US 4,100,850 A · Drive mechanism for trash compactors

Abstract

A trash compactor has a rotatable lead screw and stationary nut for raising and lowering the compacting ram by rotation of the screw. A housing surrounds the nut for preventing rotation of the nut with respect to the screw while permitting limited pivotal movement of the nut with respect to the housing responsive to eccentric compaction forces applied to the compacting ram. The housing is distortable for the same reason and to permit absorption of shocks arising from compaction. The nut may be formed of a self-lubricating plastic. The drive mechanism may be used in a trash compactor having an extensible linkage of the scissors jack or lazy tongs type in which the lead screw is journalled in one of the intermediate junction points of the linkage. The housing containing the nut is located at the other of the junction points so that rotation of the screw extends and retracts the linkage.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A trash compactor having a ram movable in a frame into and out of a compaction position by means of a lead screw coupled to one of said ram or frame, said ram being subject to eccentric loading which alters the position of the screw, the improvement comprising;

a nut threaded on the lead screw for axial movement along the lead screw responsive to relative rotation between said screw and nut, said nut having opposing faces through which said screw extends, and a housing surrounding said nut for providing said relative rotation between said nut and screw, said housing having a pair of walls lying generally normal to the lead screw and loosely embracing said nut along said faces for permitting relative pivotal movement of said nut with respect to said housing about an axis generally normal to the lead screw, the faces of said nut having corners which abut said walls during said relative pivotal movement, said corners being beveled to facilitate said movement and to limit the movement to that necessary to accommodate a limited range of alterations in the position of the screw, said housing being coupled to the other of said ram or frame for providing movement to the ram responsive to relative rotation between the nut and screw.

In a trash compactor having an extensible linkage for moving a ram along a compaction axis into and out of a compaction position, said linkage being extensible along the compaction axis by the movement of first and second linkage junction points toward and away from each other in a direction generally normal to the compaction axis, said compactor having a lead screw rotatable journalled at one of the junction points, the improvement comprising:

a nut located at the other of the junction points and threaded on the lead screw for axial movement along the lead screw responsive to rotation of said screw, said nut having opposing faces through which said screw extends and a housing surrounding said nut for restraining said nut from rotation with the lead screw, said housing having a pair of walls lying generally normal to said lead screw and loosely embracing said nut along said faces for permitting relative pivotal movement of said nut with respect to said housing about an axis generally normal to the lead screw, the faces of said nut having corners which abut said walls during said relative pivotal movement, said corners being beveled to facilitate said movement, said housing being coupled to the second junction point for providing the toward and away movement of the junction points responsive to rotation of the screw.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Drive mechanism for trash compactors

Life of this patent

Drive mechanism for trash compactors

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24