Trash can

• US 9,573,759 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Simplehuman LLC
• Original Assignee: Simplehuman LLC
• Inventors: Yang, Frank, Sandor, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, JEFFREY R
• Application Number:
  US14/198,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20140246434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 220/675, 220/323, 220/262, 220/810, 220/263, 220/324, 220/908, 220/326, 220/260, 220/315, 220/264, 220/827, 220/532, 220/529, 220/533
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/1473 Receptacles having wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/1615 with means for locking, fastening or permanently closing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/1623 with means for assisting the opening or closing thereof, e.g. springs spring-actuated swinging wings E05F1/10
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 1/163 Pedal-operated lids
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2001/1661 relating to noise reduction, e.g. during opening or closing
• CPC Class Codes: B65F 2220/12 nestable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A trash can with a lid can include a lock for the lid. The lock can include a latch that cooperates with the trash container body to lock the lid over the opening of the body. The latch can be configured to slide with respect to the edge of the opening of the body from an unlocked position to a locked position. This latch can be integrated into, built into or self contained in the lid. The trash can can also include a pedal actuator for opening the lid. The trash can can also include a damping mechanism mounted to the body of the trash can with a mounting plate. The mounting plate can be made from a material that is harder than the material used for the body of the trash can. Additionally, the trash can can have wheels.

Claims

1. A trash can comprising:

a trash can body comprising an outer periphery and an interior volume configured to receive trash, an outer rear surface of the trash can body having a recessed channel with a surface that is displaced in a frontward direction from a rear portion of the outer periphery of the trash can body, the surface comprising a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall, the third wall being intermediate the first and second walls in a front-to-rear direction and being at a different angle than the first and second walls, the trash can body including an upper opening sized such that trash can be inserted through the upper opening into the interior volume;

an opening mechanism positioned exterior to the trash can body, the opening mechanism comprising a foot pedal connected to a lifting rod;

a lid assembly pivotally attached relative to the trash can body so as to be movable between opened and closed positions when actuated by the foot pedal via the lifting rod, the lid assembly comprising a lid member sized to cover substantially the entire upper opening when the lid assembly is in the closed position; and

a dampening device positioned exterior to a lower portion of the trash can body in a region where the foot pedal connects to the lifting rod and within the recessed channel on the outer rear surface of the trash can body, the dampening device configured to dampen movement of the lid assembly at least from the opened position toward the closed position

wherein the recessed channel further comprises nested first and second portions, a front of the first portion being bound by the first wall and a front of the second portion being bound by the second wall, the dampening device being positioned in the second portion of the recessed channel.

2. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the dampening device comprises a housing mounted to a bottom of the trash can body with a mounting member located between the housing and trash can body.

3. The trash can according to claim 2, wherein the trash can body is made from a first material and the mounting member made from a second material that is stiffer than the first material.

4. The trash can according to claim 3, wherein the first material is plastic.

5. The trash can according to claim 4, wherein the first material is impact resistant polypropylene.

6. The trash can according to claim 5, wherein the second material is ABS.

7. The trash can according to claim 2, wherein the mounting member includes an opening, a portion of the opening mechanism extending through the opening.

8. The trash can according to claim 2, wherein the housing is attached to the mounting member, and wherein a piston rod of the dampening device is attached to the opening mechanism.

9. The trash can according to claim 2, wherein the trash can body includes a downwardly facing surface, the mounting member being attached to the downwardly facing surface.

19. The trash can according to claim 1, further comprising a lever member connecting the foot pedal and the lifting rod.

20. The trash can according to claim 19, wherein the dampening device is positioned at an end of the lever member.

21. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the trash can falls entirely within a periphery defined by an upper portion of the trash can, such that when the trash can is stacked within another trash can having a same body, the lower portion of the trash can fits within a cavity of said another trash can.

24. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the dampening device is rigidly connected to a mounting platform.

25. The trash can according to claim 24, wherein:

the trash can further comprises a base;

in normal operation, the trash can is configured to rest on the base on generally horizontal ground and the upper opening is located above the base; and

the mounting platform comprises a generally planar horizontal plate and the dampening device is mounted to an upper surface of the generally planar horizontal plate.

26. The trash can according to claim 24, wherein the dampening device is connected to the mounting platform using one of a plurality of flanges.

27. The trash can according to claim 24, wherein the mounting platform is positioned exterior to the lower portion of the trash can body in the region where the foot pedal connects to the lifting rod and within the recessed channel on the outer rear surface of the trash can body.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein:

the trash can further comprises a base;

in normal operation, the trash can is configured to rest on the base on generally horizontal ground and the upper opening is located above the base; and

the mounting platform comprises a generally planar horizontal plate and the dampening device is mounted to an upper surface of the generally planar horizontal plate.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the mounting platform is positioned exterior to the lower portion of the trash can body in the region where the foot pedal connects to the lifting rod and within the recessed channel on the outer rear surface of the trash can body.

31. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the trash can further comprises:

a generally horizontal base on which the trash can is configured to rest during normal operation; and

a generally horizontal mounting plate, wherein the dampening device is connected to a top surface of the mounting plate and is positioned above a rear portion of the foot pedal.

32. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the dampening device is connected to the trash can body with a mounting plate that extends from one side of the recessed channel to an opposite side of the recessed channel.

33. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the third wall connects the first and second walls.

34. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the first and second walls are generally parallel.

35. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein dampening device is completely positioned in the second portion of the recessed channel.

36. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is further bounded at least in part by the third wall.

37. The trash can according to claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the trash can body further comprises a base on which the trash can is configured to rest on a substantially horizontal surface, wherein:

the angle of the first wall is at a first acute angle relative to the substantially horizontal surface;

the angle of the second wall is at a second acute angle relative to the substantially horizontal surface; and

the angle of the third wall is at a third acute angle relative to the substantially horizontal surface, the third acute angle being less than the first acute angle and less than the second acute angle.

10. A method of manufacturing a trash can, the method comprising:

obtaining a trash can body having an outer surface defining an outer periphery and an interior volume configured to receive trash, a rear surface of the trash can body having a recessed channel comprising a surface displaced from the outer periphery of the trash can body and nested first and second portions, the surface comprising a first wall, a second wall that is spaced forward of the first wall, and a third wall that joins the first and second walls and is at a different angle than the first and second walls, the first portion of the recessed channel being bounded at least in part by the first wall and the second portion of the recessed channel being bounded at least in part by the second wall, the trash can body including an upper opening sized such that trash can be inserted through the upper opening into the interior volume;

attaching an opening mechanism to a lid assembly and exterior to the trash can body, such that actuation of the opening mechanism moves the lid assembly from the closed position to the open position, the opening mechanism comprising a foot pedal to a lifting rod;

attaching the lid assembly to the trash can body such that the lid assembly is movable between opened and closed positions when actuated by the foot pedal via the lifting rod, the lid assembly comprising a lid member sized to cover substantially the entire upper opening when the lid assembly is in the closed position; and

positioning a dampening device exterior to a lower portion of the trash can body in a region where the foot pedal connects to the lifting rod and within the outer periphery of the trash can body and within the second portion of the recessed channel, the dampening device configured to dampen movement of the lid assembly at least from the opened position toward the closed position.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising mounting a housing of the dampening device to a bottom of the trash can assembly with a mounting member located between the housing and the trash can body.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the trash can body is made from a first material and the mounting member is made from a second material that is stiffer than the first material.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first material is plastic.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first material is impact resistant polypropylene.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second material is ABS.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising extending a portion of the opening mechanism through an opening of the mounting member.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising attaching the housing to the mounting member and attaching a piston rod of the dampening device to the opening mechanism.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising attaching the mounting member to a downwardly facing surface of the trash can body.

22. The method of claim 10, further comprising connecting the foot pedal to the lifting rod with a lever member.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein positioning the dampening device comprises positioning the dampening device at an end of the lever member.

28. The method of claim 10, further comprising rigidly connecting the dampening device to a mounting platform.

38. The method of claim 10, wherein the third wall is substantially planar.

39. The method of claim 10, further comprising positioning the dampening device completely inside the second portion of the recessed channel.