FR2886927A1 - Waste sorting and storage device for use in e.g. restaurant, has four storage compartments mounted around central space and compacting unit installed in space, where each compartment has rotating cover of different colors - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has four storage compartments (1) mounted around a central space and a compacting unit (2) is installed in the space. Each compartment has a rotating cover (11) with different colors symbolizing the type of wastes corresponding to the compartment. A support unit has a base on which a compacting tunnel is mounted, where the tunnel occupies a centered position on the base. The tunnel has four rails cooperating with a complimentary groove arranged at the back of the compartments. An independent claim is also included for a furniture equipped with a waste sorting and storage device.

Description

Device for storing and sorting waste, comprising several

  compartments and means of compaction.

  The field of the invention is that of equipment for waste management. More specifically, the invention relates to a device for storing and sorting waste, intended in particular, but not exclusively, for domestic use.

  The invention is particularly intended for application in a dwelling house (for example in kitchens), but can also be applied in communities (canteens, restaurants, businesses ...). It is also conceivable to propose the invention on a larger scale, for example at the urban level, in addition to or in replacement of the means currently in use.

  In the field of invention, some countries have serious delays in waste management. For example, France recycles only 46% of waste while Sweden recycles more than 60%.

  In conventional waste, almost all materials can be transformed. However, in order to consider efficient recycling, it is necessary to sort the waste.

  In France, however, only one in three people sort their waste.

  A recent study has shown that a French kitchen trash can contains: - 8% plastics; 10% demétaux; 12% glass; - 15% of various materials; 25% organic matter; % of boxes and papers.

  Much (80%) of this waste can be recycled.

  In recent years, the cost of waste disposal has steadily increased. National and international laws and regulations impose more and more effective, but expensive, anti-pollution systems.

  The organizational systems put in place have led to improved waste management. Selective collections have thus diverted nearly 50% of the packaging from the traditional garbage collection circuit.

  Efficient sorting of waste helps to limit the increase in taxes, fees and / or taxes, and helps to better protect the environment.

  It is therefore desirable to develop any measure encouraging the sorting of waste.

  Currently, some household trash bins are designed to promote a first sort of waste. They have several compartments to separate for example plastics, paper and cardboard, organic waste and metals.

  Generally, these bins are intended to replace the single compartment bins, and are therefore dimensioned to be placed at the same place, usually consisting of a cupboard.

  The space available being limited, dividing the trash can into several compartments necessarily leads to offer compartments whose volume is relatively limited.

  However, some waste is relatively bulky. The waste concerned includes all containers, such as plastic bottles, metal cans or cardboard bricks. Of course, this waste, when placed in a bin, quickly occupy a large volume, forcing the user to empty the trash often.

  Such waste therefore unnecessarily mobilize the volume of the bins and make the use of them impractical.

  Indeed, it is common that the bottles (or other waste of the same type) is stored separately from the trash (the kitchen for example). It is then necessary to provide an appropriate container and a location for this container. However, many homes do not (or hardly) have a place to store waste separately from the trash, without causing harmful nuisance or discomfort.

  The invention particularly aims to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

  More specifically, the invention aims to provide a device that allows storage and sorting waste optimized over the prior art.

  The invention also aims to provide such a device that allows to improve the exploitation of the storage volumes made available by the device.

  The invention also aims to provide such a device that can be proposed in an evolutionary way according to the needs.

  Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which is easy to use.

  Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a device which is simple in design, easy to implement and inexpensive to produce.

  These objectives, as well as others which will appear subsequently, are achieved thanks to the invention which relates to a storage and waste sorting device, comprising at least two storage compartments mounted on support means, characterized in that said compartments delimit between them a substantially vertical central recess, compaction means being mounted in said recess.

  Thus, the device includes compacting means for reducing the volume of certain waste in order to optimize the exploitation of compartment volumes.

  In addition, these compaction means can be integrated ergonomically, in particular in that they cause only a reduced decrease in the volume of the compartments compared to solutions without means of compaction.

  Moreover, as will become clearer later, the device can easily be adapted to vary the number of compartments as needed.

  According to a preferred solution, said support means comprise a base on which is mounted, centrally, a compacting tunnel.

  In this case, said compacting tunnel preferably has means for receiving an object to be compacted.

  The device thus presents a great simplicity of use, the compaction means being directly operational in their integrated position in the compartments. It is therefore not necessary to separate these compaction means to be able to use them.

  According to a first embodiment, said receiving means are adapted to cooperate with a member actuated from top to bottom.

  In this case, said member preferably comprises a handle intended to compact said object, and means for positioning said object carried by said handle.

  This provides compact compaction means that are simple to design and very practical to use.

  Advantageously, said positioning means are removably mounted on said handle.

  Thus, the handle can be used in cooperation with the compacting tunnel (when the positioning means are placed on the handle), or independently of the tunnel, for example by compacting an object on a work plane (when the means of position are removed from the handle).

  Preferably, said member comprises locking means in a compacting position of said object.

  Thus, the object can be kept compacted without the user having to act on the compaction means. The user is then free of his movements. This is significant when the object to be compacted is a bottle and, to keep the compacted state of the bottle as much as possible, a cap is placed on it.

  In this case, said locking means are locked / unlocked by rotation of said handle.

  The lock can thus be operated simply and quickly.

  According to a second embodiment, said receiving means are provided to cooperate with a member actuated from bottom to top.

  In this case, said member is preferably capable of being actuated by a lever placed in a lower part of the device.

  Thus, the compacting means can be actuated to the foot, with a force possibly greater than that exerted on a handle (according to the first embodiment).

  According to a preferred solution of this second embodiment, said member comprises a piston slidably mounted in said compacting tunnel.

  Preferably, the device comprises a cover intended to cooperate with said receiving means so as to keep said object to compact against the action of said member.

  According to either of the two embodiments, said compacting tunnel has means for positioning and / or detachably holding said compartments.

  The compartments can thus be easily separable from their support, especially for emptying or washing.

  In this case, said positioning and / or holding means preferably comprise, for each of said compartments, a rail intended to be housed in a groove formed in said compartments.

  Thus, simply slide the compartments on one of the support rails to proceed with their installation or removal.

  According to another characteristic, said compartments have at least one reservation intended to accommodate at least partially a sheath.

  Such a sleeve may in particular accommodate a roll of plastic bags such as those conventionally arranged inside the bins.

  The device thus provides one or more storage spaces for objects or accessories related to the sorting and / or storage of waste. Preferably, at least one compartment has at least one lateral reservation intended to be placed vis-à-vis a lateral reservation of a neighboring compartment so that said reservations together form a receiving volume of a sleeve.

  In this way, the planned volume for the introduction of a sheath impinges only a little on that of the compartments.

  According to another advantageous variant, said at least one sleeve extends so as to each receive a roll of bags extending along a substantially horizontal axis of unwinding, said at least one sleeve having a slot through which said bag or bags are susceptible. to be unrolled, said slot communicating with one of said compartments.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the device comprises four compartments.

  As already mentioned, the device may, according to other possible embodiments, present another number of compartments, this in particular according to the number of categories of waste to be sorted.

  Advantageously, said base comprises a battery storage compartment used.

  According to an advantageous solution, said support means comprise means enabling them to pivot on themselves.

  It is thus possible to rotate the device to select one of the compartments and place it in a position facilitating the dumping of waste into it.

  The invention also relates to a piece of furniture equipped with a storage and waste sorting device comprising at least two storage compartments mounted on support means, characterized in that said compartments delimit between them a substantially vertical central recess, means for compaction being mounted in said recess.

  Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of two preferred embodiments of the invention, given by way of illustrative and non-limiting examples, and the appended drawings among which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a storage device and waste sorting according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic view of support means for equipping a device according to the invention; Figures 3 to 6 are each a schematic view of a device according to the invention; - Figures 7 and 8 are each a view of compacting means for equipping a device according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figures 9 and 10 are each a view of the compacting means illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, with an object respectively in the situation of introduction and compaction situation; Figure 11 is a perspective view of a receptacle for integration with the compacting means of a device according to the invention; FIG. 12 illustrates a particular use of the compacting means according to the first embodiment of the device according to the invention; FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the invention; FIG. 14 is a view of a device according to the invention, integrated with a piece of furniture, FIG. 15 is a view of an alternative embodiment of a device according to the invention, integrating means of assistance to the placement of garbage bags.

  As mentioned above, the principle of the invention consists in producing a device for storing and sorting waste in the form of an assembly of compartments delimiting a central recess in which compacting means are provided.

  According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a waste storage and sorting device has four compartments 1 mounted around a central space.

  Compaction means 2 explained in more detail subsequently take place in the central space.

  Each compartment is provided with a pivoting cover 11, the covers advantageously having distinct colors symbolizing the type of waste corresponding to the compartment. The lids may further be engraved (or bear a mark) reminiscent of the type of waste that the compartment is required to contain.

  As shown in Figure 1, the device has a substantially cylindrical shape. As an indication, this device has a height of about 650 mm for a diameter of about 600 mm. With such dimensions, the capacity of the compartments (being considered that the compartments have all the same dimensions, which may not be the case) is about 27 liters, for a device provided for four compartments.

  As shown in Figures 3 to 6, the device according to the invention can be proposed in different versions according to which the compartment number varies according to the accuracy of the sorting to be performed.

