GB2310587A - Waste bin with pivotable hook and trunnion lifting attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

A side lift attachment 14 suitable for a refuse bin 11 comprises a mounting member 15 for attachment to the side of the bin and a lifting member 16 pivotably attached to the mounting member 15 (about an axis 17 fig 1) having a trunnion 21 and a limb 22 connected substantially orthogonally thereto, the limb 22 having a hook 23 which may have a downwardly opening pocket. The provision of the pivoting lifting member 16 comprising both a hook 23 and a trunnion 21 means that by rotation of the lifting member 16, the refuse bin can be lifted by vehicles adapted to lift with either hook or trunnion systems equally. Preferably, a latching system is used to hold the lifting member in one or the other of the two operational positions which may comprise a spring loaded plunger (25 fig 2) or a gravity pin (104 fig 5). A system of two such side lift attachments 14 can be welded or bolted to a bin for use. The mounting member may be recessed to accommodate the lifting member (see fig 7).

Description

WASTE CONTAINER This invention concerns a waste container and particularly a wheeled waste container for domestic refuse.

Wheeled waste containers have become widely used in recent years and generally comprise a bin having a lifting attachment engageable by a lifter of a vehicle to upend the bin for emptying in the vehicle.

Several different kinds of lift system have evolved, and lifters of refuse vehicles have consequently become rather complicated since they may be required to deal with bins adapted to the different systems.

Two systems are in use which provide for bins to be lifted from the sides thereof. The 'trunnion' system has opposed cylindrical extensions which are engaged by spaced lifting hooks of the refuse vehicle. The 'side hook' system has opposed front facing hook members which are engaged by a different kind of lifting hook mechanism.

It would be advantageous if side lift bins could be lifted by vehicles adapted to either the trunnion or side hook systems. However the provision of both kinds of attachment to a bin must ensure safe reliable lifting without the possibility of accident due to incorrect or partial engagement of the lifting apparatus.

According to the present invention there is provided a side lift attachment for a refuse bin and comprising a mounting member for attachment to the side of a refuse bin and a lifting member pivoted on the mounting member about a pivot axis, the lifting member having two substantially orthogonal limbs in a plane substantially orthogonal to said pivot axis, one of said limbs comprising a cylindrical trunnion, and the other of said limbs comprising a hook.

Such an attachment has the advantage that since the trunnion and hook are at substantially right angles, the attachment can present only one but not both for engagement by the lifting mechanism. This means that the possibility of partial or incomplete engagement is substantially eliminated.

The arrangement also has the advantage that lifting loads are fed into the wall of the container through the single mounting member only, thus avoiding the necessity of reinforcing two mounting areas on the side of the bin.

Furthermore the trunnion and hook can be positioned on the lifting member at substantially the same distance from the hinge axis, thereby ensuring that the bin is suspended about a common lift axis so as to behave on the lifting mechanism in a desired manner with regard to the centre of gravity of the bin.

In a preferred embodiment latching means is provided to retain the lifting member in one or other position. The latching means may be a spring loaded plunger mounted on one of the mounting member and lifting member and engageable in a recess of the other of the mounting member and lifting member. Alternatively the latching means may be a gravity element engageable to latch the mounting member in one or other position of use.

Preferably the trunnion faces to the rear in the inactive condition. This arrangement is advantageous because the trunnion is protected from accidental collision damage with the lifting mechanism of the refuse vehicle.

Preferably the hook is located within an external recess of the container when in the inactive condition, thereby also being protected from collision damage.

The mounting member is preferably attachable by bolts to the side of a container and may be of sufficient size to distribute lifting loads satisfactorily. In the case of steel bins, a steel mounting member may of course be attached by welding. Other attachment methods are possible.

The attachment may be of any suitable material (such as plastic or steel), or a composite of several materials.

Other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment shown by way of example only in the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a refuse bin incorporating the invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the bin of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bin of Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 show a first alternative embodiment in the two conditions of use; Fig. 6 shows a stay from above; and Figs. 7 and 8 show a second alternative embodiment in the two conditions of use.

With reference to the drawings, a refuse bin comprises a hollow carcass 11 whose top is open. Wheels (not shown) are attached in use to brackets 12, and a lid (not shown) is usually provided. Along the front edge a comb bar 13 may be provided for engagement by a comb of a vehicle lifting mechanism - this invention is however not concerned with the comb bar.

Attached to the side of the container by e.g. bolts (not shown) are two identical but mirror image attachments 14 each comprising a mounting member 15 and a lifting member 16 hinged thereto about a substantially upright axis 17. As illustrated a respective reinforcement 19 is provided to spread the lifting load on the bin. Each mounting member 15 comprises spaced tubular portions adapted to receive a hinge pin 18, and the respective lifting member 16 has a single tubular portion engageable between the tubular portions of the mounting member 15 to receive the hinge pin 18. Each hinge pin 18 is an interference fit in the respective lifting member 16. The arrangement could be reversed if desired, and more interengageable tubular portions provided in the manner of a door hinge.

As best seen in Fig. 3, each lifting member has two limbs 21,22 substantially at right angles to one another and lying in a plane orthogonal to the hinge axis. One limb 21 comprises a conventional trunnion whilst the other limb 22 has a hook 23 formed at the end thereof. The precise form of the trunnion and hook are conventional as is their lateral extent in relation to the side of the carcass and with each other, this dimension being determined according to known standards.

Fig. 3 illustrates the hooks 23 in the active condition whereby the associated limbs 22 are substantially parallel to the front edge of the carcass 11. A spring loaded plunger 25 mounted on the upper tubular portion of each mounting member is engageable in a recess 26 of the respective hinge pin so as to retain the hook in the active condition. The head of each plunger 25 has a hole 27 for engagement of a tool whereby the plunger can be disengaged from the recess against resilient force to permit the respective lifting member to pivot.

The trunnions 21 face rearwardly in Fig. 3 thereby being protected from accidental damage and also providing a partial shield for the plungers 25.

Disengagement of the plungers permits the lifting members to pivot to the condition illustrated in Fig. 1 whereby the trunnions 21 are in the active condition and the hooks 23 are inactive. Each plunger engages a second recess of the respective hinge pin in this condition. As illustrated the hooks are in fact housed in respective recesses 28 of the carcass 11 where they are protected from accidental damage and do not present a hazard to pedestrians.

Fig. 3 illustrates the lifting axis 29 of the container. The offset mounting of the trunnion 21 means that both hook and trunnion lie on approximately the same transverse lifting axis in use, thereby ensuring that tipping of the container occurs in a predictable and desirable manner regardless of the method of lifting employed. Furthermore the lateral extent of one of the hook and trunnion may be varied to suit operating standards without affecting the other.

The attachment may be easily retrofitted to an existing bin as a replacement or an addition.

Figs. 4 and 5 show an alternative attachment 114 comprising a generally planar mounting member 115 and a lifting member 116 hinged thereto; the middle part of the hinge is part of the mounting member 115. A tubular trunnion 121 and a hook 123 are substantially as previously described. The attachment is fabricated from steel by welding, and is attached to a container side either by bolts or by welding.

A stay 130 (Fig. 6) comprises an open U-shaped channel having upwardly directed side walls. One end of the stay is pivoted and retained on the lifting member 116 through hole 100, and the stay is supported for arcuate movement on a plate 101 fixed to the side of the container, for example by bolts or welding. (For reasons of clarity the plate is not shown in Figs. 4 and 5 but is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8).

The other end of the stay has two holes 102,103 in the base thereof for engagement by a latching pin 104 having a reduced diameter tip. The pin 104 is cylindrical and is housed in a tubular support 105 of a bracket 106 fixed to the side of the container, for example by bolts or welding.

The pin 104 has a laterally extending handle 107 which rests against the upper angled surface of the tubular support 105, as illustrated.

In use the pin 104 is raised relative to the support 105, by rotating the handle 107, and thereby disengages one of the holes 102,103. Reverse movement of the handle 107 causes the pin to engage the stay 130, and in fact the pin will drop downwardly under the effect of gravity, at the same time turning to place the handle 107 against the side of the container as illustrated.

The holes 102,103 are positioned to retain the lifting member 116 with either the trunnion 121 or hook 123 in the active condition. In operation the 104 pin is released from the respective hole 102,103 and the lifting member is pivoted to the other extreme position, the pin re-engaging the other hole 102,103 automatically under the effect of gravity as they become aligned.

Another alternative arrangement is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Common parts carry the same reference numerals. A bolt 108 to pivot the stay 130 on the lifting member 116 is illustrated along with the support plate 101 for the stay 130. In this embodiment the mounting member 115A is recessed so as to at least partially house the hook 123 in the stowed condition; the bracket 106 is secured to the member 115A to complete the assembly. A secondary recess 131 is provided for the nose of the hook 123, and a secondary reinforcement 132 is provided for the hinge of the lifting member 116.

The embodiment of Figs. 6 and 7 may be installed in an aperture, for example by welding, or may be provided with an external flange (not illustrated) for attachment by bolts. The recessed construction of this embodiment provides additional stiffness to an otherwise planar side of a container.

The Din 104 may be biased by a spring to the engaged condition in stay 130.

Claims (13)

CLAIMS:

1. A side lift attachment for a refuse bin and comprising a mounting member for attachment to the side of a refuse bin and a lifting member pivoted on the mounting member about a pivot axis, the lifting member having two substantially orthogonal limbs in a plane substantially orthogonal to said pivot axis, one of said limbs comprising a cylindrical trunnion, and the other of said limbs comprising a hook.

2. An attachment according to Claim 1 wherein the trunnion is tubular.

3. An attachment according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said hook comprises an arm having an open pocket at the free end thereof, said pocket being on the side of said arm opposite to said trunnion and extending in the direction of said pivot axis.

4. An attachment according to Claim 3 wherein said pocket defines a lift axis parallel to said arm and offset from said pivot axis.

5. An attachment according to Claim 4 wherein the longitudinal axis of said trunnion is offset from said pivot axis.

6. An attachment according to Claim 5 wherein said lift axis and longitudinal axis have the same offset from said pivot axis.

7. An attachment according to any of Claims 3-6 wherein said trunnion is attached to said arm.

8. An attachment according to any preceding claim and further including releasable latching means to retain said lifting member against pivoting relative to said mounting member.

9. An attachment according to Claim 8 wherein said latching means comprise a spring loaded plunger of the lifting member engageable in a recess of the mounting member.

10. An attachment according to Claim 8 wherein said latching means comprises a gravity element engageable with a stay of the lifting member.

11. A refuse bin having an attachment according to any preceding claim affixed to opposite sides thereof.

12. An attachment substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A refuse bin substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.