GB2297964A

GB2297964A - Container for collecting textiles

Info

Publication number: GB2297964A
Application number: GB9502576A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lothar Wegmann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-02-10
Filing date: 1995-02-10
Publication date: 1996-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2015-02-10
Also published as: GB9502576D0; GB2297964B

Abstract

A container for collecting textiles or other articles of value, which houses a transport sack (2) into which articles packed in bags by donors can be placed, whereby the container (1) comprises a tube (4) which is closed at the bottom and open at the top, the upper opening (5) of which can be closed by a liftable lid (6) on the underside of which a device for receiving bags (7) is attached, characterised in that the device is closed by an insertion tube (9) which is open at both ends and connected to the lid (6), the inner opening (10) of the insertion tube (9) having a first flap (12) that is spring biased to its closed position and the entrance (13) of the insertion tube (9) is closed by a second flap (15) controlled by its own weight and pivotable about a horizontal axis across the insertion tube at an angle to the vertical.

Description

Description The invention relates to a container for collecting textiles and other articles of value which houses a transport sack into which items that have been packed into bags by donors can be placed, whereby the container consists of a tube closed at the bottom and open at the top, the upper opening of which can be closed by a liftable lid, on the under side of which a device for receiving donations (packed in bags) is provided.

A design of a container for collecting articles of value is known from German utility model no. G 9201978.

The practical difficulties of working with containers of this kind has made it necessary to develop a new design which ensures that articles do not get wet during transportation or repeated reloading. Textiles that have become wet are worth only a fraction of their former value. Textiles should also not be subjected to mechanical stresses as otherwise they get torn or the bags into which they are packed get mixed up. It is particularly important that items of clothing that belong together are found together in one bag when they are sorted. The recycling of used textiles has meanwhile developed into a significant branch of industry. There is a great demand for these articles in the Third World. Sorting businesses are being set up everywhere which buy textiles of this kind, sort and then sell them. Only a careful combination of known and new features can solve this problem.An additional consideration is that gang theft is becoming more common and that children are being trained to climb into these kinds of containers and steal things. This gives rise to considerable economic losses.

The objective of the invention is therefore to find a way to eliminate previous disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a container for collecting textiles or other articles of value, which houses a transport sack into which articles packed in bags by donors can be placed, whereby the container comprises a tube which is closed at the bottom and open at the top, the upper opening of which can be closed by a liftable lid on the under side of which a device for receiving bags is attached, characterised in that the device is closed by an insertion tube which is open on both sides and connected to the lid, the inner opening of the insertion tube having a first flap which is spring-biased to its closed position and the entrance of the insertion tube is closed by a second flap which is controlled by its own weight and is pivotable about a horizontal axis across the insertion tube at an angle to the vertical.

By virtue of the invention it is impossible for adults or children to climb into the containers and commit acts of theft. It is also impossible to reach into the inner chamber of the container and to pull the clothing out by using tools.

Furthermore, it is impossible for articles to get wet as they are packed in waterproof bags when inserted. The dimensions are specifically chosen and aligned so that children cannot get through the available openings and it is impossible to reach into the inner chamber using tools. The features of Claims 2 to 5 relate to the design of the insertion device.

Claim 6 is relevant to the assembly of the container and makes it possible to lift the lid and to secure it easily by means of locks or the like. Claim 7 which refers to the transport sack is particularly important for protecting articles of value on transportation. It ensures dry transportation. Even when articles are handled roughly they cannot be damaged in a transport sack of this kind.

In Claim 9 the assembly of the container is simplified in particular when the lid is suspended on a crane and is to be lowered. Claim 10 relates mainly to Claim 7.

Claim 11 also relates to security whilst Claim 12 is of considerable importance in that it states the dimensions required to prevent theft and to ensure sufficient accessibility for the persons making donations. Simple as the teachings of claim 13 and 14 are they are still considerably important as the working time needed for the various loading and unloading processes contributes significantly to costs.

Descrintion of Fiaures The drawings show in Figure 1 a longitudinal cross-section of the container with the transport sack suspended therein.

Figure 2 shows a view from above of the container without a lid.

Figure 3 shows the transport sack when lifted out of tube forming the housing by a crane hook.

Figure 4 shows a cross-section of the tube.

Figure 5 shows the locking flaps from inside the container which are suspended in the insertion tube.

Figure 6 shows a view in which the insertion tube is pivoted by 90 . The opened flap is visible.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the transport sack.

The container for collecting items of value 1 consists of a tube 4, in which the transport sack 2 is located and which is sealed by the lid connected to the upper opening 5. The lid 6 has an ring 31 for a crane on its upper side which is positioned off-centre relative to the central axis to balance the weight when the raised lid 6 is suspended on the crane hook. Counterweights 32 can also be provided.

Hooks or rings are attached to the lower side 7 of the lid 6 from which loops 23 can be suspended. The transport sack 2 is hung on the lid (see Figure 7) on these connections.

The lid 6 and the transport sack 2 attached thereto are shown in Figure 3 which shows the lid 6 in a raised position.

The clothing collected by donors is placed in bags 3 inside the transport sack 2 which consists of two sacks joined to one another at the upper opening edge.

The outer transport sack unit 28 absorbs all forces and is made of a very strong plastic material. A large insertion bag 29 is located in this outer transport sack unit 28 which is waterproof to prevent wetness from penetrating. Loop-like retainers 25 are positioned at the base of the transport sack 24 which make it possible for operators to direct the lid 6 and transport sack 2 suspended from the crane. To make it easier to position the lid 6 relative to the tube 4 guiding elements 26 (cf. Figure 3) are disposed both on the outer side of the tube 4 and underneath the lid 6 with corresponding projections as guiding means 27.

A device 8 for receiving bags 3 is connected to the lid 6 in order to insert the bags 3 into the container 1 so that they cannot be damaged or removed by unauthorised persons.

The insertion tube serves this purpose the inner opening 10 of which is closed by flaps 12 whereby springs 11 ensure the independent closing of said flaps 12.

Once a bag 3 has passed this barrier they prevent the bag 3 from being pulled back. The base plate 30 of the insertion tube 9 extends beyond the flaps 12 and forms a skirt-like extension 17 the free edge of which curves or is inclined downwards and is provided with spikes, pins or jags 19. The dimensions of the insertion tube 9 are such that even small children are unable to crawl inside. It is also impossible to get to the bags 3 in the transport sack 2 through the insertion tube 9 and pull the bags out using hook-like tools, pliers or the like because of the free edge 18 of the skirt-like extension 17 which reaches up to the longitudinal centre of the container 1. The insertion tube 9 engages with a guiding section 20 in the housing 16 of the tube 4. The flap 15 at the entrance 13 is suspended on a horizontal axis 14 and is longer than the height of the insertion tube 9. The flap therefore rests loosely on the base plate and must be lifted when inserting a bag 3.

When articles of value are collected, in particular textiles, the quality of the articles, which are later sorted and utilised by special companies, is particularly important. If things get wet or are damaged their value is considerably reduced.

The means for preventing theft or for preventing the penetration of wetness or damage should be particularly simple and foolproof. The design of the invention is an excellent solution to this problem.

The housing 16 of the container is preferably a circular tube but in theory it could also have a square shape. Other forms different from the circular shape are also possible.

The transport sack 2 is shown again in a perspective view (in Figure 7). Skirts 22 are attached to the upper edge 21 of the transport sack 2 the free sides of which can be connected to the loops 23. The skirts 22 are fixed to the loops 23 or special rings by their connecting means and are thus held in one position. It is expedient if tapes are provided which are only closed with loops. The four skirts 22 which overlap on closing ensure that wetness cannot penetrate to the inside of the transport sack 2. It is also important that the articles piled up in the transport sack 2 cannot fall out during the various loading processes and that on handling with a crane the stresses that arise do not open the transport sack 2 and release the articles. The loading and unloading processes subject the transport sack 2 to considerable stress. It is therefore important that the outer transport sack unit 28 is extremely stable in material and manufacture. The insertion bag 29 only has the job of holding the bags 3 enclosed therein and protecting them from wetness.

List of features indicated bv reference numerals Container for collecting items of value 1 Transport sack 2 Bag 3 Tube 4 Upper opening 5 Lid 6 Under side (lid) 7 Device (for holding bags) 8 Insertion tube 9 Inner opening insertion tube 10 Springs 11 Flaps 12 Entrance 13 Horizontal axis 14 Flap (entrance) 15 Housing 16 Skirt-like extension 17 Free edge 18 Spikes, pins or jags 19 Guiding section 20 Upper edge transport sack (2) 21 Skirts 22 Rings or loops 23 Base area of transport sack 24 Loop-like retainers 25 Guiding element 26 Guiding means 27 Outer transport sack unit 28 Insertion bag 29 Base plate 30 Crane ring 31 Counterweight 32

Claims

Claims 1. A container for collecting textiles or other articles of value, which houses a transport sack into which articles packed in bags by donors can be placed, whereby the container comprises a tube which is closed at the bottom and open at the top, the upper opening of which can be closed by a liftable lid on the under side of which a device for receiving bags is attached, characterised in that the device is closed by an insertion tube which is open on both sides and connected to the lid, the inner opening of the insertion tube having a first flap which is spring-biased to its closed position and the entrance of the insertion tube is closed by a second flap which is controlled by its own weight and is pivotable about a horizontal axis across the insertion tube at an angle to the vertical.
2. A container according to Claim 1, characterised in that the insertion tube has a rectangular cross section and is fixed to the lid.
3. A container according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the entrance is on the outside of the housing of the tube.
4. A container according to any one of Claims 1-3, characterised in that the insertion tube has a skirt-like extension at the end of its base wall which is inclined downwardly.
5. A container according to any one of Claims 1-4, characterised in that the free edge of the skirt-like extension is provided with spikes, pins or jags.
6. A container according to any one of Claims 1-5, characterised in that the insertion tube engages with a guiding section of the container tube.
7. A container according to any one of Claims 1-6, characterised in that skirts are attached at the upper edge of the transport sack, the free sides of which can be connected to rings or loops.
8. A container according to any one of Claims 1-7, characterised in that loop-like holders are provided in the base area of the transport sack.
9. A container according to any one of Claims 18, characterised in that guiding elements welded on to the container tube correspond with guiding means on the lid.
10. A container according to any one of Claims 1-9, characterised in that the transport sack comprises an external force-absorbing outer bag section and an inner waterproof insertion bag which are connected together at the upper edge of the transport sack.
11. A container according to any one of Claims 1-10, characterised in that the lid is secured to the container tube by a locking device.
12. A container according to any one of Claims 1-11, characterised in that the distance from the entrance to the inner opening of the insertion tube is longer than an average child's arm and optionally its height above the base plate is about 130 cm.
13. A container according to any one of Claims 1-12, characterised in that the lid forms a curved cover projecting over the edge of the container tube on all sides and a crane ring which is positioned off-centre towards the insertion tube.
14. A container according to any one of Claims 1-12, characterised in that counterweights are attached to the lid.