GB2035273A - Refuse disposal - Google Patents

Abstract

A refuse disposal unit (1), to enable tenants in a multistorey block of flats to discharge refuse into a common refuse chute (2) without the inconvenience of rubbish blowing out of the chute, has a manually operable lid (7) carrying a tipping hopper (6). When the lid is opened so that refuse may be placed in the hopper a fixed shield (9) covers the back of the hopper, isolating it from the chute (2). When the lid is closed a gap AP is formed between the lower wall (8) of the hopper and the shield (9) allowing the refuse to fall into the chute. In a modification (Figures 2-5, not shown) striking pins with rollers are provided on the sides of the hopper which co-operate with spring steel wires on the shield as the lid is closed to cause a lower hinged section of the shield to "flip up" thus allowing bulky but light refuse to pass into the chute. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Refuse disposal This invention relates to refuse disposal.

A common problem faced by the occupants of high rise flats is the disposal of refuse. A usual arrangement is to provide each flat with a refuse disposal unit with a self-closing lid. Refuse is thrown into the disposal unit, through which it falls into a refuse disposal chute and into refuse bins on the ground at the bottom of the chute. The chute is accessible to several flats, each via a respective refuse disposal unit. Unfortunately when the lid of a refuse disposal unit is opened an unpleasant odour is apparent. Furthermore up-currents in the chute cause dust and refuse to be blown back into the flat.

This is both a nuisance and a health hazard.

An object of this invention is to produce a refuse disposal unit in which these problems are at least partly alleviated.

According to the present invention there is provided a device for enabling refuse to be passed into a refuse disposal chute, the device including a duct joining an access aperture to a refuse disposal chute, a hopper mounted within the duct so as to be movable between a first position and a second position, the hopper being arranged when in the first position to present an opening at the aperture for receiving refuse, and when in the second position to discharge its contents into a refuse disposal chute, the hopper including a cover for closing the aperture when in the second position, wherein there is provided a door associated with the hopper, which separates the duct from a refuse disposal chute when the hopper is in the first position, the door being such as to allow the discharge of the contents from the hopper when it is in the second position.

The hopper may be manually movable between the first and second positions, and may include a base attached to and held in a constant angular relationship with the cover by two side plates. It may be hinged for movement between the first and second positions about a horizontal pivot substantially coincident with the line of attachment between the base and cover. When the hopper is in the second position the base may be inclined so that the contents of the hopper are discharged by gravity.

The door may fit above the hopper and co-operate with the side plates and base of the hopper so that when the hopper is in the first position the door abuts the base and side plates of the hopper thus separating the duct from a chute, and when the hopper is in the second position the door does not abut the base of the hopper but leaves a gap between the base and the door. The door may have at least one horizontally hinged section. Resilient means may co-operate with a striking pin so that when the hopper is moved from the first position to the second position the lowermost section of the door is momentarily displaced away from the hopper.

The resilient means may include a spring steel wire mounted on the lowermost section of the door which co-operates with a striking pin mounted on the hopper. The striking pin may consist of a roller mounted on a stud. In a high rise building there may be provided a refuse disposal chute having a plurality of points of access for refuse to the chute, each point of access incorporating a device according to the invention.

Two refuse disposal units embodying the invention will now be described by way of example only making reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of a refuse disposal unit embodying the invention; Figure 2 is an elevation of a different refuse disposal unit also embodying the invention; Figure 3 illustrates the operation of the unit of Figure 2; Figure 4 illustrates a striking pin for use in the unit of Figure 2; and Figure 5 illustrates the relative positions of the striking pin and a spring steel wire in the unit of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 1 a refuse disposal unit designated generaliy by the reference numeral 1 provides access to a refuse disposal chute 2 such as would be provided in a multistorey block of flats. In the block, each flat may be provided with a refuse disposal unit of the type shown in Figure 1 which enables a person in the flat to dispose of refuse by placing it in the disposal unit. From the disposal unit it would be discharged via the chute 2 into refuse bins, for example, at ground level.

The refuse disposal unit 1 consists of a frame 3 which is fastened over the end of a duct 2A leading to the refuse chute 2. The frame 3 has an aperture 5 which is closable by means of a lid 7 hinged about an axis 0 on the lowermost edge of the aperture 5. The lid is provided with a handle 7A to enable it to be opened manually by the user. Behind and attached to the lid is a hopper 6 which has a base 8 and two side plates 6A each in the shape of a sector of a circle. The side plates hold the base 8 in a fixed angular relationship with respect to the lid 7. Consequently as the lid 7 is opened and closed the hopper 6 pivots about the axis 0. Suspended from a hinge on the frame 3 immediately above the uppermost edge of the aperture 5 is a curved shield 9.The shield 9, which is made in hinged sections, follows the line of and rests against the curved edges of the hopper side plates 6A, covering the back of the hopper between the frame 3 and the edge A. The hinges may conveniently be made of brass, so as not to be seriously affected by rusting or corrosion.

When the refuse disposal unit is not in use the lid is closed and hence the base 8 lies in the plane PO.

As the shield 9 only extends as far as the edge A a gap AP is formed between the hopper and the refuse chute 2. When the person wishes to dispose of some refuse he pulls back the lid 7. As he does so the base 8 pivots upwards soon closing the opening between the base 8 and the shield 9. When the lid is between the position OB and the fully open position (not shown) the edge of the base 8 abuts the inside surface of the shield 9 and seals off the hopper from the refuse chute 2. Consequently while the lid is open for the receipt of refuse there is no risk of up-currents in the chute 2 causing dust and refuse to be blown back out of the hopper. To discharge the refuse from the hopper into the chute 2 the lid 7 is closed, which causes the base 8 to be pivoted back to the position PO and opens the gap AP.The refuse then slides under its own weight out of the hopper and into the refuse chute 2. Refuse that is too large to pass through the gap AP, if it has sufficient momentum by the time it reaches the shield 9, lifts the lower hinged section of the shield and passes into the chute 2. The hopper and lid are balanced on the pivot in such a way as to be stable in both the fully open and fully closed positions.

There may be provided a wall attached to the lid 7 and covering the initial part of the opening between the lid 7 and the frame 3 so that at no time is there a direct opening to the chute 2.

Referring to Figure 2 a different refuse disposal unit embodying the invention has a cabinet 23 fixed into masonry 24 and opens into a waste disposal chute 22. The cabinet 23 has a lid 27 hinged about an axis 21. The lid 27 can be opened to provide access to a hopper inside the cabinet. Attached to the lid 27 and held in a constant angular relationship to it by sector shaped side plates 26 is a base 28. The side plates 26 and base 28 and lid 27 form the hopper for the receipt of refuse. Resting on the curved edges of the side plates 26 and suspended from the cabinet 23 is a shield 29. The shield 29 is formed of hinged sections 29A and 29B. Each side plate 26 is provided with a striking pin 31 which is arranged to impinge upon a spring steel wire 30 attached to the shield 29.

Operation of the refuse disposal unit of Figure 2 can be seen more ciearly from Figures 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d. Figure 3a shows the unit of Figure 2 with the lid 27 closed, such as it would be when the unit is not in use, the balance being such that the lid tends to be held in this position. With the lid closed a gap exists between the base 28 of the hopper and the lower edge of the shield 29.

Referring to Figure 3b, as the lid 27 is opened the base 28 is pivoted upward and abuts the inner surface of the shield 29, thus soon closing the gap and isolating the hopper from the waste disposal chute. Figure 3c shows the lid opened to its greatest extent such as it would be when refuse is being placed in it, the balance being such that it is stable in this position. Referring to Figure 3d, as the lid is shut the striking pins 31 hit the spring steel wires 30 and cause the lower flap 29B of the shield to be flipped upwards. This momentarily increases the gap between the lower edge of the shield 29 and the base of the hopper 28 to allow bulky refuse of insufficient weight to displace the shield on its own to be discharged into the disposal chute.Provision of the flip up shield in the refuse disposal unit illustrated in Figure 2 enables it to be smaller than a refuse disposal unit of the type illustrated in Figure 1 of the same "refuse accepting" capacity.

Figure 4 illustrates the construction of the striking pins 31 of Figures 2 and 3. Each striking pin 31 consists of a stud 41 which is keyed at one end into a mounting plate 42 and carries on the other end a roller 43. The roller is retained on the stud by means of a burr 44 formed by expanding the end of the stud. The roller consists of two integral co-axial bushes. The inner bush 45 is composed of steel or a plastics material, and is free running on the stud 41 and the outer bush is composed of rubber.

