Animal-resistant container

• US 8,408,607 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northland Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Northland Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Michael, William J., Davis, Reed A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lugo, Carlos
• Application Number:
  US12/834,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20120006838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 292/95, 292/96, 292/98, 292/100, 292/121, 292/122, 292/124, 292/126, 292/252, 296/101, 220/324, 220/326, 220/730, 220/833, 220/835, 414/407, 414/408
• US Class Current: 292/95
• 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, 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.

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

said hook element being coupled to said second end of said paddle arm, said hook end of 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 end 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 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;

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 to release said first and second latch mechanisms.

7. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 1 wherein said arcuate channel exhibits a shape of an inverted arch with said centered position being at a bottom of said inverted arch.

8. 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.

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

10. 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, 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.

11. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 10 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

said hook element being coupled to said second end of said paddle arm, said hook end of said hook element being engaged with said one of said first and second latch receptacles 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 said one of said first and second latch receptacles.

12. An animal-resistant container as claimed in claim 10 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.