GB2446014A

GB2446014A - Gravity aided locking mechanism for lid of waste bin, container

Info

Publication number: GB2446014A
Application number: GB0701463A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Scott-Harden; Jack Wood; Adam Walker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-01-26
Filing date: 2007-01-26
Publication date: 2008-07-30
Also published as: GB2446067A; WO2008090009A1; GB0801495D0; GB0701463D0; EP2114798A1

Abstract

A waste container or bin has a movable lid and a main body Figures 1A and 1B. A gravity operated locking means may be provided to lock the lid to the main body. A section of said lock may be provided on the body of the bin and a cooperating section may be fitted on the lid of the bin Figures 1B, 4A-C. Said lock comprises a pendulum plate and a toggle plate wherein the toggle plate, in the locked position, engages with a lid pin to retain the lid, a toggle spring biases the toggle plate to the closed position. Inversion or tipping of the bin, which may be via a truck or lorry unloader causes the pendulum plate to pivot and contact the toggle plate. The mass of said pendulum plate moves the toggle plate to an unlatched position where the lid moves to an open position. A key activated lock may be provided to prevent unauthorized opening when the bin is in the in use position Figure 3A. The lock is intended for use on wheelie, industrial or dumpster type waste bins.

Description

1 2446014 Gravitationally aided bin Iockin2 systems

Description

This invention relates to bin locking devices which can be connected and housed within or become an integral part in the production process for waste disposal and recycle bins for any use such as domestic, commercial, industrial, military and medical. In particular this invention relates to devices which can unlock with gravity in certain positions and are easy to connect by the end user if required. This invention is most specific to devices which do not need to change in design when they are connected to either commercial or domestic bins and their locking and unlocking mechanisms are connected to the main part of the bin as opposed to the lid.

Presently bins are used to store waste, in time, the filled bins are collected and emptied typically by a council or private refuse service. It is understood that emphasis is placed on the importance of minimising waste meaning invariably individuals, families or a collection of people are allocated bin sizes which are inadequate in their waste capacity. The problem is the length of time between collections in relation to the bin size(s). At the point of collection bins are frequently overflowing with waste to the point where waste cannot be housed within the allocated bin.

Perhaps through no fault of the individual, this excess waste will need to be disposed of somehow and there is great temptation to fill the neighbours bin. It may be for hygiene reasons that this act is committed, for example in the height of summer, having soiled nappies sitting near a bin because there is no room in the bin will definitely create a serious health hazard through generation and circulation of dangerous airborne bacteria.

This problem is further exasperated by the division of waste into pre defined categories. This typically allows third parties the opportunity to put any form of waste into the pre defined category bins which not only destroys the system but it means that the bin will get filled too quickly.

The present invention overcomes the above problems by having the ability to lock each pre defined category bin between use. Prior art does exist relating to bin locks, 0B2021 187 describes a system that allows insertion of the entire bin into a housing which can be locked externally. This system is awkward at the point of collection and emptying of waste in addition to being bulky and unpleasant to view. Patent US5085341 describes another external system which makes the user manoeuvre and hold long bars which are heavy and cumbersome and impractical for frequent use. Other systems have been described such as DE19708193A1, FR2802965 and WOOl 17880, these devices are inserted into the bin through a complex connection procedure which requires a skilled tradesman to attach such devices. These devices as a single finished product are unable to attach to variable types and sizes of bins due to the limiting design and the fact that the main mechanism and lock device parts are connected to the bin lid as opposed to the bin. Additionally these devices require a multitude of components which will invariably make the cost to produce including assembly expensive. Therefore a simplified and more commercially viable option such as our invention is required.

Current legislative discussions regarding waste are heading towards a resolution for people to pay by weight on collection of bins. By using our bin locking system the owner of the bin(s) will have the peace of mind that if duty or taxes were to be paid on each bin collection, the taxed weight for example would not include third party waste.

The following figures describe the present embodiment of the invention in which, Figure 1 illustrates a gravitational bin locking system which comprises two parts which can engage and disengage. Figure- lA encompasses a part comprising a Lid Pin' and Lid Bracket' connected and fixed to the lid of a bin. Figure lB encompasses a part comprising a mechanical part internally connected to the bin whose individual components are housed and move in such a way to provide means to open and close/lock the lid of the bin to/from the bin dependant upon the orientation of the bin.

