AU784754B2 - Top loading bin - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01 I Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

SE(

711 TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT LWa6e tl= m L LUL /N U s p Name of Applicant: RePn oe PtL Actual Inventor(s): Daniel Bolderoff Address for Service: A.P.T. Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys PO Box 222, Mitcham, SA 5062 Invention Title: Top Loading Bin Details of Associated Provisional Application No. PR5579 dated 6th June 2001 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- 2 The present invention relates to a top loading bin.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is common for bulk rubbish to be disposed of into rectangular top loading metal bins. The capacity of these bins is large relative to domestic bins and therefore they are especially suited to commercial applications such as in shops, warehouses and factories. Typically, the bins are kept on site and are emptied using a garbage disposal truck having a pair of prongs which are able to slide in to sleeves provided on the sides of the bin. Once captured by the prongs, the bin is lifted from an upright position in an arc generally over the front of the vehicle so that rubbish slides out of the open top of the bin and is deposited into a rubbish collection compartment at the back of the truck. Generally the bins have lids which help to keep the rubbish in until a certain point of the arc is reached.

Top loading bins of this type have proven extremely useful principally because they are relatively easy to empty and they carry a relatively large volume of waste. Bins having volumes of 0.6, 1.5 or 3.0 cubic metres are common. The larger size bins have relatively relatively high walls which makes it somewhat awkward to fill especially where heavy rubbish is filled into the bins.

To alleviate this difficulty "low loader" version of top loading bins have been devised that address the above problem. In these low loader bins the top opening is angled downwardly toward the front of the bin so that the front wall of the bin is lower than the back wall. This makes depositing rubbish into the bin easier.

A problem with these bins is that there is a reduction in volume due to the lowering of the front wall. Also, the area of the top opening is larger and therefore the lids need to be specially manufactured, thereby increasing costs. It has been suggested to use a standard sized lid on a low loader bin of this type by incorporating a ledge at the top back of the bin so that a standard sized lid can be fitted between the ledge and the front wall. However, in practice it is found that rubbish tends to get caught on the ledge as the bin is upturned, thereby leading to the bin not being completely emptied or extra steps being required to remove the material in other ways. When this happens it is known to rapidly jolt the prongs back and forth in an attempt to loosen the material. However this can cause undue wear on the hydraulics of the garbage truck. Alternatively a person has to manually loosen the material, which is both time consuming and dangerous.

For the purposes of this specification the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to", and the word "comprises" has a corresponding meaning. Also a reference within this specification to a document is not to be taken as an admission that the disclosure therein constitutes common general knowledge in Australia.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to provide a top loading bin that obviates or alleviates any one of the above problems, or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention could be said to reside in a top loading bin including a base and four or more walls upstanding from the base with the top of the walls defining a top opening through which rubbish can pass to fill or empty the bin, the dimensions and shape of the top opening approximating the dimensions and shape of the base, the bin adapted to be emptied by lifting the bin from the front and from a standing position in which the opening faces upwardly, to an emptying position in which the bin is at least partially upturned so that rubbish falls therefrom, a back wall of the bin being curved about a horizontal axis to assist in passage of rubbish material out of the bin and minimise the risk of material becoming jammed in the bin during emptying.

Whilst the invention is not limited thereto, in most instances the bin will have four walls, namely a front, a back and two side walls. Preferably the back wall of the bin is higher than the front wall so that the top of the side walls slopes downwardly toward the front to provide a low loader bin, with the curvature of the back wall increasing the volume of the bin but still allowing the top opening to be sloped and the front to be low enough to permit ready access to the opening without having to lift the rubbish too high.

The front wall of the bin may be angled outwardly from the front of the bin. The front wall may or may not be curved in similar manner to the back wall. A combination of the curvature of the back wall and the angle of the front wall may assist in emptying the bin by minimising the potential for material to be caught in the bin during emptying.

It will be appreciated that the radius of curvature of the back wall affects the movement of rubbish out of the bin. Preferably the radius is large enough to provide room for material to move within the bin and to increase the volume of the bin, but not so large as to have a jamming effect as rubbish slides out of the top of the bin. To achieve this, a bin having an volume of about 3 m 3 may have a radius of curvature of the back wall preferably between 1200 to 2000 mm, more preferably between 1300 to 1800 and most preferably 1500 mm.

Preferably two standard 1375 mm x 900 mm lids are fitted over the top opening and, other than the lids in the closed position, the back wall and top of the bin contain substantially no obstruction or impediment that affects passage of rubbish out of the bin. By "substantially no obstruction" it will be appreciated that small items such as the hinges of the lid may protrude internally from the back wall, but there are no larger obstructions such as ledges or the like. That is the back wall extends directly from the base to the hinge point of the lids.

To allow for standard sized bin lids to be used, the top of the back wall is preferably offset toward the front of the bin relative to the bottom of the back wall. That is as well as being curved, the back wall is inclined towards the front of the bin. This means that standard sized lids can be used and there is substantially no obstruction or impediment to passage of material out of the bin, such as an upper ledge.

It will be appreciated that the bin of the present invention may be used in place of existing top loading bins and therefore certain dimensions, in particular the side to side width, and the volume of the bin are preferably standard with respect to known and used bins. For example, the side to side width is preferably the same as billns that are currently used so that the lifting mechanism on currently used garbage trucks can be used to lift and empty the bins of the present invention. In addition, the volume of the bin is preferably about 1.5 or about 3.0 cubic metres.

The lids on the bin are preferably hinged to the top of the back wall so that they open when the bin is upturned during emptying. One or more stops may be included to hold the lids open when the bin is in the standing position.

Preferably the bin also contains lifting means to assist in lifting bin to the emptying position. In one preferred form the lifting means is in the form of a sleeve fitted to each side of the bin, each of the sleeves adapted so that prongs from a lift truck can slide into the sleeves and the prongs can be lifted to thereby lift the bin.

In one preferred form the sleeves are angled downwardly toward the front of the bin so that when the prongs of the lift truck slide into the sleeves, the front of the bin is lifted relative to rear of the normal standing position of he rear of the bin.

Preferably the front wall of the bin is lifted so as to be at least horizontal relative to the rear of the bin when the sleeves are fully engaged by the prongs of the lift truck before the bin is lifted. That means that when the rear and front of the bin are vertically over one another when the lifting arms of the lift truck are held vertically.

This is generally the alignment in standard non "low loading" bins and reduces loss of rubbish during the emptying process.

in one particular form, the invention could be said to reside in an improved low loader bin of the type having a base and a back wall, a front wall and two side walls upstanding from the base with the top of the walls defining a top opening through which rubbish can pass to fill or empty the bin, the height of the back wall being greater than the height of the front wall so that the top opening slopes downwardly toward the front of the bin, with the dimensions and shape of the top opening approximating the dimensions and shape of the base, the bin adapted to be emptied by lifting the bin from the front and from a standing position in which the opening faces upwardly, to an emptying position in which the bin is at least partially upturned so that rubbish falls therefrom, one or more lids hingedly connected to the top of the back wall and having dimensions substantially the same as the dimensions of lids on standard top loading bins, the bin having width, height, depth and volume substantially the same as standard top loading bins, a back wall of the bin being curved about a horizontal axis so that the back wall is substantially flush with the base at the bottom and with the top opening at the top so that there is substantially no impediment to passage of rubbish out of the bin along the back wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding the invention will now be described with reference to an illustrated embodiment. The drawings describe an illustrated embodiment wherein, Figure I is a side view of a known top loading bin, Figure 2 is a side view of a known low loader top loading bin, Figure 3 is a schematic representation showing the stages in emptying a top loading bin, Figure 4 is a perspective view of a top loading bin of the present invention, Figure 5 is a side view of the top loading bin as well as an outline of the bin of Figure 2, Figure 6 is a rear view of a top loading bin, Figure 7 is a side view of a top loading bin with the lid partly open, and Figure 8 is a front view of a top loading bin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Dimensions of certain of the parts shown in the drawings may have been modified and/or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity or illustration.

Figures 1 and 2 show known top loading bins (10) which are generally rectangular in top, front and back view and have four walls upstanding from a base. The top of the walls define a top opening through which rubbish can pass to fill or empty the bins. Generally the bins are available in volumes of 1.5 or 3.0 m 3 although 0.6 cubic metre bins are also available. In use the bins are kept on site and filled as needed, which is generally in an ad hoc fashion. The bins can potentially be filled with a wide range of materials and it is when they are filled with sheet or elongate materials that there can be problems in emptying because as they are upturned rubbish can become lodged in the bin, most commonly by becoming jammed between opposing walls. The problem of jamming of rubbish is particularly an issue with the "low loader" bin shown in figure 2.

The process of emptying the bins is shown schematically in Figure 3. Generally, the bins have a sleeve (12) on either side that can slide onto prongs of a removal truck having a hydraulic lifting arrangement. As is known, the two prongs extend from the front of the truck so that it can be driven up to the bin so that the prongs slide into the sleeves. The prongs are engaged into the sleeves and the lifting arrangement is used to lift the bin upwards and rearwards as best seen in Figure 3.

The rubbish falls out of the bin and into a rubbish compartment on the truck. The bin travels through an arc and in this case the back wall of the bin travels through an arc of larger radius than the front wall. Whilst a somewhat stylised arc is depicted in Figure 3 it will be appreciated that different lifting arrangements may move the bin through slightly different paths when being emptied. It can be seen that the lid of the bin remains closed until the bin passes of the apex of the arc.

The bin shown in Figure 2 is a "low loader" bin in that the opening is angled toward the front so that the front wall is lower than the back wall. The lower front wall makes it easier to dump rubbish into the bin. The dimensions of the top opening allow for two standard sized lids to be fitted. However to compensate for this, an upper ledge (14) extends from the top of the back wall to the back of the lids. In practice it is found that the top ledge presents an obstruction when the bin is being emptied.

Figures 4 to 8 show a top loading bin (10) according to the present invention. The bin (10) includes a base (16) and four walls upstanding from the base. The base is 1800mm in width and 1375mm in depth, which are also the dimensions of the known bins shown in Figures 1 and 2. The top of the walls define a top opening (18) through which rubbish can pass to fill or empty the bin. The dimensions and shape of the top opening approximate the dimensions and shape of the base and the bin is adapted to be emptied by lifting the bin from the front and from a standing position in which the opening faces upwardly, to an emptying position in which the bin is at least partially upturned, and generally inverted by about 1800, so that the opening which faces upwardly when the bin is in the standing position faces downwardly when the bin is inverted, so that rubbish falls therefrom. A back wall of the bin is curved about a horizontal axis to assist in passage of rubbish material out of the bin and minimise the chances of material becoming jammed in the bin during emptying.

A benefit of the present invention is that standard components can be used and in particular standard sized bin lids can be fitted with minimal obstruction to passage of material out of the bin. In this case two lids of standard size (1375mm x 900mm) are fitted side by side over the opening. This simplifies and reduces the cost of manufacture. For example, in the bin shown in Figure 1 it is common for the lids to be sprung so that they are easier to lift open. The bias exerted by the spring is such that the weight of the lid allows it to close against the bias of the spring, but the bias is sufficient to effectively reduce the weight of the lid for opening. However if larger lids are needed the biasing of the spring has to be altered accordingly and therefore for ease of manufacture it is preferable to use standard sized lids and hence standard springs.

The bin is constructed of sheet metal and is generally welded together. In most respects, the bin is constructed in the same way that standard top loading bins are constructed.

There are four walls, a front wall a back wall (20) and two side walls (24).

The top of each wall defines the top opening (18) and right angle steel is welded around the top of the walls to form a flange (26) to strengthen the opening and provide a surface onto which the lid can rest when closed.

The front wall (22) is lower in height than the back wall (20) and therefore the top opening and the side walls are angled toward the front of the bin. In this case the front wall is 900 mm from the bottom to the top of the wall. This provides a so called "low loader" bin in that access to the bin is easier because of the lower front wall.

The bin may have a volume of either about 1.5 or about 3.0 m 3 and in either case apart from the prong engaging sleeve the relative dimensions of the bin are about the same with either volume. In each case the lids (28) are the same size and in this way the costs of manufacture are reduced because only one size of lid is required. However with known low loader bins the top opening is angled and therefore the area of the opening from the back to front wall is increased. Larger lids then need to be specially manufactured and this leads to an increase in costs of manufacture.

The dimensions of the top opening of the bins of the present invention are such that two standard top loading bin lids are fitted side by side to close the opening. To accomplish this the top of the back wall is offset toward the centre of the bin when compared to the bottom of the back wall. That is the back wall is inclined inwardly and the straight line distance between the top and bottom of the back wall is 1350mm. However, whilst the top of the back wall is offset in this way, there is substantially no impediment or obstruction to passage of material out of the bin, such as a ledge as in the known bin shown in Figure 2 The lids are hinged to top of back wall so that they swing open when the bin is upturned. Standard butt hinges are attached to the outside of the back wall and an edgeof the lids. Torsion springs (not shown) are fitted between the back wall and the lids and the springs provide a bias on the lids so that the lids are easier to open but at the same time the weight of the lids works against the bias of the springs to close the lids. The springs extend inwardly from the back wall by 10-20mm.

However, a protrusion of these dimensions does not materially affect passage of rubbish out of the bin and therefore the springs do not provide an obstruction to passage of rubbish out of the bin.

A stop in the form of a notched arm (30) is used to hold either lid open. There is a notched arm on the side of each lid and the notches can engage a handle (32) fitted to the each side of the bin. A handle (34) is also provided on each lid to assist in opening of the lid.

The front wall (22) is angled outwardly and in the illustrated embodiments the angle is about ten degrees from vertical. The angled front wall may provide for a lower front wall than if the wall was vertical, thereby making the bin easier to access.

Alternatively, or in addition, the angle of the front wall may facilitate emptying of the bin when the bin is upturned.

A straight line between the bottom and the top of the back wall is approximately parallel to the front wall and this may also provide for ease of emptying when the bin is upturned.

Lifting means in the form of sleeves (12) on each side of the bin are provided to assist in lifting bin to the emptying position. The sleeves are shaped so that prongs from a lift truck can slide into the sleeves and the prongs can be lifted to thereby lift the bin.

The sleeves are angled downwardly toward the front of the bin so that when the prongs of the lift truck slide into the sleeves, the front of the bin is lifted slightly so as to redistribute the contents toward the back of the bin. In this way the load in the bin is redistributed somewhat toward the back of the bin and this minimises the loss of rubbish from the front of the bin.

In one form the angle of the sleeve is such that when the prongs of the garbage truck enter the sleeve the front of the bin is lifted so that the top of the front wall is approximately level with the top of the back wall. This means that as the bin is being emptied the top of the bin travels similarly to a known top loading bin.

Alternatively or in addition, the angle of the sleeves may be such that as the prongs enter the sleeves the front of the bin is lifted so that the front wall of the bin is vertical or near vertical. In certain configurations, namely when the front wall and top opening are perpendicular when the front wall is vertical the top of the front wall will also be approximately level with the top of the back wall. In these instances, when the bin is being lifted and emptied the passage of the top of the bin is similar to the known top loading bin of Figure 1, and any propensity for rubbish to be spilled on account of the lower front wall is obviated.

In the illustrated embodiment the angle of the sleeves is such that when the bin is lifted and upturned during emptying and the prongs of the garbage truck are horizontal the top of the back wall is approximately vertically below the junction of the back wall and the base.

The curved back wall provides an increase in volume without substantially affecting other dimensions of the bin. The curved back wall also has an effect on movement of rubbish out of the bin. The radius is large enough to provide room for material to move within the bin and to increase the volume of the bin, but not so large as to have a jamming effect as rubbish moves toward the top of the bin. In the illustrated embodiment the radius of curvature of the back wall is 1500 mm, although it is believed that the radius could be between about 1300mm and about 2000mm.

