WO2000044648A1

WO2000044648A1 - A brake assembly for a wheeled refuse container

Info

Publication number: WO2000044648A1
Application number: PCT/AU2000/000052
Authority: WO
Inventors: Steven John Gibbs; Angela Dawn Asbury; Philip Kevin Sparrow
Original assignee: Steven John Gibbs; Angela Dawn Asbury; Philip Kevin Sparrow
Priority date: 1999-01-29
Filing date: 2000-01-31
Publication date: 2000-08-03
Also published as: AU707524B3

Abstract

A brake assembly for a wheeled container or wheelie bin (11) having a pair of rear mounted wheels (15), the assembly having a brake member including at least one brake portion of friction pads (35, 36), an actuator (38, 39) mountable to an upper portion of the container, a connecting member (42) which operatively connects the actuator and the brake member, the brake member (35, 36) is normally in the free position and pivotable between an upper free position in which the brake portion is spaced from a wheel (15) and a lower braking position in which the brake portion frictionally engages an upper surface of the wheel, the braking member is normally in the free position and is pivoted to the braking position in response to operation of the actuator (38, 39) by an operator.

Description

A BRAKE ASSEMBLY FOR A WHEELED REFUSE CONTAINER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a brake assembly for use with a wheeled container and in particular a wheeled refuse container. The present invention is especially directed towards a brake assembly which may be retrofitted to a wheeled refuse container.

The present invention will be described with reference to a wheeled refuse container. However, it will be appreciated that the brake assembly may be suitable for use with other wheeled containers and no limitation is intended thereby.

BACKGROUND ART Refuse containers are often used to transport refuse from a household to the kerbside for waste collection. Refuse containers having a pair of rear mounted wheels are widely used and are known as wheelie bins. The bins are able to be tilted and may then be pushed or pulled by an operator. The bins are typically emptied by a waste collection vehicle having a mechanical arm. The arm has jaws which lift the bin and empty the contents into a waste receptacle on the vehicle. A full wheelie bin may be quite heavy. This weight makes it difficult for an operator to control the bin whilst wheeling it down a steep incline. Wheeling a heavy bin downhill is particularly difficult and even hazardous for the elderly or invalids.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a brake assembly for a wheeled container which can be used to control the container as it is wheeled down an incline.

According to a broad form of the invention there is provided a brake assembly for a wheeled container having a pair of rear mounted wheels, the assembly having a brake member mountable to the container and when mounted is movable between a free position and a braking position in which wheel rotation is inhibited.

According to a more particular form, the invention resides in a brake assembly mountable to a wheeled container of the wheelie bin type having a single rear axle and a pair of wheels mounted to the axle, the assembly having a brake member mountable to the container, the brake member including at least one brake portion, an actuator mountable to the container, a connecting member which operatively connects the actuator and the brake member, whereby when the brake assembly is mounted to the container, the brake member is normally in the free position and movable between an upper free position in which the brake portion is spaced from a said wheel and a lower braking position in which the brake portion frictionally engages the wheel, the braking member is normally in the free position and is pivoted to the braking position in response to operation of the actuator by an operator.

The brake assembly may be made from any suitable material such as metal or a plastics material. Typically, the material is corrosion resistant.

Preferably the brake assembly includes a mounting means which enables the brake member to be mounted to the container without the need to modify the container by drilling holes or the like. Typically the mounting means may include one or more hook members. The mounting means may also include a resilient bracket. Where the container is a wheelie bin it is preferred that the mounting means holds the brake member in place when the bin is inverted during emptying.

The brake member, is movable between a free position and a braking position. In the free position, the wheels are typically able to rotate freely. In the braking position, the brake member is able to inhibit free movement of the wheels. It is not necessary for the brake member to be able to completely stop rotation of the wheels. The brake member typically has a brake portion which, when in the braking position, frictionally engages one or both wheels. Alternatively the brake portion may engage a wheel axle to inhibit wheel rotation.

The brake member may be manually moved to the braking position to the free position prior to the container being wheeled downhill. For example the brake member may be engaged in the braking position at the top of a hill and disengaged at the bottom. Preferably however, the assembly further includes an actuator which may be activated by the operator whilst the container is being wheeled. Typically the actuator will allow incremental adjustment to allow the braking action to be increased or decreased as desired. Generally containers such as wheelie bins are provided with handles. Typically an actuator is mountable to such containers on or about the handles. Generally the actuator is mounted remote from the brake member. In this case, the actuator may activate the brake member through a connecting member such as a cable, wire, rod, strap or the like. The actuator can preferably be removably mounted to the container without any necessity for drilling holes or other modifications of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS By way of example only, the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying Figures in which, Figure 1 is a rear view of a wheelie bin having a preferred brake assembly of the present invention mounted thereto;

Figures 2a, b and c are plan, side and end elevations of a support bracket which forms part of the assembly illustrated in Figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a plan view of a brake arm which forms part of the brake assembly illustrated in Figure 1.

BEST MODE Figure 1 is a rear view of a wheelie bin 11 to which the brake assembly of the present invention has been mounted. The bin 11 has a rear wall 12. The lower portion of wall 12 has a housing 13 for receiving a wheel axle 14. A pair of wheels 15 are located at the rear of the bin. At the top section of the rear wall 12 is mounted a handle 16. The handle 16 is attached to the wall by ribs 17.

When the bin is in the resting position as illustrated, the base of the bin 11 rests on the ground surface and the bin 11 is unable to be easily moved. To move the bin 11 an operator grasps handle 16 and tilts bin 11 backwards. The bin 11 can then be either pushed or pulled by the operator.

The brake apparatus as shown in Figure 1 has two parts, a handle portion 18 mounted to the handle 17 of the bin and a brake portion 19 mounted at the lower section of rear wall 12. The brake portion includes a support bracket 20 and a brake arm 21. Figures 2a, b and c illustrate plan, front and side elevations of the support bracket 20. The support bracket is shaped, as shown in Figure 2a to conform to the shape of the lower rear wall 12 of the bin 11. It will be appreciated that this shape can be varied to conform to bins of different shapes. The bracket 20 has a pair of hooks 22, 23 which when mounted to the bin 11 hook under axle housing 13. The support bracket also as apertures 26, 27. In Figure 1 , the support bracket 20 is connected to a third hook 24 by chain 25. The chain may be replaced by a rod, cable, strap or the like. Hook 24 hooks over the edge of the top of the rear wall of the bin 11. Chain 25 is taut so as to hold the support bracket 20 in position. It will be appreciated that the support bracket will be held in position by hooks 22 and 23 when the bin 11 is inverted when being emptied.

To the support member 20 is attached brake arm 21. Figure 3 illustrates a plan view of the brake arm 21. The brake arm 21 consists of an elongated main arm 28 having two L-shaped arm members 29, 30 located at each end thereof. Each arm member 29, 30 has an aperture 31 , 32. The brake arm 21 is pivotally attached to the support bracket 20 by aligning the apertures by nuts 8, 9 and bolts or other suitable attachment means. The brake arm 21 is thus able to be mounted to the bin via the support bracket 20.

In use, friction pads 35, 36 are attached to the ends 33, 34 of arm members

29, 30. The friction pads may be made of a plastics material such as nylon, synthetic or natural rubber and urethane materials. Suitable urethanes are those sold under the trade names nolathane and lurathane. The friction pads are typically bushes or the like which can be slid onto the ends 33, 34 of the arm members. In this way the pads may be replaced easily if they become worn.

The handle potion 18 of the brake assembly includes a U- shaped member 37 with a handle portion 38, 39 extending from each side thereof. The U-shaped portion is made from a resilient material. The arms 40, 41 of the U-shaped member 18 when mounted to bin 11 abut ribs 17. The resilience of the U-shaped member assists in holding the handle portion in position. This resilience also holds the handle portion 18 in position when the bin is inverted. Lugs 44, 45 prevent the handle portion 18 from falling downwardly. The handle portion 18 is mounted such that it is movable with respect to the handle 16 of the bin. When an operator grasps the bin handle 16, the operator can also grip handles 38, 39 of the handle portion 18 and urge handles 38, 39 upwardly.

To the U-shaped member 37 is attached a chain 42. Alternatively the chain 42 may be replaced by a wire, cable, rod, strap or the like. The other end 43 of the chain 42 is connected to brake arm 21. By means of chain 42, upward movement of U-shaped member 18 by an operator causes brake member 21 to pivot relative to the support member 20.

As the brake member 21 pivots, the ends 33, 34 of arms 29, 30 and the attached friction pads can contact wheels 15. When the operator releases the U-shaped member, the brake arm pivots back to its original free position due to the weight of the main arm 28. The free position is that illustrated in Figure 1. Alternatively the brake assembly may include biasing means such as a spring to bias the brake in the free position.

The brake assembly may be mounted to bin 11 by first spreading arms 40, 41 of the U-shaped member 37 until the arms locate about the ribs 17 of the bin handle 16. The support bracket 20 and pivotally attached brake arm 21 are then mounted to the lower section of the bin by hooking. Hooks 22, 23 are under the edge of housing 13. The bin lid (not illustrated) is opened and hook 24 hooked inside the rear wall of the bin. The lid can then be closed. The chain 25 can be attached to the support bracket 20 either before or after the brake arm 21 and handle portion 18 are mounted. The end 43 of chain 42 is generally free during mounting of the components to the bin. When mounted, the free end 43 is fixed to brake arm 21.

The mounted brake assembly can be activated by an operator having their hands on bin handle 16 and who is also able to grasp handle portions 38, 39. Upward pressure on handle portions 38, 39 results chain 42 causing main arm 28 to pivot upwardly thereby causing friction material 35, 36 to contact wheels 15. The pressure of the friction material 35, 36 on the wheels can be varied as desired by the operator such that the bin 11 when e being wheeled can be slowed or stopped.

It can be seen that this brake assembly allows an operator to control a bin when wheeling the bin and in particular when wheeling down an incline. The pressure on the wheels executed by the friction pads can be varied by the operator in response to the weight of the bin and angle of the incline. The brake assembly can also be quickly and easily mounted to the bin. The assembly can also be mounted to the bin without having to modify the bin by drilling holes or the like into the bin. This is desirable as in many cases, a wheelie bin is not owned by the householder but is provided by the local council and any permanent alterations are prohibited. When mounted to the bin the brake assembly is fixed in place, even during inversion of the bin during emptying. Also, the apparatus does not inhibit or obstruct the mechanical arm of the waste collection vehicle from picking up the bin. Further the assembly has few moving parts and does not require maintenance or servicing.

It should be appreciated that various other changes or modifications can be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A brake assembly mountable to a wheeled container of the wheelie bin type having a single rear axle and a pair of wheels mounted to the axle, the assembly having a brake member mountable to the container, the brake member including at least one brake portion, an actuator mountable to the container, a connecting member which operatively connects the actuator and the brake member, whereby when the brake assembly is mounted to the container, the brake member is normally in the free position and movable between an upper free position in which the brake portion is spaced from a said wheel and a lower braking position in which the brake portion frictionally engages the wheel, the braking member is normally in the free position and is pivoted to the braking position in response to operation of the actuator by an operator.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the brake member is mountable to a rear portion of the container.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the brake member is biased into the free position by gravity.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the brake member is pivotable between the free and braking positions.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the brake member has two brake portions, and when in the brake position each braking portions enjoys a wheel.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the actuator is mountable to an upper portion of the container.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein each brake portion has a friction pad attached thereto.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the brake portion frictionally engage an upper surface of the wheel rim.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the brake assembly includes mounting means to enable the assembly to be mounted to an existing container.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the mounting means includes a resilient support bracket, shaped to conform to a lower section of the wheelie bin.

11. The assembly of claim 10, which further includes a hook member for holding the support bracket to the axle or axle housing of the container.

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 19 June 2000 (19.06.00); original claims 5 and 8 amended; remaining claims unchanged (1 page)]

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the brake member is pivotable between the free and braking positions. 5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the brake member has two brake portions, and when in the brake position each braking portion engages a wheel.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the actuator is mountable to an upper portion of the container. 7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein each brake portion has a friction pad attached thereto.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the brake portion frictionally engages an upper surface of the wheel rim.

10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the mounting means includes a