Figure 2 illustrates a gravitational bin locking system in which the housed mechanism is arranged in such a way to operate comprising -i) Pendulum Plate' ii) Toggle Spring' connected to iii) Toggle Plate' Figure 3 illustrates a gravitational bin locking system comprising a third part which provides means for the owner of a bin or an approved third party to unlock and lock the bin lid to the bin by means of physical interaction. This part is connected externally to the bin as shown in Figure 3A and can activate the internal mechanical part also connected to the bin as shown in Figure 3B. In this embodiment the third part is an external Lock Device' with an internal Lock Plate' which may have a detachable component in the form of a key to activate through the lock device rotation the internally connected mechanical part by engaging and disengaging the lock plate to the Pendulum plate'. In other embodiments, combination lock devices could be used in conjunction with a Lock Plate'.

Figure 4 illustrates how the Lid Bracket' can adjust the Lid Pin' to suit any bin size and type and how the bin locking system engages and can be positioned.

The bin locking system mode of operation will now be described The bin locking system opens in our preferred embodiment in the following ways.

When the bin is in the locked position, the user can place an appropriately shaped key into a Lock Device'. The user can then turn the key in the Lock Device' in either direction but we prefer anti clockwise. This movement can then be transmitted through to the Lock Plate' which may in turn engage directly with Pendulum Plate'. The Pendulum Plate' upon engagement can rotate upwards against gravity. Although varying degrees are possible, we prefer after 5 of movement the pendulum plate to come in contact with the Toggle Plate' which is preferably held in position (1) shown in Figure 5A by the Toggle Spring'. The Pendulum Plate' can continue to rotate through the action of the Lock Plate' controlled by the user's rotation of the key. Again varying degrees are possible but we prefer, when the Pendulum Plate' has rotated over 10., the corresponding position of the Toggle Plate' will have rotated 7.5. Once it has got to this position, the Toggle Spring' can hold the Toggle Plate' in this equilibrium position. A further degree of movement, preferably 1 , from the Pendulum Plate' can move the Toggle Plate' past this equilibrium position and Toggle Plate' can be pulled, preferably a further 7.5', into position (2) shown in Figure 5B by the Toggle Spring'. As the Toggle Plate' moves through this final degree of movement, the Lid Pin' will be released and forced out of the Toggle Plate'. The Lid Pin' that is connected to the lid by the Lid Bracket' may then allow the user to open the lid. The Toggle Plate' can continue to stay in this position (2) shown in Figure SB until the Lid Pin' is physically forced back into the Toggle Plate'.

The bin containing our system can be turned upside down. By way of example, the refuse lorry picks the bin up and is inverted to empty the contents. This action reverses the forces of gravity normally applied on the Pendulum Plate' which now rotates or moves downwards or the same direction as if opening our system with a key. After a degree of movement, preferably 5, the Pendulum iiôine into contact with tToggl Plate' which is heiduii position (1) by the Toggle Spring'. The Pendulum Plate' can continue to rotate due to the reversed forces of gravity. Although degrees may vary, we prefer when the Pendulum Plate' has rotated over 10., the corresponding position of the Toggle Plate' will have rotated 7.5 , once it has got to this position, the Toggle Spring' will hold the Toggle Plate' in this equilibrium position. A further 1 of movement from the Pendulum Plate' can move the Toggle Plate' past this equilibrium position and Toggle Plate' can be pulled a further 7.5' into position (2) by the Toggle Spring'. As the Toggle Plate' moves through this final 7.5 of movement, the Lid Pin' will be released and forced out of the Toggle Plate', this action is preferably assisted by gravity acting on the weight of the lid as well. The Lid Pin' that is connected to the lid by the Lid Bracket' may then release the lid and the bin can empty. The Toggle Plate' can continue to stay in this position (2) until the Lid Pin' is physically forced back into the Toggle Plate'.

The bin locking system creates a lock in our preferred embodiment in the following ways.

The lid can be manually shut by the user or refuse collector once they have used the bin. As the Lid Pin' engages into the Toggle Plate', the natural action occurring in the geometry of the Toggle Plate' will rotate the Toggle Plate' back, i4i the order of 15 , through the equilibrium position and into it's natural resting position (1). The lid may now be locked by the Toggle Plate' on the Lid Pin'.

The refuse lorry's mechanics can rotate the bin back to its naturally standing or upright position once the refuse or content has been emptied. This action can swing the lid back into it's resting position, as the Lid Pin' engages into the Toggle Plate', the natural action occurring in the geometry of the Toggle Plate' can rotate the Toggle Plate' 15 back through the equilibrium position and into it's natural resting positjo (1). The lid will now be locked by the Toggle Plate' on the Lid Pin'.

