A receptacle for the collection of refuse
The present invention relates to a receptacle, for the collection of refuse, provided with wheels and handles
Receptacles made from polymeric material and which are provided with wheels are frequent nowadays A common type of such receptacles is the one with a mainly rectangular cross-section, as seen from above, with two or more wheels The axle of the wheels is most often placed near the bottom and one of the side walls which wall can be named the rear wall A lid is normally attached to the upper edge of the rear wall A receptacle of this type is tilted backwards so that only the wheels touch the ground when the receptacle is to be transported The receptacle is therefore often provided with one or more handles which are used when tilting and moving the receptacle The handles advantageously extend higher than the top of the receptacle to be ergonomically correct This is especially important when the handling is repeated often, as for garbage collectors
Protruding handles are however connected with certain disadvantages since they for instance can get entangled with the emptying equipment or be damaged by the same when the receptacles are emptied It is also possible that the refuse contaminates the handles in connection to the emptying
Another inconvenience occurs when refuse is to be placed into the receptacle as the handles becomes an obstacle This is especially striking when the receptacle is placed so that the refuse has to be placed in the receptacle from the side
According to the present invention the above mentioned disadvantages and inconveniences have been avoided and an improved receptacle has been brought about The invention relates to a receptacle for the collection of refuse, which receptacle includes a bottom, a rear wall, two side walls, a front wall and wheels arranged at the bottom The wheels are used for the transportation of said receptacle which also is provided with a uniform, or into sections divided, lid preferably arranged at the upper edge of the rear wall. The receptacle is further provided with handles arranged at two opposite sides The invention is characterised in that the handles can be folded up and down by providing at least a first end of the handle with a pivot point around which the handle can be turned A second end of the handle can be locked in at least one of the two possible extreme positions of the handle via a locking device such as a snap-lock or the like The locking device is preferably provided with a manoeuvring means for the unlocking of the locking device The handles are mainly arch-shaped An imagined plane through the handle is mainly parallel to the side walls when the handle is in both
upright and down-folded position The cross-section of the handle is suitably mainly circular, with a diameter of 20 - 40 mm.
The handles are preferably stretching above the upper edge of the walls when in upright position. The handles are preferably located below a horizontal plane touching the uppermost point of the receptacle when in down-folded position. The handles are preferably arranged on the side walls via means of attachment. The wheels are suitably arranged so that the rotation axis of the wheels is horizontal and parallel to the rear wall
The handles are suitably located in front of a vertical plane, parallel to, and touching the rear wall, when the handles are in both of their extreme positions. Furthermore, the handles are preferably located behind a vertical plane, parallel to, and touching the front wall, when the handles are in both of their extreme positions.
The pivot point of the handles is suitably placed at the rear upper limit of the receptacle. The lid is preferably provided with a hinge through which the lid is movably attached to the upper limit of the rear wall of the receptacle.
According to one embodiment of the invention the handles, at down-folding, are folded outwards-downwards wherein the down-folding motion describes a half-circle as seen from the rear This is achieved by arranging the rotation axle of the pivot points horizontally and parallel to the side walls.
According to another embodiment of the invention the handles are folded downwards by arranging the axle of the pivot points horizontally and parallel to the rear wall. The handles will hereby only to a very restricted extent intrude on the surrounding environment during down-folding since neither the total width nor the length of the handlc reccptacle assembly will change during the folding operation.
The means of attachment arc suitably provided with a receiving means for an attachment device which also serves as the pivot point of the handle. The means of attachment is preferably provided with at least one upper stopper which restricts the movability of the handle upwards. As an alternative, such a stopper simultaneously can serve as a locking device for the handle. The means of attachment is suitably further provided with at least one lower stopper which restricts the movability of the handle downwards. The means of attachment are suitably fastened to the upper part of the side walls by means of rivets, screws, glue, snap-lock or weldin
The means of attachment and the handle are suitably manufactured by injection moulding of a polymeric material, preferably a thermoplastic material selected from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyvinylchloride, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-coploymer or the like
The invention is further explained in connection to the accompanying drawings showing different embodiments of the invention where,
-Figure 1 shows, in perspective one embodiment of a receptacle with handles in an upright position
-Figure 2 shows, in perspective a part of the same embodiment of a receptacle with down-folded handles
-Figure 3 shows in perspective a part of a second embodiment of a receptacle with handles in an upright position
-Figure 4 shows in perspective a part of the second embodiment of a receptacle with down-folded handles
Figure 1 shows in perspective one embodiment of a receptacle 1 with handles 9 in an upright position Figure 2 shows in perspective the upper part of the same embodiment with the handles 9 in a down-folded position The receptacle 1 includes a bottom 2 (not shown), a rear wall 3, two side walls 4 and 5 (not shown), a front wall 6 and wheels 7 arranged at the bottom 2 The wheels 7 are used for the transportation of the receptacle 1 . The receptacle also includes a lid 8, arranged at the upper edge of the rear wall 3 and handles 9 arranged at each of the two side walls 4, 5 A first end 10 of the handles 9 constitutes a pivot point around which the handles 9 can be turned so that they can be folded up and down A second end 1 1 of the handle 9 is locked in the upper extreme position of the handle 9 via a snap-lock 12 The handles 9 are arranged at the upper part of the side walls 4, 5 through means of attachment 9' The means of attachment 9' are each provided with an upper stopper 1 5 and a lower stopper 16 which limits the movability of the handle 9 upwards and downwards (fig 2) The axles of the pivot points are arranged horizontally and parallel to the rear wall in which the handles 9 folds parallel to the side walls 4, 5 All parts of the handles 9 are at both of their extreme positions, as well as during the motion between the two extreme positions, fully located between a first vertical plane parallel to, and touching the
rear wall 3 and a second vertical plane parallel to, and touching the front wall 6 The pivot point of the handles 9 is placed near the upper edge of the rear wall 3
Figure 3 shows in perspective a part of a second embodiment of a receptacle 1 with the handles 9 in an upright position Figure 4 shows a part of the same embodiment with the handles in a down-folded position The receptacle 1 corresponds in the main with the embodiment shown in figure 1 and 2, however the handles 9 are folded downwards/outwards so that the folding motion describes a half-circle as seen from the rear by arranging the axles of the pivot points horizontally and parallel to the side walls 4 , 5 The extension of the handles 9 are parallel to the side walls 4, 5 when the handles 9 are in both upright and down-folded position (fig 4) The handles 9 are snapped towards an upper stopper 1 5 in its upper extreme position which upper stopper 1 5 also constitutes a locking device 12 for the handles 9
The invention is not limited by the embodiments shown since these can be varied within the scope of the invention A receptacle, for example provided with four wheels 7, can also be provided with the above described handles 9 The pivot points of the handles 9, as described in figures 1 and 2, can also be arranged at the front wall of both two-wheeled and four-wheeled receptacles