GB2177683A

GB2177683A - Bulk refuse container

Info

Publication number: GB2177683A
Application number: GB08517449A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Adair Egbert Taylor
Original assignee: Egbert H Taylor and Co Ltd
Current assignee: Egbert H Taylor and Co Ltd
Priority date: 1985-07-10
Filing date: 1985-07-10
Publication date: 1987-01-28
Also published as: GB8517449D0

Abstract

A container has a locking member (22), (24) pivotally mounted on the container body for angular movements about a horizontal axis defined by rods (25). Gravity will ensure that the member (22), (24) will remain in the dotted line position thereof (see Figure 1), whereby a hinged lid or lids (26) can be opened in the direction of the arrow (27) for placing rubbish in the container. For locking, the member (22), (24) is moved in the direction of the arrow (28) into the full line position thereof (see Figure 1) in order to bring a horizontal bar of said member over the front edge portion of the lid(s) (26); the member can be maintained in said full line position thereof by a padlock for example. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Bulk refuse container This invention relates to a bulk refuse container.

Bulk refuse containers are in widespread use which are picked up and emptied by powered lifting equipment with which waste disposal vehicles are provided. There are many of such containers which are provided with hinged lids and there is a requirementforsuch lidded bulk refuse containers to be provided with locking means which cannot be mislaid and/orwhich cannot be damaged by the waste disposal vehicle being driven oversaid locking means, such locking means being operableto preventunauthorised peoplefrom placing their refuse in the refuse containers which companies or people provide for their own use. The principal object ofthe present invention is to meet this requirement in a cheap but effective manner.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in a bulk refuse container which comprises a body for holding refuse; lid means hinged to and adapted to close an aperture through which refuse can be placed in said body; a member so pivotally mounted on said body that the member will be influenced by gravity to remain in a first attitude thereof unless moved therefrom, whereby said lid means can be moved far enough about its hinge axisto permit refuse to be placed in the container; said member being movable about its pivot axis against gravitational influence into a second attitudethereofwhich is difference from said first attitude thereof and in which said member substantially prevents said lid means from being so moved about its hinge axis; and an element releasably connectible to said body, when said member is in the second attitude thereof, in orderto maintain said member in the second attitude thereof.

In one embodiment ofthe bulk refuse container described in the preceding paragraph, the pivotally mounted member may be essentially U-shaped, the parallel limbs of the U being connected to one another by the base ofthe U and said base of the U being a straight bar which (when said pivotally mounted member is in the second attitude thereof) overlies an edge portion or edge portions of the lid means, the parallel limbs of the U being provided with corresponding devices which form part of the pivotal connection ofthe member to said body.

In said one embodiment described in the preceding paragraph, the body of the container is provided with at least one pair of spaced end stops, one or the other of which is engaged by the respective limb ofthe U when said member is in the respective first attitude or second attitude thereof. In such a case, the element which is releasably connectible to said body in order to maintain said member in the second attitude thereof may engages respective one of said limbs of the U and/orthe respective one of said pair of spaced end stops, wherebythe limb is prevented from moving out of said second attitude.

One embodiment, given purely by way of example, of a bulk refuse container according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which: Figure 1 represents a corner of one side wall of a bulk refuse container having lockable lid means, according to the present invention; and Figure2 is a section taken on the line A-A in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated a bulk refuse container 10 which has a body which comprises a base, a front and a back wall extending upwardly from said base and side walls extending upwardlyfrom said base, all of said front, back and side walls being connected to one another and to said base to form an open-topped container. In Figure 1 and 2, only a top cornerofthefrontwall 11 and one sidewall 12areshown.

Secured, for example by welding, to the upper marginal portion of said front, bacfkandsidewallsis a hollow reinforcement 13 which is essentially of box section, as can be seen clearly in Figure 2. This reinforcement 13 serves to stiffen or make rigid the open top pf the container.

Two spaced end stops or locators 14, 15 are secured (again, for example, by welding) to each side wall. Each end stop or locator is U-shaped and is disposed in the manner illustrated, the end stop 14 being secured not only to the side wall 12 but also to the underside ofthe reinforcement 13. The end stop 15 has two parallel limbs 16,17 and each of said limbs is apertured at 18 for a purpose to be described.

A locking member 20 is essentially U-shaped, consisting of a long straight bar 21 and two parallel limbs 22 (only one shown in the Figures) each of which makes a right-anglewith the bar 21. Thefree end portion 23 of each limb 22 is bent th rough approximately 90 . A relatively short length of bar 24 is secured (forexample bywelding) to each limb 22in orderto act as a handle as will become clearfrom subsequent description. The reinforcement 13, at each side ofthe container, is apertured in order to permit a short rod 25 to extend therethrough as seen in Figure 2, said rod 25 being secured (for example by welding)tothe respective limb 22.

The overall length of the bar 21 could be, for example, about 1500 mm and the overall length ofthe conjoined limb 22/bar 24 at each side of the container could be 300 mm; it must be stressed, however,that these measurements are given as example only because dimensions vary in dependence upon the capacity ofthe refuse container and/or upon the type of lift (chain lift or arm attachment lift) with which the waste disposal vehicle(s) is/arefitted.The measurements have been mentioned for a reason which will become apparent.

The locking member 20 is free to move angularly about the axes ofthe rods 25 which are aligned with one another across the container. In view ofthe combined weights ofthe bar 21 and part of each of the two limbs 22 on one side ofthe pivot axis being greater than the combined weights ofthe other part of each ofthetwo limbs 22 and the respective conjoined bars 24,the locking member 20 will normally be influenced by gravity to assume a first attitude thereof which is drawn in interrupted lines in Figure 1. lnthisattitude,thelocking member20will notpreventa hinged lid(s) 26 from being moved in an arc about the hinge axis in the direction indicated the arrow 27.

When it is desired to lockthe closed lid or lids in orderto prevent, for example, unauthorised dumping of refuse in the refuse container or to prevent rain or snow from getting into the container, the handle i4 is moved in an arc in the direction indicated bythe arrow 28 in order to cause the locking member 20 to assume a second attitudethereofwhich is drawn in full lines in Figure 1. In this attitude, the bar 21 overlies the front edge portion of the lid(s) 26 and will prevent said lid(s) from being opened.The locking member is maintained in said second attitude thereof by means of an element (not illustrated) which will preventthe end portion 23 from moving out of the U-shaped end stop 15; said element could be, for example, a padlockwhich engages one or both ofthe apertures 18 of said end stop 15.

If need be, in orderto preventthe locking member 20 from moving about its pivot axis in an undesirable mannerwhilstthe refuse container is being lifted and emptied by a front-end loading vehicle or a rear-end loading vehicle,the limbs of the end stop 14 can be apertured in the same way as the limbs ofthe end stop 15 are apertured, andthe element (e.g. a padlock) can be used to keep the locking member 20 in its first attitude.

It is thoughtto be advisable to provide the end stops 14, 15 on each side wall and to provide the locking member 20 with the end portion 23 and the handle 24 at each side of the container because the owner/user of the refuse container may be forced to position said container in the angle made by two walls and would still wantto be ableto locklunlockthe lid(s). Itwill be obvious, however, that only one set of those integers (end stops 14,15 end portion 23, handle 24) is absolutely necessary at one side ofthe container orthe other.

Instead ofthe element (e.g. a padlock) engaging the end stop 15 orthe end stop 14 in such a manner as simply to provide a blocking ofthe pivotal movement of the locking member 20, said locking member 20 could be provided with means (e.g. an integral apertured lug) which could be engaged by the element (padlock) in addition to the limb or limbs of the respective end stop 14 or 15.

Claims

1. A bulk refuse containerwhich comprises a body for holding refuse; lid means hinged to and adapted to close an aperture through which refuse can be placed in said body; a member so pivotally mounted on said bodythatthe memberwill be influenced by gravity to remain in a first attitude thereof unless moved therefrom, whereby said lid means can be moved far enough about its hinge axis to permitrefuseto be placed in the container; said member being movable about its pivot axis agairvst gravitational influence into a second attitude thereof which is differentfrom saidfirstattitudethereofand in which said member substantially prevents said lid meansfrom being so moved about its hinge axis; and an element releasably connectible to said body,when said member is in the second attitude thereof, in orderto maintain said member in the second attitude thereof.

2. Abulk refuse container as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the pivotally mounted member is essentially U-shaped, the parallel limbs of the U being connected to one another by the base of the U and said base of the U being a straight bar which (when said pivotally mounted member is in the second attitude thereof) overlies an edge portion or edge portions of the lid means, the parallel limbs of the U being provided with corresponding devices which form part of the pivotal connection ofthe memberto said body.

3. A bulk refuse container as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the body of the container is provided with at least one pair of spaced end stops, one orthe other of which is engaged by the respective one of said parallel limbs ofthe U when said member is in the respective first attitude or second attitude thereof.

4. A bulk refuse container as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the element which is releasably connectible to said body in orderto maintain said member in the second attitude thereof engages a respective one of said limbs of the U and/orthe respective one of said pairofspaced end stops, whereby the limb is prevented from moving out of said second attitude.

5. A bulk refuse container constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

6. Anyfeatures of novelty, taken singly or in combination, of the embodiments of the invention hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.