Compactor

Claim 2

A trash compactor having a basket seat, a basket in said seat, a ram movable toward and away from the basket, a motor for the ram, a motor control including a motor switch engaged by the basket when it is fully seated, and means including said ram for disengaging the basket and switch when the ram jams in the basket, whereby to stop the motor, said means comprising means for moving said basket in its seat during a jam, thus to disengage the basket from the switch, said seat and basket having corresponding tapered sides, movement of the basket separating the basket sides from the seat sides to facilitate such movement.

Claim 3

A trash compactor having a basket seat, a basket in said seat, a ram movable toward and away from the basket, a motor for the ram, a motor control including a motor switch engaged by the basket when it is fully seated, and means including said ram for disengaging the basket and switch when the ram jams in the basket, whereby to stop the motor, in combination with reset means to actuate said switch after the motor is stopped, thus to restart the motor.

Claim 4

A trash compactor having a basket seat, a basket in said seat, a ram movable toward and away from the basket, a motor for the ram, a motor control including a motor switch engaged by the basket when it is fully seated, and means including said ram for disengaging the basket and switch when the ram jams in the basket, whereby to stop the motor, in combination with reset means to actuate said switch after the motor is stopped, thus to restart the motor.

Claim 5

The trash compactor of claim 2 in which the motor control includes motor reversing means effective on actuation of the reset means, whereby to withdraw the ram from the basket and relieve the jam.

Claim 6

The trash compactor of claim 2 in combination with a shiftable mount for the switch, said reset means comprising means to shift said mount and re-engage the switch with the basket.

Claim 7

The trash compactor of claim 4 in which the seat and basket has corresponding tapered sides, movement of the basket separating the basket sides from the seat sides to facilitate such movement.

Claim 8

In a trash compactor having a ram, a motor for the ram, a motor control including a switch, a manually controlled switch actuator for said switch, a ram controlled switch actuator for said switch, a door, the improvement comprising a switch latch for latching said switch against actuation, and means responsive to closure of said door to release said switch latch, thus to condition said switch for actuation by said manually controlled switch actuator and said ram controlled switch actuator.

Claim 9

In a trash compactor having a ram, a motor for the ram, a motor control including a switch, a manually controlled switch actuator for said switch, a ram controlled switch actuator for said switch, a door, the improvement comprising a switch latch for latching said switch against actuation, and means responsive to closure of said door to release said switch latch, thus to condition said switch for actuation by said manually controlled switch actuator and said ram controlled switch actuator.

Claim 10

The improvement of claim 6 in which said means comprises a striker tab on the door, said switch latch having a lever arm in the path of said striker tab, whereby to delatch said switch when the door is closed.

Claim 11

The improvement of claim 7 in which the ram controlled switch actuator has means responsive to ram movement to enage said door to secure the door against opening while the ram is operating.

Claim 12

The improvement of claim 8 in which the last-mentioned means comprises means for anchoring said striker tab, thus to both secure the door and delatch the switch.

Claim 13

In a trash compactor having a ram, a motor for the ram, a motor control including a switch, a manually controlled swing lever switch actuator swingable between various positions including a stop position for locking the switch in open position, a start position for releasing said switch and an intermediate position, a ram controlled switch actuator, and mechanism for sequentially subjecting said switch to said actuators in a compacting cycle including ram advance and ram withdrawal, said ram controlled switch actuator comprising means to actuate said switch to stop said motor at the conclusion of one cycle and to concurrently swing said swing lever to its intermediate position to signal said conclusion.

Claim 14

In a trash compactor having a ram, a motor for the ram, a motor control including a switch, a manually controlled swing lever switch actuator swingable between various positions including a stop position for locking the switch in open position, a start position for releasing said switch and an intermediate position, a ram controlled switch actuator, and mechanism for sequentially subjecting said switch to said actuators in a compacting cycle including ram advance and ram withdrawal, said ram controlled switch actuator comprising means to actuate said switch to stop said motor at the conclusion of one cycle and to concurrently swing said swing lever to its intermediate position to signal said conclusion.

Claim 15

The trash compactor of claim 10 in which said swing lever has a handle with a slot, and a key operated latch receivable through said slot to lock the handle with the lever in its stop position.