Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FRONT-LOADING TRASH CONTAINER WITH INTEGRATED
REAR TRASH CAN DUMPING MECHANISM
TECHNICAL FIELD
The technical field relates generally to front-loading trash containers to be
emptied into
dumpsters by lifting and tipping them using actuated forklift arms mounted on
the dumpsters.
BACKGROUND
Trash containers are often provided to collect solid trash from coirunercial,
industrial and even
residential users before the trash be loaded into a dumpster. These trash
containers generally
consist of large rectangular steel boxes located outside the buildings, often
in areas such as the
back of the buildings or in lanes. A trash container has one or more top
access doors for
depositing the trash and also for permitting the trash to be emptied using
actuated forklift arms
mounted on the dumpster and fitting into corresponding external sleeve members
provided on.
the side walls of the trash container. The forklift arms lift and tip the
whole trash container
until its content falls by gravity into the dumpster.
There are various kinds of trash containers. Some of them are designed to be
emptied by first
positioning the front of the dumpster in front of the trash container. Such
trash containers are
hereby referred to as front-loading trash containers since they are handled
using forklift arms
located at the front of the dumpsters. A front-loading trash container is
emptied by lifting it
over the cab of the dumpster and tipping it until their contents fall by
gravity therein.
Generally, the emptied trash container is then put back to its original
location in front of the
dumpster. Finally, the dumpster backs off and moves to its next destination.
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Other kinds of trash containers exist as well. For instance, some trash
containers are deigned
to be emptied into the rear side of the dumpsters.
Some models of front-loading trash containers are provided with an integrated
trash can
dumping mechanism. This dumping mechanism facilitates the transfer of the
content of a
trash can, which trash can comes from a remote location, into the trash
container. The trash
can is carried next to the trash container by a person and its content is
emptied through a top
opening of the trash container by lifting and tipping the trash can using the
dumping
mechanism. The contents fall by gravity inside the trash container.
Some front-loading containers include a trash can dumping mechanism provided
on the front
side thereof, i.e. on the same side facing the dumpster when the trash
container is emptied.
This, however, may create some difficulties when the trash container is
located in a relatively
tight space where a dumpster cannot maneuver easily, for instance in a narrow
lane at the back
of a restaurant. Since the front side of the trash container must always
remain accessible to the
dumpster, it is not always possible to have the trash can dumping mechanism
very close to a
service door of a building. Even if the trash container is positioned
immediately in front of the
service door, a person would need to move the trash can all the way around the
trash container
to reach the dumping mechanism located on the front side. This may be
challenging and time
consuming in bad and/or cold weather. For instance, an employee of a
restaurant working
during a very cold day needs to put warm clothes on and sometimes must carry
the trash can
over snow or ice on the ground to reach the trash can dumping mechanism on the
front side of
the trash container.
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Room for improvements thus exists in this area of technology.
SUMMARY
In one aspect, there is provided a front-loading trash container, the trash
container including: a
container body having a front wall, a rear wall, a floor, a right side wall, a
left side wall and a
top section defining together an interior compartment for collecting and
containing trash, the
top section having a front top opening and a rear top opening; at least one
lid for each of the
top openings, each lid being operatively connected to the container body; a
right and a left
external sleeve member rigidly connected to right side wall and the left side
wall of the
container body, respectively, the right and left external sleeve members being
engagable by
forklift arms of a dumpster to lift and tilt the trash container until the
trash therein falls by
gravity through the front top opening and into the dumpster; and a trash can
dumping
mechanism positioned on the rear wall of the container body, the dumping
mechanism lifting
and tipping a trash can to transfer trash from inside the trash can into the
interior compartment
of the container body through the rear top opening.
In another aspect, there is provided a method of handling trash using a trash
container, the
trash container having a front side and a rear side, the method including:
loading at least some
of the trash inside the trash container using a trash can dumping mechanism
positioned on the
rear side of the trash container, the trash inside the trash can entering the
trash container
through a top opening located on the rear side of the trash container; and
emptying the trash
container into a front-loading dumpster upon lifting and tipping the trash
container over the
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dumpster until the trash falls by gravity into the dumpster through a top
opening located on the
front side of the trash container.
Further details on these aspects as well as other aspects of the proposed
concept will be
apparent from the following detailed description and the appended figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. I is a front isometric view illustrating an example of a front-loading
trash container
incorporating the proposed concept; and
FIG. 2 is a rear isometric view of the trash container shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. I is a front isometric view illustrating an example of a front-loading
trash container 10
incorporating the proposed concept. FIG. 2 is a rear isometric view thereof.
