Patent Publication Number: US-4836369-A

Title: Out-door furniture and receptacle

Description:
The present invention is a novel piece of furniture, in the broadest sense of the latter word, intended primarily for use in an out-door setting. 
     It is frequently desirable in assorted out-door locations to provide a litter-bin in order to preserve the tidiness of the surrounding area. Such bins are usually essentially functional in their appearance and may intrude upon their surroundings almost as much as the litter they are designed to contain. Their intrusive presence might be more acceptable if they had some further function to perform but as litter bins alone they tend to be merely tolerated as an unavoidable but necessary presence. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel unit of furniture which, as well as serving to hold litter, fulfils at least one further function. 
     The unit according to the present invention comprises a free-standing shell adapted to receive a removable litter container and having a lid attached to said shell, the lid being movable between a first position permitting said container to be placed within said shell and a second position in which it covers the container, said shell further having an upper surface thereof so positioned as to serve as a support for an adult user. 
     It is an advantageous characteristic of the unit according to the present invention that it performs two functions which are both important in outdoor settings, especially in such settings which are isolated from surrounding buildings, namely the function of litter bin and resting place. Thus, in for example a countryside location in the region of a footpath, the unit may serve to provide rest for a walker, while at the same time enclosing a receptacle for litter. Similarly, if located at convenient points on a golf course, for example adjacent to one or more tees, the units will contribute to keeping the course tidy and simultaneously offer an opportunity for a golfer to rest. 
     The unit according to the invention is intended to receive a removable litter container therein. The container may be insertable through an aperture designed to afford access to the container in use or may be insertable through a separate larger aperture, litter then being put into the container via a smaller aperture provided for that purpose. In either case, a lid attached to the shell of the unit, for example pivotted thereto, covers the aperture through which the container is inserted in the shell. 
     The container may comprise a single compartment but in one form of the present invention it is divided into at least two compartments, each of which may serve a separate purpose. Thus, for example, one such compartment may contain a product to be dispensed therefrom, such as canned or bottled drinks optionally surrounded by ice, while the other compartment is intended still to receive litter, for example empty cans or bottles. One or both of such compartments may be provided with a drain hole to allow waste liquid to run out. 
     An upper surface of the unit is positioned to provide support for an adult user. That surface may be generally horizontal and at such a height above the ground as to permit an average adult to sit thereon. Alternatively, the surface may be inclined so that an adult user may support himself with his buttocks against the surface and thereby obtain a measure of rest rather less than the total support of sitting. Typically, the support surface may be located of the order of 0.7 to 0.9 metres above the ground. 
     In a particularly preferred form of the present invention, the shell of the unit has a surface designed to carry an information display. That display surface is preferably separate from the body-supporting surface but may, if desired, be upon the access lid. The information may, in a countryside setting, take the form of a map or other guide to the surroundings. When the unit is located adjacent to a tee on a golf course, the information displayed may give details of the characteristics of the next hole to be played. Thus the display may include details of the length and layout of the hole and also par figures for that hole. 
     Alternatively, or in addition, the display may include advertising material, in particular advertising products associated with the location of the unit. 
     As a further feature, the unit may be provided with means for mounting thereon a display above headheight. For example, one or more sockets may be provided to receive poles supporting such an elevated display. A display of this type may be particularly important in a crowded setting, such as on a golf course when a tournament is in progress. In such a setting, the elevated display may simply be a land-mark indicating the position of the tee or may carry such information as described above. 
    
    
     The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, one embodiment of the unit according to the invention. In the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the front; and 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the rear of the unit. 
    
    
     The illustrated unit is moulded in just two pieces from glass-reinforced plastics material. The unit comprises a shell 3 and a lid 4 hinged thereto at 5. The lid 4 affords access to the interior of the shell to permit the insertion therein of a container (not shown) having two compartments separated by a vertical partition. Within the lid 4 is an elongated aperture 6 for the insertion of litter. The aperture 6 is shielded by a curved back-plate 7 integrally formed with the lid 4. 
     At the rear of the shell 3 there is formed an inclined planar surface 8 which allows an adult to gain some rest and support by leaning against it, optionally sitting upon the flat upper surface 9 of the unit. 
     Upon a flat panel 10 centrally placed on the lid 4, information of any desired type may be displayed. It is envisaged in particular that the unit may be placed adjacent to a tee on a golf course and that the information may include an outline map of the hole to be played from that tee, together with details of the hole length and par value. 
     Recesses 11 are moulded in the shell 3 to afford hand-holds for the unit to be moved into position or to permit course maintenance in its vicinity. By means of apertures 12 in the upper surface 9 of the shell, poles may be erected to support an additional display of course information or advertising material as desired. 
     When the illustrated unit is located on a golf course, one of the compartments of the container therein may be used to store a mixture of sand and grass-seed, for use when replacing divots dislodged by golfers.