US3062363A

US3062363A - Trash receiver

Info

Publication number: US3062363A
Application number: US64128A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur C Elswood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-10-21
Filing date: 1960-10-21
Publication date: 1962-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 1979-11-06

Description

Nov- 6, 1 62 A. c. ELSWOOD TRASH RECEIVER Filed Oct. 21. 1960 INVENTOR. ARTHUR C. ELSWOOD ATTORNEYS tts atet Dilice 3,962,363 TRASH RECEIVER Arthur C. Elswood, 5221 Hemlock St., Sacramento, Calif. Filed Oct. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 64,128 3 Claims. ((31. 206-195) This invention relates to trash receivers for automobiles.

Although the trash receiver of this invention is useful for receiving trash of any type it is particularly useful in disposing of cigarette and cigar butts. When a cigarette or cigar is discarded in conventional ash trays now in use, the discarded butt often is improperly extinguished, and continues to smoulder for a considerable time. The irritating fumes often cause automobile occupants to discard smouldering butts from a moving car, creating a fire hazard.

This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the conventional automobile trash receivers by providing a trash receiver which is vacuum-operated to draw the trash from the interior of the automobile into a receptacle which contains a pool of non-inflammable liquid. Thus, the butts are quickly and positively extinguished and prevented from becoming an irritant or potential fire hazard.

In the preferred form of the invention, the receptacle is connected to the vacuum intake manifold of the automobile engine, and a trash inlet conduit opens at one end into the receptacle and at its other end into the vehicle interior. Preferably, valve means are provided for opening and closing the trash inlet conduit at the end connected to the receptacle.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary schematic drawing of the presently preferred valve means for opening and closing the trash inlet;

FIG. 2A is a schematic drawing of the vacuum control valve; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary schematic drawing of an alternate system for opening and closing the valve in the trash inlet.

Referring to FIG. 1, one end of the elongated and flexible corrugated conduit is fastened by a hose clamp 12 to one end of a trash receiver tube 14 which extends through an opening 15 in the instrument panel 16 of an automobile (not shown). The portion of the tube 14 inside the automobile extends upwardly, and its upper end is adapted to be opened and closed by a flap 18 secured by a pivot pin 19 to one edge of the tube.

The other end of the trash inlet conduit 10 is connected by a hose clamp 2% to one end of a discharge tube 22 which extends horizontally through the side of a cap 24. The inner end of the tube 22 is cut on a bias so that it opens downwardly in the cap, which is attached at its lower edge by latches 26 to a cylindrical reservoir 28 closed at its bottom. The adjacent ends of the cap and reservoir are sealed by an 'O-Iing 29 as shown in FIG. 1 to form a receptacle for trash.

A pool of non-inflammable liquid 30 is disposed in the reservoir, and may be of any suitable material, preferably one with a relatively low vapor pressure. I have found that a solution made of 1 gallon of water, 4 pounds of calcium chloride, and 1 ounce of oil of pine results in a liquid which has a suitable low vapor pressure, does not readily freeze, and provides a pleasant scent.

The top of the cylindrical cap 24 is dome shaped, and includes a fitting 32 to which is connected a vacuum hose 34, which in turn is adapted to be connected to the intake manifold (not shown) of the automobile engine.

A fine mesh filter screen 36 is sealed across the upper portion of the cap 24 to prevent trash particles from entering the vacuum line 34.

A deflector or baflie 38 is sealed along its upper edge across the cap just under the screen 36, and extends a short distance down into the liquid in the reservoir 28. The edges of the deflector are shaped to make close fit against the sides of the cap and reservoir so that the baflle divides the upper part of the receptacle into two compartments, 40, 42 which communicate with each other under the baflle in the liquid. Thus, air entering the receptacle from the tube 22 is directed by the deflector 38 down against the surface of the pool, and must bubble through a small portion of the pool before passing under the baflle and leaving the receptacle through the filter screen 36 and vacuum line 34.

In using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the selfclosing flap valve 18 is lifted when it is desired to dis pose of trash such as cigar and cigarette butts, wrappers, etc. The trash is dropped into the trash receiver and sucked through the conduit 10 and tube 22 into the receptacle where it is directed by the deflector into the liquid pool. Butts are immediately extinguished, and the wetted trash settles to the bottom of the reservoir. The air bubbles under the deflector 38 and leaves through the screen 36 and vacuum line 34.

When the reservoir 28 becomes full of trash, the reservoir is removed by opening the latches 26 and slipping the reservoir down from the cap. The liquid and trash are emptied from the reservoir and replaced by fresh liquid. The reservoir is then replaced in the position shown in FIG. 1, and the receptacle is ready for further use.

FIG. 2 shows an alternate embodiment of the invention in which the inner end of the tube 22 is opened and closed by a flap valve 44 secured by a hinge 46 at its upper edge to the upper edge of the tube. A vertical pull rod 48 is secured by pivot pin 49 at its lower end to the center of the flap 44. The upper end of the pull rod 48 is secured by a pivot pin 50 to the lower end of a bell crank 51, which is secured intermediate its ends by pivot pin 52 to the upper end of a bracket 53, which is mounted at its lower end on the upper portion of the tube 22.

A horizontal tension spring 54 is secured at one end to a bracket 55 attached to the interior of the cap 24. The other end of the tension spring 54 is secured to the upper end of the bell crank to urge the crank to pivot in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2) to urge the flapper valve 44 closed against the end of the tube 22 and against the pressure difference developed through the vacuum line 34.

A horizontal pull wire 56 is secured at one end to the upper end of the bell crank, extends through a sealed bushing 57 mounted through the cap wall, and into a housing 58, across which is secured a flexible diaphragm 59. The pull wire 56 is secured to the central portion of the flexible diaphragm, and the housing includes an opening 60 which vents to the atmosphere on the side of the flexible diaphragm to which the pull wire is attached.

The interior of the housing 58 on the other side of the diaphragm is connected by -a vacuum control line 61 to a vacuum control valve 62, which includes a body 63 having a relatively large longitudinal bore 64 connected at one end to a tapered annular seat 65 which opens into Patented Nov. 6,1962

a lateral bore 66. A tapered valve plug 67 is adapted to make a seal against the tapered seat 65, and includes a control rod 68 which extends through an opening 70 in the body 63 co-linear with the bore 64. A push button 71 is attached to the end of the push rod 68 exterior of the body 63, and a compression spring 72 is coaxially disposed around the push rod 68 between the knob 71 and the body exterior to urge the valve plug 67 against the seat 65. A vent opening 73 extends through the body into the bore 64, and is adapted to be closed by a projection 74 on the valve plug 67 when the push button 71 is pressed in to connect bore 64 with lateral bore 66, which is connected by a vacuum control hose 75 to a vacuum source such as the engine intake manifold. Thus, when the button 71 is pressed in, vent 73 is closed, vacuum is supplied to the diaphragm housing 58 to pull the diaphragm and wire 56 to the right (as viewed in FIG. 2), causing flapper valve 44 to open, and trash to be sucked into the receptacle.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a deflector 76 is secured at its lower end to the lower portion of the cap 24 and extends upwardly toward the tube 22. In this case, air entering the receptacle is not forced to bubble through the pool of liquid in the reservoir 28.

When the button 71 is released, the compression spring forces the rod 68 back to the position shown in FIG. 2A, and vent 73 opens so that the pressure on opposite sides of the diaphragm 59 is equalized, permitting the tension spring 54 to close the end of tube 22 with the flapper valve 44.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is similar to that of FIG. 2, except that the flapper valve 44 is operated manually by a pull wire 78, slidably sealed in a bushing 80 through the cap wall, and connected at one end to a control knob 81 and at its other end to the upper end of bell crank 51. A compression spring 82 is coaxially disposed around the wire 78 to bear against the upper end of the bell crank and against a sleeve 84 through which the wire extends and which is secured by a support bracket 85 to the top of the tube 22. The spring 82 urges the bell crank to pivot in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 3) to hold the flapper valve closed against the inner end of tube 22.

In the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 3, the valve 44 is opened by pulling knob 81 to overcome the force of spring 82. The valve is closed by simply releasing knob 81 so the spring is free to return the valve 44 to the closed position shown in FIG. 3.

In the two embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the self closing flap valve 18 of FIG. 1 is eliminated, so that the receiver 14 is always open for the deposit of trash, and is cleared by simply operating the flapper valve 44. The arrangements shown in FIG. 2 facilitate the use of the trash receptacle by the driver of the automobile because the receiver 14 is always open. The arrangements shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 have the further advantage of reducing the chance of vacuum leaks in the system because the large diameter conduit is not maintained under vacuum for substantial periods of time as is the case with the embodiment of FIG. 1.

I claim:

1. A trash receiver for an automobile powered by an engine with an intake manifold in which subatmospheric pressure prevails, the trash receiver comprising a closed receptacle, a pool of non-inflammable liquid in the receptacle, an imperforate baflle mounted in the receptacle to divide the upper part of the receptacle into two compartments which open into each other under the baflle and under the liquid pool, a trash inlet conduit opening into the receptacle on one side of the baffle, valve means for opening and closing the trash inlet conduit, and a vacuum line opening into the receptacle on the other side of the bafile and adapted to be connected to the intake manifold of the engine for maintaining a subatmospheric pressure within the receptacle when the engine is in operation.

2. A trash receiver for an automobile having an instrument panel and powered by an engine with an intake manifold in which subatmospheric pressure prevails, the trash receiver comprising a closed receptacle disposed on one side of the instrument panel, a pool of non-inflammable liquid in the receptacle, an elongated trash inlet conduit opening at one end into the receptacle and at the other end on the other side of the panel, valve means within the interior of the receptable at the said one end of the conduit for opening and closing the trash inlet conduit where it opens into the receptacle, means disposed on the said other side of the panel for opening and closing the valve remotely, and a vacuum line opening into the receptacle and adapted to be connected to the intake manifold of the engine in constant communication therewith for maintaining a subatmospheric pressure within the receptacle when the engine is in operation.

3. A trash receiver for an automobile having an instrument panel and engine with an intake manifold in which subatmospheric pressure prevails, the trash receiver comprising a closed receptacle disposed on one side of the instrument panel, a pool of non-inflammable liquid in the receptacle, an elongated trash inlet conduit opening at one end into the receptacle and at the other end on the other side of the panel, valve means within the interior of the receptacle at the said one end of the conduit for opening and closing the trash inlet conduit where it opens into the receptacle, vacuum-operated means disposed on the said other side of the panel for opening and closing the valve remotely, and a vacuum line opening into the receptacle and adapted to be connected to the intake manifold of the engine in constant communication therewith for maintaining a subatmospheric pressure within the receptacle when the engine is in operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Frost June 23, 1959