GB2251395A - "A method and apparatus for crushing cans" - Google Patents

Abstract

The method comprises folding the end panels 31 of the can 21 inwardly towards one another until they and the portions of the can's main body connecting them are substantially flat. As shown, the can 21 rests against a fixed abutment surface 17 between pivoted crushing arms 28. The crushing arms 28 are swung towards one another, e.g. by operation of a lever arm, or power means, which may also operate a creasing finger 33 to deform the middle of the can 31 to facilitate crushing. The flattened can then falls through a gap 20 adjacent the surface 17 and into a collecting receptacle. The apparatus may form part of a vending apparatus. An array of flexible bristles 18 will be insufficient to support the weight of an article heavier than an empty can which will fall past the bristles 18 into a collection bin 30. Details of a metal casing housing the apparatus are shown in Figure 1. Various modifications are disclosed e.g. to differentiate between aluminium and steel cans. <IMAGE>

Description

"A Method and Apparatus for Crushing Cans" The invention relates to the crushing of cans, and particularly, but not exclusively, to the crushing of empty beverage cans for disposal.

Many alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are sold in steel or aluminium cans. Such cans usually comprise a generally tubular body part, normally circular in cross-section, which is closed at its opposite ends by generally parallel circular end panels. One of the end panels normally incorporates what is known as a "ring-pull" device to enable a pouring aperture to be formed in one end of the can.

It is desirable that such cans, when empty, should be disposed of, so as to avoid litter. It is also desirable that they should be disposed of in a location which is restricted to the disposal of cans, so that the material of the used cans can be recovered and recycled. Because empty cans take up a great deal of space in relation to their actual material content, it is also desirable that the cans should be crushed and substantially flattened before disposal.

However, the geometric structure of a tubular can is such that it is very strong along some of its axes and therefore considerable force may be required to crush it. For example, it is well known that a hollow tube is highly resistant to failure under forces applied in the direction of its central longitudinal axis.

Also, the end panels of the can, being surrounded by a folded and welded peripheral rim, are also highly resistant to deformation by forces applied in the plane of the panel. The normal method of crushing cans is simply to place them, in substantially random orientation, between two surfaces which are forced together. Since the cans may well happen to be orientated in a direction of their greatest strength, the force required to crush the cans may be substantial and it may not, for example, be possible to apply sufficient force manually.

The present invention sets out to provide a can crushing method and apparatus which may allow such cans to be crushed by a comparatively small force, for example applied manually, whereby the apparatus may be comparatively simple and cheap to manufacture and maintain. Due to its cheapness and simplicity, such apparatus may be widely used and may be provided for crushing and disposal of cans at virtually any location where cans of beverage are sold. For example, where cans are dispensed from a vending machine, the can crushing apparatus may be associated with, or even incorporated in, the vending machine.

According to the invention there is provided a method of crushing a can of the kind comprising a generally tubular body part closed at its opposite ends by generally parallel end panels, the method comprising folding the end panels inwardly towards one another until they, and hence the portions of the main body part connecting them, lie substantially in a single plane. Preferably the end panels are folded towards one another simultaneously.

Since the end panels are simply folded towards one another until they lie in the general plane of the flattened can, it is not necessary to deform the end panels themselves in any way. Furthermore, as the end panels are folded towards one another, the tubular body part of the can is crushed both axially and laterally beginning from one side only. Consequently the axial forces applied to the tubular body part are not opposed with the total resistance of which the body part is capable when purely axial forces are applied to it. By crushing the can in this manner, only the minimum of force is required and such force may easily be applied manually.

The method according to the invention may also include the further step of applying a lateral crushing force to the tubular body part of the can, intermediate the end panels, and in a direction to contribute to said inward folding of the end panels. The application of the lateral crushing force is preferably at least initiated, and may also be completed, before the application of other folding means to the end panels.

