Apparatus for the packaging of contaminated waste materials

Claim 1

Apparatus for packaging contaminated or poisonous waste materials, said apparatus comprising a container having bottom and side walls, a top plate extending across said container at its top end, a cylinder sealingly mounted on said top plate and extending downwardly into said container, said cylinder being closed at its bottom and adapted to receive a plastic bag with an outwardly projecting top rim, a cover pivotally supported on said container so as to seal said container when said cover is closed, said cover being spaced from said top plate and having an opening in alignment with said cylinder, a lid pivotally disposed on top of said cover so as to seal said cover opening when in its closed position, a vacuum pump disposed in said container and having an inlet and an outlet, a suction duct connected between said inlet and a suction space between said top and cover plates so as to permit removal of air from said suction space, an absolute filter also disposed in said container, said pump having its outlet in communication with said absolute filter so as to supply its discharge air to said filter, said top plate having a trough formed therein for the reception of cover foil, means for moving said cover foil within the suction space over the opening of said plastic bag, a heating ring axially movably disposed at the top of said cylinder, said cover plate having an abutment surface area disposed opposite said heating ring, means for axially moving said heating ring toward said cover against said abutment surface with the rim of a plastic bag disposed in said cylinder and said cover foil engaged therebetween, and electric control means for operating said vacuum pump upon opening of said lid to remove air from said suction space thereby preventing the escape of poisonous material from said container when said lid is opened and for the control of the vacuum pump and energization of said heating ring during heat welding operation of said cover foil onto said plastic bag when said lid is closed, said vaccum pump being adapted to evacuate said suction space and, together therewith, said cylinder so as to perform said heat welding operation of said cover foil onto said plastic bag under vacuum whereby, upon subsequent admission of ambient air to said suction space and said cylinder, said sealed plastic bag with the waste material contained therein is compressed and maintained compressed by the ambient air.