EP1033334B1 - Safety device for a wheeled, lidded container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to rolling bins for the collection of waste, of the type comprising a vessel mounted on wheels and a lid with assisted closure, pivotally mounted relative to the tank through side arms integral with the lid and articulated on the side walls of tank.

There is a need to improve the safety of this type of bin when used by children, in particular to avoid accidents when closing the lid.

It has thus been proposed to provide the front of the lid with a flap as shown in the international model DM / 044 354. Such a solution is satisfactory from the point of view of safety but the bib, consisting of a plurality of strips of rubber juxtaposed, does not achieve all the desired hermeticity in the closed position of the lid.

The applicant company has already described in FR-A-2 602 216 and GB-A-2 044 836 rolling bins for the collection of waste, comprising a tank mounted on wheels and a lid with assisted closure, pivotally mounted relative to the tank with side arms integral with the lid and articulated on the side walls of the tank and having a device for locking the lid in an intermediate position before it reaches its fully closed position, intermediate position in which the tank and the cover provide a gap of a predetermined width.

This space is usually sufficient to allow the passage of the head of a child of about ten years and if the locking device is faulty, the cover may close on the child's head.

A second wheeled bin is described in the European Patent Application EP-A-0 979 786 published on February 16, 2000 and designating the following Contracting States: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, the Country Netherlands and Portugal, which falls under Article 54 (3) EPC. According to the invention, the device for locking the lid is a safety device arranged so as to require for its unlocking a specific action to be exercised simultaneously in two locations of the lid, sufficiently distant from each other for a child to can not normally do it.

The safety device can be arranged in such a way that the specific unlocking action must be carried out inside the recesses of the lid, preferably provided on the front thereof.

It may be for example to operate levers accessible within lid recesses, which levers must be actuated simultaneously to allow the lid to close completely.

Preferably, however, the safety device is arranged in such a way that the specific unlocking action must be exerted on two levers, preferably provided on the front of the lid.

These levers can be advantageously arranged so as to allow a user to maneuver by pressing with the thumbs while bearing with the other fingers on handles of the lid, preferably housed in the recesses thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the safety device comprises two levers each rotatably mounted on the lid and capable of abutting at one end on a support surface secured to a side wall of the tank to hold the lid in said position. intermediate.

In a particular embodiment, each lever is pivotally mounted on the lid about a geometric axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the geometric axis of rotation of the lid.

Alternatively, each lever is rotatably mounted about a geometric axis of rotation substantially parallel to the geometric axis of rotation of the lid.

Each lever can then be controlled in rotation by a lever as aforesaid, being connected to this lever by means of an arm provided at the end with a fork or equivalent light, this arm being arranged in such a way that rotation of the lever causes rotation of the lever.

Advantageously, each handle is returned to its initial position by resilient return means, preferably constituted by a helical spring of the same axis as the geometric axis of rotation of the handle.

The bearing surface on which abuts a pivoting lever of the cover to maintain the latter in said intermediate position can be defined by a notch, preferably made on a cheek extending the upper tank, or alternatively by a stop member molding with said cheek or reported thereon.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en perspective d'un bac équipé d'un dispositif de sécurité selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention, le couvercle étant représenté en position de fermeture complète,
• la figure 2 est une vue de face schématique du bac de la figure 1, avec arrachement partiel du couvercle,
• la figure 3 est une vue de côté schématique du bac de la figure 1,
• la figure 4 est une vue partielle et schématique du couvercle selon un plan de coupe perpendiculaire à la figure 2, le couvercle étant représenté dans sa position intermédiaire,
• la figure 5 est une vue schématique, en coupe, selon le trait de coupe V-V de la figure 4,
• la figure 6 est une vue schématique en perspective d'un bac selon un second mode de réalisation de l'invention,
• la figure 7 est une vue schématique de dessous de la partie supérieure du bac, le couvercle étant dans sa position intermédiaire, et
• la figure 8 est une vue analogue à la figure 7, illustrant une variante de mise en oeuvre de l'invention.

The invention will be better understood on reading the following detailed description of nonlimiting exemplary embodiments and on examining the appended drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container equipped with a safety device according to a first embodiment of the invention, the lid being represented in the fully closed position,
• FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic front view of the container of FIG. 1, with partial tearing of the lid,
• FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the tray of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 4 is a partial and schematic view of the lid in a sectional plane perpendicular to FIG. 2, the lid being represented in its intermediate position;
• FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view, in section, along line VV of FIG. 4,
• FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a container according to a second embodiment of the invention,
• FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view from below of the upper part of the tray, the lid being in its intermediate position, and
• Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7, illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention.

The roll container 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a tank 2 mounted on rollers 3 and a cover 4 pivotally mounted relative to the tank 2 by means of lateral arms 5 each hinged about an axis X on a side wall 6 of the tank 2.

The capacity of the tank 2 is about 1000 l in the example described.

Unrepresented springs are interposed in a manner known per se between the lateral arms 5 and the side walls 6 of the tank 2 to assist the closing movement of the cover 4.

The latter further comprises, on the front, two recesses 10 as can be seen in Figure 1 in particular, each traversed by a handle 21.

The recesses 10 are delimited, inside the cover 4, by a wall 24, as shown in FIG.

The tank 2 and the lid 4 are made in the example each described by plastic molding but could alternatively be made of metal.

Each of the side walls 6 of the tank is extended under the lid 4, above, by a cheek 11 made in one piece with the tank 2, as shown in Figure 2.

The tank 2 also comprises, at the front, a flange 12, as can be seen in FIG.

The cover 4 is provided on its front edge, as shown in Figure 4, a sealing lip 13 which is applied to this collar 12 in the fully closed position.

The cheeks 11 are each provided on their upper edge with a notch 16, whose role will be explained later.

According to the invention, the tray 1 is equipped with a safety device for locking the cover 4 in an intermediate position, before it reaches its full closed position.

The cover 4 with the tank 2 in this intermediate position a space 18 of predetermined width, sufficient for the passage of the head of a child.

The safety device comprises in the embodiment described two levers 19 having a free end 23 and each articulated at the other end 20 on the front portion of the lid, near the median plane of symmetry P of the tray, around a Y axis oriented substantially perpendicular to the plane of Figures 2 and 5 and parallel to the plane of Figure 4.

The levers 19 each comprise a substantially rectilinear body 30 and pass through the walls 24 of the recesses 10 by means of oblong holes 26.

The levers 19 extend inside the recesses 10 behind the handles 21.

The body 30 of each lever 19 is connected to the free end 23 by a portion 31 bent downwards, as can be seen in FIG.

Before mounting the lid on the tank, the holes 26 serve as a bottom stop for the levers 19.

In FIG. 4, for the sake of clarity of the drawing, only the cross-section of the body 30 of the lever 19 at the level of the cutting plane is shown, as is the end 23 abutting in the notch 16.

During the closing movement of the cover 4, the free ends 23 of the levers 19 engage themselves in the notches 16 under the effect of their weight.

The notches 16 are shaped to define support surfaces allowing to keep the lid in its intermediate position, against the spring return action assisting the closing movement of the lid.

In an alternative embodiment not shown, springs biasing the levers 19 in downward rotation are added, to ensure better maintenance of the ends 23 in the notches 16.

To unlock the safety device, the user must simultaneously exercise on the body 30 of each lever 19 an upward traction in the direction of the arrow D of Figure 4, to disengage the ends 23 of the notches 16.

To exert this traction, the user advantageously bears on the top of the handles 21.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 5 shows the lever 19 pivoted sufficiently upwards to release the cover 4 and enable it to gain its full closed position.

The levers 19 abut in abutment against the handles 21.

The spacing between the recesses 10 is chosen so that a child can not normally, even by extending the arms, exert the unlocking action on the two levers 19 simultaneously.

In particular, the levers 19 can be replaced by zippers slidably mounted on the cover.

In the second embodiment illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, there are provided two levers 40 to rotate in order to unlock the lid.

Each handle 40 comprises a body 49 mounted to pivot about a geometric axis of rotation Z near a recess 10 of the lid.

Each lever 40 is associated with a lever 42 rotatably mounted on the lid about a geometric axis of rotation K, substantially perpendicular to the axis Z and parallel to the geometric axis of rotation of the lid.

This lever 42 comprises a straight portion 42a of axis K, engaged at its ends in two guide pieces 43 and 44 fixed to the cover, and two end portions 42b and 42c each forming a bend with the straight portion 42a.

The lever 40 is integral with an arm 45 provided at the end with a slot 46 in which is engaged the end portion 42b of the lever 42.

End portion 42b is bent outward at its free end to cooperate with the notch 16, as seen in Figure 7, and lock the lid in an intermediate position before it reaches its full closed position.

A helical spring 48, of axis Z, is engaged around the body 49 of each handle 40.

One end of this spring is integral with the arm 45 while the other end is secured to the cover, so as to create a return torque of the lever 40 in its initial position.

In this latter position, the end portion 42c can bear in the bottom of the notch 16.

To unlock the lid, and allow it to take its fully closed position, the user must simultaneously move the levers 40 in the direction of the arrows D of Figure 6, this action being facilitated by the support on the handles 21.

The rotation of a lever causes that of the lever 42 corresponding to the engagement of the end portion 42b of the lever 42 in the lumen 46 of the arm 45.

The rotation of the lever 42 releases the end portion 42c from the notch 16 and releases the lid.

In the embodiment described, the arm 45 is in the form of a plate provided with a slot 46 in which is engaged the end portion 42b of the lever 42.

Of course, the invention is not limited to this particular embodiment of the arm 45 and it is possible in particular to realize at the end of the arm 45 a fork, between the branches of which the end portion 42b would be engaged. .

In the variant embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, each notch 16 is replaced by an abutment member 50 projecting upwards on the cheek 11, this stop member being able to be produced in one piece by plastic molding with the cheek 11 or be constituted by a patch.

Supporting the levers 42 on the stop members 50 is provided by the return action of the aforementioned springs 48.

Claims (12)

1. A wheeled bin (1) for collecting waste, comprising a vessel (2) mounted on wheels (3) and a lid (4) with assisted closure, the lid (4) being mounted to pivot relative to the vessel (2) by lateral arms (5) secured to the lid (4) and hinged to the side walls (6) of the vessel (2), and comprising a device for blocking the lid (4) in an intermediate position before its reaches it fully-closed position, in which intermediate position the lid (4) and the vessel (2) leave a space (18) of predetermined width, the bin being characterized by the fact that the device for blocking the lid (4) is a safety device (16, 19; 16, 40, 42, 45; 40, 42, 45, 50) arranged in such a manner as to require, for unlocking purposes, a specific action to be exerted simultaneously at two locations (10; 40) of the lid (4) that are far enough apart from each other to ensure that a child cannot normally manage it.
2. A wheeled bin (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the safety device (16, 19; 16, 40, 42, 45; 40, 42, 45, 50) is arranged in such a manner that the specific unlocking action needs to be exerted inside recesses (10) in the lid (4), preferably provided at the front thereof.
3. A wheeled bin according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the safety device (16, 19; 16, 40, 42, 45; 40, 42, 45, 50) is arranged in such a manner that the specific unlocking action needs to be exerted on two knobs (40) provided preferably on the front of the lid (4).
4. A wheeled bin (1) according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that the knobs (40) are disposed in such a manner as to enable an user to operate them by pressing the thumbs against them while gripping on the handles (21) of the lid (4) with the other fingers.
5. A wheeled bin according to claims 2 and 4, characterized by the fact that said handles (21) are housed in said recesses (10) of the lid (4).
6. A wheeled bin according to any preceding claim, characterized by the fact that the safety device (16, 19; 16, 40, 42, 45; 40, 42, 45, 50) comprises two levers (19; 42) each mounted to pivot on the lid (4) and suitable for coming into abutment via one end (23; 42c) against a bearing surface (16; 50) secured to a side wall (6) of the vessel (2) to hold the lid (4) in said intermediate position.
7. A wheeled bin according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the levers (19) are pivotally mounted on the lid (4). to pivot about a pivot axis (Y) substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of the lid (4).
8. A wheeled bin (1) according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that each lever (42) is mounted to pivot about an pivot axis (K) substantially parallel to the pivot axis of the lid (4).
9. A wheeled bin (1) according to claims 3 and 8, characterized by the fact that each lever (42) is connected to the corresponding knob (40) via an arm (45) provided at its end with a fork or an equivalent slot (46), said arm (45) being arranged in such a manner that turning the knob (40) causes the lever (42) to turn.
10. A wheeled bin (1) according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that each knob (40) is urged towards its initial position by resilient return means, preferably constituted by helical springs (48) mounted about the same axis as the pivot axis (Z) of the knob (40).
11. A wheeled bin (1) according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the bearing surface is defined by a notch (16) formed in a cheek (11) extending the vessel (2) upwards.
12. A wheeled bin (1) according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the bearing surface is defined by a stop member (50) molded with or fitted to a cheek (11) extending the vessel (2) upwards.

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