US3285462A

US3285462A - Sanitary disposable container

Info

Publication number: US3285462A
Application number: US304449A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bulmer Kurt; Robert S Foltz
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-08-26
Filing date: 1963-08-26
Publication date: 1966-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 1983-11-15

Description

1966 K. BULMER ETAL SANITARY DISPOSABLE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 26, 1963 INVENTORS UL MEI? WU? T 055W 5'. FOL r2 Hm I ATTORNEYS K. BULMER ETAL SANITA Nov. 15, 1966 RY DI SPOSABLE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 26, 1963 F/ 9 INVENTORS BULMER ROBERT S; FOLTZ M 1) KURT ATTORNEYS FIG/0 United States Patent 3,285,462 SANITARY DISPOSABLE CONTAINER Kurt Bulmer and Robert S. Foltz, Lockport, N.Y., assignors to Carl W. Blackley, Niagara County, N.Y. Filed Aug. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 304,449 10 Claims. (Cl. 220-205) This invention is directed to improvements in disposable containers that have trap means for receiving articles yet are totally closed from through access from the outside.

An object of the invention is to provide a container which has positionable receiving means to receive an article and transfer the (article for depositing in the receptacle without ever having through access from the outside of the receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a light weight economically feasible disposable container for collecting sanitary napkins by having them entrapped within the container without being able to be removed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a disposable light weight container of burnable material having an attractive appearance that may be placed with other waste to be disposed of and which is fully tippable without removing its contents.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a disposable container having a receptacle for collecting articles and an unremovably attached lid with trap means associated therewith for receiving an article and transferring it to a position to deposit it into said receptacle without through access from the outside of the container at any time.

Still further objects and in the entire scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples are given by way of illustration only, and, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are not given by way of limitation, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of the invention, reference may be had to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the disposable container;

FIG. 2 is an exploded View of the disposable container of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the top shutter open and the bottom shutter closed of the trap means;

FIG. 3a is a top plan view similar to FIG. 3 with both top and bottom closed of thetrap means;

FIG. 3b is a top plan view similar to FIG; 3 with the top closed and the bottom open of'the trap means;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 on an enlarged scale of the trap means;

FIG. 5 isa sectional view of the joint between the top and bottom of the trap means along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of disposable container;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the disposable container of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view with the lid broken away showing the trap means ready to receive an article from the outside;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 with the lid broken away showing the trap means in position for depositing an article into the receptacle; and

FIG. 10 is a vertical fragmentary sectional view of the corner joints between the lid and the receptacle along line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

Throughout the description like reference numbers refer to similar parts.

FIGS. 1 through 5 will first be described with respect to one form of the disposable container. A disposable container is generally indicated at 10 and comprises in the form shown a cylindrical receptacle 11 closed at its bottom and open at its top 11a. A lid assembly having a trap means therein is generally indicated at 12 and in the form shown has a circular lid 13 with a sector opening 13a therein having afiixed on the bottom thereof and in alignment with the aperture 13a a four-sided tubular housing 14 open at the top and bottom as part of the trap means and through which an article to be received is passed. The lid 13 has a centnal aperture 131; therethrough, and a guide groove formed adjacent to periphery as at 130.

As a part of the trap means cooperating with the tubular housing 14 there is a top 15 of sector shape having a depending pin 15a at its apex which is received through the aperture 131) in the lid while its outer arcuate edge 15b is received within the guide groove 130. A bottom shutter 16 of similar sector shape to the top shutter 15 is provided with strengthening ribs 16a therein and has at its apex an upstanding post 1612 which has a central aperture located at its upper end and is received within the aperture 13b of the lid 13 and further receives the depending pin 15a in snap fit manner by having detents received within recesses 15a on the post 15a. The bottom shutter 16 is offset 45 in arcuate relationship to the top shutter 15 and thus, as shown in FIGS. 3, 3a and 317, provides for opening the top access of the trap without providing through communication to the interior of the receptacle 11.

The top 15 has a finger grasp portion 15c extending upwardly therefrom as shown in FIG. 1 from its top so that it may be rotated in an easy manner. The lid 13 has upwardly extending stop portions formed thereon as at 13c and 13d to limit the swing of the top 15. In FIG. 5 the depending post 15a is shown as being of square cross section to cooperate with a square in cross section recess in the upstanding posts 16b.

In FIG. 3 the top 15 extends from a to b and the bottom is shown through the opening 13a as indicated at 16 extending from c to d. Here the edge of the bottom 16 is in alignment with the adjacent wall of the open" ended tubular housing 14 and an article tobe disposed within the receptacle is dropped through the top opening 13a and rides on the bottom 16.

-- In FIG. 3a the top 15 has been swung from adjacent stop 13s in a counter-clockwise manner so as to close the top opening 13a and it will be observed thatthe bottom 16 extending from c to :1 covers the bottom of the housing 14.

In FIG. 3b the top 15 is up against the stop 13d all the way swung counter-clockwise and the bottom extends from c to d and thus, the bottom end 14a of housing 14 is open and the article is dropped into the receptacle,

however, the top 15 covers over the top opening 13a in alignment and communication with which is the top of the housing 15.

In FIG. 4 it will be noted that the lid 13 is formed with ceptacle that may be made of paper or plastic material which is disposable and burnable and which may be knocked around and upset without spilling or exposure of its contents. It may be made in various attractive colors and while plastic or heavy paper material is preferred, it may be made of metal.

In FIGS. 6 through 10, inclusive, a modified form of the disposable container is illustrated. Here the trap means are of a slidable arrangement rather than rotatable. The disposable container is indicated at 20 in FIG. 6 and has an upright four-sided receptacle 21 with a closed bottom and an open top in the illustration shown.

Adjacent the open end at the top of receptacle 21 is an aflixed housing generally indicated at 22 having a pair of spaced apart

sides

23 and 24 which extend from one side to the other of receptacle zl adjacent the top. The bottom of the housing 22 is closed by a floor 25 which extends so as to leave an opening 26 therethrough at one end and this is through which the article is deposited from the trap means as will be explained. Opposite to the opening 26 in the floor 25 there is a horizontally extending elongated slot 21a formed in the top of the opposite side Wall of receptacle 21. The receptacle 21 has corner portions 21b with depending recesses 21c therein, see FIG. 10, with the lower portions of the recesses at 21d of enlarged size so there is formed therebetween a horizontally extending shoulder or lock portion 21e to receive a cooperating lock portion on the lid as will be explained.

Slidably received in the housing 22 is a rectangular in shape tubular member 27 open at its top and bottom which is guided by the

side walls

23 and 24 as it is slid on the floor 25. This member 27 open at the top and bottom rides on the floor 25 of the housing 22 and has a transversely extending rigidly attached actuator portion 28 that extends through the slot 21a in the side wall of the receptacle and has a finger grasp portion 28a on the outer end portion and external of the receptacle 21 whereby the tubular member 27 is moved in a reciprocating slidable manner on the floor 25 of the housing 22.

A lid 29 is provided for the top of the receptacle 21 and it has a rectangular opening therethrough adjacent one side and above housing 22 as at 30. The lid is so oriented that this opening 30 is displaced from the opening 26 in the floor 25 of the housing 22. Fastener means 31 depend from the corners of the lower face of the lid 29 and are received in the apertures 210 in the corners of the receptacle. In FIG. these fastener members 31 are shown as having an enlarged head 31a and a lock surface 31b which cooperates with the lock surface'21e to hold the lid 29 in an unremovable manner once it-is assembled in place on the receptacle 21.

It is shown in FIG. 8 when the actuator portion 28 is moved to the extreme right, the opening 30 in the lid 29 is ready to receive an article disposed therein such as a used sanitary napkin. The housing 27 lines up with the opening 30 in the lid and the article is thereby received and reposes on the floor 25.

In FIG. 9 the member 28 has been moved by the finger grasp portion 28a to the left and the housing 27 reposes over the opening 26 in the floor 25 and the article is thereby permitted to drop into the receptacle 21. At no time is the receptacle interior exposed to the outside by a through passageway. In other words at no time can one look into the receptacle. In this manner unsightly articles which are to be disposed of are placed in the receptacle and it may be deposited with other waste material for carting away as trash, and for burning.

As in the receptacle in FIGS. 1-5 inclusive, this disposable container may be made of plastic or paper material or even metal. For disposal purposes and for buming a plastic material would be preferable. This may be made in shapes and sizes. It may be of various different attractive colors. 7

There is here provided disposable sanitary containers which may have a deodorant placed therein and which when knocked over will not spill, and yet they are easily handled and relatively attractive.

In both concepts here disclosed, to carry out the full purpose of the sanitary disposable container it is essential that the lids in each case be unremovably attached. These containers could be sold with the lids separate from the receptacle and the user before using same would snap the lid into unremovable position on the receptacle in each case. In this manner other articles to be also sold could be placed within the receptacle in each case and the lid placed thereon but not forced into unremovable position. This would make an attractive sales package. Further, for shipping purposes, these receptacles could be stacked without their lids so that they would take up less space in transit and in storing. At the sales point the lid could be issued with the individual receptacle as necessary.

We claim as our invention:

1. A sanitary disposable container of a burnable material comprising in combination a tubular receptacle closed at its bottom and open at its top, a closure member snap fitted on the open end of said receptacle, said top end of said receptacle and said closure member having cooperating fastener means thereon for securing the members in a non-removable relationship, said closure member having an article receiving aperature therethrough and having trap means attached below said closure member and in alignment with said aperture for receiving articles to be deposited in said receptacle, said trap means having inner and outer interacting closure means, whereby positioning said outer closure means to receive an article into said trap means closes said inner closure means, and positioning said inner closure means to deposit said article to the interior of said receptacle closes said outer closure means, thereby closing off communication to within said receptacle from without when said trap means receives said article as well as When depositing said article into said receptacle and positions intermediate thereof, whereby said container with collected articles may be disposed of as a unit.

2. A sanitary disposable container comprising in combination a tubular receptacle closed at its bottom and open at its top, a closure member unremovably received on the top end of the receptacle, said closure member comprising a lid having an opening therethrough for receiving an article, a tubular housing attached to the underside of said lid in alignment with said opening and through which said article will pass, a top and a bottom for said opening and tubular housing and pivoted mounting means connecting said top and bottom for movement together and angularly displacing the top from the bottom whereby the bottom closes the lower end of the tubular housing when the top is rotated permitting the opening in the lid to receive an article therethrough, said top and bottom being rotated together whereby when the top closes the opening in the lid, the bottom slides by the @lower end of the tubular housing permitting an article deposited into the tubular housing to drop intothe receptacle, said top and bottom being of a size as respects the openings in 'lid and housing and angularly displaced from each other in their pivoted mounting that at no time in the positioning of the top and bottom is there through access to the interior of said receptacle.

3. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 2 wherein said receptacle adjacent its top periphery on the outside thereof has fastening means for said lid, said lid has a cooperating fastening means adjacent its periphery for locking into said fastening means of the receptacle.

4. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 3 wherein said lid has a second aperture therethrough adjacent said first aperture and said pivot mounting means comprises a pin attached to said top and extending down through said second aperture in the lid and an upstanding member attached to said bottom member, said upstanding member being fixedly attached to said depending pin on said top.

5. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 4 including stop means on said lid for limiting the rotation of said top and wherein said lid has an arcuate guide groove therein opposite to the pivot means for guiding the rotation of said top.

6. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 4 wherein the material from which the container is made is burnable.

7. A sanitary disposable container comprising in combination a tubular receptacle closed at its bottom and open at its top, a housing mounted in the receptacle adjacent its top end, said housing comprising a pair of spaced apart vertical side walls and a floor with an aperture therethrough at one end for depositing an article in said receptacle, said housing having its open top adjacent the top of said receptacle, said receptacle having an elongated slot in a wall thereof oppositely from the aperture through the floor of the housing, a slidable article receiving transfer member comprising a vertically disposed tubular member received for sliding movement on the floor of said housing and being guided by the spaced apart vertical side walls thereof and having an operating member rigidly fixed thereto and extending through said slot in said wall for finger grasping and sliding the same from externally of said receptacle, and a lid member unremovably received on the top of said receptacle and having an article receiving aperture therethrough for communication with said housing at a position laterally disposed from said aperture through the floor thereof whereby the slidable article receiving and transfer memher is slid into position below said aperture in said lid and an article is received therethrough and the slidable article receiving member is slid to position the same and the article therein over the aperture through the floor to deposit the article in the receptacle all without through access at any time between the outside and inside of said receptacle.

8. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 7 wherein the lid is unremovably attached to the top of the receptacle by means comprising cooperating unseparable fastener elements attached as a part of the top of the receptacle and the lid.

9. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 7 wherein the attaching means comprises recesses extending into the top of the receptacle and having an enlarged recess at the bottom thereof whereby a locking surface is formed between the recesses and pin members projecting from the bottom of said lid and having enlarged heads thereon with a locking surface to ride against said locking surface in the respective recesses when said lid is forced into unremovable position on said receptacle.

10. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 9 wherein Said container is made of burnable material whereby the container with collected articles therein may be disposed of by burning as waste.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,102,275 7/191-4 Kime 220-205 1,208,766 12/1916 Frederick 220-20.5 1,238,010 8/1917 Fisher 220-20.5 X 1,554,660 9/1925 Ruskay 220-20.5 1,652,826 12/1927 Herold 22020.5 2,998,897 9/1961 Rudder 220-86 X THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Examiner.

Claims

1. A SANITARY DISPOSABLE CONTAINER OF A BURNABLE MATERIAL COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A TUBULAR RECEPTACLE CLOSED AT ITS BOTTOM AND OPEN AT ITS TOP, A CLOSURE MEMBER SNAP FITTED ON THE OPEN END OF SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID TOP END OF SAID RECEPTACLE AND SAID CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING COOPERATING FASTENER MEANS THEREON FOR SECURING THE MEMBERS IN A NON-REMOVABLE RELATIONSHIP, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING AN ARTICLE RECEIVING APERTURE THERETHROUGH AND HAVING TRAP MEANS ATTACHED BELOW SAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID APERTURE FOR RECEIVING ARTICLES TO BE DEPOSITED IN SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID TRAP MEANS HAVING INNER AND OUTER INTERACTING CLOSURE MEANS, WHEREBY POSITIONING SAID OUTER CLOSURE MEANS TO RECEIVE AN ARTICLE INTO SAID TRAP MEANS CLOSES SAID INNER CLOSURE MEANS, AND POSITIONING SAID INNER CLOSURE MEANS TO DEPOSIT SAID ARTICLE TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID RECEPTACLE CLOSES SAID OUTER CLOSURE MEANS, THEREBY CLOSING OFF COMMUNICATION TO WITHIN SAID RECEPTACLE FROM WITHOUT WHEN SAID TRAP MEANS RECEIVES SAID ARTICLE AS WELL AS WHEN DEPOSITING SAID ARTICLE INTO SAID RECEPTACLE AND POSITIONS INTERMEDIATE THEREOF, WHEREBY SAID CONTAINER WITH COLLECTED ARTICLES MAY BE DISPOSED OF AS A UNIT.