  Thus, for example, in a device with five compartments, the user can separate the following waste: compostable organic waste; papers, cardboard; plastics; - glass; miscellaneous non recyclable waste.

  With reference to FIG. 2, a device according to the invention integrates support means comprising a base 3 on which a compacting tunnel 4 is mounted, the latter occupying a position centered on the base.

  The base 3 is formed of two plates 31, 32 rotatably mounted relative to each other, ball bearings 311 being mounted between the two plates 31, 32.

  The plate 32 is further provided with wheels 321 contributing to the mobility of the device. The casters are here four in number, two of which are equipped with locking means.

  Furthermore, a housing is provided in one of the plates (in this case the plate 32) to receive a drawer 33 for receiving used batteries.

  The compacting tunnel 4 carries four rails 41 each intended to cooperate with a groove of complementary shape formed on the back of the compartments 1. Of course, the number of rails is adapted according to the number of compartments to support.

  It will be understood that the rails 41 exert a function of positioning the compartments on the compaction tunnel 4 and contribute to their holding in position, this maintenance being complementarily provided by a clipping system 42 carried by the tunnel (cooperation means with the system clipping being carried by the compartments) and by a fastening belt (not shown).

  According to the principle of the invention, compaction means are integrated in the central part of the device.

  A first embodiment of the compacting means is described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

  As shown in Figures 7, 9 and 10, a recess for receiving an object to be compacted is provided in the upper part of the device.

  The compacting means comprise a member adapted to compact an object placed in the recess 43, acting from top to bottom. According to the present embodiment, such a member comprises a handle 5 by means of which a user can press on an object by compacting it in the hollow 43.

  As shown in Figures 7 to 10, the handle carries positioning means 51 in the form of bars together defining a volume in which is placed the object to be compacted. These bars 51 hold the object in place during its compaction and penetrate, as and when moving up and down the handle, slides are provided for this purpose in the compacting tunnel.

  Figures 9 and 10 respectively illustrate the initial and final stages of compaction of an object.

  With reference to FIG. 9, an object (in this case a plastic bottle) is positioned in the recess 43. The handle 5 and the bars 51 are attached to the bottle so that the bars 51 extend over the height of the bottle. Note that the handle 5 has a central recess 52 provided to form a space in which is housed the neck of the bottle. The handle is then pressed down to compact the bottle as shown in Figure 10, the bars 51 penetrating grooves provided for this purpose in the compacting tunnel.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the handle 5 also carries lugs (not shown) intended to be engaged in notches provided at the periphery of the receiving means (in the upper part thereof). These notches communicate with tunnels so that, during a rotation (for example of a 1 / 15th of a turn) of the handle, the lugs can be placed in the tunnels. The handle is then in the locked position, the lugs being blocked in the tunnels and preventing the handle from going up under the effect of the thrust of the compacted bottle. A cap can then be placed on the bottle so that it keeps its compacted form.

  Note that the bars 51 can be removed from the handle 5, which can then be used outside the device to compact an object against a rigid plane as shown in Figure 12.

  It is also noted that a container such as that illustrated in FIG. 11 can be placed in the upper part of the compacting tunnel in the place of the compaction means, as part of an urban version of the device.

  FIG. 13 illustrates a second embodiment of the compacting means, according to which compaction is carried out from the bottom upwards.

  According to this embodiment, a piston head 6 and a piston arm 61 whose integral piston head 6 are slidably mounted in the compacting tunnel 4. The base of the arm is coupled to a lever 62 pivotally mounted around the piston. An axle 621 on the base 3. The lever 62 is positioned at the bottom of the device so that it can easily be operated by foot.

  Of course, the base is formed so as to allow the movement of the lever 62.

  When the object to be compacted 100 is a bottle with a capacity of 150 cl or 200 cl, a lid 7 is attached to the upper part of the compacting tunnel 4 to hold the bottle in the tunnel against the action of the head of the piston. Such a cover is locked on the tunnel by means of lugs 71 engaging in recesses of the compacting tunnel by operating for example a rotation of a 1 / 15th of a turn of the cover.

  Note that the lid 7 has a central recess 72 provided for the neck of the bottle is presented projecting from the device so as to allow the removal and replacement of a cap on the neck of the bottle.

  When the object to be compacted is a can with a capacity of 33 cl or 50 cl, an insert (not shown) is placed in the compacting tunnel so as to adapt the receiving zone thereof to reduced dimensions ( compared to those of the bottle) of the can.

  As illustrated, the piston head 6 has a boss 63 provided to penetrate the concave shape that usually presents the caps of the cans.

  In addition, a system for holding the piston head in the high position is provided. This comprises a ball and spring system, the balls being housed in notches formed on the piston arm at predetermined heights.

