Patent Publication Number: US-6991127-B2

Title: Collapsible refuse can

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a collapsible refuse can, particularly to one collapsible for convenience of transporting, storing, and displaying and quick to assemble together, 
   2. Description of the Prior Arts 
   Refuse cans are indispensable for our daily life, and there are many kinds of refuse cans in use and on the market for different uses, generally consisting of a can body and a liftable cap. 
   However, almost conventional refuse cans are made integral to have a certain size impossible to be collapsed to a small size, quite unfavorable for storing, carrying, transporting, etc. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention has been devised to offer a collapsible refuse can to improve conventional refuse cans impossible to be collapsed. 
   The feature of the invention is a can body consisting of two half shells, and a bottom closely combined with the can body, and a pedal moving a cap opening member for opening a cap. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a collapsible refuse can in the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the collapsible refuse can in the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a rear view of the collapsible refuse can in the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a first cross-sectional view of the collapsible refuse can in the present invention; 
       FIG. 5  is a second cross-sectional view of the collapsible refuse can in the present invention; and, 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a fixing member in the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   A preferred embodiment of a collapsible refuse can in the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 1–6 , includes a can body  2  consisting of two half shells  21 , a bottom  1 , a pedal  14 , and a cap opening member  15 , a fix frame  24  and a cap  26  and plural bag hangers  3  as main components. 
   The two half shells  21  are shaped as U and combined together to form the can body  2  with an open upper and an open lower side, having an inner vertical hook strip  221  formed respectively at two vertical end edges for an elongate hooking strip  222  to respectively hook with the two inner vertical hooking strips  221  to combine the two half shells  21  together to form the can body  2 , which has two holes  25  spaced apart in a lower portion of a front side. 
   The bottom  1  is made integral, fitting in a lower portion of the can body  2 , having two square holes  11  spaced apart properly in a front side for two ends of the pedal  14  to pass through, and a through hole  16  provided vertically in a rear center portion for the cap opening member  15  to pass up through, a vertical groove  12  respectively formed in two opposite sides for the elongate hook strip  22  to hook therein, a hole  13  respectively in two opposite sides aligned to the holes  142  in two ends of the pedal  14  for rivets to combine the pedal  14  with the bottom  1 . 
   The pedal  14  is made of an elongate curved rod, having two ends passing through the two holes  25  of the can body  2  and the two holes  11  of the bottom  1  and then combined with the bottom  1  with the rivets  143  fitting in the holes  142  and  13 . 
   The cap-opening member  15  a double L-shaped elongate rod having a lower end provided with male threads  151  to pass through a hole  141  of the pedal  14  and then screwed with a nut  152  and a washer  153  tightly. Then the upper end of the cap-opening member  15  passes upward through the hole  16  of the bottom  1 , and then pivotally connected with the cap  26 . 
   The bag hangers  3  respectively have a position member  31  with a curved portion  32  and a lower saw-toothed pinching portion  34 , and a bendable member  33  with a groove portion  35  and a sidewise shaft. The positioned member  31  is fixed firmly on an inner periphery of the fix frame  24 . The sidewise shaft of the bendable member  33  is formed at a rear end to be kept rotatably in the curved portion  32  to permit the bendable member  33  pushed to swing down with the sidewise shaft as a pivot to fit on the lower saw-toothed pinching portion  34  of the fixing member  31  so that an upper end of a refuse bag may be sandwiched between the lower pinching portion  34  and the groove portion  35  of the bendable member  33  to be hung in the refuse can. 
   In assembling, firstly, the two half shells  21  are combined together by hooking the two hooking strips  222  with the inner hooking strips  221 , with the lower end of the hooking strips  222  fitting in the grooves  12  of the bottom  1  when the bottom  1  is fitted in the lower portion of the can body  2 . After the can body  2  and the bottom  1  are combined together, the holes  25  of the can body  2  are aligned with the two holes  11  of the bottom  1 , and then the pedal  14  is pushed in the bottom  1 , with the two ends of the pedal  14  respectively passing through the two sets of the holes  11  and  25 . Then the two holes  142  of the pedal  14  and the holes  13  of the bottom  1  are aligned for the rivets  143  to fit in the holes  142  and  13  to secure the pedal  14  with the bottom  1 . Next, the cap opening member  15  is combined firmly with the pedal  14 , by the nut  152  with the washer  153  screwed stably with the lower end with the male threads  151  of the cap opening member. 
   In using, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , when the pedal  14  is stepped down, the cap opening member  15  is moved by the pedal  14  to have its upper end push up the cap  26 , and refuse can be thrown in a refuse bag hung in the can body  2 . To close the cap  26 , releasing the foot stepping down the pedal  14  can attain the objective, as the cap  26  has a weight to fall down to close up the can body  2 . 
   While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications may be made therein in and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that may be covered by the spirit and scope of the invention.