EP4257516A1

EP4257516A1 - Waste bin equipped with flip-top lid suitable for being firmly locked in closed position

Info

Publication number: EP4257516A1
Application number: EP23166287.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sergio Tontarelli
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2022-04-06
Filing date: 2023-04-03
Publication date: 2023-10-11

Abstract

A waste bin (P) comprising a container (1) having an opening (A) that provides access to the compartment (V) of the container (1), a U-shaped handle (2) having two ends pivotally connected to the container (1) with respect to a transverse axis (X-X) relative to the opening (A) of the container (1), and a lid (4) configured in such a way as to close the access opening (A) of the compartment (V); said handle (2) comprises retaining means (5) disposed at one end or at both ends (21, 22) of the handle (2) and configured so as not to interfere with the lid (4), allowing the lid to be moved away from the access opening (A) or so as to interfere with the lid (4), locking the lid (4) in closed position on the access opening (A).

Description

The present patent application for industrial invention relates to a waste bin provided with a hinged lid suitable for being firmly locked in a closed position.
As it is well known, waste bins preferably molded from plastic materials and provided with a hinged lid suitable for being alternately disposed in a closed position, wherein the lid is in contact with the opening of the waste bin, and in an open position, wherein the lid is tilted backward by about 90° with respect to the opening of the waste bin, are known in the field of household goods.
A careful evaluation of such a well-established technology has identified a critical aspect that is especially apparent when a waste bin that is filled almost to its opening is to maintain the lid in closed position.
In fact, in all the waste bins available on the market, a lid in closed position is simply expected to rest on the opening of the waste bin, without being permanently locked in such a position.
It is precisely the precarious coupling between a waste bin and the lid in closed position that is likely to result in a serious disadvantage for the user.
Indeed, in such a condition, an abrupt displacement or a fortuitous shock may cause the tilting or even the overturning of the waste bin, with the additional consequence of favoring the involuntary opening of the lid and the uncontrolled spillage of the waste.
Thus, the first purpose of the present invention is to provide locking means that cooperate with the hinged lid of the waste bin according to the invention in order to firmly maintain the lid in closed position.
Because of such a firm locking of the lid, the waste bin according to the invention can perfectly contain the waste that is loaded inside it, even when the waste bin is tipped or overturned.
Moreover, it is understood that a new opening of said waste bin, which is necessary to load more waste inside the waste bin or to empty the waste bin, can only be carried out after unlocking the means capable of stabilizing the hinged lid in closed position.
Another purpose of the present invention is to realize such locking means of the lid in a very functional and effective manner, i.e. in such a way to allow the user to lock and unlock the lid in an extremely practical and rapid way.
As explained in detail hereinafter, the locking means of the lid are preferably provided at the two ends of a handle with a substantial U-shape that is pivoted at the side walls of the waste bin.
In addition, the waste bin according to the invention has been devised with a view to fulfilling an additional advantageous purpose.
It is well known that, even before throwing the waste into the waste bin, a user will preferably place a biodegradable plastic bag inside the waste bin, in such a condition that the opening of such a bag is disposed substantially at the height of the opening of the waste bin.
In such a case, however, it is always difficult to maintain such a plastic bag in the correct operating position inside the waste bin, especially when the bag is empty or semi-empty.
In order to achieve such a result, a user of a waste bin of the prior art will make use of empirical solutions, the most frequent of which is to tuck the upper edge of the bag downward on the outside of the opening of the waste bin, in such a way that the bag is substantially disposed in a hanging position.
However, it is evident that such a positioning of the bag is far from being reliable, especially if the bag is loaded with a certain amount of waste and is therefore subjected to a vigorous downward movement because of the growing mass that weighs heavily on its bottom.
Moreover, it must be noted that the view of the upper edge of the bag, which is folded outward and downward at the height of the opening of a waste bin, is extremely unpleasant.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, the waste bin according to the invention is provided with means capable of firmly locking the upper edge of a plastic bag inside the opening of a waste bin.
This prevents the bag from being fortuitously rolled down toward the bottom of the waste bin and especially prevents the unsightly presence of such a bag on the outside of the waste bin according to the invention.
The first purpose of the present invention, which consists in the ability of firmly locking the lid of the waste bin according to the invention, has been achieved in accordance with the invention with the features listed in the appended independent claim 1.
Further advantageous embodiments, also for the purposes of holding the plastic bag that is positioned inside the waste bin according to the invention, will result from the dependent claims.
For the sake of explanatory clarity, the description of the new waste bin according to the present invention continues with reference to the appended drawings, which are for illustrative and non-limiting purposes only, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an axonometric view of the waste bin according to the invention with the lid closed and the handle positioned in such a way that the lid is retained in closed position by the retaining means of the handle;
Fig. 2 is an axonometric view of the waste bin according to the invention with the lid closed and the handle positioned in such a way that the lid is not retained in closed position by the retaining means of the handle;
Fig. 3 is an axonometric view of the waste bin according to the invention with the lid open;
Fig. 4 is an exploded axonometric view of the waste bin according to the invention;
Fig. 4A is an enlargement of the detail enclosed in circle J1 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 4B is an enlargement of the detail enclosed in circle J2 of Fig. 4;
Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the lid of the waste bin provided with a bag-holding frame;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the lid and of the bag-holding frame attached and sectioned according to the plane VI-VI of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the waste bin according to the invention sectioned according to a vertical plane and provided with the bag-holding frame.

Hereafter, elements equal or corresponding to those already described are indicated by the same reference numerals, omitting their detailed description.
With reference to the aforementioned figures, the first component of the waste bin (P) according to the invention is a container (1), preferably with a substantially truncated-conical shape, which is internally provided with a compartment (V) defined by a bottom (10) and by side walls (11) that project upward, each one of them having an upper edge (110) capable of defining an opening (A) - also definable as the opening of the waste bin (P) - that provided access to the internal compartment (V).
It should be noted that the container (1) can have a different shape, such as for instance a cylindrical shape.
The second component of such a waste bin (P) is a hinged lid (4) provided with a lower face (41) facing the compartment (V) of the waste bin (P) and an upper face (42).
In the preferred embodiment shown in the appended figures, said lid (4) is a hinged lid, it being associated with hinge means (8) that allow it to rotate with respect to an axis (XX-XX) lying at the transverse rear edge of the opening (A).
In view of the above, the hinged lid (4) is suitable for been alternately disposed in a closed position, wherein it is substantially horizontal and abuts against the opening (A) of the container (1) (as shown in Fig. 1), and in a raised open position, wherein it is substantially vertical (as shown in Fig. 3).
The third component of such a waste bin (P) is a handle (2) with a U-shape composed of two arms connected by an operating crossbar.
Said handle (2) is provided with pivoting means (3) to pivot the arms to the side walls (11) of the container (1) with respect to an axis (X-X) transverse to the opening (A) of said container (1).
Furthermore, it should be noted that said handle (2) comprises a first end (21) provided at the first one of said parallel arms, and a second end (22) provided at the second one of said parallel arms; wherein said first and second ends (21, 22) support the pivoting means on the interior and in the direction of the opening (A) of the container (1).
Because of such a pivoting mechanism, the handle (2) can rotate alternately from a first end-of-travel position, wherein it is disposed on the front of the container (1), to a second end-of-travel position, wherein it is disposed on the back of the container (1), as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, respectively.
With reference to Fig. 4, such pivoting means (3) preferably comprise two pins (30) supported by the ends (21, 22) of the handle (2) in the direction of the opening (A) of the container (1), and suitable for being rotatably engaged in corresponding holes (31) provided in aligned opposite positions on the outside of the side walls (11) of the container (1).
In the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 4B, each one of said pins (30) has a central portion (30a) with a reduced section and an enlarged head (30b); wherein said pin (30) is also provided with a set of radial wings (300) that make the pin (30) deformable, in such a way that the enlarged head (30b) can be elastically deformed during the insertion of the pin (30) into the respective hole (31).
Within such a traditional approach, the handle (2) is additionally provided at the ends (21, 22) with retaining means (5) suitable for overlapping and interfering with the lid (4) - once the latter is in horizontal closed position - when the handle (2) has reached its first end-of-travel position, as shown in Fig. 1.
In order to free the lid (4) from the obstructive interference of the retaining means (5), it is necessary to impose a reverse rotation on the handle (2) to bring the handle (2) to its second end-of-travel position, as expressly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.
In the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 4A, said retaining means (5) consist of hooks (51), each one comprising a first section (511) that protrudes from the end (21, 22) in radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation (X) of the handle (2), and a second section (512) that is orthogonal to the first section (511) and is suitable for being disposed above the lid (4) when the handle (2) has reached its first end-of-travel position.
The lid (4) comprises a notch (40) suitable for cooperating with each one of the hooks (51), wherein said notch (40) is suitable for exactly accommodating the hook (51) when the hook (51) is to be brought to its operating position, that is, with the second section (512) abutting against the edge of the lid (4).
As anticipated, the waste bin (P) according to the present invention is also appreciated for an additional technical-functional feature in relation to its ability to "invisibly" hold a typical biodegradable waste bag, which is positioned inside the waste bin, in vertical position.
With reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the waste bin (P) is provided with a bag-holding frame (6) having the same shape as the opening (A) that provides access to the compartment (V) of the container (1), said bag-holding frame (6) being suitable for being placed inside the waste bin.
Preferably, the positioning of the frame (6) inside the opening (A) is done by inserting the frame into the opening (A) until the frame (6) is stopped against an annular shelf (15) that projects horizontally from the side walls (11) of the container (1) towards the interior of the compartment (V).
In such a context, it is understood that such a positioning of the frame (6) on the annular shelf (15) should be carried out only after the user has inserted the waste bag in the compartment (V), taking the additional precaution of making sure that the upper edge of that bag is compressed - and consequently immobilized - between the frame (6) and the underlying annular shelf (15).
The frame (6) is provided with multiple slots (60) suitable for cooperating with respective fastening means (7) provided at the lower face (41) of the lid (4).
Such a provision is appreciated because it allows to lock the frame (6) under the lid (4) - creating a compact assembly - whenever the frame (6) is not disposed in its operating position, such as during the packaging process and the storage of the waste bin (P).
In the preferred embodiment shown in the aforementioned Figures, the fastening means provided in the lid (4) consist of hooks (7) that project from the lower face (41) of the lid (4) and are suitable for being forcedly engaged and fastened inside the slots (60) provided in corresponding positions on the frame (6), as expressly shown in Fig. 6.
Needless to say, said hooks (7) projecting from the lower face (41) of the lid (4) must adopt a height such that they cannot interfere with the frame (6), as long as the frame (6) rests in operating position on the shelf (15) provided inside the opening (A) of the container (1), as shown in Fig. 7.
Numerous variations and modifications may be made to the present embodiment of the invention, within the reach of a person skilled in the art, but still within the scope of the invention as expressed by the appended claims.

Claims

Waste bin (P) comprising:
- a container (1) comprising a bottom (10), at least one side wall (11) comprising an upper edge (110), a compartment (V) defined by said bottom (10) and by said at least one side wall (11), and an opening (A) that provides access to said compartment (V) and is defined by said upper edge (110) of said at least one side wall (11);

- a U-shaped handle (2) comprising a first end (21) and a second end (22) connected to said at least one side wall (11) in opposite positions with respect to a transverse axis (X-X) relative to said opening (A);

- pivoting means (3) disposed at the ends (21, 22) of the handle (2) and on the container (1) near the upper edge (110); said pivoting means (3) cooperating with each other and being configured in such a way as to pivot the handle (2) to the side walls (11) of the waste bin (P) along a transverse axis (X) relative to said opening (A), so that the handle (2) can rotate with respect to said pivoting axis (X) between a first position and a second position;

- a lid (4) configured in such a way as to close the access opening (A) of the compartment (V); said lid (4) comprising a lower face (41) suitable for facing the compartment (V) of the container and an upper face (42);
characterized in that said handle (2) comprises retaining means (5) disposed at one end or at both ends (21, 22) of the handle (2) and configured in such a way that:
- when the handle (2) is in the first position, said retaining means (5) do not interfere with the lid (4), allowing the lid to be moved away from the access opening (A), and

- when the handle (2) is in the second position, said retaining means (5) interfere with the lid (4), locking the lid (4) in closed position on the access opening (A).
The waste bin (P) according to claim 1, wherein said retaining means (5) comprise at least one hook (51).
The waste bin (P) according to claim 1, wherein said retaining means (5) comprise two hooks, one connected to the first end (21) of the handle (2) and the other one connected to the second end (22) of the handle (2).
The waste bin (P) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein each one of said hooks (51) comprises a first section (511) that projects from the end (21, 22) in radial direction with respect to the axis of rotation (X) of the handle (2), and a second section (512) that projects from the first section (511) and is suitable for being disposed above the lid (4) when the handle (2) is in the second position; wherein said lid (4) comprises at least one notch (40) for said second section (512) of said at least one hook (51); said second section (512) crossing said notch (40) when the handle (2) is moved between the first position and the second position.
The waste bin (P) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a bag-holding frame (6) suitable for being disposed in the access opening (A) of the container (1).
The waste bin (P) according to claim 5, comprising fastening means (7) disposed on the lower face of the lid (4) for fastening the bag-holding frame (6) to the lid (4) during the storage or the transportation of the waste bin (P).
The waste bin (P) according to claim 6, wherein said fastening means (7) comprise hooks that project from the lower face of the lid (4) and are suitable for being engaged and fastened in corresponding slots (60) of the bag-holding frame (6).
The waste bin (P) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said at least one side wall (11) comprises an annular shelf (15) that projects inside the compartment (V); said bag-holding frame (6) resting on said annular shelf (15) when the waste bin (P) is used.
The waste bin (P) according to claim 8 when dependent on claim 7, wherein said hooks of the fastening means (7) have such a height that they are spaced apart from the slots (60) of the bag-holding frame (6) when the bag-holding frame (6) rests on the annular shelf (15) and the lid (4) is closed.
The waste bin (P) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising hinge means (8) pivotably connecting the lid (4) to the upper edge (110) of the at least one side wall (11) so that the lid (4) can rotate about an axis (XX) parallel to the axis of rotation (X) about which the handle rotates.
The waste bin (P) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said pivoting means (3) comprise:
- a pin (30); and

- a hole (31) formed on the at least one side wall (11) and wherein said pin (30) is rotatably inserted.
The waste bin (P) according to claim 11, wherein said pin (30) of the pivoting means (3) has a central portion (30a) with a reduced section and an enlarged head (30b); wherein said pin (30) has a set of radial wings (300) that make the pin (30) deformable, so that the enlarged head (30b) can be elastically deformed during the insertion of the pin (30) into the hole (31).