US1117823A - Sanitary closure for receptacles. - Google Patents

Description

A. P. FITZ GERALD.

SANITARY CLOSURE FOR BEGBPTAOLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26. 1912,

1,1 17,823. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1,

WITNESSES [NYE/1T0 Augusi'ine F Fi iz Gewald B) W ATTORNEYS THE NORRIS PEYERS c0. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHING mu, n c.

A. F. FITZ GERALD. SANITARY CLOSURE FOR REUEPTACLES.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1912.

1,1 17,823, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IN I/EN T0!) WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS HE NORRIS PETERS c0. PHUTO-LITHUH WASHINGIUN I.)v c

AUGUSTINE F. FITZ GERALD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SANITARY CLOSURE FOR REGEPTAOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application filed July 26, 1912. Serial No. 711,750.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, AUGUSTINE F. FITZ GERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Sanitary Closure for Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a sanitary closure for receptacles, more particularly a closure for ash or refuse carts, though it will be obvious that it is capable of quite a general application.

The object of the invention is the provi sion of a cover or closure which is normally tight, but which is automatically opened during the manipulation of an ash, garbage or other can, during the act of dumping the same into the receptacle or cart.

The closure may be made integral with, or detachable from, the receptacle or cart, as circumstances warrant, and may be constructed of any suitable material, though I prefer to employ a framework of wood or metal with a covering of canvas or other comparatively light material.

The novel feature of the closure, as well as the functions and advantages thereof will appear from the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated different practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions shown therein are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the present invention as adapted for use on a garbage or ash cart. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 1, showing in detail certain operating means. Fig. 5 is a sectiontaken on line 55 of Fig. 4, showing the operating means in full. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a wind shield which is utilized to prevent a draft through the closure when open.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a cart of the type commonly used in the collection of garbage, ashes, eto., embodying a body a, an axle a wheels a shafts or tongue a, and the usual seat a On the upper edges of the sides of the body a, and

extending the length thereof, are secured members B. These members may be fastended to the body in any suitable manner and are sufficiently braced to adequately withstand hard usage without becomin loosened or broken.

Positioned at either end of members B, and intermediate their ends, are rafters C, which extend upwardly and inwardly to abut one another in angular relation over the longitudinal center line of the cart body, as at 0, while members C, C, positioned in edge-abutting relation at the apex thus formed, serve as a coping for the frame. The forward wall of the cart body a, extends upwardly to the apex of the frame, as at I), thus closing the front thereof, while the rear of the frame is closed by a door D, pivoted at its upper edge (Z, by the hinges (Z.

In order that the dust or odor of the material in the cart may not escape through the openings 0, thus formed in the cover portion, covers or doors E are pivoted to the lower edges of the coping pieces C, C, by means of the hinges 0 so positioned as to allow the doors E to swing downwardly to close each its respective aperture 0.

A salient feature of this invention resides in the provision of doors which automatically open and close when material is dumped into the receptacle through its respective opening 0, as will now be described.

A pair of double bell crank levers F are provided, each comprising two bell crank levers 7', their short arms .9, being joined or connected by a bar 7. These double bell crank levers are positioned to straddle the framework, on the longitudinal side thereof and are pivoted, as at L, to said framework. The long arms of the levers f extend up along the ends of the framework and, in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, engage the under side of a finger G, mounted on the doors E and extending longitudinally of the framework and over the edge thereof. The shape of these bell crank levers is such that when a door is in closed position, as shown at the left side of Fig. 3, the long arms will engage the under side of the fingers G, and the bar 7, carried by the short arms 8, will extend along, and above, the outer edge of the member B. lVith this construction and placement of parts, it will be seen that when a weight, such as a loaded ash can, is rested on one of the bars 7, said bar will be forced down,

carrying the short arms 8, of the levers, with it and swinging the long rm Z of their respective levers up, whereby the door, through its attached fingers, is swung upwardly on its hinges 0 thus opening the aperture 0, for the intake of material into the receptacle.

To provide for a maximum opening minimum lever movement, the doors may divided into a plurality of tilting portions 6, c, in which case, a door when in opened position will resemble the right hand side of Fig. 3, the ash can which is operating the levers, being shown in dotted lines in said figure.

in order to obtain the best results through the cooperation of the lingers G, on the doors and the levers f, mounted on the frame, the former are made adjustable, 2'. 6., they are so mounted on the doors that they may be shifted ransversely thereof, so as to operate with the levers, with either a greater or lessworlr-arm distance from the point of pivoting L, of said levers. This is with accomplished by pr viding slots G, adjacent to either end of the portion 6 of the doors, in which slots fit the lugs, g, positioned on the under side of the fingers G These lugs are adapted to be slid longitudinally of their respective slots and clamped in desired places by means of bolts 9, which extendthrough the fingers andlugs and receive nuts g on the inside of the slots.

