US3134630A - Container - Google Patents

Description

May 26, 1964 o. F. KUETHER 3,134,630

CONTAINER Filed Dec. 7, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 05cm F. KUETHER ATTYs.

May 26, 1964 o. F. KUETHER 3,134,630

CONTAINER Filed Dec. 7, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY OSCAR F. KUETHER ATTYs.

May 26, 1964 o. F. KUETHER CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 7, 1962 INVENTOR. OSCAR F. KUETHER BY ATTYS,

United States Patent 3,134,630 CONTAINER Oscar F. Kuether, 125 F St. NW., Ephrata, Wash. Filed Dec. 7, 1962, Ser. No. 243,027 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-272.5)

This invention relates to a novel cabinet for the storage of refuse cans or similar items.

The invention is primarily concerned with the provision of an efficient and simple cabinet for the storage of articles, such as refuse or garbage cans, which are normally both unsightly and vulnerable to physical damage or vandalism. The present invention contemplates a cabi net having neat outward appearance which will provide an effective and sanitary protective shield for such items.

The cabinet is specifically designed to attain a simple appearance while having built into it a mechanism adapted to facilitate access to the conventional cans stored therein. This provision contemplates a hinged upper lid and a sliding front wall so that when the cabinet is opened the cans will be completely accessible both for storage purposes and for removal.

hamper in any manner the normal use of the cans.

It is another object of this invention to provide a container which provides maximum accessibility to the refuse cans for removal of the cans without lifting them from the supporting cabinet surface. In this regard the cabinet is provided with a slidable front wall which operates automatically in response to movement of the upper lid and which allows the cans to he slid forwardly without any lifting.

These and further objects of the invention will be evident from a study of the following disclosure and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate two practical embodiments of the invention which are quite closely related to one another. It is to be understood that the relative structural shapes and the exemplary mechanism illustrated in these drawings are not intended to exhaust the possibilities contemplated by this invention, and therefore are not to restrict its scope beyond those restrictions found in the annexed claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective front view of the cabinet showing its intended use with the upper lid'and the front wall being opened for access to the storage cans;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the cabinet shown in FIG- URE 1 with the lid and front wall fully closed;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE 2, with a portion of one wall of the side panel being cut away to show the operating mechanism;

FIGURE 4 isa view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the lid in its raised position;

FIGURE 5 is a front view of a second embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 5, with a portion of one end wall broken away to show the operating mechanism and with the alternate position of the lid and mechanism being shown in dashed lines;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 in FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 88 in FIGURE 2 and illustrating a latch suitable for use with this invention; and

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged front view of the latch mechanism illustrated in FIGURE 8.

The present invention contemplates a container usable to house refuse cans or garbage cans for residential or commercial use. It may house one, two, three, or any multiple number of cans with equal effectiveness. Primarily it maintains the cans at an elevated position where they are more accessible for filling and for removal, and less accessible to rodents,'insects and standing water on the ground surfaces. The container serves as an outer protective structure to provide a unitary and neat appearance, and also to protectt the cans against marauding animals and vandals.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the first embodiment of this invention is illustrated so as to hold three cylindrical cans 9. The cans rest upon a horizontal supporting platform 10 which may be solid or may be an open grate if so desired. At each side of the platform 10 is an upright panel '11 which is preferably a hollow, fully enclosed panel having two parallel walls. Since the present construction is preferably of sheet metal, all of the walls are shown with diagonal strengthening embossments, however, any suitable wall material may be utilized. Fixed to the rear edges of the side panels 11 and extending across the full width of the platform 10 is an upright rear wall 12. The rear wall 12 and side panels 11 each extend both above and below the platform 10, which therefore as sumes an elevated position relative to the ground or supporting surface on which the side panels 11 rest. Hinged to the rear wall 12 is an upper lid 13 which extends across the Width of the platform 10 directly above it. The lid 13 is connected to the upper edge of the rear wall 12 by suitable hinges 14 of any conventional type.

