Presses – Reciprocating press construction – With transversely displaceable piston or movable platen
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-19
2001-11-13
Vo, Peter (Department: 3721)
Presses
Reciprocating press construction
With transversely displaceable piston or movable platen
C100S227000, C100S246000, C100S247000, C100S255000, C100S265000, C100S295000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314874
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a manual trash compactor that has a bottom support. This manual trash compactor also contains an additional adjustable arm to help a lever arm keep a piston arm driving into a closed end of a garbage can.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Manual trash compactors are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,047 to Lindsey discloses a manual trash compactor having a lever
17
and a grip handle
20
. The lever is connected to a piston arm
23
and a compacting plate
24
. Piston
17
connects to the garbage can via a pivot arm
16
that extends out from the garbage can. This pivot arm is unlike the adjustable hinge in the present invention because the pivot arm does not move.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,094 to Shontz discloses a manual trash compactor for a circular shaped garbage can. The manual trash compactor contains a lever
15
and an adjustable hinge formed by L-shaped lever handle
15
pivoting around pin
43
. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,932 to Basuino discloses a manually operated garbage compacting press which attaches to a wall on plate
18
and swings out via hinges
17
. This design contains lever arm
22
which is connected to a piston
13
in its uppermost position. In both of these cases, these compactors do not contain a hinge that is attached to an edge of a garbage can.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,718 to Adornetto discloses a trash compactor attachment for a manual trash compactor. This trash compactor attachment is for compacting trash or garbage deposited therein. The compactor attachment includes a piston
45
with a head
46
for pressing against the deposited trash and a lever
60
arrangement for applying successive increments of pressure to the piston to compact the trash or garbage engaged by the head. However this invention does not disclose an adjustable hinge disposed on an edge of a top surface of a trash can.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,374 to Klepaki discloses a trash receptacle compactor for compacting trash in a trash receptacle enclosed in a housing including a piston disposed within the housing in alignment with the trash receptacle, and a lever means outside of the housing and interconnected with the piston for selectively operating the piston to compact trash within the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,128,055 and 4,050,373 to Hellmann discloses a manual trash compactor having a compacting head that corresponds to the bottom plate in the present invention. In addition piston corresponds to the push rod in the present invention. However, this patent does not disclose a lever arm, or an adjustable hinge disposed on an edge of the garbage can. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,567 to Fischer discloses a manual trash compactor that is wall mounted and has a piston disposed within a piston guide located on the wall.
While the prior art shows a manual trash compactor having a lever arm that rotates on a hinge, the prior art does not show an adjustable arm disposed on an edge of the garbage can that is used to center the piston and a compacting plate when compacting the garbage. Therefore the design of the present invention is novel over the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the invention is to provide a piston for a manual trash compactor that extends substantially perpendicular to a bottom end of a garbage can to compact trash down into the garbage can.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bottom compacting plate for a trash compactor that remains substantially parallel to a bottom face of a garbage can during compaction.
Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable lever arm for allowing the piston to remain substantially upright during compaction.
These and other objects are achieved by providing a manual trash compactor for a garbage can with an open end and a closed end. The compactor comprises a hood having an open end and an outer end that is attached to a top end of the garbage can. In addition, attached to the hood is a substantially closed surface wherein the substantially closed surface has at least one hole. There is also an adjustable arm that has a bottom end that is rotatably mounted on the substantially closed surface. The adjustable arm also has an opposite extended end. Rotatably attached to the extended end of the adjustable arm is a lever arm. A first end of the lever arm attaches to the adjustable arm a second end is spaced opposite the first end. Along the lever arm is a piston having a first end that is rotatably attached to the lever arm. The piston also has a second end that extends through the at least one hole in the substantially closed top surface, with the second end extending into the garbage can. A compression plate is attached substantially perpendicular to the piston at the second end of the piston.
Thus, to manually compress garbage in a garbage can, a user can close the top, or the substantially closed surface and press down on the second end of the lever arm. This act rotates the adjustable arm and the lever arm so that the piston extends down, substantially perpendicular to the bottom end of the garbage can driving the compression plate onto the garbage and compacting the garbage between the compression plate and the bottom end of the garbage can.
In one embodiment of the invention the manual trash compactor is for a free standing garbage can. In another embodiment of the invention the manual trash compactor is for a garbage can that slides in and out of a cabinet on a tray. In this second embodiment of the invention there is also a support means for supporting the tray above a floor once the garbage can is pulled out of a cabinet.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3411722 (1968-11-01), Webber
patent: 3760718 (1973-09-01), Adornetto
patent: 3850094 (1974-11-01), Shontz
patent: 3919932 (1975-11-01), Basuino
patent: 3946662 (1976-03-01), Ross, Jr. et al.
patent: 4050373 (1977-09-01), Hellmann
patent: 4128055 (1978-12-01), Hellmann
patent: 4331074 (1982-05-01), Behman
patent: 4658720 (1987-04-01), Massonnet
patent: 5024374 (1991-06-01), Ashby
patent: 5072852 (1991-12-01), Smith et al.
patent: 5619915 (1997-04-01), Wagner et al.
patent: 5730047 (1998-03-01), Lindsey
patent: 5845567 (1998-12-01), Fischer
patent: 403 370 (1998-01-01), None
patent: 2 135 322 (1972-12-01), None
patent: 7903519 (1979-05-01), None
patent: 8 501 293 (1986-12-01), None
Collard & Roe, PC.
Huynh Louis
Vo Peter
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