US2788135A - Garbage truck - Google Patents

Description

April 9, 1957 Filed Aug. 2, 1955 M. O. GIROTTI GARBAGE TRUCK 2 Sheets-$heet l INVENTOR.

MEL 0. GIROTT/ BY y ATTORNEY April 9, 1957 M. o. GIROTTI GARBAGE TRUCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2, 1955 I INVENTOVR. MEL 0. GIROTT/ A7 TOR/V6 Y.

United States Patent ice GARBAGE TRUCK Mel 0. Girotti, Monterey, Calif.

Application August 2, 1955, Serial No. 525,919

1 Claim. (Cl. 214-75) This invention relates to an improved garbage truck of the type carrying mechanical loading means.

Automotive trucks of the kind now commonly used in collecting garbage or refuse are not equipped with automatic loading means, and as a result the workmen engaged in the collection of garbage are required to expend considerable time and effort in lifting the heavy garbage containers over the sides of the truck body to dumping positions permitting the deposit of the garbage into the truck. Suitable mechanical means which would convey garbage from near the ground level to an elevated position and there automatically discharge the garbage into the interior of the truck body, has been desired, but until the present invention satisfactory apparatus capable of performing such a function has not become known.

The present invention provides novel apparatus mounted on the side of a truck body for automatically conveying garbage upwardly from a position near the ground level to a position where it is automatically discharged into the truck body. With my invention garbage collected manually in the usual manner is deposited into an open bucket stationed in a convenient receiving position at the side of a truck near the ground level, and by the controlled operation of a power take-01f connected to the trucks motor, the bucket is conveyed upwardly to a position where it automatically dumps its contents into the truck body. My invention contemplates the use of suitable semi-automatic controls for effecting the timely connection and disconnection of the bucket conveying mechanism with respect to the truck motor.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved garbage truck of the kind characterized, one which is equipped with mechanical loading means having an open bucket arranged to travel upwardly from a gar bage receiving position near the ground level to a dump ing position at the top of the truck body, the said bucket being adapted to discharge its contents automatically into the truck body when its dumping position is reached.

Other and further objects of my invention will be pointed out hereinafter, or will be indicated in the appended claim or will be obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the present disclosure. For the purpose of this application I have elected to show herein certain forms and details of a garbage truck which is representative of my invention; it is to be understood, however, that the embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is for purposes of illustration only, and that therefore it is not to be regarded as exhaustive of the variations of the invention in the art.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is an end view of apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus, showing the bucket in its downward receiving position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus, showing the garbage receptacle or bucket in a position for receiving garbage or refuse;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, showing the garbage bucket in a discharging position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view of the shock absorber at the lower ends of the tracks.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates an open truck body of the well known kind which is mounted on wheels and is used for the collection of garbage or refuse. The truck body has a bottom, enclosing sides and an open top.

Mounted on a side of the truck body are two parallel, channeled tracks or guides 2, 2 of substantially U-shape in cross-section, which have upright lower portions and semi-circular upper portions. The open sides of the parallel tracks 2, 2 are positioned in opposed relation, facing one another. The upper semi-circular portions of the tracks 2, 2 extend inwardly and downwardly and terminate at points above the bottom of the truck body. Mounted at the upper and lower ends of the tracks are upwardly disposed yieldable shock absorbers 3 (Fig. 5), which are provided in the usual manner with compression springs 4, the said shock absorbers being adapted to take up the shock incident to the bucket reaching the ends of its upper and lower movements.

Mounted for upward and downward movement on the tracks 2, 2 is an open garbage or refuse bucket 5 which is adapted to travel from a position at the side of the truck near the ground level to a discharging position above the bottom of the truck, and return. The bucket 5 carries small pairs of rollers 6 at each of its ends, which are positioned inside the channels of the tracks 2, 2. The rollers 6 in combination with the tracks provide means for limiting sidewise movement of the bucket as it travels upwardly and downwardly, and for facilitating such movements without undue friction.

Supported on the side of the truck body midway between and in parallel relation to the tracks 2, 2 is a framework 7 having opposed spaced side portions of the same shape. Mounted on the upper and lower ends of the framework 7 between the side portions thereof are sprocket wheels 8 and 9 over which an endless conveyor or drive chain 10 extends and with which such chain operatively engages. Mounted in semi-circular formation on the upper semi-circular portion of the framework 7 are a plurality of spaced rollers 11 over which the chain 10 extends. The chain 10 also extends over rollers 12 and 13, the latter being under spring tension. The bucket is centrally secured to the chain by suitable means such as vertically spaced connecting members 14. The outer portion or flight of the endless chain is substantially parallel to the tracks 2, 2.

The sprocket wheel 9 is keyed to a horizontal shaft 15 which is rotatably mounted on a supporting structure secured to the truck body 1. Secured to the shaft 15 is a pulley 16 which is connected by an endless belt 17 to a smaller pulley 18, the latter being keyed to a shaft 19. Another small pulley 20 keyed to the shaft 19 is connected by an endless belt 21 to a pulley 22 secured to a shaft 23 which is supported on the chassis 24 of the truck. A tensioning pulley 25 engages with the belt 21. The shaft 23 is connected through a suitable clutch mechanism 26 to a power take-off 27 connected to a suitable source of power, such as the truck motor.

Suitable control means for disconnecting the clutch mechanism 26 when the bucket 5 reaches its loading position adjacent the ground level and when it has reached a discharging position, is provided. Such control means includes bar or member 28 positioned to intercept the bucket 5 as it reaches its downward loading position, such bar being operatively connected by suitable means to the clutch mechanism 26. The control means for disconnecting the clutch mechanism also includes a bar or member 30 positioned to intercept the bucket as it reaches its upward discharging position, such bar 30 being operatively connected by suitable means to the clutch mechanism 26. A- manually operated control member'32 con nected to the clutch mechanism 26 is also connected by suitable means to the bars 28 and 30, and by turning the handle of the control member to the right and left, the driving chain 10 may be operated first in one direction and then in a reverse direction, thereby causing the bucket to travel up the tracks 2, 2 to a discharging position and then return downwardly to its loading position. Through the connection of the control member 32 to the bars 28 and 30, such bars may be positioned to intercept the bucket as it reaches its downward and upward destinations, respectively.

The tracks 2, 2 at their upper end portions being semicircular will cause the bucket 5 gradually to tip or change its position from one where its open end is uppermost to one in which its open end is pointed downwardly. Thus as the bucket reaches the highest point on the tracks, it will begin to tip downwardly, and as the bucket continues to travel downwardly over the curved inner end portions of the tracks, it assumes a position wherein the bottom thereof is uppermost, and its open end is pointed downwardly. When the bucket has reached a position wherein its leading rollers 6 have engaged with the shock absorbers 3 at the upper end of the tracks, such bucket will have discharged its contents into the open truck body beneath.

What I claim is:

In a garbage truck, a truck body having an open top, a

bottom and enclosing sides, a pair of substantially parallel and similarly shaped spaced tracks mounted exteriorly on a side of the truck body, the said tracks having opposed longitudinal channels and also having lower upright portions extending from near the ground level to points adjacent the top edge of the side of the truck body on which the tracks are mounted and also having inwardly extending curved upper portions overlying the bottom of the truck body, an open top garbage bucket mounted for movement along the tracks and carrying rollers extending into and adapted to move longitudinally in the channels of the tracks, a rigid conveyor supporting frame mounted on the truck body substantially midway between the tracks and having portions conforming in shape to the tracks and positioned in substantially parallel relation thereto, an endless conveyor mounted for movement on the conveyor supporting frame and having a portion extending in substantially parallel relation to the tracks, the said bucket being centrally connected to and movable with a conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,385,110 Brown July 19, 1921 1,755,547 Lima Apr. 22, 1930 1,920,243 Casper Aug. 1, 1933 2,522,441 Galloway et al. Sept. 12, 1950

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