Abstract
An attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin has a clevis, an extension plate, a garbage-bin coupler, a wheel and an axle. The wheel is positioned into the clevis, the wheel is rotatably connected with the clevis by the axle, the clevis is terminally positioned to the extension plate, the clevis is pivotally connected with the extension plate about a pivot axis, the pivot axis is perpendicularly positioned to the axle, the garbage-bin coupler is terminally connected with the extension plate, the extension plate is located in between the clevis and the garbage-bin coupler, and the garbage-bin coupler is used to be releasably coupled to the garbage bin.
Claims
1. An attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin comprising: a clevis; an extension plate; a garbage-bin coupler; a wheel; an axle; the wheel being positioned into the clevis; the wheel being rotatably connected with the clevis by the axle; the clevis being terminally positioned to the extension plate; the clevis being pivotally connected with the extension plate about a pivot axis; the pivot axis being perpendicularly positioned to the axle; the garbage-bin coupler being terminally connected with the extension plate; the extension plate being located in between the clevis and the garbage-bin coupler; and the garbage-bin coupler being configured to be releasably coupled to said garbage bin.
2. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the clevis comprising a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a bridge; the first sidewall and the second sidewall being parallelly positioned to each other; the first sidewall and the second sidewall being offset from each other; the bridge being connected in between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; the axle being connected in between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and the bridge and the axle being positioned offset from each other along the clevis.
3. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 2 comprising: the extension plate being pivotally connected with the bridge about the pivot axis.
4. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 2 comprising: the bridge and the axle being parallelly positioned to each other.
5. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the garbage-bin coupler being a C-shaped clamp; the C-shaped clamp comprising an axle-receiving hole; and the axle-receiving hole being perpendicularly positioned to the pivot axis.
6. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the wheel comprising a tire and a rim; the tire being concentrically mounted around the rim; and the rim being rotatably mounted onto the axle.
7. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 6 comprising: the tire comprising a tread area and a plurality of grooves; and the plurality of grooves being peripherally distributed about the tread area.
8. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tire is torsionally connected with the rim.
9. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the extension plate comprising a first portion and a second portion; the first portion and the second portion being connected with each other; the clevis being adjacently positioned to the first portion; the first portion being located in between the second portion and the clevis; the garbage-bin coupler being adjacently positioned to the second portion; the second portion being located in between the first portion and the garbage-bin coupler; and the first portion being oriented at an obtuse angle with the second portion.
10. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 9 comprising: the obtuse angle being 150 degrees.
11. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 9 comprising: the obtuse angle being 145 degrees.
12. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the clevis comprising a first sidewall, a second sidewall and a bridge; the first sidewall and the second sidewall being parallelly positioned to each other; the first sidewall and the second sidewall being offset from each other; the bridge being connected in between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; the extension plate comprising a first portion and a second portion; the first portion and the second portion being connected with each other; the clevis being adjacently positioned to the first portion; the first portion being located in between the second portion and the clevis; the garbage-bin coupler being adjacently positioned to the second portion; the second portion being located in between the first portion and the garbage-bin coupler; the first portion being oriented at an obtuse angle with the second portion; and the first portion and the bridge being parallelly positioned to each other.
13. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: an eye; the eye being adjacently positioned to the pivot axis; and the eye being laterally connected onto the extension plate.
14. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 13 comprising: a cord; the cord comprising a first cord end and a second cord end; the first cord end and the second cord end being oppositely located to each other; the first cord end being coupled to the eye; and the second cord end being configured to be coupled to said garbage bin.
15. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 14 comprising: a first hook; a second hook; the first hook being fixed to the first cord end; the second hook being fixed to the second cord end; the first hook being engaged with the eye; the first cord end being coupled to the eye via the first hook; and the second cord end being configured to be coupled to said garbage bin via the second hook.
16. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 14 comprising: the cord being an elastic cord.
17. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: a structural rib; and the structural rib being integrated along the extension plate.
18. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 17 comprising: the structural rib being longitudinally aligned with the extension plate.
19. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 1 comprising: the extension plate comprising a plate body, a plate hole, a stem and a swivel head; the plate hole traversing through the plate body; the stem being inserted into the plate hole; the stem being torsionally connected with the swivel head; and the stem being parallelly aligned to the pivot axis.
20. The attachable stabilizer as claimed in claim 19 comprising: the extension plate comprising a nut; the nut being sleeved onto the stem; the plate body being clamped in between the nut and the swivel head.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view present invention with a wheel and an axle pivoting about a pivot axis.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side view of the present invention showing the wheel and the axle pivoting about the pivot axis.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side view of the present invention with an extension plate and a cord connected with a garbage bin.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the present invention illustrating the connection between a garbage-bin coupler and the garbage bin.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a detail view of a circle 6 in FIG. 5 showing the connection between a C-shaped clamp and a wheel-and-axle assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
[0015] Conventional garbage bins comprise a wheel-and-axle assembly mounted offset from the center of gravity allowing a user to easily transport the garbage bin. To move the garbage bin, a user simply tilts the garbage bin until the center of gravity aligns to the wheel-and-axle assembly and rolls the garbage bin. This allows the user to balance on a single wheel-and-axle assembly. Accordingly, the present invention is an attachable stabilizer for laterally supporting a garbage bin. More specifically, the present invention secures the garbage bin in a perfectly balanced position.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a clevis 1, an extension plate 2, a garbage-bin coupler 3, a wheel 41 and an axle 5. The extension plate 2 fastens the wheel 41 and the axle 5 to the garbage bin, via the garbage-bin coupler 3. The wheel 41 and the axle 5 work in conjunction with the wheel-and-axle assembly to allow the garbage bin to roll freely on the ground. The clevis 1 provides a simple steering mechanism for steering the wheel 41 and the axle 5 when the garbage bin makes a turn. As such, the wheel 41 is positioned into the clevis 1. More specifically, the wheel 41 is rotatably connected with the clevis 1 by the axle 5. As well as providing a steering mechanism, the clevis 1 also ensures the wheel 41 remains aligned in the proper position. The clevis 1 is terminally positioned to the extension plate 2. A plate hole 24 traversing through a plate body 28 of the extension plate 2 accepts a stem 25. Preferably, the stem 25 is a threaded stem. The stem 25 is torsionally connected with a swivel head 26 which is pivotally connected with the clevis 1. As such, the swivel head 26 allows the clevis 1 to pivotally connected with the extension plate 2 about a pivot axis 56. In particular, the swivel head 26 allows the clevis 1 to pivot while keeping the stem 25 static in relation to the extension plate 2. The pivot axis 56 is the axis about which the wheel 41 and axle 5 rotate when the garbage bin takes a turn. In the preferred embodiment, the pivot axis 56 is parallelly aligned to the stem 25. This positions the pivot axis 56 perpendicular to the axle 5. The garbage-bin coupler 3 is terminally connected with the extension plate 2, opposite to the clevis 1. The garbage-bin coupler 3 releasably couples the extension plate 2, the wheel 41 and the axle 5 to the wheel-and-axle assembly of the garbage bin. To ensure that the wheel 41 maintains contact with the ground, the garbage-bin coupler 3 is configured to allow the extension plate 2 to rotate about the wheel-and-axle assembly.
[0017] Focusing now on the clevis 1, FIG. 3 shows the preferred embodiment of the clevis 1. The preferred clevis 1 comprises a first sidewall 11, a second sidewall 12 and a bridge 13. The first sidewall 11, the second sidewall 12 and the bridge 13 are arranged into a U-shaped structure that partially encloses the wheel 41 and the axle 5. The first sidewall 11 and the second sidewall 12 are positioned parallel and offset from each other. The bridge 13 is connected in between the first sidewall 11 and the second sidewall 12. The axle 5 is attached in between the first sidewall 11 and second sidewall 12. This positions the bridge 13 and the axle 5 offset from each other along the clevis 1 thereby creating a recess which houses the wheel 41. Preferably, the bridge 13 and the axle 5 are parallelly positioned to each other. The swivel head 26 is laterally and rotatably mounted onto the bridge 13. The stem 25 inserts into the plate hole 24 in the extension plate 2. Once inserted, a nut 27 is sleeved onto the stem 25 to prevent the swivel head 26 separating from the extension plate 2. As a result, the extension plate 2 is pivotally connected with the bridge 13 about the pivot axis 56.
