WO2011054057A1

WO2011054057A1 - Compactor

Info

Publication number: WO2011054057A1
Application number: PCT/AU2010/001485
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nathan Ross Bergmans
Original assignee: Nathan Ross Bergmans
Priority date: 2009-11-09
Filing date: 2010-11-09
Publication date: 2011-05-12

Abstract

A compactor (10,10') having a floor (12,12'), an upright arm (14,14') extending from the floor to an upper position, a swing arm (16,16') pivoted about the upright arm at the upper position, and a compacting member (50,52') depending from the swing arm. Optionally an operating arm (18,18') can be employed. The operating arm is connected to the swing arm by means of a sliding, pivoted mounting portion (80). To stow the operating arm the mounting portion (80) is slid over the swing arm (16') to a location adjacent the supporting arms (54'). The telescoped operating arm (18) is then pivoted up so that the foot portion (66') locks over the handle (48'). The swing arm can include a 'dog leg' bend between the pivot support (44') and the supporting arms (54') to provide a recess within which the compacting member (50') and the operating arm (18') can be located when the compactor (10') is in the collapsed configuration. In use, when a refuse container holding refuse is placed on the floor and the swing arm is positioned such that the compacting member is above the refuse container, a downward force applied to the swing arm causes a compressive force to act between the floor and the compacting member, compacting the contents of the container.

Description

COMPACTOR

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the manual compaction of refuse or other matter within a receptacle. It is envisaged primarily for use in connection with a wheeled garbage bin such as that manufactured by the Sulo^® company.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

In domestic and commercial settings, it is common to have a garbage bin which is emptied periodically. Such bins have a defined capacity, and thus situations can arise where the volume of garbage generated within the relevant period can exceed the capacity of the bin.

In order to reduce the volume of the garbage within the bin, to allow for the addition of more garbage, it is necessary to compact the contents of the bin. This is generally done by pushing down on the top of the bin contents, at least where the degree of compaction required is small. Where greater compaction is required, it is known to employ tools such as spades to provide a greater force against the top of the garbage.

Such methods of compaction are of limited efficacy, as the compacting force able to be generated is limited by the strength of the user. They suffer from other disadvantages also. Where the bin is large, and the user of small stature, it can be difficult to apply the necessary downward force. Also, such manual compaction can be a dirty and potentially unhygienic operation.

A search by the applicant has revealed an attempt to solve this problem by provision of a manually operable compactor which attaches to the upper rim of a garbage bin. Although this device provides compaction, it is cumbersome to use, and relies on the bin walls to support it.

The present invention seeks to provide a means of compacting garbage which can be more efficient and easier to use than those described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a compactor having a floor, an upright arm extending from the floor to an upper position, a swing arm pivoted about the upright arm at the upper position, and a compacting member depending from the swing arm, such that when a refuse container is placed on the floor, and the swing arm positioned such that the compacting member is above the refuse container, a downward force applied to the swing arm causes a compressive force to act between the floor and the compacting member, compacting the contents of the container. The weight of the bin assists in helping the arrangement remain stable during use.

In a preferred form of the invention the swing arm has a first end pivoted at the upright arm, and a second end which locates, in use, beyond the refuse container. The compactor may include a further operating arm pivoted to the second end of the swing arm. The operating arm may be arranged to orient substantially vertically, having a lower end opposed to the second end of the swing arm. The operating arm may include a foot receiving portion at the lower end, such that a user may with a foot provide a downward force to the operating arm and hence the compacting member.

The upright arm may usefully be adjustable in height. It may be arranged to move between a collapsed position, where the upper end is below an upper edge of a refuse container, and an extended position where the upper end is above the upper edge of the refuse container. This may be achieved by forming the upright arm from two or more telescoping members, with suitable catches positioned to fix the arm into a desired position.

The floor of the compactor may be provided with guides to assist in locating the refuse container. The guides may be arranged such that wheels of the refuse container must be correctly aligned in order for the container to be moved onto the floor.

It is preferred that the compactor be arranged so as to be collapsible into an unobtrusive configuration when not in use. It is also preferred that the compactor be arranged such that it can be readily disassembled into compact parts for packaging. In a preferred embodiment, the compactor can be disassembled into a relatively flat floor component, and a relatively squat component including the upright arm and the swing arm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be convenient to further describe the invention with reference to preferred embodiments of the compactor of the present invention. Other embodiments are possible, and consequently, the particularity of the following discussion is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of a compactor in accordance with the present invention, shown in a collapsed configuration;

Figure 2 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 1 , shown in a first expanded configuration;

Figure 3 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 1 , shown in a second expanded configuration;

Figure 4 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 1 in the collapsed configuration in use;

Figure 5 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 1 in the first expanded configuration in use;

Figure 6 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 1 in the second expanded configuration in use;

Figure 7 is a perspective of a compactor in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, shown in a collapsed configuration;

Figure 8 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 7, shown in a first expanded configuration;

Figure 9 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 7, shown in a second expanded configuration;

Figure 10 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 7 in the collapsed configuration in use;

Figure 1 1 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 7 in the first expanded configuration in use; and

Figure 1 2 is a perspective of the compactor of Figure 7 in the second expanded configuration in use. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figures 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a compactor 1 0. The compactor

10 has a floor 12, an upright arm 14, a swing arm 16 and an operating arm 1 8, each of which will be described in turn.

The floor 12 is generally 'IT shaped, with an end portion 20 and two side portions 22. Each of the side portions 22 has an outer edge having a lip 24 extending upwardly therefrom. The distance between the side portion outer edges and thus the lips 24 is similar to the width of a wheeled garbage bin. The lips 24 can thus act as guides for the wheels of such a garbage bin.

Each of the side portions 22 includes a ramp 26 at an outer end thereof, remote from the end portion 20. The ramps 26 facilitate the wheeling of a garbage bin onto the floor 1 2.

The end portion 20 includes a mounting portion 28 for the upright arm 14.

The mounting portion 28 is located centrally between the lips 24, and in the embodiment shown comprises four upwardly extending bolts 30 arranged in a square configuration.

The upright arm 14 is formed in two parts, a first member 32 and a second member 34. The first member 32 includes a tubular body 36, which is square in cross section, and a mounting plate 38. The mounting plate 38 is affixed to a lower end of the tubular body 36, and is substantially perpendicular to the tubular body 36.

The mounting plate 38 is arranged to engage with the mounting portion 28 of the floor 12. The mounting plate 38 has four apertures sized and spaced to locate about the four bolts 30. In this way the mounting plate 38 and hence the first member 38 can be readily attached to the floor 12 using the bolts 30 with associated nuts.

The second member 34 is also tubular, and square in cross section. It has a cross sectional area slightly greater than the tubular body 36 of the first member 32, and is thus able to telescope over the tubular body 36 of the first member 32.

The upright arm 14 includes a catch in the form of a pin 40. The pin 40 is arranged to locate within aligned apertures 41 in the first and second members 32, 34, and thus maintain the first and second members 32, 34 in relative position. In the embodiment shown, the first member 32 has a lower set of aligned apertures and an upper set of aligned apertures. This allows the second member 34 to move between two positions, a lower or collapsed configuration as shown in Figure 1 and an upper or expanded configuration as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The upright arm 14 includes a handle 42 mounted to the second member

34 to assist in moving the second member 34 between the two positions.

A pivot support 44 is fixed to an upper end of the second member 34. The pivot support 44 comprises two laterally extending flanges, each of which has an aperture outside the second member 34. The two apertures define an axis about which the swing arm 16 can rotate.

The swing arm 16 is formed from a tubular member 46 which is pivotally connected to the pivot support 44 at an inner end and has a handle 48 at an outer end.

A compacting member 50 depends from the swing arm 14. The compacting member 50 comprises a compacting plate 52 and two supporting arms 54. The supporting arms 54 are pivotally mounted at an upper end to a mid part of the swing arm 16, and are pivotally mounted at a lower end to the compacting plate 52.

The operating arm 18 is pivotally attached to the handle 48 of the swing arm 14. In the embodiment shown, the operating arm 18 has a first section 60 and a second section 62. The first section 60 is substantially U-shaped, and extends from the handle 48 of the swing arm 16 to a hinge connection 64. The second section 62 forms a loop, extending from the hinge connection 64 to an enlarged foot receiving portion 66 at a lower end thereof.

The first and second sections 60, 62 are sized so that they can locate substantially about the swing arm 16 when not in use, as shown in Figure 2. The operating arm 18 can be folded in half about the hinge connection 64, and then pivoted about the handle 48 into a stowed configuration about the swing arm 1 6, between the handle 18 and the supporting arms 54. The swing arm 16 includes a catch 68 over which the first and second sections 60, 62 can be secured when not in use. The first and second sections 60, 62 each include a bend close to the hinge connection 64 so that, when in the stowed configuration, the hinge connection 64 can be located along a lower face of the swing arm 1 6.

Use of the compactor 10 will now be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6.

The compactor 10 may be kept in the collapsed configuration shown in Figures 1 and 4. In this configuration, the operating arm 1 8 is stowed against the swing arm 16, and the swing arm 16 is collapsed against the upright arm 14. The upright arm 14 is in its lower configuration. The overall appearance of the compactor 10 is therefore L-shaped, with the floor defining the lower part of the L- shaped, and the upright arm defining the upper part. A wheeled bin 70 can be located on the floor 12 of the compactor 1 0, with bin wheels 72 between the lips 24. An upper end of the upright arm 14, in this configuration, is below the top of the wheeled bin 70. The compactor 10 is therefore unobtrusive, not adding significantly to the space being taken by the bin or affecting its use.

When a small degree of compaction is required, the bin 70 is firstly wheeled away from the compactor 10. The upright arm 14 can then be moved into its upper position by using the pin 40 and the handle 42, and the swing arm 16 moved out and above the height of the bin 70. Some form of catch may be provided to hold the swing arm in this position. The bin 70 can then be returned to the floor 12 of the compactor 10, and the swing arm 16 lowered so that the compacting member 50 is located atop the refuse within the bin 70. This is the position shown in Figure 5.

From this position, a downward force applied to the handle 48 will apply a mechanically enhanced compressive force to the contents of the bin 70, using the principle of leverage. The compressive force will act between the floor 12 and the compacting member 50, thus holding the bin 70 securely in place during the compacting operation.

Where further compaction is required, the operating arm 18 may be swung out into the position shown in Figure 6. From this position, a user may apply their full body weight to the downward force by placing a foot within the foot receiving portion 66. A similar mechanical advantage is obtained due to the relative differences of the handle 48 and the supporting arms 54 from the pivot support 44.

When the compacting member is to be packaged or transported, it can be easily moved from the collapsed configuration of Figure 1 to a transporting configuration by removal of the mounting plate 38 from the mounting portion 32 of the floor 12. This results in two pieces to be transported: a squat piece comprising the arms of the compactor and a flat piece comprising the floor of the compactor.

A second embodiment 10' of the compactor is shown in Figures 7 to 12, which correspond to Figures 1 to 6. This embodiment differs from the first primarily in the construction of the operating arm 18'. The operating arm 18' of the second embodiment is formed from two telescoping sections 60', 62', with a foot portion 66' mounted to a lower end of the second telescoping section 62'. The operating arm 18' is connected to the swing arm 16' by means of a sliding, pivoted mounting portion 80. To stow the operating arm 18', once the second section 62 is telescoped within the first section 60', the mounting portion 80 is slid over the swing arm 16' to a location adjacent the supporting arms 54'. The telescoped operating arm 1 8 is then pivoted up so that the foot portion 66' locks over the handle 48'.

In order to accommodate this bulkier arrangement, the swing arm 16' includes a 'dog leg' bend between the pivot support 44' and the supporting arms 54'. This provides a recess within which the compacting member 50' and the operating arm 18' can be located when the compactor 10' is in the collapsed configuration of Figures 7 and 10.

Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A compactor having a floor, an upright arm extending from the floor to an upper position, a swing arm pivoted about the upright arm at the upper position, and a compacting member depending from the swing arm, such that when a refuse container is placed on the floor, and the swing arm positioned such that the compacting member is above the refuse container, a downward force applied to the swing arm causes a compressive force to act between the floor and the compacting member, compacting the contents of the container.

2. A compactor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the swing arm has a first end pivoted at the upright arm, and a second end which locates, in use, beyond the refuse container.

3. A compactor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the compactor includes a further operating arm pivoted to the second end of the swing arm.

4. A compactor as claimed in claim 3, wherein the operating arm is arranged to orient substantially vertically, having a lower end opposed to the second end of the swing arm, and includes a foot receiving portion at the lower end, such that a user may with a foot provide a downward force to the operating arm and hence the compacting member.

5. A compactor as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the upright arm is adjustable in height.

6. A compactor as claimed in claim 5, wherein the upright arm is arranged to move between a collapsed position, where the upper end is below an upper edge of a refuse container, and an extended position where the upper end is above the upper edge of the refuse container.

7. A compactor as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the upright arm is formed from two or more telescoping members.

8. A compactor as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the floor of the compactor is provided with guides to assist in locating the refuse container.