The invention also provides apparatus for crushing a can of the kind comprising a generally tubular body part closed at its opposite ends by generally parallel end panels, the apparatus comprising means for supporting a can in a crushing location, spaced movable crushing elements disposed at opposite ends of the crushing location, and means for moving said elements towards one another in a manner to engage the end panels of a can in the crushing location and fold said panels inwardly towards one another until they, and hence the portions of the main body part connecting them, lie substantially in a single plane.

Said crushing elements may be mounted for pivotal swinging movement about substantially parallel pivot axes. For example, they may each comprise a rigid panel which is pivotal about an axis located at or adjacent one edge of the panel.

Means may also be provided for applying a lateral crushing force to the tubular body part of the can, intermediate the end panels, and in a direction to contribute to said inward folding of the end panels.

For example, said means may comprise a creasing member movable towards and away from a plane containing the pivot axes of the crushing elements. Means for moving the creasing member may be coupled to the means for pivoting the crushing elements, so that the application of the lateral crushing force is at least initiated before the crushing elements begin folding the end panels inwardly.

Preferably said means for supporting a can in the crushing location includes an abutment surface to one side of the crushing location, said crushing elements being swingable towards and away from the abutment surface. In this case the pivot axes of the crushing elements preferably lie in or adjacent the plane of the abutment surface.

The abutment surface may be non-horizontal and is preferably substantially vertical or inclined at a small angle to the vertical.

The means for supporting the can in the crushing location may include a support device on which a can rests, under its own weight, when in the crushing location.

The support device may be adapted to yield downwardly, to remove its support, when a can or other object resting on the support device exceeds a predetermined weight. For example, the support device may comprise resiliently flexible elements, such as bristles or the like, mounted at one end and extending cantilever fashion across at least a part of the crushing location. Alternatively, the support device may comprise a panel or the like which is pivotal downwardly against the action of resilient retaining means, such as a spring.

Preferably there is provided a delivery passage extending downwardly from the crushing location, means being provided for discharging the cans from the crushing location after they have been crushed. Said discharging means may comprise an aperture provided by the support device, which aperture is too big to pass an uncrushed can but is located and shaped to pass a can once it has been flattened by the crushing elements.

Preferably the means for moving the crushing elements are adapted to move said elements simultaneously. Said means may comprise a transmission for transmitting movement to the crushing elements from an operating member. The operating member may comprise a manually operable pivoted lever, or may comprise a member movable by power means, such as electric, hydraulic or pneumatic power means.

The following is a more detailed description of embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section through part of a crushing apparatus in accordance with the present invention, Figures 2-5 are diagrammatic horizontal sections through the apparatus showing successive stages in the crushing of a can, Figures 6-9 are similar horizontal sections through a modified form of apparatus, and Figures 10 and 11 are vertical sections through Figures 6 and 9 respectively.

Referring to Figure 1: the can crushing apparatus is housed within a metal casing, the front wall of which is indicated at 10. The casing may conveniently form part of a generally known form of vending apparatus where cans of beverages are dispensed by insertion of appropriate coinage. However, this is not an essential feature of the invention, and the can crushing apparatus may be a self-contained device or may be incorporated in any other type of equipment or installation.

The apparatus comprises a rectangular entry slot 11 in the front wall 10 of the casing, from which a guide passage 12 extends inwardly and downwardly into the casing. The guide chute includes a cranked lower guide member 13 having a downwardly inclined part 14 leading to a vertical end part 15.

A crushing location 16 is defined between the vertical guide 15 and a robust and solidly mounted rear abutment wall 17. The bottom wall of the crushing location 16 is in the form of a support device comprising an array of flexible bristles 18 which are anchored in a clamping bar 19 extending along the front of the crushing location and which extend rearwardly towards the abutment wall 17. However, the bristles 18 stop short of the abutment wall 17 to provide a discharge gap 20. When in the crushing location a can, indicated at 21, normally rests on the bristles 18.

To enable an empty can 21 to be delivered to the crushing location 16, a pivoted feed device 22 is provided. The device 22 comprises a generally V-shaped horizontal trough having a front panel 23 and a rear panel 24, the ends of the trough being closed by sectorshaped end walls 25.

The trough 22 is pivotally mounted, as indicated at 26, so as to swing between a closed position (shown in Figure 1) in which the panel 23 closes the slot 11 in the front of the casing 10, and an open position where the trough is pivoted (to the right in Figure 1) to bring the rear panel 24 into the slot 11. This exposes the interior of the trough 22 to the front of the casing 10, so that an empty can may be inserted in the trough, while at the same time the rear panel 24 of the trough blocks the slot 11 and prevents access to the interior of the apparatus through the slot. A handle 27 is provided on the trough 22 to enable it to be pulled to the open position. The trough may be biased to the closed position by a spring if required. Fixed pins 9 are provided on the casing to limit the pivotal movement of the trough.

At each side of the crushing location, robust panel-shaped crushing arms 28 are hingedly mounted on vertical pivot pins 29 which are in turn mounted on the rear abutment wall 17. The pivot axes of the pins 29 are spaced a short distance in front of the abutment wall 17. The crushing arms 28 are so dimensioned that they may be folded towards one another so as to lie substantially flat against the abutment wall 17 with their free vertical edges in close proximity to one another.

Any suitable form of transmission, not shown, is provided for swinging the two arms 28 towards one another in synchronism. Such transmission may be coupled to an operating lever arm pivotally mounted on the exterior of the casing so that by manually pulling the lever a user can swing the crushing arms 28 towards one another. The transmission may, for example, comprise an arrangement of cables and pulleys. Spring biasing means may be provided for biasing the arms 28 to the open position.

Alternatively, power means may be provided to swing the crushing arms 28 towards and away from one another, such power means being controlled from an operating member accessible on the front of the casing.

The power means may comprise an electric motor or an hydraulic or pneumatic ram suitably coupled to the crushing arms 28 by an appropriate transmission.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The user first pulls the handle 27 so as to swing the trough 22 forwardly out of the casing. An empty can may then be inserted in the trough 22. The dimensions of the trough are such that it will only receive a can in the correct orientation, that is to say with the can extending longitudinally within the trough. The handle 27 is then released or pushed forwardly so that the trough 22 is swung inside the casing. The rear panel 24 of the trough is then inclined downwardly so that the can is discharged downwardly along the passage 12. It falls into the crushing location 16 where it rests on the bristles 18, between the abutment wall 17 and the front guide 15 and between the crushing arms 28, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

If the can is full, or part-full of liquid, instead of being empty, the resilience of the bristles 18 will be insufficient to support its weight and the can will deflect the bristles 18 downwardly so as to fall past them into a collection bin 30. Similarly, any other article, heavier than an empty can, inserted in the apparatus will not be retained in the crushing location 16 but will fall past the bristles 18 into the collection bin 30.

After the empty can has been introduced into the apparatus and rests in the crushing location, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the user pulls the lever or operates the control device so as to swing the crushing arms 28 inwardly towards one another. Figures 2-5 show the crushing sequence.

As shown in Figure 3, the crushing arms 28 engage the circular end panels 31 of the can and fold them inwardly towards the abutment wall 17. This causes the tubular portion 32 of the can, between the end panels 31, to deform as shown in Figure 3. Since the end panels 31 are simply folded bodily, without being significantly crushed themselves, the resistance provided by the can to the inward swinging movement of the crushing arms 28 is comparatively small so that substantial power is not required to operate the crushing arms.

Figure 4 shows the position where the circular end panels 31 have been folded substantially flat against the abutment wall 17, the tubular portion of the can being crushed flat between the panels 31 and the abutment wall 17. Upon release and withdrawal of the crushing arms 28, the flattened can will fall through the gap 20 between the bristles 18 and the abutment wall 17, and into the collection bin 30.