In a further preferred embodiment the system can open with an internal button or Tab' as a further safety measure such as release of a person trapped inside: When the bin is in the locked position, the unit can be opened internally without the use of a key or gravity, a force is transmitted directly onto the Pendulum Plate' through a Tab', as shown in Figure 6, that protrudes through the mechanism part's housing. If the Tab' is pushed, the force can make the Pendulum Plate' rotate upwards against gravity, after 5 of movement it èan come into contact with the Toggle Plate' which is held in position (1) by the Toggle Spring'. The Pendulum Plate' can continue to rotate through the action of the Lock Plate', when the Pendulum Plate' has rotated over 10 , the corresponding position of the Toggle Plate' may have rotated 7.5 , once it has got to this position, the Toggle Spring' can hold the Toggle Plate' in this equilibrium position. A further 1 of movement from the Pendulum Plate' will move the Toggle Plate' past this equilibrium position and Toggle Plate' can be pulled a further 7.5 into position (2) by the Toggle Spring'. As the Toggle Plate' moves through this final 7.5 of movement, the Lid Pin' may be released and forced out of the Toggle Plate'. The Toggle Plate' can continue to stay in this position (2) until the Lid Pin' is physically forced back into the Toggle Plate'. The Lid Pin' that is connected to the lid by the Lid Bracket' can then open the lid. The degrees of movement described are preferable indications but any degree is possible.

The moving components of the Lock Device' including the Lock Plate' and the moving components of the mechanism part, the Pendulum Plate' and the Toggle Plate' can rotate because they are positioned or held at different axis points providing the pivotal motions desired. These pivotal points are preferably formed as part of the housing but can be individual sub-components which are attached to the housing. As shown in the illustrations, each moving component has a different motion or point at which the component rotates around allowing varying degrees of movement. There is space between the pendulum plate and the toggle plate which has been designed to allow or tolerate tampering or shaking movements of the bin. Whilst it is possible to turn the bin upside down to release the lock or let the Toggle Plate' disengage with the Lid Pin', it is not possible to shake the bin in the natural or upright position and open it due to the space allowing sufficient independent movement of the Pendulum Plate' before engagement with the Toggle Plate'.

In addition to allowing the desired movement, the pivot points prevent the moving component from straying from this point either by a clip or protrusion at the end or by forming a wedge between one side of the housing to another. Additionally the housing may be formed from the same or similar material as the bin providing a single molding or two moldings welded or joined together which allows for the moving parts to be inserted inside. This is beneficial if the system is to be an integral part of the bin.

In order for the complete system to operate and further explain each component, the Lock Device' comprises anything which allows instigation or activation of the bin locking system. This can include combination locks, frequency locks, magnetic locks, temperature locks and the like but we prefer key locks to manually activate the mechanical part for opening and closing of the bin lid. It is important that the lock device is capable of being attached to the exterior of the bin at a point which allows for engagement with the lock plate. Part of the Lock Device' needs to be able to rotate around an axis when.manually turned providing a clockwise or preferably anti clockwise motion.

Lock Plate' can be any shape providing part of the shape allows for engagement with the lock device in certain positions, has means to be connected but allowing the directional movement desired. The Lock plate' can be made of any appropriate plastic or metal material.

Pendulum Plate' can be any shape providing the plate is located around a point allowing the pendulum to rotate and connect with the Toggle Plate' there is space when in the resting position between the Toggle Plate' and the Penduiwn Plate'. The plate also needs to be able to engage with the Lock Plate' at a point which provides the desired movement. The pendulum can be either plastic or metal but preferably weighted at the point which aids the motion of gravity to allow the pendulum to move up or down.

Toggle Plate' can be any shape providing it can engage with the Pendulum Plate' at the desired point, is located around point which provides desired movement and has means to attach the Toggle Spring'. The plate needs to also.provide an arm or surround in its shape to slide or slot over the Lid Pin' when engaged to create the lock between the bin lid and bin when attached but also have the shape to disengage from the Lid Pin'.

Toggle Spring' needs to have means of attaching to the Toggle Plate' and fixed to the main case or housing of the internal mechanism part. Be of sufficient tension to ensure the Toggle Plate' in its resting position remains locked around the Lid Pin' but be sufficiently elastic, flexible or have less force to allow movement of the Toggle Plate' when engaged with the greater forces of the Pendulum Plate' when applied. The spring can be made of appropriate plastic but it is preferable that it is metal due to the repetitive use and wear put on this component.

Lid Pin' can be any shaped bar or rod or hollow tube providing it can connect and be held by the shape of the Toggle Plate' at the point of temporary connection. The Lid Pin' and the Toggle Plate' at this point need to have complimentary shapes acting like male and female parts. The pin needs to be able to be housed or connected permanently to the Lid Bracket'. Whilst a strong plastic can be used it is preferable to be made of metal.

