GB2464941A

GB2464941A - Refuse collection device

Info

Publication number: GB2464941A
Application number: GB0819855A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Angell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-10-29
Filing date: 2008-10-29
Publication date: 2010-05-05
Also published as: GB0819855D0

Abstract

A device for collecting refuse comprising: a frame 11, a handle 27 attached to the frame 11, a strap 32 and a sack 36. The frame 11 comprises a generally flat base 12 and an arched portion 13 joining the two ends of the base 12, thereby defining a cavity; the frame 11 having a lug 19 and a collar 18 for the attachment of the two ends of the strap 32. The frame 11 also has three channel sections 21, 24, 28 arranged to receive the strap 32 when its two ends 10 are attached to the frame 11, thereby gripping the material of the sack 36 to the outside of the frame 11.

Description

Refuse Collection Device The present invention relates to refuse collection devices, which may be applicable to fallen leaves, litter and other material strewn over the ground.

When large amounts of refuse, such as fallen leaves, are to be gathered for disposal, they are usually swept to a position and then loaded into a sack.

Attempts have been made to provide frames to hold the sack open so that the leaves can be swept directly into the sack. An example of such a design is shown in US5009378.

However, this and other prior art devices suffer from various drawbacks.

Firstly, attaching and removing the sack is cumbersome and difficult.

Secondly, in many cases the attachment is not reliable, and the sack can easily become detached inadvertently. Thirdly, the prior art assemblies are often not readily capable of standing up with the sack open. Finally, the prior art designs are not sufficiently versatile to be used with different grades of sack for different kinds of refuse, in particular builders materials such as pieces of timber, brick and dried mortar.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refuse collection device that allows a sack to be attached and removed conveniently while also ensuring that attachment is reliable.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device that can be used with different grades of sack for different types of refuse.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device which can stand stably with the mouth of the sack open, and which can be manoeuvred easily with one hand while the other hand operates a broom.

According to the invention, there is provided a device for use in collecting refuse which comprises a frame, a handle attached to the frame and a strap; the frame comprising a generally flat base and an arched portion joining the two ends of the base, thereby defining a cavity; the frame having attachment means for the attachment of the two ends of the strap; the frame also having at least one channel section arranged to receive the strap when its two ends are attached to the frame; the strap having a resilience enabling it to extend around at least a portion of the frame and to grip the material of a sack between itself and the frame.

In this way, the sack can be gripped tightly into the channel section by the strap, but can easily be removed. Different grades of sack can be used, together with different strengths of strap, enabling even heavy refuse to be gathered. The flat base enables the device to be deployed with the sack opening flush to the ground, while the handle enables the assembly to be easily manoeuvred with one hand.

Preferably, the channel section is formed by a pair of ribs on the outside surface of the frame. Preferably, there are three channel sections; two located on the arched portion and one on the under surface of the frame.

The handle may be rigidly or removeably attached to the frame. Preferably, the frame has a generally D-shaped profile. Preferably the base of the frame defines a front lip, and has a rearward extension which also terminates in a lip.

This arrangement helps to provide a stable base which allows the assembly to stand up on the ground.

Preferably, the end of each strap has an engagement device arranged to engage the lug. The engagement devices may be loops, holes, hooks or eyelets.

Preferably, the attachment means includes a lug on the frame. In a preferred embodiment, the attachment means comprises a collar, arranged to locate the handle, thereby attaching the handle to the frame, the collar also being arranged to receive the other engagement device on the strap. In a case where the handle is rigidly attached directly to the frame, the respective engagement device on the strap can be passed directly over the handle in order to attach one end of the strap to the frame.

Preferably, the invention includes a sack, the sack being attached to the frame by the material of the sack at its open end being gripped to the frame by the strap. Preferably, the material of the sack is held in the channel section by the location of the strap in the channel section.

The versatility of the device can be increased by the selection of appropriate materials for the frame, the strap, and the sack. Thus, the frame could be made from metal, coated metal (to minimise corrosion) or a plastics material. The strap is preferably a fabric covered elastic cord which can be made in different weights. Such materials are known and sometimes used to provide "bungee cords". The sacks can be conventional, disposable plastics refuse bags as used in domestic household waste bins, or may be re-usable and made from heavy The invention extends to the use of a device according to the invention, together with a broom, or the like, to gather refuse such as leaves or builders' waste.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways and one embodiment will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a frame for use in the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the frame of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the frame of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view of the strap; Figure 5 is a plan view showing the location of the strap and the sack in place on the frame; and Figure 6 is an enlarged partial view showing the strap fixed in position on the frame.

The invention comprises a device for enabling refuse or the like to be swept into a sack and for the filled sack or its elements to be easily disposed of. The device as a whole comprises four essential contents, namely, a frame, a handle attached to the frame, a sack and a strap arranged to attach the sack to the frame, detachably. These components will now be described in more detail.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 to 3, the frame 11 has a rigid generally D-shaped profile including a base 12, a curved position 13 and two flat end portions 14 joining the base 12 to the curved position 13. The material of the frame may be metal which may be coated to prevent corrosion, or a rigid plastics material, though other materials could be used. The material of the frame 11 is of regular thickness and has a depth dimension, from front to rear of the D-profile, which is significantly greater than the thickness. In practice, the depth might be between one and two orders of magnitude greater than the thickness.

The base 12 has a flat portion 15 and a downwardly-inclined front lip 16 and a rear extension terminating in a downwardly-inclined rear lip 17. The curved portion 13 has, on its outside surface, a collar 18, a lug 19 and two channels 21, 24 each defined by respective pairs of elongate ribs 22, 23 and 25, 26.

The collar 18 receives a removable handle 27, though the handle 27 could be directly and permanently connected to the curved portion 13 without the need of the collar 18. The lug 19 is inclined towards the collar 18 and is arranged to receive one end of the strap, the channels 21, 24 receive the length of the strap, and the collar 18 receives the other end of the strap as will be described below.

As shown in Figure 2, on the underside of the flat portion 15 of the base 12, there is a further channel 28 defined by a pair of elongate ribs 29, 31, which extend along a significant portion of the extent of the flat portion 15.

It will be appreciated that the frame will stand on the ground with stability in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, and will be easily manoeuvred using the handle 27.

The strap 32 is shown in Figure 4. In this embodiment, the strap 32 is an elastic, fabric covered cord, with a large loop 33 at one end, a length 34, and a small loop 35 at the other end. However, other types of strap can be used. The loops 33, 35 can be replaced by any suitable attachment means, such as eyelets or hooks.

A sack 36 is shown schematically in Figures 5 and 6. In this embodiment, the sack 36 is a plastics refuse bag, which would be suitable for light duties, such as the collection of fallen leaves. However, for heavier duty refuse, the sack 36 could be of a more robust material, such as a woven fabric.

In use, the open end of a sack 36 is passed over the outside of the frame 11 from the rear as best illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. The position of the sack 36 is shown by the chain lines. The sack 36 is held in this position on the outside of the frame 11 by the strap 32. The large hoop 33 of the strap 32 is located on the collar 18 and the strap 32 is looped around the frame 11 outside the sack 36. From the collar 18, the length 34 of the strap 32 is pressed into the channel 24, trapping the material of the sack 36. The strap 32 extends down on side of the curved position 13, over one end 14 and beneath the base 12. There, the length 34 of the strap 32 is pressed into the channel 28 again trapping the material of the sack 36, and then up over the other end 14. Here, the length 34 of the strap 32 is pressed into the channel 21, once again trapping the material of the sack 36. The small ioop 35 is then engaged on the lug 19, taking up some of the elasticity of the strap 32, thereby gripping the sack 36 against the outside of the frame 11.

It will be appreciated that once the sack 36 is held in position on the frame 11 by the strap 32, the entire assembly can be easily manoeuvred one-handedly by a user, by means of the handle 27. The lip 16 can be laid flat on the floor or ground and refuse can be swept up the lip 16 and into the interior of the sack 36 by a broom operated by the user's other hand.

When the sack 36 is full, the assembly is swivelled using the handle 27, so that the open end of the sack 36 faces upwards. The small loop 35 is then disengaged from the lug 19, the sack 36 is withdrawn from the frame 11 and either the sack 36 is emptied and re-used or the open end of the sack 36 is tied closed and the full sack 36 can be disposed of. The large ioop 33 remains engaged on the collar 18, ensuring that the strap 32 is not mislaid and allowing an empty sack 36 to be deployed on the frame 11.

Claims

Claims 1. A device for use in collecting refuse, fallen leaves, litter and other material strewn over the ground which comprises: a frame, a handle attached to the frame and a strap; the frame comprising a generally flat base and an arched portion joining the two ends of the base, thereby defining a cavity; the frame having an attachment means for the attachment of the two ends of the strap; the frame also having at least one channel section arranged to receive the strap when its two ends are attached to the frame; the strap having a resilience enabling it to extend around at least a portion of the frame and to grip the material of a sack between itself and the frame.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the channel section is formed by a pair of ribs on the outside surface of the frame.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, including three channel sections; two located on the arched portion and one on the under surface of the frame.
4. A device as claimed in any preceding claim in which the handle is removably attached to the frame.
5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the frame has a generally D-shaped profile.
6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the base of the frame defines a front lip.
7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the base includes a rearward extension.
8. A device as claimed in claim 7, in which the rearward extension terminates in a rear lip.
9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which each end of the strap has an engagement device.
10. A device as claimed in claim 9, in which the engagement devices are loops, hooks or eyelets.
11. A device as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, in which the attachment means includes a lug on the frame, which is arranged to receive, detachably, one of the engagement devices on the strap.
12. A device as claimed in claim 11, in which the attachment means includes a collar, arranged to locate the handle, thereby attaching the handle to the frame, the collar also being arranged to receive the other engagement device on the strap.
13. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, further including a sack, the sack being attached to the frame by the material of the sack at its open end being gripped to the frame by the strap.
14. A device as claimed in claim 13, in which the material of the sack is held in the channel section by the location of the strap in the channel section.