plate accordingly. The deodorising gel can also be replaced by other substances such as disinfectants, absorbers or moderators. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       1  Container (replaceable) 
       2  Lid (pivotable) 
       3  Gripping plate (weight) 
       4  Sidewall 
       4 ′ Reinforcing rib on  4   
       5  Ribs (chute) 
       6  Pin (pivot) 
       7  Links (lateral) 
       8  Rocker arm 
       9  Cam 
       10  Supporting flange 
       11  Pivot pin 
       11 ′ Lateral bearings 
       12  Supporting housing with drive and control means 
       12 ′ Housing cover 
       13  Lock (securing means) 
       14  Soiled materials (sanitary towels) 
       15  Deodorising gel 
       16  Floor (washroom, toilet) 
       17  Wall 
       18  Wall hook—eye 
       19  Fixing 
       20  Supporting surface 
       21  Restoring spring 
       22  Electric motor (direct current) 
       23  Mounting clamp 
       24  Motor spindle 
       25  Pulley on  24   
       26  Cable (cord) 
       27 ,  27 ′ Connecting terminals 
       28 ,  28 ′ Power supply line (cable) 
       29  Pivoted lever 
       30  Bore (for cable fastening) 
       31  Pivot pin 
       32 ,  32 ′ Transmission/Gearwheel segments (bevel gears) 
       33  Microswitch 
       33 ′ Contact spring of  33   
       50  Proximity detector 
       51  Status indicator (readiness) 
       52  Circuit board 
       53  LED (IR) 
       54  Photodiode (receiver) 
       55  Plug-and-socket connection 
       56  Connecting cable 
       57  Reinforcing boundary strips 
       58  Cable fixings 
       59  Carrying tabs 
       60  Mounting bores 
       61  Locking member for  13   
       62  Centering pins for  12 ′ 
       63  Power supply/battery box (6V source) 
       64  Timing generator 
       65  Microcontroller 
       66 ,  67  Comparators 
       68  Amplifier (LED driver) 
       69  Amplifier 
       70  Voltage regulator 
       71 ,  72  Amplifier (driver) 
       73 ,  74  Bridge resistors 
       75  Comparator (motor current) 
     A “open” movement/open state 
     E Common earth (negative pole) 
     U B  Battery voltage 
     U R  Reference voltage