Animal-Resistant Container

• US 20120006838A1
• Filed: 07/12/2010
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northland Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Northland Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Reed A., Michael, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,408,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 220/730
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/1615 with means for locking, fastening or permanently closing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0911 Hooked end
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/0926 Spring projected
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/14 Ball

Abstract

An animal-resistant container includes a body and a lid. The body has an interior volume in which refuse may be placed. At least one latch mechanism is secured in the body and at least one latch receptacle is secured in the lid. The latch mechanism is engaged with the latch receptacle to secure the lid to the body and prevent access to the interior volume. The latch mechanism can be actuated by a gripping arm of a refuse pickup vehicle to release the latch mechanism from the latch receptacle so that contents of the container can be emptied during automated collection. A tilt sensor detects tilting movement of the container, and the latch mechanism is prevented from actuation following detection of the tilting movement so that an animal intruder cannot tip over the container and gain entry into the container.

Claims

1. An animal-resistant container comprising:

a body having an interior volume and an opening for input of refuse into said interior volume;

a lid covering said opening;

a latch mechanism secured in said body; and

a latch receptacle secured in said lid, said latch mechanism being engaged with said latch receptacle to secure said lid to said body and prevent access to said interior volume, wherein said latch mechanism is configured to be actuated by a gripping arm of a refuse pickup vehicle to release said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle in order to enable access to said interior volume.

2. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body is a molded element, said molded element including a molded passage in which at least a portion of said latch mechanism is housed.

3. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said latch mechanism comprises:

a paddle arm vertically aligned with said body, said paddle arm having a first end and a second end, said first end being pivotally coupled with an exterior surface of said body, and an intermediate portion of said paddle arm being coupled with said exterior surface of said body by a spring member, said paddle arm being urged outwardly from said exterior surface of said body by said spring member; and

a hook element coupled to said second end of said paddle arm, said hook element being engaged with said latch receptacle when said paddle arm is urged outwardly from said exterior surface of said body by said spring member, and manual depression of said paddle arm toward said exterior surface releases said hook element from said latch receptacle.

4. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 3 wherein said body comprises a passage located proximate said opening in which said hook element is housed and said paddle arm extends outside of and below said passage.

5. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said latch mechanism is a first latch mechanism, said latch receptacle is a first latch receptacle, and said container further comprises:

a second latch mechanism secured in said body; and

a second latch receptacle secured in said lid, said second latch mechanism being engaged with said second latch receptacle to secure said lid to said body and prevent access to said interior volume, wherein both of said first and second latch mechanisms are configured to be actuated concurrently by said gripping arm to concurrently release said first and second latch mechanisms from respective ones of said first and second latch receptacles in order to enable access to said interior volume.

6. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 5 wherein:

said body has an exterior front surface configured to face said refuse pickup vehicle;

said first latch mechanism includes a first spring-loaded paddle arm; and

said second latch mechanism includes a second spring-loaded paddle arm spaced apart from said first spring-loaded paddle arm, each of said first and second spring-loaded paddle arms being located at said exterior front surface, and each of said first and second spring-loaded paddle arms being configured to be depressed by said gripping arm to release said first and second latch mechanisms.

7. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a tilt sensor coupled with said latch mechanism for detecting movement of said body away from an upright position, wherein when said tilt sensor detects movement of said body away from said upright position, said latch mechanism is prevented from disengagement with said latch receptacle.

8. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 7 wherein:

said tilt sensor comprises a housing having an arcuate channel extending approximately transverse to a longitudinal dimension of said housing and a ball configured to roll in said arcuate channel, said ball being in a centered position in said arcuate channel when said body is in said upright position; and

said latch mechanism comprises a hook element aligned with said longitudinal dimension of said housing, said hook element including a hook end and a base end, said hook end being engaged with said latch receptacle, and said base end having a bumper, said bumper being configured to abut said ball when said latch mechanism is actuated to enable release of said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle.

9. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 8 wherein said arcuate channel exhibits a shape of an inverted arch with said centered position being at a bottom of said inverted arch.

10. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 8 wherein said ball rolls in said arcuate channel to an uncentered position when said body is moved away from said upright position, and said bumper pivots into said arcuate channel to prevent release of said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle.

11. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lid is a molded element, said molded element including a molded cavity in which said latch receptacle is housed.

12. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body is a rotationally molded element having a circumferential rim encircling said opening, said circumferential rim having an interior cavity filled with a foam material during a rotational molding process.

13. An animal-resistant container comprising:

a body having an interior volume and an opening for input of refuse into said interior volume;

a lid covering said opening;

a first latch mechanism secured in said body;

a second latch mechanism secured in said body;

a first latch receptacle secured in said lid;

a second latch receptacle secured in said lid a second latch mechanism secured in said body;

a second latch receptacle formed in said lid, said first latch mechanism being engaged with said first latch receptacle and said second latch mechanism being engaged with said second latch receptacle to secure said lid to said body and prevent access to said interior volume, wherein both of said first and second latch mechanisms are configured to be actuated concurrently by a gripping arm of a refuse pickup vehicle to concurrently release said first and second latch mechanisms from respective ones of said first and second latch receptacles in order to enable access to said interior volume; and

a tilt sensor system coupled with said first and second latch mechanisms for detecting movement of said body away from an upright position, wherein when said tilt sensor system detects movement of said body away from said upright position, said first and second latch mechanisms are prevented from disengagement with said first and second latch receptacles.

14. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 13 wherein each of said first and second latch mechanisms comprises:

a paddle arm vertically aligned with said body, said paddle arm having a first end and a second end, said first end being pivotally coupled with an exterior surface of said body, and an intermediate portion of said paddle arm being coupled with said exterior surface of said body by a spring member, said paddle arm being urged outwardly from said exterior surface of said body by said spring member; and

a hook element coupled to said second end of said paddle arm, said hook element being engaged with said latch receptacle when said paddle arm is urged outwardly from said exterior surface of said body by said spring member, and manual depression of said paddle arm toward said exterior surface releases said hook element from said latch receptacle.

15. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 14 wherein each said paddle arm of said each of said first and second latch mechanisms is configured to be depressed by said gripping arm to release said first and second latch mechanisms.

16. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 13 wherein:

said tilt sensor system comprises a first tilt sensor and a second tilt sensor, each of said first and second tilt sensors including a housing having an arcuate channel extending approximately transverse to a longitudinal dimension of said housing and a ball configured to roll in said arcuate channel, said ball being in a centered position in said arcuate channel when said body is in said upright position, and said ball rolls in said arcuate channel to an uncentered position when said body is moved away from said upright position;

said first latch mechanism comprises a first hook element aligned with said longitudinal dimension of said housing of said first tilt sensor, said first hook element including a first hook end engaged with said first latch receptacle; and

said second latch mechanism comprises a second hook element aligned with said longitudinal dimension of said housing of said second tilt sensor, said second hook element including a second hook engaged with said second latch receptacle, wherein each of said first and second latch mechanisms are actuated to enable release of said first and second latch mechanisms from said first and second latch receptacles when said ball of each of said first and second tilt sensors is in said centered position and said each of said first and second latch mechanisms are prevented from actuation when said ball of said each of said first and second tilt sensors rolls to said uncentered position.

17. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 13 wherein:

said body comprises a first passage and a second passage, each of said first and second passages being located proximate said opening, at least a portion of said first latch mechanism is housed in said first passage, and at least a portion of said second latch mechanism is housed in said second passage; and

said lid includes a cavity, and each of said first and second latch receptacles is housed in said cavity.

18. An animal-resistant container comprising:

a body having an interior volume and an opening for input of refuse into said interior volume, said body being formed by rotational molding, said body including a molded passage;

a lid covering said opening, said lid being formed by rotational molding, said lid including a cavity;

a latch mechanism secured in said body, at least a portion of said latch mechanism being housed in said passage; and

a latch receptacle secured in said lid and housed in said cavity, said latch mechanism being engaged with said latch receptacle to secure said lid to said body and prevent access to said interior volume, wherein said latch mechanism is configured to be actuated by a gripping arm of a refuse pickup vehicle to release said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle in order to enable access to said interior volume.

19. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 18 wherein said latch mechanism comprises:

a paddle arm vertically aligned with said body and extending outside of said passage, said paddle arm having a first end and a second end, said first end being pivotally coupled with an exterior surface of said body, and an intermediate portion of said paddle arm being coupled with said exterior surface of said body by a spring member, said paddle arm being urged outwardly from said exterior surface of said body by said spring member; and

a hook element coupled to said second end of said paddle arm, said hook element residing in said passage, wherein said hook element is engaged with said latch receptacle when said paddle arm is urged outwardly from said exterior surface of said body by said spring member, and manual depression of said paddle arm toward said exterior surface releases said hook element from said latch receptacle.

20. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 18 further comprising a tilt sensor coupled with said latch mechanism for detecting movement of said body away from an upright position, wherein when said tilt sensor detects movement of said body away from said upright position, said latch mechanism is prevented from disengagement with said latch receptacle.