Patent ID: 7063495

Claim:
A spill shield assembly for a refuse collection vehicle, said vehicle having: (a) a refuse collection compartment that is defined in part by a pair of side walls; (b) a refuse storage compartment that is located adjacent to the refuse collection compartment; (c) a packer ram assembly including: (i) a packer face plate; (ii) a force-applying mechanism that is adapted to move the packer face plate across at least a substantial portion of the collection compartment between a forward position in which the packer face plate is disposed at the side of the collection compartment opposite the storage compartment and a rearward position in which the packer face plate is disposed adjacent to the storage compartment; said spill shield assembly comprising: (d) a slide panel assembly comprising a front slide panel and a rear slide panel, wherein one of the front and rear slide panels is adapted to slide over the other between an extended position in which the slide panels are disposed generally horizontally when the packer face plate is in a rearward position and a retracted position in which the slide panels are overlapped and are disposed at an angle so as to direct any material falling thereon into the collection compartment when the packer face plate is in a forward position; (e) a ramp which is mounted on the forward side of the collection compartment; (f) a front roller which is attached to the front slide panel and adapted to engage the ramp as the front and rear slide panels move between the extended position and the retracted position; (g) a link having a front end and a rear end, wherein the front end of the link is pivotally attached to the front slide panel and the rear end of the link is pivotally attached to the packer face plate; wherein the link, the front roller and the ramp are arranged so that when the packer face plate is in the forward position, the slide panel assembly is in the retracted position; and wherein the link, the front roller and the ramp are arranged so that when the packer face plate is in the rearward position, the slide panel assembly is in the extended position and covers a substantial portion of the top of the collection compartment forward of the packer face plate.