GB2558623A

GB2558623A - Glass crushing apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2558623A
Application number: GB1700454.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Ramsay Williamson Brian; Kevin Williamson Alistair; Greer Murray Robin
Original assignee: Ekko Waste Solutions Ltd
Current assignee: Ekko Waste Solutions Ltd
Priority date: 2017-01-11
Filing date: 2017-01-11
Publication date: 2018-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 2037-01-11
Also published as: GB201700454D0; GB2558623B

Abstract

An apparatus 10 for crushing glass comprises an enclosed impact chamber 14, a rotating paddle 16 within the enclosed chamber, an electric motor 30 for rotating the paddle, a delivery chute 20 having an upper end 21 for receiving glass bottles and a lower end (22, fig 4) in communication with the impact chamber, and a collection chamber (70) provided below and in communication with the impact chamber. The impact chamber includes an inclined impact surface 18 extending below the lower end of the delivery chute. The paddle rotates about a horizontal axis opposite and parallel to the impact surface, and has at least two paddle arms 26, each travel downwards when closest to the impact surface. Each paddle arm has a chamfered impact tip (28, fig 9) at its end, with a clearance between the impact tip and impact surface of between 15 and 50 mm. The apparatus may be provided with a lid 40 at the upper end of the chute, the lid being connected to the electric motor so that it switches on when the lid is raised. The apparatus creates glass cullet of an appropriate size for storage, transport and recycling.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: Glass crushing apparatus Abstract Title: Glass crushing apparatus (57) An apparatus 10 for crushing glass comprises an enclosed impact chamber 14, a rotating paddle 16 within the enclosed chamber, an electric motor 30 for rotating the paddle, a delivery chute 20 having an upper end 21 for receiving glass bottles and a lower end (22, fig 4) in communication with the impact chamber, and a collection chamber (70) provided below and in communication with the impact chamber. The impact chamber includes an inclined impact surface 18 extending below the lower end of the delivery chute. The paddle rotates about a horizontal axis opposite and parallel to the impact surface, and has at least two paddle arms 26, each travel downwards when closest to the impact surface. Each paddle arm has a chamfered impact tip (28, fig 9) at its end, with a clearance between the impact tip and impact surface of between 15 and 50 mm. The apparatus may be provided with a lid 40 at the upper end of the chute, the lid being connected to the electric motor so that it switches on when the lid is raised. The apparatus creates glass cullet of an appropriate size for storage, transport and recycling.

7/

f)6r3

α

GLASS CRUSHING APPARATUS

Field of the invention

The invention relates to machines for breaking glass bottles into small fragments or cullet at the point of use of the bottles, for subsequent collection and removal of the cullet. The invention also relates to methods of using such machines to break glass bottles into cullet and collecting the cullet for recycling.

Background of the invention

Legislation in the UK and elsewhere requires licensed premises such as bars and restaurants to segregate their waste. Empty bottles are a significant proportion of such waste, and the storage of single use empty bottles requires large storage areas until collection of the bottles. Although it is known to break glass bottles at the premises, to create glass cullet which requires much less storage space, such machines can be dangerous for unskilled operators to use, and can easily be misused so that other waste such as food waste and other packaging is mixed with the cullet, making efficient recycling impossible or very difficult. The cullet produces by prior art crushers and machines for breaking glass is often too small and therefore difficult or impossible to recycle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine and method which overcome one or more problems associated with prior art machines for breaking glass bottles.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for crushing glass comprising an enclosed impact chamber, a paddle mounted for rotation within the enclosed chamber, an electric motor for rotating the paddle, a delivery chute having an upper end for receiving glass bottles and a lower end in communication with the impact chamber, and a collection chamber provided below the impact chamber and in communication with the impact chamber, wherein the impact chamber includes an inclined impact surface extending below the lower end of the delivery chute, and wherein the paddle is arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis parallel to the impact surface with a clearance between the paddle and impact surface of between 15 and 50 mm, preferably between 20 and 40 mm, most preferably between 25 and 35 mm.

The combination of an inclined impact surface and a rotating paddle which allows a gap of between 15 and 50 mm between the paddle and the impact surface ensures that the bottles are crushed with cullet having an appropriate size for efficient storage, transport and recycling, typically greater than 6 mm, preferably greater than 10 mm, in particle diameter or size. For efficient optical sorting of glass cullet, the size of glass cullet should be above 6 mm, preferably above 10 mm.

The impact surface may extend at an angle to the horizontal of between 30° and 75°, preferably between 50° and 70°, most preferably between 55° and 65°.

The angle of the impact surface ensures that bottles entering the impact chamber from the delivery chute are travelling across the impact surface at a sufficient speed to ensure efficient crushing of the glass.

