AU709881B2

AU709881B2 - A bin lid lifting apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU709881B2
Application number: AU45529/96A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Mathew Craig Whyte
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-02-15
Filing date: 1996-02-14
Publication date: 1999-09-09
Anticipated expiration: 2016-02-14
Also published as: AU4552996A

Description

TITLE

"A BIN LID LIFTING APPARATUS"

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a bin lid lifting apparatus.

The apparatus of the present invention is particularly applicable to wheeled plastics material refuse bins with hinged lids. It is to be understood, however, that the apparatus of the present invention is of general applicability to bins with hinged lids.

:10 FIELD OF INVENTION The user of a refuse bin is required to lift the lid of the bin in order to deposit material therein. This requires a free hand and direct contact with the bin which may result in contamination.

The present invention aims to make it possible to raise a hinged bin lid without having to contact the bin lid by hand. A further object of the present invention is to seek to make the use of the bin lifting apparatus compatible for use with automated refuse collection methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A bin lid lifting apparatus including a lifting arm arranged to engage a bin lid and to be pivotally mounted to the bin, a lever arranged to be pivotally mounted adjacent a lower end of the bin having a portion arranged to be engaged by a foot, a flexible connecting means arranged to interconnect the lever to the lifting arm and a force transmitting means arranged to be mounted adjacent an upper end of the bin and arranged to engage the connecting means at a point intermediate the lever and the lifting arm such that, in use, the connecting means extends substantially vertically from the lever to the force transmitting means and then substantially horizontally to the lifting arm whereby upon movement of the lever, the lifting arm is rotated about its pivotal mounting so as to cause the bin lid to be raised.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- :1 0 Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bin with a hinged lid provided with a bin lid lifting apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 with the hinged lid raised; Figure 3 is a perspective view of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side elevation to an enlarged scale of a lifting arm of the bin lid lifting apparatus of Figures 1, 2 and 3; and Figure 5 is an end elevation of the lifting arm of Figure 4.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In Figures 1, 2 and 3 there is shown a bin 10 with a hingedly mounted lid 12. The bin lid is of the type formed of plastics material and has a pair of arms 13 extending rearwardly.

The arms 13 are hinged to the bin 10. Further, the bin 10 has a pair of wheels 14 mounted on an axle 16.

The bin 10 has a lever 18 mounted thereto. The lever 18 has a recess 20 adjacent one end. The axle 16 passes through the recess 20 so as to pivotally mount the lever 18 to the bin At the end thereof remote from the recess 20, the lever 18 is provided with a foot pedal 22. Preferably, the foot pedal 22 is curved relative to the axis of the lever 18 such that the foot pedal 22 follows the contour of a front corner of the bin Between the ends thereof the lever 18 is provided with a small aperture 24. A cable 26 is secured in the aperture 24. The cable 26 extends upwardly from the lever 18 to a force transmitting means 28 which may be in the form of a pulley, static rod, fixed rod, roller member or other equivalent member. The force transmitting means 28 is mounted to the 15 bin 10 adjacent the upper end thereof by a bracket 29 immediately below the lid 12. The cable 26 passes over the force transmitting means 28 and then extends laterally to a lifting arm 30. Preferably, the cable 26 is positioned such that in passing the force transmitting means 28, the cable 26 undergoes a change in direction of about 900. The arrangement of the cable 26 provides a substantially straight line of force from the lever 18 to the lifting S 20 The lifting arm 30 is shown in more detail in Figures 4 and 5. Preferably, the lifting arm 30 has an arcuate form. The lifting arm 30 has an upwardly curved upper surface 32, a downwardly extending first end 34 and a second end 36 provided with a laterally extending lug 38. A laterally proiecting pin 41 extendsc from the end 34. The pin l41 contains a small aperture 43 into which the cable 26 is connected. Further, adjacent the upper surface 32 close to the highest point thereof there is provided an aperture 42. The aperture 42 is arranged to receive a pivotal member (not shown) which also engages with a corresponding aperture in the bin 10 such that the arm 30 is pivotally mounted about the pivotal member mounted in the aperture 42. The aperture 42 is designed to receive a hinge pin of the bin lid 12.

The lug 38 is able to be disposed underneath the arm 13 of the lid 12 when the lifting arm is in position on the pivot member. This arrangement ensures that the lug 38 does not protrude under the bin lid 12 thus the closure of the bin lid 12 is complete.

