Agitating – By movement of mixing chamber relative to stationary support – Mixing chamber rotatable only
Patent
1994-04-29
1996-01-30
Scherbel, David
Agitating
By movement of mixing chamber relative to stationary support
Mixing chamber rotatable only
366230, 220 424, 220693, B01F 906
Patent
active
054876044
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a rotatable mulch bin and has been devised particularly though not solely for the mulching of organic garden waste such as lawn clippings.
BACKGROUND ART
In the past many different forms of mulch or compost bin have been provided for the mulching of garden waste such as lawn clippings, leaves, small twigs etc, many of which are stationary bins designed to stand on a ground surface. In many methods of mulch making it is desirable to turn over the material within the bin at frequent intervals, and this process is difficult with a stationary bin requiring the manual use of a fork or similar implement. This problem has been overcome in the past by providing rotatable mulch bins which rotate about an axis extending through the mid-point of the drum and at right angles to the axis of the drum itself, so that the drum may be rotated or tumbled about the axis which is typically supported on a support stand.
Rotatable mulch bins of this type have the disadvantage that they are bulky in design, taking up considerable space for storage after manufacture and particularly for transport from the place of manufacture to the point of sale. For example the number of mulch bins which can be packed into a shipping container is extremely limited due to the bulky nature of the bin.
It is a further disadvantage of rotatable mulch bins of this type, that some material placed in .the bins tends to clump together even when the bin is rotated causing delays in the break down period of the grass clippings into mulch.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
The present invention therefore provides a rotatable mulch bin formed from two similar drum members each having an open end provided with a joining flange and an opposite closed end, at least one said drum member having an openable closure member in its closed end, the two drum members being interconnected in use at their joining flanges so that their opposite ends are at opposed ends of the bin; and members defining a pivot axis extending diametrically through the interconnected joining flanges, said members being supported on a support stand so that the bin can be rotated about the pivot axis in use.
Preferably the two drum members are substantially identical, each having an openable closure member in its closed end.
Preferably the closure member comprises a lid secured to the bin member by a bayonnet or screw fitting.
Preferably the two drum members are designed to nest inside each other when not interconnected at their joining flanges.
Preferably the two drum members are molded from plastic material, each drum member being produced from the same mold.
Preferably the members defining the pivot axis include a tube or rod extending diametrically across the bin.
Preferably the joining flanges incorporate aligned semi-cylindrical recesses at the location of the tube, forming bearing shells for the rotation of the bin upon the tube or rod.
Preferably the tube or rod comprises a metal tube supported at each end by expandable anchor bolts engaged with the support stand and extending into the ends of the metal tube.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Notwithstanding any other forms that may fall within its scope, one preferred form of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotatable mulch bin according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a rotatable mulch bin according to the invention;
FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional elevation of the mulch bin shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a scrap view to an enlarged scale showing a vertical section through one end of the pivot tube on which the bin rotates.
MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
In the preferred form of the invention a rotatable mulch bin is formed from two similar drum members 1 and 2 each preferably molded from a suitable plastic material. Each drum member has an open end 3 provided with a joining flange 4 which typically extends radially outwardly from the open end of the drum a
REFERENCES:
patent: 209322 (1878-10-01), Benedict
patent: 227239 (1880-05-01), Frentress
patent: 1721796 (1929-07-01), Taylor
patent: 2652983 (1953-09-01), Hall
patent: 2832496 (1958-04-01), Williams
patent: 3139708 (1964-07-01), Oetiker
patent: 3433385 (1969-03-01), Metivier
patent: 4372686 (1983-02-01), Herfeld
patent: 4756623 (1988-07-01), Bishop
Cooley Charles E.
Kleinke Bernard L.
Potts Jerry R.
Scherbel David
Scott Peter P.
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