It is thought that if the radius of curvature of the back wall is too great, for example above about 2000mm then there is likely to be a jamming effect at the top of the bin as rubbish moves from a relatively large cross sectional area to a smaller cross sectional area. In addition if the radius is too small, for example below about 1300mm, then the increase in volume provided by the back wall will not be sufficient and in addition the increase in cross sectional area in moving from the base upwardly will not be sufficient to provide an improved benefit in terms of flow of rubbish out of the bin.

Without necessarily being bound by the same, one reason that a curved back wall is believed to be effective in mninimising the chances of material becoming jammed in the bin is that the back wall effectively slopes outwardly above the base and therefore as the bin is upturned rubbish at the base of the bin moves into a larger cross sectional area. When this is combined with a forward slanting front wall the cross sectional area does not alter significantly from above the base to the top of the bin.

Whilst the preferred embodiment shows a bin with a curved back wall and slanted front wall it is believed that a curved back wall may be sufficient to minimise the risk of material being jammed in the bin. This may be because the bin moves through an arc when being emptied and therefore an elongate piece of material lying on the base from the front wall to the back wall will also tend to swing in the arc as well. In doing so the curve of the back wall provides room for the piece of material to swing and therefore gain sufficient momentum for it to not become trapped between walls in the bin.

Various features of the invention have been particularly shown and described in connection with the exemplified embodiments of the invention, however, it must be understood that these particular arrangements merely illustrate and that the invention is not limited thereto and can include various modifications falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

1. A top loading bin including a base and four or more walls upstanding from the base with the top of the walls defining a top opening through which rubbish can pass to fill or empty the bin, the dimensions and shape of the top opening approximating the dimensions and shape of the base, the bin adapted to be emptied by lifting the bin from the front and from a standing position in which the opening faces upwardly, to an emptying position in which the bin is at least partially upturned so that rubbish falls therefrom, a back wall of the bin being curved about a horizontal axis'to assist in passage of rubbish material out of the bin and minimise the risk of material becoming jammed in the bin during emptying.

2. A top loading bin as in claim 1 having four walls, namely a front, the back and two side walls wherein the back wall of the bin is higher than the front wall so that the top of the side walls slopes downwardly toward the front to provide a low loader bin.

3. A top loading bin as in claim 2 wherein the front wall of the bin is angled outwardly from the front of the bin.

4. A top loading bin as in either claim 2 or 3 wherein the front wall is curved in the same direction as the back wall.

A top loading bin as in claim 4 wherein the front wall is curved about the same horizontal axis as the back wall.

6. A top loading bin as in any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the bin has a volume of about 3 cubic meters and the back wall has a radius of curvature of between 1200 to 2000 mm.

7. A top loading bin as in claim 6 wherein the back wall has a radius of curvature of between 1300 to 1800.

8. A top loading bin as in any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the bin has a volume of about 3 cubic meters and the back wall has a radius of curvature of about 1500 mm.

9. A top loading bin as in any one of the preceding claims wherein the back wall and top of the bin contain substantially no obstruction or impediment that affects passage of rubbish out of the bin.

10. A top loading bin as in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the back wall extends directly from the base to the hinge point of the lids.

11. A top loading bin as in any one of the preceding claims wherein a top of the back wall is preferably offset toward the front of the bin relative to the bottom of the back wall.

12. A top loading bin as in any one of the preceding claims wherein the bin also has lifting means to assist in lifting bin to the emptying position.

13. A top loading bin as in claim 12 wherein the lifting means is in the form of a respective sleeve fitted to each side of the bin, each of the sleeves adapted so that prongs from a lift truck can slide into the sleeves and which prongs can be lifted to thereby lift the bin.

14. A top loading bin as in claim 13 wherein the sleeves are angled downwardly toward the front of the bin so that when the prongs of the lift truck slide into the sleeves, the front of the bin is lifted relative to rear of the normal standing position of the rear of the bin.

15. A top loading bin as in claim 14 wherein the front wall of the bin is lifted so as to be at least horizontal relative to the rear of the bin when the sleeves are fully engaged by the prongs of the lift truck before the bin is lifted.

16. A top loading bin substantially as hereinbefore described with references to the illustrated embodiment. Dated this 3rd day of June 2002 REMOVE ALL RUBBISH CO PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys A.P.T. Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys