AU741910B2

AU741910B2 - A waste container

Info

Publication number: AU741910B2
Application number: AU65632/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Idwall Charles Richards; Rhys William Richards
Original assignee: Firebelt Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Patents4us Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1995-09-13
Filing date: 1996-09-13
Publication date: 2001-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2016-09-13
Also published as: AU6563296A

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: FIREBELT PTY LIMITED Idwall Charles Richards and Rhys William Richards

INTELLPRO

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level D, 308 Edward Street BRISBANE, QLD, 4000 (GPO Box 1339, BRISBANE, 4001) "A Waste Container" No(s): Australian Patent Application September 1995.

Details of Associated Provisional Application(s) No. PN5438 filed 13 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 0013/MARCH.96/000 FIELD OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to a waste container for storage and subsequent collection of recyclables and other wastes in a single divided container and in particular but not limited to a divided commercial waste container.

BACKGROUND ART One American commercial waste container for holding recyclable wastes and other wastes in separate compartments employs a pair of compactors compacting waste either side of a vertical divider. This container suffers from a number of disadvantages one of these being that the container is expensive to build and maintain.

One object of the present invention is to alleviate at least some degree the S. above mentioned problems of the prior art container.

S* OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION In one aspect therefore the present invention resides in a waste container comprising a tank having a divider separating the tank into upper and lower compartments, the lower compartment in use engaging a compactor to move waste from an entrance into the lower compartment, the upper compartment S-having one or a plurality of openings so that waste can be manually distributed within the upper compartment.

20 In another aspect the container has a plurality of delivery means, and ooo.oi means selectively enabling streams of waste to be received into the container from the respective delivery means. In this latter form the openings for manual distribution of waste can be omitted particularly where compaction is employed.

3 The container is preferably formed as part of an assembly including a loading platform adjacent the upper compartment to enable access to the opening or openings in the upper compartment in order to facilitate user access for the manual distribution of recyclables in the upper compartment. Preferably the opening comprises a plurality of separate openings having individual lids so that access to the upper compartment can be made at spaced locations along the tank.

In one preferred form the container is positionable adjacent a compactor unit so that the container can be removed from the compactor, taken away, emptied and returned or interchanged with a similar empty container.

In another form the compactor is carried with the container.

In another form the container includes multiple entry means through which waste can be delivered into the container via the compactors.

In one preferred form particularly suited to use adjacent high rise buildings employs a waste delivery chute in line with the compactors, a bin emptying device for emptying waste from a bin and also means enabling manual delivery of waste into the container.

The compactor can be of any suitable form. In one preferred form an upper slide packer for an upper compartment has a passage so that waste destined for the lower compartment can flow through the passage to the lower 20 compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying 4 drawings which illustrate one preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a part section through a container of the type illustrated in Figure 1 and showing the container used as part of an assembly adjacent to typical loading platforms; Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a typical collection method employing a container according to the present invention; Figures 4 and 5 illustrate discharge of the compartments; Figures 6 and 7 illustrate an alternative embodiment wherein the S, compactors are carried with the container on a supporting frame; Figure 8 is a part section illustrating in side view a container of the type i, removable from the compactor; Figure 9 illustrates in end view with the compactor partially removed the bin emptying process where packers of the type illustrated in Figure 1 A and 1 OB; Figure 11 is an alternative embodiment allowing for entry from a chute a inclined at 450 to the compactor; and Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11 but where the chute is directly pp pp 20 above the compactor.

METHOD OF PERFORMANCE Referring to the drawings and initially to Figure 1 there is illustrated an assembly 10 employing a container 11 shown operatively positioned adjacent a loading platform 12 and a fixed static compactor assembly 13. The static compactor assembly 13 employs an opening 14 through which waste can be delivered into the compactor. The compactor in turn pushes the waste into a lower compartment 15 of the tank 11. The lower compartment 15 is below a horizontal divider 16 which defines an upper tank 17. The upper tank 17 is approximately 60 of the container volume and includes in this case openings at 18, 19, 20 and 21. Each of the openings has a lid 22, 23, 24 and respectively and are positioned along the tank so that a person can empty recyclables into the compartment 17. The openings 18, 19, 20 and 21 are positioned so that the recyclables can be distributed fairly evenly through the compartment 17 on top of the divider 16.

As can be seen in Figure 1 the other waste is delivered to the static compactor 13, typically using a bin 26 emptied in the usual manner. It could be o:e° possible to simply deposit the waste into the static compactor 13 in any way.

Referring now to Figure 2 the container 11 shown located adjacent the 15 platform 12. Figure 2 also illustrates the possibility of the container 11 being located adjacent a landing 27 rather than a platform. It will be appreciated that the container 11 can be located in a recessed position relative to ground level or could be located on the ground with a platform such as platform 12 being built as part of the assembly.

Recyclables are shown in the compartment 17 and other waste in compartment 15. Each of the compartments 15 and 17 can include a respective door shown generally at 28 and 29 with a curtain 30 being disposed across an opening inside the door of the lower compartment 15, the opening being in line with the compactor of the static compactor 13 illustrated in Figure 1.

6 Figure 3 illustrates how the container 11 is removed from the static compactor 13 once it is full. As can be seen in Figure 3 the container 11 can be drawn onto the back of a prime mover 32. The tank is shown partially in position in Figure 3. The reverse unloading operation can be used to return the container 11 to the operative position illustrated ,in Figure 1.

Figures 4 and 5 show how the compartments are emptied.

Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment 40 including a tank 41 divided into upper and lower compartments 42 and 43, the compartment 43 being smaller, a compactor is mounted on a supporting frame 45, the compactor having upper and lower slide packers 46 and 47 so that waste on leaving the hopper 44 can be selectively delivered to the compartments 42 and 43.

*OThe same arrangement is shown in Figure 8 except the compactor 48 is ••go free standing.

Typical sections through the section line of Figure 8 are shown in Figures 15 9, 10A, 10OB, 11 and 12. In Figures 9, 10A and 10OB waste travels to the lower compartment through a passage 49 in the upper compactor 50 as shown in Figure while if waste is to go into the top compartment it falls on top of the lower compactor 51 and then pushed in by the front face of the compactor Figure 11 includes a divided chute 52 having two passages 53 and 54 including doors 55 and 56 and as can be seen a deflector 57 can be positioned so that the appropriate waste is conveyed to the correct compartment. In this case the slide packers are offset as shown at 58 and 59.

7 In this case the bins 60 can have a divider that the deflector can be aligned with, the divider being shown in phantom at 61 so that separate waste in the bin can be delivered to the respective compartments.

Figure 12 is a similar embodiment where a vertical chute 62 includes a divider 63 and a pair of doors 64 and 65, compactors being shown at 66 and 67.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention many variations and modifications there to will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of invention as here in set forth.

o• ooooo*

Claims

1. Awaste container comprising a tank having a divider separating the tank into upper and lower compartments, the lower compartment in use engaging a compactor to move waste from an entrance to the lower compartment, the upper compartment having one or a plurality of openings so that waste can be manually distributed within the compartment.

2. A container according to claim 1 being suitable to be removably carried on a chassis of a vehicle, the lower compartment in use engaging a compactor to move waste from an entrance into a lower compartment, the container in use being S° 10 positioned relative to a plurality of delivery means and there being provided means selectively enabling streams of waste to be received into the container from the respective delivery means.

3. The container according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the container forms :part of an assembly includinga loading platform adjacentto the upper compartment to enable access to the openings or opening in the upper compartment in order to facilitate user access for manual distribution of recyclables in the upper compartment.

4. The container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the openings comprise a plurality of separate openings having individual lids so that access to the upper compartment can be made at spaced locations along the tank.

A container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the container is positionable adjacent a compactor unit so that the container can be 9 removed from the compactor, taken away, emptied and returned or interchanged with a similar empty container.

6. The container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the compactor is carried with the container.

7. A container according to any one of the preceding claims including multiple entry means through which waste can be delivered selectively into the container via the compactors to one or the other of the compartments.

8. A container according to any one of the preceding claims located adjacent to high rise buildings and there being provided a waste delivery chute in line with :0 00 10 the compactors, the waste delivery chute being divided into two chutes having respective doors aligned with the compactors and there being provided a separate bin emptying device for emptying waste from a bin into the compactors so that waste can be selectively delivered to the compartments either from the delivery chute or from the bin.

9. A container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the compactors comprise an upper slide packer and a lower compactor, the upper slide packer having a passage so that waste destined for the lower compartment can flow through the compactor to the lower compactor for subsequent delivery to the lower compartment. DATED this 6 th September 2001. FIREBELT PTY LIMITED By their Patent Attorneys INTELLPRO