[0018] As can be seen in FIG. 6, the present invention is designed to retrofit onto any existing garbage bin. As such, the present invention utilizes a garbage-bin coupler 3. The garbage-bin coupler 3 enables the present invention to be used with any existing wheeled garbage bin. The preferred embodiment of the garbage-bin coupler 3 is a C-shaped clamp 31. A snap fit between the C-shaped clamp 31 and the wheel-and-axle assembly selectively couples the extension plate 2 to the garbage bin. Further, the snap fit rotatably secures the extension plate 2 to the wheel-and-axle assembly. Preferably, an axle-receiving hole 32 of the C-shaped clamp 31 is perpendicularly positioned to the pivot axis 56. Thus, the linear offset distance between the wheel 41 and axle 5 and the garbage bin is kept constant. The releasable nature of the C-shaped clamp 31 permits the user to use the present invention on a variety of different garbage bins. In alternate embodiments of the present invention, the garbage-bin coupler 3 may utilize similarly releasable fastening mechanism.
[0019] In reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the preferred wheel 41 comprises a tire 41 and a rim 42. The tire 41 is preferably composed of a high friction material such as rubber. Further, the tire 41 comprises a tread area 44 and a plurality of grooves 43. The tread area 44 is the flat portion of the tire 41 that contacts the ground. The plurality of grooves 43 increase the grip of the tread area 44, and prevent the tire 41 from losing traction and slipping on the ground. The tire 41 is concentrically mounted around the rim 42. Further, the tire 41 is also torsionally connected with the rim 42 which causes the rim 42 and the tire 41 to rotate at the same angular velocity. The rim 42 is rotatably mounted onto the axle 5. Preferably, the axle 5 and the rim 42 are made of a metallic material with low coefficient of friction when pressed against each other. Thus, the rim 42 can freely rotate about the axle 5. In an alternate embodiment, a bearing may be used to connect the rim 42 to the wheel 41. In yet another embodiment, the axle 5 may be torsionally connected to the rim 42 whereas, the clevis 1 may be rotatably connected to the axle 5. The plurality of grooves 43 is peripherally distributed about the tread area 44. This positions the plurality of grooves 43 coincident to the ground, and helps the tire 41 gain traction in uneven terrain.
[0020] Referring now to FIG. 4, the extension plate 2 is designed to laterally support the garbage bin in the tilted position. As such, the extension plate 2 comprises a first portion 21 and a second portion 22. The first portion 21 and the second portion 22 are connected with each other. The first portion 21 provides a retention point for the clevis 1. As such, the clevis 1 is adjacently positioned to the first portion 21. The second portion 22 is adjacently positioned to the first portion 21, opposite the clevis 1. This allows the garbage-bin coupler 3 to be adjacently positioned to the second portion 22, opposite the first portion 21. The first portion 21 is oriented at an obtuse angle 23 with the second portion 22. The first portion 21 is aligned horizontally level to allow the wheel 41 to maintain contact with the ground. Preferably, the first portion 21 and the bridge 13 are parallelly positioned to each other. In contrast, the second portion 22 is oriented at an angle in relation to the ground. The second portion 22 is designed to prevent the garbage bin from tilting too far back and tipping over. This allows the garbage bin to rest on the second portion 22 in a tilted position and physically restricts the garbage bin from tilting any further.
