US 5,934,867 AGranted

Refuse collecting

AssigneeMcNeilus Truck and Manufacturing, Inc.

InventorRonald E. Christenson

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A refuse collection apparatus and method including a container lifting and emptying apparatus connected to a collection receptacle which is dumped into a refuse hauling vehicle. The container lifting and emptying apparatus includes a container manipulator attached to a support arm which is connected to an extensible boom which is, in turn, connected to the collection receptacle. The container manipulator engages a container of interest and the support arm pivots the engaged container between a lowered position and a raised position for dumping. The collection receptacle typically includes multiple compartments wherein the support arm includes a pendulum pivot or is pivotally attached to the collection receptacle such that the engaged container may be tilted over any one of a plurality of the storage compartments. Another version of the collection apparatus includes a collection receptacle having three or four compartments wherein one compartment is adjacent and between the manipulator and a far storage compartment. The support arm includes a collapsing parallelogram arm construction which is retracted to address the adjacent or near compartment and extended to address the far compartment.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method of collecting refuse which maintains the separation of a plurality of types of refuse in a collection apparatus, said apparatus comprising a vehicle including a vehicle mounted body having a divided storage volume and a multi-compartment charging hopper and a loading mechanism for lifting and dumping a multi-compartment collection receptacle including internal intermediate partition means for dividing the receptacle into a plurality of material receiving compartments, a position adjustable container handling device carried by said collection receptacle for automatically engaging and unloading a container of interest into said collection receptacle and wherein said container handling device further comprises a container manipulator attached to a support arm itself connected to a multi-plane pivoting system for lifting and turning to vary and control the point of discharge of said container with respect to the collection receptacle and thereby enabling said container to be emptied into a selected one of said plurality of compartments, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) using said container handling device for automatically addressing, grasping and lifting a container of interest;
(b) pivoting said container handling device over a selected, material receiving compartment in said multi-compartment collection receptacle;
(c) emptying said container of interest by inversion and replacing said container of interest in an upright position;
and
(d) periodically lifting and dumping the multi-compartment collection receptacle into said corresponding multi-compartment charging hopper.

2 more elements

A method of collecting refuse and maintaining the integrity of a load of segregated refuse in a collection apparatus, said apparatus comprising a vehicle including a vehicle mounted body having a divided storage volume and a divided charging hopper and a loading mechanism for lifting and dumping a multi-compartment collection receptacle including internal intermediate partition means for dividing the receptacle into a plurality of materials receiving compartments, a position adjustable container handling device carried by said collection receptacle for automatically engaging and unloading a container of interest into said collection receptacle and wherein said container handling device further comprises a container manipulator attached to a support arm itself connected to a multi-plane pivoting system for lifting and turning to vary and control the point of discharge of said container with respect to the collection receptacle and thereby enabling said container to be emptied into a selected one of said plurality of compartments, carry handles connected to said collection receptacle for enabling the lifting and inverting of the collection receptacle into the vehicle body, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) addressing and engaging the handles to assume a carrying posture of said collection receptacle, enabling the lifting, carrying and inverting of the collection receptacle for emptying into the vehicle body;
(b) automatically addressing, lifting, indexing and inverting a container of interest over a selected material receiving compartment in said collection receptacle using said container handling device;
and
(c) periodically lifting and dumping the multi-compartment collection receptacle into said corresponding multi-compartment vehicle body using said loading mechanism.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/062,790Filed 20 Apr 1998 · division
Priority: 8 Jun 1995
Granted: 10 Aug 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B65F 3/046
Pivoted arms or pivoted carriers: with additional means for assisting the tipping of the receptacle after or during raising
B65F 3/001
Vehicles particularly adapted for collecting refuse: for segregated refuse collecting, e.g. vehicles with several compartments
B65F 3/041
Linkages, pivoted arms, or pivoted carriers for raising and subsequently tipping receptacles: pivoted arms or pivoted carriers
B65F 2003/023
The discharging means comprising elements for holding the receptacle: gripper arms for embracing the receptacle