The trash container 10 has a container body. This container body is generally
rectangular in
shape, as shown. Other shapes and configurations are possible as well. The
container body
includes a front wall 12, a rear wall 14, a floor 16, a right side wall 18, a
left side wall 20 and a
top section 22. They define together an. interior compartment for collecting
and containing
trash between two dumpster visits. Depending on the needs, the interior
compartment can be
subdivided or not.
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The various components of the container body can be made of metal, for
instance steel. Using
other metals or even other materials is also possible. Still, one can use more
than one kind of
material for constructing the container body.
As shown in the illustrated example, the top section 22 of the container body
has a somewhat
triangular cross section when viewed from the side. One portion of the top
section 22 is
oriented towards the front side of the trash container 10 and the other
portion is oriented
towards the rear side thereof.
The top section 22 has a front top opening 30 and a rear top opening 32. These
top openings
30, 32 are delimited by rims that are in provided in inclined planes. The
inclination of the
plane at the front is opposite the inclination of the one at the rear. Both
inclinations, however,
do not need to be symmetrical.
At least one lid is provided for each of the top openings 30, 32 and each lid
is operatively
connected to the container body. In the illustrated example, two rectangular
front top lids 40,
42 are provided over the front top opening 30 and one rectangular rear top lid
44 is provided
over the rear top opening 32. Both front top lids 40, 42 can be opened
individually and can be
made of a light material such as plastic. They each extend over one half of
the width of the
trash container 10. The rear top lid 44 is narrower in width than that of the
trash container 10
and is centered. Two side plates 46, 48 are provided to close the areas on
both sides of the
rear top opening 32.
Also in the illustrated example, the top edge of each of the front top lids
40, 42 is pivotally
connected to the container body. The side edge of the rear top lid 44 is
pivotally connected to
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the container body. Variants are possible. For instance, the rear top lid 44
can be slidably
connected to the container body. Other variants are possible as well.
A right and a left external sleeve member 50 are rigidly connected to right
side wall 18 and the
left side wall 20 of the container body, respectively. The right external
sleeve member 50 is
the mirror image of the left one. Each of these external sleeve members 50
defines a channel
52 through which can be inserted a corresponding one of the actuated forklift
arms of a
dumpster. The forklift arms engage the channel 52 of the external sleeve
members 50 when
the dumpster is positioned right in front of the front wall 12 of the trash
container 10. Once
the forklift arms are in position, the trash container 10 can be lifted and
tipped over the
dumpster using an actuation mechanism, for instance hydraulic actuators, until
the trash
therein falls by gravity through the front top opening 30 directly into the
bin of the dumpster.
The front top lids 40, 42 will pivot by gravity to an open position as the
trash container 10 is
tipped.
A trash can dumping mechanism is integrated to the rear wall 14 of the
container body. The
dumping mechanism is provided to lift and tip a trash can so as to transfer
trash from inside
the trash can into the interior compartment of the container body through the
rear top opening
32. The dumping mechanism is schematically illustrated in FIG. 2 using
stippled lines at 54.
Unlike existing trash containers, this dumping mechanism 54 is positioned on
the rear wall 14
of the trash container 10.
As shown in FIG. 2, the rear wall 14 of the container body includes a
rectangular recess 60
positioned at the center thereof. The rectangular recess 60 is the location
when the various
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components of the trash can dumping mechanism 54 are provided. The exact
construction of
the trash can dumping mechanism 54 may vary from one implementation to
another,
depending on the needs. The rear top lid 44 is manually opened before the
dumping
mechanism 54 is operated but other arrangements are also possible.
Overall, the proposed concept provides a method of handling trash using a
trash container 10,
the trash container having a front side and a rear side. The method includes:
= loading at least some of the trash inside the trash container 10 using a
trash can
dumping mechanism positioned on the rear side of the trash container 10, the
trash
inside the trash can entering the trash container 10 through a top opening 32
located on
the rear side of the trash container 10; and
= emptying the trash container 10 into a front-loading dumpster upon lifting
and tipping
the trash container 10 over the dumpster until the trash falls by gravity into
the
dumpster through a top opening 30 located on the front side of the trash
container 10.
As can be appreciated, providing the trash can dumping mechanism on the rear
side of the
front-loading trash container 10 greatly simplifies the task of emptying trash
cans when the
service door of a building is closer to the rear side of the trash container
10 than the front side
thereof. This feature can save time and etTorts, especially in cold and/or bad
weather.
The present detailed description and the appended figures are meant to be
exemplary only, and
a skilled person will recognize that many changes can be made while still
remaining within the
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proposed concept. The following paragraphs give examples of such changes but
they are only
a subset of all the possible changes and are presented in no particular order.
The various features of the illustrated examples can be combined differently
and the shapes
and/or the number of the parts can be different compared to what is shown and
described. The
proposed concept is not limited to the illustrated examples.
Still, many other variants of the proposed concept will be apparent to a
skilled person, in light
of a review of the present description.
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