VACUUM FOOD SCRAPS AND TRASH BIN

ASPIRATEUR A DECHETS ALIMENTAIRES ET POUBELLE

English Abstract

A vacuum food scraps or trash bin has vacuum pump assembly installed to
achieve vacuum
pressure in the bin. The vacuum pump assembly may be manually driven piston
type or an
electrically driven vacuum pump type powered by solar panel with battery. A
push button on
the lid or a foot pedal at the bin bottom is for releasing the bin vacuum
pressure prior to
opening the lid. A seal rubber gasket between the lid and bin body sustains
the achieved
vacuum pressure while the lid is closed. Suction heat with filter on the lid
prevents the debris
from plugging the vacuum pump while the air is being sucked out. This
invention may be used
in combination with food scraps or trash bins of different sizes and shapes.
This invention may
benefit the air quality in communities by decreasing the odor emission from
food scraps or
trash bins while supporting the food scraps recycling program for sustainable
community and
environmental protection.

Claims

Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege
is claimed are
defined as follows:
1 A built-in vacuum assembly for sealing the lid onto food scraps bin
or trash bin,
comprising vacuum pumps, a venting block in which one-way valves are
installed,
a sealing gasket adapted around the bin body to be pressed by the lid for
sustaining the vacuum pressure in the bin, a vacuum pressure release assembly
to release the bin interior vacuum pressure prior to opening the lid, air
suction
heads with replaceable filters extending inside of the bin, and a cover with
handle to protect the vacuum pumps and the respective components from
mechanical, solar and climate damages.
2 A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the seal gasket is grooved
on the bin body
to be pressed by the lid, or vice versa, when the bin interior air is vented
out. The
gasket may be made of rubber, washable, replaceable, and sustained in position
for effective sealing.
3 A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the vacuum pumps are
manually driven
piston type with handle or may be an electrically driven vacuum pump type
powered by solar panel.
4 A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the manual piston type
vacuum pump
handle with hands protection shield is latched and secured onto the vacuum
assembly top cover for splash water resistant.
A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the venting cartridge block has
isolated air
chambers with multiple one-way valves in order to gain backups in case of one
air suction head being plugged and adapt to different bin sizes by installing
different sizes and quantities of vacuum pumps.
6 A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the vacuum pump cover with handle
is
secured on top of the vacuum system assembly to protect the components from

being compromised by mechanical impact, solar deterioration, or snow
accumulation.
7 A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the air suction heads extend into the
bin
interior to provide a filtered channel for interior air being sucked out. The
replaceable filters are secured onto the heads to prevent the debris from
plugging the vacuum pumps.
8 A tool as defined in claim 1, in which the vacuum pressure release assembly
may
be a push button with actively loaded spring pushing a rubber gasket against
the
lid interior surface for air-tight sealant, the exterior air goes into the bin
through
the opened gap while the push button is pressed down. The vacuum pressure
release assembly may be a foot pedal design secured onto the bin body with
similar air sealant/release mechanism as the push button design.

Description

CA 02852784 2014-05-30
Specification
This invention relates to vacuuming the food scraps or trash bin to decrease
the odor emission
from food scraps or trash, slowing down the food scraps rotting process by
decreasing the
air/oxygen volume, and helping the communities promote food scraps recycling
program.
It is common for people to experience the odor smell emitted from either food
scraps bins or
trash bins especially in hot weather. Communities' food scraps recycling
programs are
challenged due to the excessive malodorous smell from rotting garbage, flies,
maggots and
other vermin caused by food scraps. The conventional food scraps bin or trash
bins are not
designed to sustain the interior polluted air from emitting out to an open
area and they are
unsatisfactory for storing food scraps or stinky garbage for a week, typical
garbage collection
interval, in hot weather.
This invention found that these disadvantages of conventional food scraps bin
and trash bin
may be overcome by providing a built-in vacuuming system to decrease the
oxygen amount in
the bin for slower oxidizing process and seal the lid by vacuum pressure for
less odor emission.
Such vacuum system allows an individual to pump the air out of the bin
interior to obtain a
certain vacuum percentage and the lid will be pressed to seal to reduce the
odor emission. An
individual may release the vacuum by either pushing the button on the lid or
step on the petal
at the bottom for lid opening.
Drawing VB-01 and VB-02 shows a typical vacuum pump assembly on a 40 gallons
(150 liters)
bin body Part 1. A seal gasket, Part 2, is grooved on the bin body to be
pressed by the lid when
the bin interior air is vented out. The gasket may be made of rubber,
washable, replaceable,
and sustained in position for effective sealing. A vacuum pump assembly, Part
3, together with
vacuum pump cover, Part 4, forms the bin top lid. The vacuum pump cover is
secured on top of
the vacuum system assembly to protect the components from being compromised by
mechanical impact, solar deterioration, or snow accumulation. The bin top lid
is linked to the
bin body by a lid swing arm, Part 5, for securing the top lid from falling to
the ground while the
lid is open for filling or dumping. A vacuum pump piston latch, Part 6, is
used to secure the
manual pump piston at the recovering position when the piston is pushed to the
bottom. A
vacuum release pushbutton, Part 7, at the proximity of the vacuum pump cover
handle
provides a quick pressure release prior to opening the lid. The vacuum release
push button is
equipped with actively loaded spring pushing a rubber gasket against the lid
interior surface for
air-tight sealant and the exterior air goes into the bin through the opened
gap while the push
button is pressed down.

CA 02852784 2014-05-30
Drawing VB-03 details the vacuum pump assembly, Part 3. The base sheet, Part
31, provides a
periphery tongue to press against the grooved seal gasket, a venting hole for
vacuum release
pushbutton, Part 7, and an openness for the venting cartridge block, Part 34.
The pump body
support, Part 32, secure the pump cylinders on the base sheet for smooth and
effective
operation. The pump handle and hand protection shield, Part 33, provides an
easy yet safe
operation.
Drawing VB-04 describes the interior structure of the venting cartridge block.
Each isolated
chambers has its own air suction head, Part 34A extends inside of the bin. A
washable and
replaceable filter is attached to each air suction head to prevent the debris
from plugging the
vacuum pump. The one-way valve, Part 3B, comprises of a thick rubber or
similar material
attached to the block exterior wall for one way opening. The compressed air by
pushing the
pump down will force the one-way valve open. The valve will be closed if the
bin interior
pressure is lower than atmosphere. Another one-way valve, Part 3C, is
identical to Part 3B, but
can only be forced open when the pump piston is pulling out for air sucking. A
mounting base
with gasket, Part 4D, is attached onto base sheet, Part 31 (shown in Drawing
VB-03).

Representative Drawing