Can compacter

Claim 1

A can compacter assembly comprising a motor, a fluid pump operatively connected to said motor and adapted to be driven by said motor, a frame member, a stationary platen mounted on said frame member, a fluid control valve mounted on said frame member and in communication with said fluid pump, a fluid cylinder mounted on said frame member and in operative communication with said control valve, a piston movably disposed in said cylinder, a stem extending from said piston and through one end of said cylinder and having at its free end a plunger portion, a plunger slide assembly mounted on said frame member, said plunger portion being slidably disposed on said plunger slide assembly, a cradle mounted on said frame member and disposed adjacent to and in alignment with said plunger slide assembly and said platen, said cradle being adapted to receive a can and being further adapted to receive said plunger portion, whereby said plunger portion is adapted to compress said can against said platen is compact said can, a hopper mounted on said assembly and disposed proximate said cradle and adapted to feed cans serially into said cradle, a mechanical linkage between said plunger portion and said hopper, said mechanical linkage comprising a hingedly mounted trap door in said hopper, a rotatable spring-biased wheel proximate said hopper, a pin fixed to said wheel and having a distal end connected to said trap door, a protuberance extending from said wheel, and a dog extending from said plunger portion and adapted to engage said protuberance during a compressive stroke of said plunger portion, said engagement causing rotative movement of said wheel against said spring bias to cause said distal end of said pin to move said trap door hingedly to an open position, thereby permitting movement of a can from said hopper toward said cradle.