GB2548610A

GB2548610A - Storage bin

Info

Publication number: GB2548610A
Application number: GB1604978.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Moseley Luke
Original assignee: Vale Mill Rochdale Ltd
Current assignee: Vale Mill Rochdale Ltd
Priority date: 2016-03-23
Filing date: 2016-03-23
Publication date: 2017-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2036-03-23
Also published as: GB201604978D0; GB2548610B

Abstract

A storage bin comprising housing and open topped receptacle 12, removable from a front face and tiltable between an upright position and a tilted position to allow access, via fulcrum formations. Preferably, the receptacle is held in the tilted position by a magnet 51, slow action damper or friction between the housing and the receptacle. Preferably, return movement occurs automatically, or after user applying initial pressure when the centre of gravity lies forward of the fulcrum when tilted. Preferably, the bin comprises two receptacles 12,13 in stack formation. Preferably, housing comprises a lid 14. Preferably, front face of receptacles closely fits front openings of housing. Preferably, fulcrum formations are provided in the base of the receptacles 30 and housing 31, and prevent forward sliding but allow upward movement. Preferably, the magnet and metal section 52 retain disposable bag.

Description

STORAGE BIN

This invention relates to a storage bin and in particular, though not exclusively, to a storage bin for use as a kitchen waste bin for storage of either recyclable or non-recyclable material, or the separate storage of both recyclable or non-recyclable material.

Many designs of storage bin are known and in the case of bins for use as kitchen waste bins it is well known to provide a pedal operated lid or a spring loaded lid whereby there is ready access for loading the bin with waste when the lid is raised, but to hygienically contain the waste when the lid is lowered to a closed position.

Although the aforedescribed designs function satisfactorily they do not necessarily lend themselves to ease of use.

One limitation to the ease of use is that the bin must be located at a position which gives ease of access to the top of the bin. Accordingly use in a so called under-counter position, that is beneath for example a kitchen worktop or beneath a table, is not practical unless the bin is of only a low height to allow space for in situ opening of the lid and thereby avoid the need temporarily to remove the bin to a position at which the lid may be opened.

However, if the bin is of only a low height the storage capacity is undesirably limited. That is a particular disadvantage for bins having two or more compartments for containing different types of material. That is, the volume of each compartment of a multi-compartment bin is generally less than that of a single compartment bin and that reduction of capacity results for many users in a need to empty the bin compartments undesirably frequently. A further disadvantage of top loading storage bins, particularly large sized kitchen waste bins, is that when full it is necessary often to lift a heavily loaded receptacle, such as a rigid plastics insert or a sack of waste material, to a sufficient height in order to remove from the bin. Particularly for the less well able that is a practical disadvantage.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved storage bin which is suitable for use as a kitchen bin, for example to contain either recyclable or non-recyclable material, or a combination thereof, or for the storage of goods such as vegetables and which mitigates or overcomes one or more of the disadvantages of hitherto known storage bins.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a storage bin comprising housing and an open top receptacle contained within the housing and removable therefrom, wherein the housing has an open front face through which the receptacle may be removed from and replaced within the housing, and wherein the housing and the open top receptacle comprise fulcrum formations whereby the receptacle may be tilted between a first, upright position at which the receptacle is wholly within the housing and a second, tilted position at which a part of the top of the receptacle lies outside the housing to allow access to within the receptacle.

The storage bin may be provided with holding means to assist in temporarily retaining the receptacle in the second, tilted position when waste material is being deposited in the receptacle.

The holding means may comprise a magnet secured to one of the receptacle and housing and positioned to co-operate with a ferrous metal surface on the other of the receptacle and housing when the receptacle is in the second position.

Additionally or alternatively the holding means may comprise surfaces associated respectively with the housing and receptacle and which frictionally engage with and bear against one another when the bin is in the second, tilted position thereby frictionally to restrain movement of the receptacle to the first position.

In a further alternative or addition the holding means may comprise a slow action damper such that after being tilted to the second position the receptacle slowly returns to the first position. The return movement may commence automatically subsequent to the user moving the receptacle to the second position, or may commence only subsequent to the user applying an initiating pressure to move the receptacle towards the first position.

