AU2010101418A4 - An Enclosure or Surround for a Refuse Bin - Google Patents

Description

- 1 Australian Patents Act 1990 - Regulation 3.2B Original Complete Specification for Innovation Patent Invention Title: An enclosure or surround for a refuse bin The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to the applicant: Technical Field The invention described herein relates to an enclosure or surround for a refuse bin, particularly a refuse bin used in public places. In its preferred embodiment, the invention relates to an enclosure or surround having removable side panels. 5 Background Art For sanitary purposes, it is necessary for municipal authorities to place refuse bins in public places where they are easily accessible by the public. However, as such bins are generally unsightly, they are often placed in an enclosure or surround. The enclosure or surround should not only provide an aesthetic function, but also prevent scavenging 10 animals from gaining access to the refuse bins. One known enclosure or surround for a refuse bin comprises a generally square or rectangular frame having four upright posts at the corners of the square or rectangular frame. The frame is dimensioned to house a bin of desired size, such as a wheeled 240 litre bin, between the posts. A door is mounted between opposing faces of a pair of adjacent 15 posts at the front of the enclosure or surround, typically by a set of hinges which are riveted, screwed or spot-welded to one of the posts and an edge of the door. A second or rear door may be provided in a similar manner on the opposite side of the enclosure or surround, between opposing faces of the other pair of adjacent posts. Side panels are provided at the sides of the frame, each side panel being spot 20 welded or riveted to opposing faces of a pair of adjacent posts at the respective side. If there is no rear door, a rear panel similar to a side panel is spot-welded or riveted to opposing faces of a pair of adjacent posts at the rear of the enclosure or surround.

-2 Typically, the panels do not extend the full height of the frame. The space between the top of each panel and the top of the frame is filled by a grill comprising a plurality of horizontal slats. The grill provides ventilation for the interior of the enclosure or surround. A cover is mounted on the frame. Typically, the cover is a square or rectangular 5 plate which is mounted above the frame and spaced therefrom by four spacer posts placed at the corners of the frame. In use, an open-topped refuse bin is located in the enclosure or surround, by passing it through the front or rear door. Refuse may be deposited into the bin by inserting it between the frame and the cover, and dropping it through the open top of the frame into the bin. 10 It is also known to provide an enclosure or surround for a pair of bins, e.g. one for normal refuse and one for recyclable waste. Such enclosures typically comprise a pair of frames bolted or welded together side-by-side, each having a respective door at its front. A door may also be provided on the opposite or rear side of each of the frames. The sides are closed by panels which are fixed to opposing faces of a pair of adjacent posts at the 15 respective side of the enclosure or surround by spot welding or riveting. If there are no rear doors, rear panels similar to a side panel are spot-welded or riveted to opposing faces of a respective pair of adjacent posts at the rear of the enclosure or surround. Although the known enclosures or surrounds are generally suitable for their purpose, they have been found to have several inherent disadvantages. First, since the side 20 panels are fixed permanently to the frame during the manufacturing stage at a factory, the enclosure must be transported from the factory to the desired installation site, and installed, as a complete unit. Due to the combined weight of the frame, panels, ventilation grills and the cover, the assembled enclosure is too heavy for a single person, or even two persons, to lift. In particular, the double enclosures are considerably heavy. Therefore, a crane must 25 be used to lift and place the enclosure in position. Secondly, if a side panel is damaged or vandalised, it is necessary to remove the entire enclosure and transport it back to a place of repair. Again, it is necessary to use a crane, thereby increasing the cost of repair. Moreover, the panels are difficult to remove from the frame. 30 As the grill at the top of each panel is a separate manufactured item, it adds to the overall cost of the enclosure. Furthermore, as the grill is located near the top opening of -3 the bin, it has been found that some persons jam refuse items, such as paper or cardboard packaging, between the slats of the grill. Another disadvantage of the known bin enclosure or surround is that the spacer posts between the bin frame and the cover tend to restrict access to the top opening of the 5 refuse bin. In particular, as the spacer posts are located at the corners of the frame, they interfere with the insertion of refuse into the bin from the corner regions of the frame. It is an aim of the invention to provide an improved enclosure or surround for a refuse bin, which overcomes or ameliorates one or more of the disadvantages or problems described above, or which at least provides the consumer with a useful choice. 10 Summary of the Invention In one broad form, the present invention provides an enclosure or surround for a refuse bin, comprising a frame and at least one side panel removably mounted to the frame. Typically, the frame is an open frame comprising a plurality of spaced upright posts, and each said side panel is generally rectangular and mounted between opposing 15 faces of two adjacent posts of the frame. Preferably, at least one side panel has a plurality of ventilation holes formed therein at a lower portion thereof. The enclosure or surround may be provided with a sloping planar cover mounted to the frame and spaced above the frame, the cover being mounted to the frame by a pair of 20 spacer members on opposite sides of the frame, each spacer member being located generally in the middle of the respective side of the cover or frame. In another broad form, the invention provides an enclosure or surround for a plurality of refuse bins, comprising at least two adjacent frames each dimensioned to surround a respective bin, and at least one connecting member detachably connecting the 25 two adjacent frames, wherein each of the two adjacent frames has at least one side panel removably mounted thereto.

-4 In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, one or more preferred embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings 5 Figure 1 is a top left perspective view of an enclosure or surround for a refuse bin according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is a front right perspective view of the enclosure or surround of fig. 1. Figure 3 is a front view of the enclosure or surround of fig. 1. Figure 4 is a side view of the enclosure or surround of fig. 1. 10 Figure 5 is a perspective view of the frame of the enclosure or surround of fig. 1. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the enclosure or surround of fig. 1, partially assembled. Figure 7 is an elevation showing detail of the mounting of a panel to a post of the frame of fig. 5. 15 Figure 8 is a top left perspective view of the enclosure or surround of fig. I with different side panels. Figure 9 is a top left perspective view of an enclosure or surround for a pair of refuse bins according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 10 is an elevation showing detail of the joining of two frame components of the 20 enclosure or surround of fig. 9. Figure 11 is an elevation showing detail of a joining member used to join the two frame components of the enclosure or surround of fig. 9 -5 Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments A first embodiment of the invention is shown in figs. I to 7. As shown in those drawings, an enclosure or surround 10 for a refuse bin (not shown) comprises a frame 11 which is dimensioned to contain a refuse bin of the desired size, such as a 240L wheeled 5 bin. The frame 11 comprises a square or rectangular frame section 1 IA having a upright post 1 B at each of its four corners. Typically, the frame I1 is made of stainless steel. The upper portion 11 A may have a sloping surface on its inner edge defining an opening which, in use, is located above the open top of the refuse bin located within the frame. The sloping surface helps direct refuse to the opening and hence into the bin. 10 Each post 11 B may be provided with an adjustable foot 19 (as shown more clearly in figs 3 and 4), to enable the frame 11 to be bolted or otherwise affixed to a surface. A door 12 is hinged to one frame post 1 IB by a set of hinges 13, to provide a front face of the enclosure 10. Typically, the hinged door 13 is lockable to prevent unauthorised access to the bin within the enclosure 10, and a suitable lock 14 is provided on the door 12 15 for this purpose. The lock 14 may have a latch tongue which engages with an adjacent frame post 11 B. Removal side panels 15 are provided at the sides of the enclosure 10. Each side panel 15 is substantially similar in construction, and in its method of mounting. Each side panel 15 is generally rectangular in shape, with flanges at least on its upright edges, and 20 dimensioned to fit closely between the opposing faces of a pair of adjacent posts 11 B of the frame 11 so as to substantially fill the entire opening between the adjacent posts 1 B. The mounting of each side panel 15 is shown in more detail in figs 6 and 7. As shown in those drawings, each post 11 B is provided with a pair of short threaded pins, studs or bolts 16A, 16B on the face of the post facing the other post in each adjacent pair of 25 side posts. Each stud 16A, 16B is typically welded to, or screwed into, the post. An angled slot 17 is provided at a lower portion of each side flange at the upright edges of the side panel 15, at a height commensurate with the lower stud 16A on the posts 1 B. The angled slot 17 has a horizontal slot portion with one end opening to the inside edge of the panel, and its other end communicating with a blind vertical slot portion. A 30 second slot 18 is provided at an upper portion of each side flange at the upright edges of -6 the side panel 15, at a height commensurate with the height of the upper stud 16B on the posts 1 B. The slot 18 is a horizontal slot opening to the inside of the side flange. As shown in figs 6 and 7, each side panel 15 is mounted to the frame 1 by locating the opposed pair of studs 16A in respective slots 17 in the side panel, in a bayonet action. 5 That is, the studs 16A are inserted into the horizontal portion of the slot 17 until they reach the outer end of that portion. The panel 15 is then dropped slightly so that the studs 16A locate in the upper (blind) end of the vertical portion of the slot 17. In this position, the panel 15 can pivot about the studs 16A. The panel 15 is then pivoted so that the upper studs 16B are located in respective slots 18 in the side flanges of the panel. Wing nuts (not 10 shown) are threaded onto the studs 16B from the inside of the enclosure to secure the side flanges of the side panel 15 to the studs 16B. (Access can be obtained through the door 12 and/or from the top opening of the frame). The panels 15 can be removed in the reverse procedure to that described above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that each side panel 15 can be mounted 15 to, and removed from, the frame I I in a quick and simple process. Each side panel 15 is provided with a plurality of ventilation holes 20 at a bottom portion thereof. These holes can be formed in each side panel (and the front door 12, if desired) during the manufacturing stage in a simple and economical punch operation. Since the side panels 15 can be easily removed and interchanged, different panels 20 can be used on the enclosures from time to time. For example, as shown in fig 8, a panel 12A having a textured wood-like finish may be interchanged for a plain metal panel. A second door (not shown) may be provided at the rear of the enclosure 10, on the opposite side to the door 12. If a rear door is not provided, a rear panel (not shown) is provided on the rear side. The rear panel is of similar construction to the side panels 14 and 25 15, and is mounted in a similar manner to the side panels. To all intents and purposes, the rear panel is a side panel, and the above description of the side panels applies also to a rear panel. A cover 22 is provided on the enclosure 10 to provide protection from the weather, and limit access to the bin to scavenging animals. The cover 22 is typically a flat stainless -7 steel plate which is mounted to the frame 11 by a pair of supports 23, such that the plate 22 is at an angled orientation, e.g. to assist in rain run-off. Advantageously, the supports 23 are each located generally in the middle of a respective opposed side of the frame 11, and each support 23 may suitably comprise a flat 5 plate of stainless steel. By having only a pair of opposed supports 23 located intermediate of the ends of the frame 11, a much wider 'mouth' or opening to the bin is achieved. This provides a greater degree of access to the bin. In a second embodiment of the invention, two frames 11 are joined side by side to provide an enclosure or surround for a pair of refuse bins. Each frame is substantially as 10 shown in fig 5. When the frames 11 are placed side by side in abutting relationship, the abutting posts 1 B have their respective studs 16A, 16B adjacent to each other. A clip 25 is used to join the abutting posts 1 B together. Each clip 25 is in the form of a short flat member having a pair of openings at a predetermined spacing. One clip is placed over the adjacent studs 16B of a pair of abutting 15 posts I IB, and another clip is placed over the adjacent studs 16A of the abutting posts 1 B. Wing nuts can then be threaded onto the studs 16A, 16B so that the clips 25 are firmly secured to the post I1 B and hold the posts together. In this manner, two single frames 11 can be quickly and easily assembled into a double frame. The doors and side panels can be applied to the frames 11 of the double bin enclosure in a similar manner to that described 20 above with reference to the single bin enclosure. If desired, the double bin enclosure can be disassembled in the reverse procedure. The above described enclosures or surrounds for refuse bins have several advantages over known bin enclosures. First, as the panels are easily removable, they can be interchanged and/or removed for repair without the need to transport the whole 25 enclosure to a workshop. A single panel may be removed for repair, and replaced quickly on site by another panel. Multiple panels can be replaced if it is desired to change the appearance of the enclosure. Secondly, the enclosures are relatively lightweight and can be installed without the use of cranes. In use, the frame (with factory installed door(s), if desired) is placed at the 30 desired location, and the feet 19 of the frame are fixed to the supporting surface. Since the frame does not contain the panels, it is relatively light, and can be lifted by one or two -8 persons. The side panels can then be mounted individually to the frame. The panels are light metal sheet, and the steel ventilation grills of the prior art are eliminated by the use of the ventilation holes in the panels. The absence of separate ventilation grills not only reduces weight, but also manufacturing costs. 5 Thirdly, costs are further reduced by the use of standard components. The frames and panels may be of a standard size, shape and manufacture. It is only necessary to provide a stock of frames and a stock of panels, and single and multiple bin enclosures can be assembled as and when desired. Motifs, advertising or other signage may be placed on the panels if desired. Such /0 signage can be placed on the panels at a factory location, and the panels placed on the desired frames as and when required. The foregoing embodiments are intended to be illustrative of the invention, without limiting the scope thereof. The invention is capable of being practised with various modifications and additions as will readily occur to those skilled in the art. 15 Accordingly, it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction and operation described and illustrated, but only by the following claims which are intended to include all suitable modifications and equivalents permitted by the applicable law. The term "comprise" and variants of that term such as "comprises" or "comprising" 20 are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required. Reference to prior art in this specification is not an admission that such prior art was or is common general knowledge in Australia. 25

Claims (5)

1. An enclosure or surround for a refuse bin, comprising: a frame, and at least one side panel removably mounted to the frame.

2. An enclosure or surround for a refuse bin as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame is an open frame comprising a plurality of spaced upright posts, and wherein each said side panel is generally rectangular and mounted between two adjacent posts.

3. An enclosure or surround for a refuse bin as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a sloping planar cover mounted to the frame and spaced above the frame, the cover being mounted to the frame by a pair of spacer members on opposite sides of the frame, each spacer member being located generally in the middle of the respective side of the frame.

4. An enclosure or surround for a refuse bin as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one side panel has a plurality of ventilation holes therein at a lower portion thereof.

5. An enclosure or surround for a plurality of refuse bins, comprising: at least two adjacent frames each dimensioned to surround a respective bin, and at least one connecting member detachably connecting the two adjacent frames, wherein each of the two adjacent frames has at least one side panel removably mounted thereto. Date: