JP7728004B2 - Separation container - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a separation container.

Conventionally, a known example of this type of sorting container is one that separates the caps from the bottles of capped bottles (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-019102 A (paragraph [0005], Figure 1, etc.)

The conventional sorting containers described above have the problem that caps accumulate near the insertion opening and do not advance to the back, resulting in low storage efficiency in the cap storage section. In light of this, there is a need to improve the storage efficiency of the cap storage section in sorting containers.

The invention of claim 1, made to achieve the above object, is a sorting container in which caps and bottles for capped bottles, where the caps are screwed onto the bottles, are inserted through their corresponding inlets and stored separately in a cap storage section and a bottle storage section, and the bottom surface of the cap storage section is inclined, with the inlet for caps located in the upper area above the upper part of the inclination.

The invention of claim 2 is the separation container according to claim 1, in which at least a portion of the separation container is transparent, forming a transparent portion that allows the interior of the cap storage compartment to be viewed.

Note that "transparent" here means that the inside of the cap housing can be seen.

The invention of claim 3 is the sorting container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap storage section includes a cap discharge outlet through which caps that have reached the lowest part of the bottom surface are discharged, and a cover that can open and close the cap discharge outlet.

The invention of claim 4 is the sorting container described in claim 3, which is equipped with an attachment portion to which a recovery member can be attached that catches the caps that flow down the slope of the bottom surface and are discharged from the cap discharge port when the cap discharge port is opened.

The invention of claim 5 is a separation container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which a liquid-retaining recess is provided at the bottom of the cap storage section so that the cap does not fall off.

The invention of claim 6 is a sorting container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a container body having the bottle storage section therein, and a lid that closes the opening of the container body and is equipped with the cap storage section and the bottle insertion port, wherein the cap storage section is arranged to the side of the bottle insertion port in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the bottle into the bottle insertion port.

The invention of claim 7 is a sorting container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cap insertion port can only accept cylindrical caps with an open end when the opening is oriented horizontally.

In the sorting container of claim 1, caps inserted through the cap insertion opening move toward the back of the cap storage compartment along the slope of the bottom surface, making it easier for caps to be buried from the back of the cap storage compartment, improving storage efficiency.

The sorting container of claim 2 makes it easier to check the number of caps stored in the cap storage compartment.

In the sorting container of claim 3, when the cover is operated to open the cap discharge outlet, the caps are guided by the slope of the bottom surface of the cap storage section and discharged from the cap discharge outlet, making it easy to collect the caps.

In the sorting container of claim 4, a recovery member can be attached to the attachment portion, making it easier to recover the caps.

If liquid adheres to the cap, it may collect at the bottom of the cap storage section, potentially causing the cap to become submerged in the liquid. However, with the separation container of claim 5, the liquid adhering to the cap collects in the liquid collection recess, preventing this from happening.

The sorting container of claim 6 is less likely to interfere with the cap storage section when the bottle is inserted through the insertion opening.

In the sorting container of claim 7, the caps are inserted with the opening facing sideways, making it easier for the side of the cylinder to abut against the bottom of the cap storage section, and making it easier for the caps to roll.

1 is a perspective view of a waste sorting bin according to the present disclosure; Perspective view of a trash sorting bin Front view of the top of the trash sorting bin Perspective view of the cover Enlarged view of the upper end of the cap storage section Enlarged view of the mounting area Side cross-section of the top of the waste sorting bin Side cross-section of the top of the waste sorting bin Enlarged view of the top of the modified waste sorting bin FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cover according to a modified example. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the upper portion of a modified trash sorting bin; 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the upper portion of a modified trash sorting bin; 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the upper portion of a modified trash sorting bin; 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the upper portion of a modified trash sorting bin;

The following describes the presently disclosed trash sorting bin 10 (corresponding to the "sorting container" in the claims) with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The trash sorting bin 10 shown in Figure 1 is a trash bin for disposing of, for example, plastic bottles 100, and includes a trash bin body 11 having an upper opening 11A (see Figure 2) and a lid 20 that closes the upper opening 11A of the trash bin body 11.

The trash can body 11 has a rectangular bottom wall 12 and side walls 13 that rise from the four sides of the bottom wall 12. The side walls 13 are inclined so that the cross section of the trash can body 11 gradually increases as they extend upward. Of the side walls 13, those that rise from the long sides of the bottom wall 12 are called long side walls 13A, and those that extend from the short sides of the bottom wall 12 are called short side walls 13B.

The lid body 20 has a front wall 21, a curved upper wall 30, and a lid side wall 25. The front wall 21 extends flush with one long side wall 13A of the trash can body 11 and has a rectangular shape. The curved upper wall 30 has a horizontal wall 30A that extends slightly horizontally from the top end of the front wall 21, and a curved wall 30B that curves and connects from there to the top end of the other long side wall 13A of the trash can body 11. Hereinafter, the side toward which the front wall 21 of the lid body 20 faces will be referred to as the front side of the trash sorting bin 10, and the opposite side will be referred to as the rear side of the trash sorting bin 10. Furthermore, the "left and right" when viewing the trash sorting bin 10 from the front will be referred to as the "left and right" of the trash sorting bin 10.

A bottle insertion opening 22 for inserting the bottle body 101 of the PET bottle 100 and a label insertion opening 23 for inserting the label (not shown) peeled off from the bottle body 101 are formed through the front wall 21 of the lid body 20. The bottle insertion opening 22 is circular and located in the center of the left half of the front wall 21, while the label insertion opening 23 is horizontally rectangular and located in the center of the right half of the front wall 21. In this embodiment, the label insertion opening 23 is sized so that the bottle body 101 cannot fit through it.

The bottle bodies 101 and labels inserted through the bottle insertion port 22 and label insertion port 23 are respectively stored within the trash can body 11. The trash can body 11 may have a partition separating the bottle storage section, which stores the bottle bodies 101 inserted through the bottle insertion port 22, from the label storage section, which stores the labels inserted through the label insertion port 23. Alternatively, the trash can body 11 may have no partition and the bottle storage section and label storage section may be separated only by a trash bag attached to the trash can body 11.

The trash sorting bin 10 of this embodiment is provided with a cap storage section 35 capable of storing caps 102 for PET bottles 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the cap storage section 35 is formed by recessing the curved upper wall 30 of the lid body 20 downward, and has a strip-shaped opening 35A formed from the rear end of the horizontal wall 30A to a position near the rear end of the curved wall 30B, side wall sections 36 facing each other in the left-right direction, and a bottom wall 37. The left and right side wall sections 36 are arranged parallel to each other at a distance of approximately 1 to 1.5 times the height (axial length) of the caps 102.

In addition, in this embodiment, a cap storage section 35 is disposed on each of the left and right ends of the lid body 20. As shown in FIG. 3, each cap storage section 35 is horizontally offset from the bottle insertion opening 22 and the label insertion opening 23. This reduces interference with the cap storage section 35 when inserting the bottle body 101 through the bottle insertion opening 22.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cover 40 that closes the opening 35A is attached to the cap storage section 35. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cover 40 is strip-shaped and has a horizontal portion 40A and a curved portion 40B that are flush with the horizontal wall 30A and the curved wall 30B of the curved upper wall 30 of the lid body 20. The cover 40 also has a hanging wall 40C that extends downward from the upper end of the horizontal portion 40A. In this embodiment, the lid body 20 is made of a transparent resin, and the cover 40 is made of an opaque resin.

A shaft 41 that protrudes horizontally outward is provided at the corner between the horizontal portion 40A and the hanging wall 40C of the cover 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the cap housing 35 has a shaft receiving portion 35U formed at the upper end of the front end that receives the shaft 41 of the cover 40. The shaft receiving portion 35U is a groove that extends vertically, and its lower end is sized to rotatably receive the shaft 41. The lower end of the cover 40 also has an engagement protrusion 42 that protrudes slightly horizontally outward (see FIG. 4), and the rear end of the cap housing 35 has an engagement recess 35K that receives the engagement protrusion 42 (see FIG. 6).

This allows the cover 40 to rotate around the upper end of the front end of the cap storage section 35, opening and closing the cap storage section 35. When the cap storage section 35 is closed, the engagement protrusion 42 of the cover 40 engages with the engagement recess 35K of the cap storage section 35, ensuring a stable closed state. A finger grip 43 is also provided at the rear end of the top surface of the cover 40.

A rectangular cap insertion opening 45 is formed through the upper end of the cover 40. The width of this cap insertion opening 45 in the left-right direction is approximately the same as the height (axial length) of the cap 102, and the width in the front-to-back direction is approximately the same as the diameter of the cap 102. The cap insertion opening 45 can only accept the cap 102 with its opening facing sideways (with the opening facing "left" or "right").

2 and 7, in the waste sorting bin 10 of this embodiment, the bottom wall 37 of the cap storage section 35 slopes downward toward the rear. Specifically, the cap storage section 35 includes a hanging wall 38 that hangs down from the front end of the opening edge of the opening 35A. The bottom wall 37 has a first inclined portion 37A that extends from the lower end of the hanging wall 38 in a range approximately 2 to 4 times the diameter of the cap 102 in the front-to-rear direction, and a second inclined portion 37B that extends from the rear end of the first inclined portion 37A to the rear end of the opening edge of the opening 35A. The first inclined portion 37A has a greater slope than the second inclined portion 37B; for example, the inclination angle of the first inclined portion 37A relative to the horizontal is 45 to 70 degrees, and the inclination angle of the second inclined portion 37B relative to the horizontal is 5 to 30 degrees.

When the cover 40 closes the cap storage section 35, the cap insertion opening 45 of the cover 40 is located in the area above the uppermost portion of the first inclined section 37A. This inclination of the bottom wall 37 guides the caps 102 inserted through the cap insertion opening 45 to the rear side of the cap storage section 35. When the cover 40 is rotated to open the cap storage section 35, the caps 102 inside the cap storage section 35 are guided by the inclination of the bottom wall 37 and ejected from the rear end of the cap storage section 35 (see Figure 8). The rear end of the opening 35A of the cap storage section 35 corresponds to the "cap ejection opening" in the claims.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the trash can body 11 is provided with an attachment portion 15 on the rear sidewall 13 to which a bag (not shown) or a box-shaped cap collection container 111 can be attached. The attachment portion 15 extends across the entire left-right direction of the rear sidewall 13 and includes a first wall portion 15A extending rearward from the sidewall 13 and a second wall portion 15B extending upward from the rear end of the first wall portion 15A. Five evenly spaced notches 15K are formed in the second wall portion 15B. As shown in FIG. 6, the notches 15K extend from the upper end of the second wall portion 15B to a position near the lower end, and the upper end of the notches 15K is sloped so that it widens as it extends upward. The attachment portion 15 allows the hook 111F of the cap collection container 111 to be hung on the second wall portion 15B, or the handle of a bag to be hung on the notch 15K. When the cap storage section 35 is opened with the bag or cap collection container 111 attached to the attachment section 15, the caps 102 ejected from the cap storage section 35 are received by the bag or cap collection container 111.

The configuration of the trash sorting bin 10 of this embodiment is as described above. Next, the effects of the trash sorting bin 10 will be explained. As described above, the trash sorting bin 10 is provided with the bottle insertion port 22, label insertion port 23, and cap insertion port 45. When discarding a PET bottle 100, the cap 102 is removed and inserted into the cap insertion port 45, the label (not shown) is peeled off and inserted into the label insertion port 23, and the remaining bottle body 101 is inserted into the bottle insertion port 22. When removing the cap 102, it is conceivable to turn the cap 102 with the cap 102 facing up, but because the cap insertion port 45 faces upward, it is easy to insert the removed cap 102 that has been lifted upward.

When a cap 102 is inserted into the cap insertion opening 45, it is guided to the rear of the cap storage section 35 by the slope of the bottom wall 37 of the cap storage section 35. This makes it easier for the caps 102 to be embedded in the cap storage section 35 from the rear, improving the efficiency with which the caps 102 are stored in the cap storage section 35. Furthermore, because the lid body 20 that includes the cap storage section 35 is made of transparent resin, it is easy to see the amount of caps 102 stored in the cap storage section 35, making it easier to know when to collect the caps 102 (using the amount of caps 102 stored as a guideline also makes it possible to predict when to collect the bottle bodies 101 and labels). Furthermore, the fact that caps 102 that have already been inserted are visible is thought to encourage people who are about to throw away plastic bottles 100 to sort them.

When the cover 40 is rotated to open the cap storage compartment 35, the caps 102 inside the cap storage compartment 35 are guided by the slope of the bottom wall 37 and ejected from the rear end of the cap storage compartment 35, making it easy to collect the caps 102. If the caps 102 are stored up to the top end of the cap storage compartment 35, opening the cover 40 causes the hanging wall 40C of the cover 40 to rotate in a manner that pushes the caps 102 rearward, facilitating their ejection. Furthermore, because the trash can body 11 is provided with an attachment portion 15 for attaching a bag or cap collection container 111, collection of caps 102 is easier than, for example, collecting caps while holding a bag or cap collection container in one's hand.

In addition, the cap insertion port 45 can only accept the caps 102 with the opening facing sideways, so the caps 102 are stored sideways within the cap storage section 35, making it easier for the caps 102 to roll along the bottom wall 37 of the cap storage section 35. Furthermore, the width of the cap storage section 35 is approximately 1 to 1.5 times the height of the caps 102, so the caps 102 are lined up in a single row and are less likely to tip over, ensuring stable rolling of the caps 102.

Other Embodiments
(1) The cap insertion port 45 may be capable of receiving the cap 102 with the axial direction aligned with the up-down direction.

(2) If there are two or more cap storage sections 35, the sizes of the cap storage sections 35 and cap insertion openings 45 may be different to accommodate different types of caps 102, as shown in Figure 9.

(3) The cap storage section 35 may be one, or three or more.

(4) In the above embodiment, only one cap 102 was accommodated in the width direction, but two or more caps may be accommodated in the width direction.

(5) The label insertion slot 23 does not have to be provided.

(6) In the above embodiment, the waste sorting bin 10 was used to dispose of PET bottles 100. However, it may also be used to separate and dispose of bottles and caps, such as for energy drinks. In this case, an inlet for inserting the outer box of the energy drink may be provided instead of the label inlet 23.

(7) As shown in FIG. 10, the cover 40 may be provided with hanging walls 40H that hang down from both widthwise edges.

(8) As shown in FIG. 11, the bottom wall 37 of the cap storage section 35 may be curved (inclined) along the curved upper wall 30 of the lid body 20.

(9) As shown in FIG. 12, the bottom wall 37 of the cap storage section 35 may be divided into three or more sections, each inclined at a different angle. Alternatively, the entire bottom wall 37 of the cap storage section 35 may be inclined at the same angle.

(10) As shown in Figure 12, a portion of the bottom wall 37 of the cap storage section 35 may be further recessed to provide a liquid reservoir recess 37U in which liquid adhering to the cap 102 can be collected. In this case, the cap 102 is prevented from being submerged in liquid. In the example shown in Figure 12, the liquid reservoir recess 37U is smaller than the cap 102, preventing the cap 102 from becoming stuck in the liquid reservoir recess 37U. Note that when opening the cap storage section 35 to retrieve the cap 102, wiping off the liquid in the liquid reservoir recess 37U is thought to prevent stains from remaining on the cap storage section 35.

(11) As shown in Figure 12, a folded portion 40V may be provided at the rear end of the cover 40, facing inward toward the cap storage section 35. If this folded portion 40V is configured to abut against the edge of the opening 35A of the cap storage section 35, friction will stabilize the closed state of the cover 40, preventing the cover 40 from opening unintentionally even if the caps 102 accumulate and apply a load to the rear end of the cover 40.

(12) As shown in Figure 13, the liquid reservoir recess 37U may be larger than the cap 102, and a lid 37F may be attached to the liquid reservoir recess 37U to prevent the cap 102 from falling. Alternatively, a through-hole smaller than the cap 102 may be formed in the bottom wall 37, and a liquid recovery member may be attached to collect the liquid that falls through the through-hole.

(13) The cover 40 may be made of a transparent resin, and the lid 20 may be made of an impermeable resin. Alternatively, the entire sorting container (trash sorting bin 10) may be made of a transparent resin, or only a portion of the cover 40 or the lid 20 may be transparent.

Furthermore, the material does not have to be completely transparent, as long as it is translucent enough to allow the amount of storage in the cap 102 to be visually confirmed, and it may be made of a translucent resin or the like. Furthermore, the material may be made of a resin that has a level of translucency that allows the amount of storage in the cap 102 to be ascertained. Furthermore, such resins may be colored.

(14) In the above embodiment, the cap insertion port 45 was formed in the cover 40. However, a space may be provided between the front end of the opening of the cap storage section 35 and the front end of the cover 40, and this space may serve as the cap insertion port 45.

(15) The cap storage section 35 may be provided in the trash can body 11 rather than the lid body 20. Furthermore, the trash sorting bin 10 may be configured without a lid body 20.

(16) The cap storage section 35 may extend in the left-right direction instead of the front-to-rear direction.

(17) As shown in Figure 14, the cap storage section 35 may have a wall at its rear end, with the opening of the cap storage section 35 facing only upward.

Note that while the present specification and drawings disclose specific examples of technology included within the scope of the claims, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples and includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken independently.

REFERENCE SIGNS 10 Sorting trash bin 11 Trash bin body 15 Mounting portion 20 Lid body 22 Bottle insertion port 23 Label insertion port 30 Curved upper wall 35 Cap storage portion 37 Bottom wall 40 Cover 45 Cap insertion port

Claims (7)

A sorting container in which a cap and a bottle of a capped bottle, in which the cap is screwed onto the bottle, are inserted through corresponding insertion ports and are separately stored in a cap storage section and a bottle storage section,
A sorting container in which the bottom surface of the cap storage section is inclined, and the cap insertion port is located in an upper region of the upper part of the inclination. The sorting container according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the sorting container is transparent, making the inside of the cap storage compartment visible. The sorting container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cap storage section comprises a cap discharge outlet through which caps that have reached the lowest part of the bottom surface are discharged, and a cover that can open and close the cap discharge outlet. The sorting container according to claim 3, further comprising an attachment portion to which a recovery member can be attached that receives the caps that flow down the slope of the bottom surface and are discharged from the cap discharge port when the cap discharge port is opened. A sorting container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bottom of the cap storage compartment is provided with a liquid-retaining recess configured to prevent the cap from falling. a container body having the bottle storage portion therein;
a lid body that closes the opening of the container body and has the cap storage section and the insertion port for the bottle,
6. A sorting container according to claim 1, wherein the cap storage section is arranged to the side of the bottle inlet in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the bottle is inserted into the bottle inlet. A sorting container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cap insertion port can only accept cylindrical caps with an open end when the open surface is oriented horizontally.