EP1486434A1

EP1486434A1 - Locking mechanism for a container

Info

Publication number: EP1486434A1
Application number: EP04102550A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Richard Edwin Sillwood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-06-10
Filing date: 2004-06-04
Publication date: 2004-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 2024-06-04
Also published as: ATE359218T1; GB2404417A; GB0313298D0; GB2404417B; DE602004005777T2; EP1486434B1; DE602004005777D1; GB0412607D0

Abstract

A locking mechanism is described for a container 28 having a lid 26 and a handgrip 24. The locking mechanism comprises a first member 10 overlying the lid of the container, a second member 14 engaging beneath the handgrip 24 of the container, and means 25 for preventing the two members 10 and 14 from moving relative to one another. A bracing portion 16 extends from the second member 14 to abut the side of the body of the container 28.

Description

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism and more particularly to a locking mechanism for securing the lid of a dustbin.
It has recently become desirable for a variety of reasons to be able to prevent a domestic waste disposal bin, or dustbin, from being opened. One important reason is that domestic waste can contain sensitive material, such as bank and credit card details, which can be used to perpetrate fraudulent crimes. For hygiene reasons, it is desirable to prevent dustbins from being opened by animals, such as squirrels and foxes. Aside from preventing material from being removed from a dustbin, it is sometimes necessary to prevent waste from being introduced into the dustbin. With local councils placing restrictions on the size and number of bins that they will collect from a household, it is not unknown for people to dispose of their waste in their neighbour's bins.
It is therefore desirable to provide a locking mechanism for securing the lid of a dustbin. As the design of dustbins is not standardised, the locking mechanism should be versatile so that it can be used with a wide variety of dustbins.
Dustbins commonly have a hinged lid and a handgrip below the lid at a location diametrically opposite the hinge. If a locking bar or chain is secured at one end to the hinge and engaged at its other end under the handgrip, then it will prevent the lid from being raised. Devices of this kind are disclosed in DE 29913490 U, DE 29714448 U and DE GM 7246519. As such devices extend across the entire width of the bin, they are necessarily large, cumbersome and expensive. Furthermore, it is difficult to design the end of the locking bar that attaches to the hinge to make it universal, as there is much variation in the design of the hinge mechanism itself.
The closest prior art to the present invention is believed to be DE 29813227 U which discloses a locking mechanism having a hook that engages under a lug formed in the body of the bin, which could be a handgrip. The upper end of the hook slides into the main body of the mechanism which is positioned to overlie the lid and is locked relative to it by a cylinder lock.
The disadvantage with the latter locking mechanism is that it can easily be prised off. This is because it relies on the rigidity of the lug to prevent the lid from being raised. Furthermore, it relies on the main body of the mechanism being a close fit on the bin so that once again one cannot design one mechanism to fit most waste disposal bins.
With a view to mitigating the foregoing disadvantages, the present invention provides a locking mechanism for a container that is fitted with a lid and has a handgrip, the locking mechanism comprising a first member for overlying the lid of the container, a second member in sliding engagement with the first member and having a portion for engaging behind the handgrip of the container, and means for preventing the two members from moving relative to one another so as the prevent opening of the lid of the container, characterised in that a bracing portion extends from the second member to abut the side of the body of the container.
In the present invention, the second member engages two surfaces of the container, namely the back of the handgrip and the side of the container which face in opposite directions. Consequently, the bracing portion prevents the first member of the locking mechanism from being prised away from the position in which the first member overlies the lid. If made sufficiently wide, bracing portion can also prevent the locking mechanism from being twisted about a vertical axis.
Preferably, the first member is generally L-shaped and has a first elongate limb for overlying the lid and extending in use from the edge of the lid towards the centre of the lid and a second limb extending generally parallel to the side of the container and engaging with the second member.
Conveniently, the second limb of the first member may pass through a passage defined by the second member whereupon by fitting a padlock in a hole in the second limb one may prevent separation of the two members from one another.
A cross bar may extend laterally from the first elongate limb of the first member for abutting the lid of the container in order to prevent the locking mechanism from being twisted relative to the container about the axis of the first limb.
The invention will now be described further by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one member of a preferred embodiment of the invention,
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the other member of the preferred embodiment of the invention,
Figure 3 is a side view showing a slightly different embodiment from that of Figures 1 and 2, when fitted to a container, such as a waste disposal bin, and
Figure 4 is a side view of the two members of an alternative embodiment of the invention which are designed to be injection moulded from a plastics material.
Figures 1 and 2 show two members which together form a locking mechanism of the invention, to be fitted to a dustbin or other lidded container in the manner shown in Figure 3.
The first member 10, shown in Figure 1, is in the form of a rigid L-shaped bracket, preferably stamped out of sheet metal. One of the elongate limbs of the first member 10, designated 10a, is formed at its end with a cross bar 12 which extends laterally from the plane the bracket 10. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the cross bar 12 is welded to the limb 10a, but in the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 3, the cross bar 12 is formed by prongs 12a and 12b that are formed integrally from the sheet of the member 10 and are bent in opposite directions out of the plane of the sheet. Holes 30 are formed in the other limb 10b of the first member 10 which are intended to receive a padlock to prevent the two members 10 and 14 of the locking mechanism from being separated from one another. The provision of several holes 30 permits the same locking mechanism to be used with different dustbins, it being appreciated that the position of the handgrip may vary from the design of one dustbin to another.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the second member 14. Once again, the second member 14 may be formed by stamping and bending sheet metal. The second member 14 includes a U-shaped portion 22 having aligned rectangular cut-outs 18 which define a passage for slidably receiving therein the limb 10b of the first member 10 as more clearly shown in Figure 3. The second member 14 also includes a wide tongue 20 that engages from below behind the handgrip of the dustbin, and a bracing portion 16 that abuts the side of dustbin.