  According to this embodiment, the base is preferably weighted to give stability to the device when the lever 62 on foot is actuated to compact an object. In addition, the base is provided with six wheels 321, three of which equipped with locking means.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, a drawer 33 for storing used batteries is also provided in the base 3.

  According to another characteristic common to the two embodiments which have just been described, the compartments 1 each have reservations forming a space for the positioning of a sleeve (the latter being in particular intended to accommodate a roll of plastic bags) .

  As it appears in FIG. 1, each compartment has two lateral reservations 12 placed opposite the lateral reservations of the neighboring compartments, so that two adjacent reservations delimit a reception volume of a sleeve 8.

  Referring to Figure 14, it is shown that a storage device and waste sorting according to the invention can be proposed in an integrated manner to a kitchen furniture. It is then mounted as an indication under a worktop 90, and a drawer (or possibly a closet door allows access to the compartments 1 of the device.

  Figure 15 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a device according to the invention, wherein the sleeves 8 extend into the base 3 so as to place rolls of bags in a horizontal axis of unwinding (or almost).

  The sleeves 8 have a slot 81 for deployment of the bags 80, the base 3 having, for each compartment, a slot 34 (provided with a liquid retention notch) allowing the bags to be drawn inside the corresponding compartment. .

  A rod for supporting and guiding the rollers is mounted inside each sheath.

  In addition, a cover 82 associated with a return spring in the closed position is associated with each sleeve.

  According to this variant embodiment, the replacement of a bag is carried out as follows.

  When a bag is full, it is removed from the compartment and drives the next bag (empty) which is attached to the full bag by a pre-cut. The empty bag is unwound through the slots of the sleeve and the base to the top of the compartment. The full bag is detached and the opening of the empty bag 801 is folded over the edges of the compartments.

Claims (1)

  1. Device for storing and sorting waste, comprising at least two storage compartments (1) mounted on support means, characterized in that said compartments (1) delimit between them a substantially vertical central recess, compacting means ( 2) being mounted in said recess.   2. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 1, characterized in that said support means comprise a base (3) on which is mounted, centrally, a compacting tunnel (4).   3. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 2, characterized in that said compacting tunnel (4) has means (43) for receiving an object to be compacted.   4. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 3, characterized in that said receiving means (43) are provided to cooperate with a member actuated from top to bottom.   5. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 4, characterized in that said member comprises a handle (5) for compacting said object, and positioning means (51) of said object carried by said handle (5). .   6. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 5, characterized in that said positioning means (51) are removably mounted on said handle (5).   7. An actuating device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that said member comprises locking means in a compaction position of said object.   8. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claims 5 and 7, characterized in that said locking means are locked / unlocked by rotation of said handle (5).   9. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 3, characterized in that said receiving means (43) are provided to cooperate with a member actuated from bottom to top.   10. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 9, characterized in that said member is capable of being actuated by a lever (62) placed in a lower part of the device.   11. Apparatus for storing and sorting waste according to one of claims 9 and 10, characterized in that said member comprises a piston (6) slidably mounted in said compacting tunnel (4).   12. Device for storing and sorting waste according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that it comprises a cover (7) for cooperating with said receiving means (43) so as to maintain said object to compact against the action of said organ.   13. Device for storing and sorting waste according to any one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that said compacting tunnel (4) has means for positioning and / or removable holding (41) of said compartments.   14. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 13, characterized in that said positioning and / or holding means (41) comprise, for each of said compartments (1), a rail intended to be housed in a groove. formed in said compartments.   15. Device for storing and sorting waste according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said compartments have at least one reservation (12) intended to accommodate at least partially a sleeve (8).   16. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 15, characterized in that at least one compartment (1) has at least one lateral reservation (12) intended to be placed opposite a reservation. lateral (12) of a neighboring compartment so that said reservations (12) together form a receiving volume of a sleeve (8).   17. Device for storing and sorting waste according to claim 15, characterized in that said sleeve or sleeves (8) extend to each receive a roll of bags extending along a substantially horizontal axis of unwinding, said or said sleeves (8) having a slot (81) through which said one or more bags are likely to be unwound, said slot (81) communicating with one of said compartments (1).   18. Apparatus for storing and sorting waste according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that it comprises four compartments (1) 19. A storage and waste sorting device according to any one of claims 2 to 18, characterized in that said base (3) comprises a compartment (33) for storing used batteries.   20. Device for storing and sorting waste according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that said support means comprise means enabling them to pivot on themselves.   21. Furniture equipped with a storage and waste sorting device comprising at least two storage compartments (1) mounted on support means, characterized in that said compartments (1) delimit between them a substantially vertical central recess, compacting means (2) being mounted in said recess.