Trash can assembly with motion damper for lid
Patent No. US7494021 (titled "Trash can assembly with motion damper for lid") on Mar 22, 2005. The application was issued on Feb 24, 2009.
What is this patent about?
’021 is related to the field of waste receptacles, specifically foot-operated trash cans that utilize a mechanical linkage to open a lid. It addresses the common problem of noise and mechanical wear caused by lids slamming shut under the force of gravity once a user releases the foot pedal.
The underlying idea behind ’021 is to regulate the closing speed of the lid by applying resistance at the very beginning of the mechanical chain rather than at the lid hinge itself. By integrating a pneumatic damping element directly to the rear of the horizontal pedal bar, the system absorbs the kinetic energy of the falling lid through the linkage rods, ensuring a controlled and quiet descent.
The claims of ’021 focus on a trash can assembly where an air damper is positioned inside the outer shell and anchored to the base. This damper is specifically coupled to the rear end of the pedal bar, which is the same point where the vertical lifting rods connect, allowing the damper to exert an upward opposing force that resists the downward movement of the linkage during closing.
In practice, when a user steps on the pedal, the pedal bar pivots like a seesaw, lifting the rear end and the attached rods to push the lid open. The air piston is pushed upward during this phase without significant resistance. However, when the foot is removed, the weight of the lid pushes the rods back down; at this moment, the air piston inside its housing creates a cushioning effect that prevents the rear of the pedal bar from dropping instantly.
This approach differs from prior solutions that typically place damping mechanisms at the lid hinge or use complex hydraulic hinges. By mounting the damper to the stationary base and connecting it to the pedal bar, the invention simplifies the construction and reduces the stress on the lid’s pivot point. This configuration uses the mechanical advantage of the existing lever system to provide a smoother, more durable soft-close action with fewer specialized parts.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the mid-2000s when ’021 was filed, waste containment systems were typically implemented using mechanical linkages that directly translated foot-pedal force into lid displacement. At a time when these systems commonly relied on gravity-driven closure rather than controlled deceleration, hardware constraints made the mitigation of impact noise and mechanical wear non-trivial. Engineering solutions for household containers generally utilized rigid vertical lifting rods that lacked integrated damping components, resulting in high-velocity contact between the lid and the container rim upon the release of the actuation pedal.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a technical advancement through the integration of an air damper directly within the internal volume of the outer shell, specifically coupled to the rear of the pedal bar. This architectural shift moves away from simple direct-drive linkages by introducing a pneumatic resistance mechanism that applies an opposing force against the downward motion of the pedal bar's rear end. This configuration achieves the technical effect of slowing the closing motion of the lid, thereby overcoming the constraints of noise generation and component fatigue associated with gravity-induced slamming in pedal-actuated containers.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 5 claims, with claims 1 and 5 being the independent claims. These independent claims focus on a trash can assembly and a corresponding method for slowing the closing motion of its lid, specifically utilizing an internal air damper mounted to the base to provide resistance against the movement of a pedal bar. The dependent claims serve to further define the physical arrangement and specific connections of the internal components, such as the positioning of the air damper relative to the base and the configuration of the lifting rod.
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US7494021
- Application Number
- US11086932A
- Filing Date
- Mar 22, 2005
- Publication Date
- Feb 24, 2009
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents