Waste collection and separation system
First Claim
1. Apparatus for collecting wastes sorted by type, said apparatus for use with a container having a plurality of compartments, each of said compartments holding only one type of said waste, said apparatus comprising:
- a housing having an interior and at least one hatch for providing access to said interior of said housing, said housing having a floor and a plurality of openings formed in said housing;
a plurality of bins carried in said interior of said housing and supported by said floor, each compartment of said plurality of compartments corresponding to only one bin of said plurality of bins, each opening of said plurality of openings corresponding to only one bin of said plurality of bins, said floor including means for sliding said each bin of said plurality of bins through one opening of said plurality of openings;
means carried by said housing for moving said container to said hatch so that said containers can be emptied into said hatch; and
means carried within said housing for distributing said wastes emptied through said at least one hatch into said plurality of bins so that said one type of said waste from said each compartment is received by said only one bin of said plurality of bins corresponding to said each compartment whereby said each bin of said plurality of bins holds said only one type of said waste.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for separating waste by type and collecting the separated wastes, preserving the integrity of the separation during the collection and consolidation, including a multi-compartment inside container for the initial separation, an outside container that interfaces with the inside container so that the separated contents of the latter can be dumped into the former, a mobile collection unit that transfers the separated wastes from the outside container to a plurality of bins, again preserving the separation, and transports the waste to a distribution facility. The volume of the separated waste is reduced by the collection vehicle as it is dumped through hatches on the top of the vehicle into chutes that lead to the appropriate bin for that type of waste. The collection vehicle grips, lifts and inverts the outside container, made up of three subcontainers, and then separates them so that each can be positioned over and aligned with a different hatch on the top of the vehicle.
31 Citations
19 Claims
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1. Apparatus for collecting wastes sorted by type, said apparatus for use with a container having a plurality of compartments, each of said compartments holding only one type of said waste, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing having an interior and at least one hatch for providing access to said interior of said housing, said housing having a floor and a plurality of openings formed in said housing; a plurality of bins carried in said interior of said housing and supported by said floor, each compartment of said plurality of compartments corresponding to only one bin of said plurality of bins, each opening of said plurality of openings corresponding to only one bin of said plurality of bins, said floor including means for sliding said each bin of said plurality of bins through one opening of said plurality of openings; means carried by said housing for moving said container to said hatch so that said containers can be emptied into said hatch; and means carried within said housing for distributing said wastes emptied through said at least one hatch into said plurality of bins so that said one type of said waste from said each compartment is received by said only one bin of said plurality of bins corresponding to said each compartment whereby said each bin of said plurality of bins holds said only one type of said waste. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. Apparatus for collecting wastes sorted by type, said apparatus for use with a container comprising more than one subcontainer, each subcontainer being separable from any other subcontainers of said more than one subcontainer, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing having an interior, a top and more than one hatch on said top for providing access to said interior of said housing, each hatch of said more than one hatch corresponding to said only one subcontainer of said more than one subcontainer; a plurality of bins carried in said interior of said housing for receiving said waste; means carried by said housing for lifting said container to said top of said housing and inverting said container; means carried by said housing for moving said more than one subcontainers so that each subcontainer can be placed over only one hatch and aligning said each subcontainer with said each hatch; and means carried within said housing for distributing waste emptied through said more than one hatch into said plurality of bins. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. Apparatus for collecting wastes sorted into a plurality of types, said apparatus comprising:
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a container comprising a plurality of compartments, each compartment designated to hold only one type of said plurality of types; a housing with an interior, a floor, a top, a hatch carried by said top of said housing, and a plurality of openings in said housing; a plurality of bins in said housing and supported by said floor, each opening of said plurality of openings corresponding to only one bin of said plurality of bins, said floor including means for sliding said each bin of said plurality of bins through one opening of said plurality of openings; lifting means carried by said housing for lifting and inverting said container to said top of said housing and aligning said first container with said hatch; and a plurality of chutes running from said hatch to said plurality of bins, each chute running to only one of said plurality of bins, said chutes distributing each type of waste to only one bin of said plurality of bins, said chutes arranged so that each compartment of said container is aligned with only one of said chutes when said container is aligned with said hatch by said lifting means. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. Apparatus for collecting wastes sorted into a plurality of types, said apparatus comprising:
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a first container comprising a plurality of first compartments, each first compartment designated to hold only one type of said plurality of types, said first container having an opening and a lid slidably attached to said first container and covering said first plurality of compartments, said lid having a closed position and an open position;
a second container comprising a plurality of second compartments, each second compartment designated to hold only one type of said plurality of types, said lid of said first container being slidable from said closed position to said open position when said first container is inverted over and aligned with said second container so that waste in said first plurality of compartments of said first container falls into said plurality of second compartments of said second container, each type of said plurality of types of waste remaining separated as it falls to said second container;a housing with an interior and a hatch for providing access to said interior; a plurality of bins in said housing; means for moving said second container to said hatch and aligning said second container with said hatch; and a plurality of chutes running from said hatch to said plurality of bins, each chute running to only one of said plurality of bins so that each type of waste can be distributed to only one bin of said plurality of bins, said chutes arranged so that each compartment of said container is aligned with only one of said chutes when said container is aligned with said hatch by said lifting means. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification