GB2492964A - Bin lid with access aperture closable by air lock mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

A waste container 10 has a main lid 15 which includes an aperture. A pair of barriers are each connected to the lid by hinges19, 32, either can cover the aperture, one 18 from above and the other 31 from below. They are ideally connected by a flexible tether 33 so that when one is closed the other is open and vice versa. Preferably the main lid 15 is hinged to the bin and all hinges are parallel to each other and the lids front edge. The hinges 19, 32 of the pair of barriers may extend along opposite edges of the aperture with the one that opens downwards being closest to the front of the lid. The tether can be adjustable in length and where on each barrier it connects. There is preferably only one tether and it is at the side of the barrier. The lower barrier 31 can be a tray with upstanding edges and the upper barrier 18 can be a lid.

Description

Improvements in Wheeled Waste Containers This invention relates to an improved large wheeled waste container, and particularly to a lid therefor.

Large wheeled waste containers are well known, and typically have a capacity of 500 litrcs or more; a common typc of waste container has four whccls at the comers thereof, a lifting bar at the front upper edge, and a single primary lid hinged at the rear upper edgc. Such containers are emptied by lifting from the rear of a rcfrisc vehicle, and upcnding over a refusc hoppcr of the vehicle.

The single primary lid closes the opening of the waste container, and can be somewhat awkward and heavy to open manually. It is known to provide a smaller secondary lid within the single primary lid to allow easy loading of the container, but emptying is always by opening of the primary lid.

A secondary lid has the advantages of being relatively light, and thus easier to open and close. Furthermore, in conjunction with a lock for the primary lid, the secondary lid limits the size of waste which can be placed within the container. If the contents of the container are malodorous, a secondary lid is more likely to be kept closed, so as to eonfme bad odours. Nevertheless the possibility of the secondary lid being left or propped open cannot be discounted.

What is required is a means of substantially restricting the escape of odours from a waste container having a secondary lid.

According to the invention there is provided a primary lid of a waste container having an opening within the perimeter thereof, and a secondary lid for closing said opening, the secondary lid being adapted for opening from the outside in use, wherein a closure is provided said opening on the inside of said primary lid, the secondary lid and closure being coupled so that when the secondary lid is open the closure is closed, and when the secondary lid is closed, the closure is open.

Thus, if the secondary lid is left or propped in the open condition, the closure closes the opening and substantially prevents the escape of bad odours.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the claims and the following description of a preferred embodiment illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an exemplar large wheeled waste container; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the container of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a schematic enlarged representation of a lid of the invention on a waste container body; and Fig. 4 illustrates the lid of Fig. 3 in an alternative condition.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, a waste container 10 comprises an open mouthed rectangular body having a wheel 11 at each corner and a lifting bar 12 at the front edge. Handles 13 are provided for manoeuvring. The container body is of any suitable material, but is typically of galvanized steel or of moulded plastics.

The lifting bar 12 permits the container to be lifted by a refuse vehicle, and upended over a waste hopper. Other kinds of lifting attachment, for example side mounted trunnions, are possible. Likewise different handle arrangements may be provided.

The mouth of container body is closed by a primary lid 15 hinged about the rear edge of the body on an axis 14. When the lid is upended, the primary lid 15 falls open to permit the contents to be discharged, and in the open condition of the lid the mouth of the container body is substantially unobstructed.

A lock or latch 21 may be provided for the primary lid to prevent unauthorized access to the container, and typically a gravity latch is incorporated to allow automatic lid release as the container is upended. Other arrangements of primary lid are possible, to the intent that when closed the mouth of the container is substantially sealed, and when open the mouth is substantially unobstructed. The primary lid is typically a plastics moulding.

Containers of the kind described are generally in the size range 500-2000 lives.

S

Within the primary lid 15, a secondary lid 18 is provided. The secondary lid is hinged at the rear about a pivot axis 19, and defines a secondary opening 22 of restricted size.

The opening 22 may be selected to allow only object of certain dimensions to be inserted into the container, for example a round aperture for bottles or a slot for magazines. In the example illustrated, the opening 22 is somewhat larger, but very substantially less than size of the container mouth. The secondary opening may be used to prevent ovcrsize waste being placed in the container, and may frirther include special features which cannot economically be provided in a primary lid, such as flexible seals or shields.

Fig. 3 illustrates the secondary lid 18 in an open condition in which it is pivoted upward through about 90° about the pivot axis 19 in the direction of arrow A. The secondary lid 18 may be allowed to go slightly over-centre so as to remain in the open condition, or may have a restricted arc of movement so as to always close under gravity.

On the underside of the lid a closure plate 31 is provided, and hinged for movement about a pivot axis 32 adjacent to the front edge of the primary lid 15. The closurc plate 31 is adapted to substantially close the secondary opening from the inside, as illustrated in Fig. 3, but is able to fall under the effect of gravity to the open condition illustrated in Fig. 4. The closure plate and secondary lid are connected by a tether 33 so that when the secondary lid is open the closure plate is in a closed condition (Fig. 3), and when the secondary lid is closed the closure plate is in an open condition (Fig. 4).

The effect of the invention is that the secondary opening is substantially closed in both the open and closed conditions of the secondary lid 18, so that the escape of odours from the container, for example from food waste, is prevented. It will be noted that the secondary lid and closure plate pivot in opposite senses, that is to say that when the secondary lid pivots clockwise, the closure plate pivots anti-clockwise, and vice versa.

The invention has certain other advantages in use: In the opcn condition of the lid 18 waste may bc placed on the closurc plate in preparation for deposit into the container. Thus for example glass or other frangible waste may be deposited in the container as the secondary lid is closed, and any risk of fragments bouncing back through the secondary opening is obviated. The same applies to liquid or semi-liquid waste, and splash back.

In the opening condition of the closure plate 31, waste is directed away from the user, toward the back of the waste container, thus further mitigating any risk of debris or liquid bouncing back toward the user. In addition waste is directed away from the vicinity of a lid lock or the like, so mitigating the risk of fouling thereof All components of the invention are mounted on the primary lid, so that retrofitting of the invention is possible without special adaptation of the waste container.

Furthermore, the invention is capable of retrofitting to an existing primary lid with a secondary lid!opening. Also the invention may be retrofitted to a primary lid by cutting a hole therein, and fixing a secondary lid and closure plate; hinges may for example be secured by adhesive and!or rivets.

Flexible seals may be filled around the mouth of the secondary opening, for example to the secondary lid, or around the underside of the secondary opening; such seals may assist in preventing the escape of odours and provide a soft closure.

The tether may be flexible or rigid, but is preferably of adjustable length so as to ensure substantial closure of the secondary opening by the closure plate in the Fig. 3 condition. The tether may include a resilient component such as a spring to urge the closure plate to a closed condition.

One or other (or both) mounting points 34, 35 of the tether may be adjustable so as to permit leverage of the secondary lid to be altered. A peg fixing and array of successive holes provides one means of adjustment.

The closure plate may be in the form of a simple flat plate, or for example having a single curvature adapted to the inside shape of the primary lid. As illustrated however, the closure plate has an upstanding back adjacent the hinge, and two upstanding sides which slope to the discharge edge. This arrangement provides resistance to bending of the closure plate in use, and defines a tray with edges.

Alternatively or additionally the back and sides could be comprised of depending stiffeners on the underside of the closure plate. In this arrangement, the upper surface of the closure plate can be substantially flat and unobstructed, and in the embodiment of Fig. 3 is substantially horizontal.

The tether 33 is typically provided at one side of the secondary lid, but could be provided at both sides so as to give a more uniform lifting force.

The closure plate is made of a suitable non-corrosive and relatively stiff material, for example a plastics laminate, an aluminium composite or a plastics moulding.

Spring assisted closing or opening of the secondary lid or closure plate may be provided, to the intent that the closure plate will open to deposit waste when the secondary lid is closed.

Claims (1)

1. <claim-text>Claims 1. A primary lid of a waste container having an opening within the perimeter thereof, and a secondary lid for closing said opening, the secondary lid being adapted for opening from the outside in use, wherein a closure is provided said opening on the inside of said primary lid, the secondary lid and closure being coupled so that when the secondary lid is open the closure is closed, and when the secondary lid is closed, the closure is open.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. A primary lid according to claim 1, wherein the secondary lid and closure are hinged to the primary lid about respective pivot axes.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A primary lid according to claim 2, wherein are oppositely hinged.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. A primary lid according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein said pivot axes are parallel.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. A primary lid according to claim 4, wherein said primary lid has a pivot axis parallel to said pivot axes.</claim-text> <claim-text>6. A primary lid according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein said pivot axes are parallel to the front edge of said primary lid.</claim-text> <claim-text>7. A primary lid according to any of claims 2-6, wherein the pivot axis of said closure is closer to the front edge of the primary lid than the pivot axis of the secondary lid.</claim-text> <claim-text>8. A primary lid according to any preceding claim, wherein said secondary lid and primary lid are coupled by a tether.</claim-text> <claim-text>9. A primary lid according to claim 8, wherein said tether is flexible.</claim-text> <claim-text>10. A primary lid according to claimS or claim 9, and having a single tether.</claim-text> <claim-text>11. A primary lid according to any of claims 8-10, wherein said tether is at the side of said secondary lid.</claim-text> <claim-text>12. A primary lid according to any of claims 8-11, wherein said tether is adjustable in length.</claim-text> <claim-text>13. A primary lid according to any of claims 8-12, wherein one of the closure and secondary lid has an adjustable fixing for said tether whereby the distance from a tether fixing location to a closing edge may be altered.</claim-text> <claim-text>14. A primary lid according to any preceding claim, wherein said closure comprises a tray in the closed condition.</claim-text> <claim-text>15. A primary lid according to claim 14, wherein said tray comprises upstanding sides.</claim-text>