Abstract:
This invention describes a sink mounted garbage disposal apparatus that provides an integrated retractable set of overlapping plates attached to the throat of the disposal apparatus. The plates can be opened or closed and are constructed to prohibit disposal operation when in the opened position. The disposal apparatus also contains several LED light sources to provide illumination of the interior of the disposal device.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
       [0003]    Not Applicable. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    In view of the foregoing, the Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source provides for a sink mounted garbage disposal device (commonly used in household kitchen sinks) that provides for several key unique benefits:
       1. Safety and protection offered by the overlapping plates attached to either an interior hinge gasket ring in the throat of the disposal apparatus that prevents passage of large foreign objects or accidental insertion of a human subject&#39;s hands or arms into the interior of the disposal apparatus.   2. Further safety provided for by an electrical mechanism that prevents the disposal apparatus from being turned on while the plates are in she open position.   3. Illumination provided for by several LED light sources placed in the interior of the disposal apparatus with built in automatic shut-off.
 
These benefits are described further below.
       
 
         [0008]    The common household garbage disposal&#39;s design has not undergone significant change since its initial invention. The most common disposal designs found today have two key issues—(1) providing for fundamental safety against accidental passage of large foreign objects or human subject appendages into the disposal apparatus, and (2) illumination of the interior of the disposal apparatus such that visual inspection is possible to eliminate any issues with the disposal apparatus. There are many devices on the market that are essentially modified sink stoppers that provide for covering the throat of the garbage disposal to prevent accidental passage of foreign objects. While not integrated with the disposal apparatus, some of these adapted sink stopper devices allow for the passage of liquid and small objects while preventing the passage of larger objects. There are also other devices that can be used for the unjamming and removal of objects that are embedded in the blades at the bottom of the disposal interior such that the disposal can be made to function correctly. However, these devices are cumbersome to use at it is necessary to hold the removal device in one hand while holding a flashlight or other light source in the other. 
         [0009]    The “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” solves all of these problems in an single, integrated solution. A series of overlapping plates are mounted on the interior throat of the disposal apparatus that can be easily manually moved into either the open or closed position. In the open position, the plates are positioned flush against the interior wall of the disposal apparatus, henceforth allowing for the complete and unobstructed passage of all liquid and solid objects through the neck of the apparatus such that they can be disposed of utilizing the blade mechanism at the bottom. These plates can be manufactured of any durable, hard, water resistant material such as high carbon stainless steel or a hard plastic. Each individual plate is constructed such that as contains many holes of approximately one-eighth to one-quarter inch in diameter that allow for the passage of liquid and small food particles through the holes. A variable number of these plates can be mounted to the interior flange of the garbage disposal device but what is recommended is for 6 to 8 plates to be mounted for ease of opening and closing and to provide for the appropriate amount of overlap when in the closed position. 
         [0010]    The plates can be pushed down into the closed position by simply manually pushing on one of several finger tabs mounted to the lip of the metal plates. Once in the closed position, the metal plates are latched into place such that they are locked into an overlapping configuration blocking the passage of large foreign objects into the interior of the disposal apparatus. However, the holes in the plates allow for liquids and small particles to continue to flow into the interior of the disposal in the closed position. From this closed position, the plates can once again easily be transitioned into the open position by gently lifting on the finger tabs situated on several of the plates. When the plates are in the fully open position they are locked into placed by using the finger tabs that can be interlocked with the flange surface on the interior throat portion of the disposal apparatus. 
         [0011]    A waterproof microswitch mounted on the interior of the throat of the disposal apparatus is triggered when the plates mentioned above are in the opened position. This action is then transferred to a relay switch that is wired to the microswitch itself. The relay switch is configured such that even when the disposal apparatus is turned on, the blades at the bottom of the disposal will not operate when the plates are in the open position. Once the plates are in the closed position and the microswitch is triggered to reflect same, then the disposal will operate when power is applied to the apparatus. In this fashion, the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” apparatus provides for operational safety by not engaging the blades when it is possible for foreign objects to enter the throat of the disposal device. 
