Patent Abstract:
A roll-out cart includes a bottom wall having front, rear and side walls extending upwardly to define an upper interior. The rear wall is taller than the front wall and each of the side walls has an upper edge angled downwardly from the rear wall to the front wall. At least one support extends upwardly and rearwardly from an upper end of the rear wall to a handle. A base portion extending downwardly from the bottom wall includes a plurality of base walls including side portions each having corrugated portions below the side walls.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to roll-out carts, such as are used for trash or recycling. 
     Known roll-out carts generally include front, rear and side walls extending upward from the perimeter of a bottom wall to define an interior. Wheels are mounted rotatably at a lower end of the rear wall. A handle extends from an upper end of the rear wall, such that the roll-out cart can be tipped back onto the wheels and pulled by the handle. A lid is hingeably connected to an upper edge of the rear wall. 
     In order to reduce volume of the container for recycling, one known roll-out cart includes a “false” bottom, defining the interior of the container in only the upper half of the roll-out cart. However, this known roll-out cart is inconvenient for the user to handle and is not well-suited for use with automated handling equipment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A roll-out cart according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a bottom wall having front, rear and side walls extending upwardly to define an upper interior. The rear wall is taller than the front wall and each of the side walls has an upper edge angled downwardly from the rear wall to the front wall. At least one support extends upwardly and rearwardly from an upper end of the rear wall to a handle. This arrangement, while reducing volume, lowers the height of the volume while maintaining a convenient height of the handle and providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance. 
     A base portion extending downwardly from the bottom wall includes a plurality of base walls including side portions each having corrugated portions below the side walls. The corrugated portions reinforce the base, making the roll-out cart more suitable for automated handling equipment. 
     These and other features of the application can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a roll-out cart according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is rear perspective view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is bottom perspective view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 1  with the lid open. 
         FIG. 7  is a section view through the roll-out cart of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 9  is a view similar to that of  FIG. 7  with a similar cart nested therein. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a roll-out cart according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a section view through the roll-out cart of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is a rear perspective view of the roll-out cart of  FIG. 10  partially broken away. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a roll-out cart  10  according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The roll-out cart  10  includes a base portion  12  and an upper portion  14 . The upper portion  14  includes a front wall  16  and opposed side walls  18 . A lip  20  protrudes outwardly and then downwardly from the upper edges of the front wall  16  and side walls  18 . A front flange  24  extends downwardly from the front of the lip  20  and is reinforced by upper gussets  26  connected to the lip  20  and the lower gussets  28  connected to the front wall  16 . The lip  20  is continuous with a pair of supports  32  extending upwardly and rearwardly of the rear of the container. A handle  34  is secured to the supports  32  and is further supported by gussets  36 . 
     A lid  40  is hingeably secured to the handle  34  by arms  42 . The lid  40  includes a pair of side reinforcement portions  44  and a generally planar central portion  46 . The side reinforcement portions  44  each include a convexly curved upper wall and generally vertical walls extending downward therefrom. The side reinforcement portions  44  increase the rigidity of the lid  40  and assist water in draining from the lid  40 , while providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The lid  40  also includes a peripheral flange  50  that rests on the upper edges of the front wall  14  and side walls  18  when closed. A front flange  52  protrudes forwardly from a forward end of the lid  40  spaced upwardly from the peripheral flange  50 . The front flange  52  acts as a handle to assist in opening the lid  40 . Optionally, a latch could be attached or integrated with the forward end of the lid  40 . 
     The walls of the base portion  12  have lowermost edges that rest on the ground. Because the floor  92  ( FIG. 7 ) of the roll-out cart  10  is positioned away from the lower edge of the base portion  12 , the floor  92  does not sufficiently reinforce the base portion  12 , especially toward the lowermost edges of the base portion  12 . Therefore the base portion  12  includes corrugated side portions  58  each having vertically extending corrugations  60 . The walls of the side portions  58  are corrugated to increase the strength and stiffness so that they can be handled with automated handling equipment, which may drop the roll-out cart  10  onto the base portion  12  and may push and slide the roll-out cart  10  on the ground. The automated handling equipment may also occasionally clamp onto the side portions  58  of the base portion  12 . The corrugations in the side walls  58  thus reinforce the side walls  58 . 
     The base portion  12  further includes a rearward portion  62  that is narrower than the side portions  58 . Wheels  64  are secured through the rear portion  62  of the base portion  12  via an axle  66  extending through the walls of the rear portion  62 . The wheels  64  protrude outwardly farther than the side portions  58  so that the automated handling equipment will catch onto the wheels  64  of an inverted roll-out cart  10  if the roll-out cart  10  otherwise starts to slip. 
     The base portion  12  further includes a front recess  66  having a front wall  68  also having vertical corrugations formed therein. The recess  66  is also defined by side walls  70 . A cylindrical tube or other suitable handle  72  is inserted through holes formed in the side walls  70 . The handle  72  and front flange  24  are configured to engage automated handling equipment which lift and invert the roll-out cart  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the upper edges of the side walls  18  are angled downwardly from the rear of the roll-out cart  10  to the front of the roll-out cart  10  at approximately an angle between approximately five degrees and approximately fifteen degrees, and preferably approximately ten degrees. The supports  32  then extend upwardly and rearwardly at a steeper angle, for example, approximately sixty degrees, as shown, to the handle  34 . The angled handle supports  32  and angled side walls  18  reduce the volume of the upper interior of the upper portion  14  of the roll-out cart  10 , while lowering the center of gravity of any material stored therein and while maintaining the handle  34  at a convenient height (i.e. sufficiently high). 
       FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the roll-out cart  10 . The gussets  36  extend from the handle  34  to a rear wall  76  of the upper portion  14 . The base portion  12  includes a rear wall  78  in which is formed a rear recess  80  having a back wall  82  and side walls  84  through which the axle  66  is inserted. A handle  86  is formed by a downwardly extending flange protruding into the recess  80 . 
       FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of the roll-out cart  10 . The walls of the base portion  12  (including side portions  58 , front wall  68 , back wall  82  and side walls  84 ) are connected by cross-ribs  90 , which extend downward from the floor  92 . The cross-ribs  90  reinforce the floor  92  and the walls of the base portion  12 . 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom view of the roll-out cart  10 . The handle  72  is inserted through holes in the side walls  70  and can be secured with pins (not shown) through apertures  96  near opposite ends of the handle  72 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the lid  40  can be pivoted back over the handle  34  to a position where it hangs from the handle  34  by the arms  42 . A section view through the open roll-out cart  10  is shown in  FIG. 7 . The floor  92  separates the upper portion  14  from the base portion  12  and defines the upper interior of the roll-out cart  10 . The floor  92  extends from the front wall  16  to the rear wall  76  and defines the rear handle  86 . The corrugations  60  extend partially upward of the floor  92  into the upper portion  14 . Nesting ribs  61  are formed on the interior surface of some of the corrugations  60  to limit the nesting of a similar roll-out cart therein. 
       FIG. 8  is a top view of the open roll-out cart  10 . Additional nesting ribs  69  are formed on the interior surfaces of some of the corrugations in the front wall  68 . These nesting ribs  69  also limit nesting of a similar roll-out cart nested in the upper interior of the roll-out cart  10 . 
       FIG. 9  is a section view through nested roll-out carts  10 ,  10 ′. As shown, the nesting reduces the overall volume occupied by the two roll-out carts  10 ,  10 ′. In practice, many roll-out carts  10 ,  10 ′ would be nested for shipping. The wheels and axles (not shown) can fit in the upper interior of the lower roll-out cart  10  and within the base portion  12 ′ of the upper roll-out cart  10 ′ when nested. The nesting is limited by the nesting ribs  61  and nesting ribs  69  (not shown). 
     A roll-out cart  110  according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 10-12 . The roll-out cart  110  is identical to the roll-out cart  10  of  FIGS. 1-9  except as specifically shown or described. Corresponding components will be referenced with corresponding reference numerals with a “1” preappended. The roll-out cart  110  includes an upper portion  114  and a base portion  112 . The upper portion  114  includes a front wall  116 , side walls  118  and a lip  120 . The base portion  112  includes side portions  158  with vertically-extending corrugations  160 . The base portion  112  includes a rearward portion  162  to which the wheels  64  and axle  66  are mounted. 
     The roll-out cart  110  includes an alternate front flange  124  and alternate lower gussets  128 . Either front flange  24 ,  124  and lower gussets  28 ,  128  could be used with either roll-out cart  10 ,  110 . 
       FIG. 11  is a section view of the roll-out cart  110 . The floor  192  is substantially lower than the floor  92  of the  FIGS. 1-9 , such that the upper portion  114  of the roll-out cart  110  is larger than in the first embodiment. The corrugations  160  extend continuously into the upper portion  114  and include nesting ribs  161 . Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 12 , the corrugations in the front wall  168  extend continuously into the upper portion  114  of the roll-out cart  110 . Nesting ribs  169  on the interior surfaces of the corrugations limit nesting by a similar roll-out cart  110  (or roll-out cart  10 ). 
     Generally, aside from the front flange  24 ,  124 , which could be used with either roll-out cart  10 ,  110 , the only difference between the roll-out carts  10 ,  110  is the position of the floor  92 ,  192 . Optionally, the two roll-out carts  10 ,  110  could be made in the same mold, with different inserts added to both mold halves to produce the two different floor  92 ,  192  positions. 
     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.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8