Trash bin with pedal-operated lid

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a trash bin (1) with a pedal-operated lid (4) provided with a reversible stop mechanism (7) that permits the lid (4) to assume at least an open position and at least a position to permit stacking.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a trash bin with a pedal-operated lid and a internal bucket. This trash bin is mounted with a reversible stop mechanism that permits the lid to remain in at least one open position, and at least one position for stacking.

[0002] A wide variety of trash bins currently exist on the market, equipped with removable internal bucket, whose lid can be raised by pressing a foot pedal without the need for using the hands for opening. The lid is hinged to the trash bin and is raised directly by activating the pedal connected to the lid, or indirectly by raising the bucket which in turn, raises the lid.

[0003] For this type of trash bin the lid is an essential element which must satisfy different needs. In particular, it must be possible to open and close the lid easily without need of the user to use the hands, to remove the internal bucket for easy emptying action, and to provide the possibility of stacking several trash bins in order to save space during transport and storage.

[0004] These features are generally obtained by producing trash bins wherein the pedal-operated lid opening is limited to a normal user position, in which the garbage can be removed, otherwise by producing trash bins with a pedal-operated lid that can move past the normal user position so that it can be flipped back completely or removed completely from the container, when trash bins need to be stacked to save space during transport and storage.

[0005] Trash bins with pedal-operated lids are known, as well as trash bins which, besides being pedal-operated, are also provided with lids able to rotate to a position to permit bin stacking.

[0006] Trash bins with pedal-operated lid and trash bins also equipped with flip-back lid, such to permit bin stacking, are described in various prior art documents. The european patent application EP1535863 relates to a pedal-operated trash bin with a bucket. Figures 1A and 1B, that illustrate the trash bin as described in EP1535863, show a trash bin comprising an external container to which a lid is attached by means of hinges, an internal removable bucket and, on the bottom of the external container, means for activating a pedal-operated lever to open the lid.

[0007] The trash bin is characterised in that the container has an internal surface shaped in such a way to house the lower part of another trash bin. In fact, the internal surface of the container is provided with at least two lug elements, preferably four, acting as a support for the base of another identical trash bin. When in stacking position, the lid of the trash bin is open at such an angle that it permits the insertion of an additional trash bin. In this position, the additional trash bin is stacked in such a way to be rotated by 180° around a vertical axis with respect to the base trash bin.

[0008] The european patent EP 0541688 describes a pedal-operated trash bin with a lid. Figures 2A and 2B, that illustrate the trash bin as described in EP 0541688, show a trash bin comprising an external container, which acts as a base for the trash bin, a lid and an internal bucket positioned inside the external container. The container presents in its upper part a lid, attached by means of hinges, and in its lower part a lever in the form of a pedal intended to raise the lid.

[0009] A block system set on the rear side of the container and suited to prevent the complete rotation of the lid, a tooth with a lug on the lid, and a fin on the rear side of the bucket are present next to said hinges.

[0010] When the pedal is pressed down, the bucket raises upwards, presses against the tooth thus allowing the opening of the lid. If the pedal is pressed down completely, the lid will rotate by an angle greater than 90° to the horizontal plane. When the pedal is released, the bucket is lowered and the fin of the bucket bangs against the lug on the lid thus allowing the lid closure.

[0011] The Japanese patent application JP 8198292 relates to a stackable pedal-operated trash bin with an opening in the lower part of the container suited to permit easier pressure on the pedal.

[0012] Figure 3, that illustrates the trash bin as described in JP 8198292, shows a trash bin comprising a container having a lid, suited to close the container, attached by means of a hinge. The lid can be removed to permit trash bin stacking.

[0013] Pressure on the pedal activates a rod which, being connected to the pedal and to the lid, allows to open the container.

[0014] The pedal is completely inserted inside the container in a housing wherein the side surfaces slope by an angle ranging between 15 and 70 degrees, but preferably by 25 degrees, with respect to the perpendicular plane. The housing and the pedal such shaped, allow a more comfortable pedal pressure.

[0015] Certain trash bins according to prior art are provided with mobile lids, but which cannot be rotated to a position suitable for stacking, while other trash bins are equipped with lids that can rotate completely for stacking, but which present problems in maintaining the open position, once the lid has been raised. Furthermore problems can arise when attempting to maintain the lid open, or in cases where the lid does not return to its closed position.

[0016] In certain cases the mechanism that permits the lid to assume different positions results as quite complex, because it is composed of several pieces, or it results as constructed from elements that are elastically yielding and which are subject to breaking caused by wear after frequent use.