In operation, a user approaches the bin 10 and applies downward foot pressure to the foot pedal 22. This depresses the lever 18 about the axle 16 and pulls the cable 26 downwardly about the force transmitting means 28. This causes the pin 41 to be pulled towards the pulley 28. The lifting arm 30 is then caused to pivot about the pivot member in the aperture 42 such that the end 36 is pivoted upwardly. The lug 38 mounted .9oo 15 underneath the arm 13 of the lid 12 is then caused to engage the lid 12 and to pivot the lid 12 upwardly about its hinged mounting to the position shown in Figures 2 or 3.

The provision and arrangement of the force transmitting means 28 results in less force 99.9 required to be applied to the foot pedal 22. This in turn reduces the inertia force of the bin lid 12 resulting in more control over the bin lid 12 opening, therefore reducing stress on the system.

20 The user can then place refuse in the bin 10 without having to contact the bin lid 12 by hand. When this is completed the foot pedal 22 can be released and the lid 12 then reverts to the closed position shown in Figure 1 under the influence of gravity.

It is envisaged that the bin lid lifting apparatus of the present invention may be retro fitted to existing plastics material wheeled refuse bins with hinged lids.

The apparatus of the present invention has the advantage that the user does not have to contact the bin lid by hand which is particularly advantageous when carrying large amounts of refuse and is hygienically beneficial as it reduces hand contact with the bin.

Further, the apparatus of the present invention has the advantage in that it has been designed to be compatible with automated methods for refuse collection. Bins fitted with the bin lifting apparatus as hereinbefore described can be lifted as normal by collection trucks since the positioning of the cable 26 and the lifting arm 30 do not cause interference.

It should be noted that the presence of the arm 30 does not interfere with the normal operation of the bin 10 and the lid 12 can be lifted by handles mounted thereon in a conventional manner.

Modifications and variations such as would be apparent by a skilled addressee are deemed 1 within the scope of the present invention.

*a

The claims defining the invention are as follows: 1. A bin lid lifting apparatus including a lifting arm arranged to engage a bin lid and to be pivotally mounted to the bin, a lever arranged to be pivotally mounted adjacent a lower end of the bin having a portion arranged to be engaged by a foot, a flexible connecting means arranged to interconnect the lever to the lifting arm and a force transmitting means arranged to be mounted adjacent an upper end of the bin and arranged to engage the connecting means at a point intermediate the lever and the lifting arm such that, in use, the connecting means extends substantially vertically from the lever to the 'i10 force transmitting means and then substantially horizontally to the lifting arm whereby upon movement of the lever, the lifting arm is rotated about its pivotal mounting so as to cause the bin lid to be raised.

A bin lid lifting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting arm includes 15 a laterally extending lug and a laterally extending pin, the lug being arranged to engage e 99.

with the bin lid and the pin being arranged to connect with the connecting means.

o 3. A bin lid lifting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lifting arm is arranged to receive a hinge pin joining the lid to the bin such that the lifting arm is pivotally mounted about the hinge pin.

4. A bin lid lifting apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lever includes a means adjacent one end arranged to be pivotally mounted to an axle of the bin and a foot engaging means adjacent another end.

Claims

6. A bin lid lifting apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting means is a cable.
7. A bin lid lifting apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the force transmitting means is a rotatable pulley arranged to be fixedly attached to the bin.
8. A bin lid lifting apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
9. A bin with a hinged lid whereby the lid is provided with a bin lid lifting apparatus 4 15 in accordance with any one of the preceding claims. 0 4 DATED THIS 14n T DAY OF JULY 1999. MATHEW CRAIG WHYTE By his Patent Attorneys LORD COMPANY PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA ABSTRACT A bin lid lifting apparatus including a lifting arm (30) arranged to engage a bin lid (12) and to be pivotally mounted to the bin lid a lever (18) arranged to be pivotally mounted having a portion arranged to be engaged by a foot a connecting means interconnecting the lever (18) to the lifting arm (3 0) and a force transmitting means (28) arranged to transmit the connecting means whereby, in use, upon movement of the lever the lifting arm (30) is rotated about its pivotal mounting so as to cause the bin lid (12) to be raised.