Preferably the centre of gravity of the receptacle lies forwards of the fulcrum formations when the bin is in the tilted position such that, irrespective of whether or not a holding means is provided, the receptacle inherently tends to remain in the tilted position when empty.

Accordingly if the receptacle has an inherent tendency when empty to remain in the tilted position the provision of holding means needs merely to provide sufficient force to counteract the tilting moment arising when the receptacle receives waste material and the centre of gravity of the receptacle moves to rearwards of the fulcrum position.

The invention further provides a storage bin having a housing which contains at least two receptacles arranged in a stacked formation one on top of the other and at least one of the receptacles being tiltable as herein described.

Instead of each of two or more receptacles being tiltable the housing may contain a tiltable receptacle which may be an uppermost receptacle under which a non-tiltable receptacle is provided, or an uppermost receptacle may be non-tiltable, the tiltable receptacle then being located under the non-tiltable receptacle.

The top of the housing may be provided with a lid for access to the tiltable receptacle, or uppermost receptacle in the case of a housing which contains at least two receptacles. Accordingly a tiltable receptacle underneath the lid may be accessed either by tilting movement or by use of the lid, the storage bin thereby being suitable for use either free-standing clear from an overlying surface or for location beneath an overhanging surface such as in an undercounter location.

The housing minimally is required to provide sufficient structure for pivotally supporting a receptacle. Preferably, however, it comprises two or more of, and more preferably all of a base panel, a pair of side panels, a rear panel and a top panel which optionally may comprise a moveable lid.

Thus by providing five panels which may be separately formed or at least some of which are integrally formed with one another, the receptacle is enclosed by the housing when in the first, upright position. However, particularly for a storage bin intended for storage of goods such as vegetables, one or more parts of the housing, such as one or more panels, may be provide with a ventilation aperture.

Preferably the receptacle has a front face which closely fits the opening of the front face of the housing when the receptacle is in the first, upright position whereby the contents of the receptacle are hygienically contained within the housing.

The fulcrum formations may comprise a first formation which extends from one of the receptacle and housing and a second formation such as a recess provided by the other of the receptacle and housing. Preferably one formation is provided at the base of the receptacle and the other in a base of the housing. However other fulcrum positions may be employed, for example one in a side of the receptacle and the other in a side of the housing. In this case preferably formations are provided at each side of the housing and each side of the receptacle to achieve a balanced construction and support.

The fulcrum formations preferably co-operate to prevent removal of the receptacle from the housing by the sole action of a forward sliding movement. Preferably the formations allow substantially free upward movement to separate the surfaces of the fulcrum formations whereby subsequent to that upward movement the receptacle may then be removed from the housing by being pulled in a forwards direction. Accordingly the invention teaches that to allow for ease of removal of the receptacle the receptacle sides and rear shall extend upwards for a distance less than the spacing of the inwards facing surfaces of the base and top panels of the housing.

The housing may be of a modular type whereby two or more housings, each containing a respective receptacle, may be stacked one on top of the other. Alternatively a single housing may contain two or more receptacles in which case preferably a shelf structure is provided underneath the or each receptacle above the bottom receptacle thereby to act as an auxiliary base in the case of an upper receptacle that is mounted for tilting movement by means of a fulcrum formation projecting from or contained within the base of the upper receptacle.

Each of the housing and receptacle may be formed from moulded plastics material or sheet metal, or a combination of those materials. Preferably, and particularly for ease of periodic cleaning, the receptacle is formed from moulded plastics material.

Furthermore, to assist in maintaining cleanliness the receptacle may be provided with retention formations or means such as clips for retaining a thin disposable plastics liner within the receptacle. The receptacle may be provided with a retention formation which comprises ferrous material and is positioned to be engaged by magnetic holding means when in the second, tilted position.

The height of an under-counter space, particularly for a kitchen worktop, typically is approximately 900mm. Accordingly the invention is particularly but not exclusively directed to a kitchen type waste bin having a height less than 900mm. Provision of receptacle having capacities of 15 and 30 litres is particularly envisaged.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a waste bin in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention with receptacles in a closed position;

Figure 2 shows the waste bin of Figure 1 with the receptacles and a lid in an open position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 but with the receptacles in a position removed from the housing;

Figure 4 is a front view of the waste bin of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 4 with the receptacles in an open position;

Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5 but with the receptacles and lid in closed positions, and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a waste bin in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. A kitchen bin 10 for waste material comprises a housing 11 which houses two drawer type receptacles 12,13 arranged with one drawer 12 positioned above the other 13. Typically one drawer may be used for recyclable waste and the other for non-recyclable waste.

The housing additionally is provided with a spring-loaded lid 14 in the top frame 15 of the housing.

Each drawer 12,13 is tiltable from a first, closed position as shown in Figure 1 to a second, open position as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 shows also the lid 14 in the open position, with the underside 16 of the lid having a touch latch component 17 to engage with a complementary latch component 18 on the top of the housing thereby to hold the lid in position when the lid is closed but to allow the lid to spring open when depressed.

In addition to being tiltable each drawer is removable through the front openings 20,21 of the housing as shown in Figure 3.

Upper edges of each receptacle 12,13 are provided with a retention clip at least a part of which is of ferrous material for a purpose explained below.

Figure 3 shows also that in this embodiment of the invention the housing comprises two side panels 22,23, a rear panel 24, a base panel 25, a top panel in the form of the aforementioned frame 15 and an intermediate shelf which, as described in more detail below, functions as a base panel 26 for the upper drawer 12.

Each drawer 12,13 is tiltable relative to a base panel 25,26 by means of fulcrum formations that facilitate a pivotal movement without the need for any interconnection, such as hinge pins, that would prevent convenient removal of each drawer from the housing. Each drawer 12,13 is provided, at the underside of the drawer base, with a bar 30 that extends in a horizontal direction parallel with the front of the drawer, positioned set back from the front of the drawer by approximately 20% of the depth of the drawer (see also Figures 5 and 6). Each bar is engagable with a complimentary recess formation 31 in a respective base 25,26 as shown also in Figures 5 and 6.

As best seen in Figure 6, the sides and rear of each drawer have a height less than the height of the section of the housing within which the drawer is located. In consequence each drawer can be tilted about the fulcrum formations 30,32 from a position shown in Figure 1 and Figure 6 to that of Figure 2 and Figure 5.

One drawer 13 has a 15 litre capacity and is of a shorter height than the other drawer of 30 litre capacity. To allow that drawer of shorter height to be tilted to an angle similar to that of the upper drawer 12 the rear portions 35 of the upper edges of the drawer sides extend obliquely downwards to align with the top edge 36 of the rear 37 of the drawer.

The provision of drawer sides and rear of a height less than the height of the section of the housing within which the drawer is mounted has a second function. That second function is to allow removal of a drawer from the housing for emptying or cleaning. The aforementioned height difference is selected to be greater than the height, as considered in a vertical direction, of the bar 30. Accordingly, in use, by slightly tilting a drawer forwards to bring the upper edge 40 of the drawer front 41 clear of the intermediate base panel 26 or top frame 15 the drawer can then be lifted upwards such that the fulcrum bar 30 is clear of the base panel 25,26, thereby allowing the drawer then to be brought forwards towards the position as shown in Figure 2.

In the aforedescribed construction the relatively greater weight of each drawer front as compared with the rear of the drawer results in the centre of gravity of the drawer lying forwards, at position X of Figure 5 when the drawer is fully tilted forwards. However the addition of material to the drawer typically will move the centre of gravity to a position rearwards of the fulcrum position 30,31. To assist in temporarily retaining the drawer tilted when at least partially loaded a magnetic holding means is provided. The holding means in this embodiment comprises for each drawer a pair of magnets 51 secured to the underside of the top panel 15 or underside of the intermediate base section 26 and which contact a ferrous metal section 52 of the retention clip 19 when the drawer is tilted fully forwards. Thus the magnets will act to provide a force that counteracts that caused by the presence of material introduced into the drawer.

In the aforedescribed embodiment the two drawers are of different capacities. However in a further embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in Figure 7, the drawers need not necessarily be of different capacities and instead can be of identical dimensions. In yet further embodiments of the invention, not illustrated, the housing may be of a modular construction such that each housing module is able to contain a single drawer. Alignment means may be provided whereby one housing module can be stacked on top of and located in position relative to another housing module.

Having regard to the foregoing it would be appreciated that the present invention advantageously allows the provision of a storage bin such as a kitchen waste bin which is suitable for under-counter use and which, in consequence of being front loadable, allows the full height of available space to be more effectively utilised for storage of waste material. Additionally, however, the storage bin optionally may be provided with a conventional toploading lid whereby if desired the bin may be used in a freestanding manner. In addition to the efficient use of available space, the provision of a fulcrum type mounting advantageously allows the tiltable receptacles readily to be removed for emptying or cleaning.

Claims

Claims.

1. A storage bin comprising housing and an open top receptacle contained within the housing and removable therefrom, wherein the housing has an open front face through which the receptacle may be removed from and replaced within the housing, and wherein the housing and the open top receptacle comprise fulcrum formations whereby the receptacle may be tilted between a first, upright position at which the receptacle is wholly within the housing and a second, tilted position at which a part of the top of the receptacle lies outside the housing to allow access to within the receptacle.

2. A storage bin according to claim 1 and comprising holding means in use to assist in temporarily retaining the receptacle in a second, tilted position.

3. A storage bin according to claim 2 wherein the holding means comprises a magnet secured to one of the receptacle and housing.

4. A storage bin according to claim 3 wherein the magnet is positioned to co-operate with a ferrous metal surface on the other of the receptacle and housing when the receptacle is in the second position.

5. A storage bin according to any one of claims 2 to 4 wherein the holding means comprises surfaces associated respectively with the housing and receptacle and which frictionally engage with one another and bear against one another when the bin is in the second, tilted position to frictionally restrain movement of the receptacle to the first position.

6. A storage bin according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the holding means comprises a slow action damper whereby the receptacle slowly returns to the first position from the second position.

7. A storage bin according to claim 6 wherein the return movement commences automatically subsequent to the user moving the receptacle to the second position.

8. A storage bin according to claim 6 wherein the return movement commences only subsequent to the user applying initiating pressure to move the receptacle towards the first position.

9. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the centre of gravity of the receptacle lies forwards of the fulcrum formation when the bin is in the tilted position.

10. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing contains at least two receptacles arranged in a stacked formation one on top of the other and at least one of the receptacles being tiltable between said first and second positions.

11. A storage bin according to claim 10 wherein the uppermost receptacle is non-tiltable.

12. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing comprises a top provided with a lid for access to the uppermost receptacle.

13. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the housing comprises at least two panels.

14. A storage bin according to claim 13 wherein the housing comprises a base panel, a pair of side panels, a rear panel and a top panel.

15. A storage bin according to claim 14 wherein the receptacle has a front face which closely fits the opening of the front face of the housing when the receptacle is in the first, upright position.

16. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fulcrum formations comprise a first formation which extends from one of the receptacle and housing and a second formation provided by the other of the receptacle and housing.

17. A storage bin according to claim 16 wherein one fulcrum formation is provided at the base of the receptacle and the other in a base of the housing.

18. A storage bin according to claim 16 or claim 17 wherein the fulcrum formations prevent removal of the receptacle from the housing by the sole action of a forward sliding movement.

19. A storage bin according to any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein the fulcrum formations allow substantially free upward movement to separate the surfaces of the fulcrum formations.

20. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the receptacle comprises side and rear portions which extend upwards for a distance less than the spacing of confronting inward facing surfaces of a base and top panel of a housing.

21. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the receptacle is provided with a retention formation for retaining disposable plastics liner within the receptacle.

22. A storage bin according to claim 21 wherein the receptacle comprises a retention formation which comprises ferrous metal positioned to be engaged by magnetic holding means when the receptacle is in the second, tilted position.

23. A storage bin according to any one of the preceding claims and of a height less than 900mm.

24. A storage bin substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.