US2846112A - Can covers - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 5, 1958 1. EISENMAN 2,846,112

I CAN COVERS Filed Feb. 6, 1957 v ATTORNEY United States Patent CAN COVERS Louis Eisenman, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application February 6, 1957, Serial No. 638,585

4 Claims. Cl. 220-38) This invention relates to improvements in can covers, and more particularly to a means for connecting the covers of garbage cans and similar receptacles which satisfies the sanitary regulations of communities requiring that a garbage can cover be completely separable and removable from its can body, but which at the same time retains the advantages of the swinging-sliding type of garbage can cover.

In explanation, it is well known to connect the cover of a domestic garbage can, pail or similar receptacle so that it may lift and lower with respect to the can body, in addition to swinging from its closed position on the can. Such a cover-to-can or pail connection, sometimes termed a swinging-sliding connection, of course permits filling and dumping of the can, but, more important, it serves to permanently tie the cover to the can so that it cannot roll or be blown away from the latter. Unfortunately, however, sanitary regulations in certain localities in eflect prohibit the use of garbage cans whose covers are permanently connected to the can body in that they specify that the can cover be of a type enabling it to be completely separated from the can body by the garbage collector, thus to insure full dumping and to facilitate inspection and ventilation of can and cover. Where such a regulation prevails, the advantages to the householder of the swinging-sliding type cover-to-can body connecting means as aforesaid are lost.

Recognizing this unsatisfactory situation, I earlier devised and patented a swinging-sliding type cover-to-can connection which further permitted physical separation of the cover from the can body, for which reference is had to my Patent No. 2,032,742, dated March 3, 1936. However, while establishing the correctness of the principle involved, my patented cover connecting means proved too diflicult to operate and too expensive, to manufacture for large-scale popular usage.

With the above as background, a principal object of my present invention is the provision of a simple and thoroughly dependable cover-to-can or pail connecting means which satisfies, in the first instance, the everyday requirements of the housewife or other person called upon to deposit household garbage in an outside garbage can or pail, with assurance that the can cover will not become accidentally separated and possibly blown away from the can body, and which also satisfies any existing sanitary or collection service regulation requiring that the cover be capable of physical separation from the can body by the collector for dumping, inspection and ventilation purposes.

A more particular object of the invention is the provision of a swinging-sliding type of connection between a can cover and its can body, which incorporates simple, easily operable means for physically disconnecting said cover from the can body.

Yet another object of my invention is the provision of a cover-to-can body connecting means operating on the principle of such a means as disclosed in my Patent 2,846,112 Patented Aug. 5, 1958 No. 2,032,742, but which is much more simple and practical in its operation and inexpensive in its construction.

The above and other objects and advantages of a garbage can cover connecting means of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description thereof, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of a can cover connecting means as herein proposed, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a garbage can or similar receptacle having a cover mounted and connected to the can body in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the can turned from its Fig. 1 position and showing in full and dotted lines the cover in its successive raised and swung-open positions;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the attaching brackets in and by which the cover connecting rods or arms are pivotally and slidably connected at their lower ends to the can body, the cover connecting arms being shown in their raised position to which they have moved from their normal lowered position indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig 5 is a transverse section taken on line 55 of Fig. 3; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 3 and 5, respectively, which illustrates the complete separability of the cover connecting arms from the attaching brackets.

Referring to the drawings in detail, reference numeral 10 generally designates a typical open-top garbage can or similar receptacle, whose open top is adapted to be closed by a can cover 12, illustratively of a type provided with a circumferential flange 14 enabling the cover to telescope over said open top of the can. According to the invention, the cover is connected to the can body by an improved quick-disconnectable cover connecting means to which the present invention is directed, and which is so constructed and arranged that in normal usage it enables the cover to be lifted from its closed position on the can body and thereupon swung to full open position and, conversely, to be swung from an open position to an elevated position with respect to the can and thereupon lowered on to the can body to full closed position.

As best seen in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, such connecting means comprise a pair of connecting arms 16a, 16b which are aflixed at their upper ends to diametrically opposed points on the cover flange 14 and extend axially downwardly therefrom, terminating at their lower ends in right-angular inbent offsets 18. Said offsets normally function as the hinge pin components of hinge pin and slot connections between the lower ends of the arms 16a, 16b and the can body, the slots of said connection being provided in relatively elongated, vertically disposed attaching brackets 20a, 2012 which are afiixed to the outer side of the can body at the appropriate level thereof such as, taking into account the length of the slots to insure both full closing of the can cover 12 and at least the amount of lift thereof as enables said cover to clear the top edge of the can body when being swung to and from open position.

More particularly, and as illustrated in Fig. 5, the aforesaid attaching brackets 20a, 20b each has generally chan nel section and is disposed with its channel opening inwardly or towards the can body. Relativelywide attaching flanges 22a, 22b (Fig. 3) extending laterally from the side walls defining the bracket channel accommodate rivets 24 or other appropriate securing. means serving to secure said flanges flush against the outer side of the can. Preferably, the wall of the bracket which defines the bottom of the channel is of duplex construction, there being an outer wall section 26a and an inner wall section 26b, the latter being spaced a small but appreciable distance inwardly from said outer wall section. The space between said wall sections accommodates an enlarged. button or disc-form bearing hub 28" fixedly carried by the arm offsets 18 outwardly of their inner ends, said hub having diameter corresponding substantially to the width of said space so as to be freely slidable therealong.

It will be understood that both said bottom wall sections 26a, 26b are longitudinally slotted for the passage of the arm offsets 18 into the channel proper, said slots being respectively designated 30a, 30b in Fig. 5. At least one of said slots, illustratively the inner slot 30a, is closed at its lower end by a fixed bottom stop 32, and at its upper end by a specially constructed top stop 34 to be described in detail, said stops normally establishing the respective lower and upper limits of the vertical movement permitted the arm offsets 18 and hence the cover 12.

By reference to Figs. 4 and 5, it will also be seen that the attaching brackets 20a, 2012 are each formed with a part-circular sleeve formation 36 disposed with its opening coinciding with the slot 30a in the outer wall section 26a of the channel bottom. Being vertically arranged and in alignment with the cover connecting arms 16a, 16b when the latter are vertically disposed, the aforesaid sleeve formations are adapted to receive the lower end of the arms in their full cover-lowered position. Thus, said sleeve formations 36 prevent any angular movement of the cover-connecting arms 16a, 16b and corresponding swinging movement of the cover until the latter has been purposely lifted in vertical direction from the can body for the full axial length of said formations. Such is a feature of advantage in that it protects against the cover being pushed off the can by dogs or other animals because of the almost physical impossibility of such animals being able to raise the cover from the can vertically and in the proper amount prior to pushing the cover laterally oil the can.

With the construction so far described, it will be understood that the illustrated hinge pin and slot connection between the lower ends of the arms 16a, 16b and the can body 10, as provided by the arm offsets 18 and the slots 30a, 30b of the attaching brackets 20a, 20b, both enables and requires the can cover 12, when in closed position, to be lifted vertically from the can by an amount corresponding generally to thelength of said slots and thereupon swung to its full open position, indicated in Fig. 2, and, when in open position, to be first swung to its raised position with respect to the can and thereupon lowered to its full can-closing position. It will also be appreciated that the aforesaid pin and slot connection is of rugged and durable construction and that it further provides plural bearing and supporting surfaces between the arm offsets 18 and the attaching brackets, which insure long life and trouble-free service.

As explained above, the sanitary or garbage collection regulations of some communities require that a garbage can cover be completely disconnectahle from the can body so as to facilitate and insure full dumping, inspection and ventilation of can, cover, etc. The presently proposed cover-connecting means satisfies this requirement by the provision. of a slot top-stop which can be rendered inactive, thereupon to permit the cover-connecting arms to be completely withdrawn, i. e. pulled upwardly from their attaching brackets 20a, 20b. To this end, the aforesaid slot top-stops or closures, rather than. being rigidly afiixed to the upper ends of the attaching brackets in their Fig. 4 position in which they prevent any further upward movement of the arm offsets 18, are instead mounted for retracting movement to an inactive position shown in Fig. 7 in which they have no slot closing function whatsoever.

More particularly, each said top; stop: 34 preferably takes the form of a cross pin extending between the spaced side" walls of the attaching bracket 20a or 2% mounting the same. Said pin is substantially longer than the space between said side walls, and one end is formed with an enlargement 34a and the other with a bent-over portion forming a grip or handle 34b. The hole in the side wall of the attaching bracket through which the enlarged end 34a of the pin normally projects is of course formed large enough to pass same. However, the hole in the other side wall, i. e. the wall normally adjacent the handle end 3412 of the pin, has lesser diameter than that of the pin enlargement 34a. Accordingly, while the pin may be axially withdrawn from its Fig. 5 to its Fig. 7 position, it is prevented from retracting beyond that position by the pin end enlargement 34a.

Normally, the pins are maintained in their active position shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in which they block complete withdrawal of the arm ofisets 18 from their attaching brackets 20a, 20b. However, when the garbage collector or the householder preparing for collection desires to break the normal connection between cover and can, he or she simply grasps the handle ends 34b of the pins 34 and pulls them to their inactive position as shown in Fig. 7. In this position the upper ends of the slot CODI- ponents of the connection are completely open as enables the connecting arms to be freely withdrawn from same as indicated in Fig. 6. Such of course physically disconnects the cover from the can body, enabling the collector to dump the latter in the usual way. To remake the connection of cover-to-can body, it is only necessary to insert the'arm oifsets 18 into the upper ends of bracket slots 30a, 3%, lower same slightly thereinto and push the top stop pins 34 back to their Fig. 5 position,

whereupon the cover can function as a swinging-sliding:

type of cover connected to the can body as usual.

Without further analysis, it will be appreciated that a cover connecting means for garbage cans and similarreceptacles as herein illustrated and described satisfies. the objectives of the invention as explained in the fore-- going. However, as many changes could be made in carrying out the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Iclaim:

1. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a can body comprising, in combination, means providing a hinge pin and slot connection cover to can body operative to permit lifting and swinging motion of the cover with respect to the can body, said connection including hinge pins affixed to the cover and extending into the slots of slotted members afi'ixed to the sides of the can body, said slots being vertically disposed and open at their upper ends, and retractible means operatively and permanently connected to said slotted members and positioned thereon as normally to close said slot-ends but being mounted for movement to an inactive position in which they open the slot ends to movement of the hinge pins therethrough.

2. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a can body comprising, in combination, a pair of cover connecting and swing arms aflixed at their upper ends to the cover, means providing hinge pin and slot connections between the lower ends' of said arms and the can body and being operative to permit lifting and swinging of the cover with respect to the can body, said connections comprising inbent ends on the lower ends of said arms functioning as hinge pins and a pair of elongated vertically disposed attaching brackets having channel section afiixed to the can body with their channels facing inwardly towards said body and being provided with elongated vertical slots in their outer walls which define the bottoms of. said. channels, saidinbent ends of. the

arms extending through said slots into the channels and said slots being open at their upper ends, and means operatively-connected to the upper ends of the brackets and normally extending across same and closing the upper ends of the slots, said last means being mounted for movement to an inactive position in which they open said upper ends of the slots to separating movement of the inbent ends of the arms from the brackets.

3. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a can body substantially as set forth in claim 2, wherein each said last means comprises a cross pin slidably mounted in aligned holes in the side walls which define each bracket channel.

4. Means for separably connecting a can cover to a 5 2,032,742

can body substantially as set forth in claim 3, wherein said cross pins are each provided with an enlarged diameter head at one end and its other end is bent angularly to form a pull handle, said head being larger than the hole in the channel side wall nearer the pull handle thereby to prevent complete axial separation of the cross pin from its associated bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,220,975 Gemeinder Mar. 27, 1917 1,227,105 Barnes May 22, 1917 1,591,781 Ried July 6, 1926 Eisenman Mar. 3, 1936

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