AU651179B2 - Ventilated container - Google Patents

Description

1 651179

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY PATENT o Name of Applicant(s): Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: BARRY LEWIS LAZARUS BARRY LEWIS LAZARUS CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 240 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld. 4000, Australia.

VENTILATED CONTAINER o The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 THIS INVENTION relates to rubbish containers and is particularly concerned with flip-lid plastic wheeled rubbish containers in common use throughout Australia which are supplied to householders by their local council. These rubbish containers are commonly known as "wheelie bins" and will be referred to hereinafter by that terminology. It is to be understood at the outset, however, that such bins are merely referred to by way of exemplification as the invention has much broader ramifications insofar as it is applicable to all manner of lidded containers.

Wheelie bins have been a great success in the S" efficient storage and removal of household rubbish. However, oe I the problem with these and similar bins is that they provide an ideal environment for insects, particularly the domestic fly, to scavenge and breed in, or to simply hover around and create a general nuisance to the householder. Since the life S cycle of the fly is relatively short and wheelie bins are only cleared once a week by the council contracter, there is ample time for the eggs of the fly to hatch and for the larvae to feed and mature to their next stage of growth. Spraying the bin with an insect repellent has only a short term effect and continued spraying at regular intervals is necessary. 'his is clearly impractical in most cases and can, of itself, be of environmental concern.

Additionally, decaying rubbish if not properly wrapped releases foul odours which ideally need to be masked by some form of deodorizer. Application of a deodorizer to the bin on at least a weekly basis is therefore desirable but can turn out to be a rather exp,.nsive exercise as it is usually removed with the rubbish.

A further problem with closed bins is the breakdown of organic matter by micro-organisms to yield disease producing materials. Disinfecting of the bin each time it is emptied, usually also on a weekly basis, is therefore desirable to ensure that such materials are combatted.

It is obvious from the foregoing that from a health management point of view, wheelie bins leave a lot to be desired.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a means of obviating, or at least minimising these problems.

According to the present invention, there is provided a ventilated container adapted to be permanently fixed to the undersurface of the lid of a wheelie bin, said container including an aperture through which a solid deodorising and/or insecticidal and/or bactericidal material can be inserted but not readily removed.

Thus in one form the invention resides in a ventilated container attachable to the underside of the lid of r o o a wheelie bin, the container having an inlet to allow a solid deodorising and/or insecticidal and/or bactericidal material to be inserted through the inlet, characterised in that the inlet comprises, or is associated with means to prevent or restrict the material from exiting from the container through the inlet while still allowing the material to pass into the container through the inlet.

~The ventilated container is suitably fabricated from an injection moulded rigid plastics material such as high density polyethylene. Other plastics materials such as polyvinylchloride, polypropylene, polybutadiene and various S acrylic co-polymers and the like may also be used, as may composite materials or metal. However, polyethylene is preferred from a cost point of view and its ease of fixing to the lid by either hot welding or adhesive, such as a two part resin system.

The ventilated container is suitably fabricated from i' 3a an injection moulded rigid plastics material such as high density polyethylene. Other plastics materials such as polyvinylchloride, polypropylene, polybutadiene and various acrylic co-polymers and the like may also be used, as may composite materials or metals. However, polyethylene is preferred from a cost point of view and its ease of fixing to the lid by either hot welding or adhesive, such as a two part resin system.

N

o if ee a 0 e ee a\ e y T 4 In the case of metal containers, it is usually preferable to use mechanical fasteners such as staples for fixing to the lid but it will be apparent that such fasteners could also be used for plastics containers.

The container is preferably of shallow configuration so that it does not protrude too far downwardly from the bottom of the lid and therefore does not interfere with rubbish in the loaded bin. It is to be noted that the term "shallow" as used herein and in the claims is intended to mean a width dimension which is substantially less than a breadth dimension of the ventilated container, and is preferably such as to be the same as, or less, than the height of the 00.0..

depending lip surrounding the upper surface of a conventional wheelie bin lid.

"Ia* The container can have any overall shape but is preferably either rectangular, or disc- or convex-shaped with a surrounding flange to facilitate fixing to the wheelie bin 0 lid. A flat surface flange is particularly advantageous in this later regard.

".aQ1" Ventilation in the container can be achieved in a number of ways. The purpose of such ventilation is to permit the vapours which are given off by the solid deodorizing/insecticidal/bactericidal material to readily circulate therethrough into the wheelie bin while preventing the solid material from passing therethrough (except, of course, when the solid material has disintegrated to such small particles, that their passage through the ventilation region would not be disadvantageous in view of their usefulness having been substantially dissipated). Thus, ventilation in the form of slits, holes or other type perforations, is suitable. Such perforations can be formed over the entire surface of the ventilated container or can be simply located in the region of the container which faces downwardly when the lid of the wheelie bin is closed.

The aperture through which the solid material is inserted is preferably relative'y large so as to enable the maximum area within the ventilated container to be loaded with a single block if need be. Suitably, the aperture is located eese in a side wall of the ventilated container so that the block S" of solid material is loaded sideways into the container. Most preferably it is the side wall which faces either the left or right side of the wheelie bin, when viewed from its front, or handling, side. This location is preferred in order to ensure that the solid material is not ejected when the wheelie bin is V" inverted for emptying during which process it can undergo violent shaking or if the wheelie bin happens to fall over.

However, to be absolutely sure that the solid material is not ejected through the aperture, a hinged flap or plastic teeth, or other like closure, may be formed thereabout. The hinged flap can be such as to enable inward movement of the fiap into the container, but not to allow outward movement. This can be arranged, for instance, by having an enlarged flap formed on the interior of the container. The hinge on the flap can be formed from the same material as the container or from a different material. Preferably, it is the same material so that it can be formed integrally with the container. Thus, in 6 the case of the preferred polyethylene container, the hinge is formed from an integral strip of polyethylene which has a sufficiently thin cross-sectional wall to enable flexure without breaking.

The preferred form of closure on the aperture comprises a series of flexible plastic teeth which normally extend across the opening but which can flex out of the way as the solid material is inserted therethrough. Such teeth are ideally integrally formed with the container and extend in an •go• 10. upper and lower staggered row across the opening.

o• 0 The solid deodorizing/insecticidal/bactericidal o material can be in block, pellet, bead or granular form. Most preferably it is in the form of a block since this is the most convenient for handling and for inserting into the container.

°i3" The block is ideally of a size commensurate with the size of the aperture which, in turn, preferably extends a significant S"portion of the side wall of the container. Maximising the size of the block, maximises the time between which replenishment is required.

The solid material can consist of a single deodorizer or a single insecticide or a single bactericide but preferably combines all three constituents. A suitable deodorizer can be one that either masks the unpleasant odours of the rubbish in the wheelie bin, or one that absorbs such odours. Typical useful deodorizers are perfumes such as pine and eucalyptus oils, naphthalene and activated carbon. When the deodorizer is the sole component and is a liquid, it can be adsorbed onto a suitable inert base such as bentonite or the like.

The insecticide is preferably a wide spectrum material which is toxic to a wide range of crawling and flying insects, particularly the domestic fly. It will suitably be environmentally safe in that the residue after breaking down will be non-toxic. Typical of such insecticides are the pyrethrins.

The bactericide can be any bacterial killing material which is compatible with any other materials present in the block and which has a relatively low volatility at o o ambient temperature. Typical bactericides include disinfectants based on chlorine and phenol, but natural •oeoe materials such as pine oil are preferred. Once again, this material may be got up as a solid on an inert base such as a ~clay.

o• A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be Sdescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a ventilated container according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section through II-II of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the ventilated container of Figures 1 and 2 in situ in a wheelie bin.

In all the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, the ventilated container has a flattened disc-shaped section 10 with an 8 integral flange 11 extending the circumference thereof.

Circular openings 12 are formed in the wall of the container and an aperture 13 locates to one side thereof. The aperture includes a series of staggered teeth 14 which are sufficiently flexible to flex out of the way when a block of material is inserted therethrough but sufficiently rigid to prevent the block of material from coming out again under its own weight should the container be tipped on it's side.

The ventilated container is fabricated from high oleo 10. density plastics material and is hot welded to the base of a wheelie bin lid around the flange, as depicted in Figure 3.

S° It will be noted from this drawing that the aperture in the *S e.* container is oriented to face the side of the wheelie bin, when viewed from the front or operable position.

The ventilated container as depicted in the drawings is particularly adapted to contain a single solid block of S deodorant, insecticide and/or bactericide. The preferred block comprises naphthalene, a well known moth repellent in association with a pyrethrum insecticide and pine oil disinfectant. Such a block is 100% environmental safe and in use was found to last approximately six weeks during summer time conditions and at least 3-4 during winter.

It has been found that the vapours given off by the solid material is moved by convention throughout all parts of the wheelie bin as the sun moves and the temperature of the day changes. This provides a very effective means for dealing with any odours present in the bin and either repelling or destroying any insects which happen by. The invention thus meets the objective noted in the preamble and provides a much needed product for the consumer.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention, many modifications and variations may be made thereto by persons skilled in the art without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention as herein set forth in the following claims.

ft oe o i

Claims (9)

1. 2. The container as claimed in claim I, wherein the means comp- ses a hinged door.
2. 3. The container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hinged door hinges inwardly.
3. 4. The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means comprises a plurality of resilient teeth. The container as claimed in claim 4, wherein the teeth extend from opposed sides of the inlet and towards each other.
4. 6. The container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims having a top wall adapted to lie adjacent the lid of the wheelie bin, a bott-i wall and one or more side walls, the inlet extending through a said side wall.
5. 7. The container as claimed in claim 6, wherein the eooeo bottom wall has a plurality of openings to allow ventilation of the container, the openings being sized to prevent the o oe• S material from passing through the openings.
6. 8. The container as claimed in claim 7, wherein the top and bottom walls are substantially planar and circular, the bottom wall having a smaller diameter than the top wall and the side wall being curved in configuration.
7. 9. The container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims comprising means to allow the container to be attached S: to the lid of a wheelie bin. The container as claimed in claim 9, wherein the means comprises an adhesive or mechanical fasteners.
8. 11. The container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the deodorising material is selected from pine j. 11 and eucalyptus oils, naphthalene and/or activated carbon, tie insecticidal material comprises pyrethrins, and the bactericidal material comprises disinfectants based on chlorine, phenol and/or pine oi..
9. 12. A ventilated container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this Eleventh day of May 1994 BARPY LEWIS LAZARUS By His Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO e• <s ABSTRACT A system for keeping "wheelie bins" free of odours and/or insects comprises a shallow ventilated container of plastics material adapted to be hot welded to the undersurface of the lid of a wheelie bin, said container including an aperture through which a solid block of deodorizing and/or insecticidal and/or bacterial material can be inserted, the said aperture including a hinged flap or plastic teeth which are pushed open to enable access as the block is inserted therein and which is/are resiliently biased to return to an original closed position once the block has been fully inserted into the container. ee C -'I