GB1578614A

GB1578614A - Wheeled rubbish containers

Info

Publication number: GB1578614A
Application number: GB36482/77A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: NOLTING R; STREUBER F
Current assignee: NOLTING R; STREUBER F
Priority date: 1976-09-02
Filing date: 1977-09-01
Publication date: 1980-11-05
Also published as: ATA626577A; DE2639436B1; IT1085955B; LU78057A1; BE858209A; PT66986A; DE2639436C2; FI772564A; FR2363497A1; SE7709591L; PT66986B; NO772956L; DD131848A5; NL7709016A; DK377377A; ES461989A1

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO WHEELED RUBBISH CONTAINERS (71) We, FRITZ STREUBER, ROSE MARIE NOLTING AND HERMANN NEUHAUS, all German citizens residing respectively at Elisabethstrasse 11, 49 Herford; Fohrenweg 11, 4901 Hiddenhausen; and Wilhelmplatz 9, 4900 Herford, Federal Republic of Germany, and trading as SULO Eisenwerk Streuber & Lohmann GmbH & BR< Co. KG of Waltgeristrasse 29-37, 49 Herford, Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a wheeled container for rubbish, and more particularly to such a container made from plastics material.

The invention is applicable, inter alia, to a mobile large-capacity rubbish container made for instance by moulding from plastics material. Such a container may have a substantially rectangular or square shape and may be furnished with means for coupling the container to parts of a lifting and tipping device, for example of a rubbish-collecting vehicle. Large rubbish containers contemplated by this invention are those which find service at commercial premises and at apartment buildings. In one such container, which is disclosed in West German Patent Specification No. 2 162 191 the wheels are disposed in recesses which are formed by bays in the edge region at the -bottom of the container and which are covered at the outside by extensions of the side walls of the container.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved attachment of the wheels to the body of a mobile large-capacity rubbish container, whereby the attachment is able to withstand heavy stresses for a long time and, in particular, to absorb and transmit large shearing forces such as may occur if the container runs against kerbs or the like.

According to the present invention, there is provided a mobile container for rubbish, comprising a container body having wheel units mounted in recesses in the bottom of the container body, each recess containing mounting means for a wheel unit including a depending, downwardly-open receiving sleeve integral with the container bottom and an array of webs which serve to stiffen said sleeve and to provide wheel unit anchorages disposed externally of said sleeve, each wheel unit including an attachment plate and a hollow connecter piece upstanding therefrom, by means of which the wheel unit is secured to the said mounting means, the attachment plate being secured by fastenings to the anchorages and the hollow connector piece being nonrotatably held within the receiving sleeve.

Further advantageous features of the equipment embodying the invention are set out in the appended sub-claims.

The invention is particularly suitable and is, inter alia, intended to be suitable for those mobile large-capacity rubbish containers wherein the recesses which receive the wheel units are constructed, at least at one side of the container body, in the form of an elongated channel. This channel forms a space for a continuous brake-shaft device which can be actuated by an operating lever at one side of the container body, for braking at least two of the wheels. According to a feature of the invention, both the receiving sleeve and the hollow connecting piece are provided at two mutually aligned diametric points situated in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the channel, with apertures to receive and mount the brakeshaft device.

The attachment of the wheel units each by a double connection to the container body is able to withstand all stresses, particularly the powerful transverse or shear forces which occur, for a long time, between metallic wheel units and plastics largecapacity rubbish container. Such forces and concomitant wear and tear are especially large for those wheels which are controlled by braking and locking devices which can be actuated jointly by an operating level provided at one side of the container.

The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a view of the bottom region of a mobile large-capacity rubbish container, partially in section; Figure 2 shows a perspective detail view of an attachment plate with a superimposed hollow socket belonging to a wheel unit of the container; Figure 3 shows an enlarged illustration, in section of the region A in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the recess region as seen in the direction of the arrow X in Figure 1, before the fitting of the wheel unit; Figure 5 shows a partial section on line V-V in Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a partial section on line VI-VI in Figure 4.

As can be seen from Figure 1, the large-capacity rubbish container, designated as a whole by 1, has four swivelling wheels 3, 4 and 5, 6 which are formed by individual castor or wheel units 2 mounted in recesses 9. The recesses 9 are downwardly-open pockets formed by bays in the bottom corners of the container and are formed by container bottom 7 and downwardly-projecting extension 8' of the container side walls 8. At least one pair of the wheels, numbered 3 and 4 in Figure 1, is provided with a braking and locking device (not illustrated) which can be actuated, to affect both wheels jointly, through a brake-shaft device 11, 12, 13 controllable by an operating lever 10 at one side of the container body.At least at the side of the container body where the two wheels provided with a braking and locking device are located, the recesses 9 receiving the said wheels form part of a channel extending the length of the said side of the container body and divided by transverse webs. The channel forms an accommodating space for the brake-shaft device 11, 12, 13 which can be actuated by the operating lever 10, as is already generally known from West German Patent Specification No. 2 162 191.

A sleeve 15, open at the bottom thereof, is provided in each recess 9 to receive and secure each wheel unit 2 to the rubbish container 1. As cen be seen in detail, particularly from Figures 3 to 5, the receiving sleeve 15 depends from the base 9' of the associated recess 9 and is integral therewith.

On its inner surface, sleeve 15 has ribs 16 or grooves 17 extending in the axial direction.

The receiving sleeve 15, which consists of the plastics material of the container body, is disposed concentrically with a line of intersection 18 of two webs 19, 20 passing through the recess 9 in a longitudinal and transverse direction. The sleeve 15 is joined or integrated with these webs 19, 20 and with the intersecting web portions 19', 20' which are disposed inside the receiving sleeve. The web portions 19', 20' are shorter than the receiving sleeve 15, measured in the vertical or axial direction. As a result of this arrangement, the receiving sleeve 15 is given great rigidity and, in particular, can absorb or take up and transmit or pass on shear forces to the container body.

Moreover, as can be seen in particular from Figure 4, further longitudinal and transverse webs 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 are provided inside each recess 9 but outside the region thereof occupied by the receiving sleeve 15. Thickened portions 27 of substantially cylindrical shape are formed at crossing and branching points of the said further webs 21 to 26, and are each provided centrally with a screw-threaded aperture 28.

In the example illustrated, there are four thickened portions 27 located at the corners of an imaginary rectangle outside of the receiving sleeve 15. Instead of the four thickened portions 27, three or more than four could be provided; imaginary lines connecting the said portions 27 would then define a triangle or polygon respectively outside of the receiving sleeve 15, or would lie on a circle concentric with the receiving sleeve.

It is particularly advantageous if the thickened portions 27 are connected to the receiving sleeve 15 by intermediate webs 30 which, in the example illustrated, extend diametrically to one another and at angles of about 45" to the webs 19, 20 or web portions 19', 20'. The receiving sleeve 15 is further stiffened by these intermediate webs 30 between the thickened portions 27 and the receiving sleeve 15, and further improved with regard to its capacity to absorb and transmit transverse shearing forces. Such forces can be absorbed satisfactorily from practically any direction and be transmitted into the container body because the receiving sleeve 15 is in effect disposed in the centre of a network formed by the longitudinal and transverse webs, thickened portions 27 and intermediate webs, and is connected not only to the base 9' of the recess 9 but also to the side regions thereof and hence to the container body.

As can further be seen, particularly from Figure 2, an attachment plate 31 is associated with each of the wheel units 2. The plate 31 may have a rectangular, square, round or even polygonal shape and comprises a number of holes 32. The shape of the attachment plate 31 and the pattern and number of holes 32 provided therein is to suit the arrangement of the abovementioned thickened portions 27. In the example shown, the attachment plate 31 is rectangular and comprises four holes 32 corresponding. to the rectangular arrangement of the thickened portions 27 shown in Figure 4.

A hollow connector piece or spigot 33 is secured, e.g. by welding, to the attachment plate 31 associated with each wheel unit 2.

Attachment plate 31 and hollow spigot 33 consist of metal. The hollow spigot 33, like the receiving sleeve 15, is preferably cylindrical in shape. The height of the hollow spigot is somewhat less than the axial extent or length of the receiving sleeve to account for the distance by which the intersecting web portions 19', 20' depend into the top end of the receiving sleeve. The height of the spigot 33 is such as to allow the top end thereof to abut against the bottoms of the web portions 19', 20' when the attachment plate is in contact with the bottom of sleeve 15. The outside diameter of the hollow spigot 33 is somewhat larger than the internal diameter of the receiving sleeve 15 determined by the axial ribs 16. The outer surface of spigot 33 may be smooth or roughened.

The attachment of a wheel unit 2 to the container body is effected in such a manner that the hollow spigot 33 on the attachment plate 31 belonging to the wheel unit is pressed in the plastics material of the receiving sleeve 15 while the latter is still hot. Immediately after being removed from a mould e.g. of an injection-moulding tool, the plastics material is still in a thermoelastic state and, during cooling, shrinks onto the hollow spigot, while the axial ribs 16 of the receiving sleeve 15 withdraw somewhat into the adjacent grooves 17 and grip the outside surface of the hollow spigot against rotation.

In the axial direction, the depth of insertion of the hollow spigot 33 is limited by an annular supporting shoulder 34 formed in the wall of sleeve 15 in the plane of the web portions 19', 20' in the interior of the receiving sleeve 15. Instead of shrinking fitting the sleeve and the hollow spigot together as just described it is also possible to introduce the spigot into the sleeve with the aid of sound by means of ultrasonics, for instance using ultrasonic energy to soften the plastics material of the sleeve. After the introduction and location of the hollow spigot in the receiving sleeve in these ways or in any other suitable way, for example in situ moulding or extrusion in the moulding tool, the attachment plate 31 is secured e.g.

by means of screws 35 passed through its holes 32 and screwed into the screwthreaded aperture 28 in the thickened portions 27. Portions 27 therefore serve as wheel unit anchorages. If desired, the apertures 28 therein could be plain, in which case screws 35 should be of the self-tapping type. The wheel unit 2 is then secured to the container body by a double connection (screw connection of the plate 31 on the one hand, and the interfering, receiving sleeve/ hollow spigot connection on the other hand). The wheel unit attachment is able to withstand all likely stresses over a long period.

For the wheels 3, 4 provided with a braking and locking device, and indeed for the other wheels if desired, each attachment plate 31 is provided with a central aperture 36 opening into the interior of the hollow spigot 33. Through this aperture 36 extends a brake pin 13 belonging to the braking and locking device. In addition, the hollow spigot 33 and likewise the receiving sleeve 15 are provided with two diametral apertures 37, 38 positioned in alignment with the longitudinal direction of the previouslymentioned channel receiving the brakeshaft device 11, 12. Apertures 37, 38 receive and mount the brake shaft 11 and the brake cam 12 fixed thereto.

The construction just described enables the wheel attachment according to the invention to be applied to wheels which are provided with braking and locking devices, while allowing the principle of doubly securing the wheel units 2 to the body to be employed.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A mobile container for rubbish, comprising a container body having wheel units mounted in recesses in the bottom of the container body, each recess containing mounting means for a wheel unit including a depending, downwardly-open receiving sleeve integral with the container bottom and an array of webs which serve to stiffen said sleeve and to provide wheel unit anchorages disposed externally of said sleeve, each wheel unit including an attachment plate and a hollow connector piece upstanding therefrom, by means of which the wheel unit is secured to the said mounting means, the attachment plate being secured by fastenings to the anchorages and the hollow connector piece being nonrotatably held within the receiving sleeve.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein each sleeve has axially-extending ribs and grooves in its internal surface.

3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the hollow connector piece is secured in the sleeve by shrinking the sleeve thereabout or is inserted therein after softening the sleeve by ultrasonics.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. plate 31 may have a rectangular, square, round or even polygonal shape and comprises a number of holes 32. The shape of the attachment plate 31 and the pattern and number of holes 32 provided therein is to suit the arrangement of the abovementioned thickened portions 27. In the example shown, the attachment plate 31 is rectangular and comprises four holes 32 corresponding. to the rectangular arrangement of the thickened portions 27 shown in Figure 4. A hollow connector piece or spigot 33 is secured, e.g. by welding, to the attachment plate 31 associated with each wheel unit 2. Attachment plate 31 and hollow spigot 33 consist of metal. The hollow spigot 33, like the receiving sleeve 15, is preferably cylindrical in shape. The height of the hollow spigot is somewhat less than the axial extent or length of the receiving sleeve to account for the distance by which the intersecting web portions 19', 20' depend into the top end of the receiving sleeve. The height of the spigot 33 is such as to allow the top end thereof to abut against the bottoms of the web portions 19', 20' when the attachment plate is in contact with the bottom of sleeve 15. The outside diameter of the hollow spigot 33 is somewhat larger than the internal diameter of the receiving sleeve 15 determined by the axial ribs 16. The outer surface of spigot 33 may be smooth or roughened. The attachment of a wheel unit 2 to the container body is effected in such a manner that the hollow spigot 33 on the attachment plate 31 belonging to the wheel unit is pressed in the plastics material of the receiving sleeve 15 while the latter is still hot. Immediately after being removed from a mould e.g. of an injection-moulding tool, the plastics material is still in a thermoelastic state and, during cooling, shrinks onto the hollow spigot, while the axial ribs 16 of the receiving sleeve 15 withdraw somewhat into the adjacent grooves 17 and grip the outside surface of the hollow spigot against rotation. In the axial direction, the depth of insertion of the hollow spigot 33 is limited by an annular supporting shoulder 34 formed in the wall of sleeve 15 in the plane of the web portions 19', 20' in the interior of the receiving sleeve 15. Instead of shrinking fitting the sleeve and the hollow spigot together as just described it is also possible to introduce the spigot into the sleeve with the aid of sound by means of ultrasonics, for instance using ultrasonic energy to soften the plastics material of the sleeve. After the introduction and location of the hollow spigot in the receiving sleeve in these ways or in any other suitable way, for example in situ moulding or extrusion in the moulding tool, the attachment plate 31 is secured e.g. by means of screws 35 passed through its holes 32 and screwed into the screwthreaded aperture 28 in the thickened portions 27. Portions 27 therefore serve as wheel unit anchorages. If desired, the apertures 28 therein could be plain, in which case screws 35 should be of the self-tapping type. The wheel unit 2 is then secured to the container body by a double connection (screw connection of the plate 31 on the one hand, and the interfering, receiving sleeve/ hollow spigot connection on the other hand). The wheel unit attachment is able to withstand all likely stresses over a long period. For the wheels 3, 4 provided with a braking and locking device, and indeed for the other wheels if desired, each attachment plate 31 is provided with a central aperture 36 opening into the interior of the hollow spigot 33. Through this aperture 36 extends a brake pin 13 belonging to the braking and locking device. In addition, the hollow spigot 33 and likewise the receiving sleeve 15 are provided with two diametral apertures 37, 38 positioned in alignment with the longitudinal direction of the previouslymentioned channel receiving the brakeshaft device 11, 12. Apertures 37, 38 receive and mount the brake shaft 11 and the brake cam 12 fixed thereto. The construction just described enables the wheel attachment according to the invention to be applied to wheels which are provided with braking and locking devices, while allowing the principle of doubly securing the wheel units 2 to the body to be employed. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A mobile container for rubbish, comprising a container body having wheel units mounted in recesses in the bottom of the container body, each recess containing mounting means for a wheel unit including a depending, downwardly-open receiving sleeve integral with the container bottom and an array of webs which serve to stiffen said sleeve and to provide wheel unit anchorages disposed externally of said sleeve, each wheel unit including an attachment plate and a hollow connector piece upstanding therefrom, by means of which the wheel unit is secured to the said mounting means, the attachment plate being secured by fastenings to the anchorages and the hollow connector piece being nonrotatably held within the receiving sleeve.

4. A container according to any of

claims 1 to 3, wherein the receiving sleeve and the hollow connector piece are cylindrically shaped.

5. A container according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the receiving sleeve is centred upon the line of intersection of two intersecting webs of the array of webs, and is integral with the two intersecting webs which have portions extending into the interior of the sleeve, the said portions being shorter in the axial direction than the sleeve.

6. A container according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the said anchorages consist of thickened web portions formed at web-intersecting or web-branching points of web array, there being further webs interconnecting the thickened web anchorage portions to the receiving sleeve.

7. A container according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein each recess comprises a downwardly-open pocket formed by a bay, at the junction between a side wall and the bottom of the container body, and a downwardly-projecting extension of the side wall.

8. A container according to claim 7, wherein at least two of the recesses form part of an elongated channel which is reinforced by transverse webs and which provides an accommodating space for a brake-actuating shaft device, the shaft device being operable by a lever at one side of the container body to activate braking and locking devices associated with the wheel units mounted in the said two recesses, and the receiving sleeve and hollow connector piece having aligned diametral apertures to receive and mount the brake-actuating shaft device.

9. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container body is moulded or fabricated from plastics material and is square or rectangular in plan, there being one wheel unit at each corner thereof.

10. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the container body includes coupling means for connecting the body to a container lifter and tipper mechanism.

11. A mobile container for rubbish, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.