Thus a greater or less opening of the door may be effected and a more balanced rela tion between the lever and the door may be obtained.

In order that the movable parts may quickly return to their normally closed position,suitableresilient means, such as the springs e, mounted on the cart body and eX- erting an upward pressure on the bar f may be provided to assist gravity, but in most cases, these will be found to be entirely unnecessary.

It is desirous at all times, and more particularly when material is being dumped into an ash cart, to provide against the scattering of mall particles by the wind. This is acconr ished in the following manner. it the front of the framework on the outside thereof is fixed a vertically disposed upright J, and a pair of laterally extending arms 7', j, are pivoted near the top of said upright, by means of hinges j. The said arms form a continuous support on which is suspended a flexible sheet J. Ropes j 7' attached to said arms and running through a pulley 3' positioned onthe upright, normally hold the arms in extended position. Along the bottomof the sheet J, are arranged a series of tabs J by which said sheet may be secured at its lower edge to the cart body. It will be obvious that when this sheet is in extended form, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, it will wind is fromthe back of the cart, which,

with the protection afiorded by the uplifted door, will greatly help to solvethe problem of flying particles. lVhen, however, the shield is not needed, the ropes j may be loosened, thereby allowing the laterally eX- tending arms 5 to swing down on the hinges j, and talre the collapsed position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 6.

The operation of the invention may be briefly described as follows. lhe ropes j having been pulled taut, and the wind shield J thereby extended, the refuse receptacle is lifted to the ordinary position for dumping, onthe edge of the bar f whereupon said bar is forced downwardly by the weight of the container, thereby causing the bellcranks f to lift the work-arms Z. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive,

the lifting of said worlr-arms forces the fingers G, upwardly, and consequently, raises the hinged portion 6, of the door E, on w rich said fingers are positioned, the loose hinged portion 6 of the door assuming a substantially vertical position by reason of gravity.

lVhenthe bar f has been forced down, by reason of the weight of the container, sufliciently to bring. about the above described results, said-container comes into contact with the member 13, which tends to share the rveight with the bar and guards against breakage of the latter, should the container be of extremelyheavy weight, see Fig. 3. After the .containerhas been emptied into the cart, it is removedfrom the bar f thus allowing the parts, which'were actuated by virtue of its weight, to resume their normally closed positions, owing to gravity, and assisted byv the. resilient means a, should such be attached.

Theparticular embodiment of the invention, shown and described in the drawings and .the' foregoing description, deals more particularly with its adaptation to use in connection with garbage and ash collecting vehicles, but it will be obvious that the closure in the same, or slightly modified form, couldbeiused to great advantage on stationary receptacles, such asheadings for waste chutes, in which case it might be most satisfactoryto.employbut one door, or but one halfofthe construction shown; or for the ordinary. ash box in which as well as in other cases, it might be advantageous to have the closure detachable from the receptacle.

In the constructions just referred to, it will; be noted-that-the wind shield, as well as might be dispensed with, these features of the invention being of particular utility in the embodiment of the invention herein shown and described.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a framework, a door pivoted thereon, finger-pieces secured to the door intermediate the pivoted and free edges thereof and extending beyond the ends thereof, and a single bell-crank pivoted at each end of the framework having their power arms connected by a bar and their work arms positioned for engagement with the fingerpieces whereby the weight of a loaded container, brought in position for dumping into the receptacle, serves to operate the bellcranks for opening the door.

2. In a device of the class described, a closure embodying a framework, a door hinged thereon, said door having a slot at either lateral end extending transversely thereof, finger-pieces having lugs cooperating with the slots in the door, and means for locking the finger-pieces in position in their respective slots, in combination with a pair of bell-crank levers pivoted at each side of the framework and having their power arms connected by a bar extending longitudinally of the framework, the work arms of said bell-crank levers cooperating with the finger-pieces on the door, whereby the weight of a loaded container upon the bar operates the said levers to open the door.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame work, a door pivoted thereon, and a finger piece secured to one end of said door intermediate the pivoted and free edges thereof, a single bell crank pivoted to the frame work and cooperating with the finger piece on the door, and a rigid member mounted for oscillation on the side of the frame work and engaging with the power arm of the bell crank, whereby the weight of a loaded container, when brought into position for dumping into the receptacle, operates on the oscillating member to actuate the bell crank for the purpose of opening the door.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses:

AUGUSTINE F. FITZ GERALD.

Witnesses:

CORNELIUS ZABRISKIE. M. C. RODRIGUEZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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