US2759625A

US2759625A - Refuse container

Info

Publication number: US2759625A
Application number: US437418A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ritter John
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-06-17
Filing date: 1954-06-17
Publication date: 1956-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 1973-08-21

Description

Aug. 21, 1956 J. RITTER REFUSE CONTAINER Filed June 17, 1954 FIG.2

rrllllrlllllll llllllllllllllllllllllll ly INVENTOR: JO H N R ITTE R FIG. 3

IZ'AYQLQM Unite States Patent O REFUSE CONTAINER John Ritter, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 17, 1954, Serial No. 437,418

6 Claims. (Cl. 220-43) This invention relates to improvements in refuse receptacles of the general type commonly used for storage and handling of ashes and garbage, and the like.

Cross reference is here made to my copending application Serial No. 374,472, filed August 17, 1953, now Patent No. 2,751,107, of which the present construction is a modification by the addi-tion of operating means whereby the cover of the container may be opened and closed and temporarily held in an open position.

The main objects of the present invention are to provide an improved construction for refuse containers; to provide improved means for preventing the cover of the container to be accidentally misplaced; -to provide improved means for holding the cover in an open position; to provide improved operating mechanism for opening and closing the cover of the receptacle by foot power while the hands of the operator are otherwise employed; and to provide an improved construction of such devices whereby the cover can be readily completely removed from the body of `the receptacle for dumping its contents.

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a central vertical section of a refuse container constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar section in fwhich the cover is shown held in an open position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View on a larger scale more clearly illustrating a portion of the operating mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the same as seen -from the right of Fig. 3.

In the form shown, the refuse container is in the form of a sheet metal can having a body portion of circular horizontal cross-.section with a fixed bottom wall 11, spaced a substantial distance -above the oor by means of a rim flange 12 at the bottom end of the body 10. The cover 13 is of the usual form employed in such receptacles but has its depending ange 14 of suiiicient diameter to slide freely over the top rim 15 of the body. The cover has the usual handle 16 whereby it may be manually lifted from the body 10.

The cover 13 has a reinforcement 17 fxedly attached to its under surface and has a depending rod 18 rigidly attached to this reinforcement 17. The rod 18 is telescopically slidable in a tube 19 that is rigidly fixed to a bracket 20 on the bottom wall 11 and extends vertically upward along the main axis of Ithe body 10. The lower distal end of the tu-be 19 terminates in opening 11 in the bottom wall 11.

The inner end of tube 19 abuts against and is rigidly fastened to the bottom wall 11 by welding or the like, and forms an unobstructed communication with the -tube 19. The tube 19 extends outwardly radially across the lower face of 4the :bottom wall 11 and upward in easy curvature through the aperture 12 in the ange 12 and terminates in an upstanding vertically positioned por tion 21 fixed against the outside of the body 10 by straps ICC 2 22 and 23. It should .also be obvious that lthe

tubes

19 and 19 may be constructed in one piece instead of two p1eces.

Slidably located within the tube 19 is a flexible cable 24, preferably yformed of helically coiled spring wire so as to be stiff enough to serve as thrust member and be readily slidable within the tube 19. This cable 24 terminates in a solid head or plunger 25 slidable Within the tube 19 and bearing against the lower end of the rod 18. The outer end of the cable 24 is similarly fixedly attached to a head or bushing 26 that is slidable within the upstanding portion 21 of the tube 19. The head 26 has fixed thereto an arm or pedal member 27 that projects through a slot 28 in the upstanding part 21 of the tube 19.

Swingably mounted on the lower strap 23 is a latch hook 29 that is adapted to engage the arm 27 when it is at the lower end of the slot 28 to hold the cover 13 in the elevated position in which it is shown in Fig. 2. The rod 18 serves as a stem on which the cover 13 is mounted and merely rests o-n the head 25 of the cable 24 so that the cover can be entirely removed from the lbody 10 of the container for .the purpose of dumping the contents thereof.

The operation of the device shown is as follows:

The cover of the can is normally closed but can be lifted to the position shown in Fig. 2 for the purpose of inserting material into the container by pressing downward on the pedal arm 27 by the operators foot. This cau-ses the cable 24 to slide along the tube, thrusting upward against the bottom of the rod 18 and lifting the cover 13 from the body of the receptacle to a height determined by the length of the slot 28, or other stop for the pedal 27 to bear there against.

To hold the cover in this open position, that is, in the event the operators foot is desired to be removed from the pedal 27, the latch 29 can then be swung around its pivot and hooked over the treadle arm 27. This latching operation can also be performed by the operators foot, if the cover 13 is held in its elevated positiont by hand after having been raised by downward pressure on the treadle 27. It will be understood that the movement of the rod 18 in its relation to the tube 19 and the longitudinal sliding of the cable 24 along the tube is free enough to enable the cover to close by its own weight when the latch 29 is out of engagement with the treadle arm 27, or by the release of the treadle arm 27 by removal of the operators foot therefrom.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the structure shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

l, A refuse container comprising an upright body having a bottom wall and a vertically removable closure cover, a stiff rod attached to said cover and extending downward along the main axis of said body, a tube fixed in said body for telescopic engagement with said rod and constituting the only means of support of the cover on the body, said tube extending through said bottom wall then outwardly and upwardly in easy curvature to a vertically disposed upstanding portion thereof anchored to the outside of said body, a plunger slidable in said tube and abutting the lower end of said rod, a fiexible cable attached at one end to said plunger, said cable being slidable within said tube, and operating means attached to said cable and slidable along said outer portion of said tube to open and close said cover.

2. A refuse container according to claim l, in which the outer upstanding vertically disposed portion of the Cable tube is slotted and the operating means is an arm projecting through and slidable along such slot.

3. A refuse container comprising an upright body having a bottom wall and a vertically removable closure cover, a stii rod attached to said cover and extending downward along the main axis of said body, a tube xcd in said body for telescopic engagement with said rod and constituting the only means of support of the cover on the body, said tube extending through said bottom wall then outwardly and upwardly in easy curvature to a vertically disposed upstanding portion thereof anchored to the outside of said body, a plunger slidable in said tube and abutting the lower end of said rod, a flexible cable attached at one end to said plunger, said cable being slidable within said tube, operating means attached to said cable and slidable along said outer pon tion of said tube to open and close said cover and latch means coacting with said operating means to secure the cover in its elevated position on the body.

4. In combination with a conventional metal refuse container having a perimetrically-anged axially removable cover and a body, the bottom of which is disposed inwardly of the lower end to the vertical wall to form a supporting perimetrical ange, a tube anchored at one end concentrically to the body bottom, one part of the tube extending axially upward into the body and the other part by outward and upward easy curvature extending through and radially along the under side of the bottom, through the bottom flange and up along and exteriorly anchored to the body, a stiff rod anchored at one end concentrically to the cover and telescopically supported in the tube to permit free removal and replacement of the cover, a plunger slidable in the tube and abutting the end of the rod, a flexible cable attached to one end of the plunger and extending through the other part of the tube, and operating means attached to the other end of the cable and slidable along the outer portion of the tube to etect an opening and closing of the cover.

5. In combination with a conventional metal refuse 4 i container having a perimetrically-anged axially-removable cover and a body the bottom of which is disposed inwardly of the lower end to the vertical wall to form a supporting perimetrical ange, reinforcements respectively bonded axially to the inner faces of the cover and the bottom, a first tube anchored at one end to the bottom reinforcement concentrically of the body and extending up into the body, a rod anchored at one end to the cover reinforcement concentrically of the cover and telescopically supported in the first tube to permit free removal and replacement of the cover relative to the body, a second tube, one end of which is bonded to the body bottom in axial alinement and communication with the first tube from which point the second tube extends along the body bottom, out through the ange and exterioriy up along the body, straps anchoring the second tube to the body exterior, a plunger slidable in the first tube and abutting the end of the cover rod, a flexible cable attached to one end of the plunger and extending out through the second tube, and operating means attached to the other end of the cable and slidable along the second tube exteriorly of the body to effect an opening and closing of the cover.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 5, in which the portion of the second tube exteriorly of the body is slotted and the operating means is an arm projecting through and slidable along the slot, and a hook is hinged on one of the straps for swinging into and out of position to engage the operating arm for holding the cover in its elevated position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 622,676 Forney Apr. 11, 1899 1,427,472 Huber Aug. 29, 1922 1,625,884 Davis Apr. 26, 1927 2,216,279 Packer Oct. l, 1940 2,443,279 Sugg June l5, 1948