Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/189,263, filed Aug. 15, 2008, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to waste receptacles and, more particularly, to a waste receptacle compression system having a compressor implement cooperatively engaged with a waste receptacle holding a trash bag therein. 
     2. Prior Art 
     There are, at present, a wide variety of waste containers available to the consumers. One such waste container incorporates a cover which is lifted by operating a pedal device. Another type of waste container incorporates means for easily replacing a waste bag provided in the waste container. A waste container is easily filled up since garbage, especially cartons and cans, occupy a lot of space when thrown away in their original shapes and sizes. Garbage inside the waste container must therefore be compressed to permit accommodation of more garbage. Conventionally, compression of garbage is done manually, either by hand or foot. Such a procedure is unsanitary and is, in most cases, distasteful. 
     As such, many systems have been developed for collecting and compressing trash. However, most of them are motor driven, and so expensive, noisy and large. Being designed to crush or compress everything put into them, they have more power than is required for most purposes. Those that are not motor driven are either primarily aimed at can crushing alone or, if for general trash collection, they are inefficient and costly. The size and expense of motorized systems makes it impractical to have multiple units so that trash can be sorted. 
     Accordingly, a need remains for a waste receptacle compression system in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a device that is convenient and easy to use, is durable yet lightweight in design, is versatile in its applications, and provides users with a convenient means of compacting garbage without having to make direct contact therewith. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for providing users with a convenient means of compacting garbage without having to make direct contact therewith. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are provided by a waste receptacle with integral manual waste compressor. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a manually-actuated waste compressing system may preferably include a waste receptacle. The waste receptacle preferably adapted to house the waste therein and having a waste bag removably seated within. The system may preferably include a lid removably mated to the waste receptacle and a manually-actuated compression implement which may be linearly reciprocated along a linear travel path defined along a longitudinal length of the waste receptacle. The compression implement may preferably be centrally aligned within an inner perimeter of the waste receptacle during reciprocating movements of the compression implement. 
     Further, the compression implement may include an elongated rectilinear dowel provided with a knob attached to its proximal end, and a disc situated subjacent to the lid. The disc may be coupled to a distal end of the dowel wherein the disc is suitably sized and shaped to linearly slide within close proximity of the inner perimeter of the waste receptacle. The disc may be further adapted to downwardly compact the waste within the waste bag while the lid remains elevated above of the waste receptacle. 
     In addition, the lid may preferably be statically mated to the compression implement and may be removably engaged with a top opening of the receptacle as the disc is reciprocated along the linear travel path. The lid and the disc may preferably have fixed diameters and be coaxially spaced apart along a longitudinal length of the dowel such that the disc and the lid may be synchronously displaced along a linear travel path as the dowel is reciprocated along the linear travel path. 
     In one embodiment, the compression implement may include a light-emitting source located at the knob and a power supply source electrically coupled to the light-emitting source. A deformably resilient spring member preferably having axially opposed ends may further be directly anchored to an inner chamber of the dowel and the disc respectively such that the spring member may exert a resistive force against a linear motion of the dowel. 
     Further, a pair of conductive contacts may be statically connected to the dowel and the disc respectively. In this way, when the spring member is reciprocated between compressed and equilibrium positions as the dowel is linearly reciprocated along the linear travel path, the contacts may be directly engaged when the spring member is compressed along the linear travel path such that the light emitting source is illuminated when the contacts are directly engaged. 
     In this manner, a user may learn of a maximum bottom displacement point of the dowel during compression procedures. Such a system has a distinct advantage in that it allows a user to be alerted to use an optimum compression force to compact the garbage. This will ensure that the garbage may not be overly compressed such as to damage the waste receptacle or compression implement respectively. 
     In one embodiment, the system may further include a plurality of hooks oppositely located at an open top end of the receptacle. The waste bag preferably having a pair of upper flanges removably mated to the hooks such that the waste bag is held at an upright position for receiving the waste therein. The hooks may further be diametrically opposed along the inner perimeter of the open top end such that they are caused to automatically rotate inwardly from the inner perimeter when the compression implement is removed from the waste receptacle. 
     In addition, the hooks are rotatably urged along mutually exclusive arcuate paths and thereby face outwardly away from the inner perimeter when the disc is lowered into the waste receptacle. In this way, the waste bag may preferably be tensioned when the hooks rotate outwardly away from the inner perimeter so that the disc evenly compresses the waste towards a bottom end of the waste bag. 
     In one embodiment, each of the disc and the lid may preferably include an inner ring concentrically positioned about the dowel and an outer ring rotatably mated to the inner ring and spaced away from the dowel. The inner ring may preferably have a predetermined fixed diameter. The outer ring may preferably include a plurality of arcuate segments dynamically arranged at an end-to-end pattern extending along a circumference of the outer ring with each of the arcuate segments preferably equidistantly offset from a center of the inner ring. 
     Such a configuration may preferably allow a diameter of the outer ring to uniformly increased and decreased as the arcuate segments are spatially separated and connected at the end-to-end pattern respectively. Additionally, each of the diameters of the outer rings associated with the lid and the disc may be independently increased and decreased as desired by the user. 
     The invention may further include a method of utilizing a manually-actuated waste compressing system for effectively compacting waste in a space-limited target zone. The method may preferably comprise the chronological steps of providing a waste receptacle; providing and removably seating a waste bag within the waste receptacle wherein the waste bag is adapted to house the waste therein; providing and removably mating a lid to the waste receptacle; providing and linearly reciprocating a manually-actuated compression implement along a linear travel path defined along a longitudinal length of the waste receptacle such that the compression implement is centrally aligned within an inner perimeter of the waste receptacle during reciprocating movement. 
     The compression implement may further include the step of providing an elongated rectilinear dowel provided with a knob attached to a proximal end thereof, and a disc situated subjacent to the lid and coupled to a distal end of the dowel. Further, the lid may be statically mated to the compression implement; compacting the waste by downwardly compacting the disc within the waste bag and thereby linearly sliding the disc within close proximity of the inner perimeter of the waste receptacle while the lid remains elevated above of the waste receptacle; and in addition, removably engaging the lid with a top opening of the receptacle as the disc is reciprocated along the linear travel path. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     It is noted the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, especially the scientists, 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. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a compression implement linearly reciprocated within a waste receptacle holding a trash bag therein, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the compression implement take along line  2 - 2  as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing an alternate embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the compression implement taken along line  4 - 4  as shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein a pair of hooks are pivotally connected to a perimeter of the waste receptacle; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the pivotal rotation of the hooks; and 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  of the lid wherein the inner and outer rings are slidably adjustable. 
     
    
    
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the figures are not intended to be drawn to any particular scale; nor are the figures intended to illustrate every embodiment of the invention. The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments depicted in the figures or the shapes, relative sizes or proportions shown in the figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, this embodiment is provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the true scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the figures. 
     The apparatus of this invention is referred to generally in  FIGS. 1-7  by the reference numeral  10  and is intended to provide a waste receptacle compression system. It should be understood that the manually-actuated waste compression system  10  may be used to compact their garbage without having to make direct contact therewith. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the manually-actuated waste compressing system  10  may preferably include a waste receptacle  20 . The waste receptacle  20  has a waste bag  60  removably seated therein, which is adapted to house the waste during compression procedures. The present invention further includes a lid  30  removably mated to the waste receptacle  20 . A manually-actuated compression implement  40  may be linearly reciprocated along a linear travel path defined along a longitudinal length of the waste receptacle  20 . In this way, the compression implement  40  may be centrally aligned within an inner perimeter of the waste receptacle  20  during reciprocating movements of the compression implement  40 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of the compression implement  40  may include an elongated rectilinear dowel  41  provided with a knob  42  attached to its proximal end, and a disc  43  situated subjacent to the lid  30 . The disc  43  may be coupled to a distal end of the dowel  41  wherein the disc  43  is suitably sized and shaped to linearly slide within close proximity of the inner perimeter of the waste receptacle  20 . The disc  43  may be further adapted to downwardly compact the waste within the waste bag  60  while the lid  30  remains elevated above the waste receptacle  20 . 
     In addition, the lid  30  may be statically mated to the compression implement  40  and thereby removably engaged with a top opening of the receptacle as the disc  43  is reciprocated along the linear travel path. The lid  30  and the disc  43  may preferably have fixed diameters and may be coaxially spaced apart along a longitudinal length of the dowel  41  such that the disc  43  and the lid  30  may be synchronously displaced along the linear travel path as the dowel  41  is reciprocated along the linear travel path. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , one embodiment of the compression implement  40  may include a light-emitting source  50  located at the knob  42  and a power supply source  51  electrically coupled to the light-emitting source  50 . A deformably resilient spring member  52  preferably having axially opposed ends may further be directly anchored to an inner chamber  44  of the dowel  41  and the disc  43  respectively such that the spring member  52  may exert a resistive force against a linear motion of the dowel  41 . 
     Further, a pair of conductive contacts  53  may be statically connected to the dowel  41  and the disc  43  respectively. In this way, when the spring member  52  is reciprocated between compressed and equilibrium positions as the dowel  41  is linearly reciprocated along the linear travel path. In this manner, the contacts may be directly engaged when the spring member  52  is compressed along the linear travel path such that the light emitting source is illuminated when the contacts are directly engaged. Such a structural configuration advantageously notifies a user of a maximum bottom displacement point of the dowel  41  during compression procedures for solving the problem of inadvertently tearing the waste bag  60 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , one embodiment of the present invention discloses a plurality of hooks  22  oppositely located at an open top end of the receptacle  20 . The waste bag  60  may have a pair of upper flanges  12  removably mated to the hooks  22  respectively such that the waste bag  60  is held at an upright position for receiving the waste therein. The hooks  22  may be diametrically opposed along the inner perimeter of the open top end such that they are caused to automatically rotate inwardly from the inner perimeter of the waste receptacle  20  when the compression implement  40  is removed from the waste receptacle  20 . 
     In addition, the hooks  22  are rotatably urged along mutually exclusive arcuate paths and thereby face outwardly away from the inner perimeter when the disc  43  is lowered into the waste receptacle  20 . In this way, the waste bag  60  may be tensioned when the hooks  22  rotate outwardly away from the inner perimeter so that the disc  43  evenly compresses the waste towards a bottom end of the waste bag  60 . 
     As best shown in  FIG. 7 , both the disc  43  and the lid  30  may include an inner ring  30 A concentrically positioned about the dowel  41  and an outer ring rotatably mated to the inner ring and spaced away from the dowel  41 . For example, the lid  30  may include an inner ring  30 A concentrically positioned about the dowel  41  and an outer ring  30 B rotatably mated to the inner ring  30 A and spaced away from the dowel  41 . The inner ring  30 A may preferably have a predetermined fixed diameter. 
     The outer ring  30 B may preferably include a plurality of arcuate segments  30 C dynamically arranged at an end-to-end pattern extending along a circumference of the outer ring  30 B with each of the arcuate segments  30 C. Such arcuate segments  30 C are preferably equidistantly offset from a center of the inner ring  45 . Such a configuration may preferably allow a diameter of the outer ring  30 B to uniformly increase and decrease as the arcuate segments  30 C are spatially separated and connected at the end-to-end pattern respectively. Additionally, the outer ring  30 B diameters associated with the lid  30  and the disc  43  are independently increased and decreased as desired by the user. 
     The invention may further include a method of utilizing a manually-actuated waste compressing system  10  for effectively compacting waste in a space-limited target zone. The method may preferably comprise the chronological steps of: providing a waste receptacle  20 ; providing and removably seating a waste bag  60  within the waste receptacle  20  wherein the waste bag  60  is adapted to house the waste therein; providing and removably mating a lid  30  to the waste receptacle  20 ; providing and linearly reciprocating a manually-actuated compression implement  40  along a linear travel path defined along a longitudinal length of the waste receptacle  20  such that the compression implement  40  is centrally aligned within an inner perimeter of the waste receptacle  20  during reciprocating movement. 
     The method may further provide a compression implement  40  having an elongated rectilinear dowel  41  provided with a knob  42  attached to a proximal end thereof. Such a compression implement  40  further including a disc  43  situated subjacent to the lid  30  and coupled to a distal end of the dowel  41 . 
     Further, the method may provide a lid  30  statically mated to the compression implement  40 ; compacting the waste by downwardly compacting the disc  43  within the waste bag  60  and thereby linearly sliding the disc  43  within close proximity of the inner perimeter of the waste receptacle  20  while the lid  30  remains elevated above of the waste receptacle  20 . In addition, the method may provide for removably engaging the lid  30  with a top opening of the receptacle as the disc  43  is reciprocated along the linear travel path. 
     The present invention, as claimed, provides the unexpected and unpredictable benefit of compacting garbage without having to make direct contact therewith. The invention additionally allows a user to utilize a waste receptacle more efficiently as more garbage is stored inside the waste receptacle before the garbage has to be disposed off. Further, the light source alerts a user when an optimum compression of the garbage is reached such that the compression implement and waste receptacle do not tear the waste bag  60 . The combination of such claimed elements provides an unpredictable and unexpected result which is not rendered obvious by one skilled in the art. 
     While the invention has been described with respect to a certain specific embodiment, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. 
     In particular, with respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the present invention may include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation. The assembly and use of the present invention are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art.

Technology Category: b