Figures sa, Sb and Sc show the relative positions one of the striking pins 31 and its corresponding spring steel wire 30. As can be seen from Figure 5a the portion of the spring steel wire 30 which is not clamped against the shield 29 (Figure 2) has two elbows 51 and 52 so that it forms a "Z" shape. In operation as the lid 27 (Figures 2 & 3) is closed the striking pin 31 approaches the wire 30 and hits it immediately above the elbow 51. Kinetic energy is transferred in the impact and causes the wire, and hence the shield 29 (Figures 2 & 3) to "flip" upwards as shown in Figure 5b. Loss of energy due to friction between the pin and the wire is reduced by the presence of the roller 43 (Figure 4). The rubber bush reduces sound emission during the impact. Figure Sc shows the position of the spring steel wire and striking pin after the shield has returned to its normal position. The pin rests in the second elbow 52. The resilience of the wire and the rubber coating on the bush help cushion the impact of the shield as it falls into its normal position. It will be apparent that the wire 30 will cause the flap 29b to lift during the initial part of the opening movement of the lid 27, but this will not interfere with the closing off of the chute provided by the unit as the flap will have returned to its normal position by the time the gap between the flap and the base 28 of the hopper appears. As with the first embodiment, a wali may be provided attached to the lid 22 to cover the initial part of the opening between the lid and upper edge of the cabinet 23.

Claims (8)

1. A device for enabling refuse to be passed into a refuse disposal chute, the device including a duct joining an access aperture to a refuse disposal chute, a hopper mounted within the duct so as to be movable between a first position and a second position, the hopper being arranged when in the first position to present an opening at the aperture for receiving refuse, and when in the second position to discharge its contents into a refuse disposal chute, the hopper including a cover for closing the aperture when in the second position, wherein there is provided a door associated with the hopper, which separates the duct from a refuse disposal chute when the hopper is in the first position, the door being such as to allow the discharge of the contents from the hopper when it is in the second position.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the hopper is manually movable between the first and second positions.

3. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the hopper includes a base attached to and held in a constant angular relationship with the cover by two side plates, and is hinged for movement between the first and second positions about a horizontal pivot substantially co-incident with the line of attachment between the base and cover.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the base of the hopper is inclined at least when the hopper is in the second position so that the contents of the hopper is discharged by gravity.

5. A device according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the door fits above the hopper and co-operates with the side plates and base of the hopper so that when the hopper is in the first position the door abuts the base and side plates of the hopper thus separating the duct from a chute, and when the hopper is in the second position the door does not abut the base of the hopper but leaves a gap between the base and the door.

6. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the door has at least one horizontally hinged section.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein there is provided resilient means co-operating with a striking pin so that when the hopper is moved from the first position to the second position the lowermost section of the door is momentarily displaced away from the hopper.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein the resilient means includes a spring steel wire mounted on the lowermost section of the shield and cooperating with a striking pin mounted on the hopper.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein the resilient means includes a spring steel wire mounted on the lowermost section of the door and cooperating with a striking pin mounted on the hopper.

9. A device according to claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the striking pin consists of a roller mounted on a stud.

10. A device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A refuse disposal system for high rise buildings the system including a refuse disposal chute having a plurality of points of access for refuse to the chute, each point of access incorporating a device according to any preceding claim.

New claims or amendments to claims filed on 19.2.80.

Superseded claims 1,4,5,6 & 8.

New or amended claims: CLAIMS

1. A device for enabling refuse to be passed into a refuse disposal chute, the device including a duct joining an access aperture to a refuse disposal chute, a hopper mounted within the duct so as to be pivotable between a first position and a second position, the hopper being arranged when in the first position to present an opening at the aperture for receiving refuse, and when in the second position to discharge its contents into a refuse disposal chute, the hopper including a cover for closing the aperture when in the second position, wherein there is provided a shield associated with the hopper and displaceable with respect to the hopper, which so seals the duct from a refuse disposal chute when the hopper is in the first position as to prevent air flow from the chute, the shield being such as to allow the discharge of the contents from the hopper when it is in the second position.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the base of the hopper is inclined at least when the hopper are in the second position so that the contents of the hopper are discharged by gravity.

5. A device according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the shield fits above the hopper and co-operates with the side plates and base of the hopper so that when the hopper is in the first position the shield abuts the base and side plates of the hopper thus sealing the duct from a chute, and when the hopper is in the second position the door does not abut the base of the hopper but leaves a gap between the base and the shield.

6. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the shield has at least one horizontally hinged section.