Hydraulic powered bottle crusher

Claim 1

A bottle crusher unit for breaking bottles into pieces which is adapted to utilize municipal or household water pressure as a hydraulic power source comprising, in combination: a fixed crusher member having a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members; a movable crusher member including a plurality of bars positioned parallel to each other at spaced intervals and interconnected at their ends by frame members, said movable crusher member positioned adjacent to and spaced from said fixed crusher member so that a bottle to be crushed may be received therebetween, said movable crusher member being pivotable toward said fixed crusher member to compress and crush said bottle into pieces and pivotable away from said fixed crusher member for receipt of another bottle to be crushed therebetween; hydraulically responsive actuation means for controlling the position of said movable crusher member relative to said fixed crusher member; valve means connecting said hydraulically responsive actuation means to said source of municipal or household water pressure; control means for said valve means responsive to both the presence and the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher members to adjust the position of said valve means to thereby control the flow of water to said hydraulically responsive actuation means; said hydraulically responsive actuation means including at least one cylinder having first and second hydraulic fluid openings in the opposite ends thereof connected to said valve means, a double-action piston positioned for sliding movement within said cylinder between said first and second hydraulic openings in the opposite ends of said cylinder and a piston rod connecting said piston to said movable crusher member; said valve means including a four-way valve member including a valve spool adjustable to variably interconnect said source of water pressure, the first hydraulic opening in one end of said cylinder, the second hydraulic opening in the opposite end of said cylinder, and a drain line, said valve spool being engaged at one end of said control means and subjected to the source water pressure within said valve member at the other end; and said control means includes a movable cam pivotally mounted on said fixed crusher bars and engaging one end of said valve spool, said movable cam being pivotable toward said four-way valve when a bottle is present between said fixed and movable crusher bars to force said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and advance said movable crusher bars toward said fixed crusher bars to crush said bottle therebetween, and said movable cam being pivotable away from said four-way valve in the absence of a bottle between said fixed and movable crusher bars to allow said water source pressure to return said valve spool to a position which connects said source of water pressure to said first hydraulic opening in said cylinder and said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder to said drain line to thereby force said piston toward said second hydraulic opening in said cylinder and retract said movable crusher bars away from said fixed pressure bars.