EP0341353A1

EP0341353A1 - Device for collecting and storing waste

Info

Publication number: EP0341353A1
Application number: EP88304201A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hui Hsiung Chang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-05-09
Filing date: 1988-05-09
Publication date: 1989-11-15

Abstract

A device for collecting and storing waste, comprising a housing (20) for receiving waste, and a storage can (50) for storing the waste, characterized in that a wheel-like element (30), having a plurality of chambers (34) for collecting the waste, is accommodated in said housing (20), a lever (40) passes through said wheel-like element (30) for introducing waste toward a lower side by rotating said plurality of chambers (34) to a position opened to said storage can (50) for safe storage of the waste.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for collecting and storing waste, and more particularly, to a device for collecting and storing waste which is more convenient for handling, and which provides safe storage of the waste.
One of the biggest problems presently facing by the government of many countries is the disposal of waste products that has been generated and is presently being generated by its residents everyday.
Conventional refuse bins, waste baskets or garbage cans are constructed in simple basket forms without suitable lids or covers. These kinds of waste cans are undesirable because of their open structure. Untolerable odors may spread in the air. Insects, like flies, cockroaches, and mosquitoes, as well as stray dogs and cats, and even rats and mice are very often attracted to the location of these waste cans, such as a street side, a building's corner, or the back door of a restaurant. These may cause a serious environmental pollution problems, if one do not pay special attention to the disposal of waste properly.
Waste cans of various shapes and structures were developed in the past to solve this problem. One such waste can provided a can having a lid member, in which the lid member was automatically closed, under predetermined conditions, after being shifted to a raised position. The disadvantage of that waste can is that it requires the user to lift the lid member before he could dispose of the rubbish, thereby making such disposal inconvenient and oftentimes unpleasant and troublesome. Another disadvantage is that the structure of that waste can was not a completely closed structure, thereby making disposal of cigarette ends or other inflammable objects hazardous.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a device for collecting and storing waste which is convenient to use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for collecting and storing waste to which the garbage can be disposed without lifting the lid or cover member thereof beforehand.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a device for collecting and storing waste which prevents the odors of waste from being emitted.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a device for collecting and storing waste which is capable of providing safe storage for waste products.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a device for collecting and storing waste which is capable of providing a safe storage of even inflammable waste, such as cigarette ends.
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a unique device for collecting and storing waste comprising a waste receiving means having an inlet for receiving waste, a waste collecting means accommodated in said waste receiving means having a plurality of chambers for collecting the waste, a drive means for actuating said waste collecting means so as to introduce the waste toward a lower side to an outlet of said housing, and a distinct waste storage means which is isolated from the exterior circumference but connected to the outlet of said housing for safe storage of waste.
These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the specific embodiments of the present invention are described by way of examples, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device for collecting and storing waste in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the device for collecting and storing waste shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the device for collecting and storing waste taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a device for collecting and storing waste in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that a device for collecting and storing waste is designated by reference numeral 10. The device 10 comprises a waste receiving means 20 for receiving waste, a waste collecting means 30 accommodated in said waste receiving means 20 for collecting the waste, a drive means 40 passes through said waste collecting means 30 for introducing the waste toward a lower side by rotating said waste collecting means 30, and a waste storage means 50 connected to a lower side of said waste receiving means 20 for safe storage of the waste.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the waste receiving means 20 is a housing which is hollow and includes four openings, namely a front opening 21, a rear opening 22, a waste inlet 23, and a waste outlet 24. An interior hollow section 25 of the housing 20 permits only the waste collecting means, a wheel-like element 30 to accommodate therein, whereas the front opening 21 and rear opening 22 act as a passage for the wheel-like element 30. The front and rear surfaces of the housing 20, after installation of said wheel-like element 30, are detachably engaged with respective cover members 26 and 27 by suitable means; for example, a plurality of screws at proper locations. The waste inlet 23 is formed on an upper side of the housing 20 for receiving waste products. The waste outlet 24 is formed on a lower side of the housing 20, thereby allowing the waste to be introduced into the waste storage means; i.e., a waste can 50. The lower edge of the housing 20 is located on and secured to the storage can 50 by means of a groove 51 formed on the storage can 50 and by suitable fastening means; for example, a pair of latches 52.
The cover members 26 and 27 have central openings 261 and 271 thereon respectively to receive the drive means; i.e., a lever 40 therethrough, which will be described more fully hereinbelow. The cover members 26 and 27 are provided with roller bearings 262 and 272 on the central parts thereof respectively, so as to facilitate the turning movement or rotation of the lever 40.
Although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the cover members 26 and 27 include ventilation holes 263 and 273 thereon respectively so as to equalize the internal and external pressure of the system and to thereby facilitate the turning movement of the lever 40. It should be noted that air only flows into the space between the inner sides of the cover members 26, 27 and the outer sides of the wheel-like element 30, and does not flow to the storage can 50 under any circumstance.
The wheel-like element 30 includes a first base plate 31, a second base plate 32, and a plurality of successive identical radially arranged panels 33 extending from said first base plate 31 toward said second base plate 32, thereby forming a plurality of chambers 34 for collecting the waste or garbage. The first base plate 31 has a first hole 35 and the second base plate 32 has a second hole 36 in alignment with said first hole 35 so as to define a passage for the lever 40.
Although not limited thereto, it is preferable that said plurality of panels 33 are formed in a direction not exactly coaxial to the wheel-like element 30, but slightly oblique or inclined to the axial direction (see FIGS. 2 and 3) so as to facilitate the dropping down of the waste or garbage.
As mentioned previously, the lever 40 is received by the housing 20 and the wheel-like element 30, through the openings 261 and 271 and the roller bearings 262 and 272 of the two cover members 26 and 27, as well as the first and second holes 35 and 36 of the two base plates 31 and 32.
Although not limited thereto, it is preferable that the lever 40 is provided with a handle portion 41 to facilitate the gripping of the lever 40 such that the rotation of the panels 33 can be effected easily.
The storage can 50, as mentioned earlier, is formed with the peripheral groove 51 so as to be in connection with the housing 20, and is provided with lacthes 52 to provide temporary locking engagement therebetween. Although not limited thereto, it is often preferable that the storage can 50 be provided with a pair of casters or pulleys 53, or the like. Both sides of the housing 20 are also preferably to be provided with handling rods 28 so that the whole device 10 can be moved from one place to another, with the aids from both the rods 28 and the casters 53.
With particular reference to FIG. 3, the manner in which the device 10 is utilized will now be described in detail.
Firstly, the waste or garbage (shown in dotted lines) is disposed of in the housing 20 through the inlet 23; then, the lever 40 is rotated in either clockwise direction or counterclockwise direction; said plurality of panels 33 rotate accordingly and the waste or garbage collected in the chamber 34 which collect the waste is introduced to the position of outlet 24 and finally drops down into the storage can 50.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4, which is an ash tray designated by reference numeral 60. The ash tray 60 is formed and operated in substantially the same manner as the device 10, but is smaller in size and preferably further includes a well-designed top peripheral lid 61 having a plurality of grooves 62 for the reception of cigarettes. The top peripheral lid 61 is combined with the inlet 63 by any suitable means; for example, a plurality of screws or the like.
While the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications or alterations thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification. Therefore, it is to be noted that all such modifications or alterations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for collecting and storing waste, comprising a waste receiving means (20) for receiving waste, and a waste storage means (50) for storing the waste, characterized in that: a waste collecting means (30) is accommodated in said waste receiving means (20) for collecting the waste, a drive means (40) passes through said waste collecting means (30) for introducing the waste toward a lower side by rotating said waste collecting means (30), and a waste storage means (50) is connected to a lower side of said waste receiving means (20) for safe storage of the waste.

2. A device for collecting and storing waste, comprising a housing (20) for receiving waste, and a storage can (50) for storing the waste, characterized in that: a wheel-like element (30) having a plurality of chambers (34) for collecting the waste is accommodated in said housing (20), a lever (40) passes through said wheel-like element (30) for introducing waste toward a lower side by rotating said plurality of chambers (34) to a position opened to said storage can (50) for safe storage of the waste.

3. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 2, wherein an interior hollow section (25) of said housing (20) permits only said wheel-like element (30) to be accommodated therein.

4. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 3, wherein said housing (20) comprises a front opening (21) and a rear opening (22) to form a passage for said wheel-like element (30).

5. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 4, wherein front and rear surfaces of said housing (20) are detachably engaged with cover members (26) and (27), after installation of said wheel-like element (30).

6. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 5, wherein said cover membes (26) and (27) have central openings (261) and (271) thereon respectively to receive said lever (40) therethrough.

7. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 6, wherein said cover members (26) and (27) are provided with roller bearings (262) and (272) on central parts thereof respectively so as to facilitate the turning movement of said lever (40).

8. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 6, wherein said cover members (26) and (27) include ventilation holes (263) and (273) thereon respectively so as to facilitate the turning movement of said lever (40).

9. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 3, wherein said housing (20) comprises a waste inlet (23) on an upper side thereof for receiving waste product.

10. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim3, wherein said housing (20) comprises a waste outlet (24) on a lower side thereof, thereby allowing the waste to be introduced into said storage can (50).

11. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 3, wherein a lower edge of said housing (20) is located on and secured to said storage can (50) by forming a groove (51) on an upper periphery of said storage can (50) and by a latch (52).

12. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 2, wherein said wheel-like element (30) includes a first base plate (31), a second base plate (32), and a plurality of successive identical radially arranged panels (33) extending from said first base plate (31) toward said second base plate (32), thereby forming a plurality of chambers (34) for collecting the waste.

13. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 12, wherein said first base plate (31) has a first hole (35) and said second base plate (32) has a second hole (36) in alignment with said first hole (35) to form a passage for said lever (40).

14. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 12, wherein said plurality of panels (33) are formed in a direction not exactly coaxial to the wheel-like element (30) but slightly inclined to an axial direction thereof so as to facilitate the dropping of the waste from the chambers (34) to said storage can (50).

15. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 12, wherein said lever (40) is received by said housing (20) and said wheel-like element (30), through said openings (261) and (271) and said roller bearings (262) and (272) of said two cover members (26) and (27), as well as said first and second holes (35) and (36) of said two base plates (31) and (32).

16. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 15, wherein said lever (40) is provided with a handle portion 41 to facilitate the gripping of the lever (40).

17. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 2, wherein said storage can (50) includes a pair of casters (53) on a lower face thereof, and wherein said housing (20) is provided with a handling rod (29) on a side thereof to facilitate the handling of the device.

18. A device for collecting and storing waste as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a top peripheral lid (61) having a plurality of grooves (62) for the reception of cigarettes.