Mounted along the front edge of the inside surface of each side panel 11 are guide channels 19 which define a vertical track in which the front Wall is slidably mounted. The front wall in this instance comprises three elements which shall'be described from bottom to top. The lowermost of these elements is designated as 15 and extends completely across the width of the platform 10 and is securely fixed in place so that it cannot move. This element 15 has mounted above it two movable elements 16 and 20. The intermediate element 16 has a base edge 17 which is adapted to rest on base 19a of the channel 19, and which also protrudes rearwardly so as to catch on the bottom surface of the platform 10 when in its fully raised position. The element 16 is also provided with a forwardly protruding upper lip 18. The topelement 20 has a rearwardly protruding lower lip'21 which is adapted to engage the lower surface of the lip 18 on element 16 to thereby raise the element 16 when'the element 20 is pulled upwardly. The element 20 is completed by a rearwardly directed upper edge 22. The purpose of the two elements 16 and 20 is to provide a 3 cessible and may be removed by merely sliding them rom the platform without any lifting.

In order to operate the lid 13 and the wall elements 16 and 20, a mechanism has been devised which is shown in detail in FIGURES 3 and 4. This mechanism is provided in each of the side panels 11. Since the mechanism is identical at each end of the container only a single end will be described, it being understood that identical structure is to be provided at each end of the complete assembly.

The mechanism includes a rigid crank arm 23 which is pivoted to the side panel 11 about an axis designated as 24. The crank arm 23 has pivoted to it at 26 a rigid upstanding link 25, which in turn is pivoted to the lid at 27. The connection of the link to the crank arm 23 is offset from the pivot axis 2? of the crank arm 23 and also the connection of the link 25 to the lid 13 is offset from the axis of hinge 14. Thus, when the crank arm 23 is pivoted about the axis 24, the lid 13 will be raised or lowered.

In order to correlate the raising of the lid with the lowering of the wall elements 16 and 20 a flexible connector or cable 28 is attached to the upper element 20 and to the end of the arm 23 at a point designated as 29. The cable 28 passes over an idler pulley 30 which is rotatably mounted between the walls of the side panels 11. As may be seen in the exemplary structure shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4, when the lid 13 is raised about its hinged axis the arm 23 at each end will be raised so as to allow the front wall elements 16 and 20 to lower due to their own weight and under the guidance of the channels 19. Similarly when the lid 13 is closed, the elements 16 and 20 will be raised until their upper surface meets the lower surface of the lid 13. By correctly choosing the lever lengths of the arms 23, the links 25 and the cable 28, one may counterbalance the weight of the lid 13 by the weight of the wall elements 16 and 20 so that it is unnecessary to provide further brackets to maintain the lid 13 in its raised position.

Illustrated in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 is a second embodiment of the invention which differs slightly from that just described. In this instance the platform 10, side panels 11, rear wall 12, lid 13 and hinges 14 are the same as previously mentioned and will not be further described in detail herein. One difference in this embodiment is that the front wall 31 is not formed of two elements but of a single element. It is guided for sliding motion by vertical channel guides 32 on each side panel 11. The front wall 31 may or may not clear the platform 10 when in its fully lowered position, depending upon the relative elevations of the platform 10 and the height of the complete assembly. This would be a matter of choice and convenience.

The side panels 11 are provided with rigid crank arms 33 shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. These crank arms 33 are pivoted about a common horizontal axis and are rigidly connected to one another by a pivot shaft 34. The position of the crank arm 33 in this instance is below the platform 10 so that the cross shaft 34 will not affect the normal use of the container. A rather lengthy upstanding link 35 is connected at 36 to the arm 33 and at 37 to the lid 13. The front wall 31 is connected to a cable 33 wrapped over a pulley 41 and connected at to the rear end of the arms 33.

At each end of the overall container is a handle 42 fixed to the shaft 34. The handle 42 provides for manual operation of the container so that a person at either end of the container may pivot the handle 42 from the full line position shown in FIGURE 6, to the dashed line position, so as to operate the lid and front wall when desired. Again, by suitable balancing of the lever arms the counterbalancing elfect between the lid 13 and the front wall 31 may be achieved so that very little exertion is required on the handle 42.

Although the counterbalancing effect of the front wall and lid normally will maintain the elements in their open or closed positions, it is advisable to provide a latch so as to positively insure that the container will not be accidentally opened when in its closed position wherein the inner cans 9 are hidden from exterior view. A simple latch which can be made of sheet metal is illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9. This latch structure is merely an example and may be replaced by any other type of latch commercially available or custom designed for the container. The latch includes an inner spring plate 43 riveted at 46 to the front edge of the lid 13. The plate 43 is curved forwardly at its bottom edge so as to provide a recess for the reception of the upper edge 22 of the movable front wall element 20, shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4. The latch is closed by merely bringing the lid 13 downwardly to meet the edge 22 which will snap in the recess formed in the plate 23. The latch may be opened by use of a fixed manual grip 45 on the lid 13 and a pivotal lever 44 which can release the plate 43 from engagement with the edge 22, as shown in dashed lines in FIGURE 8. The structure of this latch is exceedingly simple and is compatible with the sheet metal construction of the container structure.

Thus I have shown and described a simple container for refuse cans which eliminates the normal appearance of the cans while maintaining their useful qualities in an unimpaired condition. The cans are stored in the container with or without their normal individual lids and are completely accessible for filling purposes and for removal without lifting. The container is neat in appearance and may be sealed so as to prevent accidental or malicious damage to the contents. The specific structure illustrated in the drawings is not exhaustive of the possibilities contemplated in this invention and therefore is not intended to restrict the invention except as it is defined in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A container for refuse cans or the like, comprising:

a horizontal platform;

rigid side frames secured perpendicularly to said platform at each side thereof and extending both upwardly and downwardly from the elevation of said platform;

a back member rigidly secured between said side frames a lid member hinged to said back member and movable about its hinge axis from a closed position resting on said side frames to an elevated open position;

a front panel slidably mounted between said side frames for motion in a vertical plane;

individual crank arms pivoted coaxially to said side frames at each side of said platform about a horizontal axis;

individual rigid connecting links respectively pivoted to said crank arms at a location offset from said axis and to said lid member at a location offset from said hinge axis;

and flexible means guided over pulleys mounted on said side frames and connecting said crank arms to said front panel whereby raising of the lid and lowering of the front panel are effected simultaneously.

2. A container for refuse cans or the like, comprising:

a horizontal platform;

rigid side frames secured perpendicularly to said platform at each side thereof and extending both upwardly and downwardly from the elevation of said platform;

a back member rigidly secured between said side frames;

a lid member hinged to said back member and movable about its hinge axis from a closed position resting on said side frames to an elevated open position;

a front panel slidably mounted between said side frames for motion in a vertical plane;

and means interconnecting said lid and said front panel adapted to simultaneously eifect lowering of said front panel and raising of said lid or raising of said front panel and lowering of said lid;

said front panel comprising a plurality of vertically interlocked members, each extending across said side frames and adapted to collapse within one another when lowered and to vertically expand when raised, so as to close ofi the open space between the front edge of said lid and said platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Omwake Feb. 27, Delaney Jan. 15, Liley Mar. 19, Evans June 23, Daly Feb. 21,

Claims (1)

1. A CONTAINER FOR REFUSE CANS OR THE LIKE, COMPRISING: A HORIZONTAL PLATFORM; RIGID SIDE FRAMES SECURED PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID PLATFORM AT EACH SIDE THEREOF AND EXTENDING BOTH UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY FROM THE ELEVATION OF SAID PLATFORM; A BACK MEMBER RIGIDLY SECURED BETWEEN SAID SIDE FRAMES A LID MEMBER HINGED TO SAID BACK MEMBER AND MOVABLE ABOUT ITS HINGE AXIS FROM A CLOSED POSITION RESTING ON SAID SIDE FRAMES TO AN ELEVATED OPEN POSITION; A FRONT PANEL SLIDABLY MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID SIDE FRAMES FOR MOTION IN A VERTICAL PLANE; INDIVIDUAL CRANK ARMS PIVOTED COAXIALLY TO SAID SIDE FRAMES AT EACH SIDE OF SAID PLATFORM ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS; INDIVIDUAL RIGID CONNECTING LINKS RESPECTIVELY PIVOTED TO SAID CRANK ARMS AT A LOCATION OFFSET FROM SAID AXIS AND TO SAID LID MEMBER AT A LOCATION OFFSET FROM SAID HINGE AXIS; AND FLEXIBLE MEANS GUIDED OVER PULLEYS MOUNTED ON SAID SIDE FRAMES AND CONNECTING SAID CRANK ARMS TO SAID FRONT PANEL WHEREBY RAISING OF THE LID AND LOWERING OF THE FRONT PANEL ARE EFFECTED SIMULTANEOUSLY.

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