AU741739B2

AU741739B2 - Bin lid opener

Info

Publication number: AU741739B2
Application number: AU27751/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter Mcblane
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-04-14
Filing date: 2000-04-14
Publication date: 2001-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 2020-04-14
Also published as: WO2001079075A8; AU2775100A; WO2001079075A1

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Peter McBlane Actual Inventor: As above Address for Service: Invention Title: CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 239 George Street, Brisbane, QId. 4000, Australia.

A Bin Lid Lifting Assembly The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: A BIN LID LIFTING ASSEMBLY FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed to a bin lid lifting assembly which comprises three components being a foot pedal, a lid hinge, and an elongate flexible member interconnecting the foot pedal and the lid hinge. The assembly can be attached to the bin without requiring any clamps, nuts, bolts, and the like. The assembly can remain attached to the bin while the bin is being emptied. The assembly is particularly suited for the large wheeled refuse bins which are known in some parts of Australia as "wheelie bins" BACKGROUND ART Wheelie bin lid lifting devices are known in the art. Such lifting devices allow the bin lid to be raised, typically by depression of a foot pedal S: thereby making the lid lifting procedure hands-free. These devices are welcomed by the consumer as the consumer can now empty refuse into the 15 wheelie bin without needing to lift the lid with one hand. These devices will also find suitability in the medical field where they may be health concerns with contaminated bin lids. Similarly, these devices should find suitability in the general commercial world as bin lids are often contaminated, dirty, and a source of infection and germs.

20 The present invention is directed to a bin lid lifting apparatus of the type which has a flexible line member (for instance a steel wire) which interconnects the lower foot pedal and an upper lid hinge. This distinguishes from some earlier lid lifting apparatus which are formed with a rigid link between the foot pedal and the upper lid hinge. The advantage of a steel wire is that it generally does not interfere with the grab arm of a refuse truck, and is not susceptible to being deformed by the grab arm. Rigid link members suffer from the disadvantage that they can be crushed or bent by the grab arm of a refuse truck and therefore fail to function properly thereafter. It is known to overcome this by providing the link member at the rear portion of the bin and away from the grab arm of the refuse truck, but this prevents the bin from being placed against a wall during normal use, and most consumers prefer to have the refuse bin placed against a wall.

One type of known bin lid opening device is provided with a steel wire between an upper bracket and a foot pedal. The foot pedal is not attached to the wheel axle and does not pivot. Instead, the foot pedal is attached to a front corner of the bin wall and slides up and down along the bin wall. This requires the foot pedal to have a very particular design (typically V shaped) and the foot pedal is held in place by a first steel wire extending from the wheel axle to the foot pedal, and a second steel wire extending from the foot pedal to the upper bracket.

Another type of known bin lid lifter has an upper bracket, a lower pivoting foot pedal, and a steel wire extending between the upper bracket and the pivoting foot pedal. This lifter has a specially designed upper bracket which incorporates a finger or tab which extends below the edge of the bin lid.

Depression of the foot pedal causes the upper bracket to pivot about a horizontal lid handle and the finger or tab presses up against the bottom of the 15 lid edge to lift the lid. A disadvantage with this arrangement is that it is generally not desirable to have any part of the apparatus extending into the inside of the bin as it can be subject to damage, bending, twisting and the like.

Moreover, if the lid is in any way damaged in the region of the tab, the tab may not function properly. It is not unusual for a bin lid to become damaged, *oll 20 bowed, twisted and the like which may prevent efficient operation of this type of apparatus.

Another disadvantage with many bin lifting devices is in the attachment of the foot pedal. Several lid lifting devices use the wheel axle as a pivot point for pivoting of the foot pedal. The present invention does the same. However, previously known foot pedals were required to be either clamped to the wheel axle or otherwise attached using fasteners. However, the free area around the wheel axle is very limited and it is quite difficult to clamp or fasten the foot pedal to the wheel axle.

One known arrangement attempts to overcome this with a specially designed foot pedal. The foot pedal has a U shaped portion in the back which extends about the wheel. However, there is a disadvantage in using the wheel itself as part of the attachment of the foot pedal to the wheel axle. For instance, the U shaped portion while being initially designed to allow the wheel to rotate freely, can easily be damaged or kicked to cause it to abut against the wheel and to cause the wheel to adopt restricted rotation. Also, dirt and grime may build up between the portion and the wheel to cause the wheel to stop rotating. Clearly, it is not desirable to have any type of foot pedal arrangement which uses the wheel itself as part of the attachment.

