Top loading, automatically compacting trash can for high-traffic public venues

An apparatus for containing and compacting trash contents, comprising:

• a housing, said housing including a top and a side wall connected to said top, said housing having an upper portion, a lower portion disposed beneath said upper portion, and an intermediate portion disposed between said upper portion and said lower portion;
• a trash opening defined through said top;
• a frame disposed within said housing;
• a trash by-pass chute disposed within said housing and having an entrance aligned generally with said trash opening, said by-pass chute having an exit disposed to empty into said lower portion of said housing;
• a compacting mechanism carried by said frame and including a platen, said compacting mechanism being configured for moving said platen through a compaction stroke to apply compacting pressure to trash contents located in said lower portion of said housing during at least a portion of said compaction stroke;
• wherein said compacting mechanism includes an extendable member having a pair of opposed ends, said platen defining a first portion connected to one of said ends of said extendable member, said platen defining a pivotable portion pivotally connected to said first portion of said platen;
• and
• wherein said compacting mechanism is configured for moving said platen through a retraction stroke to reposition said platen away from said lower portion of said housing during at least a portion of said retraction stroke and said compacting mechanism is further configured so that said pivotable portion of said platen pivots away from said top of said housing during at least a portion of said retraction stroke.

An apparatus for receiving a variety of different types of consumer trash in high traffic public areas and compacting the received trash together into a compacted mass, further comprising:

• a housing, said housing including a top and a side wall connected to said top, said housing having an upper portion, a lower portion disposed beneath said upper portion, and an intermediate portion disposed between said upper portion and said lower portion;
• a trash opening defined through said top;
• frame disposed within said housing;
• a trash by-pass chute disposed within said housing and having an entrance aligned generally with said trash opening, said by-pass chute having an exit disposed to empty into said lower portion of said housing;
• a compacting mechanism carried by said frame and including a platen, said compacting mechanism being configured for moving said platen through a compaction stroke to apply compacting pressure to trash contents located in said lower portion of said housing during at least a portion of said compaction stroke;
• a hatch disposed at said entrance of said trash by-pass chute, said hatch being configured to selectively pivot between at least a first orientation blocking said entrance of said trash by-pass chute to prevent trash from entering said trash by-pass chute and at least a second orientation wherein trash contents are permitted to enter said trash by-pass chute;
• and
• a hatch stop disposed at said entrance of said trash by-pass chute, said hatch stop being configured to selectively engage said hatch to prevent said hatch from attaining said second orientation wherein trash contents are permitted to enter said trash by-pass chute.