EP0444620A1 - Waste gathering arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

The waste gathering elements 51, 52 arranged tower-like on top of one another and/or side by side each exhibit a casing 53, 60 and a tipping container 54, 61 arranged inside it, whose upper end can be pivoted out through the open casing front forwards from the upright position into a receiving position until a limit stop 78 operates. The waste gathering arrangement or each waste gathering element is designed as a box-shaped modular unit, whereby the casing 53, 60 exhibits a horizontal covering wall 20;65 which extends close above the upright tipping container 54, 61 and is provided with connection devices 71 to 73, 74, which serves to connect adjacent casings 53, 60. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a refuse collection element with a tilting container, which is accommodated in the standing position in a housing, is mounted with a horizontal axis near the bottom, and can be swung forward with its upper end through the open front of the housing into a throw-in position until a stop takes effect, the tilting container is provided for hanging a garbage bag.

The steadily increasing amount of waste, especially household waste, leads to considerable environmental problems, since landfills are only of limited absorption capacity and are not a usable permanent solution because of the dangers of soil contamination associated with them. Waste incineration is also not a satisfactory solution due to the release of toxic gases and the destruction of valuable raw materials. Thus, where the waste is generated, waste separation is already a must in order to reduce the amount of waste and to recycle it.

A more or less complete system of waste collection and recycling can only be realized if the waste producers (households) are provided with suitable facilities for the separate collection of the different types of waste. For reasons of space, it is not possible to set up 5 or 6 corresponding buckets or tons instead of the previously only garbage bin in the kitchen or instead of the garbage can in front of the front door, even if these could turn out a little smaller.

These considerations correspond to an already known separation waste collection arrangement which has a plurality of containers which are arranged like a tower on top of one another or are also arranged as a double arrangement in two towers next to one another (DE-GM 85 25 351). The containers, the lowest of which is provided with rollers, are cuboid in the same size and placed directly on top of each other and have a filling opening in their front end which is closed by a hanging flap. The top container of the tower is sealed odor-tight by a removable lid. For example, paper, glass, plastic, metal, compostable waste and special waste can each be thrown separately into a container provided for this type of waste, in accordance with an attached label. Difficulties exist not only when emptying the filled containers, for which the containers above them have to be lifted off and a new tower has to be erected, but also when introducing the garbage, which has to be inserted essentially horizontally through the front filling opening, whereby premature narrowing of the filling opening and contact with previously introduced waste can occur. The handling of this collective arrangement therefore does not meet the justified requirements.

In terms of handling, a tilting container into which the garbage is thrown in from above is more suitable, as is provided in the garbage collection element described at the beginning and known from DE-AS 23 13 315. This is a tilting container, which is arranged in the base cabinet of a fitted kitchen, which can be extended and swung out by foot control and can be lifted off the extended swivel axis in this position. The tilting container is provided with a lid mounted in the base cabinet, which is also pivoted when the tilting container is extended and swiveled out, but remains inside the base cabinet. The front of the tilting container is formed by a front plate matching the fitted kitchen front, which lies in the plane of the fitted kitchen front when the tilting container is retracted under spring force and pivoted in by its own weight. The tilting container protrudes forwardly over the base plate supporting it and is also at a considerable distance from the housing walls surrounding it, the top wall of the housing of which also extends over the neighboring base cabinets worktop, between which and the tilting container still has a drawer. If a garbage bag is used, it is inserted into the tilting container and simply folded over with its edge over the upper edge of the tilting container.

With the known tilting container, which has only a single waste collection chamber, however, no waste collection can be carried out. Although two or more tilting containers could be accommodated next to one another in adjacent base cabinets, this would be so complex in terms of space and cost that such a solution would be ruled out in most cases.

Accordingly, the invention has for its object to provide a user-friendly waste collection element that is easy to load, empty and keep clean, is suitable for a collection of waste with comparatively little space and is flexible in adapting to the existing separation requirements and different Locations (kitchen, other interiors, outdoor installation) can be used.

This object is achieved - starting from a garbage collection element of the type described above - according to the invention in that the garbage collection element is designed as a box-shaped structural unit, the housing of which has a horizontal top wall extending closely above the standing tilting container and is provided with connecting devices which connect adjacent housings serve similar garbage collection elements that are stacked on top of each other and / or arranged side by side.

Appropriate refinements and developments of this waste collection element result from the subclaims.

In the refuse collection element according to the invention, a number of similar refuse collection elements corresponding to the separation requirements can be arranged in a tower-like and / or side-by-side compact manner in a space-saving manner, as is best suited to the respective local conditions, so that a separation waste collection arrangement is created. Possibly. can be different Grid sizes and different designs, in particular for floor elements on the one hand and floor elements placed on these on the other hand, are provided. In the arrangement made up of individual elements, each tilting container is accessible independently of the other tilting containers. By using garbage bags, the tipping containers themselves remain largely clean, but can also be removed and cleaned if necessary, in which case the associated housing is also easily accessible. The garbage collection element can also be installed in a base cabinet of a kitchen unit, as is provided in the known garbage collection element or tilting container described above, in which case a suitable kitchen front panel is also expediently provided on the front of the tilting container. Then there is the advantage in the refuse collection element according to the invention that it can be easily and subsequently installed, because it is a functionally ready unit with a compact housing adapted to the tilting container, which is only to be screwed to the cabinet floor or to a side wall.

A particularly clean emptying of the tipping container is achieved by the measures according to claims 14 to 16. The sack is only touched on the sack cord in a cord area outside the container. The sack closes automatically when it is removed. It can then be carried away on the cord as a carrying loop and made available for disposal or collection by a garbage truck, for example. A bag made of a transparent film is expediently used, so that the type of waste in question and the proper separation can be recognized immediately.

Fig. 1

eine Behälteranordnung mit mehreren Müllsammelementen in Seitenansicht;

Fig. 2

die Behälteranordnung nach Fig. 1 in Vorderansicht;

Fig. 3

einen vergrößerten Ausschnitt aus der Seitenansicht nach Fig. 1;

Fig. 4

eine perspektivische Teildarstellung der Behälteranordnung nach Fig. 1 bis 3 mit einem in Standstellung und einem in Einwurfstellung befindlichen Kippbehälter;

Fig. 5

eine perspektivische Darstellung einer anderen Behälteranordnung aus zwei aufeinander gestellten Müllsammelelementen;

Fig. 6

einen vergrößerten vertikalen Teilschnitt quer durch den Lagerbereich eines Kippbehälters in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7

einen horizontalen Teilschnitt durch den in Figur 6 dargestellten Lagerbereich;

Fig. 8

einen vergrößerten vertikalen Teilschnitt durch den oberen Rand eines Kippbehälters gemäß Figur 5 mit einer Befestigungseinrichtung für den Müllsack; und

Fig. 9

einen vergrößerten horizontalen Teilschnitt durch einen Kippbehälter gemäß Figur 5 in Höhe der Müllsack-Befestigungseinrichtungen.

Two exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with the aid of a schematic drawing. Show it:

Fig. 1

a container arrangement with several garbage collection elements in side view;

Fig. 2

the container assembly of Figure 1 in front view.

Fig. 3

an enlarged section of the side view of FIG. 1;

Fig. 4

a partial perspective view of the container arrangement of Figures 1 to 3 with a in the standing position and a tilting container located in the throw-in position.

Fig. 5

a perspective view of another container arrangement from two stacked waste collection elements;

Fig. 6

an enlarged vertical partial section across the storage area of a tilting container in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7

a horizontal partial section through the storage area shown in Figure 6;

Fig. 8

an enlarged vertical partial section through the upper edge of a tilting container according to Figure 5 with a fastening device for the garbage bag; and

Fig. 9

an enlarged horizontal partial section through a tilting container according to Figure 5 at the level of the garbage bag fastening devices.

The container arrangement according to FIGS. 1 to 4 consists of four stacked waste collection elements or structural units, namely a lower structural unit 1, two middle structural units 2 and 3 and an upper structural unit 4. According to FIG. 2, these have seven tilting containers, namely four large tilting containers 5 to 8 and three small tilting containers 9 to 11. Furthermore, three thrust containers 12 to 14 of lower height are provided.

The tilting containers 5 to 11 and push containers 12 to 14 are arranged in a support frame 15 which has two side walls 16 and 17 and a rear wall 18, which are composed of the corresponding height sections of the structural units 1 to 4. For the mutual connection of the structural units, the wall sections are widened or drawn in at the upper or lower end, so that the structural units overlap with their wall sections, wherein a screw connection can also be provided in the overlapping area. Furthermore, the support frame 15 has a base 19 provided on the lower structural unit 1 and a cover wall 20 provided on the upper structural unit 4 on. The front of the support frame 15 is open, so that Figure 2 provides a view of the container 5 to 14.

In FIG. 2, the containers 5 to 11 are in their upright standing position within the support frame 15. The push containers 12 to 14 are drawn in their position pushed into the support frame 15. In contrast, the tilting container 8 is indicated or shown in its forward-inclined insertion position in FIGS. 1 and 3 and 4.

The tilting containers 5 to 11 are constructed in the same way, with a difference only to the extent that the three tilting containers 9 to 11 have a smaller width, so that, as can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 4, either two large ones within the constant width of the support frame 15 Tilting containers or three small tilting containers can be placed side by side.

Each tilting container 5 to 11 has a container front wall 21 with a lower wall section 22 inclined downwards towards the container bottom 23 in the standing position. A container rear wall 24 projects from the container bottom 23 and is connected to the container front wall 21 and its lower wall section 22 via two container side walls 25 and 26. The tilting containers 5 to 11 have a rectangular cross section and an open upper container end 27. A grip strip 28 is formed on the upper end of the front wall 21 of the container and extends essentially over the entire width of the container.

The push containers 12 to 14 are substantially lower than the tilting containers, but are also approximately cuboid and have a front wall 29 which merges into an inclined lower wall section 30. The push containers 12 to 14 are also provided with a handle bar 31. They are expediently hung on guide rails with an angled upper edge of their side walls, but can optionally also be supported on a sliding floor integrated in the support frame 15, wherein they can be completely pulled out of the support frame 15 towards the front.

Each tilting container 5 to 11 is provided in its transition region between the lower wall section 22 and the container bottom 23 with a bearing sleeve 32 which extends over the entire width of the container extends and has open ends. According to FIG. 3, the bearing sleeves 32 extend within the containers between corresponding bores in the container side walls 25 and 26. The bearing sleeves 32 of adjacent tilting containers 5 and 6 or 7 and 8 or 9, 10 and 11 are arranged coaxially and on a common bearing axis 33 stored, which extends over the entire width of the support frame 15 and is supported on the side walls 16 and 17. The side walls 16 and 17 are expediently provided with bores corresponding to the diameter of the bearing axles 32, through which holes the bearing axles can be installed and removed.

The tilting containers 5 to 11 can be pivoted between an upright standing position and a forwardly tilted insertion position on the bearing axles 33. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the container 7 in the standing position and the container 8 in the insertion position. In the standing position, the tilting container is located essentially completely within the support frame 15 or behind its front front. The container base 23 stands on a transverse wall 34 which extends in the rear half of the support frame from its rear wall 18 to the area of the bearing axis 33 between the two side walls 16 and 17. In the tilted position, the containers rest with their lower wall section 22 on a transverse part 35 forming a tilting stop, which extends horizontally in the front of the support frame 15 between its side walls 16 and 17 and gives the support frame stability. As shown in FIG. 3, these strip-shaped transverse parts 35 form the upper end of the units 1, 2 and 3 and also serve to fasten the attached units 2, 3 and 4 using connecting means 36. Furthermore, narrow struts 37 can be arranged in the region between containers arranged next to one another be, which connect the transverse walls 34 to the transverse parts 35 and thereby contribute to the stability of the support frame 15.

The inclined lower wall sections 22 and 30 on the front sides of the containers 5 to 14 not only cause that thrown-in garbage slides into the rear part of the container and this is filled more evenly, moreover, through the container bevel, a chute 38 for conveniently inserting Garbage formed in the tilting container underneath in its standing position, so that for throwing in Garbage objects with smaller dimensions can possibly be dispensed with swiveling out of tilting containers.

As only shown in FIG. 3, the insertion chutes 38 can each be covered by a closure flap 39 which hangs down from the front wall of the container 21 or 29 in the plane of the front and is swung open when it is thrown in, in order then to close again automatically. The flaps are designed as rigid wall parts with the containers of appropriate width, which are hinged by means of a hinge band 40 with their upper edge to the container and carry trapezoidal wings 41 angled backwards at their lateral ends. These move the center of gravity of the closure flap to the rear, so that a complete pivoting back into the closed position is ensured after each opening. In Fig. 3 with the tipping container 8 in the throw-in position, it is also indicated that when the tipping container is pivoted out, the closure flap pivots back through its guidance on the transverse part 35 or on the struts 37, with the lower wall section 22 in the tilting position over the closure flap 39 on Support frame 15 supports.

In Figure 4 it is indicated that each container 5 to 11 is lined with a garbage bag 42 made of a transparent film. At the upper edge of the garbage bag 42, an endless sack cord 43 is welded or threaded. This sack cord 43 is suspended in two hook-shaped fastening devices 44, which are arranged near the upper container edge and the rear container corners. The sack cord 43 is led out of the front of the tilting container and hooked under the handle 28. It is so long that it can be pulled straight over the handle 28 after hooking into the rear fastening means 44. Accordingly, the garbage bag 42 is held in the fully open position and in close contact with the inner walls of the tilting container, both in the standing position and in the tilted position.

To empty a filled tilting container 5 to 11, it is swung out into the insertion position, in which, as shown, the open upper end 27 is located essentially completely in front of the front of the support frame 15. Now the sack cord 43 is pulled forwards and upwards over the handle 28, the pull on the sack cord causing it slides out of the rear fastening devices 44 and the garbage bag 42 contracts accordingly. By pulling the sack cord further, the filled garbage bag is pulled up on the inclined front wall 21 of the container, so that the dumping container can be emptied or the garbage bags lifted out easily and without great effort. By using the garbage bags 42 that close when they are removed, clean work without touching the garbage is guaranteed, especially since the filled garbage bag that is removed does not even have to be put down but can be carried directly to a disposal point on the sack cord 43. The containers themselves also stay clean and require hardly any cleaning, even when installed in the kitchen.

The housing-like support frame 15 can be made of sheet iron, which is provided with a protective coating. The wall surfaces can be stiffened by beads. Containers 5 to 14 can also be made of sheet metal, but for the tilting containers an injection molding production from a plastic is particularly suitable, in particular from a transparent or translucent plastic, which shows its degree of filling and the type of waste in question without swiveling out the tilting container. This also prevents accidental sorting errors.

The containers 5 to 14 can be provided with labels or color markings in order to signal the assignment to a specific type of waste. For example, the division can be made so that the tilting container 5 for kitchen waste, the tilting container 6 for residual waste, the tilting container 7 for paper, the tilting container 8 for glass, the tilting container 9 for metal, the tilting container 10 for problem waste, and the tilting container 11 for plastics , the drawer 12 for aluminum, the drawer 13 for pharmaceuticals and the drawer 14 for batteries are provided.

As an expedient supplementary measure, a magnet can be attached to the outside of the container arrangement, preferably on one of the side walls 16 or 17, which can contribute to the proper separation because it enables the simple determination of whether a part to be inserted is made of iron or aluminum .

According to Figure 5, a garbage tower is provided from two units, namely a lower garbage collection element 51 and an upper garbage collection element 52. The lower garbage collection element 51 has a housing 53, which in turn comprises a bottom, two side walls, a rear wall and a top wall and an open front having. The housing 53 receives a tilting container 54, which is shown in its pivoted-in throw-in position. As indicated, this tilting container 54 also has an inclined lower wall section. The tilting container 54 is divided by two partitions 55 and 56 into three container chambers, each of which holds a garbage bag 57 corresponding to the garbage bag 42 described above. At the upper end of each container chamber in the corners there is an upstanding fastening device 58 in the form of an upstanding pin, so that the sack cord does not have to be pulled over the handle strip, which in turn extends over the entire width of the tilting container, but remains completely within the tilting container 54.

The upper garbage collection element 52 has a housing 60 which differs from the housing 53 in that there is no floor. Both housings 53 and 60 are made of sheet metal with chamfers. The upper housing 60 with its side walls and preferably also with its rear wall overlaps approximately in the middle of an edge fold of the top wall of the lower housing 53. The housing 60 accommodates a tilting container 61, which is, however, only divided by a single partition 62.

To avoid possible odor nuisance, although not shown, all or even only individual tilting containers 54, 61 can be assigned reversely U-shaped sealing strips which seal in the tilting container standing position between a front container flange and the edge of the front opening of the housing.

In this embodiment, the tilt containers 54 and 61 are stored in a different way. As can be seen in particular from FIG. 6, the housing base 63 is deformed in such a way that it forms an upwardly projecting, approximately semicircular bead strip 64 which, with the exception of short end sections, extends essentially over the entire width of the tilting container. A corresponding bead strip is provided in the top wall 65 of the housing 53. The Tilting containers 54 and 61 are provided with a rounded, channel-shaped bearing bar 66 which, in the installed position according to FIG or 60 can be removed. Normally, the bearing engagement between the two strips 64 and 66 is already secured by the container weight, as indicated in FIG. 5 and shown in FIG. 7, however, a securing is additionally provided in that the tilting containers 54 and 61 each one inwards in the end sections of their bearing strip 66 take directional ball catch 67 with a spring 68, a spring abutment plate 69 and a spherical locking member 70 which partially engages in the hollow bead strip 64 in the installed position. This can be provided with a bevel in a manner not shown, in order to promote a snap-in as well as a snap-out in a certain pivoting position of the tilting container.

Furthermore, in the embodiment according to FIG. 5, other connecting devices are provided for connecting adjacent waste collection elements 51, 52. These connecting devices are attached to the two housing side walls (can only be seen in FIG. 5 on the left side wall). In the case of the lower waste collection element 51, an upper sleeve 71, a middle sleeve 72 and a lower sleeve 73 are provided at the front and at the rear end of each side wall, which are formed by angling the corresponding end sections of the sheet metal side wall four times, the outermost end section being flat again the side wall rests and is attached to it. The sleeves 71 to 73 have a square cross section and in each case aligned vertical openings. The sleeves are arranged in pairs at the same height and with gaps in the vertical direction. The sleeves, not shown, of the right-hand side wall of the housing are also provided in pairs, but are offset in height from those of the left-hand side wall at the level of the free spaces. Accordingly, similar waste collection elements 51 can be arranged so close to one another laterally that the sleeves of the adjacent housing side walls alternately engage one another and thereby align with their openings.

In the case of the upper refuse collection element 52, on the other hand, there are no individual sleeves with spacing, but rather tubular connecting sleeves 74, which also have a square profile, and extend over the entire height of the housing. As shown, in the case of stacked waste collection elements 51 and 52, their sleeves 71 to 73 and 74, respectively, so that a safe anchoring of the tower structure is achieved by introducing correspondingly long connecting rods 75 or connecting tubes with the sleeve openings having an adapted diameter at the four corners of the container arrangement. As can be readily seen, two of the four connecting rods could also be used to firmly connect another lower waste collection element 51, which is laterally adjacent in the manner described above.

This anchoring principle can be varied, although it is generally sufficient to provide narrow connecting eyes near the housing corners instead of several and longer or even completely continuous sleeves. For anchoring within a tower, comparatively short connecting pins are also sufficient, each of which only extends through two connecting eyes with a comparatively small spacing. The connecting pins can be secured in the anchoring position in a known manner by head-like thickenings, split pins or the like.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate the design and arrangement of the four pin-shaped fastening devices 58 for each container chamber of the tilting containers 54 and 61 and the hanging in of the garbage bags 57 with the sack strap 76 provided at their upper end and corresponding to the sack cord 43. Furthermore, FIG. 9 shows that the partition 55 of the lower tilting container 54 is inserted at its rear end between two vertical guide strips 77 which, in the case of tilting containers made of plastic by injection molding, as well as the fastening elements 58 which are approximately lenticular in cross section, can be integrally formed for the garbage bags.

From Fig. 5 it can also be seen that the rear wall of the tilting containers 54 and 61 is pulled up to an upper edge strip 78, which cooperates as a swing-out stop in the throw-in position with a narrow upper front strip of the housing 53 and 60, respectively.

Claims (16)

Garbage collection element with a tilting container (5 to 11; 54, 61), which is accommodated in the standing position in a housing (16 to 20; 53, 60), is mounted with a horizontal axis (33; 64) near the bottom and until a stop (22 ; 78) with its upper end through the open front of the housing 16 to 20; 53, 60) can be swung forward into a throw-in position, the tilting container (5 to 11; 54, 61) being provided for hanging a garbage bag (42; 57), characterized in that the garbage collecting element (1, 2, 3; 51 , 52) is designed as a box-shaped unit, the housing 16 to 20; 53, 60) one located close above the standing tilting container 5 to 11; 54, 61) extending horizontal top wall (20; 65) and is provided with connecting devices (36; 71 to 73, 74) which connect adjacent housings (16 to 20; 53, 60) of the same type of waste collection elements (1, 2, 3 ; 51, 52) serve, which are stacked on top of one another and / or arranged laterally next to one another. Refuse collection element according to claim 1, characterized in that the tilting container (54, 61) is divided into individual chambers by at least one partition (55, 56, 62). Refuse collection element according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that two or more tilting containers (5,6; 7,8; 9,10,11) arranged next to one another are arranged in the common housing (16 to 20). Refuse collection element according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the or each tilting container (54, 61) is assigned a sealing strip which, when the tilting container is pivoted in, between a container flange projecting on the front and the edge of the front opening of the housing (56, 60) takes effect. Refuse collection element according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the or each tilting container (5 to 11; 54, 61) has a front wall (21) with a lower wall section (22) which is inclined downwards backwards to the container bottom (23 ) runs. Refuse collection element according to claim 5, characterized in that the axis (33; 64) of the or each tilting container (5 to 11; 54, 61) is arranged in the transition region between the lower wall section (22) and the container base (23). Refuse collection element according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the or each axis (33; 64) is arranged such that the center of gravity of the tipping container is in the standing position behind and in the insertion position in front of the axis (33; 64). Refuse collection element according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that on the bottom (63) of the housing (53, 60) and on the bottom of the tilting container (54, 61) there is a projecting bead strip (64) or a groove-shaped bearing strip (pivotally receiving it) 66) are designed so that the tilting container (54, 61) can be completely separated from the housing (53, 60) by simply lifting it out and can accordingly be easily reinstalled. Refuse collection element according to claim 8, characterized in that the top wall (65) of the housing (53) also has a corresponding strip (64) which, in cooperation with the associated strip (66) of the tilting container (61), of another attached waste collection element (52) with a floor-free housing (60). Refuse collection element according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the installation position of the tilting container (54, 61) in the housing (53, 60) is secured by a locking member (70) acting between these two parts. Refuse collection element according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the connecting devices on the housing (53, 60) are molded eyes or sleeves (71 to 73, 74), which are arranged on both sides of the housing (53, 60) near the housing corners and have a vertical opening for receiving connecting pins or connecting rods (75). Garbage collection element according to claim 11, characterized in that the eyes or sleeves (71 to 73) are arranged on opposite sides of the height offset from each other. Refuse collection element according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that fastening devices (28, 44; 58) for hanging the refuse sack (42; 57) are provided on the upper corners of the tilting container. Refuse collection element according to claim 13, characterized in that each refuse sack (42; 57) is provided with an endless sack cord (43; 76) which is threaded through the upper edge of the sack and has a circumferential length which allows the refuse sack (42; 57) to be fully opened and can be hooked into the fastening devices (28, 44; 58) of the tilting container (5 to 11; 54, 61). Refuse collection element according to claim 14, characterized in that the or each tilting container (5 to 11) has a wide grip strip (28) on the outside, which forms the front fastening devices for hanging the sack cord (43). Refuse collection element according to claim 15, characterized in that the rear fastening devices (28, 44; 58) of the or each tilting container (5 to 11; 54, 61) are shaped such that when the sack (42; 57 ) from the tilting container by means of the detected sack cord (43; 76) release it without any special release measures, so that the sack (42; 57) contracts when it is removed.

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