Another known type of bin lid lifter is described in German patent application 3508446, and appears to require a "Bowden" type cable which comprises an internal wire which can move in an external sheath. These cables are quite well known and are used as a vehicle acceleration cables, but are quite easily crushed, and if crushed, the internal wire can no longer move. Thus, it is most probable that the device described in the German patent application needs to be removed from the bin every time the bin is emptied.

S 15 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a bin lid lifting apparatus which is simple, reliable, can stay attached to the bin, requires minimal assembly, and which can be formed from as few as three parts comprising a specially shaped foot pedal, a specially shaped lid bracket, and a flexible 20 member such as a steel wire.

S: It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which may at least partially overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.

In one form, the invention resides in a bin lid lifting apparatus which comprises a foot pedal, a lid hinge and a wire rope, the foot pedal comprising an elongate member having a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be depressed by a person's foot, the rear portion being provided with axle attachment means, the axle attachment means comprising an arcuate portion which is adapted to extend at least partially about the wheel axle, the arcuate portion having an upper free edge which, in use, is about an upper part of the wheel axle, and a lower edge _which, in use, is about a lower part of the wheel axle, and a bottom flange depending from the lower edge of the arcuate portion and which is adapted to abut against the outer body of the bin when the foot pedal is pivoted upwardly, the lid hinge comprising a substantially planar main body portion which is formed with an aperture designed to allow a pivot pin which attaches the bin lid to the bin handle to pass through the aperture, the main body portion having an upper edge and a lower edge, the upper edge being formed with a return portion adapted to extend over an upper part of a bin lid arm, the lid arm attaching the bin lid to the handle via the pivot pin, the main body portion further being formed with an outwardly extending flange on the lower edge, part of the flange being adapted to abut against the bin lid arm, the main body portion having a rear part which is provided with means to allow the wire rope to be attached to the rear part, and the wire rope comprising a flexible and substantially inextensible member.

This particular arrangement provides various advantages.

15 Firstly, the foot pedal is held in place about the wheel axle without requiring any nuts, bolts, clamps and the like. Instead, the design of the arcuate portion and the bottom flange allows the foot pedal to attached and removed only by pivoting it downwardly past a vertical position (this requires the bin to be tipped on its side). However, the foot pedal is prevented from pivoting in this coco 20 manner by being attached to the lid hinge via the wire rope. Thus, as long as the foot pedal is attached to the lid hinge, it cannot be removed from the wheel axle.

The lid hinge attaches to the bin lid arm which is standard on all wheelie bins, and is held in place by the pivot pin (typically a plastic plug) which normally hinges the lid to the bin handle. Thus, separate and additional fasteners such as screws, bolts and clamps are not required. The lid hinge does not have any portion, finger or tab which passes under the bin lid.

The foot pedal comprises an elongate member and is typically formed of a single sheet of galvanised steel which is cut and bent into a particular shape. Typically, the foot pedal has a substantially planar vertical portion, and a substantially planar horizontal portion extending from one side of the top of the vertical portion such the two portions becomes substantially L shaped. The horizontal portion can become the surface which is pressed by the person's foot. The horizontal portion can have a length of approximately 300 mm. The foot pedal has a rear portion which has a special design. The rear portion is provided with axle attachment means. The axle attachment means has an arcuate portion which is typically semicircular and is size to extend about the wheel axle. The arcuate portion has an upper free edge and a lower edge. The lower edge is typically not free but instead is attached to a bottom flange. The bottom flange is typically substantially planar and rectangular when viewed in plan. The bottom flange may have a width of approximately 20 mm. Typically, the bottom flange and the arcuate portion are formed from a single piece of metal.

The lid hinge is typically formed of a single piece of metal which is cut and bent into a particular shape and size.

The wire rope may comprise a flexible substantially inextensible 15 steel rope.

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the follo\ Figure 1.

20 Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

other side Figure 5.

Figure 6.

Figure 7.

Figure 8.

lid hinge, Figure 9.

Figure 10 t.

wing Is Is Is Is drawings in which a bottom perspective view of the lid hinge.

a top perspective view of the foot pedal.

a close-up view of the rear portion of the foot pedal.

a top perspective view of the foot pedal of figure 2 from the Is a perspective end view of the rear part of the foot pedal.

Is a side view of the lid hinge of figure 1.

Is a side view of the lid hinge of figure 6 from the other side.

Is a view of the entire apparatus comprising the foot pedal, the and the connecting wire rope.

Is a side view of a known type of wheeled refuse bin.

Is a close-up view of the bin lid arm pivotally attached to the bin handle of the wheeled refuse bin of figure 9.

Figure 11. Is a rear view of the bin of figure 9 showing the bin lid being 7 attached to the bin handle via a pair of bin lid arms.

Figure 12. Is a close-up view of the other side of the bin lid arm depicted in figure Figure 13. Illustrates the apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention attached to the bin of figure 9.

Figure 14. Is a close-up view showing attachment of the lid hinge.

Figure 15. Is a view showing attachment of the foot pedal.

Figure 16. Is a close-up view of the lid hinge of figure 14 from the other side.

Figure 17. Is a plan view of the foot pedal attached to the wheel axle.

Figure 18. Illustrates use-of the apparatus to raise the bin lid.

Figure 19. Is a close-up view of the lid hinge when the bin lid is in the raised position.

Figures 20-22. Are drawings of the foot pedal according to an S 15 embodiment of the invention.

Figures 23-25 Are drawings of the lid hinge according to an embodiment of the invention.

BEST MODE 9 The apparatus is particularly suited for attachment to a wheeled *499 20 refuse bin known in some parts of Australia as a "wheelie bin". Bin 12 is best illustrated in figures 9-12. Bin 12 has a height of between 1-1.5 m. The bin is typically formed from black plastic material. Bin 12 has a main substantially rectangular but slightly tapered bin body 13 which has a front wall 14, a rear wall 15, and a pair of sidewalls 16. The top of the bin is provided with a pivoting lid 17. Lid 17 is connected to the bin handle 18 (see figure 10) via a pair of bin lid arms 19 (see figures 10, 11 and 12). A plastic pivot pin in the form of a plug 20 pivotally connects the bin lid 17 to the bin handle 18. It is in this area that the lid hinge 10 of the invention is attached.

The bin 12 is supported by a pair of lower wheels 21 which are connected to each other via a horizontal typically steel axle 22 (best illustrated in figure 15). Wheel 21 comprises a plastic or other tyre 23 and a plastic collar 24 which extends about the steel axle 22. This arrangement is entirely 8 conventional, but the foot pedal according to an embodiment of the invention is attached to the axle via the plastic collar 24. Also illustrated in figure 15 is the lack of space between the wheel, axle and the bin body illustrating the difficulty in attempting to clamp or otherwise positively fasten the foot pedal to this part of the bin as is the case with some known lid lifting arrangements.

Figures 1,6, 7 best illustrates the lid hinge 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. The lid hinge has been designed in such a way that it is produced from a single sheet of galvanised steel which is cut and bent into a particular shape and sized to enable the lid hinge to slide over the existing bin arm 19 (best illustrated in figure 14 and figure 16) of a wheelie bin 12 (best illustrated in figure The lid hinge 10 is held firmly in place onto bin arm 19 by using the plastic plug or pin 20. More specifically, hinge comprises a main planar body portion 30, which in use is arranged in a generally vertical orientation. The main body portion has an upper edge 31 S 15 and a lower edge 32 (it being appreciated that figure 1 is a bottom perspective view of the lid hinge 10). Upper edge 31 is formed with a return portion in the form of a short L shaped channel 33 which in use extends over an upper edge of the bin lid arm 19 best illustrated in figure 14. Lower edge 32 is formed with a longer rectangular flange 34 which extends substantially at right angles 20 to body portion 30 The flange 34 extends underneath a lower edge of bin lid

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arm 19, this being best illustrated in figure 14. Lid hinge 10 has a rear part which is a bent portion and which contains a small aperture 36 to allow the wire rope 37 to be attached to the lid hinge 10. Also illustrated is a small extending stop member 38 which prevents the lid of the wheelie bin from opening past 900. This will be described in greater detail below.

Lid hinge 10 is held in place on the bin lid arm 19 by plug More specifically, the main body portion 30 is provided with a circular opening and pivot plug 20 can pass through the circular opening 40 to attach the lid hinge 10 to the bin lid arm 19. Typically, the existing plug 20 is pulled out or sawed off. Lid hinge 10 is then slid onto bin lid arm 19 (see figure 14 and figure 16). This will align circular opening 40 with the opening in handle 18.

The plastic plug 20 is then hammered back into place which will now connect 9 the lid hinge 10 to the bin.