Preferably the paddle has two or more paddle arms, and is arranged for rotation such each paddle arm is travelling downwards when closest to the impact surface.

The downward rotation of the paddle arms adjacent to the impact surface assists in efficient crushing of the glass.

Preferably each paddle arm comprises a metal plate. Preferably each paddle arm has an impact tip at the edge of the paddle arm distal from the horizontal axis of rotation. Preferably the impact tip is chamfered on the leading side of the paddle arm. Preferably each arm has a mass of at least 1 kg, more preferably at least 1.5 kg. Each arm may be of steel.

The mass of the paddle arms and the chamfered impact tip assists in efficient crushing of the glass. The chamfered impact tip urges glass against the impact surface by a wedge effect.

Preferably the paddle is removably mounted on a drive shaft driven by the motor.

The paddle may be secured by bolts or other fasteners to the drive shaft. This allows the paddle to be replaced at the end of its service life.

The drive shaft may be held in bearings. Preferably the bearings are located outside the impact chamber. This ensures the bearings are not subject to excessive wear from glass dust and particles present in the impact chamber.

The apparatus may include a manually operable lid provided at the upper end of the delivery chute. The lid may be operably coupled to a controller which switches on the electric motor when the lid is raised. The controller may switch off the electric motor when the lid is closed, optionally after a predetermined time delay of a few seconds, typically less than 5 seconds.

The raising of the lid by an operator starts the motor in advance of the operator introducing a bottle to the delivery chute, so that the apparatus cannot be overloaded.

The delivery chute may include a gasket provided with a deformable aperture located below the upper end of the delivery chute. The gasket may be of resilient material, such as natural or artificial rubber. The aperture may comprise one or more slits, for example two slits arranged in a cross pattern. The gasket may be formed such that it requires a significant force from an operator to push a glass bottle through the aperture.

The gasket serves to prevent glass particles or debris being projected upwards past the gasket to the upper end of the delivery chute.

The delivery chute may include a door arrangement located below the gasket. The door arrangement may comprise one or two doors biased to a closed position but openable by the weight of a bottle on the door or doors to permit the passage of a bottle down the delivery chute. The door arrangement may comprise two opposed trap doors. The door arrangement may include one or more counterbalance weights.

The door arrangement permits bottles to pass in one direction downwards, but prevents glass particles or debris being projected upwards past the door arrangement towards the upper end of the delivery chute.

The apparatus may further include a work surface located above the impact chamber. The work surface may be located in front of the delivery chute. Preferably the work surface is sufficiently large to support a crate or other bottle container.

The work surface enables an operator to place a crate of bottles on the work surface, and to lift the bottles from the crate to the upper end of the delivery chute without having to bend to lift. The provision of the delivery chute at the rear of the apparatus assists in ensuring that the bottles drop onto the inclined impact surface, on which they are then urged forwards towards the paddle. This enables the machine to be more compact, so that the machine can be installed in small rooms or in locations which are difficult to access, such as cellars or store rooms or areas behind bars.

The apparatus preferably includes an access door arranged to provide access to the collection chamber. The access door may be provided at the front of the apparatus.

The access door may be operably coupled to a controller which switches off the electric motor when the access door is opened. The controller may switch on the electric motor when the access door is closed, optionally after a predetermined time delay of a few seconds, typically less than 5 seconds.

The collection chamber may include a weighing tray adapted to receive a crate for collecting crushed glass. The apparatus may include an electronic controller which measures the weight of a crate and its contents received or positioned on the weighing tray. The electronic controller may include control means adapted to switch off the motor when the weight of the crate and its contents reaches a predetermined weight.

An operator is thus made aware of when the crate is full and must be removed from the collection chamber. The predetermined weight can be selected to be a weight which can safely be lifted by an operator.

Alternatively the electronic controller may include control means adapted to produce an audible or visible alarm signal to an operator when the weight of the crate and its contents reaches a predetermined weight.

An operator is thus made aware of when the crate is full and must be removed from the collection chamber. The alarm signal alerts the operator, so that the operator does not place any more bottles in the delivery chute, but the motor continues to run so that any bottles already in the delivery chute or impact chamber continue to be crushed, thereby preventing a logjam in the delivery chute or impact chamber.

The collection chamber may include a crate detection means, for example a crate push switch, which detects the presence of a crate in the collection chamber. The crate detection means may be operably coupled to a controller which prevents operation of the motor when a crate is not present in the collection chamber.

This ensures that the machine is not operated to crush glass when there is no container or crate in the collection chamber to collect the crushed glass.

The access door may include an abutment surface adapted to abut a crate when a crate is present in the collection chamber, and to urge the crate into a collection position when the access door is fully closed. The crate detection means may comprise a push switch which is pushed to a position registering the presence of a crate when a crate is urged by the abutment surface to the collection position.

This assists an operator in ensuring that a collection crate is in the correct position to receive crushed glass or cullet when the access door is closed.

A crumb tray may be provided in the collection chamber beneath the crate. The crumb tray may be provided to collect glass particles, particularly small particles, which pass around the sides of the crate. The crumb tray may be removable to allow periodic cleaning.

The upper end of the delivery chute preferably has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of less than 150 mm. Typically the upper end of the delivery chute is rectangular or square in cross-section, with a maximum dimension of 120 mm or less. Providing an opening to the delivery chute with a maximum dimension of 150 mm, preferably 120 mm or less, reduces the risk associated with a user inserting an arm into the opening when placing bottles in the delivery chute.

The apparatus may include a power supply socket adapted to receive a removable power supply lead. The power supply socket may be provided on an exterior surface of the apparatus. Such sockets and leads are known, for example, in domestic electrical appliances such as kettles, but they offer an advantage for a commercial glass crushing apparatus. In use, an operator may drag crates around the machine, which may damage the power supply lead. Additionally broken glass may be present around the machine, which may result in damage to the power supply lead.

A damaged removable power supply lead may be readily removed and replaced by an operator, without requiring an electrician and/or rewiring of the apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of processing glass for recycling comprising the steps of lifting a lid at the upper end of a delivery chute to start an electric motor which drives a paddle in an impact chamber, inserting a plurality of glass containers in the delivery chute and allowing them to fall to an inclined impact surface extending below the lower end of the delivery chute in the impact chamber, rotating the paddle at a speed sufficient to crush the plurality of glass containers between the paddle and the impact surface to produce glass cullet having a size of at least 3 mm, preferably at least 6 mm, most preferably at least 10 mm, collecting the glass cullet in a crate in a collection chamber beneath the impact chamber, and removing the crate and collected glass cullet when the weight of the crate and collected glass cullet reaches a predetermined weight.

The size of the glass cullet is measured as the largest dimension of the glass cullet.

Preferably the method uses an apparatus for crushing glass according to the first aspect.

The paddle may be rotated at a speed of between 1000 and 3000 rpm, preferably between 1500 and 2000 rpm.

Preferably the paddle is rotated by an electric motor having an operating power of between 0.2 and 0.8 kW, preferably about 0.3 to 0.5 kW.

Preferably the crate has a capacity of between 20 and 30 litres.

The method may include the step of delivering beverages and crates to a retail site, using the apparatus for crushing glass at the retail site, and subsequently removing a plurality of crates and collected glass cullet from the retail site and delivering the crates and collected glass cullet to a glass bulking location or recycling location. The retail site may be a bar, restaurant, store or similar. The method may include the step of collecting the glass cullet at the glass bulking location and transporting the glass in bulk quantities to a recycling location.

The method may include using the same vehicle for delivering beverages and crates to the retail site.

The method may include using the same vehicle for delivering the beverages and crates to the retail site and removing crates containing collected glass cullet from the retail site.

The invention provides an integrated apparatus which breaks glass bottles into cullet resulting in a reduction in volume of up to 80%. Empty glass bottles are loaded into the machine by hand, one at a time but with no limitation on how quickly (other than operator speed) down an elongated delivery chute. The bottles then drop onto a rotating paddle contained within an impact chamber and driven by an electric motor where the impact tips of the paddle arms will cause the bottle to shatter by fast fracture into cullet. This cullet will then drop into a collection chamber where it may be collected in a crate or other suitable receptacle.

An advantage of the apparatus of the invention is its relatively small footprint, such that it can be comfortably sited within confined spaces such as drinks cellars, whilst still being robust enough to withstand use by unskilled operators.

The fact that the cullet is smashed and deposited directly into a suitable collection receptacle means the collection service for the waste glass is simplified as far as possible due to the easy lifting and storage of crates.

The apparatus uses the high rotational velocity and reasonably large mass of the paddles to shatter the glass, by utilising the impulse at impact against the glass bottle to instigate brittle fracture within the glass. This allows the machine to use a relatively small amount of electrical energy in order to crush the glass to a suitable size of cullet. This avoids the need for larger machines which crush glass by compression and require a larger footprint and more energy.

The axis of rotation of the paddle is horizontal, and is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the delivery chute, thus maximising the ability to fracture and hence enhance the efficiency of the machine. This is possible by utilising the increased impulse acting on the glass bottle due to the fact that upon impact, the reaction is acting at an angle normal to the paddle surface.

Description of the drawings

The apparatus and method of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the apparatus of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1 with the cover panel removed;

Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view through the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1 with a cover panel removed;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the top of the delivery chute of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 shows the top of the delivery chute of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the top of the delivery chute of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 shows the impact chamber and electric motor of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view through the impact chamber of the apparatus of Fig.

1; and

Figs. 10 and 11 are side and front elevations respectively of the paddle of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 there is shown an apparatus 10 for crushing glass comprising a housing 12 containing the various components of the apparatus 10.

The housing may12 may comprise steel panels fixed to a frame structure. In the housing 12 is an enclosed impact chamber 14 and a paddle 16 mounted for rotation within the enclosed impact chamber 14. Extending above the impact chamber 14 is a delivery chute 20 having an upper end 21 for receiving glass bottles and a lower end 22 in communication with the impact chamber. A user places a bottle in the delivery chute 20 at the upper end 21, and the bottle falls under gravity until it hits an inclined impact surface 18 in the impact chamber 14 extending below the lower end 22 of the delivery chute 20.

The paddle 16 is arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis 24 parallel to the impact surface 18 with a clearance X between the paddle and impact surface of between 15 and 50 mm, preferably between 20 and 40 mm, most preferably between 25 and 35 mm. In a particular embodiment a clearance X of 30 mm was provided. The combination of the inclined impact surface 18 and the rotating paddle 16, with a clearance X of between 15 and 50 mm between the paddle and the impact surface, ensures that the bottles are crushed with cullet having an appropriate size for efficient storage, transport and recycling, typically between 3 and 10 mm in particle diameter or size.

In the illustrated embodiment the impact surface extends at an angle A of 60° to the horizontal, but the angle A may be any suitable angle which achieves the required cullet size, for example between 30° and 75°, ensuring that bottles entering the impact chamber 14 from the delivery chute 20 are travelling across the impact surface 18 at a sufficient speed to ensure efficient crushing of the glass.

An electric motor 30 drives a drive belt 34 which in turn drives the drive shaft 32 on which the paddle 16 is mounted. The drive shaft 32 is supported in bearings 38 for rotation about the horizontal paddle axis 24. The bearings 38 are located outside the impact chamber 14, so that the bearings 38 are protected from damage arising from glass dust and particles present in the impact chamber 14.

The paddle 16 is shown in more detail in Figs. 10 and 11. The paddle 16 comprises two paddle arms 26, which in the illustrated example are metal plates, for example steel, having a thickness of 20 mm, welded to a sleeve 27 which is adapted to thread onto the drive shaft 32. The paddle 16 can have more paddle arms 26, for example three or four paddle arms 26, but these should be mounted in a balanced fashion so that when the paddle rotates at high speeds no eccentric forces are generated. The paddle 16 is arranged for rotation in such a manner that each paddle arm 26 is travelling downwards when closest to the impact surface 18, resulting in efficient crushing of the glass against the impact surface 18.

Each paddle arm 26 has an impact tip 28 at the edge of the paddle arm 26 distal from the horizontal axis of rotation 24. The impact tip 28 includes a chamfer 29 on the leading side of the paddle arm 26. In the illustrated example each paddle arm 26 has a width parallel to the rotational axis 24 of about 140 mm and a length perpendicular to the rotational axis 24 of about 90 mm, giving a mass of each arm 26 of about 1 kg, and a total mass of the paddle 16 of about 2 kg. The relatively high mass of the paddle arms 26 and the chamfered impact tip 28 assists in efficient crushing of the glass against the impact surface 18.

The paddle 16 may be removably secured to the drive shaft 32 by bolts 36 which pass through apertures 37 in the sleeve 27 and corresponding apertures (not shown) in the drive shaft 32. This allows the paddle 16 to be replaced when it is worn.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the delivery chute 20 is shown in more detail. A manually operable lid 40 is provided at the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20.

The lid 40 is attached to the housing 12 by hinges 42 so that in the open position illustrated it allows access to the delivery chute 20, while in the closed position access to the delivery chute 20 is prevented. The lid 40 may be operably coupled to a controller, for example provided in an electronic control unit 44, which switches on the electric motor 30 when the lid 40 is raised. This means that when an operator lifts the lid 40 to deposit a bottle in the delivery chute 20, the motor is already running and the paddle 16 is already rotating by the time a bottle is introduced into the delivery chute 20. In this way the apparatus 10 cannot be overloaded.

The controller 44 may be programmed to switch off the electric motor 30 when the lid 40 is closed, optionally after a predetermined time delay of a few seconds, typically less than 5 seconds.

The delivery chute 20 includes a first barrier in the form of a resilient gasket 46 provided with a deformable aperture 48 immediately below the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20. The gasket may be of any suitable material, for example natural or artificial rubber. In the illustrated embodiment the aperture 48 comprises two slits arranged in a cross pattern. The gasket 46 is of such a shape and size that it requires a significant force from an operator to push a glass bottle through the aperture 48. This helps to prevent items being introduced into the delivery chute 20 by accident, and also prevents an operator overloading the apparatus 10 by feeding in multiple bottles at the same time. The gasket 46 also serves to prevent glass particles or debris being projected upwards from the impact chamber 14 past the gasket 46 to the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20.

The delivery chute 20 includes a second barrier in the form of a door arrangement 50 located below the gasket 46. In the illustrated example the door arrangement 50 comprises two trap doors 52 connected to the housing 12 by hinges 54 and biased to a closed position by counterweights 56 cantilevered from the hinges. The doors 52 can be opened by the weight of a bottle on the doors 52, which counters the weight of the counterweights 56, to permit the passage of a bottle down the delivery chute 20. The door arrangement 50 permits bottles to pass in one direction downwards, but prevents glass particles or debris being projected upwards from the impact chamber 14 past the door arrangement 50 towards the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20.

The presence of two barriers, namely the gasket 46 and door arrangement 50, ensures there is no risk of injury to an operator from glass particles being ejected from the delivery chute 20.

The apparatus 10 include a work surface 60 located above the impact chamber 14, in front of the delivery chute 20. The work surface 60 is sufficiently large to support a standard sized crate 62 or other bottle container. An operator can place a crate 62 of bottles on the work surface 60, and can lift the bottles one by one from the crate 62 to the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20 without having to bend to lift. The delivery chute 20 is positioned at the rear of the apparatus 10 to ensure that the bottles drop onto the inclined impact surface 18, on which they are then urged forwards towards the paddle 16.

The upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20 extends to a height of about 1.5 m above the ground, typically at least 1.2 m above the ground. This ensures that an operator cannot easily insert his or her arm into the delivery chute 20. The gasket 46 is positioned at or close to the upper end 21, so that an operator cannot insert his or her arm into the delivery chute without overcoming significant resistance from the gasket. The delivery chute 20 has an overall length from the first end 21 to the second end 22 adjacent to the impact chamber 14 of at least 500 mm, preferably at least 800 mm, so that even if an operator did attempt to put his or her arm in the delivery chute 20, it would not reach the rotating paddle 6, thereby avoiding serious injury.

The upper end of the delivery chute 20 preferably has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of less than 175 mm. In the illustrated example the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20 is square in cross-section, with a maximum dimension of about 150 mm. The delivery chute widens to a hopper section in which the door arrangement 50 is provided, but then narrows again to form a conduit of square cross section, each side of the square being about 150 mm. The dimensions may of course be varied to suit particular circumstances.

A collection chamber 70 is provided below the impact chamber 14 and is in communication with the impact chamber 14 through a collection aperture 71. The apparatus 10 includes an access door 72 at the front of the apparatus 10 arranged to provide access for an operator to the collection chamber 70.

The access door 72 is operably coupled to a controller, which may be provided in the control unit 44, which switches off the electric motor 40 when the access door 72 is opened. The controller 44 may switch on the electric motor 40 when the access door 72 is closed again, optionally after a predetermined time delay of a few seconds, typically less than 5 seconds.

The collection chamber 70 includes a weighing tray 74 adapted to receive a crate 76 for collecting crushed glass. The control unit 44 may include, or may be linked to, an electronic controller which measures the weight of a crate 76 and its contents received or positioned on the weighing tray 74.

In a first alternative the electronic controller may include control means adapted to switch off the motor 40 when the weight of the crate 76 and its contents reaches a predetermined weight. An operator is thus made aware by the stopping of the motor 44 that the crate 76 is full and must be removed from the collection chamber 70.

The predetermined weight can be selected to be a weight which can safely be lifted by an operator.

In a second alternative the electronic controller may include control means adapted to produce an audible or visible alarm signal to an operator when the weight of the crate 76 and its contents reaches a predetermined weight. An operator is thus made aware by the alarm signal that the crate is full and must be removed from the collection chamber. The alarm signal alerts the operator, so that the operator does not place any more bottles in the delivery chute 20, but the motor 40 continues to run so that any bottles already in the delivery chute 20 or impact chamber 14 continue to be crushed, thereby preventing a logjam in the delivery chute 20 or impact chamber

14.

The collection chamber 70 includes a crate detection means in the form of a crate push switch 78, which detects the presence of a crate 76 in the collection chamber

70. The crate detection means 78 is operably coupled to the control unit 44, which prevents operation of the motor 40 when the crate detection means 78 detects that a crate is not present in the collection chamber 70. In this way the machine 10 is not operated to crush glass when there is no container or crate 76 in the collection chamber 70 to collect the crushed glass.

The access door 72 includes an abutment surface 80 adapted to abut a crate 76 when a crate 76 is present in the collection chamber 70, and to urge the crate 76 into a collection position when the access door 72 is fully closed. In the illustrated example the crate detection means 78 comprises a push switch which is pushed to a position registering the presence of a crate 76 when a crate is urged by the abutment surface 80 to the collection position. However other means for detecting the presence of a crate may be used, for example, optical, magnetic or electrical signal means, or any other appropriate form of sensor.

A crumb tray 82 is provided in the collection chamber 70 beneath the crate 76. The crumb tray 82 is provided to collect glass particles, particularly small particles, which pass around the sides of the crate 76. The crumb tray 82 may be removable to allow periodic cleaning. The crumb tray may be omitted if other cleaning methods are used, for example vacuum cleaning.

The apparatus 10 includes a power supply socket 90 adapted to receive a removable power supply lead 92. The power supply socket 90 may be provided on an exterior surface of the housing 12 of the apparatus 10. Such sockets and leads are known, for example, in domestic electrical appliances such as kettles, but they offer an advantage for a commercial glass crushing apparatus. In use, an operator may drag crates around the machine, which may damage the power supply lead 92. Additionally broken glass may be present around the machine, which may result in damage to the power supply lead 92. A damaged removable power supply lead 92 may readily be removed and replaced by an operator, without requiring an electrician and/or rewiring of the apparatus 10. A suitable fixing means (not shown) such as a screw-fixed clamp, may be used to secure the removable power supply lead 92 to the power supply socket 90.

In use an operator operates the on/off switch 94 to supply power to the apparatus

10. The operator then lifts the lid 40 at the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20, so that a sensor causes the control unit 44 to start the electric motor 40 which in turn drives a rotating paddle 16 in the impact chamber 14.

With the lid lifted to its stable open position shown in Fig. 7, the operator inserts a glass bottle or other glass container into the delivery chute by pushing it through the aperture 48 in the gasket 46, and allowing it to fall under its own weight past the door arrangement 50 to the inclined impact surface 18 which extends below the lower end 22 of the delivery chute 20 in the impact chamber 14.

In the impact chamber 14 the paddle 16 rotates at a speed sufficient to crush the glass container between the paddle 16 and the impact surface 18 to produce glass cullet having a size of between 0.1 mm and 35 mm, preferably less than 6mm. The cullet falls from the impact chamber 14 through the collection aperture 71 to the collection chamber 70, where it is collected in a crate 76.

The operator continues to feed glass bottles one by one into the delivery chute 20 by pushing it through the aperture 48 in the gasket 46, and each bottle is crushed and converted to cullet. When the crate and collected cullet reaches a predetermined weight, an alarm signal informs the operator, and the operator stops feeding further bottles into the delivery chute 20. The operator opens the access door 72, removes the filled crate 76 and replaces it with an empty crate 76. If the crate 76 is not correctly placed, the crate push switch will prevent the apparatus from operating. When the access door 72 is properly closed and the crate 76 properly positioned the moto 40 restarts, and the operator can continue to feed glass bottles one by one into the delivery chute 20.

Typically the paddle 16 rotates at a speed of between 1000 and 3000 rpm, preferably between 1500 and 2000 rpm.

Typically the collection crate 76 has a capacity of between 20 and 30 litres.

The apparatus 10 can be used at a retail site, such as a bar, restaurant, store or similar. Such a retail site receives regular deliveries of beverages in glass bottles and crates 76. An operator at the retail site can crush the empty bottles after use using the apparatus 10 of the invention, reducing the storage space required for empty bottles by up to 80%. The crates 76 filled with cullet can be removed for recycling, advantageously by the same vehicle delivering beverages in glass bottles and crates to the retail site, therefore reducing transport costs. In one embodiment the beverages are delivered in crates or boxes of a similar volume to the crates used for collecting glass cullet. The truck storage space occupied by the crates or boxes containing the beverages in the delivery journey can then be occupied by the crates 76 filled with cullet in the removal journey.

The limit to the size of bottles being crushed and converted to cullet is governed by the size of the opening at the upper end 21 of the delivery chute 20. The 120 mm square opening described above would accommodate all sizes of bottles used by typical licensed premises, right up to magnum size champagne bottles and 1.5 litre spirit bottles. There is no upper limit on how quickly bottles can be entered into the delivery chute 20.

From the foregoing, an apparatus and a method for the safe, convenient and economic disposal of waste glass bottles has been described. It will be appreciated that a number of different alterations and modifications may be made without departing from the concept of the present invention. For example one or more of the aforementioned features may be combined. Consequently the present invention has been described herein by way of illustration rather than limitation.

Element list

Apparatus for crushing glass 12 housing 14 impact chamber 16 paddle mounted for rotation 18 inclined impact surface 20 delivery chute upper end lower end horizontal paddle axis of rotation X clearance to impact surface A angle of impact surface to horizontal paddle arms paddle sleeve impact tip chamfer electric motor for rotating the paddle 32 drive shaft drive belt bolts for fixing paddle to shaft bolt holes for fixing paddle to shaft drive shaft bearings manually operable lid lid hinge control unit gasket slits, aperture in gasket 50 door arrangement below gasket 52 doors hinges counterweights on doors 60 work surface 62 crate of bottles collection chamber collection aperture access door to the collection chamber

74 weighing tray crate for collecting crushed glass 78 crate push switch 80 abutment surface 82 crumb tray

90 power supply socket power supply lead 94 on/off switch

Claims

1. An apparatus for crushing glass comprising an enclosed impact chamber, a paddle mounted for rotation within the enclosed chamber, an electric motor for rotating the paddle, a delivery chute having an upper end for receiving glass bottles and a lower end in communication with the impact chamber, and a collection chamber provided below the impact chamber and in communication with the impact chamber, wherein the impact chamber includes an inclined impact surface extending below the lower end of the delivery chute, and wherein the paddle is arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis parallel to the impact surface with a clearance between the paddle and impact surface of between 15 and 50 mm.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact surface extends at an angle to the horizontal of between 30° and 75°.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the paddle has at least two paddle arms, and is arranged for rotation such each paddle arm is travelling downwards when closest to the impact surface.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each paddle arm has an impact tip at the edge of the paddle arm distal from the horizontal axis of rotation, the impact tip being chamfered on the leading side of the paddle arm.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each paddle arm has a mass of at least 1 kg.

6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the paddle is removably mounted on a drive shaft driven by the motor, and wherein the drive shaft is held in bearings located outside the impact chamber.

7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including a manually operable lid provided at the upper end of the delivery chute and operably coupled to a controller which switches on the electric motor when the lid is raised.

8. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including a resilient gasket provided with a deformable aperture located below the upper end of the delivery chute.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the delivery chute includes a door arrangement located below the gasket comprising one or two doors biased to a closed position but openable by the weight of a bottle on the door or doors to permit the passage of a bottle down the delivery chute.

10. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including a work surface located above the impact chamber in front of the delivery chute, the work surface being sufficiently large to support a crate or other bottle container.

11. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including an access door arranged to provide access to the collection chamber and operably coupled to a controller which switches off the electric motor when the access door is opened.

12. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising:

a weighing tray adapted to receive a crate for collecting crushed glass, and an electronic controller adapted to measure the weight of a crate and its contents received or positioned on the weighing tray.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic controller includes control means adapted either to switch off the motor when the weight of the crate and its contents reaches a predetermined weight, or to produce an audible or visible alarm signal to an operator when the weight of the crate and its contents reaches a predetermined weight.

14. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a crate detection means, which detects the presence of a crate in the collection chamber, and which is operably coupled to a controller which prevents operation of the motor when a crate is not present in the collection chamber.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the access door includes an abutment surface adapted to abut a crate when a crate is present in the collection chamber, and to urge the crate into a collection position when the access door is fully closed, and wherein the crate detection means comprises a push switch which is pushed to a position registering the presence of a crate when a crate is urged by the abutment surface to the collection position.

16. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper end of the delivery chute has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of less than 150 mm.

17. A method of processing glass for recycling comprising the steps of:

lifting a lid at the upper end of a delivery chute to start an electric motor which drives a paddle in an impact chamber, inserting a plurality of glass containers in the delivery chute and allowing them to fall to an inclined impact surface extending below the lower end of the delivery chute in the impact chamber, rotating the paddle at a speed sufficient to crush the plurality of glass containers between the paddle and the impact surface to produce glass cullet having a size of at least 3 mm, collecting the glass cullet in a crate in a collection chamber beneath the impact chamber, and removing the crate and collected glass cullet when the weight of the crate and collected glass cullet reaches a predetermined weight.

18. A method of processing glass according to claim 17, wherein the method uses an apparatus for crushing glass according to any of claims 1 to 16.

19. A method of processing glass according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the paddle is rotated at a speed of between 1000 and 3000 rpm.

20. A method of processing glass according to any of claims 17 or 19, comprising the steps of:

delivering beverages and crates to a retail site, using an apparatus for crushing glass at the retail site, and subsequently removing a plurality of crates and collected glass cullet from the retail site and delivering the crates and collected glass cullet to a glass bulking location or recycling location.

5

21. A method of processing glass according to claim 20, comprising using the same vehicle for delivering beverages and crates to the retail site.

22. A method of processing glass according to claim 20 or 21, comprising using the same vehicle for delivering the beverages and crates to the retail site and

10 removing crates containing collected glass cullet from the retail site.

09 01 18

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows:

1. An apparatus for crushing glass comprising an enclosed impact chamber, a paddle mounted for rotation within the enclosed chamber, an electric motor for

5 rotating the paddle, a delivery chute having an upper end for receiving glass bottles and a lower end in communication with the impact chamber, and a collection chamber provided below the impact chamber and in communication with the impact chamber, wherein the impact chamber includes an inclined impact surface extending 10 below the lower end of the delivery chute, wherein the paddle is arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis opposite and parallel to the impact surface, and wherein the paddle has at least two paddle arms, and is arranged for rotation such each paddle arm is travelling downwards when closest to the impact surface,

15 each paddle arm having an impact tip at the edge of the paddle arm distal from the horizontal axis of rotation extending parallel to the horizontal axis of rotation, with a clearance between the impact tip and impact surface of between 25 and 35 mm.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the impact surface extends at an

20 angle to the horizontal of between 30° and 75°.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the impact tip of each paddle arm is chamfered on the leading side of the paddle arm.

25 4. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein each paddle arm has a mass of at least 1 kg.

5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the paddle is removably mounted on a drive shaft driven by the motor, and wherein the drive shaft

30 is held in bearings located outside the impact chamber.

6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including a manually operable lid provided at the upper end of the delivery chute and operably coupled to a controller which switches on the electric motor when the lid is raised.

09 01 18

7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including a resilient gasket provided with a deformable aperture located below the upper end of the delivery chute.

5 8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the delivery chute includes a door arrangement located below the gasket comprising one or two doors biased to a closed position but openable by the weight of a bottle on the door or doors to permit the passage of a bottle down the delivery chute.

10 9. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including a work surface located above the impact chamber in front of the delivery chute, the work surface being sufficiently large to support a crate or other bottle container.

10. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including an access

15 door arranged to provide access to the collection chamber and operably coupled to a controller which switches off the electric motor when the access door is opened.

11. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising:

a weighing tray adapted to receive a crate for collecting crushed glass, and

20 an electronic controller adapted to measure the weight of a crate and its contents received or positioned on the weighing tray.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the electronic controller includes control means adapted either to switch off the motor when the weight of the crate

25 and its contents reaches a predetermined weight, or to produce an audible or visible alarm signal to an operator when the weight of the crate and its contents reaches a predetermined weight.

13. An apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a crate detection

30 means, which detects the presence of a crate in the collection chamber, and which is operably coupled to a controller which prevents operation of the motor when a crate is not present in the collection chamber.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the access door includes an

35 abutment surface adapted to abut a crate when a crate is present in the collection

09 01 18 chamber, and to urge the crate into a collection position when the access door is fully closed, and wherein the crate detection means comprises a push switch which is pushed to a position registering the presence of a crate when a crate is urged by the

5 abutment surface to the collection position.

15. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the upper end of the delivery chute has a maximum cross-sectional dimension of less than 150 mm.

10 16. A method of processing glass for recycling comprising the steps of:

providing an apparatus according to any preceding claim, lifting a lid at the upper end of the delivery chute to start an electric motor which drives the paddle in the impact chamber, inserting a plurality of glass containers in the delivery chute and allowing

15 them to fall to the inclined impact surface extending below the lower end of the delivery chute in the impact chamber, rotating the paddle at a speed sufficient to crush the plurality of glass containers between the paddle and the impact surface to produce glass cullet having a size of at least 3 mm,

20. A method of processing glass according to claim 18 or 19, comprising using 5 the same vehicle for delivering the beverages and crates to the retail site and removing crates containing collected glass cullet from the retail site.

09 01 18 ytAjg/ZW»1

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB1700454.0 Examiner: Mr Will Jeffries

20 collecting the glass cullet in a crate in the collection chamber beneath the impact chamber, and removing the crate and collected glass cullet when the weight of the crate and collected glass cullet reaches a predetermined weight.

25 17. A method of processing glass according to claim 16, wherein the paddle is rotated at a speed of between 1000 and 3000 rpm.

18. A method of processing glass according to any of claims 16 to 17, comprising the steps of:

30 delivering beverages and crates to a retail site, using the apparatus for crushing glass at the retail site, and subsequently removing a plurality of crates and collected glass cullet from the retail site and delivering the crates and collected glass cullet to a glass bulking location or recycling location.

19. A method of processing glass according to claim 18, comprising using the same vehicle for delivering beverages and crates to the retail site.