AU2003202458B2 - Waste Bin Transportation Aid - Google Patents

Description

P/00/0011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventors: Address for service in Australia: Philip Lloyd Truswell Philip Lloyd Truswell

WALLINGTON-DUMMER

GPO Box 3888, Sydney NSW 2001 (Suite 904, 37 Bligh Street, Sydney NSW 2000) Invention Title: Waste Bin Transportation Aid IP Australia Documents were received on: 2 6 MAR 2003 2 6 MAR 2003 D The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of perfi t known to us BIN TRANSPORTATION AID The present invention relates to a device for engaging with, and lifting containers by means of a fork lift truck or other pallet lifting device; preferably, though not exclusively, those containers provided with a rim or other suitably projecting structure around the top, and more particularly to a device which requires no external power source to effect engagement with such containers.

BACKGROUND

There are many industrial processes requiring frequent removal of waste or other materials from the factory floor for deposition in designated areas or direct loading onto trucks etc.

Frequently such containers may be supported on pallets and the like to allow for the tines of a forklift truck or pallet lifting device, to raise pallet and container. This method has the disadvantage of needing to maintain and replenish stocks of pallets. Two-wheeled bins which have a flat base in contact with the floor are particularly difficult to manage in a factory environment, particularly when heavily laden. Such bins cannot be safely lifted with a conventional forklift truck Preferred embodiments of the present invention address or ameliorate some of the abovementioned disadvantages.

13.Oct. 2005 15:28 Wall in ton-Dummer Sydney No.2645 P. 3 3cK BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION O Accordingly, in a first broad form of the invention 0 rn there is provided a waste bin transport device adapted for manipulation by a forklift or similar equipment; 00 said device comprising a frame supporting cooperating

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opposed first and second lifting arms: said arms CA adapted to engage with a waste bin or other similar Scontainer so as to apply a vertical lifting force to the bin or container; said arms biased in a first nonengaging position when said frame is in a lowered state; said arms urged into a position engaging said waste bin by movement relative said frame of a displacement activated means; said movement of said displacement activated means applying rotation to said arms as said frame is raised from said lowered state.

Preferably, end portions of said elongate members are adapted to engage with said bin or container.

Preferably, said displacement activated means are activated by a vertical displacement of said frame with respect to said displacement means.

Preferably, said displacement means induces a common inward movement of said first and second lifting arms to bring said arms into said position engaging said waste bin.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01732803 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:29 Date 2005-10-13 31.Aug. 2005 20:21 Wa in ton-Dummer Sydney No.2054 P. S- 4 0 0 Preferably, said displacement activated means comprises a weight adapted to allow vertical

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displacement relative to said frame; such displacement being transferred mechanically to said lifting arms.

00 Preferably, said lifting arms are respectively rigidly connected to respective lever arms by means of c1 0 respective interconnecting shafts pivotally mounted on Srespective longitudinal members of said frame.

ci Preferably, said weight comprises a centrally disposed weight block slideably connected to said lever arms.

Preferably, said weight block includes a transversely mounted roller in a base part thereby to assist movement of said transport device by said forklift or similar equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a front view of the device at rest on some horizontal surface.

Fig 2 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the device at rest on some horizontal surface.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the device when lifted a small distance above the rest surface.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01459119 Received by IP Australia: Time 20:23 Date 2005-08-31 31.Aug. 2005 20:21 Wa Iinston-Dummer Sydney N o- 20 54 P 6 S- 4A 0 Fig. 5 is a view of the device engaged with a container and lifted clear of the rest surface.

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Fig. 6 is a side view of the device and container 0 when lifted by a forklift truck.

00 DETAILED DESCRIPTION With reference to Fig. 1 and 2 there is illustrated a 0i waste bin lifting device 10 and its constituent o components at rest on surface 22- In this instance device 0 "c 10 comprises a lifting frame 11 in this instance is made up of two opposed rectangular hollow section longitudinal members 13 joined by cross member 14 arranged in a general form of the letter H.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01459119 Received by IP Australia: Time 20:23 Date 2005-08-31 Lifting arms 12 are linked to lever arms 20 by interconnecting shafts 21 and are rotateable about respective pivot axes 15. Each pivot axis 15 ise supported in pivot blocks 16 mounted at the outer ends of longitudinal members 13. Respective lever arms 20 are slideably connected to weight 17 via pins 18 mounted in the body of weight 17 and engaging with slots 19 in lever arms Shown in Fig. 2 and 3 a weight in the form of a weight block 17 is connected to two pairs of lever arms 20; each pair of lever arms attaching to each interconnecting shaft 21 at the one end and pivotally connecting at the other end to pins 18 mounted in the weight at the upper four corners.

Fig. 3 is a side view of device 10 shown resting on surface 22. Device 10 has been positioned to be able to engage with waste bin 30, that is, with the waste bin generally centrally placed between the longitudinal members 13 of the frame 11 and aligned with the lifting arms 12.

