Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Bac~ground of the Invention
It has been found highly advantageous to utilize
a slide-mounted container, such as a drawer, as a compaction
receptacle in compactors ~ecause of the ease with which the
receptacle may be moved out of the compactor housing for
emptying, cleaning or the depositiny of large materials in
the receptacle. In many instances, however, the materials
to be deposited in the receptacle are relati.vely smal.l, and
it is undesirable to require that the entire compaction ~ ~ .
receptacle be slid out of the housing each time materials,
regardless of siæe, are to be deposited in the compactor.
In U.S. Patent No. 3,841,214, dated October 15, 197~,
a compactor is disclosed having a drawer-mounted compaction
receptacle, which provides the convenience of this type of
construction, and a separate compartment into which materials
particularly waste materials of small size, can be deposi~ed
without opening the entire drawer.
In the compactor disclosed in the above-noted
U.S. patent, the receptacle is provided with a slopiny wall
which forms the bottom wall of the compartment, so that
as the receptacle is opened, materials in the compartment
slide down the sloping wall into the receptacle. In other .
em~odiments the compaction receptacle is normally offset from
the compacting ram and in direct communication with the
materia].s receiving compartl-nent, so that materials deposited
in the compartment fall directly into the receptacle. When
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it is desired to compact the materials in the receptacle, the
receptacle is positioned in alignment with the ram to permit
the ram to enter the receptacle during compacting stro~es.
In none of the embodiments disclosed in the above-
noted application is the compartment provided with a bottom
wall capable of positive movement relative to the receptacle
~etween a position in which material is retained in the com-
partment and a second position in which the material deposited
in the compartment is dumped into the compaction receptacle.
.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a compactor which
includes a drawer-mounted receptacle and, positioned above
the receptacle, a compartment having a bottom wall mounted for
movement relative to the receptacle between a first position
in which material is retained in the compartment and a second ~-
position in which material deposited in the compartment is
dumped into the compaction receptacle.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention there
is provided in a compactor which includes a housing, a com-
paction receptacle received in the housing and movable be-
tween a compacting position disposed entirely within the
housing and non-compacting positions displaced outwardly of
the compacting position, and a compacting ram positmnned above
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~ocket 5957
the receptacle when it is in its compacting position, the
impr~vement comprisin~ a material receiving compartment
positioned in the housing above the receptacle with means
providing access to the compartment independently of the -:
receptacle, a bottom wall of the compartment, the bottom wall
having front and rear edges, and means mounting the bottom
wall along one of the front or rear edges for pivotal movement
relative to the receptacle between a first position in which
material is retained in the compartment and dumping positions
in which mate~ial deposited in the compartment falls into the
receptacle.
In one embodiment of the invention, the bottom wall
is fixed wit.h respect to the front wall or access door of the
compart~ent ana pivots simultane~usly therewith. With this
construction, when the front wall is pivoted downwardly to
open the compartment, the bottom wall p.ivots upwardly. There-
after, when the front wall is closed, the bottom wall pivots
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downwardly, dul-lpillc3 the material reccived in the cornpartment
into the receptacle. This allows material to be deposited
in the compactor without opening thc drawer, but prevents a
person from insertin~3 their hand into the compactor through
the open access door.
In a second embodiment o~ the present invention the
bottom wall is pivoted along a forward edge thereo~ and
supported in a materials-receiving position to prevent downward
pivoting thereof by an underlying lower wall which projects
upwardly beneath the bottom wall. This lower wall may be
formed integrally with the compactor drawer or with a liner
for the drawer, preferably with the latter in order to receive
any liquid drippings from items deposited in the compartment.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention,
the bottom wall is pivoted along its rear edge to the compaction
receptacle. In this embodiment, as the compaction receptacle
slides outwardly from the compacting position thereof, the
upper forward edge of the bottom wall pivots upwardly to dump
the contents of the compartment into the receptacle.
In any of the embodiments described above, it may be
desirable to provide spring pressure for urging the bottom
wall of the compartment to a particular position thereof.
For example, the bottom wall would preferably be spring-loaded
to a dumping position. In the first embodiment described above
this would insure that the bin is closed except when it is
desired to deposit materials therein, and in the remaining
embodiments spring pressurerwould provide a positive dumping
action as the compaction receptacle is opened.
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1053S02
~rief D~scri~tion o~ the Drawin~s
__ ___ _
Fi~. 1 is ~ el~vatioll~l view with portions removed
showing a compactor ln accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a vi~w similar to Fi~. ], but showing only
a portion of a compactor in accordance with a second preferred
embodiment of the invention;
Fig. 3 is a partial elevational view with parts
removed showing a modified version of the embodiment of Fig. 2;
and
Fig. 4 depicts still another embodiment of the
invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments
__
As seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, a compactor 10
in accordance with the present invention includes a housing
12 receiving a receptacle 14 which is preferably in che form
of a drawer, slidably supported by suitable slide structure,
indicated generally at 16. The receptacle 14 is thus slidably
supported for movement between the fully-extended position
shown in dotted lines and a compacting position shown in solid
lines.
The receptacle will be provided with a handle 18
and a sloping wall 20 pivoted at 22 to allow the wall 20 to
be pivoted upwardly when the receptacle is positioned outside
of the housing 12 to expose a storage space 24 for bags or
the like. In the compacting position, it will be seen that
the receptacle 14 is positi,oned beneath a ram 26 which may
be of the type shown in U.S. Patent No. 3l734~009.
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~ s descril-ed in that paterlt, the ram is substantially
hollow and contains a motor 28 driving pulleys 30 rotatah]y
mounted on the ram to ca-lse the ram to rnove upwardly and down~
wardly along t~-le stationary jack screws 32~ The latter are
preferably disposcd in a triangular pattern with one jack screw
extending aLong the rear wall of the housing centrally thereof
and a pair of identical screws positioned on opposite sides
of the ram adiacent the front thereof.
Material deposited in the receptacle 14 is compacted
to a portion of its original volume by move~ent of the ram
26 along the jack screws 32 into the receptacle 14. In order
to deposit material in the ram 14 without moving the entire
receptacle outwardly from its compacting position, a compartment
34 is disposed in the compactor housing adjacent the front
thereof and generally above the receptacle 14.
ln the embodiment shown in Fig. l of the drawings,
a compactor is provided with a bottom wall 36 fixed to a
front wall or access door 38 and arcuate side walls 40, only
one of which is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The assembly
of the bottom, front and side walls 36, 38 and 40 is pivotally
mounted to the compactor housing at 42, so that by grasping
the handle 44, the assembly can be moved from the solid line
position shown in Fig. l of the drawings to the dotted line
position.
In the dotted line position, waste materials can
be deposited in the compartment 34, but because of the wall
46 extending downwardly in front of the ram 26 and the
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bottom wall 3G o~ tlle cc)m~artment, a person cannot insert their
halld into the compactol- hcneatll thc ram 26. This provides a
sa~ety ~eature which al~ows the ram to be operated when the
access door 38 is o~e3led, so tha~ materials can be deposited
in the compartment 34 without regard to whether or not the
compactor is in operatlon.
After materials have been so deposited, the access
door 38 is closed, pivoti~g the bottom and slde walls 36 and
40 to the solid line position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings
and allowing material deposited in the compartment to fall
into the receptacle 14, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1
of the drawings.
In Fig. 2 of the drawings, a second embodiment 50 of
the invention is shown which permits material to be deposited
in the compactor without opening the receptacle 14 and in
which a compartrnent 52 is provided having a bottom ~7all 54
mounted for positive dumping movement relative to the receptacle.
The receptacle is slidably received in a housing 56 and a
wall 58 extends downwardly adjacent the front of the ram 26
and defines a rear wall of compartment 52.
The compartment 52 is also provided with a front
wall or access door 60 and side walls 62, only one of which
is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Both the front and bottom
walls 60 and 54 are pivotally mounted independently of each
other to the housing at 64 and in the compacting position of
the receptacle 14, an upwardly sloping wall 66 extends beneath
the lower edge of the bottom wall 54 and supports it in the
position shown in Fig. 2.
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The wall 66 may be formed as an integral part of
a liner 68 associated with and positioned within the
receptacle 14. The liner is preferably of molded, two piece
construction, self-supporting and designed to be removed from
5 the receptacle wh~n full, emptied and reused. Reference may
be had to U.S. patent No. 3,807,299, dated April 30, 1974,
for a suitable liner of this type.
With this construction it will be seen that, as the
receptacle 14 is moved from its compacting position outwardly
10 to noncompacting positions displaced outwardly from its
compacting position, the bottom wall 5~ pivots downwardly
with a positive dumping movement to allow material deposited
in the compartment 52 to dump into the receptacle 14.
Fig. 3 of the drawings depicts another embodiment 70
15 of the invention which is similar in many respects to that
shown in Fig. 2. Thus, a compartment 72 is formed in a housing
74 by a front wall or access door 76, a bottom wall 78 and
a downwardly-extending wall 80 separating the ram 26 from the :
compartment 72. However, rather than a liner positioned
20 within a recep'cacle providing an upwardly extending wall
positioned beneath the bottom wall 78, a wall 82 is formed
integrally with the slide mounted receptacle 84.
In all other respects, the embodiment of Fig. 3
is the same as tha t shown in Fig. ~ and it will be noted that
25 as the receptacle 84 .is slid outwardly from the solid line,
compacting position to a noncompacting position displaced
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outwardly frolll the comp.lctillg posi~ion, the bottom wall 78
may dl-op downwardly to the position shown in dotted lines
in Fig. 3 allowi.ng the contents of compartment 72 to drop
into the receptacle 84.
In Fiy. 4 of the drawin~s, an embodiment 90 is
shown includi.ng a compactor housing 92, a compactor ram 26
and a receptacle 94. Positioned above and in front of the
receptacle 94 is a cornpartment 96 defined by a downwardly
extending rear wall 98, a pair of side walls 100, only one
of which is shown, a front wall or access door 102 and a pair
of cooperating upper and lower bottom walls 104 and 106,
respectively.
The wall 104 i.s fixed with respect to the housing
92 and extends only a short distance downwardly and rearwardly.
The bottom wall 106, on the other hand, is pivoted, as at
108, to the receptacle 94 and is provided with a sprlng 110
urging it upwardly in a alockwise direction. With this con-
struction, it will be seen that the front wall 102 may be
pivoted downwardly about its hinge connection 112 to provide
access to the compartment 96.
As the receptacle 9fi is then moved from the solid
line position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings outwardly of --
the housing, the spring-loaded bottom wall 96 pivots upwardly
in the direction indicated by the arrow to the position shown
in dotted lines to cause material deposited in the compartment
96 to dump into the drawer 94. Thereafter, when the receptacle
94 is moved back to the solid line position, the upper bottom
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wall 10~ ent3(1ges tlle lowex bottom wall 106 ad~acent the upper
edge thereof and pivots it back to the solid line position
shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.
Of course, if desired, the spring 110 may be dispensed
with and a stop member provided on the side walls of the housing
to engage the lower bottom wall lQ6 as ~he receptacle 94 is
moved outwardly. On the other hand, -the bottom walls 36, 54
and 78 may be spring loaded to their dumping positions if
desired.
From the above it will be seen that the present
invention provides a compactor having a bottom wall mounted
for positive dumping movement with respect to the compaction
receptacle.
While the forms of apparatus herein described con-
stitute preerred embodiments of the invention, it is to be
understood tha; the invention is not limited to these precise
forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made thereln
without departing from the scope of the invention.
