Animal-resistant container
First Claim
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, said latch mechanism comprising a hook element, said hook element including a hook end and a base end, said base end having a bumper;
a latch receptacle secured in said lid, said hook end of said latch mechanism being engaged with said latch receptacle to secure said lid to said body; and
a tilt detector coupled with said latch mechanism for detecting movement of said body away from an upright position, said tilt detector comprising a housing and a ball, said hook element being aligned with a longitudinal dimension of said housing, said housing having an arcuate channel extending approximately transverse to said longitudinal dimension of said housing, said ball being configured to roll in said arcuate channel in response to a position of said body, wherein said ball is in a centered position in said arcuate channel when said body is in an upright position to enable release of said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle, and when said body is tilted away from said upright position, said ball rolls in said arcuate channel to an uncentered position such that said bumper pivots into said arcuate channel, said bumper being positioned in said arcuate channel to prevent return of said ball to said centered position and thereby prevent release of said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. An animal-resistant container comprising:
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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, said latch mechanism comprising a hook element, said hook element including a hook end and a base end, said base end having a bumper; a latch receptacle secured in said lid, said hook end of said latch mechanism being engaged with said latch receptacle to secure said lid to said body; and a tilt detector coupled with said latch mechanism for detecting movement of said body away from an upright position, said tilt detector comprising a housing and a ball, said hook element being aligned with a longitudinal dimension of said housing, said housing having an arcuate channel extending approximately transverse to said longitudinal dimension of said housing, said ball being configured to roll in said arcuate channel in response to a position of said body, wherein said ball is in a centered position in said arcuate channel when said body is in an upright position to enable release of said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle, and when said body is tilted away from said upright position, said ball rolls in said arcuate channel to an uncentered position such that said bumper pivots into said arcuate channel, said bumper being positioned in said arcuate channel to prevent return of said ball to said centered position and thereby prevent release of said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An animal-resistant container comprising:
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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, each of said first and second latch mechanisms comprising a hook element, said hook element including a hook end and a base end, said base end having a bumper ; a first latch receptacle secured in said lid; a second latch receptacle secured in said lid, said hook end of said first latch mechanism being engaged with said first latch receptacle and said hook end of 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; and a tilt detector system coupled with said first and second latch mechanisms for detecting movement of said body away from an upright position, said tilt detector system comprising a first tilt detector and a second tilt detector, each of said first and second tilt detectors including a housing and a ball, said housing having an arcuate channel extending approximately transverse to a longitudinal dimension of said housing, said ball being configured to roll in said arcuate channel in response to a position of said body, wherein said ball is in a centered position in said arcuate channel when said body is in said upright position to enable release of said first and latch mechanisms from respective ones of said first and second latch receptacles, and when said body is tilted away from said upright position, said ball rolls in said arcuate channel to an uncentered position such that said bumper pivots into said arcuate channel, said bumper being positioned in said arcuate channel to prevent return of said ball to said centered position and thereby prevent release of said latch mechanism from said latch receptacle. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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Specification