Packing ram for a self-contained refuse handling and transporting apparatus

Claim 2

In a self-contained refuse handling and transporting apparatus of the type comprising a truck chassis on which is mounted an elongated box-shaped refuse receptacle having a refuse loading opening near the front and a normally closed refuse discharge opening at the back, and a packing ram disposed inside the receptacle including an extensible fluid operated packing cylinder and a packing blade supported adjacent the bottom of the receptacle and atttached at its lower portion to one end of the packing cylinder, the blade being longitudinally movable inside the receptacle between a retracted position adjacent the front of the receptacle and an extended position toward the rear of the receptacle, the improvement comprising: a pair of longitudinally disposed tracks along the sides of the receptacle near the top and extending a selected distance rearwardly from a point near the front of the receptacle; an anchorage coupled to the end of the packing cylinder remote from the blade and including a laterally projecting tubular casing supported by said tracks whereby the packing cylinder is disposed diagonally to project from said casing downwardly and rearwardly toward the bottom of the receptacle; anchoring means for securing said casing to said tracks at selected positions along said tracks; and means for selectably releasing said anchoring means whereby said casing may be moved between said selected positions.

Claim 3

The improvement as defined in claim 1 in which said anchoring means includes extendable plungers mounted in said casing and projecting from the ends thereof, and openings in the sides of the receptacle at said selected positions for receiving said plungers to anchor said casing.

Claim 4

The improvement as defined in claim 2 including means biasing said plungers toward the extended position, and wherein said means for releasing said anchoring means includes a fluid operated cylinder engaged with said plungers and operable to retract said plungers against said biasing means.

Claim 5

The improvement as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for releasing said anchoring means includes fluid pressure means for extending and retracting said plungers from the ends of said casing.

Claim 6

In a self-contained refuse handling and transporting apparatus of the type comprising a truck chassis on which is mounted an elongated box-shaped refuse receptacle having a refuse loading opening near the front and a normally closed refuse discharge opening at the back, and a packing ram disposed inside the receptacle including an extensible fluid operated packing cylinder and a packing blade supported adjacent the bottom of the receptacle and attached at its lower portion to one end of the packing cylinder, the blade being longitudinally movable inside the receptacle between a retracted position adjacent the front of the receptacle and an extended position toward the rear of the receptacle, the improvement comprising: track means extending longitudinally rearwardly along the sides and near the top of the receptacle from a point near the front thereof; a selectively movable anchorage coupled to the end of the packing cylinder remote from the blade, said anchorage comprising a tubular casing having end portions projecting laterally across the receptacle and supported by said track means whereby the packing cylinder is disposed diagonally and projects from said anchorage downwardly and rearwardly toward the bottom of the receptacle, said anchorage being movable longitudinally of said receptacle along said track means between a first position adjacent the front of the receptacle and another position toward the rear of the receptacle; releasable anchoring means including extensible plungers mounted in thE end portions of said casing and openings in said track means for receiving said plungers for anchoring said anchorage to said receptacle in one of said positions; and a fluid operated cylinder for retracting said plungers from said openings to release said casing for movement along said track means.

Claim 7

In a self-contained refuse handling and transporting apparatus of the type comprising a truck chassis on which is mounted an elongated box-shaped refuse receptacle having a refuse loading opening near the front and a normally closed refuse discharge opening at the back, and a packing ram disposed inside the receptacle including an extensible fluid operated packing cylinder and a packing blade supported adjacent the bottom of the receptacle and attached at its lower portion to one end of the packing cylinder, the blade being longitudinally movable inside the receptacle between a retracted position adjacent the front of the receptacle and an extended position toward the rear of the receptacle, the improvement comprising: track means extending longitudinally rearwardly along the sides and near the top of the receptacle from a point near the front thereof; a selectively movable anchorage coupled to the end of the packing cylinder remote from the blade, said anchorage comprising a tubular casing having end portions projecting laterally across the receptacle and supported by said track means whereby the packing cylinder is disposed diagonally and projects from said anchorage downwardly and rearwardly toward the bottom of the receptacle, said anchorage being movable longitudinally of said receptacle along said track means between a first position adjacent the front of the receptacle and another position toward the rear of the receptacle; releasable anchoring means including extensible plungers mounted in thE end portions of said casing and openings in said track means for receiving said plungers for anchoring said anchorage to said receptacle in one of said positions; and a fluid operated cylinder for retracting said plungers from said openings to release said casing for movement along said track means.

Claim 8

The improvement as defined in claim 5 including a spring axially mounted in said casing and biasing said plungers toward the extended positions and a stop in each of said end portions for limiting extension of said plungers.

Claim 9

The improvement as defined in claim 5 wherein said track means comprises a pair of tracks extending along the sides of the receptacle, said fluid operated cylinder comprising means in said casing for extending and retracting said plunger to anchor and release, respectively, said casing.