A second position of the device is shown in Fig. 4 when device 10 has been lifted just clear of support surface 22 by forklift tines 23 of a forklift truck or other pallet lifting device (not shown). Weight block 17 is still in contact with surface 22 and its displacement relative to lift frame 11 has induced rotation in lever arms 20 and lift arms 12 as pins 18 slide in slots 19.

In this instance weight block 17 is provided with roller 24 rotatably mounted in the base of weight block 17 so as to assist movement of weight block 17 as it moves over support surface 22 when the device 10 is maneuvering into a desired position.

Fig. 5 is a rear view of device 10 when lifted clear of support surface 22. Lifting arms 12 are forced into contact with the sides of container 30 by the downward force of weight 17 acting on lever arms 20 about pivot axes 15. The vertical weight of container 30 is then fully supported on the near vertical lift arms 12 at the point of engagement of arms 12 with the underside of bin lips 31.

As illustrated in Fig. 6 bin 30 may now be transported to a desired location or transferred to a higher support surface by forklift truck In use an operator will maneuver a forklift truck or similar lifting equipment to engage the tines 23 of the forklift 25 with the longitudinal members 13 of the lifting frame 11. The operator then causes the tines to lift the frame 11 sufficiently clear of the floor to drive the device 10 to position centrally about a waste bin During maneuvering lifting arms 12 are maintained in a generally vertical or open position by the contact of weight 17 and its roller 24 with floor 22. The operator now causes the tines to rise thus allowing the weight 17 to lower relative to members 13, 14 until the lifting arms 12 rotate into contact with the sides of the waste bin Further raising of the tines forces the upper ends of the lifting arms 12 to engage with the rim lips 31 of the waste bin 30 and apply a vertical lifting force to raise the bin from the support surface 22.

IN SUMMARY In this embodiment transport device 10 comprises a horizontally disposed rigid base frame 11 preferably constructed in the general form of the letter H, that is with two longitudinal frame members 13 linked by a cross member 14, with the longitudinal members 13 able to accept the engagement of the tines 23 of a forklift truck 24 or other pallet lifting device. Rotatable lifting arms 12 mounted to each of the longitudinal members 13 of the said frame 11 are generally disposed in a vertical orientation with their rotation controlled by means of lever arms The lever arms 20 are slidably connected to a centrally mounted weight block 17 free to move vertically relative to the lifting frame 11. When the device is resting on a surface 22, the position of the weight, block 17 also resting on the surface 22, is such as to maintain the lifting arms 12 in an open or near-vertical position. The lifting of the frame 11 and the consequent vertical downward movement of the weight block 17 causes the lifting arms 12 to rotate in towards their common center and may 8 thus be brought into engagement with a suitably configured container such as a waste bin

Claims (2)

13-00. 2005 15:28 Wal irn ton-Dummer Sydney No .2645 P 4 9 The claims defining the invention are as follows: 0 o 1. A waste bin transport device adapted for c] o manipulation by a forklift or similar equipment; 0 said device comprising a frame supporting cooperating opposed first and second lifting arms: 00 said arms adapted to engage with a waste bin or In Tj other similar container so as to apply a vertical Slifting force to the bin or container; said arms c] o biased in a first non-engaging position when said C] 10 frame is in a lowered state; said arms urged into a position engaging said waste bin by movement relative said frame of a displacement activated means; said movement of said displacement activated means applying rotation to said arms as said frame is raised from said lowered state. 2. The device of Claim 1 wherein end portions of said elongate members are adapted to engage with said bin or container. 3. The device of claim 1 or 2 wherein said displacement activated means are activated by a vertical displacement of said frame with respect to said displacement means. 4. The device of Claim 3 wherein said displacement means induces a common inward movement of said first and second lifting arms to bring said arms into said position engaging said waste bin. COMS ID No: SBMI-01732803 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:29 Date 2005-10-13

31-Aug, 2005 20:22 WalIinstor-Dummer Sydney No.2054 P. 8 l 5. The device of Claim 3 or 4 wherein said displacement 0i activated means comprises a weight adapted to allow jvertical displacement relative to said frame; such C) displacement being transferred mechanically to said lifting arms. 00 6. The device of Claim 5 wherein said lifting arms are In respectively rigidly connected to respective lever 0, arms by means of respective interconnecting shafts Cc o pivotally mounted on respective longitudinal members of said frame. 7. The device of Claims 4, 5 or 6 wherein said weight comprises a centrally disposed weight block slideably connected to said lever arms. 8. The device of Claims 7 wherein said weight block includes a transversely mounted roller in a base part thereby to assist movement of said transport device by said forklift or similar equipment. DATED: 31 August 2005 PHILIP LLOYD TRUSWELL by his Patent Attorneys: WALLINGTON-DUMMER COMS ID No: SBMI-01459119 Received by IP Australia: Time 20:23 Date 2005-08-31