Receptacles – Container attachment or adjunct
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-07
2002-01-29
Castellano, Stephen (Department: 3727)
Receptacles
Container attachment or adjunct
C220S730000, C150S154000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06341713
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to coverings for containers, and more particularly, to aesthetically appealing covers for waste containers and the like providing covering for the containers and which conceal the mundane appearance of the containers and provides an aesthetically appealing appearance together with aesthetically pleasing graphics and a slogan or one of a variety of messages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Waste containers and the like, especially those employed in the waste industry and typically referred to as “universal carts” and/or “fully automated” or “semi automated” carts, are designed to accommodate a large quantity of waste and also designed to be automatically lifted so that their contents may be dumped directly into a refuse vehicle, often referred to as a “compactor” or “hopper”. Due to their size and the amount of waste they may contain, these waste containers are usually wheeled to facilitate their movement from one location to another. Further, due to the amount of space that they occupy, these containers are typically stored out of doors and either immediately adjacent to or some short distance away from a house. These containers, although rugged and able to withstand the elements, detract from the otherwise aesthetic appearance of the property. Although the containers may be housed within the property, such as in a garage or a shed, it is a nuisance to have to continually put the refuse containers back in the garage and bring them out each time waste has to be deposited therein and each time the container is emptied by a collection crew. In addition due to their size, such waste containers prevent their storage in some garages when a car is stored therein. The unattractive appearance of the containers is compounded when two or more of the containers are required for the purpose of recycling, for example which requires that different forms of waste material be placed in different waste containers, such as individual waste containers being respectively provided for glass, papers and organic garbage.
It is thus desirable to provide some means by which the aesthetic appearance of a property is not detracted by unattractive waste containers, which are typically stored out of doors for convenience purposes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is characterized by comprising a cover assembly for waste containers and the like which cover assemblies comprise a lid cover and a body portion cover. The lid cover fits over a cover lid of the waste container, and is typically swingably mounted to the body portion thereof.
The body cover portion is an elongated sheet of a water-resistant, water-proof material, being of a color which coordinates well with the exterior of an urban home and blends nicely with residential landscaping.
One surface of the sheet is provided with an aesthetically appealing design and preferably includes a message or slogan, such as, “welcome”, “home sweet home”, “kid zone”, and so forth.
The body cover member has a height which is coterminous with the height of the waste container. At present, this inventor has found that sheets of two different heights are satisfactory to accommodate 95% of the variety of sizes and designs of containers presently on the market. The inventor has found that heights don't change as capacity (per gallon) increases, only perimeter size/diameter.
The cover member wraps around the waste container and preferably has a width which is sufficient to assure that the ends of the cover member overlap one another. The cover member is preferably releaseably held onto the waste container by cooperating hook-type and loop-type fastening members, which, when pressed together, provide an adequate holding force, especially in the shear direction.
The cover is sufficiently versatile as to position the art work in alignment with any one of the four sides of the waste containers and is merely dependent upon the preference of the homeowner.
The cover and lid are easily removable and are preferably removed prior to the time of waste collection.
The surface of the cover member opposite that upon which the art work has preferably been silk screened has a water-proofing coating, preferably of urethane.
In order to provide a greater variety of art work, an “apron” is provided and is preferably of a height and width sufficient to cover the original silk screen art work or any other portion of the cover. The use of an apron enables the homeowner to select from a number of different forms of art work for a variety of different objectives, such as, for example, having a different apron with art work representing each of the four seasons of the year; art work showing the homeowners favorite sports team or cartoon character; art work, together with a slogan welcoming or honoring a particular season or occasion, such as, “Happy Easter”, “Season's Greetings”, “Memorial Day” and so forth, thereby enabling the homeowner to select from among a large variety of slogans and/or art work, which may be used in combination with the basic cover, thereby avoiding the need to have a different cover member for each desired art work and/or slogan which the homeowner may wish to display.
The aprons are preferably joined to the basic cover by cooperating hook-type and loop-type fasteners.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a novel cover for waste containers and the like which provides an aesthetically appealing appearance and totally conceals the waste container, which is typically unsightly and detracts from the appearance of the surroundings in which the waste container is located.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel cover for waste containers and the like which significantly improves the aesthetic appearance of the waste container and which further provides the homeowner with an opportunity to select from among a variety of different designs and/or slogans provided on the cover.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel cover for waste containers and the like which significantly enhances the aesthetic appearance of the waste container, especially when kept outside of the home and further utilizing changeable aprons releaseably arranged upon the cover to enable a homeowner to select from a wide variety of art work and/or slogans to be displayed to convey the wishes and/or desires of the homeowner.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4782873 (1988-11-01), Messner et al.
patent: 4954384 (1990-09-01), Hartwell
patent: 5165567 (1992-11-01), Richardson et al.
patent: 5553733 (1996-09-01), Rosenthal
patent: 5927524 (1999-07-01), Miller
patent: 6036047 (2000-03-01), Dobbie
patent: 6145696 (2000-11-01), Duncan
Castellano Stephen
Sterlin Suma, Ltd.
Volpe and Koenig P.C.
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