Patent ID: 8567630

Claim:
A trash can, comprising: a body comprising an interior space, a base portion, and an upper body portion; a lid moveably mounted to the body, the lid being moveable between open and closed positions; a pedal mounted to the body such that the pedal is pivotable between a resting position and an actuated position and at least one rod having first and second ends, the first end functionally connected to the pedal and the second end functionally connected to the lid such that the rod pushes the lid from the closed position to the open position as the pedal is moved from the resting position to the actuated position; and at least one motion damper configured to both dampen the movement of the lid from the open position toward the closed position and to also dampen the movement of the lid from the closed position to the open position, the at least one motion damper comprising a damper housing, a piston, a first flexible one-way seal between the piston and the damper housing and a second flexible one-way seal between the piston and the damper housing, wherein the at least one motion damper is configured to provide a first dampening response against the motion of the lid from the open position toward the closed position and provide a second dampening response against the motion of the lid from the closed position toward the open position, the first dampening response being different from the second dampening response, and wherein the first seal is configured to permit a first one-way valve between the piston and the damper housing so as to allow air to pass through the first one-way valve in a first direction and to resist the movement of air through the first one-way valve in a second opposite direction, and the second seal is configured to permit a second one-way valve between the piston and the damper housing so as to allow air to pass through the second one-way valve in the second direction and to resist the movement of air through the second one-way valve in the first direction.