US20060060594A1 - Apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door - Google Patents
Apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060060594A1 US20060060594A1 US10/935,056 US93505604A US2006060594A1 US 20060060594 A1 US20060060594 A1 US 20060060594A1 US 93505604 A US93505604 A US 93505604A US 2006060594 A1 US2006060594 A1 US 2006060594A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- trash receptacle
- shaft
- handle
- door
- receptacle door
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65F—GATHERING OR REMOVAL OF DOMESTIC OR LIKE REFUSE
- B65F1/00—Refuse receptacles; Accessories therefor
- B65F1/14—Other constructional features; Accessories
- B65F1/16—Lids or covers
- B65F1/1623—Lids or covers with means for assisting the opening or closing thereof, e.g. springs
Abstract
An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door by use of a handle. The handle is connected to the trash receptacle door by a single shaft or a series of shafts and gears connected together which transfer rotary motion. A pulling or pushing force applied to the upper extend or lower extent of the handle respectively will provide a rotational movement which in turn will rotate the connected trash receptacle door to an open position and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.
Description
- Not Applicable
- Not Applicable
- Not Applicable
- This invention relates generally to the field of trash receptacles and more specifically to an apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door. Restaurants and other establishments have trash receptacles for their patrons to use to discard their trash when finished eating. Many of these trash receptacles have a door that the patron pushes inward by hand in order to access the opening to deposit their trash. Having a door to partition the inside of the trash receptacle from the outside, has the advantage of hiding the unsightly left over food and trash from the view of patrons and reducing the unseemly odors that trash normally emits. A disadvantage of having a receptacle door is that trash and left over food deposits will accumulate on its surface during normal use. These trash deposits may stay on the doors surface for hours and thus develop bacteria. Naturally, users of the receptacle will use their hand to push inward the receptacle door to deposit their trash and thus come into contact with the doors surface and its accumulated trash and food deposits. This is an unsanitary situation as the bacteria can transfer to the users hand and cause infection. This is also an unseemly process, and many users are not inclined to touch the dirty receptacle door surface. Other trash receptacles have openings without a door to eliminate this unsanitary problem. Unfortunately, by eliminating the door, the patron is not shielded from a clear view of the trash inside and the offensive odors of the trash are free to flow out from the receptacle. Wind may also be able to enter through the opening and blow the trash outside of the receptacle. This invention solves these problems by allowing the user to open the receptacle door with a convenient handle which is located away from the door, and thus not requiring the user to contact the unsanitary receptacle door or trash deposits.
- Some inventions have used a handle that is mounted directly to the trash receptacle door. As this does provide a handle to open the door, there are deficiencies with it. Other inventions use a motor that is operated by an infrared detection sensor to open the door.
- By having a handle that is mounted directly to the door, the handle itself may become contaminated with the trash and left over food that is deposited within the trash receptacle. This again allows an easy transfer of bacteria from the contaminated handles surface to the users hand. Having a motor to open the receptacle door is convenient, but motors need a source of electricity. If it uses a standard electrical outlet for electricity, the trash receptacle must be located near an outlet to function. If it uses a battery, the batteries must be changed when they run low on charge in order to function. Electrical motors also eventually fail, and will require repair or replacement. This new invention has the handle located far enough away from the receptacle door as to not come into contact with the trash during normal use and requires no electricity.
- The primary object of the invention is to provide a method for opening a trash receptacle that does not require a user to touch the trash receptacle door.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a method for opening a trash receptacle door that is more sanitary than some current methods.
- Another object of the invention is to provide a method for opening a trash receptacle door that is easy for a user to use.
- Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
- In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door. comprising: A trash receptacle door, A handle having one or more extensions, A shaft having one end connected to said handle and the other end connected to said trash receptacle door, A means of connecting said trash receptacle door to said shaft, A means of connecting said handle to said shaft, whereby a pulling or pushing motion on said handle will rotate the handle about the axis of said shaft and thus rotate said shaft and thus rotate said trash receptacle door open and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.
