GB2372194A - Container, has gasket held in channel defined by two walls depending from underside of lid, provides liquid tight seal when closed, inner wall depends further - Google Patents

Abstract

A container, such as a wheely-bin, comprises a wheeled 3, open ended body 1 to which is hinged 5 a lid 8 with a channel 14, holding a gasket 15, formed by walls 13, 13' which depend from an underside of the lid 8. The gasket 15 provides a liquid tight seal with the mouth / an upper edge of the mouth 12 of the container when the lid 8 is closed. Inner wall 13 depends further than outer wall 13', and depends into the container when the lid is closed, providing additional mechanical support for the container mouth 12. Outer wall 13' depends around the outside of the upper edge of the mouth 12. The lid and body may further include fastening devices 16, 18, 19 to clamp the lid closed. The arrangement may prevent the spilling of liquid contents from inside the container in the event that it should be jarred or tip over. Further disclosed is a container much as the above, except that it is additionally specified that the container body 1 is capable of free standing on the ground and being tilted on its wheels to be displaced.

Description

Container for Liquid Residues The present invention relates to a liquid container or bin which is especially suitable for the collection of liquid residues and allows the closed container to be handled without any risk of spilling its contents. The container of the present invention is especially suitable for the selective recovery of automobile oils and oil filters.

Within the wide range of solutions for residue bins or containers, one of the most common types is known as a"wheely-bin"and comprises an elongated body with a pair of wheels adjacent the rear of its base which are dimensioned to allow the stable settling of the container on the ground on its base, while at the same time allowing it to be tilted and moved on its wheels. The aforementioned wheels act as a fulcrum and the side wall of the container on which the wheels are mounted has a handle on its upper part to facilitate its handling, this handle also providing the pivot axis for a lid which is joined to the open top end of the container body and can be tilted toward its rear during emptying of the container.

These containers are usually made of a plastics material and are Injection moulded so they are capable of holding both solids and liquids. However, they do not include any means to prevent the liquid contents spilling out of the container when it is tilted.

The bin of the present invention overcomes these problems by providing a liquidtight seal when it is needed.

The bin of the invention achieves this by incorporating a double wall in the lower or internal face of the lid located opposite the open end of the body which defines a perimeter channel in which a sealing gasket can be fitted, so that when the lid is in its closed situation, said gasket ensures a liquid-tight seal for the bin or container unit.

Preferably, the internal wall has a considerable height so that when the lid closes onto the body, it penetrates substantially into the interior thereof acting as a

positioner or locator which ensures the stability of the lid relative to the body even in the event of it being tilted sideways as a result of an abrupt fall of the container to the ground.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a container or bin comprising a wheeled open ended body having a lid hingedly attached thereto, the lid having a channel formed on its undersurface in which a sealing gasket is located which cooperates with an upper edge of the body of the bin when the lid is closed to form a liquid-tight seal therewith, the channel having an inner and outer wall, the inner wall being higher than the outer wall and arranged to cooperate with the interior surface of the mouth of the body and extend into the interior thereof by a distance greater than the outer wall thereby providing additional mechanical support for the mouth of the body to prevent it distorting should the bin fall over.

The described structure can be complemented with a series of locks or fasteners of any adequate conventional type, conveniently located in the periphery of the closing area, which stabilize the lid with respect to the body in said position and ensures the effectiveness of the gasket.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a container bin of the present invention for the selected collection of liquid residues; Figure 2 is a plan view of the container shown in Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross sectional detail of the bin shown in Figures 1 and 2 in the area where the lid joins the body.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a container or bin comprising a body (1), of appropriate capacity, having mounted in its rear base region a transversal shaft (2) for a pair of wheels (3). As can be seen in Figure 1, the wheels (3) allow a perfect setting of the body (1) on the ground by means of its base (4) but at the same time, when the body (1) is slightly tilted on the wheels (3), the container

remains exclusively supported on said wheels (3) so it can be wheeled along the ground using handle (5) provided on bracket supports (6). The shaft (5) in conjunction with bracket supports (7), provide the hinge mechanism for the lid (8) which cooperates with the mouth of the body (1) by a perimeter flange (9) which can be reinforced by bracket supports (10). The lid (8) also incorporates handles (11) which facilitate its manual opening on the hinging shaft (5).

In accordance with the invention, the lid (8) incorporates, corresponding with the mouth (12) of the body (1), a double perimeter wall (13-13') defining a downwardly orientated channel (14) capable of receiving a sealing gasket (15) on which the aforementioned mouth (12) of the body (1) will be supported in a closed position.

In this manner, an absolutely liquid-tight coupling can be achieved between the lid (8) and the body (1) which allows the bin to be used for the selective collection of liquid residues, thereby ensuring that said liquid residues cannot spill out during the transportation or handling of the container.

As can be seen in Figure 3, the interior wall (13) has a height such when the lid is in its closed position, the wall (13) penetrates a substantial distance into the interior of the body (1) to provide support for the mouth (12) against any lateral deflection and a kind of tongue and groove connection between the lid and the body which assures the perfect stability between these elements even in the event of a strong side impact resulting from the container falling over during its transportation.

Locking means can be included to stabilize and retain the lid (8) in its closed position. These can be of any conventional type, such as, for example, a series of fasteners (16) attached to the reinforcing perimeter flange (9) around the mouth of the body (1) by means of rivets (17) or any other means. For example, one fastener can be provided on its front edge with another two on each one of its sides, said fasteners (16) cooperating with rings (18) associated with tilting levers (19) to keep the lid tightly shut in known manner. It will be appreciated that the illustrated fastening means can be replaced by any other conventional means.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the preferred container of the invention is especially suitable for the selective collection of vehicle oils, oil filters and the like, and comprises a container body having a lid hingedly attached thereto which is capable of sitting directly on the ground or of being supported, after tilting it, on a pair of wheels which allow its mobility in conjunction with a handle on the lid, the lid incorporating in an opposing situation to the mouth of the body, a pair of walls defining a downwardly oriented open channel capable of holding in its interior a sealing gasket with which the mouth of the body engages, the gasket remaining lodged between the two walls associated with the internal face of the lid when the lid is closed thereby assuring a sealed closing of the latter, the internal wall being of a height such that in a closed situation of the bin, it penetrates considerably into the basin of the body while at the same time adapting to it thereby assuring the mechanical stability of the bin in the event of an eventual fall.

Claims (4)

1. Claims 1. A container or bin for the selective collection of liquid residues comprising a container body capable of sitting directly on the ground or of being supported and moved, after tilting, on a pair of wheels, a lid hingedly attached to the container having a channel formed on its underside defined by a pair of walls extending downwardly towards the open mouth of the body with a sealing gasket therein, the mouth of the body cooperating with the gasket when the lid is closed to make a liquid-tight seal therewith, the channel having an internal wall which is of a height such that when the lid is closed onto the mouth of the bin, said wall penetrates into the body by a distance greater than the other wall of the channel thereby providing mechanical stability for the bin in the event of an eventual fall.
2. 2. A container or bin according to claim 1 wherein the lid and body include fastening devices which maintain the lid stable with respect to the body when the lid is closed.
3. 3. A container or bin comprising a wheeled open ended body having a lid hingedly attached thereto, the lid having a channel formed on its undersurface in which a sealing gasket is located which cooperates with an upper edge of the body of the bin when the lid is closed to form a liquid-tight seal therewith, the channel having an inner and outer wall, the inner wall being higher than the outer wall and arranged to cooperate with the interior surface of the mouth of the body and extend into the interior thereof by a distance greater than the outer wall thereby providing additional mechanical support for the mouth of the body to prevent it distorting should the bin fall over.
4. 4. A container or bin substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.