The shapes of cut-outs 18 and of the first member 10 are such that when the limb 10b is received in the cut-outs 18, it is unable to rotate, thereby preventing the first member 10, when in use, from being rotated clear of the dustbin lid and allowing the lid to be opened.
The tongue 20 is formed by bending an end of the second member so that it points in an upwards direction. When fitted to a suitable container, the tongue 20 locates in the area to be gripped by a hand for moving the container around (eg. the handgrip on a wheelie bin). It can alternatively be formed by any part of the rim of the container that has an overhang. In most cases, such handgrips have recesses for receiving the fingers of a hand and are deep enough to provide sufficient grip for moving the container. The depth of the grip allows the tongue 20 to be securely located.
The bracing portion 16 is formed by the other end of the second member 14 and it serves to prevent the locking mechanism from being prised away from its locking position. In particular, it inhibits the locking mechanism from being rotated about a horizontal axis parallel to the cross bar 12. The bracing portion can also be made wide enough to prevent rotation of the locking mechanism about a vertical axis.
Figure 3 shows most clearly how the two members 10 and 14 engage around the handgrip 24 of a container 28 in order to secure its lid 26. In this figure, the mechanism is shown in use when attached to a dustbin. The lid 26 is usually hinged on the body, in which case a single locking mechanism on the side of the lid remote from the hinge will suffice. If the lid is removable from the container, then it may be necessary to use two locking mechanisms on opposite sides of the lid.
The L-shape of first member 10 allows its limb 10a to rest on top of lid 26, whilst the other limb 10b hangs downwards over the edge of the container. The cross bar 12 rests on top of the lid 26 and prevents the first member 10 from rocking about the axis of the limb 10a. This ensures that the limb 10b hanging over the edge of the lid and the container always points down.
The vertical limb 10b of the first member 10 engages in the passage defined by the cut-outs 18 in the second member 14. The second member 14 is slid vertically upwards until the tongue 20 locates as far up the handgrip 24 of the container as possible.
Means for locking the relative positions of the members 10 and 14 are then deployed. If the intention is only to keep animals away, then inserting a bolt in one of the holes 30 will suffice. However, for security, a padlock or combination lock may be used to prevent relative vertical movement of the hand and first members.
In the same way that cross bar 12 prevents the locking mechanism from rotating about a horizontal axis through the first member 10, the bracing portion 16 prevents rotation of the second member 10 about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The bracing portion and the length of the horizontal limb of the first member 10 together ensure that the first member 10 cannot simply be prised away from its locking position in which it overlies the lid 26.
The embodiment of Figure 4 operates in the same manner as the previously described embodiments, the essential difference residing in the fact that it is intended to be manufactured by injection moulding a plastics material rather than from sheet metal. To avoid unnecessary repetition of the description components serving the same function have been given the same reference numerals but in the 100 series. Thus, for example, the first member is designated 110 instead of 10 and the second is designated 114 instead of 14.
When made of a plastics material, the first member 110 needs to be designed to provide the desired strength while minimising the usage of plastics material. These objectives are achieved in the design illustrated on Figure 4 by increasing the size of the first member and providing large cut-outs 140. The width of the limb 110b allows the provisions of three rows of holes 130 for receiving a padlock. This is particularly advantageous in that the holes in the rows can be offset from one another, as illustrated, increasing by a factor of three the number of positions in which the two members 110 and 114 can be locked relative to one another. This ensure that the two members can be locked relative to one another in a position in which the handgrip of the container is securely gripped between the two, with a minimum of clearance.
It is also possible to mould the first member 110 with a resilient catch 142 which prevents the first member 110 from being totally separated from the second member 114 and thereby simplifies the mounting and removal of the locking mechanism.
The passage 118 in the second member 114 for receiving the limb 110b can be formed as a long passage bounded by side walls which have staggered slats. As is well known, such a passage 118 can be formed using a two part mould and does not require the use of a separate mandrel in the mould. The fact that the passage 118 can be made longer improves the guiding of the first member. The tongue 120 for engaging behind the handgrip can also now be formed with a stepped abutment surface to allow it to engage behind handgrips that protrude by different amounts.
It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the described locking mechanisms while remaining within the scope of the invention as set out in the appended claims. For example. the bracing portion 16 may be formed by a part that is separate from the second member 14. By providing the bracing portion as a separate rod having holes arranged in the same way as the holes 30 in the first member 10, a range of positions becomes available. This allows the locking mechanism to be adaptable to different types of container, such as those having side walls which taper inwards from the lid 26 towards a smaller area base.
Other modifications that may also be considered would be to provide a display area on the cross bar 12 or upper limb of the arm bar 10. Such a display area could be used for indicating the day of the week on which the bin is emptied by the local refuse collectors. This can serve as a reminder to the home owner as to when the lock should be removed, to enable the refuse collectors to open the dustbin.

Claims

A locking mechanism for a container (28) that is fitted with a lid (26) and has a handgrip (24), the locking mechanism comprising:

a first member (10) for overlying the lid (26) of the container (24),

a second member (14) in sliding engagement with the first member (10) and having a portion (20) for engaging behind the handgrip (24) of the container (28), and

means (30) for preventing the two members (10,14) from moving relative to one another so as the prevent opening of the lid of the container,

characterised in that a bracing portion (16) extends from the second member (14) to abut the side of the body of the container.
A locking mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first member (10) is generally L-shaped and has a first elongate limb (10a) for overlying the lid and extending in use from the edge of the lid towards the centre of the lid and a second limb (10b) extending generally parallel to the side of the container and engaging with the second member (14).
A locking mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second limb (10b) of the first member passes through a passage (18) defined by the second member and movement of the members relative to one another is prevented by fitting a padlock in a hole (30) in the second limb (10b) to prevent separation of the two members (10,14) from one another.
A locking mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second limb (110b) of the first member (110) is provided with a plurality or rows of holes (130) for receiving a padlock, the holes of the different rows being staggered from one another along the length of the second limb (110b).
A locking mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a cross bar (12) extends laterally from the first elongate limb (10a) of the first member (10) for abutting the lid of the container in order to prevent the locking mechanism from being twisted relative to the container about the axis of the first limb (10a).
A locking mechanism as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the two members (10, 14) of the locking mechanism are formed of sheet metal.
A locking mechanism as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the two members (110, 114) of the locking mechanism are formed as plastics injection mouldings.