Trashcan liner dispenser
Patent No. US8851316 (titled "Trashcan liner dispenser") on Jun 1, 2012. The application was issued on Oct 7, 2014.
What is this patent about?
’316 is related to the field of waste management accessories, specifically a retrofit dispensing system for trashcan liners. It addresses the common frustration of storing replacement bags in a way that is both accessible and secure, preventing the entire supply container from being accidentally pulled out of its holder when a single bag is retrieved.
The underlying idea behind ’316 is a mechanical interlocking interface between a mounting caddy and a disposable bag cartridge, combined with a specific internal folding geometry that minimizes extraction friction. By using structural pins that physically pierce or tear into the cartridge walls, the system ensures the dispensing force never exceeds the retention force, while a internal support structure stages the bags to be pulled out in manageable segments.
The claims of ’316 focus on a self-locking mechanism consisting of lock pins integrated into a caddy that are designed to tear through perforated retainer slots on a nested cartridge. This physical penetration creates a high-resistance bond that prevents the cartridge from shifting, while the internal bags are draped over a support member in a specific arrangement of fourths to ensure they do not interfere with the locking hardware.
In practice, the invention works by utilizing a U-shaped internal support that drapes the liners so that only one-quarter of the bag's surface area is subjected to tension at any given time during extraction. This sequential tensioning significantly reduces the pull force required by the user. Because the force needed to pull a bag is roughly half of what is required to dislodge the pierced cartridge, the system remains stable even when the user pulls quickly or the bags are tightly packed.
This approach differentiates itself from prior art by moving away from simple friction-based clasps, which often fail when a bag snag occurs. By employing penetrating lock pins that provide a tension break force nearly 2.5 times greater than the extraction force, the design ensures the cartridge stays seated. Furthermore, the internal support member prevents the liners from slumping to the bottom, maintaining the leading edge of the next bag at the access notch for continuous, one-handed operation.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the mid-2000s when ’316 was filed, waste management accessories were typically implemented using standalone storage containers or loose secondary packaging for replacement liners. At a time when systems commonly relied on manual placement of folded bags within the base of a receptacle or external storage hooks, the integration of dispensing mechanisms into the receptacle structure was often limited by the lack of secure mounting interfaces. Hardware constraints made the reliable extraction of individual liners non-trivial, as the force required to pull a bag frequently caused the entire supply container to shift or become dislodged from its housing, particularly when the storage unit was not an integral part of the original receptacle manufacture.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention achieves a technical advancement through a self-interlocking retrofit architecture that stabilizes a liner cartridge during the high-tension event of bag extraction. By utilizing a caddy assembly equipped with integrated lock pins designed to penetrate and secure a nested cartridge, the system overcomes the constraint of accidental detachment without interfering with the internal liner supply. Furthermore, the structural arrangement of a support member within the cartridge enables a specific suspension geometry that maintains the open ends of the liners adjacent to an access port. This integration ensures consistent accessibility from the first to the last liner while providing a modular solution that can be securely mounted to various receptacle surfaces, effectively isolating the supply from liquid contaminants at the bottom of the trashcan.
Claims
The patent contains 14 total claims, with independent claims 1, 8, and 9 establishing the primary legal protections for the invention. These independent claims focus on the structural configuration of a trashcan liner dispenser and its corresponding cartridge, specifically detailing a self-locking mechanism using perforated retainer slots and lock pins, as well as a specialized access opening and internal support member designed to facilitate the sequential withdrawal of folded liners. The dependent claims serve to further define the invention by specifying tension break force requirements for the locking mechanism, providing precise measurements for the pulling forces, and describing the biased orientation of the internal support legs within the cartridge.
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US8851316
- Application Number
- US13486254A
- Filing Date
- Jun 1, 2012
- Publication Date
- Oct 7, 2014
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents