Empty-container pressing machine

#1. Field of the Invention

#Conventionally, an empty-container pressing machine has been known that can crush empty containers, such as empty metallic cans, plastic bottles, etc., into small forms by means of footing force. Since the conventional empty-container pressing machine is designed simply to crush an empty container by means of foot power from above, it cannot easily crush steel cans that are relatively difficult to be deformed. Further, the conventional empty-container pressing machine has a problem that it requires a strong footing force even in crushing empty containers such as aluminum cans that can be deformed relatively easily.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

#FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an empty-container pressing machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of part of the empty-container pressing machine shown in FIG. 1;

#A first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4C. An empty-container pressing machine P of this embodiment is used to crush an empty container 1 into a small form by means of footing force. The empty container 1 may be a deformable metallic empty can 1A (shown in FIG. 1), a plastic bottle 1B (shown in FIG. 2) such as a PET bottle, etc. The empty-container pressing machine P is provided with a pedestal 2. The pedestal 2 includes a container bearing portion 3 on which the empty container 1 is put in a substantially vertical posture. A pair of vertically extending guide posts 4 are provided individually on the opposite sides, left and right, of the container bearing portion 3. These guide posts 4 are provided with a foot-operated container presser 5.

#The container presser 5 is vertically movable along the guide posts 4. The container presser 5 is located over the empty container 1 that is placed on the container bearing portion 3, and can compress the empty container 1 in its axial direction. The guide posts 4 are provided with a buckling mechanism 10 for buckling the body of the empty container 1. The buckling mechanism 10, which will be described below, has a function to press the sidewall of the body of the empty container 1 before the container presser 5 crushes the empty container 1.

#The container bearing portion 3 includes a recess 3a that opens on the top side. The bottom of the recess 3a has a size such that it can carry empty containers 1 of various dimensions therein. Formed on the lower surface side of the container presser 5 is a container pressing portion 6 having a protrusion 5a that can hold the empty container 1 between itself and the bottom of the recess 3a. A bottle mouth socket 7a into which a mouth portion 1a of the plastic bottle 1B (shown in FIG. 2) as an example of the empty container 1 can get and an air vent 7b through which air in the bottle 1B is to be discharged are formed in the center of the protrusion 5a. The bottle mouth socket 7a and the air vent 7b constitute a communication hole 7.