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US 4,363,588 AGranted
Refuse handling system
OwnerArwood D. Stickneyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A refuse handling system including a portable refuse container with a side opening wall. A latching mechanism is provided on the container to lock the wall closed when the container is resting on the ground surface but that is released to unlock and permit the wall to be opened after the container has been lifted from the ground. The latching mechanism is unlocked by a cylinder operator on the fork loader of a refuse vehicle. The unlocking mechanism on the forks is operated as the container is lifted and tipped rearwardly. The refuse will then fall freely from the open container onto a conveyor at the forward end of the refuse vehicle.
Claims8
In a refuse handling system including a container and a refuse vehicle having power operated fork lift arms for handling the container, comprising:
- wherein the refuse container includes a pair of transversely spaced end walls fixed along lower edges to a bottom wall and presenting front and rear upright edges;
- a rear wall fixed across the bottom wall and spanning the rear edges of said end walls;
- a front wall spanning the front edges of said end walls and pivoted to them about a transverse hinge axis spaced upwardly from said bottom wall, said front wall being movable between a closed position in engagement with the bottom wall and the front upright edges of the end walls, and an open position projecting outward from said edges;
- a latch pin fixed to the movable front wall at one side of the container and at a location below said hinge axis;
- rigid latch means pivotally mounted to the end wall at said one side of the container, said latch means being pivotal relative to the container about a transverse latch axis;
- said latch means having front and rear opposed ends extending to opposite sides of the latch axis, the front ends of said latch means presenting a downwardly open hook;
- the front end of said latch means being pivotable between a first position with the hook overlapping the location of the latch pin when the front wall is in its closed position and a second position with the hook clear of such location;
- the rear end of said latch means having a bottom surface formed thereon for engagement with the support surface on which the container rests for storage purposes for maintaining the front end of the latch means in said first position until the container is elevated from the support surface;
- an upright surface fixed to the rear end of the latch means;
- wherein the vehicle includes actuating means mounted to a forklift arm for selectively engaging and pivoting the latch means to the second position;
- said latch means comprising:
- a rigid bar mounted outward of said end wall in a substantially horizontal position and having a front end and a rear end;
- a pivot connection intermediate the front and rear end of said bar and defining said latch axis;
- and
- the rear end of the bar having an upwardly protruding projection presenting said upright surface and a downwardly protruding projection presenting said bottom surface.
12 more elements
A refuse container adapted to rest on a support surface for storage purposes and adapted to be elevated from the support surface for dumping purposes, said container comprising:
- a pair of transversely spaced end walls fixed along lower edges to a bottom wall and presenting front and rear upright edges;
- a rear wall fixed across the bottom wall and spanning the rear edges of said end walls;
- a front wall spanning the front edges of said end walls and pivoted to them about a transverse hinge axis spaced upwardly from said bottom wall, said front wall being movable between a closed position in engagement with the bottom wall and the front upright edges of the end walls, and an open position projecting outward from said edges;
- a latch pin fixed to the movable front wall at one side of the container and at a location below said hinge axis;
- rigid latch means mounted outward of the end wall at said one side of the container in a substantially horizontal position and having front and rear ends;
- a pivot connection intermediate the front and rear ends of the latch means and defining a transverse latch axis;
- the front end of said latch means presenting an open hook pivotal about said latch axis between a first position with the hook overlapping the latch pin when the front wall is in its closed position, and a second position with the hook clear of said location;
- the rear end of said latch means having an upwardly protruding projection and a downwardly protruding projection including a bottom surface formed thereon for engagement with the support surface on which the container rests for storage purposes for maintaining the front end of the latch means in said first position until the container is elevated from the support surface.
5 more elements
A refuse container adapted to rest on a support surface for storage purposes and adapted to be elevated from the support surface for dumping purposes, said container comprising:
- a pair of transversely spaced end walls fixed along lower edges to a bottom wall and presenting front and rear upright edges;
- a rear wall fixed across the bottom wall and spanning the rear edges of said end walls;
- a front wall spanning the front edges of said end walls and pivoted to them about a transverse hinge axis spaced upwardly from said bottom wall, said front wall being movable between a closed position in engagement with the bottom wall and the front upright edges of the end walls, and an open position projecting outward from said edges;
- a latch pin at each side of the movable front wall at a location below said hinge axis;
- rigid latch means pivotally mounted to each of the end walls, said latch means being pivotal relative to the container about a transverse latch axis;
- said latch means having front and rear opposed ends extending to opposite sides of the latch axis, the front ends of said latch means presenting downwardly open hooks;
- the front ends of said latch means being pivotable between a first position with the hooks overlapping the respective locations of the latch pins when the front wall is in its closed position, and a second position with the hooks clear of such location;
- the rear ends of said latch means having bottom surfaces formed thereon for engagement with the support surface on which the container rests during its storage usage for maintaining the front ends of the latch means in said first position until the container is elevated from the support surface;
- longitudinally open channel means fixed to the outer surface of each end wall at an elevation above said latch means and including front and rear longitudinal openings for receiving lifting forks used to elevate the container;
- upright surfaces fixed to the respective rear ends of the latch means and projecting across the rear longitudinal openings of the adjacent channel means;
- said latch means comprising:
- rigid bars mounted outward of the end walls in a substantially horizontal position and having front ends and rear ends;
- a pivot connection intermediate the front and rear end of each bar and defining said latch axis;
- and
- the rear end of each bar having an upwardly protruding projection presenting said upright surface and a downwardly protruding projection presenting said bottom surface.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.