         [0012]    An additional feature provides for illumination of the interior of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” apparatus. This invention provides for several (three or four are recommended) LED light bulbs with waterproof bulb lenses to be mounted on the interior of the disposal apparatus, situated below the position of the bottommost portion of the plates when the plates are in the open position. The LED light sources are integrated into she electrical circuitry of the garbage disposal such that they operate when the plates are in the open position. In this fashion, when it is safe to look inside the garbage disposal for the removal, of foreign objects that were accidentally dropped into the disposal apparatus when the plates were in the open position, the LED light sources are turned on when power is connected to the disposal apparatus (but where the disposal apparatus is not turned on). Operationally, under normal use with the plates in the closed position, the LED light sources will not function as it is not necessary to illuminate the interior of the disposal apparatus as the closed plates are already obstructing a human subject&#39;s vision. When the plates are in the open position, the LED light sources are automatically turned on providing for illumination. Further, the LED light sources are also on a timed relay mechanism that allows for the light sources to automatically shut off ever if she plates are in the open position after a fixed time period. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  Side view of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” invention, with cutaway showing interior detail. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  Side view of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” invention, with cutaway showing range of motion of interlocking plates. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  Isometric view of “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source”, showing plates in open position. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  Isometric view of “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source”, showing plates in closed position. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  Top view of “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” looking into disposal apparatus, with plates in open position. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  Top view of “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light. Source” looking into disposal apparatus, with plates in closed position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    &lt;FIG.  1 &gt; is side view, cutaway depiction of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” apparatus that is described in this application.  101  shows the exterior surface of the main disposal apparatus, with the overlapping plates shown in  102 . As can be seen in the diagram, the holes in the metal plates are shown in  103 .  104  is the throat of the garbage disposal apparatus that attaches flush with the sink surface at  110 .  105  shows the waterproof microswitch that can detect whether the plates are open or closed; further, the microswitch is attached electrically to a relay switch at  106 .  107  depicts multiple LED light sources mounted on the interior of the disposal apparatus surface for illumination, and  108  shows the electrical connection to the LED sources which is on a separate circuit from the microswitch relay device.  109  shows the rubber hinge gasket ring that acts to stabilize the overlapping plates when they are either in the open or close positions.  112  depicts the hinge points where the plates are attached to the plate hinge ring, and  113  depicts the flange that the finger tabs can lock into when they are in the open position. Finally,  111  shows the nut and bolt assembly used to attach the main portion of the disposal to the neck portion of the device and to the sink surface. 
         [0020]    &lt;FIG.  2 &gt; is also a cutaway side view of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light. Source” apparatus, but showing the plates in the closed position. The arrows at  201  show the range of motion of the plates from the open position to the closed position.  202  shows the relative arrangement of the plates when they are down in de closed position. The exterior surface of the disposal assembly is shown in  203 , and note that even in the closed position, and in addition to the holes in the plates themselves, there is an opening shown at  204  in the center of the plates through which small particles and liquids can pass. Once again,  205  shows the integrated LED light sources, and  206  depicts the waterproof microswitch that can detect the open or closed position of the overlapping plates. 
         [0021]    &lt;FIG.  3 &gt; shows an isometric cutaway view of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” apparatus, with the plates in the open position.  301  is the exterior mounting that is attached flush with the bottom surface of the sink.  202  shows the overlapping plates attached to the plate hinge ring at  303 , with  304  showing the rubber hinge gasket ring that helps stabilize the plates when they are either in the open or closed position.  305  shows one of the several finger tabs attached to the plates that can be used to manually position the plates in either the open or closed positions, and  306  shows the flange built into the neck of the disposal that serves to anchor the plates in place when they are in the opened position. 
         [0022]    &lt;FIG.  4 &gt; shows another isometric cutaway view of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” apparatus, but in this diagram the plates are shown in the closed position.  401  again depicts the portion of the neck of the disposal that is used to mount the disposal apparatus to the bottom surface of the sink, and  402  shows the overlapping plates in the closed position. As can be seen and previously mentioned there remains a small hole in the middle of the plates depicted at  403  even when in the closed position, which, in addition to the holes in the plates themselves, allow for the passage of liquids and small particles into the interior of the disposal apparatus.  404  shows the rubber hinge gasket ring that helps stabilize and hold the overlapping plates in place. 
         [0023]    &lt;FIG.  5 &gt; is a top view of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” apparatus, with the overlapping plates in the open position.  501  shows she neck of the disposal apparatus that attaches to the surface of the sink, and  502  shows a top view of the plates in their fully opened configuration. 
         [0024]    &lt;FIG.  6 &gt; is also a top view of the “Garbage Disposal Apparatus with Integrated Retractable Hinge-mounted Plates and LED Light Source” apparatus, but in this diagram the overlapping plates are shown in their closed position. The neck of the disposal apparatus that attaches to the sink is shown in  601 ,  602  shows the overlapping plates,  603  shows the finger tabs used to manually position the overlapping plates in the open or closed positions, and  604  shows the previously mentioned opening in the middle of the plates that further assists in the passage of the liquids and small particles even when the disposal plates are in the closed configuration.