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(11) | EP 0 974 534 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Perfected container for recycling |
| (57) "PERFECTED CONTAINER FOR RECYCLING", of the type used in urban or rural areas for the collection of recyclable litter,
constituted by a central bell-shaped or parallelopipedic body, having in the upper
part one or two openings for the entry of the recyclable material (2), and a traditional
unloading mechanism consisting of two rings (3) for the anchorage of the crane of
the collection lorry, and a lower door, characterised essentially because it presents
a parallelopipedic form with in the upper part of its four faces one or two entry
openings, being able to present also on one lateral face (4) or two opposite lateral
faces, a perforation (5) in the central area which serves as a seating for the placing
of a reception window for material (6), constituted by a parallelopipedic body open
on the lower face or base, which has available on the outer side (7) an entry opening
(8) fitted with a hinged flap (9) which folds towards the interior of the container,
and also a relief of variable design (18) for identification of the container by blind
people. |
[0001] The object of the present invention, as is expressed above in the summary of this descriptive note, consists in a "PERFECTED CONTAINER FOR RECYCLING", of the type used in urban or rural areas for the collection of recyclable litter.
[0002] Currently, the recycling of materials in daily use, such as paper, plastic, metal and glass, is experiencing a very spectacular rise, due to two essential factors, which are the citizen's awareness of the problem of solid refuse and the increase in the number of containers distributed throughout the urban and rural areas.
[0003] These containers are characterised by presenting in their upper part one or two openings for the entry of recyclable material, and a mechanism for unloading consisting in a bottom discharge door and rings at the top for the anchorage and lifting of the whole, by the crane of the selective collection lorry.
[0004] The principal inconvenience which these containers present is that the openings for the entry of the recyclable material are located in the upper part, not easily accessible to children or persons with physical disabilities requiring them to use a wheelchair.
[0005] Another inconvenience is that, on occasion, the two reception openings are badly positioned, making it a problem to introduce the material for recycling. Compounding this problem, it is normal for the openings for throwing in the litter to be located opposite one another, which means that there is a road safety problem, as although one of the openings is facing the pavement, the other is facing the roadway, so that it is very common for some of the users to put in their rubbish from the roadway, being exposed to traffic.
[0006] At the same time, the openings are not able to be differentiated for the different materials to be recycled, so that for blind persons it is difficult to know into which container to throw the recyclable material.
[0007] Another negative characteristic of the containers of this current type is in the use of very strong colours, making an aggressive environmental impact.
[0008] Finally, on being made from a single body, they have to be completely replaced in the case of breakage through external aggression.
[0009] The novel container for solid urban litter for recycling solves the problems set out here completely, in being made thinking expressly of people with physical disabilities and incorporating an upper cover protecting the main body, with different optional entry openings.
[0010] Basically, it consists of a central parallelopipedic body on a broadly rectangular base, having in the upper part of its lateral faces one or two entry openings for the material to be recycled, the upper face presenting the traditional unloading mechanism consisting of two rings for the anchorage of the crane of the collection lorry.
[0011] At the same time, on one lateral face and on two opposite lateral faces, the body of the container can have a perforation in the central part which can serve as a seating for the placing of a reception window for material, constituted by an parallelopipedic body open on its lower face or base, fitted with an entry opening on the outer side with a hinged flap which folds towards the interior of the container.
[0012] The body of the container can present, at approximately two thirds of its height, a perimeter groove fitted for the seating of a reinforcing cover which goes over all the upper part, and which offers entry openings on all its lateral faces and in its upper face, which is fixed to the base body by conventional means.
[0013] These entry openings can be closed as required by means of blind panels, or made available for the entry of material by windows with one or two openings, in the interior part of which is a hinged flap.
[0015] Finally, the entry openings for material to be recycled offer a relief inscription of the Braille type or any other medium of information which helps to identify for blind people the container to be used.
[0016] The novel perfected container for recycling, thanks to its lower window, enables children and persons in wheelchairs to be able to throw solid urban refuse into the interior of the container.
