Waste compactor with adjustable bag fill control

Claim 2

In a waste compactor having a housing, means coacting with the housing for supporting thereon a receptacle, and extendible ram means mounted on the housing for permitting compacting of waste within said receptacle, and control means for permitting waste to be compacted into said receptacle only to a preselected depth, comprising the improvement wherein said control means includes timer means actuated in correspondence with the movement of said ram assembly in the compacting direction for controlling said depth, said timer means being preset to a preselected time interval which corresponds to the time required to move the ram assembly from an inactive retracted position to a partially extended position which corresponds to the receptacle being filled with trash to the preselected depth, reversing means operatively associated with said ram assembly for automatically retracting same when said ram assembly encounters a first external resistance of a first predetermined magnitude prior to timing out of said preselected time interval, and override means for permitting continued extension of said ram assembly and imposition thereon of a second resistance having a second magnitude substantially greater than said first magnitude when said timer means times out without said ram assembly having encountered a resistance greater than said first magnitude, whereby the resistance of said second magnitude is effective for compacting the waste within said receptacle.

Claim 3

A waste compactor according to claim 1, further including second timer means connected in parallel with said first-mentioned timer means and set for a second preselected time interval which is greater than said first-mentioned preselected time interval, said first and second time intervals both being activated simultaneously whereby said first-mentioned timer means times out prior to said second timer means, whereby said second timer permits compacting of waste within said receptacle after said first timer means times out, and return means activated by said second timer means after same has timed out for causing said ram assembly to be automatically retracted to its original position.

Claim 4

A compactor according to claim 2, wherein said first-mentioned timer means and said second timer means are both adjustable electronic timers.

Claim 5

A compactor according to claim 1, further including energizable indicator means positioned externally of said housing and energized whenever said ram assembly is reversed prior to timing out of said timer means, whereby said indicator means indicates that the receptacle is filled to the desired depth.

Claim 6

In a waste compactor having a housing, a ram assembly mounted on said housing for permitting compacting of waste within a receptacle, said ram assembly including a double-acting fluid pressure cylinder and a ram activated by said fluid pressure cylinder for movement into said receptacle for compacting waste therein to a preselected depth, a motor-pump unit for supplying pressurized fluid to said pressure cylinder, and shiftable valve means for controlling the flow of pressure fluid to and from said cylinder, said valve means being shiftable between a first position enabling flow of pressure fluid from said pump to one end of said cylinder for causing said ram to be moved toward said receptacle for compacting waste and a second position wherein said pump communicates with the other end of said cylinder for causing said ram to be moved away from said receptacle, said valve means including means associated therewith for normally maintaining the valve means in said second position and actuator means for moving said valve means from said second position to said first position, and control means for permitting the compacting of trash within said receptacle only to a preselected depth, comprising the improvement wherein said control means includes: first means for controlling the normal compactiNg stroke of said ram, said first means maintaining said valve means in said first position for a first preselected time interval to permit waste to be compacted within said receptacle; second means activated upon movement of said valve means into said first position for causing said ram during movement thereof in the compacting direction to be automatically reversed if the receptacle is filled with compacted waste to said preselected depth, said second means including timer means activated upon movement of said valve means to said first position and set to a second preselected time interval which is substantially less than said first time interval; said second means also including reversing means responsive to the presence of compacted trash within said receptacle to said preselected depth for causing said valve means to be shifted to said second position so as to automatically retract said ram means, said reversing means being activated only during said second time interval; and means for deactivating said reversing means upon expiration of said second time interval to prevent shifting of said valve means into said first position until expiration of said first time interval.

Claim 7

In a waste compactor having a housing, a ram assembly mounted on said housing for permitting compacting of waste within a receptacle, said ram assembly including a double-acting fluid pressure cylinder and a ram activated by said fluid pressure cylinder for movement into said receptacle for compacting waste therein to a preselected depth, a motor-pump unit for supplying pressurized fluid to said pressure cylinder, and shiftable valve means for controlling the flow of pressure fluid to and from said cylinder, said valve means being shiftable between a first position enabling flow of pressure fluid from said pump to one end of said cylinder for causing said ram to be moved toward said receptacle for compacting waste and a second position wherein said pump communicates with the other end of said cylinder for causing said ram to be moved away from said receptacle, said valve means including means associated therewith for normally maintaining the valve means in said second position and actuator means for moving said valve means from said second position to said first position, and control means for permitting the compacting of trash within said receptacle only to a preselected depth, comprising the improvement wherein said control means includes: first means for controlling the normal compactiNg stroke of said ram, said first means maintaining said valve means in said first position for a first preselected time interval to permit waste to be compacted within said receptacle; second means activated upon movement of said valve means into said first position for causing said ram during movement thereof in the compacting direction to be automatically reversed if the receptacle is filled with compacted waste to said preselected depth, said second means including timer means activated upon movement of said valve means to said first position and set to a second preselected time interval which is substantially less than said first time interval; said second means also including reversing means responsive to the presence of compacted trash within said receptacle to said preselected depth for causing said valve means to be shifted to said second position so as to automatically retract said ram means, said reversing means being activated only during said second time interval; and means for deactivating said reversing means upon expiration of said second time interval to prevent shifting of said valve means into said first position until expiration of said first time interval.

Claim 8

In a waste compactor according to claim 5, wherein said reversing means includes pressure sensing means responsive to a pressure level of a first magnitude as experienced within said fluid pressure cylinder for causing said valve means to be shifted into said first position prior to expiration of said second time interval; and pressure control means associated with said cylinder means for limiting the pressure level of the fluid as supplied to said cylinder to a second magnitude which is substantially greater than said first magnitude, whereupon said cylinder is capable of developing a large compacting force which can be applied to the waste for compacting same after expiration of said second time interval but prior to expiration of said first time interval.

Claim 9

A waste compactor according to claim 6, wherein said second means also includes pressure sensing means including a pressure switch for sensing the pressure level of the fluid supplied to said one end of said cylinder, and electrical switch means operatively associated with said timer means and said pressure switch for activating said pressure switch only during said second time interval, said switch means deactivating said pressure switch upon expiration of said second time interval.

Claim 10

A waste compactor according to claim 7, further including indicator means actuated by said sensing means for indicating to an operator when the receptacle is filled with trash to said preselected depth.

Claim 11

A compactor according to claim 8, wherein said indicating means includes an indicator light positioned externally of the housing and energized only when said sensing means senses that the receptacle is filled with compacted waste to said preselected depth.