Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DEVICE FOR COMPRESSING RECYCLABLE MATERIALS
This invention relates generally to a device for compressing recyclable
materials. In particular, it relates to devices that crush objects from their
original size
for the purpose of improved storage capacity. This invention provides an
improved
means to manually compress beverage cans and expands to include the ability to
crush all recyclable containers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Previous patented arrangements have used either a single pivot point
or have incorporated a fulcrum via hinges to achieve the crushing motion, and
can
be either hand or foot operated.
However in general these have failed to solve the problem of being
able to crush multiple types of recyclable containers. Many designs of
crushers
designed to crush beverage cans have been provided and have obtained some
success in the market. However they are designed to crush only small
containers,
such as aluminum cans, which comprise approximately 20% of the recyclable
containers being sold to consumers, thus not covering all recyclable
containers,
indicating a need for improvement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention to provide a device for
compressing a variety of recyclable containers of varying shapes, sizes and
materials.
The arrangement described hereinafter will solve these problems while
providing the result with only moderate force and in quick succession.
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According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a crusher
comprising:
a housing defining a bore into which one of more items to be crushed
can be placed
the housing having an end plate defining an anvil against which the
items are crushed;
a crusher head slidable within the bore in a crushing movement from a
retracted position spaced from the anvil to a crushing position closely
adjacent the
anvil for crushing the items;
the housing defining an opening into the bore for insertion of the items
to be crushed into the bore;
a manually operable lever having a manually graspable end portion
movable in a crushing stroke relative to the housing for applying a force
acting to
move the crusher head along the bore;
the lever, the housing and the crusher head being arranged such that a
first movement of the lever through the crushing stroke acts to move the
crusher
head through a first part of the crushing movement from the retracted position
to an
interim position spaced from the crushing position and such that a further
movement
of the lever through the crushing stroke acts to move the crusher head through
a
second part of the crushing movement to the crushing position.
Preferably the housing and the crusher head are arranged such that
the second stroke moves the crusher head from the interim position to the
crushing
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position so that only two strokes of the lever are required. However more than
two
strokes can be used by providing two or more interim positions.
Preferably the lever is pivoted at a fixed position on the housing and
the lever is movable relative to the crusher head between a first position in
which
movement of the lever through the crushing stroke acts to move the crusher
head
through the first part of the crushing movement and a further position in
which
movement of the lever through the crushing stroke acts to move the crusher
head
through the further part of the crushing movement. In this way the lever uses
the
housing as a fulcrum and acts to push the crusher head as it is pivoted by the
user.
In this case the lever is moved to a different position relative to the
crusher head for
the two separate strokes.
Preferably in this arrangement, there is provided a link connected from
the lever to the crusher head such that pivotal movement of the lever on the
housing
acts to apply moving force to the crusher head through the link.
Preferably in this arrangement, the link is slidable longitudinally along
the crusher head to move the lever between the first and further positions.
Preferably in this arrangement, the crusher head includes a first
abutment surface against which the link abuts in the first position and a
further
abutment surface against which the link abuts in the further position.
Preferably in this arrangement, the link is movable transversely of the
crusher head from the first abutment surface to the further abutment surface.
Preferably in this arrangement, the link includes an abutment member
which engages an element on the housing arranged such that retraction of the
link
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by the lever to a commencement end of the crushing stroke causes the link to
be
returned to the first position.
Preferably there is provided a spring acting to bias the crusher head to
the retracted position
Preferably the lever, the housing and the crusher head are arranged
such that a single reverse movement of the lever back through the crushing
stroke to
a commencement position acts to move the crusher head directly back to the
retracted position.
Preferably there is provided a latch system arranged to locate the
crusher head in the interim position and to prevent movement of the crusher
head to
the retracted position as the lever is moved back through the crushing stroke
to a
commencement position for the further stroke.
Preferably in this arrangement, the latch system includes a first portion
mounted on the crusher head and a second portion mounted in the housing so as
to
locate the crusher head in the interim position relative to the housing.
Preferably in this arrangement, the first portion on the crusher head
comprises a pivotal pawl and the second portion on the housing comprises an
abutment guide arranged to move the pawl into a latching position in the
interim
position and to release the pawl from the latching position as the crusher
head is
returned to the retracted position.
Preferably there is provided a spring pulling the lever into the
commencement position.
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Preferably there is provided a locator ring on a crushing face of either
the crusher head or the anvil for engaging around the mouth of a plastic
bottle to
locate the bottle between the crusher head and the anvil to avoid toppling
during
crushing.
