Abstract:
An apparatus to provide a specially designed assembly system for garbage and recycling containers having an effective means for joining trash receptacles to a wheeled carrier via a securement means so that they are not easily turned over by gusts of wind or animals. This device also provides a tethering mechanism between a container and a wheeled carrier so they remain joined if tipped during especially high gusts of wind or very aggressive animals.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is related to and claims priority from prior provisional application Ser. No. 61/696,507, filed Sep. 4, 2012 which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d). 
     The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of containers and more specifically relates to a clean street can system to provide a specially designed assembly for outside garbage and recycling containers. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Humans produce much garbage and recyclable materials during consumption. The vast majority of buildings, both residential and commercial use containers to store such materials. As useful and necessary as outside garbage and recycling receptacles are, their use presents a drawback; even when these containers are loaded down with trash and other items, they can easily be knocked over. All it takes is a particularly strong gust of wind to send the containers spiraling down the street with its contents springing free from their confines to litter the landscape. Not only can this be annoying and frustrating to chase down the container and subsequently pick up the mess, but errant containers can also present a safety hazard for oncoming traffic. If a car is forced to swerve out of the way of the container, an accident may result. Outside receptacles are not only susceptible to wind, but large stray animals searching for a quick meal can easily tip over these containers, leaving behind a mess for homeowners. It is desirable that such containers be stable, with a low center of gravity, yet user-friendly. 
     Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pub. No. 3,845,968 to Mary E. Larson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,834 to Todd A. Gellos et al, and U.S. Pub. No. 2007/0175900 to Todd Richardson. This art is representative of refuge containers. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. 
     Ideally, a clean street can system should provide an effective means for securing trash receptacles to a wheeled carrier so that they are not easily turned over by gusts of wind or animals and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable clean street can system to avoid the above-mentioned problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known container art, the present invention provides a novel clean street can system. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail is to provide a specially designed assembly for outside garbage and recycling containers having an effective means for securing trash receptacles to a wheeled carrier so that they are not easily turned over by gusts of wind or animals. 
     The clean street can system will be appreciated by individuals wanting to avoid the mess that occurs when a filled trash or garbage container is tipped over resulting in the contents being spilled. When the wheeled-carrier and the container are secured to each other with a retractable-cord and a securement means, a functional structure is developed to resist gusts of wind and the efforts of animals seeking to tip over the container to access the contents. The idea of the present system is to automatically return a lightweight plastic garbage receptacle to a weighted base. The spring-loaded mechanism (return system) has enough torque to return the receptacle to an upright self-attached position using the proper self-attachers (hook and loop or magnetic or both). The receptacle may have a concave base to ride over curbs or the base may be convex in alternate embodiments. The wheeled-carrier preferably comprises a concaved base. 
     A clean street can system is disclosed herein, in a preferred embodiment, comprising a trash-can-assembly having in combination a wheeled-carrier, a container, and a retractable-cord. The wheeled-carrier comprises in combination a base having a first-attacher, at least one pair of wheels, and a u-shape-handle. The container comprises in combination a container-bottom having a second-attacher, a side-wall having a top-receiving-opening, a lid having a lid-attacher, a cylindrical shape inner volume for holding at least one disposable item defined by the container-bottom, the side-wall and the lid, a plurality of generally-round-ventilation-holes, and a pair of handles are located in/on the side-wall. The retractable-cord comprises a cord-first-end and a cord-second-end. The retractable-cord may comprise any suitably durable material. 
     The wheeled-carrier is of sufficient strength and size to hold the container when filled with at least one disposable item comprising non-recyclable garbage. The base comprises a concave-platform for holding the container-bottom. The first-attacher of the base is sized to match a size of the container-bottom having the second-attacher. When the container is placed on the base of the wheeled-carrier the first-attacher and the second-attached are joined to promote stability in use. The base further preferably comprises a ramp with an inclined surface such that the container can be maneuvered onto the base of the wheeled-carrier with relative ease. The base also comprises a short-retaining-wall measuring about four to eight inches in height having a left-wall, a back-wall and a right-wall for retaining the container-bottom. 
     At least one pair of wheels is removably attached to the base via an axle running through the back-wall such that the trash-can-assembly is readily mobile. The pair of wheels may comprise molded rubber with tread useful in indoor and outdoor environments and for negotiating a variety of terrains. 
     The u-shape-handle comprises a handle-first-end, a handle-second-end, a handle-cross-section and a handle-height in preferred embodiments. The handle-first-end and handle-second-end are removably inserted into the back-wall via a left-back-wall-opening and a right-back-wall-opening. The handle-cross-section may comprise a rubber-cover such that the user is able to have a firm (and comfortable) grip on the handle-cross-section when maneuvering the wheeled-carrier. The u-shape-handle further comprises at least one generally horizontal retaining-section with a curvature for retaining the side-wall of the container for stability in use. 
     The container is attachable to the base using the first-attacher and the second-attacher. The first-attacher and the second-attacher preferably comprise hook-and-loop such that when the container is placed onto the base the container is removably attached to the base via the hook-and-loop fastener. The container comprises a cylindrical shape inner volume extending upwardly from the base and is defined by the container-bottom and the side-wall having a top-receiving-opening. The container extends upwardly from the base to the top-receiving-opening of the container, the height able to be filled with refuse. 
     The plurality of generally-round-ventilation-holes on the container side-wall is useful for ventilating the container when in use. The pair of handles are formed in the side-wall of the container adjacent a top of the side-wall and are useful for lifting and placing the container onto and off of the base. The lid is removably attachable to the container via a lid-attacher comprising a wire loop such that the inner volume is able to be substantially enclosed when the lid is attached and alternately accessed when the lid is removed. 
     The retractable-cord having the cord-first-end and the cord-second-end comprises a tether able to be retracted into a retractable-cord-holder of the container-bottom. The cord-first-end of the retractable-cord is attached to the base of the wheeled-carrier, and the cord-second-end of the retractable-cord is attached to the side-wall of the container adjacent a bottom of the side-wall such that the wheeled-carrier and the container remain coupled if the trash-can-assembly is knocked over. This prevents the present invention from becoming detached and causing danger or mess. 
     When in-use, a user is able to attach the container to the base via the retractable-cord and place at least one disposable item into the cylindrical shape inner volume of the container, and transport the trash-can-assembly between locations for collection and disposal of the disposable item using the wheeled-carrier. 
     A kit is included for the clean street can system including at least one wheeled-carrier, at least one container, at least one first-attacher, at least one second-attacher, at least one lid, at least one lid-attacher, at least one retractable-cord and at least one set of user instructions. A method of use for the clean street can system is also disclosed herein. 
     The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as a clean street can system. For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention, clean street can system, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view illustrating a trash-can-assembly in a ready for use condition according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a wheeled-carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a container and lid according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating the container as joined (tethered) to the wheeled-carrier according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method of use for the clean street can system according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     
    
    
     The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to a refuse container and more particularly to a clean street can system as used to improve the ability to tether a trash container to a wheeled-carrier such that it is less susceptible to being tipped over by gusts of wind or by animals seeking food. Thus, the present invention serves to promote cleanliness and public safety. 
     Generally speaking, accumulating garbage and recyclable trash in containers is a way of life in any home. Many families have a scheduled day of the week when their garbage and recyclable trash will be picked up and hauled away. So, on a regular schedule, these families place their containers outside and often do so the night before the scheduled pickup. These families want to feel assured that during the night their containers will not be knocked over by gusts of wind or animals seeking food. The clean street can system disclosed herein provides an assembly of a wheeled-carrier and a container that when joined together is able to withstand these gusts of wind or intrusion by animals and remain in a standing position. 
     Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference there is shown in  FIG. 1 , a perspective view illustrating clean street can system  100  in a ready for use condition  150  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     Clean street can system  100  preferably comprises trash-can-assembly  110  having in combination wheeled-carrier  120 , container  152 , and retractable-cord  180 . Wheeled-carrier  120  comprises in combination base  122  having first-attacher  124 , at least one pair of wheels  126 , and u-shape-handle  135 . Container  152  comprises in combination container-bottom  154  having second-attacher  156 , side-wall  170  having top-receiving-opening  160 , lid  162  having lid-attacher  164 , cylindrical shape inner volume  166  for holding at least one disposable item defined by container-bottom  154 , side-wall  170  and lid  162 . Container  152  further comprises a plurality of generally-round-ventilation-holes  174 , and pair of handles  176 . Retractable-cord  180  comprises cord-first-end  182  and cord-second-end  184 . Retractable-cord  180  comprises tethering means. 
     When in-use, a user is able to attach container  152  to base  122  via retractable-cord  180  and place at least one disposable item (of sufficient size) into cylindrical shape inner volume  166  of container  152 , and transport trash-can-assembly  110  between locations for collection and disposal of the disposable item using wheeled-carrier  120 . The present invention is readily portable. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a perspective view illustrating wheeled-carrier  120  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
     Wheeled-carrier  120  is of sufficient strength and size to hold container  152  when filled with at least one disposable item comprising non-recyclable garbage. Container  152  may also be used for containing recyclable trash or other such items. Base  122  comprises concave-platform  123  for holding container-bottom  154 . First-attacher  124  of base  122  is sized to match a size of container-bottom  154  having second-attacher  156 . When container  152  is placed on base  122  of wheeled-carrier  120  first-attacher  124  and second-attacher  156  are joined to promote stability. Base  122  further comprises ramp  127  with an inclined surface such that container  152  can be maneuvered onto base  122  of wheeled-carrier  120 . Base  122  also comprises short-retaining-wall  128  preferably measuring about four to eight inches in height having left-wall  129 , back-wall  130  and right-wall  131  for retaining container-bottom  154 . 
