Refuse compactor

Claim 2

A self contained portable refuse compactor comprising an open top refuse container, a cover adapted to rest on the top rim of said container, a pressure plate suspended from said cover and adapted to be moved downwardly to apply pressure to the refuse in the container, power means including an electric motor vacuum pump unit carried by said cover and connected to evacuate air from said container beneath said pressure plate and effect downward movement of said pressure plate therein, spring tensioned means providing for the extension of the suspension of said pressure plate and for retraction of said pressure plate to its upper position beneath the cover upon termination of operation of said power means, and a holding switch in the power circuit of said motor to initiate actuation of said motor and operate the same for a given cycle to effect compaction of the refuse in the container.

Claim 3

The construction of claim 1 and a normally closed safety cutout micro-switch to open the power circuit of said motor upon a predetermined extension of the suspension of said pressure plate.

Claim 4

The construction of claim 1 and a normally open safety micro-switch in the power circuit for said motor, and means to close said switch upon predetermined mating of said cover upon the rim of the refuse container.

Claim 5

A refuse compactor comprising an open top refuse container, a cover for the open top of said container, a pressure plate suspended from said cover and adapted to move downwardly to apply compacting pressure to the refuse in said container, said pressure plate comprising a disc constructed to be slidably sealed against the inner wall of said refuse container to seal the container space beneath the disc from the atmosphere, a vacuum pump having its inlet connected through an opening in said disc to the container space therebeneath for evacuating air from said space whereby said pressure plate is moved downwardly in said container by atmospheric pressure applied to said plate to compact the refuse within the container, vacuum relief means responsive to a predetermined degree of movement of said pressure plate to open said container space to the atmosphere when said evacuating pump is inoperative, and means to retract said pressure plate toward said cover.

Claim 6

A refuse compactor comprising an open top refuse container, a cover for the open top of said container, a pressure plate suspended from said cover and adapted to move downwardly to apply compacting pressure to the refuse in said container, said pressure plate comprising a disc constructed to be slidably sealed against the inner wall of said refuse container to seal the container space beneath the disc from the atmosphere, a vacuum pump having its inlet connected through an opening in said disc to the container space therebeneath for evacuating air from said space whereby said pressure plate is moved downwardly in said container by atmospheric pressure applied to said plate to compact the refuse within the container, vacuum relief means responsive to a predetermined degree of movement of said pressure plate to open said container space to the atmosphere when said evacuating pump is inoperative, and means to retract said pressure plate toward said cover.

Claim 7

The construction of claim 4 and a face plate spaced from and secured to said disc to protect said opening from becoming clogged by refuse and to maintain freedom of access of air in the container to said opening.

Claim 8

The construction of claim 5 in which said face plate is peripherally sealed to said disc and is corrugated centrally in spaced relation to said disc, said face plate having holes therein distributed throughout the upper and lower convolutions of the corrugations therein.

Claim 9

The construction of claim 4 in which said relief means comprises a relief port through said disc for connecting the space therebelow to the atmosphere, and valve means closing said relief port upon actuation of said vacuum pump.

Claim 10

A refuse compactor comprising: a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate that is freely reciprocable within said container; an endless hermetic seal means mounted on the periphery of said plate, a portion, at least, of said seal means comprising an impervious flexible sheet material that engages inner surfaces of said container outside of the volume of said container that is covered by said plate; said flexible sheet material, when subjected to a reduction of the internal pressure of the volume of said container that is covered by said plate, being flexibly deformed into air sealing engagement with inner surfaces of said container and, when subjected to substantially equal internal and external pressures, assuming an essentially relaxed state to minimize frictional resistance to movement of said sheet material over said inner surfaces of said container; and a means to evacuate air from the volume of said container that is covered by said plate to Bias said sheet material into air sealing engagement with said inner surfaces of said container to effect refuse compacting movement of said plate, in opposition to a wall of said container, by atmospheric pressure, said sheet material, when said means to evacuate air is inoperative and upon substantial equalization of the internal and external pressures, assuming an essentially relaxed state to minimize frictional resistance to movement of said pressure plate in a direction away from said wall of said container.

Claim 11

A refuse compactor comprising: a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate that is freely reciprocable within said container; an endless hermetic seal means mounted on the periphery of said plate, a portion, at least, of said seal means comprising an impervious flexible sheet material that engages inner surfaces of said container outside of the volume of said container that is covered by said plate; said flexible sheet material, when subjected to a reduction of the internal pressure of the volume of said container that is covered by said plate, being flexibly deformed into air sealing engagement with inner surfaces of said container and, when subjected to substantially equal internal and external pressures, assuming an essentially relaxed state to minimize frictional resistance to movement of said sheet material over said inner surfaces of said container; and a means to evacuate air from the volume of said container that is covered by said plate to Bias said sheet material into air sealing engagement with said inner surfaces of said container to effect refuse compacting movement of said plate, in opposition to a wall of said container, by atmospheric pressure, said sheet material, when said means to evacuate air is inoperative and upon substantial equalization of the internal and external pressures, assuming an essentially relaxed state to minimize frictional resistance to movement of said pressure plate in a direction away from said wall of said container.

Claim 12

A refuse compactor as in claim 8 in which said container is of circular cross-section and said plate is circular in planform.

Claim 13

A refuse compactor as in claim 9 in which said hermetic seal means comprises an endless piece of said impervious sheet material having a substantially uniform radial cross-section including a lip that extends radially beyond the periphery of said plate to span an annular clearance space between the periphery of said plate and the inner surface of said container.

Claim 14

A refuse compactor as in claim 10 in which said seal means is of a piston-cup configuration having an endless free edge portion that is flexibly deformable into substantially cylindrical configuration to conform to the circular cross-section of said container.

Claim 15

A refuse compactor as in claim 8 in which said container is non-circular in cross-section in the region of said pressure plate and said plate has a planform that is geometrically similar to said non-circular cross-section.

Claim 16

A refuse compactor comprising; a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate that is pivotally secured to said container for reciprocation of a free end of said plate through an arc within said container during refuse compaction and plate retraction strokes of said plate, said plate being mounted in opposition to an inner surface of said container to compact refuse therebetween during a compaction stroke of said plate; means including said pressure plate to seal the inside of said container from the atmosphere; and a vacuum means to evacuate air from the inside of said container to effect a compaction stroke of said plate by atmospheric pressure.

Claim 17

A refuse compactor comprising; a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate that is pivotally secured to said container for reciprocation of a free end of said plate through an arc within said container during refuse compaction and plate retraction strokes of said plate, said plate being mounted in opposition to an inner surface of said container to compact refuse therebetween during a compaction stroke of said plate; means including said pressure plate to seal the inside of said container from the atmosphere; and a vacuum means to evacuate air from the inside of said container to effect a compaction stroke of said plate by atmospheric pressure.

Claim 18

A refuse compactor as in claim 13 in which: said plate is non-circular in planform and is reciprocable within a section, at least, of said container that is geometrically similar in cross-section to the planform of said plate, said plate having an area to substantially fully close said section of said container.

Claim 19

A refuse compactor as in claim 14 in which said seal means comprises an endless member mounted at the periphery of said plate for sealing engagement with walls of said container.

Claim 20

A refuse compactor as in claim 15 in which said endless member includes a lip of a flexible sheet material that is deformable by a differential of internal and atmospheric pressures into air sealing engagement with wall surfaces of said container.

Claim 21

A refuse compactor comprising: a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate in said container having a planform that is geometrically similar to the cross-section of said container and of an area to substantially fully close said section of said container; means for hermetically sealing the volume enclosed by said container and said plate; means to reduce the internal pressure of the enclosed volume to effect movement of said plate by atmospheric pressure to compact refuse in said container; and a vacuum relief means that vents the enclosed volume to atmosphere in response to a predetermined degree of movement of said plate in a refuse compacting direction.

Claim 22

A refuse compactor comprising: a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate in said container having a planform that is geometrically similar to the cross-section of said container and of an area to substantially fully close said section of said container; means for hermetically sealing the volume enclosed by said container and said plate; means to reduce the internal pressure of the enclosed volume to effect movement of said plate by atmospheric pressure to compact refuse in said container; and a vacuum relief means that vents the enclosed volume to atmosphere in response to a predetermined degree of movement of said plate in a refuse compacting direction.

Claim 23

A refuse compactor as in claim 17 having a means to retract said pressure plate when said container is vented to atmosphere.

Claim 24

A refuse compactor as in claim 17 in which said means for hermetically sealing comprises an endless member mounted at the periphery of said plate for sealing engagement with walls of said container.

Claim 25

A refuse compactoR as in claim 19 in which said member includes a lip of a flexible sheet material that is deformable by a differential of internal and atmospheric pressures into air sealing engagement with wall surfaces of said container.

Claim 26

A refuse compactor as in claim 20 in which said vacuum release means comprises at least one inwardly directed protrusion on an inner surface of said container having shape characteristics to deflect a portion of said flexible lip out of air sealing engagement with said inner surface upon movement of said lip thereover.

Claim 27

A refuse compactor as in claim 20 in which said vacuum relief means comprises a portion of the inner surface of the enclosed volume of said container that is disposed beyond the reach of said lip to provide open fluid communication between the enclosed volume and the atmosphere upon movement of said lip therepast during compacting movement of said plate.

Claim 28

A refuse compactor as in claim 17 in which said vacuum release means comprises an opening into the volume enclosed by said container and said plate and a valve to close said opening during actuation of said means to reduce the internal pressure of the enclosed volume.

Claim 29

A refuse compactor as in claim 23 in which said means to reduce internal pressure comprises a vacuum pump and a control circuit that includes said valve, said circuit also including a means to close said valve during operation of said pump.

Claim 30

A refuse compactor comprising: a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate within said container having a planform shape and area to substantially fully occupy a cross-section of said container throughout a given length of said container in which said plate can reciprocate in a direction normal to said cross-section, said plate being of an area that is freely movable through said given length of said container with sufficient peripheral clearance to permit tilting of said plate out of a plane that is normal to said direction upon said plate encountering a non-uniform mass of refuse; flexible means to close said clearance between said plate and container wall in all positions of said plate; and means to evacuate said container to move said plate in a direction to compact refuse within said container.

Claim 31

A refuse compactor comprising: a rigid container; a rigid pressure plate within said container having a planform shape and area to substantially fully occupy a cross-section of said container throughout a given length of said container in which said plate can reciprocate in a direction normal to said cross-section, said plate being of an area that is freely movable through said given length of said container with sufficient peripheral clearance to permit tilting of said plate out of a plane that is normal to said direction upon said plate encountering a non-uniform mass of refuse; flexible means to close said clearance between said plate and container wall in all positions of said plate; and means to evacuate said container to move said plate in a direction to compact refuse within said container.

Claim 32

A refuse compactor as in claim 25 in which said flexible means comprises an endless piece of flexible sheet material secured to the periphery of said plate to project outwardly therefrom into substantially continous slidable engagement with the inner surface of said container.

Claim 33

A refuse compactor as in claim 26 in which said endless flexible sheet of impervious material has a width sufficient to be flexibly deformed into a piston-cup cross-sectional configuration sealingly engaged with the inner surface of said container throughout an angular range of tilting of said plate out of a plane normal to said direction.