5 Preferably in this arrangement, the other of the crusher head and the
anvil includes an array of protuberances on the crushing face thereof.
Preferably the housing includes a front face with a slot in the front face
through which the lever projects for movement longitudinally of the front face
and
wherein the opening is provided in the front face.
Preferably the end plate defining the anvil is mounted in a slot in the
housing allowing the end plate to be removable by sliding across the bore to
allow
crushed materials to escape from the end of the bore.
The device is thus manually operated to compress varying sizes of
recyclable materials utilizing components of specific design and precise
placement.
The motion of the handle causes the piston to travel downward along the cavity
created by the front, back, and side walls. These walls provide a guide for
the piston
to travel through securely and in correct alignment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of the compression device fully
assembled with the handle in a perpendicular position to the main body.
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Figure 2 is an isometric view of the compression device of Figure 1
with partial disassembly of the top, front, and right panels exploded to
reveal the
internal components of the device.
Figure 3 is an isometric view of the compression device of Figure 1
showing all components as fully disassembled in an exploded view.
Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the crusher head of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the crusher head of Figure 1
showing the two positions of the link with the reference numerals in the
second
position being shown in brackets.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional elevational view of the crusher head of
Figure 1 showing the operation of the latching pawl.
Figures 7A to 7F show the cross-section of Figure 5 as a series of
separate sequential positions of the operation of the device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The description which follows and the embodiments described therein
are provided by way of illustration of an example or examples of particular
embodiments of the principles of the present disclosure. These examples are
provided for the purposes of explanation and not limitation of those
principles and of
the disclosure. In the description which follows, like parts are marked
throughout the
specification and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals.
In the figures is shown a crusher assembly arranged for crushing
various objects including beverage cans, beverage bottles and larger
containers.
The device is particularly designed to accommodate containers up to 4 liters
in size
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so that substantially all beverage containers which vary from the smaller cans
through 1 liter, 2 liter and 4 liter containers can all be received within the
same
device for crushing.
The intention is that in all cases the beverage containers of the type
which carry a recycling deposit can be compressed so as to reduce the volume
of
stored materials for recycling down to approximately 10 to 20% of the original
volume. This compression allows the recycling materials to be stored in a
smaller
volume allowing the householder to collect the recycling materials, compress
them
to a smaller volume and store them for subsequent return to collect the
deposits
where such deposits are available.
The assembly shown in assembled condition in Figure 1 comprises a
housing generally indicated at 100 which includes a top wall 1, a front wall
2, two
side walls 3 and 4 and a rear wall 5. These are connected together by suitable
coupling components so as to form a generally rectangular housing which is
elongate in the vertical or longitudinal direction for movement of the
crushing action
longitudinally of the housing.
In the arrangement shown it will be appreciated that the housing is
vertical but it will also be possible that the housing can be arranged in
other
orientations.
The side walls 3 and 4 each include a groove 27 adjacent a bottom
edge with the groove also extending into the rear wall 5. The front wall 2 has
a
bottom edge spaced upwardly from the bottom edge of the remaining walls so
that
the front edge of the groove 27 is visible at the front of the housing. A
bottom wall
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member generally indicated at 6 can be inserted into the groove by sliding
underneath the bottom edge of the front wall 2. The end plate includes a
rectangular
plate member 6B attached to a handle 6C at the forward edge so that the flat
plate
6B can slide into the groove 27 to be received and held within the bottom of
the
housing. The handle can be pulled to remove the plate 6B to allow materials in
the
housing to fall downwardly through the open bottom of the housing when the
bottom
plate 6B is removed. At the center of the bottom plate 6B is provided a raised
ring
6A which stands slightly upwardly from the otherwise flat surface of the plate
6B to
provide a receptacle for the mouth of a container to be crushed onto the end
plate
6B.
The front wall 2 includes a rectangular opening 2A with a bottom edge
of the rectangular opening close to the bottom edge of the front wail but
spaced
upwardly therefrom so that the opening 2A is located just above the bottom
plate 6B.
The opening 2A has side edges close to the side edges of the front wall so
that the
opening has a width slightly less than the width of the housing allowing
materials to
be crushed to be inserted into the housing. The height of the opening 2A is
sufficient to receive the containers to be crushed including the 2 liter and 4
liter
containers to be inserted into the housing onto the top of the plate 6B. At
the top of
the opening 2A is provided a groove or channel 2B which extends upwardly from
the
opening 2A through to a top edge of the front wall 2. The top of the groove 2B
is
therefore closed as shown in Figure 1 by the top plate 1. The groove 2B
provides a
channel for movement of a handle 7 longitudinally of the groove and therefore
longitudinally of the housing so as to apply a crushing action on a crusher
head 14.
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The crusher head 14 comprises a crusher plate 4A at the bottom which
has a rectangular end face substantially equal in dimensions to the interior
of the
housing so that the end crusher plate 14A can slide longitudinally of the
housing.
The end face of the crusher plate 14A is shown in Figure 4 and includes a
series of
protuberances 14C arranged in rows and columns so that the protuberances
provide
a roughened surface to hold and locate the end of the element to be crushed
which
is opposite to the end abutting the plate 6B.
The crusher head 14 further includes side guide members 14D which
provide side surfaces equal in dimension to the sides of the crusher plate so
that
these side surfaces can also slide against the inside surfaces of the side
walls 3 and
4 to guide the movement of the crusher head.
The crusher head further includes a slot 14B which extends from a
front face of the crusher head through to a rear wall 14E defining a rear
surface of
the crusher head. The slot 14B is narrower than the width of the crusher head
and
provides a receptacle for receiving a link 9A which extends from the lever 7
to the
crusher head.
The link 9A comprises a pair of side walls 9 which are connected by a
front plate 10. The width of the link is substantially equal to the width of
the slot 14B
so that the link can sit within the slot. The depth of the link 9A in the
forward to
rearward direction is however less than the length of the slot 14B so that the
link can
move in a direction front to rear within the slot. The link can therefore take
up two
separate positions within the slot 14B that is a rear position 9C and a front
position
9D as shown in Figure 5.
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The link 9A includes at its upper end in the side walls 9 a transverse
hole 9E which extends in a direction side to side of the housing for receiving
a drive
pin 7A of the lever 7. Thus the link has its upper end attached too the lever
7 so that
movement of the lever 7 in an upward and downward direction longitudinally of
the
5 slot 2B causes the link to move upwardly and downwardly relative to the
crusher
head 14.
The lever 7 carries at its rear end a hinge coupling 8 which attaches
the rear end 7B of the lever to the rear wall 5 at a position adjacent to but
spaced
downwardly from the top cover plate 1. Thus the rear end of the lever is
mounted at
10 a fixed height in the housing but can pivot about the hinge 8 so as to
cause the
hinge 8 fixed on the housing to act as a fulcrum. In this way manual grasping
of a
handle end 7C of the lever 7 causing movement of the lever upwardly and
downwardly within the slot 2B causes the link 9A to move upwardly and
downwardly
relative to the housing.
The crusher head 14 as best shown in Figure 5 includes a first
abutment surface 14F at a position closely adjacent the bottom of the crusher
head
and a second abutment surface 14G at a position partway down the height of the
crusher head. The bottom abutment surface 14F co-operates with the link 9A
when
in its forward position 9D. The abutment surface 14G co-operates with the link
9A
when in its rear position 9C.
In an initial condition of the crusher assembly, the link 9A is in the
forward position 9D abutting the first abutment surface 14F. In this position
the lever
7 is pulled to an uppermost position inclined upwardly toward the top of the
slot 2B
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by a spring cord 21. The spring cord 21 includes a first portion 21A which
extends
from the top of the lever upwardly and rearwardly to a location 23A at a
holder 23
attaching the spring cord 21 to the rear wall 5. The holder 23 comprises a
wedge
which is inserted into a groove 24 in the rear wall 5 which is covered by a
plate 22.
Thus the wedge engages into the confined area between the plate 22 and the
groove 24 and pinches the cord 21.
The spring cord 21 also includes a portion 21 B extending downwardly
behind the rear end 7B of the lever along the rear wall 5 to engage into a
slot 21 C in
the crusher head. The spring cord 21 thus acts in the initial condition of the
components to pull the lever upwardly to the uppermost position of the lever
and 'to
pull the crusher head upwardly to the uppermost position of the crusher head.
In
this position the front face of the crusher plate 14A is located at or
slightly above the
top of the opening 2A allowing the elements to be crushed to be inserted
through the
opening into the area between the crusher plate and the bottom plate 6B acting
as
an anvil.
In a first stroke of the lever 7 pivoted downwardly by manual grasping
of the handle 7C, the link 9A in its initial position 9D is forced downwardly
thus
pushing the crusher head downwardly into a first interim position located by
the
bottom of the stroke of the lever 7. This interim position is spaced upwardly
from a
bottom crushing position and is located at a groove 20 in the rear wall 5. The
crusher head is latched into this position at the groove 20 by a latching
system
generally indicated at 16A. The latching system in general acts so that it
allows the
crusher head to move downwardly into the interim position at the groove 20 and
then
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to latch the crusher head against upward movement. The crusher head is pulled
upwardly by the lower portion of the spring cord 21 thus holding the crusher
head
against the latch assembly 16A. While the crusher head is held in this
position, the
lever 7 can be moved upwardly to the initial upper position for the
commencement of
a further crushing stroke. During this movement the crusher head remains in
the
interim position. During this movement the lever 7 and the link 9A are pulled
upwardly. As the link 9A moves upwardly, it moves away from the abutment
surface
14F. A spring 12 is fastened to the rear wall 5 by a fastener 13. The forward
end of
the spring 12 is fastened to a transverse pin 11 across the sides walls 9
parallel to
the drive pin in the holes 9E. The spring 12 applies tension therefore to the
pin 11
and to the link 9A acting to pull the link 9A rearwardly to move the link 9A
from the
position 9D into the position 9C. Thus as the lower end of the link moves
upwardly
carried by the lever 7, the lower end of the link indicated at 9G passes along
a face
14H within the slot 14B and along an inclined surface 14J up to the abutment
surface 14G. This position is shown in Figure 5 in dash line where the lever
has
been pulled upwardly and the link thus moves rearwardly so that its lower end
9G
butts the surface 14G.
In this raised position of the lever 7, the lever is ready for a second
crushing stroke in the lever is again moved downwardly along the slot 2B, but
in this
case the lever pushes against the surface 14G which is raised upwardly within
the
slot of the crusher head so that the lever and the link 9A act to drive the
crusher
head downwardly into the crushing position shown in Figure 5. During this
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movement the latching assembly 16A allows the crusher head to move downwardly
from its latched position at the groove 20.
Thus in operation the crusher head is moved in two strokes of the lever
from its initial raised position held by the spring cord 21 downwardly into
firstly the
interim position at the groove 20 and then in the second stroke downwardly
from the
interim position to the crushing position where the crusher head has its end
face
closely adjacent the anvil defined by the plate 6B.
The latching assembly 16A comprises a pin 16 which is fastened to the
side of the crusher head in the area between the bottom crusher plate and the
side
members 14D. The pin 16 carries a spring 17 acting to pull on a pawl member
18.
The spring is attached to a hole 18A in the pawl member. The pawl member is
pivotal on a pin 18B carried on the side of the crusher head. The pawl member
18
includes a pawl face 18C shaped to engage onto a rectangular abutment face 20D
at the groove 20.
In an initial position of the pawl, the pawl extends along a common line
with the spring so as to extend rearwardly from the in 18B into a first groove
portion
20A. Thus the pawl extends outwardly beyond the rear face 14K of the abutment
head into the groove 20A in the rear wall 5. At the bottom of the groove
portion 20A
is provided an abutment face 20E which acts to pivot the pawl member 18 around
the pin 18B to take up the position shown in Figure 6. In this position the
pawl
moves downwardly beyond the bottom end of the groove 20A into the groove 20
where it engages the shoulder 20D to prevent upward movement of the crusher
head from the groove 20. A further groove portion 20B is provided below the
groove
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20 so that when the crusher moves downwardly in the second stroke beyond the
abutment 20D, the pawl again takes up the horizontal position aligned with the
spring 17 while it is within the groove 20B. Thus when the crusher head moves
upwardly at the end of the crusher stroke to turn to the initial position, the
pawl is
pivoted so that's its end face 18C faces downwardly allowing the pole to move
past
the shoulders at the grooves 20, 20A and 20B back up to the initial position
at the
top of the groove 20A.
After the two stroke crushing action is complete, upward movement of
the handle 7 is caused by the action of the spring cord 21 pulling on the
handle and
pulling on the crusher head. Thus the components move automatically back to
the
initial position for the first crushing stroke. During this movement the pin
11
projecting through the plates 9 of the link 9A engage a pair of abutments 25
and 26
mounted on the inside surface of the side walls 3 and 4 respectively. These
abutments each have an inclined cam surface 25A, 26A which engages that
portion
of the pin 11 projecting outwardly beyond the sides of the side plates 9.
These cam
surfaces 25A and 26A are arranged so that as the pin moves upwardly, the pin
11 is
forced forwardly against the bias of the spring 12 attached also to t he pin
11 so that
the link 9A is pushed forwardly by the cam action thus moving the link
forwardly
again beyond the surfaces 14J and 14H into the position 9D with the end 9G of
the
link butting the surface 14F.