     At least one pair of wheels  126  is removably attached to base  122  via axle  132  running through back-wall  130  such that trash-can-assembly  110  is readily mobile. At least one pair of wheels  126  comprises molded rubber with tread useful in indoor and outdoor environments and for negotiating a variety of terrains. In an alternate embodiment at least one pair of wheels  126  comprises molded plastic with tread. 
     U-shape-handle  135  comprises handle-first-end  136 , handle-second-end  137 , handle-cross-section  138  and handle-height  139 . Handle-first-end  136  and handle-second-end  137  are removably inserted into back-wall  130  via left-back-wall-opening  133  and right-back-wall-opening  134 . Handle-cross-section  138  comprises a rubber-cover such that the user is able to have a firm grip on handle-cross-section  138  when maneuvering wheeled-carrier  120 . U-shape-handle  135  further comprises at least one generally horizontal retaining-section  140  with a curvature for retaining the side-wall  170  of the container  152 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a perspective view illustrating container  152  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
     Container  152  is attachable to base  122  using first-attacher  124  on base  122  and second-attacher  156  on container-bottom  154 . First-attacher  124  and second-attacher  156  preferably comprise hook-and-loop (other fastening means may be used) such that when container  152  is placed onto base  122  container  152  is removably attached to base  122  via hook-and-loop (such as Velcro®). In an alternate embodiment first-attacher  124  and second-attacher  156  comprise a magnet such that when container  152  is placed onto base  122  container  152  is removably attached to base  122  via magnetic force. Container  152  comprises cylindrical shape inner volume  166  extending upwardly from base  122  and is defined by container-bottom  168  and side-wall  170  having top-receiving-opening  160 . Container  152  extends upwardly from base  122  to top-receiving-opening  160  of container  152 . Container  152  preferably comprises a 32 gallon volume fabricated of plastic material. In alternate embodiments container  152  is provided in various sizes, fabricated of non-plastic material and may be offered in a variety of colors. 
     Plurality of generally-round-ventilation-holes  174  on container  152  side-wall  170  is useful for ventilating container  152  when in use. Pair of handles  176  are formed in side-wall  170  of container  152  adjacent a top of side-wall  170  and are useful for lifting and placing container  152  onto and off of base  122 . Lid  162  is removably attachable to container  152  via lid-attacher  164  comprising a wire loop such that cylindrical shape inner volume  166  is able to be substantially enclosed when lid  162  is attached and alternately accessed when lid  162  is removed. Lid  162  snaps onto top of side-wall  170  and is held in place via tension. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a perspective view illustrating container  152  being joined (tethered) to wheeled-carrier  120  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIG. 1 . 
     Retractable-cord  180  having cord-first-end  182  and cord-second-end  184  comprises a tether able to be retracted via a spring-loaded mechanism into retractable-cord-holder  186  of container-bottom  154 . Cord-first-end  182  of retractable-cord  180  is attached to base  122  of wheeled-carrier  120 , and cord-second-end  184  of retractable-cord  180  is attached to side-wall  170  of container  152  adjacent a bottom of side-wall  170  such that wheeled-carrier  120  and container  152  remain coupled if trash-can-assembly  110  is knocked over. 
     Clean street can system  100  may be sold as kit  440  comprising the following parts: at least one wheeled-carrier  120 ; at least one container  154 ; at least one first-attacher  124 ; at least one second-attacher  156 ; at least one a lid  162 ; at least one lid-attacher  164 ; at least one retractable-cord  180 ; and at least one set of user instructions. Clean street can system  100  may be manufactured and provided for sale in a wide variety of sizes and shapes for a wide assortment of applications. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other kit contents or arrangements such as, for example, including more or less components, customized parts, different tether means and various color combinations for use in visually discriminating between types of refuse (recycled or other), parts may be sold separately, etc., may be sufficient. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , a flowchart illustrating a method of use  500  for clean street can system  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention of  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     Method of use  500  for clean street can system  100  preferably comprises the steps of: step one  501  maneuvering container  152  onto base of wheeled-carrier  120 ; step two  502  placing trash into container  152 ; step three  503  positioning lid  162  onto container  152 ; step four  504  wheeling trash-can-assembly  110  to pick up location; and step five  505  returning trash-can-assembly  110  to its home location. 
     It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can be carried out in many different orders according to user preference. The use of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claims herein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶ 6. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., other methods of use arrangements such as, for example, different orders within above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps, including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may be sufficient. 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.