Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02679808 2009-09-19
FLEXIBLE ORGANIC WASTE RECEPTACLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a flexible organic waste receptacle, and more
particularly, relates
to a flexible organic waste receptacle for temporarily storing organic waste
in a freezer or
refrigerated area.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Temporarily storing organic waste, such as meat, chicken, vegetables, fruit
and other kitchen
organic waste is an important part of the process of recycling such materials,
as it is common that
the municipal collection of these materials may be on a weekly, biweekly or
other regular but
relatively infrequent basis, requiring that these waste materials be stored
temporarily until
municipal collection day, at which time they can be presented in an
appropriate format for
municipal collection. Similarly, in those regions where no municipal
collection occurs, the
temporary storage of organic waste until it can be appropriately disposed of
or composted may be
beneficial.
The temporary storage of organic waste materials can present many
difficulties, as it can generate
unpleasant odors, and can attract fruit flies and other insects, and if, for
example, stored outdoors,
can attract other animal and insect pests.
It is desirable to be able to refrigerate or temporarily freeze these organic
waste materials, to
minimize or eliminate the generation of unpleasant odors and the attraction of
insects and other
pests to the stored material. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a
flexible organic waste
receptacle that can be refrigerated or temporarily frozen, while at the same
time allowing the
receptacle to have flexible characteristics so that the contents of the
receptacle can be readily
removed therefrom without requiring anyone to directly come into contact with
the contents of
the receptacle during the emptying process. By making the temporary storage of
organic waste
materials odorless and convenient, people will be encouraged to compost and/or
recycle organic
waste material, encouraging sustainable environmental practices at the local
level.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a flexible
organic waste receptacle
that can be refrigerated or temporarily frozen, adapted to receive and
temporarily store and either
refrigerate or temporarily freeze organic waste materials.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible organic waste
receptacle which is
lightweight, easy to handle, space efficient and provides for the ready, easy
and complete
removal of the organic waste therefrom without requiring that anyone directly
come in to contact
with the organic waste during the process of emptying the organic waste from
the receptacle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible organic waste
receptacle that can
be easily cleaned when emptied, and will not be readily stained from contact
with the organic
waste.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
receptacle for waste organic
materials, comprising, at least one flexible gas and liquid impermeable wall,
a flexible gas and
liquid impermeable lower surface in gas and liquid impermeable engagement with
the at least
one flexible gas and liquid impermeable wall wherein the at least one flexible
gas and liquid
impermeable wall and the flexible gas and liquid impermeable lower surface
define an interior of
the receptacle adapted to receive and contain the waste organic materials.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a flexible organic
waste receptacle that
can be refrigerated or temporarily frozen, adapted to receive and temporarily
store and either
refrigerate or temporarily freeze organic waste materials.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a flexible
organic waste receptacle
which is lightweight, easy to handle, space efficient and provides for the
ready, easy and
complete removal of the organic waste therefrom without requiring that anyone
directly come in
to contact with the organic waste during the process of emptying the organic
waste from the
receptacle.
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A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a flexible
organic waste receptacle
that can be easily cleaned when emptied, and will not be readily stained from
contact with the
organic waste.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with
reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a receptacle of one embodiment of the
present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of one side wall and a portion of the
bottom of the
receptacle of one embodiment of the present invention in the upright
orientation;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of one side wall and a portion of the
bottom of the
receptacle of one embodiment of the present invention in the inverted
orientation;
Figure 4 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 is an end view of one embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same meaning as
commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention
belongs.
Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described
herein can be used
in the practice or testing of the present invention, the preferred methods and
materials are now
described.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in Figures
1, 4, 5 and 6, an
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empty flexible organic waste receptacle 2 is provided, preferably made of
flexible silicone (or
other materials known to a person skilled in the art that are smooth, strong,
air-water-tight and
flexible when frozen) , having, in a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in
Figure 1, a main body
with a generally rounded box-like shape, preferably with side walls 12 and end
walls 14 and
preferably of a size so that it can readily be positioned and cleaned in a
standard sized kitchen
sink or dishwasher, the generally rounded corners 4 making it easy to remove
the contents from
the receptacle, and to clean the receptacle 2 in a dishwasher or kitchen sink
(not shown). In
alternative embodiments of the present invention, differently shaped organic
waste receptacles
may be provided, for example, various height and sized receptacles may be
provided, or
alternatively cylindrically shaped or oval-shaped organic waste receptacles
may alternatively be
provided, it being understood that shapes may be provided that are both
functional and appeal to
the eye as would be understood by persons skilled in the art. In the preferred
embodiment of the
present invention, the entire receptacle is a single solid piece of silicone
shaped as described
herein to form the receptacle, it being understood, that in alternative
embodiments of the present
invention multiple pieces of silicone may be shaped as described herein to
form the receptacle.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a handle 10 is provided in secure
engagement with,
and preferably integrated with and around the main body as illustrated in
Figures 1, 5 and 6
which handle may be manufactured of the same flexible silicone material (or
other material as
referenced above) as is the main body of the receptacle. Organic waste (not
shown) can be placed
within the receptacle 2 as indicated at 6, and thereafter the receptacle 2 can
be covered if desired
(it being understood that the receptacle 2 need not be covered at the user's
option). At the user's
option, the receptacle can be covered by, for example by Saran Wrap or other
covering material
which may be secured to the lip 8 of the receptacle in a conventional manner.
In an alternative
embodiment of the present invention, an airtight cover (not shown) may be
provided to seal the
receptacle while the receptacle contains organic material. The receptacle 2
containing organic
waste material (whether covered or not), may thereafter be positioned within a
freezer, the sealed
receptacle preventing odors and gases from being transferred from within the
receptacle to the
area outside the receptacle, namely the freezer compartment. While the organic
waste material
positioned within the receptacle is being refrigerated and/or frozen, the
decomposition process
will be substantially reduced or eliminated, further reducing the likelihood
of any transfer of
odors or gases from within the receptacle to the area outside the receptacle,
namely the freezer
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compartment. Additionally, the refrigeration and freezing process, by reducing
or eliminating
decomposition, will reduce or eliminate the creation of gases and the
resulting build up of
pressure from within the receptacle in the event that the user has chosen to
cover and seal the
receptacle.
As illustrated in Figure 2, in one embodiment of the present invention, the
handle 10 has an
indentation 26 which may readily receive, for example, a user's thumb 20 when
the receptacle is
being held by the user in the upright orientation as illustrated in Figure 2
and additionally has an
elongated extension 19 which may be readily grasped by a user's fingers 22 of
any age (including
individuals with little hand strength, disabilities such as motor
dysfunctions, shaking, trouble
grasping small objects or with relatively small hands) when the receptacle is
being held by the
user in the upright orientation as illustrated in Figure 2. When the
receptacle is oriented in the
inverted position as illustrated in Figure 3, the indentation 26 may readily
receive for example, a
user's fingers 22, the user's thumbs being positioned to press on the lower
surface 28 of the
receptacle with sufficient force to slightly deform the flexible lower surface
28 of the receptacle
to aid in the separation and removal of the organic material from the
receptacle as needed, it
being understood that if necessary, the receptacle can be turned nearly inside
out as needed to
separate the waste material from the receptacle. The elongated extension 19
also distances a
user' fingers from the frozen organic material contained within the
receptacle. In one
embodiment of the present invention, the preferred locations at which a user
may press on the
lower surface 28 may be visually marked by way of, for example, visual
representations of raised
fingerprints 31 appearing on the lower surface 28 at those locations as
illustrated in Figures 4, 5
and 6. It is also understood that when emptying the receptacle, warm ambient
temperature
outside of the freezer/refrigerated area may begin to heat the walls and lower
surface of the
receptacle to facilitate the melting of the organic material at the points of
contact between the
organic material and the receptacle, to facilitate the clean and substantially
residue-free removal
of the organic material from the receptacle. Furthermore, the gently rounded
corners of the
interior of the receptacle further facilitate the clean and substantially
residue-free removal of the
organic material from the receptacle. Furthermore, to facilitate the clean and
substantially
residue-free removal of the organic material from the receptacle a user may
gently pull on the lips
8 on opposite sides of the receptacle to separate the side walls and/or end
walls of the receptacle
from the frozen organic material. In an alternative embodiment of the present
invention vertical
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pull tabs or partial lips may be affixed at or near the upper edge of the side
walls and/or end walls
which vertical pull tabs or partial lips may be pulled outwardly by the user
to separate the side
walls and/or end walls of the receptacle from the frozen organic material.
While the present invention has been described with reference to its use in
the context of an
organic waste receptacle, it is understood that this receptacle can also be
used as a container for
frozen food, as a general storage container or as a baking pan where silicone
or other material
having a sufficiently high melting point is utilized.
The present invention has been described herein with regard to preferred
embodiments. However,
it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations
and modifications can
be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
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