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US 2016/0089845 A1Published application
Compactor system and method
OwnerJohn C. Zimmerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compactor system for use on board marine vessels and offshore installation. The compactor has a cart with bottom and side members capable of withstanding a compaction force. The upper rim of the cart has a lip. The system has a compaction unit formed of a movable upper frame with a shoulder and a lower fixed frame. During waste compaction, the moveable upper frame moves in an upward direction to a point where the shoulder engages the cart's lip to establish a force-distribution loop among the upper frame and the side and bottom members of the cart. The cart's wheels are not subjected to the compaction force.
Claims26
A compactor system comprising:
- a) a cart for containing a waste or recyclable material, the cart having a floor panel and a plurality of interconnected side members defining an interior for containment of the waste or recyclable material, a fixed bottom member secured to an underside of the floor panel, an upper rim of the cart including a lip member, wherein the lip member, the bottom member, and the plurality of side members are constructed to withstand a compaction force;
- b) a transport means affixed to the underside of the floor panel, the transport means enabling the cart to be moved about a floor structure;
- c) a compacting unit having a frame assembly defining a cavity for placement of the cart upon the floor structure during compaction of the waste or recyclable material, the frame assembly including a moveable upper frame portion connected by a connection means to a lower fixed frame portion, die moveable upper frame portion including a shoulder to cooperate with the lip of the cart, the lower fixed frame portion having a plurality of support legs positioned on the floor structure;
- d) a compacting assembly for compacting the waste or recyclable material in the cart, the compacting assembly operatively connected to the moveable upper frame portion, the compacting assembly including a ram member and a piston assembly operatively affixed thereof that when activated produces the compaction force to compact the waste or recyclable material in the cart;
- e) wherein during compaction of the waste or recyclable material, the moveable upper frame portion moves upward in response to the ram member encountering the waste or recyclable material resulting in an engagement of the shoulder of the moveable upper frame portion with the lip member of the cart thereby establishing a compaction force-distribution loop among the moveable upper frame portion and the plurality of side members and bottom member of the cart and preventing distribution of the compaction force upon the transport means of the cart.
2 more elements
A method of compacting a waste material, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a compactor system comprising:
- a cart for containing a waste or recyclable material, the cart having a floor panel, and a plurality of interconnected side members defining an interior for containment of the waste or recyclable material, a fixed bottom member secured to an underside of the floor panel, an upper rim of the cart including a lip member, wherein the lip member, bottom member, and plurality of side members being constructed to withstand a compaction force;
- a transport means affixed to the underside of the floor panel, the transport means enabling the cart to be moved about a floor structure;
- a compacting unit having a frame assembly defining a cavity for placement of the cart during compaction of the waste or recyclable material, the frame assembly including a moveable upper frame portion connected by a connection means to a lower fixed frame portion, the moveable upper frame portion including a shoulder to cooperate with the lip of the cart, the lower fixed frame portion having a plurality of support legs positioned on the floor structure;
- a compacting assembly for compacting the waste or recyclable material in the cart, the compacting assembly operatively connected to the moveable upper frame portion, the compacting assembly including a ram member and a piston assembly operatively affixed thereto that when activated produces the compaction force to compact the waste or recyclable material in the cart;
- b) placing the waste or recyclable material to be compacted into the interior of the cart;
- c) causing the cart to be operationally positioned within the compacting unit;
- d) activating the compacting assembly to compact the waste or recyclable material in the cart by extending the ram member;
- e) moving the moveable upper frame portion upward to a compacting position in response to the ram member encountering the waste or recyclable material;
- f) engaging the lip member of the cart with the shoulder of the moveable upper frame portion to establish a compaction force-distribution loop among the moveable upper frame portion and the plurality of side members and bottom member of the cart and to prevent the transport means of the cart from being subjected to the compaction force.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.