GB2238522A - Apparatus for use in collecting rubbish - Google Patents

Abstract

Bag apparatus includes a bag support frame 10, having a base platform portion 25, and a handle 11 connected to the frame by a hinge mechanism 13, and clamp means, e.g. a stiff or resilient member, for clamping a bag mouth to the frame. The apparatus can be held so that a front edge 26 of the platform (covered by the wrapped over mouth portion of the bag) rests on the floor or ground 50 that rubbish or dust can be swept across the platform and into the held-open mouth of the bag. After use the handle can be swung forwardly into a storage position overlying the frame so that the apparatus can be hung from a wall mounting. The handle may be swing able downwardly to an angle to the frame so that the latter presents the bag in an open condition when the apparatus is hung on a wall (Figs. 12, 13). <IMAGE>

Description

APPARATUS FOR USE IN COLLECTING RUBBISH This invention concerns apparatus, for use in collecting rubbish, of a kind comprising a bag support frame defining an opening via which material may be inserted into a bag supported by the support frame.

A form of such apparatus is known which comprises a rigid frame member fixable to a wall, and a clamp member securable to the frame member to clamp the mouth portion of the bag therebetween so that the bag depends alongside the wall. Such apparatus is static and serves as an alternative to a dustbin; and rubbish is collected in usual manner, is taken to the apparatus and is lifted and tipped into the bag via the opening, but this process is laborious and time consuming.

The problem faced by the invention is to provide means to expedite rubbish collection.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus comprising a bag support frame which defines an opening and includes a frame member and a clamp member to cooperate with the frame member for clamping a mouth portion of a bag therebetween to support and hold open the mouth of the bag at said opening; wherein the bag support frame has a rear end portion, supported or supportable by a handle, and a front end portion which provides a platform having a blunt front edge.

In use, the handle is held so that the front edge rests on the ground to enable rubbish to be swept across the platform and into the bag at the point of collection of the rubbish.

The apparatus is preferably arranged to be hung upon a mounting, and in an embodiment the handle is provided with a socket to receive a mounting.

The handle is preferably pivotally connected to said support frame by a mechanism comprising a hinge and a detent which is releasable from a locking condition, which restricts or prevents movement of the hinge, to a disengaged position freeing the hinge to permit movement.

The mechanism is preferably arranged so that the handle can be swung between an operational or in use position, in which is extends rearwards from said rear end portion, and a storage position in which it extends forwards across said opening. Optionally, the handle may be movable between said operational position and a supporting position in which it extends downwards generally alongside part of the bag to hold the opening near to horizontal, when the handle is supported by the mounting to provide an alternative storage condition for the apparatus. The apparatus may include a lid to close the opening when the apparatus is in said alternative storage position.

The frame member preferably provides a channel to receive the clamp member for trapping the mouth portion of the bag in the channel. The clamp member is preferably made from a resilient material, so as to be a push fit in the channel, but may be made of a stiff material so as to be a close fit in the channel in which it is held releasably by retaining means. The clamp member may be pivotally connected to the handle or the mechanism.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 shows an embodiment of apparatus in plan, without a bag, FIGURE 2 shows the apparatus in side elevation in an inuse condition, FIGURE 3 shows the apparatus in side elevation in a storage condition, FIGURES 4 to 7 are diagrams showing a front part of a frame of the apparatus in section at stages during fixing of a bag to the frame, FIGURE 8 shows the apparatus in use with a bag in situ, FIGUREWS 9 and 10 show the apparatus in the storage condition, FIGURE 11 is an enlarged plan diagram of a mechanism of the apparatus, FIGURE 12 shows a modified form of the apparatus in an alternative storage condition, and FIGURE 13 shows a lid for the modified apparatus.

The apparatus in both embodiments generally includes a bag support frame 10 and a handle 11, connected together by a mechanism 13, and a replaceable bag 14.

The frame 10 comprises a substantially rigid frame member 20 and a clamp member 30. The frame member 20 is of a generally triangular form which defines an opening and provides a rear end portion 21 from which two side portions 22 extend divergently forward to opposite ends of a front portion 23. The underside of the frame member 20 is recessed to define a channel 24 which extends along the side and front portions 22 and 23. The front portion provides a platform 25 which is inclined to the general median plane of the frame member and which terminates at a blunt front edge 26. The rear end portion 21 provides two hinge extensions 27 which form parts of said mechanism 13.

The clamp member 30 comprises two carriers 31 (FIGURE 11), rear ends 31A of which are pivotally mounted on the sides of the extensions 27, and an elastomeric or plastics extrusion 32 the ends 33 of which are secured, e.g. by fasteners, in sockets 34 provided by the front end portions of the carriers 31. In these embodiments the extrusion 32 is both flexible and resilient, and is dimensioned to be a push fit in the channel 24.

The handle 11 includes an elongate plastics moulding 40 and a moulded grip member 41 mounted on a rear end portion of the moulding 40. A front end portion 42 of the moulding 40 forms parts of said mechanism 13 which parts include a hinge part 43 and two detent parts 44.

The mechanism 13 further includes a hinge pin 15 which secures the part 43 between the hinge extensions 27 to form a hinge pivotally connecting the frame and handle; and includes abutments 28 provided on the extensions 27 which are, in an in-use condition of the apparatus, engaged by the detent parts 44 to serve therewith as detent means to prevent relative movement between the frame and handle about said hinge.

The parts 44 are formed so as to be resiliently displaceable towards each other in directions indicated by arrows B in FIGURE 8 so as to move out of engagement with the abutments 28, whereby to permit pivotal movement of the handle relative to the frame. In the first embodiment the handle can be swung upwards and forwards as indicated by arrow A in FIGURE 3 to a storage condition The rear end portion 21 provides a socket aperture 29 to receive a mounting 16, for supporting the apparatus in the storage condition as shown in FIGURES 9 and 10.

The clamp member 30 can be moved downwards to withdraw the extrusion from the channel (FIGURE 4), whereby to allow a mouth portion of the bag to be tucked into the channel (FIGURE 5) prior to the extrusion being reinserted into the channel to secure the bag to the frame (FIGURE 6). The bag is then everted and pressed downwards through the opening (FIGURE 7) so as to wrap over the side and front portions 22 and 23.

In the in-use condition (FIGURE 8) the apparatus can be held so that the front edge 26 (covered by the wrapped over mouth portion of the bag) rests on the floor or ground so that rubbish or dust can be swept across the platform and into the held-open mouth of the bag. After use the handle can be swung upwards and forwards to a storage position overlying the frame when the detent means is released; and the apparatus can be hung from the mounting 16 so that the frame depends to hold the bag closed, as shown in FIGURE 10.

The bag, e.g. when full, can be removed from the apparatus by removing the clamp member from the channel.

The invention is not confined to details of the foregoing example, and many variations and modifications thereof are possible within the scope of the invention, which invention generally provides and includes apparatus, for supporting a bag, having any novel feature or part, or combination thereof disclosed herein, or any functional equivalents of such parts or features.

For example the frame may be of jaw form in which a frame member serves as one jaw and a clamp member serves as a second jaw, which jaws are pivotally or otherwise separable to receive a portion or portions of a bag therebetween and are movable into interengagement or proximity to clamp said portion or portions therebetween.

The members or jaws may be rigid or one thereof may be flexible and/or resilient. Retaining means, e.g. a fastener or fasteners, may be provided to hold the members or jaws together to hold the bag.

The mechanism, e.g. the hinge and/or detent means is optional and may be varied to provide alternative or additional functions. For example, the detent means may be modified to be engageable with further abutments (not shown) to hold the handle in a mounting position extending downwards at an angle of about 60 to 90 , e.g.

70" to the underside of the frame, so that the frame is cantilevered out from the mounting to hold open the bag, as shown in FIGURE 12, when the handle is mounted on the mounting via a socket (not shown) in the handle. A lid 19 (FIGURE 13) may be provided, e.g. to clip onto the apparatus preferably in a pivotal manner allowing the lid to be raised or swung upwards from a position overlying the frame and the mouth of the bag.

Whilst it is preferred to form the frame so that the front edge is straight, the front edge may have a slight forwards or rearwards curvature; and although the frame is preferably substantially semi-circular, rectangular or trapezoidal shapes.

The apparatus exemplified in the drawings is proportioned to receive a standard size domestic dust-bin liner (refuse collection) bag, and is intended primarily for use in collecting garden waste such as fallen leaves, hedge trimmings and similar low density bulky waste.

However, the proportions and sizes of the apparatus, and the shape of the handle may be varied, e.g. to take a relatively small bag such as a kitchen bin liner bag, to serve as an alternative to a dust pan.

For ease of moulding, the rear portion 21 may be split from front to rear and the two portions thus formed to be joined by a bridging plate 21A secured to said portions by fasteners.

Furthermore, the embodiment shown in FIGURE 12 may be removed from the mounting and placed on the ground for use in a "hands off" manner, in which the rear end of the handle and the platform rest on the ground so that the frame and handle together serve in the manner of a tripod, to hold the bag open to enable material to be swept, raked, shovelled or otherwise propelled into the bag. To simplify the apparatus whilst retaining this "hands off" facility, the hinge may be omitted, and the handle fixed to the frame to serve, alternatively as a leg, for supporting the apparatus on the ground with the mouth of bag open. A top handle may also be provided, generally above the position of the omitted hinge, to facilitate the apparatus being lifted from the ground.

Claims (13)

1. Apparatus comprising a bag support frame which defines an opening and includes a frame member and a clamp member to cooperate with the frame member for clamping a mouth portion of a bag therebetween to support and hold open the mouth of the bag at said opening; wherein the bag support frame has a rear end portion, supported or supportable by a handle, and a front end portion which provides a platform having a blunt front edge.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 constructed and arranged so that the handle can be held so that the front edge rests on the ground to enable rubbish to be swept across the platform and into the bag at the point of collection of the rubbish.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 and arranged to be hung upon a mounting.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the handle is provided with a socket to receive a mounting.

5. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the handle is pivotally connected to said support frame by a mechanism comprising a hinge and a detent which is releasable from a locking condition, which restricts or prevents movement of the hinge, to a disengaged position freeing the hinge to permit movement.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the mechanism is arranged so that the handle can be swung between an operational or in use position in which it extends rearwards from said rear end portion, and a storage position in which it extends forwards across said opening.

7. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6 as appended to Claim 3 or 4 wherein the handle is movable between said operational position and a supporting position in which it extends downwards generally alongside part of the bag to hold the opening near to horizontal, when the handle is supported by the mounting to provide an alternative storage condition for the apparatus.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7 including a lid to close the opening when the apparatus is in said alternative storage position.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the frame member provides a channel to receive the clamp member for trapping the mouth portion of the bag in the channel.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the clamp member is made from a resilient material, so as to be a push fit in the channel.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the clamp member is made of a stiff material so as to be a close fit in the channel in which it is held releasably by retaining means.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 6 to 11 as appended to Claim 5 wherein the clamp member is pivotally connected to the handle or the mechanism.

13. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGURES 1 TO 11, or FIGURE 12, or FIGURES 12 and 13 of the accompanying drawings.