Trash can
Patent No. US8720728 (titled "Trash can") on Mar 10, 2008. The application was issued on May 13, 2014.
What is this patent about?
’728 is related to the field of waste receptacles, specifically focusing on the mechanical design of lid assemblies for step-actuated trash cans. The background context involves the need for secure lid closures to prevent spills or unwanted access by pets and children, while also managing the mechanical stresses placed on the container during operation.
The underlying idea behind ’728 is to integrate a sliding latch directly into the lid structure itself rather than using external hardware. By mounting the latch so it moves horizontally relative to the lid’s front edge, the inventor realized the locking mechanism could be made aesthetically flush with the lid’s profile while providing a robust mechanical catch against the container body.
The claims of ’728 focus on a lid assembly featuring a slidable latch member that translates between a locked position, where it engages a ledge on the container body, and an unlocked position. A critical aspect of the claimed design is that the latch is substantially flush with the lid member’s outer surface when unlocked, maintaining a continuous cross-sectional profile that matches the lid’s geometry.
In practice, the latch is supported by a plate section with slotted holes and retaining screws on the underside of the lid, allowing for smooth linear travel. To ensure the latch stays in the desired state, the mechanism utilizes indexing detents and spring tabs that click into place, providing tactile feedback and preventing the lock from sliding loosely during the lid's pivoted movement.
This approach differs from prior solutions by eliminating protruding hardware that could snag or break, instead nesting the locking components within the lid's own footprint. Furthermore, the invention addresses durability by mounting the lid's damping mechanism to a specialized plate made of a stiffer material than the flexible plastic body, preventing the mechanical fatigue and twisting common in standard plastic receptacles.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the late 2000s when ’728 was filed, the design of consumer receptacles was increasingly focused on integrating mechanical assistance features at a time when motion control was typically implemented using rotary dampers connected to internal pedal linkages. During this era, systems commonly relied on uniform material construction for the main chassis, where hardware components were mounted directly to the primary structural walls of the container. Because these containers were often fabricated from malleable plastics to ensure durability under deformation, the concentration of mechanical loads at small mounting points made the stable integration of high-torque dampening components non-trivial, as the base material often lacked the rigidity to prevent component displacement during operation.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention achieves a technical advancement in receptacle architecture by decoupling the structural requirements of the container body from the mechanical requirements of the motion control system. By utilizing a multi-material mounting strategy where a secondary, stiffer mounting member is integrated into a more flexible primary body, the architecture overcomes the constraint of material deformation under localized stress, ensuring consistent dampening performance. Furthermore, the integration of a lid-mounted slidable latch mechanism that engages a projecting ledge of the body provides a positive mechanical lock, enabling a capability to secure the contents against external forces or accidental inversion that was previously absent in standard dampened lid assemblies.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 24 claims, with claim 1 being the sole independent claim. This independent claim focuses on a trash container featuring a lid assembly with a hinge and a specific slidable latch mechanism designed to be flush with the lid's outer surface when in an unlocked position. The dependent claims serve to further define the container's construction by specifying materials such as polypropylene and ABS, detailing the integration of pedal-actuated opening mechanisms and dampening devices, and describing structural supports or base components intended to prevent the container from tipping.
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US8720728
- Application Number
- US12045641A
- Filing Date
- Mar 10, 2008
- Publication Date
- May 13, 2014
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents