WO2004022455A1

WO2004022455A1 - Container for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent

Info

Publication number: WO2004022455A1
Application number: PCT/FI2003/000641
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jouni Alasuutari
Original assignee: Jouni Alasuutari
Priority date: 2002-09-03
Filing date: 2003-09-03
Publication date: 2004-03-18
Also published as: FI20021566A0; FI20021566L; FI115454B; AU2003261658A1

Abstract

A container for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent is characterised in that an arrangement for tipping a receptacle (3) comprises as a combination: a first tipping arm (12) attached pivotally to the base (2) and to the upper part of the receptacle adjacent to the rear side thereof; a second tipping arm (18) attached pivotally to a structure (6) at the front side of the base (2) and to the receptacle (3) so that at the idle state of the container (1) it is directed up and backwards from the base to the receptacle; and a lever arm (8) with a pivotal attachment (9) to the base (2), the first end (8a) of the lever arm extending below the base (2) and the second end (8b) being for setting it against the first tipping arm (12), whereby turning the first end (8a) of the lever arm backwards (P) causes the first and second tipping arms to turn forward (T, T’) and consequently the receptacle first to lift off from the base (2, 5) and then to tip.

Description

CONTAINER FOR EMPTYING BY A FORKLIFT TRUCK OR EQUIVALENT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is related to a container for emptying by a for lift truck or equivalent which container includes a base and a receptacle portion and an arrangement for tipping the receptacle portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In many working places, like engine shops, containers transportable with forklift trucks are used for collecting rubbish and refuse which containers are then emptied into larger refuse containers for removal. For this purpose there are e.g. containers the front side of which is far backwards oblique and which are provided with curved rockers so that the container is tipping easily against a base as a locking mechanism preventing it is released. This solution requires that the form of the container is unpractical and inefficient. Moreover, a problem is that the container is not tilted enough so that it would always be surely emptied. For this kind of container, many solutions have been proposed for making tipping easier. In the solution of SE 8802716, a locking mechanism is released by lowering the base of the container on a side of a load platform, for example. In SE 431194, a truck includes a hydraulically operating tipping device which may be coupled to and decoupled from a container and which may be controlled from the cabin of a forklift truck.

US 3270900 presents a solution in which a container is attached pivotally to the front edge of a base, and a lever arm extending under the base is tipping the container as it is pushed against a side of a transfer body, for example. If the weight of the content is big, a big force is needed for tipping which sets certain requirements for the structure of the container itself and for a structure against which the lever arm is pushed.

A device equivalent to a forklift truck means here e.g. a tractor to which a lifting device corresponding to the lifting device of the forklift truck is connected as an accessory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a container, like a container for collecting refuse generally used in industries, and the functioning therof so that no additional measures, like opening of a locking mechanism, are needed and that the emptying tipping and returning to the rest position may be carried out easily without big forces and without the driver of a forklift truck or equivalent having to get out from the machine or release the controls. A further object is to provide a container which is also easily tilting far enough in tipping. For achieving these objects, a container for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device according to the invention, which container comprises a base for lifting and transporting the container, a receptacle portion and an arrangement for tipping the receptacle portion, is characterised in that which is defined in the characterising part of claim 1. Other claims define further embodiments of the container for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and some embodiments thereof are described in further detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 to 3 are perspective views presenting an embodiment of the invention and the operation thereof;

Figs. 4 to 9 present the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3 and the operation thereof schematically in side view; and Fig. 10 presents a further embodiment of the invention in side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A container 1 for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device contains a base 2 and a tippable receptacle portion 3 having a back wall, a front wall 3b, side walls 3c and 3d, and a bottom 3e. The bottom 3e of the receptacle portion is normally resting against a face 5 of the bottom (Fig. 1). For moving the container on a floor or other ground 27 there are turnable wheels 7 at the rear of the base and wheels 10 at the ends 8a of lever arms 8 pivotally attached to the base. For transporting the container with a forklift truck or equivalent device the base 2 includes channels 4 for truck forks extending from the rear forward.

The base 2 includes structures 6, in this exemplary embodiment triangular plates, rising at the sides of the receptacle portion 3. The lever arms 8 are attached to the side structures 6 at the central lower area thereof, respectively, with a pivotal attachment 9, the lever arms having said wheel 10 at the end 8a turning forward and down and a roll or bearing 11 at the other end 8b turning backwards and up.

First tipping arms 12 are attached at one end 12a with a pivotal attachment 13 to the lower front edge of the base 2 and at the other end 12b with a pivotal attachment 14 to corresponding mountings 15 at the upper backside of the receptacle. The upper ends 12b of the arms 12 extend over the back wall 3a of the receptacle portion 3 and are connected with a rod 16. The lower ends 12a of the arms 12 are provided with projections 17 extending over the front wall 3b of the receptacle portion 3, the projections being connected with a rod 22. The rods 16 and 22 make the tipping arm construction more steady. The lower ends 12a of the arms 12 are formed and placed in such a way that the lower ends 8a of the lever arms 8 are suitably supported against them as the receptacle is in the rest position (Fig. 4), so that the wheels 10 rest against the floor or other ground 27 and are at the same time functioning as wheels for the container as a whole.

Second tipping arms 18 are attached at lower ends 18a with a pivotal attachment 19 to the upper front corner of the side structures 6 and at the upper ends 18b with a pivotal attachment 20 to the corresponding mountings 21 at the upper front side of the receptacle portion 3. The receptacle being at the rest position (Fig. 4), the attachment 20 of the upper end of the arm 18 is a little backwards from the attachment 19 of the lower end, i.e. the arms extend a little obliquely backwards from the base to the receptacle portion.

The arrangement of the tipping arms 12 and 18 and the lever arm 8 described above causes also that the receptacle portion 3 is in the rest position stabile on the base.

Figs. 5 to 9 present the operation of the container 1. In Fig. 5, the container is lifted by a forklift truck or equivalent device up from the ground as indicated by arrow E. Lever arms 8 have been turned by their own weight downwards as indicated by arrow D, so that the rolls 11 at the upper ends thereof have become against the tipping arms 12. The container 1 is pushed (arrow F) towards an edge 26 of a dumping platform or other vessel so that the base 2 of the container is passing over the edge but the wheels 10 become against the edge and a force P backwards is directed thereby to the lower end 8a of the lever arm. In Fig. 6, the arms 8 have been started to turn tipping arms 12 (arrow T) and at the same time receptacle portion 3 and arms 18 (arrow T'). The turning of the arms 12 is lifting the receptacle portion up at the rear thereof and the turning of the arms 18 from the backwards oblique position to the upright position lifts the bottom 3e of the receptacle portion 3 up from the face 5 of the base also at the front, whereby the receptacle portion is free to tip on the arms 12 and 18. As the container is pushed further forward, the receptacle portion 3 is tilted further and a part of the content is transferred to the front side of the points 13 and 19 of support (broken line S in Figs. 7 and 8), which makes the tipping of the container easier.

Between the side structures 6 and the arms 18 a gas spring is attached with pivotal attachments 24 and 25 (Fig. 2), respectively, the function of the gas spring being to return the receptacle portion after tipping to the rest position. In Fig. 8, the gas spring is already at the extreme position, and the arm 18 cannot be turned further. The tipping arm 12 is turned to some degree further, whereby the receptacle portion is turned almost upside down (Fig. 9). As the container is then transferred backwards, as is indicated by arrow B in Fig. 9, the lever arm 8 is released and the gas spring 23 is allowed to turn the receptacle portion 3 back. As is presented in Fig. 10, the gas springs 30 may be placed also between an extension 18c of the tipping arm 18 and the receptacle portion 3 with respective attachments 28 and 29 so that they operate for damping the tipping and return movements at the extreme positions to some extent and correspondingly make starting of both the tipping and the returning easier, as is indicated by arrow P in Fig. 10.

Essential in the invention is that the tipping is made by pushing the ends of the lever arms extending below the base against the edge of a dumping platform or other corresponding edge, rail or similar object and that tipping arm arrangement is lifting the receptacle portion up from the base at the same time as the tipping is started. It is obvious that the base, lever arms and the tipping arm arrangement may be realised in many other ways as to the form, dimensions, positioning and other details than which were described above. The rods supporting the tipping arm construction, for example, would be omitted if the pivotal attachments to the receptacle and the base are otherwise strong enough. The returning of the receptacle portion would be realised with many other spring mechanisms or similar devices than the gas springs positioned and attached in the way described above. The raw materials of the container may include suitable metal and plastic materials. The receptacle may include also a lid pivotally attached to the rear edge of the opening, for example.

The invention may vary within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A container (1) for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device including a base (2, 4) for lifting and transporting the container, a receptacle portion (3) and an arrangement for tipping the receptacle portion, characterised in that the arrangement for tipping the receptacle portion (3) includes as a combination: a first tipping arm (12) which is attached with respective pivotal attachments

(13, 14) at one end (12a) to the front edge of the base (2) and at the other end (12b) to the upper part of the receptacle portion (3) in the vicinity of the backside thereof; a second tipping arm (18) which is attached with respective pivotal attachments (19, 20) at one end (18a) to a structure (6) at the front part of the base (2) and at the other end (18b) to the receptacle portion so that it is in the rest position of the container

(1) directed up and backwards from the base to the receptacle; and a lever arm (8) with a pivotal attachment (9) to the base (2), the first end (8a) of the lever arm extending below the base and the second end (8b) being for setting it against the first tipping arm (12), whereby turning the first end (8 a) of the lever arm backwards (P) causes the first and second tipping arms to turn forward (T, T') and consequently the receptacle portion (3) first to lift off from the base (2, 5) and then to tip.

2. A container (1) for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device according to claim 1, characterised in that the lever arm (8) includes a wheel (10) at the end (8a) directed downwards from the base (2).

3. A container (1) for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device according to claim 2, characterised in that the lever arm (8), the base (2) and the tipping arm arrangement (12a, 13) are arranged so that the wheel (10) is at the rest position of the container (1) supported to function as a moving wheel of the container.

4. A container (1) for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device according to claim 1, characterised in that the lever arm (8) includes at the end (8b) directed upwards from the base (2) a roll or bearing (11) for setting it against the first tipping arm (12) with the turning of the lever arm.

5. A container (1) for emptying by a forklift truck or equivalent device according to claim 1, characterised in that it further includes a spring or equivalent device (23) for returning the receptacle portion (3) after tipping to the rest position.