Figures 6-11 show a modified and preferred form of apparatus in which an additional creasing finger is provided to engage and dent a side of the tubular part of the can prior to operation of the crushing arms 28. Such lateral denting of the can initiates the inward folding of the end panels 31 and can considerably reduce the initial power required to swing the crushing arm 28 inwardly towards one another.

In Figures 6-11 components corresponding to the components of Figures 1-5 are given the same reference numerals.

Referring to Figure 6: In the rest position, when the can 21 is delivered between the crushing arms 28, the arms 28 are inclined slightly outwardly away from one another, as shown in chain lines in Figure 6, and do not engage the end panels 31 of the can. A creasing finger 33 is mounted on an arm 34 which is swingable towards and away from the vertical plane containing the pivot axes of the crushing arms 28. As the can 21 is fed to the crushing position, the creasing finger is retracted as shown in chain lines in Figure 6.

(In this embodiment the guide member 13 may have to be modified in shape and/or position to provide space for the creasing finger 33.) The transmission, not shown, for swinging the arm 34 is coupled to the transmission for swinging the crushing arms 28 towards and away from one another so that during the first swinging movement of the arms 28 into engagement with the ends of the can, to the solid line position shown in Figure 6, the creasing finger 33 is urged against the side of the tubular part of the can so as to cause a dent as indicated at 35 in Figure 6.

This weakens the can against axially applied forces and may also begin to swing the end panels 31 of the can slightly inwardly towards one another (although this is not shown in Figure 6).

As the arms 28 continue to be swung inwardly the arm 34 and creasing finger 33 remain in the same position and the can 21 is then crushed flat by the arms 28 in the manner described in relation to Figures 2-5.

Following flattening of the can the arms 28 are retracted to the initial angle position, as shown in Figure 9, and the flattened can falls through the gap 20, as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 9 shows the paths of movement of the free extremities of the crush arms 28 and it will be seen that they are so arranged as to clear the creasing finger 33.

Although Figures 2-5 and 6-9 show a can which is of such a length as substantially to fill the space between the crushing arms 28, this is not essential and the apparatus will crush, in similar fashion, any smaller length of can which is introduced between the crushing arms. Where a shorter can falls into the crushing location, the crushing arms 28 will swing through a small angle before they contact the edges of the end panels 31 which are furthest from the abutment wall 17. Thereafter, however, the end panels 31 will still be folded flat against the abutment wall 17, without themselves being significantly deformed, in similar fashion to that illustrated in Figures 3-5 and 7-9.

Other forms of device may be provided for supporting an empty can in the crushing location and then subsequently discharging the crushed can into the collection bin 30. Thus, the bristles 18 might be replaced by a similarly disposed plate which is pivoted along its front horizontal edge and extends rearwardly towards the abutment wall 17, stopping short thereof to provide the gap 20. In this case the swinging plate is kept in its horizontal position by a light spring, the biasing effect of which is overcome if anything heavier than an empty can passes down the passage 12 and impinges on the plate.

If it is not required that the support device should deflect under the weight of a heavier object, it could simply comprise a fixed shelf, and such an arrangement is indicated at 36 in the embodiment of Figures 6-11.

Instead of there being provided a gap 20 through which the crushed can automatically falls after being flattened, the means for supporting the can in the crushing location may be arranged to be moved out of the way to allow the crushed can to fall into the collection bin 30. For example, the bristle assembly or pivoted plate on which the empty can rests may be coupled to the crushing arms 28, or to any other part of the operating transmission, so as to be swung downwardly when the crushing arms 28 are swung back to the open position shown in Figure 5.

In another alternative arrangement, the mechanism for discharging the crushed can from the apparatus may be constructed to differentiate between aluminium and steel cans. For example, the abutment wall 17 may incorporate magnetic means which will retain a steel can in engagement with the wall. Accordingly, only aluminium cans will be discharged into the collection bin 30 in the manner described above. The discharge sequence will, in that case, provide a further step whereby any steel can retained against the wall 17 by the magnetic means will be discharged to a different bin.

Claims (26)

1. A method of crushing a can of the kind comprising a generally tubular body part closed at its opposite ends by generally parallel end panels, the method comprising folding the end panels inwardly towards one another until they, and hence the portions of the main body part connecting them, lie substantially in a single plane.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the end panels are folded towards one another simultaneously.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, including the further step of applying a lateral crushing force to the tubular body part of the can, intermediate the end panels, and in a direction to contribute to said inward folding of the end panels.

4. A method according to Claim 3, wherein the application of the lateral crushing force is at least initiated before the application of other folding means to the end panels.

5. A method according to Claim 4, wherein the application of the lateral crushing force is completed before the application of other folding means to the end panels.

6. Apparatus for crushing a can of the kind comprising a generally tubular body part closed at its opposite ends by generally parallel end panels, the apparatus comprising means for supporting a can in a crushing location, spaced movable crushing elements disposed at opposite ends of the crushing location, and means for moving said elements towards one another in a manner to engage the end panels of a can in the crushing location and fold said panels inwardly towards one another until they, and hence the portions of the main body part connecting them, lie substantially in a single plane.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein said crushing elements are mounted for pivotal swinging movement about substantially parallel pivot axes.

8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein said crushing elements each comprise a rigid panel which is pivotal about an axis located at or adjacent one edge of the panel.

9. Apparatus according to any of Claims 6 to 8, wherein means are provided for applying a lateral crushing force to the tubular body part of the can, intermediate the end panels, and in a direction to contribute to said inward folding of the end panels.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, wherein said means comprise a creasing member movable towards and away from a plane containing the pivot axes of the crushing elements.

11. Apparatus according to Claim 10, wherein means for moving the creasing member are coupled to the means for pivoting the crushing elements, so that the application of the lateral crushing force is at least initiated before the crushing elements begin folding the end panels inwardly.

12. Apparatus according to any of Claims 6 to 11, wherein said means for supporting a can in the crushing location includes an abutment surface to one side of the crushing location, said crushing elements being swingable towards and away from the abutment surface.

13. Apparatus according to Claim 12, wherein the pivot axes of the crushing elements lie in or adjacent the plane of the abutment surface.

14. Apparatus according to Claim 12 or Claim 13, wherein the abutment surface is non-horizontal.

15. Apparatus according to Claim 14, wherein the abutment surface is substantially vertical or inclined at a small angle to the vertical.

16. Apparatus according to any of Claims 6 to 15, wherein the means for supporting the can in the crushing location include a support device on which a can rests, under its own weight, when in the crushing location.

17. Apparatus according to Claim 16, wherein the support device is adapted to yield downwardly, to remove its support, when a can or other object resting on the support device exceeds a predetermined weight.

18. Apparatus according to Claim 17, wherein the support device comprises resiliently flexible elements mounted at one end and extending cantilever fashion across at least a part of the crushing location.

19. Apparatus according to Claim 17, wherein the support device comprises a panel or the like which is pivotal downwardly against the action of resilient retaining means.

20. Apparatus according to any of Claims 6 to 19, wherein there is provided a delivery passage extending downwardly from the crushing location, means being provided for discharging the cans from the crushing location after they have been crushed.

21. Apparatus according to Claim 20, wherein said discharging means comprise an aperture provided by the support device, which aperture is too big to pass an uncrushed can but is located and shaped to pass a can once it has been flattened by the crushing elements.

22. Apparatus according to any of Claims 6 to 21, wherein the means for moving the crushing elements are adapted to move said elements simultaneously.

23. Apparatus according to any of Claims 6 to 22, wherein said means for moving the crushing elements comprise a transmission for transmitting movement to the crushing elements from an operating member.

24. Apparatus according to Claim 23, wherein the operating member comprises a manually operable pivoted lever.

25. Apparatus according to Claim 23, wherein the operating number is movable by electric, hydraulic or pneumatic power means.

26. Apparatus for crushing a can substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 5 or Figures 6 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.