Referring now to the foot pedal. The foot pedal 50 is illustrated in figures 2, 3,4, 5 and 8. Foot pedal 50 is produced from a single sheet of steel which is cut and bent into a particular shape such that it can be fitted to the garbage bin only when the bin is lying on its side. The foot pedal is designed to not fall off when the bin is lifted up or even when tipped upsidedown. Foot pedal 50 has a front portion 51 and a rear portion 52. Foot pedal comprises an elongate body which has a substantially vertical plate member 53 and a substantially horizontal plate member 54. The substantially horizontal plate member 54 is what is depressed by a person's foot. Rear portion 52 has a particular shape which forms the axle attachment means.

The axle attachment means includes a semicircular arcuate portion 55 which is adapted to extend about the wheel axle. The arcuate portion 55 has a top free edge 56 and a bottom edge 57 which supports a bottom flange 58 which 15 extends vertically and is substantially rectangular when viewed in plan.

:Bottom flange 58 abuts against the bin body when the foot pedal is lifted upwardly too far. Thus, the foot pedal cannot be removed from the axle by lifting upwardly due to abutment of bottom flange 58 with the bin body. This is best illustrated in figure 20 The foot pedal 50 can be attached to the wheel axle only by initially tipping the wheelie bin or placing the wheelie bin on its side. This is because the configuration of arcuate portion 55 and bottom flange 57 and the shape of the bin around the wheel axle is such that the pedal can only be attached by positioning it at least vertically downwards. Thereafter, the foot pedal can be rotated to its normal use position which is illustrated in figure 13.

Once the wire rope is attached, foot pedal cannot be depressed or pushed back to the vertical position (where it could be removed) because of its attachment via the wire rope to the lid hinge. Thus, the foot pedal is attached relative to the wheel axle without requiring any separate clamps or fasteners about the wheel axle.

Depression of the foot pedal will cause the wire rope to pull downwardly which will cause the bin lid to be raised. This is best illustrated in figure 18. The small stop member 38 (see figure 1) functions to prevent the lid from pivoting past about 90* How this functions is best illustrated in figure 19 where it can be seen that stop member 38 abuts against part of the handle assembly when the bin lid is lifted. The abutment prevents further opening of the bin lid.

The wire rope 37 is a standard to 2.5 mm galvanised wire rope and is fasten to the foot pedal and the lid hinge by metal cleats. The wire is tensioned when the lid hinge and the foot pedal are attached to the bin to allow the lid of the bin to remain closed while the foot pedal is raised. When pressure is applied to the foot pedal, the wire rope pulls down the lid hinge which then opens the garbage bin to the required distance.

An advantage of the invention is that only one existing component (the plastic plug 20) is required to attach the apparatus to the bin.

o, Additional fasteners and clamps are not required.

Dimensions of the foot pedal and the lid hinge can be found in S figures is 20-25.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the invention described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

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Claims

1. A bin lid lifting apparatus of the type which has a lower wheel axle supporting a pair of wheels, the apparatus comprising a foot pedal, a lid hinge and a wire rope, the foot pedal comprising an elongate member having a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being adapted to be depressed by a person's foot, the rear portion being provided with axle attachment means, the axle attachment means comprising an arcuate portion which is adapted to extend at least partially about the wheel axle, the arcuate portion having a bottom flange depending from a lower part of the arcuate portion, the bottom flange adapted to abut against the outer body of the bin when the foot pedal is pivoted upwardly, the lid hinge comprising a substantially planar main body portion which is formed with an aperture designed to allow a pivot pin which attaches the bin lid to the bin handle to 15 pass through the aperture, the main body portion having an upper edge and a eo lower edge, the upper edge being formed with a return portion adapted to extend over an upper part of a bin lid arm, the lid arm attaching the bin lid to the handle via the pivot pin, the main body portion further being formed with 0 9' 0an outwardly extending flange on the lower edge part of the flange being 00.0 20 adapted to abut against the bin lid arm, the main body portion having a rear part which is provided with means to allow the wire rope to be attached to the rear part, and the wire rope comprising a flexible and substantially inextensible member.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the return portion has a substantially inverted U shape configuration.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the extending flange on the lower edge of the lid hinge is substantially rectangular and extends substantially at right angles relative to the main body portion.

4. The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear part comprises a turned in flange which is substantially at right angles both to the main body portion and the outwardly extending flange.

The apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein Sthe foot pedal has a substantially planar vertical portion, and a 12 substantially planar horizontal portion extending from one side of the top of the vertical portion to define a L shape.

6. The apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figures 2i-25. Dated this 10 th day of August 2001 Peter McBlane By his Patent Attorneys CULLEN &CO.