GB2245817A - Rubbish bag supporting frame - Google Patents

Abstract

A frame to support a rubbish sack, the frame being essentially conical in shape and substantially narrower at the top (12) than at the bottom (18), the frame being collapsible, when not in use, to form a so-called "flat pack", and the rubbish sack being supported inside the structure of the frame, in use. <IMAGE>

Description

RUBBISH BAG.SUPPI)RTING FRAME Background to the invention The invention relates to a frame which will support a rubbish bag and is particularly, though not exclusively, applicable to the use of a rubbish sack to collect garden waste.

Plastic rubbish sacks are notoriously difficult to fill with rubbish.

This task is especially difficult to achieve when trying to fill a rubbish sack oneself and, is made only slightly easier, when a second individual holds the sack open to allow the sack to be filled.

Rubbish sacks are often used by gardeners in preference to a wheel barrow to collect garden waste because when full, the rubbish sack can be immediately put into the dustbin. The alternative, that of using a wheel barrow, can involve then transferring the waste from the wheel barrow to a rubbish sack, but, then the same difficulty of filling the rubbish sack arises again.

The invention provides a frame to support a rubbish sack so that the rubbish sack can be filled by a single individual without the need for a second individual to hold open the rubbish sack. The invention also provides such a frame which is easy to store while being exceptionally stable and generally protective of the rubbish sack, in use.

Summary of the invention According to the invention in its broadest aspect there is provided a frame to support a rubbish sack, the frame being essentially conical in shape and substantially narrower at the top than at the bottom, the frame being collapsible, when not in use, to form a so-called "flat pack", and the rubbish sack being supported inside the structure of the frame, in use.

The foldable flat-pack nature of the frame makes it take up less space in a point-of-sales display and when stored.

Preferably the frame has at least three legs issuing from the top of the frame. In one alternative to this, the base of the frame may be a closed or substantially closed loop.

Preferably the frame has at least two hoops, one of which encircles the narrower end of the frame and the second hoop encircling the frame at a point remote from the first hoop.

Additional hoops may encircle the essentially conical frame to give added strength to the structure.

The frame preferably has at least one rod, one end of which is attached to a first point on the upper most hoop and the other end of which is attached to a point on a second hoop, vertically below said first point; or vice versa. The function of this rod is to provide a method of securing and releasing the hinges without having to operate each individual hinge manually.

The frame may be hinged at the junctions of each hoop with each leg and each hoop itself may be hinged along its length.

There may be means provided to secure the rubbish sack on the upper part of the legs, either on the outside or inside of the frame.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of rubbish sack supporting frame.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the frame of Figure 1.

Figure 3a shows a perspective view of the frame of Fgure 1 when partially collapsed.

Figure 3b shows a perspective view similar to that of Figure 3a but illustrating an alternative method to effect the collapsing of the frame.

Figure 4 shows a front elevation of a second embodiment of the frame.

Figure 5 shows a side elevation of the frame of figure 4.

Figure 6 shows a front elevation of a further alternative embodiment.

I)escrlstlon of the Preferred Embodiment As shown in Figure 1, an essentially frusto-conically shaped frame 10 comprises four legs 11 issueing downwardly, in use, from a top end comprising a square hoop 12. A further square hoop 13 encircles the frame 10 lower down.

A rod 14 is attached, either permanently or removably, to the first hoop 12 and the second hoop 13. The rod 14 may be a piece of strong wire or a strong spring. The attachment of each end of the rod 14 to the hoops 12 and 13 can be made using any appropriate method. As shown in Figure 2, rods 14 can be positioned at more than one point on the frame.

Each hoop 12, 13 is formed of eight similarly-sized portions each articulable relative to the adjacent portions by means of hinges.

At the junction of each hoop 12, 13 with each leg 11, there is a hinge 15. One end of each portion of hoop 12 is hinged to a leg 11 at a hinge 15, while the other end of the portion is hinged to a corresponding end of an adjacent portion of the hoop 12 by a hinge 16. Hoop 13 is similarly constructed to hoop 12.

Figures 3a and 3b show alternative methods of collapsing the frame in a single plane. In Figure 3a the rod 14 (one rod only is shown) is pulled towards the feet, or base, 18 of the frame, releasing the hinges and allowing the frame to collapse. Figure 3b shows an alternative method, where the rod 14 (one rod only shown) is pulled upwards away from the feet 18 to release the hinges. The frame may be further compressed by releasing the hinges about which the frame is held in a second plane and collapsing the frame in that plane also. It will be appreciated that the illustrated preferred embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 provides the facility to collapse the frame in two planes. This facility is, however, not an essential feature of the present invention which requires only that the frame be collapsible to a "flat-pack" state.

Referring now to Figure 1. Means to secure the rubbish sack to the frame, for example using hooks 19, are provided on the outside of the frame 10. These hooks 19 could equally well be positioned on the inside of the frame.

The frame legs 11 are grooved at 20 to receive a plastics sheet 21. This sheet will provide extra support for the rubbish sack as it is filled with waste, so that the sack will be less likely to tear away from hooks 19. This is particularly valuable where the sack is unable to rest with its bottom against the ground. In addition, the fact that the plastics sheet 21 will hold the rubbish sack above the ground makes the frame 10 more readily mobile.

Sheet 21 may be a relatively rigid sheet whose comparatively thick edges are a close fit within the walls of grooves 20, or it may be a flexible sheet, of comparable thickness to that of the sack (it could in fact be constituted by another, unopened, sack); in which case grooves 20 may be replaced by clips, to grip the sheet edges in place, or hooks on which the sheet edges can be impaled.

In Figures 3a and 3b, feet 18 of the frame are shown to be approximately parallel to the floor. The feet 18 can be adapted to be wheeled, for example by adding castors or skids to two or more of them.

Although the frame has been described as essentially conical, with encircling hoops, the drawings make it clear that these terms do not restrict the invention to circular-plan frames but also encompass substantially pyramidal frames.

Although the present invention has been described above with respect to one preferred embodiment thereof numerous alternative embodiments are conceivable without exercise of inventive thought.

For example, referring to Figures 4 and 5, a frame 10' is shown which differs substantially from the structure of the preferred embodiment and is designed for simplicity and economy of manufacture. The frame 10' comprises a pair of rigid "A"-frames 24,25 which are collapsibly inter-connected by a pair of struts 23.

As can be seen from Figure 5, the strut 23 is pivotally mounted to a rear one 24 of the pair of "A"-frames. The end of the strut 23 remote from the end which is mounted to the rear "A"-frame 24 is connected to the front "A"-frame 25 by a slidable pivotal connection 26 which comprises a pin on the front "A"-frame 25 that seats in and slides along a slot in the strut 23. The pin of this connection suitably incorporates means for tightening the joint, such as, for example, a nut.

In a further alternative embodiment,illustrated in Figure 6, a pair of sliding struts 23 are provided inter-connecting the "A" -frames 24,25 at each side of the frame 10'. These form a cross with the upper ends of the struts 23 having static pivot mountings to the respective "A"-frame 24, 25 and the lower end of each strut 23 being mounted to the opposing "A"-frame by a sliding pivot.

Claims (12)

CLAIMS:

1. A frame to support a rubbish sack, the frame being essentially conical in shape and substantially narrower at the top than at the bottom, the frame being collapsible, when not in use, to form a socalled "flat pack", and the rubbish sack being supported inside the structure of the frame, in use.

2. A frame as claimed in Claim 1, said frame having at least three legs issuing from the top thereof.

3. A frame as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the base of the frame comprises a closed or substantially closed loop.

4. A frame as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3, said frame having at least two hoops, one of which encircles the narrower end of the frame and the second of which encircles the frame at a region of the frame remote from the first hoop.

5. A frame as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the frame is hinged at the junction of each said hoop with each said leg.

6. A frame as claimed in Claim 5 wherein each said hoop is, itself, hinged along its length.

7. A frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein hook means are provided on the upper, in use, region of the frame to secure the rubbish sack to the frame.

8. A frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a supportive sheet is mounted to and extends within the frame to support the rubbish sack, in use.

9. A frame as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base of the frame is provided with wheels and/or skids.

10. A frame as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein at least one adjustment rod is provided, one end of which rod is attached to a first point on the uppermost hoop and the other end of which rod is attached to a point on the second hoop vertically below the first point; or vice versa.

11. A frame as claimed in any of Claims 1-5, 7, 8 or 9, wherein the frame comprises a pair of rigid "A"-frames which are collapsibly inter-connected by one or more pairs of struts.

12. A frame to support a rubbish sack substantially as described herein with reference to figures 1-3 or figures 4 and 5, or figures 5 and 6 of the drawings,