AU2007100062A4 - Towing Device For Wheelie Bins - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 INNOVATION PATENT

SPECIFICATION

APPLICANT:

ADDRESS:

INVENTOR:

Amaze Promotions Pty Ltd [ABN 48 080 236 513] 114 Old Tathra Road, Merimbula, NSW, 2548 McMANUS, Philip Thomas 114 Old Tathra Road, Merimbula, NSW, 2548 Paul A Grant and Associates PO Box 60, Fisher, ACT, 2611 ADDRESS FOR

SERVICE:

ASSOCIATED

PROVISIONAL APPN: Patent Application No. 2006900387 Application Date: 27 January 2006 INVENTION TITLE: Towing Device for Wheelie Bins The invention is described in the following statement:- 2 TITLE: TOWING DEVICE FOR WHEELIE BINS TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to towing devices that allow wheelie bins to be towed in a tilted position by a garden tractor, car or other prime mover, as well as by another wheelie bin.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Many residents in country and suburban properties that have garbage collection services based upon the common plastic wheelie bin have the problem of walking their bins over some distance to the street to position them for emptying. Many such residents have cars, garden tractors or sit-on mowers that have tow balls or hooks that could be used to pull the bins to the street if a suitable coupling were available. An immediate problem is presented by the low height of the towing ball or hook on such prime movers because the lid of the bin will fall open if it is tilted to the level of the ball or hook.

It is known (eg, US patent 5,711,543 to Stokes) to provide a frame and coupling mechanism on the back of a garden tractor which will engage the handle of a wheelie bin at such a height that it can be towed in the near-vertical position. While there is little risk of spilling the contents of the wheelie bin while it is being towed, such mechanisms are complex, expensive and often require modification of the garden tractor. A simpler coupling bracket is disclosed by US patent application 2005/0161906 by Thelen for use with the common car trailer hitch of the type having a tow-socket of rectangular section through which a transverse retaining pin can be passed. One part of the bracket is fitted into the tow-socket and retained by the pin, another part rests against the front of the bin near its center while a third part forms a hinged hook that can be engaged with the bin handle. While, this allows a wheelie bin to be towed by the car in the near vertical position, it first requires the presence of a rectangular towsocket (which is not found on many cars or garden tractors) and then requires attachment of the special bracket before coupling to the bin and the removal of the bracket before the vehicle can be used normally.

A simpler fabricated metal towing device for wheelie bins is disclosed by British patent GB2275035 to McGreevy. It has a bent elongate rod-like tow-bar that has a metal hand-grip at its front end and a plate welded to its rear end. A pair of forward facing hooks is welded to the bottom edge of the plate for engaging the handle-bar of the wheelie bin. In use, the lid of the bin is closed, the hooks are engaged with the handlebar of the bin, the bin is tilted forwards while the plate is swung back about the handlebar against the lid of the bin to hold it closed by using the rod-like tow-bar. The bin can then be manually towed in the forward-tilted position using the rod-like tow-bar and hand-grip. A hook is provided at the front end of the tow-bar to allow engagement with to the tow-ball of the vehicle. Again, the use of metal fabrication to form the device makes it expensive. In addition, the use of a long bent tow-bar with a simple hook to engage the tow-ball does not assist in stabilizing the bin during towing. Moreover, the towing handle hook is not likely to reliably engage tow-hooks of vehicles such as garden tractors that are not fitted with tow-balls of a specific size. This device is heavy and bulky making it inconvenient to store.

Many garbage and recycling service providers require two or more bins to be put out for emptying on the same day, which requires a separate trip for each bin. In some caravan parks, apartment blocks or community-type houses a caretaker is obliged to collect and put out multiple bins and bring them back after emptying. Some method of coupling multiple bins to a single prime mover would therefore also be desirable.

McGreevy does not disclose any means of achieving this. However, European patent EP 1506885 to Gebhardt Transport und Lagersy discloses modified wheeled containers that have moulded-in towing device that allow one bin to be coupled to the next using a simple tow bar. The towing device of the first container can be used to connect that container to the prime mover, which then tows all containers in line behind it in the near vertical position. However, residents with existing standard wheelie bins will not wish to dispose of them and purchase new bins with such special mouldings.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION From one aspect, this invention comprises a device for towing a wheelie bin along the ground by a vehicle fitted with a tow-ball or tow-hook, the wheelie bin having a horizontal rod-like handle-bar at its top and having an axis about which the lid of the bin is adapted to pivot, the device including: a planar body having a top side, a bottom side, a front portion and a rear portion, a hole is formed in the front portion of the body allowing engagement with the tow-ball or tow-hook of the vehicle when the device is in use, a central tongue extending rearward from the rear portion of the body, and one hook extending downward and forward from the rear portion of the body on each side of said tongue, each hook being formed integrally with the body and adapted to engage the handle-bar of the bin, the arrangement being such that, when said hooks are engaged with the handlebar of the bin with its lid closed and when the bin is tilted downwards and forwards to allow said hole to be engaged with the tow-ball or tow hook of the vehicle, the tongue will contact the lid and press it closed and in combination with the hooks, act to support the top of the bin off the ground from the tow-bar or tow-hook in a position for towing.

The tongue may be formed so that it extends upwards and rearwards from the plane of the body, or it may be flexible so that it can bend upwards and rearwards from the plane of the body when the tongue contacts the lid of the bin and the device is in use.

The hooks preferably have bends of between 90' and 1800, with bends close to the latter being preferred. This allows the device to hang in a free and unconstrained manner downward from the handle-bar when the bin is not being towed. It is then out of the way and inconspicuous (unlike the devices of the prior art). When the device is hanging down in this way, the bin lid can be fully opened and allowed to rest back against the tongue of the hanging device, thereby tilting the front portion of the device into contact with the front face of the bin. In this way, the bin lid is propped open at a convenient angle for grasping and closing. Without the device, the bin lid would swing forward until it hung vertically and thereby be more inconvenient to raise and close.

Preferably, the device may be formed from a single piece of sheet material by folding or bending such that the tongue and hooks are integral with the body. The sheet material can be metal, or plastic, plywood or any other convenient material, whether simple or composite.

I prefer to use thermoplastic plastic sheet material such as high-density polyethylene that can be bent and set to shape under heat at temperatures in between 800C and 1300C. The thickness of such plastic sheet material is preferably such as to ensure that the tongue has sufficient flexibility under normal atmospheric conditions in warm climates to allow it to flex up to 300 when in contact with the lid of a full wheelie bin in the towing position. With readily available plastic materials, the thickness may vary between about 8 mm and 15 mm. In climates where frosts are frequent or winters are severe, it is desirable to pre-bend the tongue into position using heat (as in the case of the hooks), rather than relying on the flexibility of the tongue to bend into position during use. Finally, the length of the tongue is desirably such that its rear end abuts the edge of the central raised dome commonly found on wheelie bin lids.

The towing vehicle may be a motorized vehicle or another wheelie bin fitted with a suitable hook at its rear to engage with the hole in the coupling device of the following bin. The hook can be formed from wire or bent rod so as to hang down on the rear face of the bin from the rim or it can be a simple hook that is pushed into a hole on the rear face of the leading bin.

It will be appreciated from the above outline of the invention that 'front' or 'forward' and 'rear' or 'rearward' when used with reference to the container or bin or with reference to the towing device are relative to the intended towing direction, which is assumed to be forwards. Thus, the wheels of a two-wheel wheelie bin and its transverse bar or handle will be at the front of the bin but the bin will be turned around at the roadside so as to face the back or rear of the bin to the road for emptying. A container that has a wheel at each corner of its base can be tilted and towed from either end so that the front is simply the end from which it happens to be towed on a particular occasion.

Because such containers usually have a down turned lip or transverse bar at either end, the towing device of this invention can be engaged with one end for towing the container to position and the other end for towing the container back. In each case, however, the end that is engaged by the towing device is by the convention used herein the front.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES Having portrayed the nature of the present invention, particular examples will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations and modifications can be made to the examples without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of the towing device of the first example, which is formed from a one-piece plastic board.

Figure 2 is side elevation of the towing device of the first example being used to couple a wheelie bin to a low tow bar of a garden tractor or the like.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the towing device of the first example being used to support the lid of a wheelie bin in the open position.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of two wheelie bins coupled together in-line by the use of a second towing device of the first example and a hook, shown in Figure 4A, that is fitted to the first wheelie bin.

Figure 5A is a plan view, and Figure 5B is a side elevation, of a sheet material blank from which a modified device like that of Figure 1 can be formed, the modified device comprising the second example of the invention.

Figure 6A is a plan view, and Figure 6B is a side elevation, of the formed device of the second example.

Referring particularly to Figure 1, the bin towing device 10 of the first example can be simply made by stamping from stiff plastic board followed by heat-forming see also Figures 5A 6B. It has a planar body 11 with a tapered or triangular front portion 12 having a hole 14 at its front point or apex, hole 14 being the attachment means by which the device is coupled to a tow-ball or tow-hook in this case. The rear portion 16 of body 11 of device 10 is formed as three broad fingers consisting of a central upturned tongue 18 and two downward and rearward facing hooks 20, one on either side of central tongue 18. The plastic material can be moulded, cast or extruded polyethylene or polypropylene or any other suitable material. I have found high-density polyethylene of the PolyStone brand to be convenient. As already noted, however, plastic material is not essential as towing device of this type can be stamped from sheet aluminium or plywood and bent as indicated. In any case, it is preferable that the material have some flexibility or resilience to minimize the danger of damaging the lid of the wheelie bin. It is also preferable that the material of the device can withstand exposure to the weather for long periods without significant deterioration.

Figure 2 shows towing device 10 being used to couple a standard wheelie bin 22 to a tow bar 24 of a garden tractor (not shown), tow-bar 24 being fitted with a tow-ball or spike 26 that fits in hole 14. Hooks 20 of towing device 10 are hooked over the transverse bar or handle (indicated at 28 in broken lines) of bin 22 and the front portion 12 is lifted to bring center finger 18 into abutment the top of the lid 30 of bin 22 while, at the same time, bin 22 is tilted forwards onto its wheels 32 so that hole 14 can be engaged with tow-ball, hook or spike 26. As will be seen from Figure 2, lid 30 of bin 22 is held firmly closed in this position, which is desirable in view of the low angle at which bin 22 will come to rest when being supported by a low-level tow bar such as that fitted to garden tractors. However, it will be appreciated that towing device 10 will work just as well with higher level tow bars found on large SUVs or trucks.

After bin 22 has been towed to the desired location, it can be easily uncoupled from tow ball 26 and tilted back to the vertical position and towing device 10 can be easily and simply removed by allowing it to fall under gravity to a near vertical position and then lifting it to disengage hooks 20 from bar 28. Towing device 10 can be easily carried on a garden tractor or in a car until bin 22 has been emptied. It is then recoupled to bin 22 in the manner described, after lid 30 has been closed. After bin 22 has been returned to its normal position beside the house, towing device 10 can be left in place and used, as shown in Figure 3, to serve as a prop for lid 30 of bin 22 in the open position. This saves the user the time and trouble of bending down and swinging lid 30 from the vertical position in front of bin 22 to the closed position.

[It will be appreciated that the radius of hooks 20 has been exaggerated in Figures 2 and 3 for the sake of clarity. Normally, the front portion 12 of device 10 will contact the side of the bin to limit the forward movement of the bin lid in Figure 3.] If a spike or hook 40 is attached to bin 22 so that it projects outward from the back face 42 of the bin, it can be used to couple a second wheel bin 22a to bin 22 using a second towing device 10 a, and the two bins can be towed together one-behind-theother, as shown in Figure 4. Hook 40 can be of an S-shape so that one end can be hooked over the top of the rear of bin 22 before lid 30 is closed, or it can be let into back face 42 of bin 22 by simply forming a suitable hole. In the latter case, hook can conveniently take the form illustrated in Figure 4A. However, if hook 40 is fitted into a hole in bin 22, it is desirable that the hole be formed near the bottom of that bin so that it dose not interfere with the suction pad of the normal dump truck. While, this may require slight adjustment to the geometry of towing device 10 (and/or 10 Oa) to allow bin 22a to lie more flat and parallel with bin 22, such adjustment is well within the capability of those who will manufacture the towing device.

The second example of the invention shown in Figures 5A 6B is a modification of the device of the first example in that the material and its thickness is chosen so as to allow the tongue to flex when in use, avoiding the need for pre-bending in a separate operation. Since the device of the second example is so similar to that of the first, the same reference numerals will be used for the same parts, except that a prefix will be added. Thus, the device of the second example is 110, rather than 10. This means that it will not be necessary to describe device 110 in detail. However, for the sake of clarity, the blank of Figures 5A and 5B will be indicated as 110 Oa.

Since the geometry of device 110 is slightly different from device 10, the rear corners of the blank 110 a are chamfered as indicated at 140 so that they are not visible from the top of device 110 (see Figure 6B). The essential difference, however, is the use of a flexible and straight tongue 118a instead of the pre-bent tongue 18 of the first example. The appearance of tongue 118a in its flexed condition under normal load is shown in broken lines 118b in Figures 6A and 6B, though a wheelie bin causing the deflection (as in Figure 2) is not shown. The two side fingers 120a of blank 110 a are bent to form hooks 120 of finished device 110.

Of course, if one wished to form a device with a pre-bent tongue from the blank 110 a, it would take the form indicated by broken lines 118b. The operation of the device would not be substantially changed.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, while the examples of the invention provided above offer significant advantages over the towing device of the prior art, many variations and additions can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as outlined above. Although a hole or ring is used as the attachment means in each of the examples, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a ballio socket or, more simply, a spike can be substituted. Also, as already mentioned, the proportions and geometry of the towing device can be readily adjusted to make it easier to tow multiple bins in-line using simple hooks, or a hole formed in each bin.

Indeed, where the attachment means is itself a spike or hook, no additional hook or hole is needed since the hooked towing device of a second bin can be hooked onto the top of the first.

Amaze Promotions Pty Ltd By its Attorney Paul A Grant 23 January 2007

Claims (4)

1. A device for towing a wheelie bin along the ground by a vehicle fitted with a tow- ball or tow-hook, the wheelie bin having a horizontal rod-like handle-bar at its top that defines an axis about which the lid of the bin is adapted to pivot, the device including: a planar body having a top side, a bottom side, a front portion and a rear portion, a hole formed in the front portion of the body allowing engagement with the tow-ball or tow-hook of the vehicle when the device is in use, a central tongue extending rearward from the rear portion of the body, and one hook extending downward and forward from the rear portion of the body on each side of said tongue, each hook being formed integrally with the body and adapted to engage the handle-bar of the bin, the arrangement being such that, when said hooks are engaged with the handle- bar of the bin with the bin lid closed and when the bin is tilted downwards and forwards to allow said hole to be engaged with the tow-ball or tow hook of the vehicle, the tongue will contact the lid and press it closed and in combination with the hooks, act to support the top of the bin off the ground from the tow-bar or tow-hook in a position for towing.

2. A device for towing a wheelie bin according to claim 1, wherein: said tongue extends upwards and rearwards from the body.

3. A device for towing a wheelie bin according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the tongue is flexible so that it is adapted to bend upwards and rearwards from the body when the tongue contacts the lid of the bin when the device is in use.

4. A device for towing a wheelie bin according to any preceding claim characterized in that it is formed from a single piece of sheet material by folding or bending such that the tongue and hooks are integral with the body. A device for towing a wheelie bin according to claim 4 characterized in that the sheet material is heat-formable plastic.