Patent ID: 8100622

Claim:
An articulated lift arm assembly for a refuse receptacle, the arm assembly comprising: an engaging device for releasably grasping the receptacle; an extendable boom; an articulated arm mechanism interconnecting the boom and the engaging device; a gear arrangement coupling the boom and the arm mechanism for raising the arm mechanism with respect to the boom, rotating the arm mechanism with respect to the boom during raising of the arm mechanism and inverting the engaging device and receptacle during raising of the arm mechanism, the gear arrangement including a crown gear disposed at a distal end of the boom, fixed to a transverse axis and rotatable about a crown gear axis, an arm of said articulated arm mechanism being fixed to said crown gear, and a drive gear for rotating said transverse axis with said crown gear for raising the arm mechanism; and a gravity operated hook for latching the receptacle when the receptacle is inverted to prevent undesired release of the receptacle from said engaging device.