[0021] In reference to FIG. 6, to move the garbage bin forward or backward, the user must balance the load of the garbage bin on the wheel-and-axle assembly. In this case, the wheel-and-axle assembly acts as a fulcrum about which the center of gravity of the garbage bin can pivot. For maximal stability, the center of gravity of the garbage bin must be placed directly over the wheel-and-axle assembly. Since the wheel-and-axle assemblies for most garbage bins are positioned horizontally offset from the center, the garbage bin must be tilted backwards for maximal stability. Depending on the load characteristics of the garbage bin, the tilt angle required to balance the weight of the garbage bin may change but in all cases the garbage bin must be tilted backwards. The user tilts the garbage bin accordingly by resting the back of the garbage bin on the second portion 22 of the extension plate 2. Thus, the second portion 22 physically restricts the garbage bin from tilting further than the tilt angle allowed by the obtuse angle 23 between the first portion 21 and the second portion 22. Additionally, the garbage-bin coupler 3 is not torsionally fixed onto the wheel-and-axle assembly but rather allows the extension plate 2 to freely rotate about the wheel-and-axle assembly. In other words, the garbage-bin coupler 3 is releasably coupled to the wheel-and-axle assembly. The rotatable engagement between the garbage bin and the extension plate 2 permits the user to tilt the garbage bin forward as may be necessary to empty its contents.
[0022] Referring back to FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the obtuse angle 23 is 150 degrees. This corresponds to a 30-degree tilt angle for the garbage bin. The specific obtuse angle 23 may change in alternate embodiments according to the tilt angle of the garbage bin. For example, for a 35-degree tilt angle, the obtuse angle 23 must be 145 degrees to ensure the first portion 21 remains horizontally level.
[0023] Referring back to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a cord 51 helps secure the extension plate 2 to the garbage bin. Preferably, the cord 51 is an elastic cord. The cord 51 prevents the extension plate 2 from getting dislodged from the wheel-and-axle assembly when traveling over rough or uneven terrain. The preferred embodiment of the cord 51 is a highly stretchable bungee cord. The cord 51 is hooked to an eye 6 at one end and a hinge of a cover of the garbage bin at the other and. In the preferred embodiment, the eye 6 is adjacently positioned to the pivot axis 56. More specifically, the eye 6 is integrated into the nut 27 that sleeved onto the stem 25. The plate body 28 of the extension plate 2 is clamped in between the nut 27 on one side and the swivel head 26 on the opposite side. Thus, the eye 6 is laterally connected onto the extension plate 2. Once the eye 6 is secured to the extension plate 2, a first cord end 54 of the cord 51 is coupled to the eye 6. A second cord end 55 of the cord 51 is preferably coupled to the hinge that attaches the cover to the body of the garbage bin. Alternately, the second cord end 55 may be attached at the farthest available point from the wheel-and-axle assembly. Attaching the first cord end 54 and the second cord end 55 at opposite ends of the garbage bin places the cord 51 under tension, thereby pulling the extension plate 2 towards and the garbage bin cover. As a result, the cord 51 forces the second portion 22 of the extension plate 2 to remain pressed against the garbage bin.
[0024] A first hook 52 and a second hook 53 allow the cord 51 to selectively latch onto the garbage bin cover and the extension plate 2. In the preferred embodiment, both the first hook 52 and the second hook 53 are snap hooks. As such, the user may connect or disconnect the first hook 52 and the second hook 53 from the garbage been as required. The first hook 52 is fixed to the first cord end 54 of the cord 51. Further, the first hook 52 is engaged to the eye 6. More specifically, the first hook 52 forms an interlocking engagement with the eye 6, thereby connecting the cord 51 to the extension plate 2. Similarly, the second hook 53 is fixed to the second cord end 55 of the cord 51. This positions the second hook 53 opposite the first hook 52 along the cord 51. The second hook 53 interlocks with the hinge for the garbage bin cover. The first hook 52 and the second hook 53 are selectively latched to the eye 6 and the hinge of garbage bin cover to permit the user to tilt the garbage bin forward. This may be necessary to empty the contents of the garbage bin. Alternately any hooking or latching mechanism may be used to secure the cord 51 to the garbage bin.
[0025] Finally, the extension plate 2 is fashioned with a structural rib 7 for added rigidity and structural integrity. The structural rib 7 is aligned longitudinally to the extension plate 2. This increases rigidity along the length of the extension plate 2 and prevents the extension plate 2 from bending from the pulling force of the cord 51.
[0026] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