Lid Bracket' can be of any shape providing the bracket is able to connect to a bin, have the ability to adjust to any sized bin and house the Lid Pin'. It is preferable to be made of an appropriate plastic such as ABS or any other polymer.

The bin under normal use will need to resist all weather conditions and ambient temperatures.

During theses conditions, when the bin lid is opened rain will get inside as well as dust etc. In addition to this, other liquid wastes and debris will be poured/put into the bin which will inevitably at some point come into contact with the external part of the bin locking system's housings. It is also likely that such deposited matter will not be cleaned or removed on a regular basis. Therefore it is most important that the internal housings of the bin locking system prevent introduction of waste matter including liquids from preventing the moving parts from not moving properly. Which is another reason why we prefer that the housing is made from a single plastic form.

One of the benefits of having the Lock Device' positioned on the external main part of the bin is that the lip of the bin covers and/or protects the point at which the key is inserted into the Lock Device'.

It is possible to lose the key and even spare key to the bin locking system of one embodiment. If this is the case we would recommend this problem can be overcome by the refuse lorry operators having a master key or that additional keys will be able to be purchased through the manufacturer.

During transport, bins are typically stacked inside each other with lids open to save space from manufacture to third parties for distribution. The present design of the bins are generally tapered and it is preferable that the internal mechanism part's housing does not protrude beyond this tapered distance still allowing bins to be stacked in transit. Our present invention's mechanism part can be very flat in appearance due to the simplistic design, the moving parts as described can be flat plates which are very thin. This also prevents obstruction of waste being put in or removed from the bin. Although consideration should be made for expansion and contraction of materials under different weather and temperature conditions and a tolerance of space should be incorporated to allow for this within the mechanism part. We prefer fractions of a millimetre but a few millimetres is acceptable. If the bins are to arrive with the intention of the end user to fit the bin locking system, they can come with predefined holes or markers. This makes fitment very simple by positioning the two or three parts of the invention and securing into position.

Alternatively it is possible to fit to existing bin moldings. This is very easy to do requiring two main fitting holes, one lock hole and one hole for the lid and takes far less time and skill than when fitting other bin locking devices. Our parts are self aligning with large tolerances for fitting.

When made from the appropriate plastic and metal material combination, our invention is very simple to assemble and manufcture allowing this design to be commercially viable.

Claims

Gravitationally aided bin tockin2 systems Claims 1. A gravitational bin

locking system which comprises two parts which can engage and disengage 1) Lid pin and lid bracket connected and fixed to the lid of a bin ii) A mechanical part internally connected to the bin whose individual components are housed and move in such a way to provide means to open and close/lock the lid of the bin to/from the bin dependant upon the orientation of the bin.
2. A gravitational bin locking system according to claim I in which the housed mechanism is arranged in such a way to operate comprising i) Pendulum plate ii) Toggle spring connected to iii) Toggle plate
3. A gravitational bin locking system according to claim 1 and 2 which comprises a third part which provides means for the owner of a bin or an approved third party to unlock and lock the bin lid to the bin by means of physical interaction. This part is connected externally to the bin and can activate the internal mechanical part also connected to the bin.
4. A gravitational bin locking system according to claim 3 whose third part is a lock device with lock plate which may have a detachable component in the form of a key to activate the internally connected mechanical part by engaging and disengaging the lock plate to the Pendulum plate
5. A gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims through adjustment of the Lid Bracket can fit both commercial/industrial and domestic bins of any size without altering the design and connection of the system's parts.
6. A gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims when attached to a bin provides a mechanism which when turned more than 45 from normal standing * position allows the forces of gravity to open or release the lid of the bin.
7. A gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims which can be fitted to existing bins
8. A gravitational bin locking system accordingto any of the previous claims which can be an integral part of a molded bin and bin lid *
9. A gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims which can be a combination of all metal and/or plastic components
10. A gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims which comprises external and/or internal tamper proof connections and/or mechanisms when system is locked. . .
11. A gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims which provides a tab or safety release button within the mechanical part inside the bin to allow for the bin lid to be opened from inside.
12. Use ofa gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims for refuse, recycling or pre defined category bins and/or waste
13. Use of gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims for any sized container or bin
14. Use of gravitational bin locking system according to claim 12 which does not require a change in design to fit any sized container or bin
15. Use of gravitational bin locking system according to any of the previous claims for domestic, commercial, industrial, military and medical waste collection and disposal without unwanted third party intervention.