GB2487236A - Air release channels to prevent waste vacuum sealing with bin - Google Patents

Abstract

A bin 1 having at least one channel 11 extending between the bins base and opening, and at least one trough 13 in its base. The arrangement is designed to prevent the waste sealing against the walls of the bin and being held in there by vacuum or relative pressure forces when the bin is upturned. Ideally the bin is a wheelie bin having a handle 7 and lid 3 at the top and wheels 5 at the base. The trough may connect the ends of multiple channels. The channel may be an enclosed tube having open ends 9 at the opening and base of the bin. The channels can alternatively be formed by a corrugation in the bin wall. An insert to be retrofitted to an existing bin, performing the same function is also discussed. A vehicle including means to cover the tubes and/or supply pressurised air to them is also discussed.

Description

Refuse Container The present application relates to refuse containers, in particular refuse containers of a type referred to as "wheelie bins".

Domestic premises accumulate refuse which must be disposed of regularly to maintain pleasant and hygienic living conditions for citizens. Local authorities are responsible for such disposal and generally provide standardized refuse holders to domestic premises for storage of such refuse as it awaits collection. Advantages of providing standardized refuse holders include the opportunity to deploy standardized lorries to collect the refuse and formulate standardized procedures to be followed by refuse collection personnel which will ensure their safety and the safety of the public.

In addition routes for refuse collection may be established which are efficient and economic.

Increasingly, local authorities provide householders with a type of refuse holder which is sufficiently large to hold a suitable amount of refuse, and sufficiently robust to withstand the vagaries of the weather over a number of years and also the potentially rough handling needed while being emptied. The type of bin often supplied is slightly more than half the height of a man and generally includes a handle and wheels and is colloquially referred to as a "wheelie bin". Refuse collection services provide bin lorries for collection of refuse from wheelie bins and such bin lorries are usually designed to load such wheelie bins onto a lifting mechanism integral with the lorry, the lifting mechanism also turning the bins upside-down to assist with emptying the contents into the refuse storage portion at the back of the lorry.

Until recently domestic refuse was collected weekly, but to encourage recycling and to reduce land fill many authorities now arrange for collection less often, for example on ahernate weeks. As a consequence wheelie bins get very full, and to ensure all refuse is collected householders often compress the contents to squeeze more refuse into the bin.

Wheelie bins can prove difficult to empty, those with compressed contents particularly so. Refuse may become wedged or a vacuum may bc created at the bottom of the bin by plastic bags urged into contact with the internal bin walls. The lifting mechanism provided to refuse collection Lorries has been provided with means to shake bins mounted thereon during the emptying procedure to assist with dislodging refuse, however this has many disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the wheelie bin may collide with a portion of the lorry while being shaken, which damages the bin by, for example, cracking or braking off portions of the bin. Bins damaged in this way deteriorate swiftly and must be discarded. In addition, sometimes bins become detached from the lifting mechanism while being shaken and fall into the refuse collection portion of the lorry where they remain, or fall outside of the lorry potentially endangering refuse collection workers and/or passers by, and finally the shaking mechanism causes bin Lone's significant wear and tear.

In spite of the shaking mechanism the compacted refuse is sometimcs not dislodged and remains in the bin and householders who find their bins only partially emptied often complain to the authority which must then go to the expense of sending out extra Lorries to empty individual bins.

This present arrangement is expensive in terms of bins damaged and lost and also in terms of additional bin-lorry journeys to attend to partly empty bins.

It would be helpful to provide means to ensure bins are completely emptied while reducing the damage to bins and the loss of bins, and also to reduce the additional journeys needed to complete a refuse collection successfully.

The present invention provides, according to a first aspect, a container comprising a base and walls with an open top, at least one wall including at least one channel extending from the open top to the base, the base including at least one trough.

Preferably the container is a container for refuse with a handle adjacent the open top and wheels adjacent the base, such as a wheelie-bin.

The at least one channel may be enclosed to form a tube, and such a tube will preferably have an open end adjacent the top of the container and a second open end adjacent the base of the container.

The container may include a plurality of tubes, including a first tube, the second open end of the first tube in fluid communication with a second open end of a second tube via the at least one trough in the base, the at least one trough extending through the container base.

The at least one trough may extend diagonally across the base between the first and second tubes, altematively the trough may extend between the first and second tubes in a non-diagonal manner.

The channels may be formed from corrugations in the wall.

The container walls may include a plurality of corrugations, thereby forming a plurality of channels.

The channels may be formed on an interior wall surface only.

The present invention provides, according to a further aspect, a vehicle adapted to receive the container of claim 1 onto a lifting mechanism.

The vehicle may include means to provide compressed air into the at least one channel or tube, and may also include means to seal the open end of the tube adjacent said container top.

The present invention provides, according to a still further aspect, an insert for a container providing at least one channel or tube extending from a top of said container to a base of said container.

The insert may further comprise a second channel or tube positioned diagonally opposite the first tube and connected thereto by a further channel including openings.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1(a) shows a side view of a prior art bin,

Figure 1(b) shows a top-down view of bin of Fig. 1(a), Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a bin in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, Figures 3 shows a further view of the bin of Figure 2 with dotted lines to indicate internal features, Figure 4 shows a top-down view of the bin of Figure 2, Figure 5 (a) -(d) show perspective, side and top-down views respectively of a bin in accordance with a second embodiment, Figure 6(a) shows a top-down view of a bin in accordance with a third embodiment, Figure 6(b) shows a side view of the bin of Figure 6(a), Figure 7 shows a view from a sidewall of the bin in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention, Figure 8 shows a fifth embodiment of the invention for use with a wheelie bin, and Figure 9 shows the bin of Figures 6(a) and (b) upended to eject the contents.

Figures 1(a) and (b) show a prior art bin in use as domestic refuse containers.

Figure 2 shows a conventional wheelie bin-type domestic refuse container comprising four walls 1 extending upwardly and away from a base 2 and enclosing a volume for storing refuse. No external opening is provided to the walls 1 or base 2 to ensure that all refuse placed in the bin remains within the bin and no content seepage occurs. The upper ends of the walls 4 provide a generally rectangular opening through which refuse is placed into the bin. The upper ends of the walls 4 conventionally include a portion 6 extending away from the top of the bin to reinforce and strengthen the opening and therefore the bin. A handle 7 is positioned adjacent the opening and a lid 3 is attached to the bin adjacent the opening for removably placing over the opening to conceal the contents of the bin and retain the contents within.

The base 2 of the bin covers an area smaller than that covered by the opening and also includes a pair of wheels S positioned on the same side as the handle 7. The wheels 5 may be inset under the body of the bin. Figure 2 also shows shafts 11 with openings 9 positioned on each internal surface of the bin where walls meet, the shafts including an open top 9 adjacent the top of the bin wall. The shafts extend from the top of the bin to the base and provide a conduit for air to enter into the base of the bin.

Figure 3 shows a view of the bin of Figure 2 with the position of the shafts 11 set out in dotted lines. As can be seen the shafts are open 9 at the top of the bin and extend therefrom to the base 2. The base of the bin is provided with troughs 13 which extend from the base of each shaft 11 to the base of the shaft diagonally opposite thereto. A route is therefore provided for air to enter base of the bin via the shafts 11 and troughs 13 thereby reducing the likelihood of a refuse retaining vacuum forming in the base of the bin. Air may enter the bin by this route naturally, or the bin lorry may be provided with means to direct compressed air into the openings 9. This may be particularly useful if the refuse includes liquids which have seeped into the base of the bin, preventing air entering the troughs 13, which may be common in, for example, bins designed to take garden waste and compost. Thus compressed air provided in this manner may assist in removing refuse from the bin or may break any vacuum that may have formed in the base of the bin.

Figure 4 shows a top-down view of the arrangement of Figure 3. The open tops 9 of the shafts 11 positioned at each comer of the bin can clearly be seen, the shafts extending downwardly into the interior of the bin. At the bottom of each shaft 11, by the base 2 of the bin, the shafts open into troughs 13 in the base 2 which extend from a shaft base to the diagonally opposite shaft base.

Figure 5 (a) shows a perspective view of second embodiment of the bin in which the sides include corrugations 21. The corrugations as shown extend around all sides of the bin and are present on the inside surface and outside surface of the bin walls. It is contemplated that the corrugations may be present only on one side of each bin wall, for example the inside wall. Figure 5 (b) shows such an embodiment. The channels provided by the corrugations may vary from the uneven surface effect shown in Figure 5 (a) to the very clearly defined grooves shown in Figure 5 (b). Figure 5 (b) shows the interior surface including several such clearly defined grooves, however the number of grooves may vary, and some may be fully closed to form tubes with others open to form channels or an uneven surface effect. Figures 5 (c) and (d) show a side and top-down view, respectively, of a bin in accordance with this second embodiment.

In this second embodiment the internal corrugations 21 replace or supplement the shafts 11 of embodiment 1, and so the bin of the second embodiment may include only the corrugations 21 or may in addition include shafts 11 as described in relation to the first embodiment.

Figure 6(a) shows a third embodiment of the bin in which the base includes a series of troughs 15 which extend from the opening at the second end of a shaft or tube 11 inwardly over the base of the bin towards the middle. As can be seen the troughs 15 extend from the second end of a first shaft towards the middle and then change direction towards the second end of a further shaft 11 on a wall adjacent the first shaft rather than diagonally opposite thereto. Figure 6(a) shows four troughs extending thus over the intemal base of the bin.

