Non-stop refuse collection system

Claim 1

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operatordriven along said roadway comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers while said vehicle is continuously moving along said roadway and inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means while said vehicle is moving; means mounted on said vehicle for replacing said portable containers along said roadway; and means mounted on said vehicle for periodically removing refuse from said refuse receiving means to the interior of the body of said vehicle.

Claim 2

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operatordriven along said roadway comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers while said vehicle is continuously moving along said roadway and inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means while said vehicle is moving; means mounted on said vehicle for replacing said portable containers along said roadway; and means mounted on said vehicle for periodically removing refuse from said refuse receiving means to the interior of the body of said vehicle.

Claim 3

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operator-driven along said roadway, comprising refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers while said vehicle is continuously moving along said roadway and inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means while said vehicle is moving; and means mounted on said vehicle for replacing said portable containers along said roadway, wherein said engaging and inverting means comprises: a U-shaped arm; means for guiding said arm along a path relative said vehicle so that the open end of said U-shaped arm is oriented in the direction of motion of said vehicle, and said U-shaped arm will receive said container while said vehicle is in motion and will lift and invert said containers while said vehicle is in motion; means mounted on said vehicle for detecting the presence of one of said containers in a position for lifting by said arm; and means responsive to said detecting means for moving said arm along said guiding means.

Claim 4

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operator-driven along said roadway, comprising refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers while said vehicle is continuously moving along said roadway and inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means while said vehicle is moving; and means mounted on said vehicle for replacing said portable containers along said roadway, wherein said engaging and inverting means comprises: a U-shaped arm; means for guiding said arm along a path relative said vehicle so that the open end of said U-shaped arm is oriented in the direction of motion of said vehicle, and said U-shaped arm will receive said container while said vehicle is in motion and will lift and invert said containers while said vehicle is in motion; means mounted on said vehicle for detecting the presence of one of said containers in a position for lifting by said arm; and means responsive to said detecting means for moving said arm along said guiding means.

Claim 7

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway into a refuse collection vehicle which is continuously driven by an operator along said roadway, which comprises: container engaging means mounted at a first position on said vehicle wHich allows said engaging means to engage said containers due solely to operator-orientation of said vehicle during said continuous driving, said engaging means being operable to invert said containers; and which engaging means comprise a plurality of lifting arms, each arm adapted to lift one of said containers, said arms guided along a path on said vehicle to move past said first station, and vertically to a second position at which said containers are inverted; and means mounted on said vehicle for receiving refuse from said containers when said containers are inverted.

Claim 8

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway into a refuse collection vehicle which is continuously driven by an operator along said roadway, which comprises: container engaging means mounted at a first position on said vehicle wHich allows said engaging means to engage said containers due solely to operator-orientation of said vehicle during said continuous driving, said engaging means being operable to invert said containers; and which engaging means comprise a plurality of lifting arms, each arm adapted to lift one of said containers, said arms guided along a path on said vehicle to move past said first station, and vertically to a second position at which said containers are inverted; and means mounted on said vehicle for receiving refuse from said containers when said containers are inverted.

Claim 13

An apparatus for transferring refuse from portable containers situated along the side of a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is driver-oriented along said roadway and which has a cab in which said driver is located and a body in which refuse is collected and stored, comprising: a refuse receiving bin, mounted on said vehicle between said cab and said body, said bin accessible from outside said vehicle for placing refuse on said vehicle; a packing mechanism for transferring refuse from said bin to said body, and for compacting said refuse in said body; a track mounted on one side of said vehicle, said track lying in a vertical plane and forming a closed loop on the side of said vehicle, a portion of said track situated adjacent said bin; four carriage members adapted to be driven around said track, said carriage members being equally spaced along said closed loop; means for driving said carriage members around said track; an arm, mounted on said vehicle, and operable to energize said driving means when said vehicle is in a position to engage one of said portable containers; four U-shaped arms, each removably mounted on a respective one of said carriage members, each adapted to engage one of said portable containers when said portable containers are inserted into the open end of said U-shaped arm; pinion gears, mounted on each of said U-shaped arms, said gears, where rotated, adapted to change the orientation about a vertical axis of said U-shaped arms; and a series of rack gears, mounted on said track, engagable with said pinion gears, adapted to rotate said pinion gears and said U-shaped arms so that said U-shaped arms, when at the forward extremity of said closed loop, are oriented in the direction of motion of said vehicle, and when at the rear extremity of said closed loop, are oriented in the opposite direction, so that said U-shaped arms will engage said portable containers at the forward extremity of said closed loop and disengage said containers at the rear extremity of said loop.

Claim 14

An apparatus for transferring refuse from portable containers situated along the side of a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is driver-oriented along said roadway and which has a cab in which said driver is located and a body in which refuse is collected and stored, comprising: a refuse receiving bin, mounted on said vehicle between said cab and said body, said bin accessible from outside said vehicle for placing refuse on said vehicle; a packing mechanism for transferring refuse from said bin to said body, and for compacting said refuse in said body; a track mounted on one side of said vehicle, said track lying in a vertical plane and forming a closed loop on the side of said vehicle, a portion of said track situated adjacent said bin; four carriage members adapted to be driven around said track, said carriage members being equally spaced along said closed loop; means for driving said carriage members around said track; an arm, mounted on said vehicle, and operable to energize said driving means when said vehicle is in a position to engage one of said portable containers; four U-shaped arms, each removably mounted on a respective one of said carriage members, each adapted to engage one of said portable containers when said portable containers are inserted into the open end of said U-shaped arm; pinion gears, mounted on each of said U-shaped arms, said gears, where rotated, adapted to change the orientation about a vertical axis of said U-shaped arms; and a series of rack gears, mounted on said track, engagable with said pinion gears, adapted to rotate said pinion gears and said U-shaped arms so that said U-shaped arms, when at the forward extremity of said closed loop, are oriented in the direction of motion of said vehicle, and when at the rear extremity of said closed loop, are oriented in the opposite direction, so that said U-shaped arms will engage said portable containers at the forward extremity of said closed loop and disengage said containers at the rear extremity of said loop.

Claim 18

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operator-driven in a first direction along said roadway, comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle facing said first direction for engaging said containers responsive to movement of said vehicle in said first direction; means mounted on said vehicle for lifting and inverting said containers over said refuse receiving means; and means mounted on said vehicle for reversing the orientation of said engaging means to face opposite said first direction for replacing said containers along said roadway responsive to further movement of said vehicle in said first direction.

Claim 19

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operator-driven in a first direction along said roadway, comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle facing said first direction for engaging said containers responsive to movement of said vehicle in said first direction; means mounted on said vehicle for lifting and inverting said containers over said refuse receiving means; and means mounted on said vehicle for reversing the orientation of said engaging means to face opposite said first direction for replacing said containers along said roadway responsive to further movement of said vehicle in said first direction.

Claim 24

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle, comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers when said engaging means are translated in a first direction relative to the container; means mounted on said vehicle for inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means; and means mounted on said vehicle for rotating said engaging means about a vertical axis so that said containers may be disengaged solely by translating said engaging means in said first direction.

Claim 25

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle, comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers when said engaging means are translated in a first direction relative to the container; means mounted on said vehicle for inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means; and means mounted on said vehicle for rotating said engaging means about a vertical axis so that said containers may be disengaged solely by translating said engaging means in said first direction.

Claim 28

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle, comprising: refuse receiving means mountEd on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging a first one of said containers when said engaging means are translated forward relative to the orientation of said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for inverting said engaging means and first container above said refuse receiving means; rotating means mounted on said vehicle for rotating said engaging means 180 degrees about a vertical axis so that said first container may be disengaged by translating said engaging means forward; and for rotating said engaging means 180 degrees about a vertical axis after disengagement of said first container from said engaging means so that a second and succeeding ones of said containers may successively be engaged, inverted and disengaged when said engaging means are translated forward.

Claim 29

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle, comprising: refuse receiving means mountEd on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging a first one of said containers when said engaging means are translated forward relative to the orientation of said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for inverting said engaging means and first container above said refuse receiving means; rotating means mounted on said vehicle for rotating said engaging means 180 degrees about a vertical axis so that said first container may be disengaged by translating said engaging means forward; and for rotating said engaging means 180 degrees about a vertical axis after disengagement of said first container from said engaging means so that a second and succeeding ones of said containers may successively be engaged, inverted and disengaged when said engaging means are translated forward.

Claim 31

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operator-driven along said roadway, comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers while said vehicle is continuously moving along said roadway, said engaging means comprising a U-shaped arm in which the open end of said U-shaped arm is oriented in the direction of motion of said vehicle so as to engage said containers; means mounted on said vehicle for inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means while said vehicle is moving; means mounted on said vehicle for reversing by 180 degrees the orientation of said container engaging means after said engaging means engage said containers; and means mounted on said vehicle for replacing said containers along said roadway after said reversing means have reversed the orientation of said engaging means said replacing means comprising said U-shaped arm in which said open end of said U-shaped arm is oriented opposite to the direction of motion of said vehicle.

Claim 32

An apparatus for transferring refuse from containers situated along a roadway to a refuse collection vehicle which is operator-driven along said roadway, comprising: refuse receiving means mounted on said vehicle; means mounted on said vehicle for engaging said containers while said vehicle is continuously moving along said roadway, said engaging means comprising a U-shaped arm in which the open end of said U-shaped arm is oriented in the direction of motion of said vehicle so as to engage said containers; means mounted on said vehicle for inverting said containers above said refuse receiving means while said vehicle is moving; means mounted on said vehicle for reversing by 180 degrees the orientation of said container engaging means after said engaging means engage said containers; and means mounted on said vehicle for replacing said containers along said roadway after said reversing means have reversed the orientation of said engaging means said replacing means comprising said U-shaped arm in which said open end of said U-shaped arm is oriented opposite to the direction of motion of said vehicle.