GB2532993A

GB2532993A - Refuse bin compactor

Info

Publication number: GB2532993A
Application number: GB1421686.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Henshall Ronald
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-12-05
Filing date: 2014-12-05
Publication date: 2016-06-08
Anticipated expiration: 2034-12-05
Also published as: GB201421686D0; GB2532993B

Abstract

A closure device 10 for detachably fitting to a refuse bin, such as a so-called wheelie bin 11, comprises a closure portion 22 arranged to close an open mouth (Fig 1, 16) of a body portion 21 of the bin 11 once the cover 20 of the bin 11 has been opened. The closure device engages the bin 11 and comprises a compaction plate 26 on its underside, which can be displaced downwardly into the refuse compartment 15 of the bin 11 to compact refuse contained in bin 11, thereby increasing the amount of refuse which the bin can hold. The device 10 can remain fitted to the bin 11 for subsequent compacting operations as it is filled with refuse, since the closure portion 22 acts as a temporary lid of the bin 11 and excludes animals or insects and contains any odours emanating from the refuse. The closure device 10 is preferably pivotably mounted to the bin 11 via C-shaped hooks 23 on a bar 18 of the bin. A catch 25 may be provided on the opposite side the closure device 10, which engages with a flange 21 of the bin 11. The compaction plate may be biased upwardly by a spring 30.

Description

Refuse Bin Compactor This invention relates to a compactor for compacting refuse in a refuse bin.

Refuse has traditionally been collected in bags, which are then placed outside for collection and disposal. In recent years people have been forced to collect their refuse in a wheeled refuse bin or so-called wheelie bin, partly to alleviate the problem of bags being opened by animals scavenging for food but mainly to provide a way of volumetrically controlling the amount of refuse being disposed and thereby encourage recycling. Wheelie bins generally comprise a body portion having a square or rectangular bottom wall and four upstanding side walls forming a compartment in which refuse can be placed. The upper edges of the side walls define a mouth through which refuse can be inserted into the compartment. A closure is hinged to the upper end of one of the side walls. When closed, the closure acts to hide the refuse in the compartment, to exclude animals or insects and to contain any odours emanating from the refuse.

Often such wheelie bins are now only collected at fortnightly or fewer intervals as another way of limiting the amount of refuse that can be disposed. It should be noted that the collection of overfull bins have been known to be refused. Accordingly, many efforts have been made to reduce the volume of refuse disposed.

GB2471728 (Rodda) and GB2507660 (Grybrook), describe known refuse compactors, which comprise a compacting plate attached by a member to a supporting device, disposed externally of the bin. Specifically Rodda describes a wall mounted compacting device, the device being supported by an arrangement which permits a member to move into and out of the receptacle. The device comprises a ratchet which may be activated by the hand of a user to urge the plate downwardly into a bin. Alternatively, Grybrook discloses a free-standing curved support system to support the member, which may be actuated by a foot pedal. However, a known problem with these types of compactors is that they are unsightly, complicated in construction, heavy, bulky and often require the user to move the bin to a suitable position of use which can often be difficult, especially when the bin is full.

It is not uncommon for local or government authorities to issue households with a standard wheelie bin, which remains property of the authority. It is important, therefore that any compacting device must be able to integrate with such a bin, without making any modifications thereto.

GB2418346 (Templeton), GB2417188 (Deacon et al) and GB2382516 (Illingsworth) disclose refuse compactors which are pivotably affixable to the handle or rim of a bin.

In order to inhibit the spreading of odour and disease, it is important to be able to minimise gaps between the closure and the open mouth of the bin. However, since the aforementioned devices are mounted to the upper rim, the bin closure does not form the necessary seal when closed with the device in-situ. Therefore, there is an inherent need to remove and store such devices when not in use, which can be time consuming.

The present invention aims to address these needs by providing a lightweight optionally detachable refuse compactor which forms a sealed closure when disposed in a closed position without modifying an existing structure.

In accordance with the present invention, as seen from a first aspect, there is provided a closure device for detachably fitting to a refuse bin and arranged to close an open mouth of a body portion of the bin, the closure device comprising means on the underside thereof for compacting refuse contained in the body of the bin.

In use, the closure device is fitted to a wheelie bin by opening the existing closure on the bin and detachably fitting the device in-situ across the open mouth of the body portion of the bin. The device can then be lifted to open the mouth of the bin to allow refuse to be placed in the compartment before replacing the device. As the compartment becomes full of refuse, more space can be created by actuating the compacting means to compact the refuse towards the lower end of the compartment.

When not in use, the device can be left in-situ since the device closes the mouth of the bin and acts to hide the refuse in the compartment, to exclude animals or insects and to contain any odours emanating from the refuse in the same manner as the existing closure. In this manner the need to keep removing and refitting the device is avoided. Of course, the device can readily be detached from the bin before the bin is taken to the roadside for emptying. It can also be transferred to other wheelie bins, for example bins for recyclable and compostable materials.

Preferably the device comprises means for pivotally mounting the device in-situ across the mouth of the body portion of the bin.

Preferably said mounting means comprises a formation adapted to pivotally engage a handle of said bin. Preferably the formation is c-shaped in section and preferably comprises a mouth which faces upwardly when the device is in its closed position.

Preferably the device comprises means for securing the device in-situ across the open mouth of the body portion of the bin. Preferably the securing means and the mounting means are spaced apart and together act to prevent upwards displacement of the device away from the body of the bin when said compacting means is actuated.

Preferably the device comprises a cover portion having a periphery which is adapted to engage around an upper end of the body portion of the bin, so as to close the open mouth thereof.

Preferably the cover is generally quadrilateral in shape, said securing means and mounting means being disposed on opposite sides of the cover.

Preferably, the compacting means comprises a compacting member which is displaceably mounted to the underside of the cover.

Preferably the compacting member is displaceably mounted to the underside of the cover by a shaft which extends through the cover, the shaft preferably having a handle on its upper end for displacing the shaft downwardly to compact the refuse.

The shaft may be screw-threadably mounted to the cover or it may be a simple sliding fit. In the latter case, a spring may serve to bias the compacting member upwardly.

It will be appreciated that, when the closure device is disposed in its closed position, the handle is generally disposed above the mouth of the bin, and the compacting member is generally disposed within the body of the bin. In use, the user depresses the handle, and consequently the compacting member moves downwards such that the compacting member compacts the refuse disposed within the bin. When released, the spring restores the compacting member to its raised position.

Preferably means are provided to prevent rotation of the compacting member as it is displaced, said means preferably comprising one or more further shafts which extend in parallel with the above-mentioned shaft between the compacting member and the cover.

Also in accordance with the present invention, as seen from a second aspect, there is provided an assembly comprising a refuse bin and a closure device as hereinbefore defined detachably fitted to the refuse bin and arranged to close an open mouth of a body portion of the bin, the closure device comprising means on the underside thereof for compacting refuse contained in the body of the bin.

Preferably the bin comprises wheels and a handle for manoeuvring the bin, the closure device being pivotally mounted to the handle, preferably by means of a c-shaped formation which snap-engages with the handle.

Preferably the bin comprises a closure portion arranged to close the open mouth of the body portion of the bin when the device is removed.

Preferably the closure portion is pivotally mounted to the handle.

Preferably a flange extends around the mouth of the body portion of the bin.

Preferably the device comprises a cover portion having a periphery which is adapted to engage said flange, so as to close the open mouth on the bin.

Preferably the device comprises securing means spaced apart from the formation and adapted to engage said flange.

Also in accordance with the present invention, as seen from a third aspect, there is provided a method of compacting waste in a refuse bin, the method comprising detachably fitting a device as hereinbefore defined to the refuse bin to close an open mouth of a body portion of the bin, and displacing compacting means on the underside of the device to compact refuse contained in the body of the bin.

Preferably, a closure member of the refuse bin is opened prior to fitting the device, so as to expose a mouth of a body portion of the bin.

Preferably the compacting means is displaced by actuating an actuator on the device.

Preferably the device is secured to the bin prior to displacing said compacting means.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of an example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective left side view of a closure device in accordance with the present invention illustrating how the device is fitted to a wheelie bin; Figure 2 is a perspective left side view from the front and above of the device of Figure 1 when fitted to the wheelie bin; and Figure 3 is a perspective left side view of the device of Figure 1 when fitted to the wheelie bin, which some parts of the bin being omitted to illustrate how refuse is compacted.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a closure device 10 for fitting to for a wheelie bin 11. The bin 11 comprises a body portion 12 having a generally rectangular bottom wall (not shown) and upstanding side walls e.g. 13, 14 forming a compartment 15 in which refuse can be placed. The upper edges of the side walls e.g. 13, 14 define a mouth 16 through which refuse can be inserted into the compartment 15. A flange 21 extends radially outwards from the upper end of the side walls around the mouth 16. A pair of wheels e.g. 17 are mounted on opposite sides of the body 12 adjacent a lower end of the rear side wall thereof. A horizontal cylindrical handle 18 for manoeuvring the bin 11 is mounted on a pair of arms 19 which extend rearwardly from the upper end of the rear side wall. A closure member is hinged to opposite ends of the handle 18 for rotation about the longitudinal axis of the handle 18. The closure member 20 comprises a generally rectangular planar central portion and a depending peripheral skirt which seats against the upper surface of the flange 21 when the closure member 20 is closed, so as to hide any refuse in the compartment 15, to exclude animals or insects and to contain any odours emanating from the refuse.

The closure device 10 in accordance with the present invention comprises a closure portion 22 which is similar in dimension and construction to the closure member 20 of the wheelie bin 11. A pair of upwardly facing c-shaped formations 23 are provided at the outer end of an arm 24, which extends rearwardly from the rear side of the central portion 22 of the closure device 10. The closure device 10 is fitted to the wheelie bin 11 by firstly opening the closure member 20 of the wheelie bin 11 to a position in which it lies against the rear side wall of the bin 11. The c-shaped formations 23 are then snap-engaged onto the handle 18 in such a manner as to allow the closure device 10 to pivot about the longitudinal axis of the handle 18.

A catch 25 is disposed on the front side of the central portion 22 of the closure device 10, the catch 25 being adapted to selectively engage the flange 21 at the front of the wheelie bin 11 when the device 10 is in its closed position. The device 10 further comprises a compaction member in the form of a plate 26, which is mounted to the underside of the central portion 22 of the closure device 10 by three elongate shafts 27, 28A, 28B. The shafts 27, 28A, 28B extend upwardly and parallel to each other from the plate through respective apertures in the central portion 22 of the closure device 10. The upper ends of the shafts 27, 28A, 28B are each connected to an elongate handle 29 which extends perpendicular thereto. A spring 30 is disposed around the central shaft 27 and is constrained between the handle 29 and the central portion 22 of the closure device 10. The spring 30 acts to bias the compaction plate 26 and the handle 29 upwardly.

The closure device 10 in accordance with the present invention can remain fitted to the bin 11 as it filled with refuse. The central portion 22 of the closure device 10 seats against the upper surface of the flange 21 when the closure device 10 is closed, so as to hide any refuse in the compartment 15, to exclude animals or insects and to contain any odours emanating from the refuse in the same manner as the now redundant closure member 20 would. A lock (not shown) may be provided for preventing theft of the device 10.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, once the bin 11 becomes full of refuse R, the user can engage the catch 25 with the flange 21. The catch 25 and the c-shaped formations 23 together act to securely fasten the device 10 in-situ across the mouth 16 of the bin 11. The user then urges the handle 29 downwardly to force the compaction plate 26 downwardly into the compartment 15 against the refuse R, so as to compact the refuse R. It will be appreciated that the length of the shafts 27, 28A, 28B governs the maximum degree of volumetric compaction, which may be up to 50% of the volume of the compartment 15. The compaction plate 26 is dimensioned so that it can freely move upwardly and downwardly within the compartment 15 in such a manner that its sides are in close proximity to the respective side walls of the bin 11.

Once the refuse R has been sufficiently compacted, perhaps by performing several compaction strokes, the handle 29 is released to bring the compaction plate 26 back to its raised position. The extra space created by the compaction allows the bin 11 to be further filled with refuse R and perhaps subsequent compaction routines may be needed if the bin 11 becomes full of refuse R again.

The device 10 can easily be removed from the bin 11 when it is time to put the bin 11 out for collection. The device 10 may also be transferred to another bin.

In a further embodiment, the device may comprise means for amplifying the torque applied to the handle, so as to increase the available compaction force.

A device in accordance with the present invention is simple and inexpensive in construction yet provides a convenient way of compacting refuse in a wheelie bin.

Claims

BCLAIMS1. A closure device for detachably fitting to a refuse bin and arranged to close an open mouth of a body portion of the bin, the closure device comprising means on the underside thereof for compacting refuse contained in the body of the bin.
2 A closure device as claimed in claim 1, in which the device comprises means for pivotally mounting the device in-situ across the mouth of the body portion of the bin.
3. A closure device as claimed in claim 2, in which said mounting means comprises a formation adapted to pivotally engage a handle of said bin.
4. A closure device as claimed in claim 3, in which the formation is c-shaped in section.
5. A closure device as claimed in claim 4, in which the formation comprises a mouth which faces upwardly when the device is in its closed position.
6. A closure device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the device comprises means for securing the device in-situ across the open mouth of the body portion of the bin.
7. A closure device as claimed in claim 6 as appended to any of claims 2 to 5, in which the securing means and the mounting means are spaced apart.
8. A closure device as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the device comprises a cover portion having a periphery which is adapted to engage around an upper end of the body portion of the bin, so as to close the open mouth thereof.
9. A closure device as claimed in claim 8 as appended to claim 7, in which the cover is generally quadrilateral in shape, said securing means and mounting means being disposed on opposite sides of the cover.
10. A closure device as claimed in claims 8 or 9, in which the compacting means comprises a compacting member which is displaceably mounted to the underside of the cover.
11.A closure device as claimed in claim 10, in which the compacting member is displaceably mounted to the underside of the cover by a shaft which extends through the cover.
12.A closure device as claimed in claim 11, in which the shaft comprises a handle on its upper end for displacing the shaft downwardly to compact the refuse.
13. A closure device as claimed in claim 12, in which the shaft is screw-threadably mounted to the cover
14. A closure device as claimed in claim 12, in which the shaft is slidingly mounted to the cover.
15. A closure device as claimed in claim 14, in which a spring serves to bias the compacting member upwardly.
16.A closure device as claimed in any of claims 11 to 15, in which means are provided to prevent rotation of the compacting member as it is displaced.
17. A closure device as claimed in claim 16, in which said rotation prevention means comprises one or more shafts which extend in parallel with said shaft between the compacting member and the cover.
18. A closure device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
19. An assembly comprising a refuse bin and a closure device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17, the device being detachably fitted to the refuse bin and arranged to close an open mouth of a body portion of the bin, the closure device comprising means on the underside thereof for compacting refuse contained in the body of the bin.
20. An assembly as claimed in claim 19, in which the bin comprises wheels and a handle for manoeuvring the bin, the closure device being pivotally mounted to the handle.
21. An assembly as claimed in claim 20, in which the closure device is pivotally mounted to the handle by means of a c-shaped formation which snap-engages with the handle.
22. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 19 to 20, in which the bin comprises a closure portion arranged to close the open mouth of the body portion of the bin when the device is removed.
23. An assembly as claimed in claim 22, in which the closure portion is pivotally mounted to the handle.
24. An assembly as claimed in any of claims 19 to 23, in which a flange extends around the mouth of the body portion of the bin.
25. An assembly as claimed in claim 24, in which the device comprises a cover portion having a periphery which is adapted to engage said flange, so as to close the open mouth on the bin.
26. An assembly as claimed in claim 23 or 24 as appended to claim 21, in which the device comprises securing means spaced apart from the formation and adapted to engage said flange.
27. A method of compacting waste in a refuse bin, the method comprising detachably fitting a device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 17 to the refuse bin to close an open mouth of a body portion of the bin, and displacing compacting means on the underside of the device to compact refuse contained in the body of the bin.
28. A method as claimed in claim 27, in which a closure member of the refuse bin is opened prior to fitting the device, so as to expose a mouth of a body portion of the bin.
29. A method as claimed in claim 27 or 28, in which the compacting means is displaced by actuating an actuator on the device.
30. A method as claimed in any of claims 27 to 29, in which the device is secured to the bin prior to displacing said compacting means.31 An assembly comprising a refuse bin and a closure device, the closure device being substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.32. A method of compacting waste in a refuse bin, the method berng substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.