Figure 6(b) shows a side view of the bin of Figure 6(a) showing the shaft 11 with opening 9 at a first, open end of the bin, wherein air external to the bin remains in fluid contact with troughs 15 in the base of the bin.

Figure 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention in which a bin wall, in the exemplary case the wall to which the handle is attached, includes an opening adjacent the top of the bin, the opening in fluid communication with one or more of the shafts.

This arrangement might be adopted to assist in providing compressed air into the channels 11. The openings 9 in the top of channels might in this case be sealed to prevent the compressed air exiting the channels; alternatively the compressed air mechanism may seal the openings 9 while the compressed air is provided.

Figure 8 shows a fifth embodiment of the invention comprising an insert which may be provided to a conventional wheelie bin, the insert including four shafts which extend from the top of the bin into thc interior volume of the bin and include tubes which extend between the shaft bases. Each tube includes openings to allow air to enter into the base of the bin to assist with refuse removal.

Figure 9 shows the bin of Figures 6(a) and (b), containing a number of refuse bags 17, inverted such that the weight of the bags encourages the bags to exit the bin through the open top, now positioned nearer to the ground than the base of the bin. Troughs on thc base, filled with air via shafts 11, assist in the removal of the refuse bags 17 from the bin by avoiding formation of air locks.

In use, a bin in accordance with the first embodiment may be used by a householder in a similar manner to a conventional wheelie bin. When mounted to the lifting mechanism of a refuse collection lorry during the refuse collection procedure the bin may be lifted and inverted to remove refuse. The openings 9 at the top of shafts 11, or at the top of corrugations, allow air to enter into the base of the bin which assists with refuse removal. The shaking mechanism is thus redundant and the damage caused to bins and Lorries, and the loss of bins due to this would therefore not occur. In accordance with further embodiments, should any refuse prove difficult to dislodge compressed air may be supplied to thc shafts 11 to break any vacuum which might still be present, or to provide an internal force to urge refuse out of the bin.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment. For example, the troughs 13, 15 on the base of the bin may consist of one channel or many channels, may extend from the base of one shaft 11 to a diagonally opposite shaft, or may extend from one shaft to an adjacent shaft, either directly or by extending towards the middle of the bin and then changing direction. According to the second embodiment the troughs may extend from any one or more of the channels provided by the corrugations to any other of such channels. The shaft 11 may be provided by enclosed tubes or altematively by a, or a plurality of, channels with an open side. The compressed air urged through shafts 11 and troughs 15 may ahematively be a jet of water which has the added advantage that the bin may be cleaned while being emptied, encouraging householders to avoid the use of plastic bags and deposfting refuse directly into the bin. In the event water is used in this way it is contemplated that the refuse lorry include means to avoid becoming water-logged, such as recycling water or other suitable means.

Claims (18)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A container comprising: a base and walls with an open top, at least one wall including at least one channel extending from the open top to the base, the base including at least one trough.
2. 2. The container of claim 1 comprising a "wheelie-bin", including a handle adjacent said open top and wheels adjacent said base, the container for holding refuse.
3. 3. The container of claim 1 wherein said at least one channel is enclosed to form a tube.
4. 4. The container of claim 3 wherein said tube has a first open end adjacent said open top of the container and a second open end adjacent the base of the container.
5. 5. The container of claim 4 including a plurality of said tubes, wherein a second open end of a first tube is in fluid communication with a second open end of a second tube via said at least one trough in the base.
6. 6. The container of claim S wherein said at least one trough extends away from the wall containing said first tube towards a wall containing said second tube.
7. 7. The container of claim 6 wherein said at least one trough extends diagonally across the base between said first and second tubes.
8. 8. The container of claim 1 wherein said at least one channel is formed from a corrugation in said wall.
9. 9. The container of claim 8 wherein said wall provides a corrugated wall including a plurality of channels.
10. 10. The container of claim 9 wherein said channels are provided on an interior wall surface only.
11. 11. A vehicle adapted to receive the container of any one of the preceding claims onto a lifting mechanism.
12. 12. The vehicle of claim 11 including means to provide compressed air into the at least one tube.
13. 13. The vehicle of claim 11 including means to seal the open end of the tube adjacent said open top.
14. 14. An insert for a container including at least one tube extending from a top of said container to a base of said container.
15. 15. The insert of claim 14 further comprising a second tube which, with the insert in a conventional bin, is positioned diagonally opposite the first tube and connected thereto by a channel including openings.
16. 16. A container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
17. 17. A container substantially as herein described with reference to theaccompanying description.
18. 18. A vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to theaccompanying description.