Receptacles – Drain pan or drip pan
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-12
2003-09-30
Castellano, Stephen (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Drain pan or drip pan
C220S023870, C220S501000, C220S908100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626321
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bin for collecting valuable biological materials comprising a vessel which has a bottom, side walls and a lid, which can be opened, and has at least one opening for the passage of air.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the background knowledge that resources for raw materials as well as dumping space for waste materials are limited, aspects of the control of recycling have entered into the disposal of waste in recent years. One aspect of this is the separate collection of organic waste, especially kitchen and garden waste, in order to convert this waste in composting plants into compost which is used as a soil improver in the agricultural and horticultural industries as well as in agriculture and horticulture.
The separate collection of valuable biological materials, on the hand, and the remainder of garbage, on the other, coupled in part with a separate collection of materials that can be recycled, such as plastics, glass, metals and/or paper, frequently is associated with a considerable increase in the disposal fees. The costs of the treatment of the valuable biological materials in the composting plant play a lesser role here because they are frequently covered more or less by the proceeds achieved by the sale of the finished compost. On the other hand, the collection and transporting costs have a decisive effect on these additional costs. In this connection, it is of fundamental importance that, especially in warm regions and during the summer months, emptying intervals of a week or, in some cases, even appreciably less, are required for hygienic reasons. This is the case especially when conventional waste barrels are used for collecting valuable biological materials since anaerobic decomposition processes take place especially in wet kitchen waste under the influence of heat and with the exclusion of air and are associated with, at times, unpleasant emissions of odors and health-endangering emissions of fungi, germs and spores. In addition, in the closed waste barrels used to collect valuable biological materials, a climate exists, in which vermin can reproduce particularly well.
In order to suppress the occurrence of anaerobic processes in the collective valuable biological materials, conventional waste barrels have already been provided with openings for the passage of air, especially in the side walls and/or in the lid. In some cases, such barrels, provided with openings for the passage of air, were additionally equipped with ribs in the region of the inner surfaces of the side walls. These ribs prevented contact between the valuable biological materials and the openings for the passage of air and, in this way, were intended to improve the ventilation (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,796). Moreover, a hinged bottom grating is fastened to the rear wall of the vessel. However, these known collecting bins prove to be hardly better than conventional, closed, collecting bins without openings for the passage of air, because relatively wet, small-format and smooth kitchen waste, such as potato peels and the like, tend to adhere between the ribs at the inner surfaces of the side walls of the barrel and, in this way, obstruct the openings for the passage of air. As a consequence, the same anaerobic decaying and fermentation processes take place in the collected valuable biological materials, as in closed waste barrels without openings for the passage of air. Accordingly, when these known collecting bins are used, especially in hot regions and/or months, cost-intensive emptying plans with short emptying intervals of a week or less are also unavoidable, in order to satisfy hygienic requirements.
Further proposals to retrofit existing waste barrels by ventilation inserts, so that they become particularly suitable for collecting waste that can be composted, are described in DE 35 17 262 C1, WO 95/01294, DE 297 03 055 U1 and EP 0 502 365 A1. For example, it is proposed in DE 35 17262 C1 that a screen insert in the form of a basket be used in a conventional standard bin for collecting waste, the walls of the screen insert maintaining a distance from the side walls of the waste bin, in order to bring about, in conjunction with the openings for the passage of air provided in the side walls of the waste bin, a ventilation for the waste which can be composted and is taken up in the screen insert. The International Publication No. WO 95/01294 also discloses a corresponding combination of a conventional waste bin with a basket-like screen insert which is taken up in the waste bin. However, it is additionally proposed here that a woven or perforated supporting bag and, in this, in turn, a paper bag, be taken up in the basket-like screen insert, the paper bag being closed when being emptied so that it slides easily out of the supporting bag.
The German Patent Publication No. DE 297 03 055 U1 discloses different constructions of collecting bins which are equipped for collecting waste that can be composted and for which in each case at least one ventilating grating is provided. The possibilities are disclosed of assigning a ventilating grating to a side wall or of assigning a flat or angled ventilating grating to two adjacent corner regions for forming venting shafts.
The European Patent Publication No. EP 0 502 365 A1 discloses a waste collecting bin for compostable waste. A venting region is defined by means of a profiled venting element arranged at a distance from the rear wall of the bin. In addition, a pivotable bottom grating is provided which is mounted at the venting element.
These prior art constructions have the common disadvantage that a relatively inexpensive collection of valuable biological materials cannot be achieved with the disclosed collecting bins. Accordingly, some of the expenditure associated with the manufacture of the collecting bin is quite high. Moreover, in some cases, under unfavorable circumstances (see above), anaerobic fermentation processes proceed in the known collecting bins and, for reasons of hygiene, require a cost-effective emptying with short emptying intervals. The remaining useful volume, which is much too small, also requires short emptying cycles, as a result of which high collection costs result.
From this, the objective of the present invention is derived and consists of providing a collecting bin of the above-named type, which makes the relatively inexpensive collection of valuable biological materials possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, this objective is accomplished by providing in the interior of the vessel, two mutually opposite side gratings arranged at a distance from the adjacent side walls, the spaces between the side gratings and the respectively adjacent side walls being connected with the at least one opening for the passage of air. Furthermore, a bottom grating is provided which is arranged at a distance from the bottom of the vessel. The bottom grating is mounted pivotably to the two mutually opposite side gratings.
The collecting bins in accordance with the invention are distinguished because at least one portion of the side walls is assigned to a back-ventilated side grating. Moreover, a side grating can be assigned to each of the side walls of the bin. Within the scope of the present invention, however, it is also possible to assign side gratings to only a portion of the side walls.
The space between the bottom of the vessel and the bottom grating forms a seepage water storage area in which excess water of valuable biological materials filled into the collection bin dripping wet is collected. Such a reservoir of liquid is particularly advantageous for the miniclimate which develops in the collection bin. The liquid in the seepage water storage area prevents an excessively dry miniclimate in the collecting bin, the development of the putrefaction, which occurs in conventional waste barrels in the region of valuable biological materials lying in the seepage water, being prevented at the same time.
The pivotable suspension of the b
Castellano Stephen
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
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