IMPROVED CONTAINER FOR WASTE, PARTICULARLY FOR WET AND/OR HAZARDOUS WASTE

Abstract

 A waste container comprising a tank (3) for containing said waste (4), rotatably mounted inside a bell-shaped lid (2), provided with an upper opening (2a) for the entry of said waste, a bottom having an opening (2b) for the discharge of said waste, and a hook (6) for the lifting of said container (1). Compared to the traditional embodiments in this field, the container of the invention offers the advantage of an improved sealing for liquid and/or hazardous waste, thereby preventing the leakage thereof towards the external environment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an improved container for waste, particularly for wet and/or hazardous waste.

[0002] In the field of waste collection equipment, especially for wet and hazardous waste, there is a need to prevent waste from leaking out of the container towards the external environment.

[0003] The problem of leakage occurs indeed both when the container is stationary, where liquid waste tends to drip or flow from the bottom of the container, and during the lifting phase of the container itself for emptying the waste.

[0004] This issue is actually encountered frequently with current waste containers, whose structure does not provide the necessary guarantees of tightness to liquids and to hazardous materials in general, whether in the waste resting or loading condition, or in the unloading condition thereof.

[0005] Publication IT MI20091297 A1 discloses an underground container for urban waste, equipped with a tank rotating around pins fixed to side uprights.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The main object of the present invention is to provide a new waste container that, unlike known containers of this type, ensures the desired sealing conditions for waste, including liquid waste, to prevent leakage towards the external environment, both in the normal resting condition on the ground, and during the emptying operations.

[0007] This and other objects are achieved with the container of claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention result from the remaining claims.

[0008] Compared to traditional embodiments in this field, the container of the invention offers the advantage of an improved sealing for liquid and/or hazardous waste, thereby preventing leakage thereof towards the external environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] This and other objects, advantages, and features are illustrated by the following description of the container of the invention, shown for illustrative and non-limiting purposes in the accompanying drawings.

[0010] In them:

• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the whole container of the invention, with a view of the internal rotating waste collection tank, in its initial resting or waste loading position;
• Figure 2 shows the container of Figure 1, in the phase of transferring waste towards the discharge bottom thereof;
• Figure 3 shows the container of Figure 2, in the waste discharge phase;
• Figure 4 shows the mechanism for rotating the internal rotating tank of the container of the previous figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The container of the invention, indicated as a whole with the numeral 1 in Figure 1, consists of an external lid 2, substantially formed by a bell-shaped shell, with a bottom equipped with an opening 2b for the discharge of waste 4 from the container 1 and provided with an upper opening 2a for the entry of the same waste 4. Inside the lid 2, a tank 3 is also rotatably mounted to contain the waste loaded through the aforementioned opening 2a.

[0012] As shown in the Figures, the tank 3 has a closed bottom and side walls, making it suitable for containing the waste 4 loaded through its mouth 3a, with a seal against liquid leakage.

[0013] The tank 3 is also rotatably mounted on the lateral brackets 5a, 5b of the lid 2, at respective pins 8a, 8b. Means for rotating the tank 3 are also provided, such as a manually operated lever, and the like.

[0014] As better shown in Figure 3, the pins 8a, 8b for rotation of the tank 3 inside the container 1 are fixed to the lid 2 at a distance D1 from the mouth 3a of the tank 3, in its rotated or tipped over discharge position of waste 4 from the container itself, which is less than the distance D2 of the same pins 8a, 8b from the opening 2b for waste discharge from the bottom of the external lid 2 of the container 1.

[0015] Preferred for the invention is the solution shown in Figure 4, wherein the tank 3 is eccentrically connected to the lifting hook 6 of the lid 2, using a mechanism of the kind described in patent publication EP 0 462 629 A1, which is an integral part of the present disclosure, or the mechanism known as "F90" by the company Nord Engineering (Cuneo, Italy).

[0016] The illustrated mechanism includes two arms 7a, 7b connected at one end to the lifting hook 6 of the container 2 and, at the opposite end, to the respective side walls of the tank 3 by means of corresponding eccentric brackets 9a, 9b at the respective joints 10a, 10b. In turn, the brackets 9a, 9b are articulated on the respective pins 11a, 11b of corresponding plates 12a and 12b, connected to the tank 3 on their rotation pin 8a, 8b by means of the eccentric leverages 9a, 9b.

[0017] Through the described mechanism, and as better shown in Figure 4, the whole container 1 is lifted by gripping the hook 6, which rises and lowers in the direction of arrows F1. The arms 7a, 7b in turn rise and lower in the direction of arrows F2, thereby causing the rotation of the tank 3 in the direction of arrows F3.

[0018] In operation, starting from the initial position of the container 1 resting on the ground, the tank 3 has its mouth 3a facing the opening 2a for loading waste 4 inside the container 1 (Figure 1).

[0019] In the next phase, the hook 6 is pulled upwards, causing both the lifting of the container 1 as a whole, and the rotation of the tank 3 to the position shown in Figure 2.

[0020] Continuing this rotation movement, the mouth 3a of the tank 3 moves towards the opening 2b on the bottom of the lid 2, consequently discharging waste 4 outside the container 1.

[0021] Advantageously, thanks to the described arrangement of the pins 8a, 8b for rotation of the tank 3, during the discharge phase of waste 4 from the container 1, the mouth 3a of the tank 3 is kept inside the lid 2.

[0022] Thanks to the invention, waste 4 is kept, within the tank 3, sealed against liquids and harmful material leakage, until it is discharged from the bottom of the lid 2. In fact, the waste discharge operations are controlled by the rotation movement of the tank 3, without requiring the overturning of the lid 2, which only serves to protect the tank 3 against the entry of external atmospheric agents.

[0023] With reverse movements to those described above, the tank 3 is returned to its initial position of loading of waste 4 by simply putting down the container 1 on the ground after emptying its internal tank 3.

Claims

1. A waste container, characterized in that it comprises a tank (3) for containing said waste (4), rotatably mounted inside a bell-shaped lid (2), provided with an upper opening (2a) for the entry of said waste, a bottom having an opening (2b) for the discharge of said waste, and a hook (6) for the lifting of said container (1).

2. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that said tank (3) has a closed bottom and side walls and is suitable for containing waste (4) loaded through its mouth (3a).

3. The container according to claim 2, characterized in that said tank (3) is rotatably mounted on side brackets (5a, 5b) of said lid (2), at respective pins (8a, 8b).

4. The container according to claim 3, characterized in that said pins (8a, 8b) for rotation of the tank (3) inside the container (1) are fixed on the lid (2) at a distance (D1) from the mouth (3a) of the tank (3), in its rotated or tipped over position for the discharge of waste (4), which is less than the distance (D2) of the same pins (8a, 8b) from the opening (2b) of discharge of waste (4) from the bottom of the lid (2) of the container (1).

5. The container according to claim 4, characterized in that it provides means for rotating said tank (3).

6. The container according to claim 5, characterized in that said means for the rotation comprise two arms (7a, 7b) connected at one end to said hook (6) and, at the opposite end, to the respective side walls of the tank (3) by means of corresponding eccentric brackets (9a, 9b) at respective joints (10a, 10b).

7. The container according to claim 6, characterized in that said brackets (9a, 9b) are articulated on respective pins (11a, 11b) of corresponding plates (12a, 12b) connected to the tank (3) on said rotation pin (8a, 8b) by means of said eccentric leverages (9a, 9b).

Drawing