NZ522299A - Sanitary bin and attached base formed from blanks - Google Patents

Abstract

A receptacle assembly including a main container part and accompanying base is disclosed. The container part and base are both formed from lie-flat blanks. The receptacle includes a hinged lid 19 and a chute 11, while the base provides additional security against leakage from the container. The receptacle is intended to be used for disposal of sanitary items and is disposable along with its contents.

Description

52 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No: 522299 Date: 25 October 2002 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION SANITARY BIN We, CARTER HOLT HARVEY LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 640 Great South Road, Manukau City, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 1 6 AUG 2005 _ 2 _ 16 AUG 2005 I RECEIVED The present invention relates to a container and more particularly, although not solely, -to a container capable of being erected and/or assembled so as to provide a receptacle for items to be disposed of together with the receptacle itself, e.g. sanitary pads, tampons, etc.

The present invention also relates to blanks, erected forms of such blanks and related uses of such erected forms and/or assemblies thereof.

To avoid blockages in toilet facilities it is common place to provide receptacles for receiving for disposal items to be incinerated or otherwise disposed of. This has been the case with female hygiene products such as sanitary pads, tampons, etc.

The present invention in one of its embodiments has as an object the provision of blanks, erected forms of such blanks, assemblies of such erected forms and related uses where a receptacle is provided for collection and thereafter disposal together with any accumulations of items for such disposal.

Accordingly in a first aspect the present invention consists in a receptacle assembly comprising or including a base, and a main receptacle component receivable by the base or engageable and/or supportable by the base, wherein each is formed from a blank of sheet material.

In a further aspect the present invention consists in a receptacle assembly comprising or including a base erectable from a blank of sheet material, and a main receptacle component erectable from a lie flat glued form of a blank therefor, said lie flat component being erectable to a three dimensional form capable of engagement and/or support by the base when it is erected, Wherein said main receptacle component includes a slide or like member dependent (preferably in addition with gusseted sides) from at least one wall panel.

Preferably the main receptacle component includes a hinged lid.

Preferably the main receptacle component is lidded by an integral region of the blank adapted to define a hinge line spaced from the top of a wall panel but about which hinge line » «uuony Office of N.Z. 16 AUG 2005 "3" RECEI VFn part of the lid structure can pivot to reveal the partly open mouth of the component for the deposition therein of material to be disposed of.

Preferably the hinged lid or part thereof is adapted to interengage (e.g. tongue into slot or the like) so it has to be closeable thereby .

Preferably part of the lid providing region to define the hinge line spaced from a wall panel itself is lockable down to the top of two flanking walls by a tongue into slot arrangement on each flank thereof.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a collection and disposal container for female hygiene products, being or having a main component with a lid (and preferably a slide into which the products can be deposited), said component having its own base region, and a separately provided base region engageable with the base so as to engender enhanced security at the base from leakage.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a receptacle suitable for female hygiene products, said receptacle being erected from a lie flat assembled blank of a sheet material so as to define a base and four walls defining a mouth, a slide from at least one wall into the mouth and a lid from an opposed wall capable of closing the mouth.

Preferably said lid articulates on a hinge line spaced away from its hinged connection to the wall.

Preferably the articulation is from a region of the lid to be locked to flanking walls.

Preferably the distal region of the lid is itself lockable to a wall.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a base suitable for an assembly as previously set forth, said base being erectable from a blank of a sheet material and/or being of a form substantially as hereinafter described with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

In still a further aspect the present invention consists in a main receptacle component suitable for an assembly as previously set forth, said component being erectable from a blank of a sheet material and/or being of a form substantially as hereinafter described with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a view of an assembly in accordance with the preferred form of the present invention, the base erected from a blank having received therein an erected form of a main receptacle itself erectable from a blank, there being shown the blank provided lidding feature of the main receptacle, Figure 2 is a similar view to that of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a view of the assembly of Figures 1 and 2 but with the lidding feature closed, Figure 4 shows in the erected form both the base and the main receptacle component, Figure 5 shows the two erected forms shown in Figure 4 but showing the erected form of the bottom of the main receptacle, Figure 6 shows a preferred blank for forming a base as depicted in the preceding drawings, and Figure 7 shows a blank of a preferred form capable of being erected to provide the main receptacle component of the assembly or erected forms shown in the preceding drawings.

In the preferred form of the present invention the product in each instance is formed from a suitable card material using the forms of blank and erected forms and interengagements as depicted thereby to derive certain benefits and to provide features as following • can be hand erected / can be transported flat • easily disposable / biodegradable • can be burnt • can be disposed of through the normal domestic waste process • contains a locking mechanism • contains a moisture tray • contains an internal chute • contains a flip top lid • made from coated carton board • can be printed • can be used in both the domestic and commercial environment Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 1 6 AUG 2005 RECEIVED intellectual Property Offiop of M Z. _5_ 16 AUG 2005 RECEIVED In the preferred form of the present invention the main receptacle component 1 is provided by an erected form of a preassembled blank as depicted in Figure 7. It is preferably of a water resistant coated carton board (optionally corrugated). Preferably the blank(s) is not laminated with a plastics film.

A characteristic of that blank of Figure 7 is that it is erectable to that form to provide front and rear walls 2 and 3 and side walls 4 and 5. Each of the panels 2, 3, 4 and 5 has respectively an extension 6, 7, 8 and 9 respectively which combine in a known way with part adhesive fixing to define a crash lock type bottom for the erected form.

A flange 10 is provided from the panel 4 for the purpose of its adhesive fixing to the panel 3.

Extending from the panel 2 is a slide or chute defining panel 11 which includes gusset panels 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. The chute or slide 11 can be seen in Figure 2. This slide reduces loading on the lid should a closed full container be inadvertently inverted.

A lidding extension of multiple panels, flaps, etc. 16 is provided hinged at 17 from the panel 3. A hinge axis 18 spaced from the hinge axis 17 and thus the wall panel 3 is provided such that the lidding feature 19 can be uplifted as shown in Figure 2 yet can be locked down by reliance on the tongue 20 when desired which engages in the slot 21 of the panel 2 when the distal region 22 of the tongue of the lidding feature 19 is received in the cut 23. Similarly so as to lock the region 24 down as shown in Figures 1 and 2, even when the lidding part 19 is uplifted as shown in Figures 1 and 2 about the hinge axis 18, slots 25 and 26 respectively in the panels 4 and 5 are engaged by tongues 27 and 28 of side flaps 29 and 30 respectively.

The region 19 (as can be seen from the blank region 16) has flaps 31 each with a locking tongue 32 adapted to lock into a cut 33 when the blank region 16 is erected to the form as shown in Figures 2 through 5.

The base is preferably provided by the blank 34 (preferably of a water resistance coated carton board [optionally corrugated]) to define a base panel 35 gusseted at each corner between walls 36, 37, 38 and 39 which, in the case of panels 36 and 37, involve infolded flaps 40 and 41 respectively which are to provide a tight fit engagement of the main receptacle 1 which has its assemblage of crashlock bottom regions 6, 7, 8 and 9 providing a base further supported by the gusset walled base panel provided by the component 34.

In use therefore persons skilled in the art will appreciate how the assembly can be provided in a toilet facility in a form as shown in Figures 2 and 3 or with the hinged region 19 closed but unlocked to encourage the insertion of material therein whereupon periodically each such receptacle can then be closed off by reliance on the locking features discussed previously and then be taken for incineration.

Intellectual Property Office of N.Z. 1 6 AUG 2005 RECEIVED Intellectual Property 0ff>™ of N.Z.

Claims (16)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1 6 AUG 2005

1. A receptacle assembly comprising or including RECEIVFn a base erectable from a blank of sheet material, and a main receptacle component erectable from a lie flat glued form of a blank therefor, said lie flat component being erectable to a three dimensional form capable of engagement and/or support by the base when it is erected, wherein said main receptacle component includes a slide member dependent from at least one wall panel.

2. A receptacle assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the main receptacle component includes a hinged lid.

3. A receptacle assembly of claim 2 wherein the lid hinges from a wall panel to which the slide member is not directly connected.

4. A receptacle assembly of any of the preceding claims wherein said slide member hinges from said one wall panel and is connected by a gusset to each flanking panel.

5. A receptacle assembly as claimed in claims 1 to 4 wherein the main receptacle component is lidded or liddable by an integral region of the blank defining a hinge line spaced from the top of a wall panel and about which hinge line part of the lid defining region can pivot to reveal at least a partly open mouth of the component for the deposition therein of material to be disposed of.

6. A receptacle assembly as claimed in claims 1 to 4 wherein the hinged lid defining region or part thereof is adapted to interengage elsewhere with the component so it has to be held closed thereby. t -8-

7. A receptacle assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein part of the lid defining region is lockable down to at least one wall panel by a tongue into slot arrangement.

8. A receptacle assembly of claim 7 wherein the tongue into slot arrangement is with each of two flanking wall panels to that most or solely connected by a fold line or hinge line.

9. A collection and disposal container for female hygiene products, being or having a main component with a lid, said component having its own base region, and a separately provided base region engageable with the base so as to engender enhanced security at the base from leakage, wherein said main component has a slide down which materials can slide to enter the main component.

10. A receptacle suitable for female hygiene products, said receptacle being erected from a lie flat assembled blank of a sheet material so as to define a base and four walls defining a mouth, a slide from at least one wall into the mouth and a lid from an opposed wall capable of closing the mouth.

11. A receptacle as claimed in claim 10 wherein said lid articulates on a hinge line spaced away from its hinged connection to the wall.

12. A receptacle as claimed in claim 11 wherein the articulation is from a region of the lid to be locked to flanking walls.

13. A receptacle as claimed in claim 12 wherein the distal region of the lid is itself lockable to a wall. Intellectual Property Office of N.Z ' 6 AUG 2005 RECEIVED -9-

14. A main receptacle component or blank therefor suitable for an assembly of any one of claims 1 to 8 said component being erectable from a blank of a sheet material and/or being of a form substantially as hereinafter described with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

15. As an erectable kit of components or an erectable component, a blank or blanks substantially as herein described with or without reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

16. A receptacle or receptacle assembly substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings. END OF CLAIMS N.Z. 1 6 AUG 2005