Trash can

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573759-B2
Application number	US-201414198460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2014
Priority date	Mar 9, 2007
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 acc

Assignees

• Simplehuman Llc

Inventors

• Yang Frank
• Sandor Joseph

Classifications

• B65F2220/12

  nestable · CPC title

• B65F1/1623 Primary

  with means for assisting the opening or closing thereof, e.g. springs (spring-actuated swinging wings E05F1/10) · CPC title

• B65F1/163

  Pedal-operated lids · CPC title

• B65F2001/1661

  relating to noise reduction, e.g. during opening or closing · CPC title

• B65F1/1473

  Receptacles having wheels · CPC title