- In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door. comprising: A trash receptacle door, A handle having one or more extensions, A shaft(A) having one end connected to said handle and a gear(A) affixed to it, A means of connecting said shaft(A) to said handle, A means of connecting said shaft(A) to said gear(A), Another shaft(B) having one end connected to said trash receptacle door and another gear(B) affixed to it, A means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said trash receptacle door, A means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said gear(B), An intermediate gear which is connects said gear(A) and gear(B) together by the gear teeth, whereby a pulling or pushing motion on said handle will cause a rotation of said shaft(A), said gear(A), said intermediate gear, said gear(B), said shaft(B), and the said trash receptacle door which open the trash receptacle door and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.
- The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
-
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the trash receptacle door opening apparatus in accordance with the present invention in normal closed position. -
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the invention shown inFIG. 1 in open position. -
FIG. 3 is a partial left side elevational view of the invention shown inFIG. 2 in normal closed position. -
FIG. 4 is a partial left side elevational view of the invention shown inFIG. 3 in open position. -
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the invention shown inFIG. 4 in normal closed position. -
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the invention shown inFIG. 5 in open position. -
FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of the invention showing a first alternative embodiment. -
FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial elevational view of the invention as shown inFIG. 7 . -
FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the inventions handle assembly as shown inFIG. 7 . -
FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a third alternative embodiment showing invention in normal closed position with working components exposed. -
FIG. 11 is right side elevational view of the invention as shown inFIG. 10 in normal closed position with handle assembly on right side with working components exposed. -
FIG. 12 is a partial right side elevational view of the invention as shown inFIG. 10 in open position with working components exposed. - Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
- In accordance with the present invention,
FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the trash receptacle door opening apparatus mounted to thetrash receptacle 29. The invention is shown in the normal closed position. This embodiment is comprised of the handle assembly HA with an upper and lower extension,trash receptacle door 20, and support assembly SA. Handle assembly HA is attached to one edge oftrash receptacle door 20 while the support assembly SA is attached to the opposing edge oftrash receptacle door 20. Theshafts void 24. - A very important portion of this invention is the new handle assembly HA which is comprised of the
handle 20,shaft 21, anddoor mounting bracket 22 which are attached together respectively as evident from the illustration. The handle assembly HA is mounted on the left side of thetrash receptacle 29 and is attached to thetrash receptacle door 20 by mountingbracket 22. It is to be noted that the handle assembly HA may be mounted on any side in which normal operation of invention can be accomplished. Moreover theshaft 21 of the handle assembly HA is placed within a void in the left side of thetrash receptacle 29 with the void being of large enough extent as to allow for rotational movement of theshaft 21 and thus the handle assembly HA. - Another important part of this invention is the support assembly SA which is comprised of the
shaft 26 and mountingbracket 27 which are attached together as shown. As illustrated inFIG. 1 , the support assembly SA is mounted on the opposing side from the mounting point of the handle assembly HA on thetrash receptacle 29 and is attached to thetrash receptacle door 20 by mountingbracket 27. Moreover theshaft 26 of the support assembly HA is placed within a void in the shown side of thetrash receptacle 29 with the void being of large enough extent as to allow for rotational movement of theshaft 26 thus the support assembly SA. Of importance is thatshaft 26 is in alignment withshaft 21 forming a single axis of rotation therebetween. It is of note that the handle assembly HA and the support assembly SA can either each alone or together support and bear the weight of thetrash receptacle door 20. Support of thetrash receptacle door 20 is an implied part of this invention, but is not a necessary one as other means may support it. Of importance is thatshaft 21 andshaft 26 are in alignment and form a single axis of rotation therebetween and provide a rotation axis fortrash receptacle door 20. - The operation of this embodiment of the invention may be understood upon reference to
FIG. 1 . As a consequence of the components of the invention connected together as explained and shown, it is evident that a movement of thehandle 20 rotated about axis ofshaft 21 normally by hand will transfer rotational motion to the connectedtrash receptacle door 20 and thereby cause thetrash receptacle door 20 to rotate to an opened position. Release of thehandle 20 by hand or rotation back to its normal closed position allow thetrash receptacle door 20 to return to its normal closed position. The support assembly SA will rotate in sympathetic motion with the attachedtrash receptacle door 20 and handle assembly HA along the single axis described above. -
FIG. 2 is similar toFIG. 1 and shows the invention in the fully opened position whereby trash may be deposited throughtrash receptacle opening 34. The invention is mounted on trash receptacle 35 in same manner asFIG. 1 . Similarly, it shows the handle assembly HA comprised of thehandle 30,shaft 31, and mountingbracket 32 attached to thetrash receptacle door 33 by mountingbracket 32. The support assembly SA is also comprised of ashaft 36 and mountingbracket 37, and is attached to its side oftrash receptacle door 33. -
FIG. 3 shows a partial left side elevational view of the invention depicted inFIG. 1 in normal closed position mounted on trash receptacle 45. Illustrated is the handle assembly HA which is comprised of handle 40,shaft 41, and mountingbracket 42. The handle assembly is attached to thetrash receptacle door 43 by the mountingbracket 42 in like manner asFIG. 1 . Thetrash receptacle door 43 resides within thetrash receptacle opening 44 in like manner asFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4 shows a partial left side elevational view of the invention depicted inFIG. 3 in fully open position mounted ontrash receptacle 57. Illustrated is the handle assembly HA which is comprised ofhandle 50,shaft 51, and mountingbracket 52. The handle assembly is attached to thetrash receptacle door 53 by the mountingbracket 52 in like manner asFIG. 3 . Thetrash receptacle door 53 resides within thetrash receptacle opening 54 in like manner asFIG. 3 . The dashed line with arrow represents the movement of the lower portion oftrash receptacle door 53 during opening. For clarity, theleft side face 55 and front side face 56 oftrash receptacle 57 is noted. -
FIG. 5 is a plan view of invention mounted ontrash receptacle 75 showing internal working components therein. The invention is in the normal closed position. As shown are the major components of the invention. The handle assembly HA being comprised ofhandle 70,shaft 71, and mountingbracket 72 being attached to left side ofdoor 73. The support assembly SA comprised ofshaft 76, and mountingbracket 77 attached to right side ofdoor 73. As shown the invention is situated near thetrash receptacle opening 74. -
FIG. 6 is a plan view of invention mounted ontrash receptacle 95 similar toFIG. 5 showing internal working components therein as depicted. The invention is in the fully opened position. The handle assembly HA being comprised ofhandle 90,shaft 91, and mountingbracket 92 and is attached to left side edge oftrash receptacle door 93. The support assembly SA comprised ofshaft 96, and mountingbracket 97 attached to right side ofdoor 93. As shown the invention is situated near thetrash receptacle opening 94. -
FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a second preferred embodiment of the invention without a trash receptacle mounting. Shown attached to the left side of the trash receptacle door is the handle assembly HA1. It is to be noted that an additional handle assembly HA2 is attached on the right side of trash receptacle door, thereby providing for natural right or left handed use. Handle assembly HA1 is similar to handle assembly HA inFIG. 1 , being comprised ofhandle 110, shaft 111, and mountingbracket 112 with additional bulbous ends 117 attached to handle 110 for convenient gripping surfaces for the hand. Handle assembly HA2 is comprised ofhandle 113,shaft 114, and mountingbracket 115 with additional bulbous ends 117 attached to handle 113 for convenient gripping surfaces. Mountingscrews 118 are used to secure mountingbrackets -
FIG. 8 is an enlarged elevational view of the inventions handle assembly HA being comprised ofhandle 130,shaft 131, and mountingbracket 132 with additional bulbous ends 135 attached to handle 130 for convenient gripping surfaces for the hand. Handle assembly HA is attached to thetrash receptacle door 133 with mountingbracket 132 and securingscrews 134. -
FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial plan view of the inventions handle assembly HA similar toFIG. 8 . The handle assembly HA is comprised ofhandle 150,shaft 151, and mountingbracket 152 with additionalbulbous end 155 attached to upper portion ofhandle 130 for convenient gripping surface for the hand. Handle assembly HA is attached to thetrash receptacle door 153 with mountingbracket 152 and securingscrews 154. -
FIG. 10 shows a third preferred embodiment of the invention from front elevational view similar toFIG. 1 with exposed view oftrash receptacle 221. A very important part of this embodiment of the invention is the new handle gear assembly HGA which replaces the handle assembly HA fromFIG. 1 . Of note is the use of gears for the transmittal of rotational motion between thehandle 210 and finally to trashreceptacle door 220. Handle gear assembly HGA is attached to right side oftrash receptacle 221. It is noted that handle gear assembly HGA can be mounted on either side or both sides of thetrash receptacle 221, and is not restricted to a particular side. Thereby this allows for use of the invention by either hand. The handle gear assembly HGA is comprised of thehandle 210 with an upper and lower extension that is attached to handleshaft 212 that is attachedhandle gear 211. Further comprising the handle gear assembly HGA is theintermediate shaft 214intermediate gear 213 attached together as illustrated. Lastly comprising the handle gear assembly is thedoor shaft 215 with attached door dear 216 havingshaft 215 attached to a mounting bracket 217. The support assembly SA is mounted on the opposing side oftrash receptacle 221 in a manner similar to support assembly SA ofFIG. 1 and is comprised ofshaft 218 and mountingbracket 219 which is attached to thetrash receptacle door 220. It is noted that theshafts trash receptacle 221 similar toshaft 21 ofFIG. 1 , and therefore the shafts may rotate freely within their respective voids. Of importance is that thegears Gears handle 210 to be transmitted to thetrash receptacle 220 as a larger rotation. Of importance is thatshaft 215 andshaft 218 are in alignment and form a single axis of rotation therebetween and provide a rotation axis fortrash receptacle door 220. - The operation of embodiment of the invention may be understood upon reference to
FIG. 10 which as a consequence of the components of the invention connected together as previously explained and shown, it is evident that a movement of thehandle 210 rotated about axis ofhandle shaft 212 will transfer rotational motion to thegear 211 then to gear 213 and onward togear 216 and further to itsconnected door shaft 215 and finally to thetrash receptacle door 220 and thereby openingtrash receptacle door 220. Release of thehandle 210 or reverse rotational movement of it from the opening movement will returntrash receptacle door 220 to its normal closed position. The support shaft SA will rotate in sympathetic movement with its connectedtrash receptacle door 220. -
FIG. 11 shows a partial right side elevational view ofFIG. 10 showing working components with exposed view oftrash receptacle 175. The handle gear assembly HGA is mounted on the right side oftrash receptacle 175. The HGA is shown with a shortenedhandle 170 to allow clearer viewing of handle gear 171, intermediate gear 172, and door gear 173. Thetrash receptacle door 174 is situated in its normal closed position. The gears 171, 172, 173 have gear teeth enmeshed together as described above forFIG. 10 . -
FIG. 12 shows a partial right side elevational view similar toFIG. 11 showing working components with exposed view of trash receptacle 195 in opened position. The handle gear assembly HGA shown is the same as inFIG. 11 withhandle 190,handle gear 191,intermediate gear 192, and door gear 193. The trash receptacle door 194 is shown in the open position. Thegears FIG. 10 . - As shown in
FIGS. 1-12 the invention performs the functions for opening a trash receptacle by providing a the trash receptacle door opening apparatus with a convenient handle for manipulation. It provides a more sanitary method for opening the trash receptacle door while avoiding having the user place their hand on the door. - While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims (9)
1. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door comprising:
a trash receptacle door;
a handle having one or more extensions;
a shaft having one end connected to said handle and the other end connected to said trash receptacle door;
a means of connecting said trash receptacle door to said shaft;
a means of connecting said handle to said shaft;
whereby a pulling or pushing force applied to said handle will rotate the said handle, said shaft, and said trash receptacle door about the axis of said shaft and thus rotate said trash receptacle door to an open position and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.
2. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a support assembly comprised of a shaft placed in alignment from said shaft in claim 1 providing an axis of rotation therebetween.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a mounting bracket attached to end of said shaft and further attached to edge of said trash receptacle door.
4. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door as claimed in claim 1 further comprising multiple handles extending radially from said shaft;
5. the apparatus of claims 1, 2, 3, and 4 wherein said handles, said trash receptacle door, and said shafts are separate parts or one complete part or a combination.
6. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door comprising
a trash receptacle door;
a shaft(A) having one end connected to said handle and a gear(A) affixed to it;
a handle having one or more extensions;
a means of connecting said shaft(A) to said handle;
a means of connecting said shaft(A) to said gear(A);
another shaft(B) having one end connected to said trash receptacle door and another gear(B) affixed to it;
a means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said trash receptacle door;
a means of connecting said shaft(B) to the said gear(B);
another shaft(C) affixed to another gear(C) of which is connected to said gear(A) and gear(B) by the gear teeth;
whereby a pulling or pushing force applied to said handle will cause a rotation of said shaft(A), said gear(A), said intermediate gear(C) and its affixed shaft (C), said gear(B), said shaft(B), and finally to said trash receptacle door which will open the trash receptacle door and allow access to the interior of the trash receptacle.
7. An apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a support assembly comprised of a shaft placed in alignment from said shaft(B) in claim 1 providing an axis of rotation therebetween.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising multiple handles extending radially from said shaft(A).
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said handles, said trash receptacle door, and said shaft are separate parts or one complete part or a combination.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/935,056 US20060060594A1 (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2004-09-07 | Apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/935,056 US20060060594A1 (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2004-09-07 | Apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20060060594A1 true US20060060594A1 (en) | 2006-03-23 |
Family
ID=36072830
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/935,056 Abandoned US20060060594A1 (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2004-09-07 | Apparatus for opening a trash receptacle door |
Country Status (1)
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US (1) | US20060060594A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100314403A1 (en) * | 2009-06-16 | 2010-12-16 | Sugatsune Kogyo Co., Ltd. | Pushing type lid opening/closing device of a container and a pushing type lid opening/closing unit |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1984228A (en) * | 1934-05-18 | 1934-12-11 | Vernon A Morhous | Ash can cover |
US5588358A (en) * | 1995-11-07 | 1996-12-31 | Klepacki; Frank H. | Trash handling device |
US6267260B1 (en) * | 1998-11-23 | 2001-07-31 | Kevin J. Lyons | Trash container door opening apparatus |
US6334542B1 (en) * | 2000-09-11 | 2002-01-01 | Chi-Ming Hsu | Garbage can |
US20030098305A1 (en) * | 2001-11-28 | 2003-05-29 | Feely Scott R. | Trash door handle |
-
2004
- 2004-09-07 US US10/935,056 patent/US20060060594A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1984228A (en) * | 1934-05-18 | 1934-12-11 | Vernon A Morhous | Ash can cover |
US5588358A (en) * | 1995-11-07 | 1996-12-31 | Klepacki; Frank H. | Trash handling device |
US6267260B1 (en) * | 1998-11-23 | 2001-07-31 | Kevin J. Lyons | Trash container door opening apparatus |
US6334542B1 (en) * | 2000-09-11 | 2002-01-01 | Chi-Ming Hsu | Garbage can |
US20030098305A1 (en) * | 2001-11-28 | 2003-05-29 | Feely Scott R. | Trash door handle |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100314403A1 (en) * | 2009-06-16 | 2010-12-16 | Sugatsune Kogyo Co., Ltd. | Pushing type lid opening/closing device of a container and a pushing type lid opening/closing unit |
US9938078B2 (en) * | 2009-06-16 | 2018-04-10 | Sugatsune Kogyo Co. Ltd. | Pushing type lid opening/closing device of a container and a pushing type lid opening/closing unit |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |