Waste compactor with clamshell bag support

Claim 2

A waste compactor for permitting the depositing and compacting of waste within a flexible bag, comprising: housing means; extendible ram means mounted on and positioned adjacent the upper end of said housing means, said ram means being movable downwardly for permitting compacting of waste; removable dolly means coacting with the lower end of said housing means and including bottom wall means positionable directly beneath said ram means when said dolly means is in a first position permitting compacting of waste, said dolly means having support roller means thereon and being movable outwardly relative to said housing means to a second position wherein said dolly means is laterally spaced from said ram means, said dolly means when in said second position permitting a flexible bag to be mounted thereon or removed therefrom; support means removably positioned and supported on said bottom wall means of said dolly means in a free-standing manner for supporting a flexible bag in an open upright position to permit waste to be deposited and compacted therein, said support means comprising an elongated tubelike assembly of substantially rectangular cross section and having an unobstructed vertical opening extending therethrough, said tubelike assembly being positioned in the interior of said bag for maintaining said bag in an open upright condition in surrounding relationship to said tubelike assembly, said tubelike means and said surrounding bag being supported on said bottom wall means and disposed beneath said ram assembly when said dolly means is in said first position; said tubelike assembly being of a clamshell-like construction and including a pair of vertically extending elements positioned in opposed relationship to one another so as to define said vertical opening therebetween, at least one of said elements having a channel-shaped cross section, and means hingedly interconnecting said pair of elements adjacent the upper ends thereof for enabling the lower ends of said elements to be vertically pivotally swung toward and away from one another; and said dolly means including stop means fixed thereon for overlapping the lower free ends of said elements when the tubelike assembly is positioned on the bottom wall means for preventing said elements from swinging outwardly away from one another when waste is being compacted in the interior thereof by said ram means.

Claim 3

A waste compactor according to claim 1, wherein said pair of elements are both of channel-shaped cross section and are disposed in opposed relationship to one another.

Claim 4

A waste compactor according to claim 1, further including chute means swingably mounted on said housing means at an elevation between the upper and lower ends thereof for permitting waste to be deposited into said tubelike assembly when said dolly means is disposed in said first position, said chute means being swingable between a substantially closed position wherein same is disposed substantially coextensive with the front side of said housing means and an open position wherein same projects outwardly and upwardly from the front side of said housing means for permitting waste to be deposited in said assembly; and said dolly means including a front wall portion fixedly secured to the front edge of said bottom wall means and extending upwardly therefrom, said front wall portion of said dolly means being normally disposed substantially flush with the front side of said housing means for at least closing the lower part of the front side thereof when said dolly means is in said first position, said front wall portion being disposed directly below said chute means.

Claim 5

A waste compactor according to claim 3, further including power means operatively interconnected to said ram means for supplying pressure fluid thereto to cause actuation thereof, and control means for permitting extension of said ram means only when said chute means is in its closed position; said control means including switch means operatively connected to said power means for controlling activation thereof, said switch means being movable between a first position wherein said power means is deactivated and a second position permitting activation of said power means; said control means further including safety means preventing activation of said power means whenever said chute means is spaced from its closed position irrespective of the position of said switch means.

Claim 6

A waste compactor according to claim 4, wherein said safety means includes a magnet mounted on said chute means and a magnetic switch device mounted on said housing means and disposed for coaction with said chute means for overriding said switch means whenever said chute means is spaced from said closed position, said magnetic switch device being normally maintained in a first position preventing actuation of said power means whenever said chute means is spaced from said closed position movement of said chute means to said closed position causing said magnetic switch device to be moved to a second position for permitting activation of said power means whenever said switch means is moved to its second position.

Claim 7

A waste compactor according to claim 3, wherein said chute means has support means associated therewith for hingedly but removably supporting said chute means on the upper edge of the front wall portion of said dolly means, said chute means being totally disconnectible and removable from said housing means and said dolly means.

Claim 8

A waste compactor according to claim 1, wherein said dolly means has a plurality of said support roller means mounted thereon and disposed for rolling engagement with a support surface, such as a floor, for permitting said dolly means to be rollingly moved about, said roller means permitting the dolly means to be rollingly moved about in a free-standing and selfsupporting manner; said housing means including support rail means fixed to said housing means adjacent the lower end thereof and disposed for engaging and supporting said dolly means when same is in said first position, whereby loads imposed on said dolly means due to downward extension of said ram means are transmitted directly to said housing means.

Claim 9

A waste compactor according to claim 7, wherein said dolly means includes a front wall portion fixedly secured to said bottom wall means adjacent the front edge thereof and extending upwardly therefrom, said front wall portion of said dolly means being normally disposed substantially flush with the front side of said housing means for at least partially closing the lower part of the front side of said housing means when said dolly means is in said first position and said stop means including a short flange fixed to and projecting vertically upwardly from the bottom wall means adjacent the rear edge thereof.

Claim 10

A waste compactor according to claim 1, wherein said tubelike assembly consists solely of said pair of vertically extending elements, each of said elements having a channel-shaped cross section.

Claim 11

A waste compactor according to claim 1, wherein said dolly means includes a front wall portion fixedly secured to the front edge of said bottom wall means and extending upwardly therefrom, said front wall portion being normally disposed substantially flush with the front side of said housing means for at least closing the lower part of the front side thereof when said dolly means is in said first position; said stop means including a vertically extending flange fixed to said bottom wall means and projecting upwardly from the rear edge thereof so that said flange is substantially parallel with said front wall portion, said flange projecting upwardly through only a small vertical distance relative to said front wall portion; said dolly means further including a pair of partial sidewall portions extending from the opposite edges of said front wall portion and being interconnected to the opposite side edges of said bottom wall means, said sidewall portions extending vertically upwardly from said bottom wall through a small distance relative to the height of said front wall portion; said roller means as mounted on said dolly means including a pair of rollers mounted on said dolly means adjacent the front edge of said bottom wall means and a further roller mounted on said bottom wall means adjacent the rear edge thereof; and chute means swingably mounted on said dolly means when same is in said first position for permitting waste to be deposited into the bag, said chute means being swingable between a substantially closed position wherein same is disposed substantially coextensive with the front side of said housing means and an open position wherein same projects outwardly and upwardly from the front side of said housing means for permitting waste to be deposited into said bag, said chute means having means associated with the lower edge thereof for defining a downwardly opening channel-shaped portion which is disposed in engagement with the front wall portion of said dolly means for hingedly supporting said chute means on said dolly means, said chute means being separable from both said dolly means and said housing means by lifting said channel-shaped portion upwardly out of engagement with the upper edge of the front wall portion.

Claim 12

In a waste compactor having housing means and a fluid pressure operated ram assembly mounted on said housing means and vertically movable downwardly for compacting waste within a movable waste receiving container, comprising: said housing means including a plurality of walls defining a substantially closed housing having a vertically extending compartment in the interior thereof, said walls defining an access opening communicating with at least the lower part of said compartment; said ram assembly being disposed in the upper portion of said compartment and having a portion thereof fixedly connected to said housing; removable dolly means coacting with the lower end of said housing and including a front wall portion for closing at least a part of said access opening, said dolly means being rollingly movable between a first position wherein the dolly means coacts with the housing so that the front wall portion at least partially closes the access opening and a second position wherein the dolly means is laterally displaced from said first position and is disconnected from the housing; said dolly means including substantially horizontally extending bottom wall means fixedly connected to said front wall portion and being removably mounted on said housing adjacent the lower portion of said compartment when said dolly means is in said first position, said bottom wall means being spaced downwardly from said ram assembly when said dolly means is in said first position; waste receiving means removably positioned and supported on said dolly means for permitting waste to be deposited and compacted therein, said waste receiving means being supported on said bottom wall means and projecting upwardly therefrom in an upright free-standing manner, the upper edge of said waste receiving means being spaced downward from the upper edge of said front wall portion; chute means mounted on said housing means at an elevation between the upper and lower ends thereof for permitting waste to be deposited into said waste receiving means when said dolly means is disposed in said first positions, said chute means being positioned directly above said front wall portion of said dolly means and projecting upwardly and outwardly from the front side of said housing for permitting waste to be deposited into said waste receiving means; and guide rail means fixed to said housing to assist in guiding waste into said waste receiving means, said guide rail means including a horizontally elongated guide rail fixed to the inner surface of each of the sidewalls and the rear wall of said housing, said guide rails being disposed substantially within a common horizontal plane which is located below said chute means but closely adjacent the upper edge of said waste receiving means, said guide rails projecting inwardly into said compartment so as to overlie the upper edge of said waste receiving means, each of said guide rails having an upper surface thereon which slopes inwardly and downwardly away from the respective housing wall to deflect the trash inwardly for deposit into the waste receiving means.

Claim 13

In a waste compactor having housing means and a fluid pressure operated ram assembly mounted on said housing means and vertically movable downwardly for compacting waste within a movable waste receiving container, comprising: said housing means including a plurality of walls defining a substantially closed housing having a vertically extending compartment in the interior thereof, said walls defining an access opening communicating with at least the lower part of said compartment; said ram assembly being disposed in the upper portion of said compartment and having a portion thereof fixedly connected to said housing; removable dolly means coacting with the lower end of said housing and including a front wall portion for closing at least a part of said access opening, said dolly means being rollingly movable between a first position wherein the dolly means coacts with the housing so that the front wall portion at least partially closes the access opening and a second position wherein the dolly means is laterally displaced from said first position and is disconnected from the housing; said dolly means including substantially horizontally extending bottom wall means fixedly connected to said front wall portion and being removably mounted on said housing adjacent the lower portion of said compartment when said dolly means is in said first position, said bottom wall means being spaced downwardly from said ram assembly when said dolly means is in said first position; waste receiving means removably positioned and supported on said dolly means for permitting waste to be deposited and compacted therein, said waste receiving means being supported on said bottom wall means and projecting upwardly therefrom in an upright free-standing manner, the upper edge of said waste receiving means being spaced downward from the upper edge of said front wall portion; chute means mounted on said housing means at an elevation between the upper and lower ends thereof for permitting waste to be deposited into said waste receiving means when said dolly means is disposed in said first positions, said chute means being positioned directly above said front wall portion of said dolly means and projecting upwardly and outwardly from the front side of said housing for permitting waste to be deposited into said waste receiving means; and guide rail means fixed to said housing to assist in guiding waste into said waste receiving means, said guide rail means including a horizontally elongated guide rail fixed to the inner surface of each of the sidewalls and the rear wall of said housing, said guide rails being disposed substantially within a common horizontal plane which is located below said chute means but closely adjacent the upper edge of said waste receiving means, said guide rails projecting inwardly into said compartment so as to overlie the upper edge of said waste receiving means, each of said guide rails having an upper surface thereon which slopes inwardly and downwardly away from the respective housing wall to deflect the trash inwardly for deposit into the waste receiving means.