Trash organizer for recycling

• US 5,192,121 A
• Filed: 09/13/1991
• Issued: 03/09/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stutler, Mark
• Original Assignee: Stutler, Mark
• Inventors: Stutler, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoap, Allan N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CASTELLANO, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US07/759,546
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 232/43.1, 232/43.2, 232/43.5, 312/212, 312/330.1, 312/60, 312/121, 209/702, 209/930, 209/933, 220/909, 220/404, 220/505, 220/23.83, 220/4.26, 220/558, 220/331
• US Class Current: 312/212
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/006 Rigid receptacles stored in an enclosure or forming part of it
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/06 with flexible inserts, e.g. bags or sacks B65F1/0073 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/60 Glass recycling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 220/909 Segregated

Abstract

A trash organizer for recycling of items makes trash sorting easy and encourages and reminds people to be environmentally concerned. The organizer includes a main frame container or housing having a plurality of individual containers carried in the main container with the individual containers being adapted to receive a particular category of refuse including glass, plastic, metal cans or paper. A paper storage drawer has a pivoted bottom portion so that when the drawer is pulled out a predetermined distance, the pivoted bottom portion serves as a delivery chute to aid in unloading the stored paper. Paper is introduced through a slot in the outer wall of the drawer.

Claims

1. A trash collection and sorting system having a vertically extending main housing having left and right sidewalls and a plurality of individual vertically stacked storage volumes in said main housing, said individual storage volumes being adapted to receive a particular category of trash, a lower one of said storage volumes being for miscellaneous trash and an upper one of said storage volumes being for flat paper articles, said upper one of said storage volumes including a drawer having side, rear and front panels secured together, a slot in said front panel for receiving said flat paper articles, guide rails supporting said drawer in said housing, and a bottom panel, said bottom panel having an inner short portion secured to lower edges of said side and rear panels and having a forward edge, and a longer front portion having means for hingedly securing said front portion to said forward edge of said short portion, said longer front portion having a length such that the center of gravity of paper stored in said rear is over said longer front portion.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 including guide panel flaps secured to the lateral edges of said longer front portion.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, said upper one of said storage volumes including a cross-bar secured to said housing and extending between said guide rails to preclude movement of said front portion of said bottom panel until said means hingedly securing is over said cross-bar.

8. The invention defined in claim 1 including latch means between said drawer and said housing to preclude unauthorized and accidental withdrawal of said drawer from said main housing.

4. A trash collection and sorting system having a vertically extending main housing having left and right sidewalls and a plurality of individual vertically stacked storage volumes in said main housing, said individual storage volumes being adapted to receive a particular category of trash, at least an upper one of said storage volumes being for flat paper articles, said upper one of said storage volumes including a flat paper receptacle having side, rear and front panels, a slot in said front panel receiving said flat paper articles, guide rails supporting said flat paper receptacle in said housing and having rear and forward ends, and said flat paper receptacle having a bottom panel, said bottom panel having an (1) inner short portion secured to lower edges of said side and rear panels and having a forward edge, and (2) a front portion which is longer than said inner short portion and having a trailing edge and a forward edge, a hinge securing said trailing edge to said forward edge of said short portion, said longer front portion having a length such that the center of gravity of paper stored in said flat paper receptacle is over said longer front portion and when said paper receptacle is withdrawn from said housing on said guide rails, said front portion tilts downwardly to form a guide chute for said flat paper to be delivered from said flat paper receptacle by gravity.

5. The invention defined in claim 4, said upper one of said storage volumes including a cross-bar extending between said forward ends of said guide rails to preclude tilting of said front portion of said bottom panel until said hinge is positioned over said cross-bar.

9. The invention defined in claim 4 including a latch between said paper receptacle and said housing to preclude unauthorized and accidental withdrawal of said receptacle from said main housing.

6. A trash collection and sorting system having a vertically extending main housing having left and right sidewalls and a plurality of individual vertically stacked storage volumes in said main housing, said individual storage volumes being adapted to receiving a particular category of trash, at least one of said storage volumes being for flat paper articles, said at least one of said storage volumes including a drawer having side, rear and front panels secured together, a slot in said front panel for receiving said flat paper articles, left and right guide rails supporting said drawer in said housing, said guide rails having rear and forward ends and a cross-bar extending between said forward ends, respectively, said drawer having bottom panels and a hinge connecting one of said bottom panels to said drawer such that when said drawer is within said at least one of said storage volumes, said cross-bar precludes said one of said bottom panels from tilting about said hinge and when said drawer is withdrawn from said at least one of said storage volumes on said guide rails, said one of said bottom panels tilts downwardly about said cross-bar to form a chute for said flat paper articles to be delivered by gravity from said drawer.

7. The invention defined in claim 6 including guide panel flaps secured to the lateral edges of said one of said bottom panels.

10. The invention defined in claim 6 including a latch between said drawer and said main housing to preclude accidental or unauthorized withdrawal of said drawer from said main housing.