Non-stop refuse collection container

Claim 1

In combination, a refuse container and a refuse collection vehicle said refuse collection vehicle comprising: an arm; means on said arm for engaging said container; means for moving said arm toward said container to engage said container when at a standing upright position on a roadway, without manual lifting or manual moving of said container; means for moving said arm from a lowered position to a raised position for lifting the container from said standing upright position, and inverting the container to dump its contents into the vehicle without manual handling of said container; and said container comprising: a lower body section of tapered configuration extending for the major portion of the height of the container for storing refuse, and when in said standing upright position in a roadway having its upper, larger end at a height above the height of said arm on said refuse collection vehicle when said vehicle is positioned adjacent said container on the roadway and said arm is in its lowered position; an upper body section above said lower body section, and having a substantial height, the cross-section of said upper body section being at its lower end substantially larger than the cross-section of the upper end of the lower body section; a generally horizontal shoulder integrally connecting the upper end of the lower body section to the lower end of the upper body section said shoulder strengthening said container to withstand the forces of engagement with the arm; and a lid hinged to said upper body section and adapted to automatically open by the force of gravity when said container is inverted.