[0017] In being able to offer openings in all the lateral faces, access is made easier from any position, and in any case these can be arranged as suits the owner of the container.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SKETCHES
[0018] With the object of illustrating what has been set out up to this point, this present descriptive minute is accompanied by a sheet of drawings, forming an integral part of it, in which is represented, in a simplified and schematic manner, an practical example, merely illustrative and not limiting the practical possibilities of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF A PRACTICAL CASE
[0021] The novel perfected container for recycling consists of a central parallelopipedic body (1) on a broadly rectangular base, having in the upper part of all its lateral faces one or two openings for entry of the material to be recycled (2), and presenting on its upper face the traditional unloading mechanism consisting of two rings (3) for the anchorage of the crane of the collection lorry.
[0022] At the same time, on one lateral face (4) or on two opposite lateral faces, the body of the container offers a perforation (5) in its central area which acts as a seating for the placing of a reception window for material (6) consisting of a parallelopipedic body open at its lower face or base, which has on the outer side (7) an entry opening (8) and a hinged flap (9) which folds towards the interior of the container.
[0023] The body of the container (1) offers, at approximately two thirds of its height, a perimeter groove (10) fitted for the seating of a reinforcing cover (11) which goes over all the upper part, and which offers entry openings (12) on all its lateral faces and in its top, and is fixed to the base body (1) by conventional means.
[0024] These entry openings (12) can be closed as required by means of blind panels (13), or made available for the entry of material by means of windows (14) with one or two openings (15), in the interior part of which is a hinged flap (16).
[0026] Finally, the windows (13) and (14) offer an informative inscription in relief (18) of Braille type or any other communication medium, to assist blind users to identify the container to be used.
[0027] Having set out the description to which the preceding note refers, it is essential to emphasise that the details of carrying out of the idea set forth can suffer small alterations, based always on the principles fundamental to the idea, which are, in essence, those which are reflected in these paragraphs.
[0028] In effect, the current Patent Law establishes as unpatentable the changes of form, dimension, proportions and materials of an object already patented, the legislator thus fixing the criteria in the sense that when an idea which can give place to a practical and industrializable reality has been patented, no-one shall be able to take it as a base and, through the pretext of having introduced slight modifications, present it as new and their own.
[0029] This concept being established, the note of claims hereunder summarises thus the novelties which it is desired to claim:
NOTE
1. "PERFECTED CONTAINER FOR RECYCLING", of the type used in urban and rural areas for the collection of recyclable litter,
constituted by a bell-shaped or parallelopipedic central body having in the upper
part one or two entry openings for the recyclable material (2), and a traditional
unloading mechanism consisting of two rings (3) for the anchorage of the crane of
the collection lorry, and a lower door, characterised essentially because it presents
an parallelopipedic form having in the upper part of its four faces one or two entry
openings, also being able to present at the same time on one lateral face (4) or on
two opposite lateral faces a perforation (5) in the central part which acts as seating
for the placing of a reception window for material (6), constituted by a parallelopipedic
body open on its lower face or base, which has on the outer side (7) an entry opening
(8) fitted with a hinged flap (9) which folds towards the interior of the container,
and an inscription in relief with a variable design (18) for the identification of
the container for blind people.
2. "PERFECTED CONTAINER FOR RECYCLING", according to the above claim, characterised by the body of the container (1) presenting,
two thirds of the way up a perimeter groove (10) fitted for the seating of a reinforced
cover (11) which covers the whole upper part, having entry orifices (12) in all its
lateral faces and on the upper face, and is fixed to the base body (1) by conventional
means, these orifices of entry (12) being able to be occluded by means of blind panels
(13), or made available by means of windows (14) with one or two openings (15), in
the interior part of which is a hinged flap (16).
3. "PERFECTED CONTAINER FOR RECYCLING", according to the claims above, characterised because the windows (13) and (14)
present an informative inscription in relief (18) of the Braille type or any other
means of information to help to identify the container to be used for the benefit
of blind people.