[0017] The trash bins illustrated in the patents described above present containers which do not have a regular shape and therefore require a more complex type of mold, and when these trash bins can be stacked, they must always be positioned along the same side or at least along two non-adjacent sides. Once the pedal has been pressed, the lid is blocked in the open position by means of hooks, integral with the lid, which grip the edge of the bin, or by means of appendixes positioned on the rotating pivot pins of the lid which block against elastically yielding counter-means, integral with the lid itself. Said catch systems, therefore, block the lid in open or half-open position and this occurs in relation either to the internal bucket or in relation to the appendixes set on the rotating pivot pins, but not directly in relation to the external container.

[0018] Furthermore, the trash bins are stacked on top of one another, but they require at least two appendixes, preferably four, inside the bucket in order to support and block the base of a trash bin inside another. These appendixes are positioned above the internal protruding element created to house the pedal necessary for opening the lid. Furthermore the rotation angle of the lid in relation to the horizontal plane of the closed position, is less than 270°.

[0019] The aim of the present invention is to provide a trash bin that can satisfy the requirements for easy opening and closing of the lid without the user having to touch it with his hands, while at the same time being able to guarantee the extraction of the internal bucket for maximum simplicity when emptying garbage or cleaning, as well as the possibility of stacking several trash bins to optimise space during transport and storage.

[0020] Another aim of the present invention is to provide a trash bin having a regular shape to permit production using simple molds, and in particular having a horizontal cross-section in the form of a regular polygon.

[0021] A further aim of the present invention is to provide a trash bin that can be stacked according to anyone of the sides without the need for selecting a preferential side, thus providing increased stacking simplicity and greater space saving.

[0022] Yet another aim of the present invention is to provide a trash bin having a bucket without internal appendixes destined to permit the stacking of other trash bins.

[0023] A further aim of the present invention is to provide a trash bin equipped with a mechanism suited to maintain the lid in an open position while collecting the garbage and/or to permit complete lid rotation for the stacking of several trash bins.

[0024] These and other aims and relative advantages which will be made clearer from the description below, are achieved with a trash bin having a pedal-operated lid and an internal bucket, equipped with a monobloc reversible stop mechanism to maintain the lid in an open position in order to remove the garbage and/or to permit complete rotation of the lid until it reaches a position for stacking several trash bins in case of transport and/or need to optimize space. The optimization of spaces is improved by using the protruding element created at the base of the bucket and destined to house the pedal, in order to act as a support when stacking trash bins inside one another.

[0025] In particular the stop mechanism is an integrated part of the trash bin.

[0026] The trash bin object of the present invention resolves the problem of lack of stability of the lid in its open position, and also resolves the problem caused by the presence of possible mechanism not so easy to allow the complete lid rotation, by means of a monobloc mechanism integral with the trash bin. The monobloc stop mechanism is provided with an integral protruding element in the form of a press-button, conceived in such a manner that it guarantees stable blocking of the lid during garbage collection. Said protruding element or press button can be pressed to release and rotate the lid completely without exercising any force on any parts the mechanism, in case the bucket should be removed for cleaning, or in case some trash bins should be stacked.

[0027] Together with the bin and the lid, the trash bin is produced in a suitable rigid plastic material using a conventional molding method for plastic materials, with the advantage of being composed of a limited number of pieces for assembly, and also being economical in price.

[0028] A non-limiting description of the pedal-operated trash bin with removable internal bucket having a partial or total lid opening system is provided below with reference to the annexed figures, wherein:

• Figures 1A and 1B show a perspective view and a cross-sectional view respectively of a trash bin according to prior art;
• Figures 2A and 2B show a perspective view and a cross-sectional view respectively of another trash bin according to prior art;
• Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of another trash bin according to prior art;
• Figure 4A shows a perspective view of a trash bin according to the invention;
• Figure 4B shows a cross-sectional view of the trash bin according to the invention;
• Figures 5A and 5B show, respectively, a cross-sectional view of a detail of the trash bin with the lid in closed position and an enlargement of the stop mechanism in the corresponding position, according to the invention;
• Figures 6A and 6B, respectively, show a cross-sectional view of a detail of the trash bin with the lid retained by the stop mechanism, and an enlargement of the stop mechanism in the corresponding position, according to the invention;
• Figures 7A and 7B show respectively a cross-sectional view of a detail of the trash bin with the lid released from the stop mechanism and an enlargement of the stop mechanism in the corresponding position, according to the invention;
• Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the trash bin with the lid in the position of total rotation; and
• Figures 9A and 9B show transversal and horizontal cross-sectional view of several stacked trash bins according to the invention.

[0029] A preferred embodiment of the trash bin 1, object of the present invention, is shown in figures 4A and 4B and comprises a container 2, a bucket 3, a closing device or lid 4, raising means 5 for the lid 4, coupling means 6 between said container 2 and said lid 4 and stop means 7 of said lid 4.

[0030] The raising means 5 of the closing device or lid 4 comprise a rod 5b, provided with a pedal 5a and a protruding element 5c, able to rotate about a horizontal axis and suited to raise the bucket 3 once said pedal 5a is pressed. The contact between the bucket 3 and the rod 5b does not occur directly, but by means of a protruding element 3c present at the opposite end of the rod 5b with respect to pedal 5a. When the pedal 5a is pressed, the protruding element 5c of the rod 5b presses on the base 3c of the bucket 3 and raises said bucket 3 which in turn causes the opening of the lid 4.

[0031] The coupling means 6 between the container 2 and the lid 4 comprise pivot pins 6a integral with the lid 4 and housings 6b integral with a monobloc element 8. Said monobloc element 8 is integral with container 2 and comprises a press button 9, which can assume different positions in relation to a surface 8a of said element 8, and two housings 6b for the insertion of pivot pins 6a integral with the lid 4. The pivot pins 6a of the lid 4 are inserted in the housings 6b of the monobloc element 8 in order to guarantee the rotation of the lid in different positions.

[0032] The stop means 7 comprise the monobloc element 8, provided with a press button 9 which normally protrudes from the surface 8a of the element 8, integral with the container 2 and a retaining element 10 integral with the lid 4. Said press button 9 has a double function:

• to block the lid 4 in an open position for garbage collection, when the surface 9a of the press button 9, that protrudes from the surface 8a of the monobloc element 8, makes contact with the retaining element 10;
• to permit the lid 4 to continue rotation when the press button 9 is pressed down completely, in other words, when it no longer protrudes from the surface 8a, thus excluding the possibility of interaction between the surface 9a of the press button 9 and the retaining element 10 integral with the lid 4. In this manner the lid is able to assume various positions both to permit the extraction of the bucket, for cleaning purposes for example, and to permit the stacking of one trash bin inside another. The reverse change over from said bucket extraction position or stacking position back to the initial closed position of the lid occurs directly acting on the lid, without the need for any pressing of press button 9 by the user. In fact, said press button 9 has a surface 9b, preferably rounded, on which the retaining element 10, integral with lid 4, is able to slide. This means that, when the user rotates the lid 4 towards the closure position, the retaining element 10 slides on the surface 9b pressing on the press button 9 in a downward direction, thus allowing to move past it. Once the retaining element 10 has moved past the press button 9, the button rises again returning to its initial position.

[0033] The stop mechanism functioning is illustrated in figures 5A-5B, 6A-6B and 7A-7B wherein various cross-sectional views of details of the trash bin 1 are shown, illustrating the possible positions of lid 4 in relation to the container 2 together with the relative enlargements of the stop mechanism elements corresponding to said possible positions.

[0034] Figures 4B, 5A and 5B show the trash bin with the lid in closed position. The lid 4 closes the opening of the bucket 3 completely and its rounded rim 4a, that surrounds the rim 2a of the container 2, guarantees that there are no openings which could release smells from the collected garbage. In this position, the press button 9 is in a protruding position in relation to surface 8a of the element 8 and the surface 9a of press button 9 is, therefore, in a such position to prevent the lid 4 from continuing its rotation action.

[0035] The user presses on the pedal 5a in order to raise the lid when placing garbage in the bin. The pedal 5a is connected to the rod 5b which in turn is connected to the bucket 3 by means of the protruding element 5c. When the pedal 5a is pressed, the protruding element 5c of rod 5b, being in contact with the bucket 3, raises the bucket thus pushing the lid 4 in an upward direction and causing it to rotate until it stops in the position shown in figures 6A and 6B. The rim 3a of the bucket 3, in proximity to the stop means 7, presents two protruding elements 3b which make contact with two tines 4b located on the internal part of the lid 4. When the bucket 3 is pushed upwards, the protruding elements 3b press on the tines 4b and the lid 4 is raised. The lid 4 is free to rotate until the retaining element 10, present on said lid 4, makes contact with the surface 9a of the press button 9 blocking the rotation. Therefore the lid 4 remains in the open position until the user releases the pressure on the pedal 5a so that the lid 4 is lowered to close the opening of the bucket 3 again.

[0036] To extract the bucket in order, for example, to guarantee its proper cleaning, the lid 4 can rotate passing further than the normal opening position, as shown in figures 7A and 7B. In fact, by pressing the press button 9, its surface 9a does not protrude any longer with respect to the surface 8a of the monobloc element 8 and therefore, the retaining element 10 does not have any counter element, in other words the surface 9a of press button 9, that can block it. The lid 4 is therefore free to continue rotation, preferably until it flips back in relation to its closed position and until it is in contact with container 2. In fact, in this case, the rotation of lid 4 is completed when the external surface of the lid 4 bangs against the external surface of the container 2, as shown in Fig. 8.

[0037] The possibility of being able to rotate the lid further than the normal open position, by pressing the press button 9 and thus permitting the retaining element 10 to move past said press button 9 passing the position of the so-called "normal open position" without being blocked against the surface 9a, results also very useful for the stacking of several trash bins, as well as for the easy extraction of the bucket 3 of the container 2 which contains it. In fact, it is very important and economically advantageous to be able to reduce volume and optimise space during production and transport.

[0038] Figures 9A and 9B show several trash bins stacked according to the invention. The bucket 3 of trash bin 1 presents a protruding or projecting element 11 internally, necessary for housing the pedal and to provide space for the pedal being pressed. Said protruding element 11 comprises a horizontal portion 11 a suited to act as a support for the base of another trash bin during the stacking stage. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said portion 11 a results as parallel with the base 3c of the bucket 3.

[0039] In the case of several trash bins stacked according to the invention, when for example the trash bin 1c is inserted inside a second identical trash bin 1b, the base of the trash bin 1 c rests upon the said portion 11 a of the protruding element 11 of the bucket 3 of the trash bin 1 b that thus acts as a support for the trash bin 1c. This aspect is very advantageous because, unlike prior art, with the trash bin according to the invention, it is not necessary to create other protruding elements in the bucket for the sole purpose of blocking the stacked trash bin in position.

[0040] Furthermore, since the trash bin according to the invention has a horizontal cross-section in the form of a regular polygon, it is possible to stack one trash bin inside another from whatsoever side, as shown in figures 9A and 9B. In particular, several trash bins may be stacked in such a manner that the lid of each one is positioned on a different side of the trash bin thus guaranteeing maximum stackability and reduction of wasted space. This option is extremely advantageous for transport and storage. For example, in the case of a bucket having a square cross-section such as that shown in figures 9A and 9B, if we consider four trash bins 1, 1a, 1b and 1c, these can be stacked in such a manner that the lid of each one is positioned on a different side with respect to the trash bin that precedes or follows it, i.e., for example, the lids can be positioned in sequence. This means that the trash bin 1 a is inserted into trash bin 1, but is turned by 90° about an axis that passes through the centre of the trash bins. In a similar manner, the trash bin 1b is inserted inside the trash bin 1 a, but is turned by 90° in relation to said bin 1 a, and the trash bin 1c is inserted inside the trash bin 1b, but is turned by 90° in relation to said bin 1b.

[0041] In general, the trash bins are stacked inside one another in such a manner that the lids are not all aligned on the same side. This type of configuration allows a trash bin 1a to be inserted inside another trash bin 1 in such a manner that the total height of the trash bin 1a is almost completely contained within trash bin 1, and in any case, in such a manner that the part of the trash bin 1 a that protrudes from trash bin 1 is as minimum as possible. The trash bin is advantageously produced in a rigid plastic material and produced according to conventional molding methods for plastic material, with the advantage of having a limited number of parts to be assembled, and also having economical advantages.

Claims

1. A trash bin with a pedal-operated lid and an internal bucket of the type comprising a container (2), a bucket (3), a lid (4), raising means (5) for the lid (4), coupling means (6) between said container (2) and said lid (4) and stop means (7) for said lid (4), characterised in that said stop means comprise a monobloc element (8), having a press button (9), and a retaining element (10) that interacts with said press button (9) along a surface (9a).

2. A trash bin according to claim 1 characterised in that it is also provided with an internal protruding element (11) comprising at least a portion (11a) parallel to the base 3c of the bucket 3.

3. A trash bin according to claim 1 characterised in that the horizontal cross-section has a regular polygonal form.

4. A trash bin according to claim 1 characterised in that the coupling means (6) between the container (2) and the lid (4) comprise pivot pins (6a) integral with the lid (4) and housings (6b) integral with the block (8), the pivot pins (6a) being inserted in the housings (6b).

5. A trash bin according to claim 1 characterised in that the raising means (5) of the lid (4) comprise a pedal (5a), a rod (5b) and a protruding element (5c).

6. A trash bin according to claim 1 characterised in that said surface (9a) of said press button (9) provides for a stop position against the retaining element (10) integral with said lid (4) thus blocking the rotation of the lid.

7. A trash bin according to claim 1 characterised in that the press button (9) provides for a position wherein said press button (9) is pressed down and the surface (9a) results orthogonal with the surface (8a) of the monobloc element (8).

8. A trash bin according to claim 4 characterised in that said horizontal cross-section of the trash bin is preferably square shaped.

9. A trash bin according to claim 6 characterised in that the contact between the rod (5b) and the base (3c) of the bucket (3) occurs through a protruding element (5c).

10. A trash bin according to the previous claims characterised in that it is produced in a rigid plastic material and composed by the assembly of a limited number of pieces.

Drawing