Double-Walled Waste Container

Abstract

The double-walled waste container provides an open-top roll-off container being rectangular in shape and having latching door portions at one end. The container employs a double wall construction to minimize damage, improve strength, and reduce weight. Additionally, the container provides a plurality of drain apertures which extend a full length of the container to drain off accumulated liquids and to prevent corrosion of the container.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A waste container, comprising: a first sidewall; a second sidewall; an end wall extending between the first and second sidewalls; a floor extending substantially between the first and second side walls, wherein the first and second sidewalls and the floor define an interior of the waste container for receiving waste; wherein one or both of the first and second sidewalls comprises a double-wall configuration comprising a first wall and a second wall fixedly secured to the first wall, the second wall comprises a plurality of adjacent second wall portions, each adjacent second wall portion defines an inner wall portion and edge wall portions located on substantially opposite sides of the inner wall portion relative to each other and angled relative to the inner wall portion, each angled edge wall portion is welded to an adjacent angled edge wall portion and/or to the first wall to fixedly secure the second wall to the first wall, the first and second walls define a plurality of vertically extending spaces therebetween, and the floor defines at least one drain aperture located below and in fluid communication with one or more vertically extending spaces in the double wall to allow fluid drainage from the sidewall of the waste container therethrough.

22. The waste container of claim 21, wherein the floor defines a plurality of drain apertures, and each drain aperture is aligned with one or more vertically-extending spaces in the double wall for draining fluid therefrom.

23. The waste container of claim 21, wherein both the first and second sidewalls define the double-wall configuration, and the floor defines at least one first drain aperture located below the first sidewall and in fluid communication with one or more vertically-extending spaces therein, and at least one second drain aperture is located below the second sidewall and is in fluid communication with one or more vertically-extending spaces therein.

24. The waste container of claim 21, wherein the floor defines a plurality of drain apertures, and each drain aperture is one or more of longitudinal shaped, oval shaped or circular shaped.

25. The waste container of claim 21, wherein each vertically-extending space extends from approximately a top of the double wall to approximately a bottom of the double wall.

26. The waste container of claim 25, wherein each vertically-extending space further extends laterally between the angled edge wall portions of the respective second wall portion.

27. The waste container of claim 21, wherein one or both of the first and second sidewalls comprises a double-wall configuration and a cap affixed to an upper edge of the sidewall and covering the vertically-extending spaces therein.

28. The waste container of claim 21, wherein the first wall is substantially flat, a plurality of the inner wall portions are substantially flat, and each substantially flat inner wall portion is approximately parallel to the first wall.

29. The waste container of claim 21, wherein each angled edge wall portion is oriented at an acute angle relative to the respective inner wall portion.

30. The waste container of claim 21, wherein a plurality of angled edge wall portions overlap and are welded to each other.

31. The waste container of claim 21, wherein a plurality of second wall portions include one angled edge wall portion welded to an adjacent angled edge wall portion and another angled edge wall portion welded to the first wall.

32. The waste container of claim 31, wherein a plurality of angled edge wall portions welded to each other are oriented approximately perpendicular to each other.

33. The waste container of claim 21, wherein the second wall forms a substantially flat exterior surface defined by adjacent substantially flat inner wall portions and welds extending between adjacent angled edge wall portions.

34. The waste container of claim 33, wherein one or more of the substantially flat wall portions are wider than other substantially flat wall portions.

35. The waste container of claim 21, wherein each second wall portion is substantially U-shaped, the inner wall portion defines the base of the U-shape and the angled edge wall portions form the legs of the U-shape.

36. The waste container of claim 21, wherein a plurality of the second wall portions are contiguous, and each of a plurality of such second wall portions include contiguous angled edge portions on at least one side thereof.

37. The waste container of claim 21, further comprising an end wall extending between the first and second sidewalls and further defining the interior space of the waste container, wherein the end wall comprises at least one door hingedly mounted thereon and movable between a closed position and an open position for accessing the interior space of the waste container, wherein the door rests on the underlying floor and/or end wall when in the closed position.

38. The waste container of claim 37, further comprising another end wall spaced relative to the other end wall and further defining the interior space of the waste container, wherein each end wall extends between the first and second side walls.

39. The waste container of claim 37, wherein one or both of the end walls also comprise the double wall configuration.

40. The waste container of claim 21, wherein the first and second sidewalls both comprise the double wall configuration.

41. The waste container of claim 21, wherein the first wall of the double wall configuration is an interior wall of the waste container, and the second wall of the double wall configuration is an exterior wall of the waste container.

42. A waste container, comprising: a first sidewall; a second sidewall; an end wall extending between the first and second sidewalls; a floor extending substantially between the first and second side walls, wherein the first and second sidewalls and the floor define an interior of the waste container for receiving waste; wherein one or both of the first and second sidewalls comprises a double-wall configuration including a first wall and a second wall fixedly secured to the first wall, the second wall includes a plurality of adjacent second wall portions, each adjacent second wall portion includes first means for forming a substantially flat exterior, and a plurality of second means located on opposite sides of the first means and angled relative thereto for fixedly attaching the second means to an adjacent second means and/or to the first wall and thereby fixedly secure the second wall to the first wall, wherein the first and second walls define a plurality of vertically-extending spaces therebetween, and the floor includes third means located below and in fluid communication with one or more vertically-extending spaces in the double wall for allowing fluid drainage therethrough.

43. The waste container of claim 42, wherein each first means is a substantially flat inner wall portion, each second means is an edge wall portion, and each third means is an aperture extending through the floor.

44. The waste container of claim 42, wherein each second means is welded to an adjacent second means and/or to the first wall to fixedly secure the second wall to the first wall.

45. A method comprising the following steps: (i) forming a double-wall configuration sidewall of a waste container by fixedly securing at least one of a first sidewall or a second sidewall to the other, wherein the second sidewall includes a plurality of second wall portions, each second wall portion includes an inner wall portion and edge wall portions located on substantially opposite sides of the inner wall portion and angled relative thereto, and the fixedly securing includes welding a plurality of angled edge wall portions to adjacent angled edge wall portions and/or to the first wall; and (ii) mounting a first sidewall and a second sidewall on a floor, spacing the first and second sidewalls relative to each other and defining an interior space therebetween, wherein one or both of the first and second sidewalls defines the double-wall configuration of step (i).

46. The method of claim 45, wherein step (i) further includes forming a plurality of vertically-extending spaces between a plurality of second wall portions and the first wall; and the method further includes forming at least one drainage aperture in or through the floor located below and in fluid communication with one or more vertically-extending spaces in the double wall to allow fluid drainage therethrough.

47. The method of claim 46, further including affixing a cap to an upper edge of the double-walled sidewall and covering the vertically extending spaces therein.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein step (i) further includes: (a) welding an angled edge portion of a second wall portion to the first wall, and welding an opposite angled edge portion of the second wall portion to an angled edge portion of an adjacent second wall portion; and (b) repeating the foregoing step for a plurality of second wall portions.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising performing step (a) for a second wall portion, and then repeating step (a) for a plurality of contiguous second wall portions until substantially the entire second wall is fixedly secured to the first wall.

50. The method of claim 45, further comprising forming a substantially flat exterior sidewall of the waste container defined by adjacent substantially flat inner wall portions and welds extending between adjacent angled edge wall portions.

51. The method of claim 45, further comprising forming the second wall with one or more of the substantially flat wall portions that are wider than other substantially flat wall portions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a double-walled waste container condition, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing the door assembly 20a, 20b of the double-walled waste container 10, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG. 3a is a sectional view of a double wall portion 15a, 15b of the double-walled waste container 10 taken along section line A-A (see FIG. 1), according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 3b is a close-up sectional view of the sidewall 15a also taken along section line A-A (see FIG. 1), illustrating a welded construction of the inner wall 50 and outer wall 40a portions, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] FIG. 3c is a close-up sectional view of the sidewall 15a also taken along section line A-A (see FIG. 1), illustrating a welded construction of the inner wall 50 and alternate outer wall 40, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along section line B-B (see FIG. 1), illustrating drain aperture portions 60 and a location where the sidewall 15a affixes to a floor weldment portion 12, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and,

[0033] FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along a horizontal plane through a sidewall 15a depicting attachment of the sidewall 15a to an existing waste container 100, according to an alternate embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTIVE KEY

[0034] 10 double-walled waste container [0035] 12 floor weldment [0036] 13a first rail [0037] 13b second rail [0038] 14 cap weldment [0039] 15a sidewall [0040] 15b rear wall [0041] 16 cantilevered rail portion [0042] 20a left side door half [0043] 20b right side door half [0044] 21a left side hinge [0045] 21b right side hinge [0046] 23 door latch weldment [0047] 24a release bar [0048] 24b locking pin [0049] 24c locking plate [0050] 25 pivot rod [0051] 26 rod bracket [0052] 27 hook [0053] 28 latch [0054] 30 wheel assembly [0055] 40 outer wall [0056] 40a outer wall portion [0057] 50 inner wall [0058] 60 drain aperture [0059] 62 weld [0060] 100 existing waste container [0061] 110 gusset

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0062] The modes for carrying out the invention are presented in terms of its preferred embodiments, herein depicted within FIGS. 1-4, and in terms of an alternate embodiment, herein depicted within FIG. 5. However, the invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope.

[0063] The terms a and an herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items.

[0064] The present invention describes a double-walled waste container (herein described as the container) 10, which provides an open-top roll-off container being rectangular in shape and having double door portions 20a, 20b at one end. The container 10 employs a double wall construction 40, 50 to minimize damage during use. Additionally, the container 10 provides a plurality of drain apertures 60 to provide a means of liquid drainage to prevent corrosion of the container 10.

[0065] Referring now to the FIGS. 1 and 2, side and end views of the container 10, according to a preferred embodiment, are disclosed. An embodiment of the container 10 is illustrated here having two sidewalls 15a, a rear wall 15b, a cap weldment 14, a floor weldment 12, a left side door half 20a, a right side door half 20b, at least two wheel assemblies 30, a first rail 13a, a second rail 13b with each having a cantilevered portion 16 (only visible on FIG. 1). As seen here, the two side-walls 15a and the rear wall 15b are to be affixed in a perpendicular manner to the floor weldment 12 via a welding process. Additionally, the cap weldment 14 affixes to entire top edge portions of each of the sidewalls 15a and the rear wall 15b also using a welding process. The floor weldment 12 and cap weldment 14 provide additional structural support and strength to protect the container 10 from damage during top loading.

[0066] The embodiment of the container 10 illustrated here provides a pair of wheel assemblies 30 which are welded to opposing bottom portions of one end of the floor weldment 12, thereby allowing the container 10 to be more easily transported and loaded on to and off of a truck or other similar vehicle. The wheel assemblies 30 enable the container 10 to be filled at one location and transported to another location for unloading. The first rail 13a and second rail 13b with each having a cantilevered portion 16 facilitate the sliding of the container 10 onto and off the bed of a transportation vehicle. Some embodiments of the container 10 may include additional wheel assemblies 30 for improved mobility.

[0067] As shown here, the container 10 includes a left side door half 20a and a right side door half 20b which join together to close one end of the container 10. The embodiment of the container 10 shown here includes a left door half 20a and a right door half 20b, each being pivotingly attached to opposing vertical edges of opposing sidewalls 15 via respective left side hinges 21a and right side hinges 21b. The doors 20a, 20b swing outwardly to allow access to the interior of the double-walled waste container 10.

[0068] The door halves 20a, 20b are to be secured to each other in a planar manner via a door latch weldment 23 which includes portions which are welded or otherwise affixed to the door halves 20a, 20b. Affixed to the left door half 20a are a plurality of welded latches 28 and a welded locking plate 24c. Affixed to the right door half 20b is a release bar 24a, a pivot rod 25, a plurality of welded rod brackets 26, and a plurality of hooks 27. Following rotation of the door halves 20a, 20b to a jointly planar position, an operator may rotate the release bar 24a to the left to secure the door halves 20a, 20b together. The release bar 24a is a portion of a door latch weldment 23 made up of the release bar 24a, the pivot rod 25, and the hooks 27. As the release bar 24a is pivoted to the left, the vertical pivot rod 25 rotates within the stationary rod brackets 26 together with the welded hook portions 28 which in turn engage the correspondingly positioned stationary latch portions 28 located upon the left door half 20a. The operator may then secure the position of the door halves 20a, 20a by securing the release bar 24a to the locking plate portion 24c of the left door half 20a by inserting a locking pin 24b through the locking plate 24c.

[0069] In some embodiments of the container 10, the door assemblies 20a, 20b may comprise a single door that swings side-to-side, which latches to the sidewalls 15a in a similar manner as the previously described embodiment. Further embodiments may include a single door that opens downward or upward to facilitate dumping of the contents of the container 10 and/or to allow better access to the interior by a user as the door may act as a ramp in some embodiments. It is understood that the teachings of the container 10 may be integrated into designs of various waste containers having various standardized volumetric sizes with equal benefit, such as, but not limited to: ten cubic yards (10 yd.sup.3), twenty cubic yards (20 yd.sup.3), thirty cubic yards (30 yd.sup.3), forty cubic yards (40 yd.sup.3), and the like, and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the container 10.

[0070] It is understood that the door halves 20a, 20b may further provide a double-wall construction including inner wall 50 and outer wall portions 40a similar to that of the sidewalls 15a and rear wall 15b (as discussed in FIGS. 3a and 3b below).

[0071] Referring now to FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c, cross-sectional representations of one of the walls 15a, 15b, are disclosed. Each of the two sidewalls 15a and the rear wall 15b include welded portions including an outer wall 40 and an inner wall 50. An embodiment of the outer wall 40 is shown in FIG. 2, including a plurality of U-shaped vertical outer wall portions 40a being overlapped and welded to the inner wall 50 to form a strong corrugated structure to increase structural rigidity and to allow a reduction of construction materials compared to similar existing waste containers 100. It is understood that the outer wall 40 may also be a single panel having a formed corrugated profile, thereby providing simplified fabrication and ease of construction, and as such should not be interpreted as a limiting factor of the container 10 as illustrated in FIG. 3c.

[0072] The inner wall 50 comprises a flat and smooth arrangement to allow materials deposited in the container 10 to easily be removed by tilting and dumping. The configuration of the inner wall 50 and the outer wall 40 are such that when heavy materials are deposited into the container 10 in a manner that causes damage to the container 10, the inner wall 50 sustains the damage and prevents damage to the outer wall 40. This maintains the strength of the container 10 as well as prolonging a like-new appearance when viewed externally.

[0073] The configuration of the inner wall 50 and the outer wall 40, together, increases structural rigidity such that the thickness of the inner wall 50 and outer wall 40 may be reduced such that overall weight and cost of materials of the container 10 may be lower in comparison to similar existing waste containers 100. This overall reduction in weight may also reduce operating and fuel costs for transportation and storage of the double-walled waste container 10.

[0074] Referring now to FIG. 4, a close-up sectional view of an interface of sidewall 15a and floor weldment 12 portions, is disclosed. The arrangement and welding of the inner wall 50 and outer wall portions 40a of the sidewalls 15a are affixed to the floor weldment 12 as illustrated here. The floor weldment 12 also comprises a plurality of drain apertures 60 which may be longitudinal, oval-shaped, circular in shape, in different embodiments of the container 10. The drain apertures 60 allow water or other liquids to drain from the void or space between the inner wall 50 and the outer wall 40 to reduce the amount of rust and corrosion to the container 10, thereby increasing useable life.

[0075] The exact specifications, materials used, and method of use of the container 10 may vary upon manufacturing.

[0076] Referring now to FIG. 5, a sectional view along a horizontal plane depicting attachment of a sidewall portion 15a to an existing waste container 100, according to an alternate embodiment of the invention, is disclosed. The teachings of the previously described container 10 may be applied to strengthen or repair wall portions of existing waste containers 10 via attachment of the double-walled sidewall portion 15a to the external surfaces. A welding process or equivalent methods such as rivets, fasteners, and the like, may be utilized to affix sections of the inner wall 50 to protruding channel-shaped gusset portions 110 of the existing waste container 100. The attachment of the sidewall 15a would not only provide the previously stated advantages of the sidewall 15a, but also act to cover existing dents, penetrations, and other previously received damage to external wall portions of the existing waste container 100. Additionally, the attachment of the sidewall 15a would act to restore a like-new external appearance.

[0077] It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope.

[0078] The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. After initial purchase or acquisition of the device 10, it would be utilized as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0079] The method of utilizing the device 10 may be achieved by performing the following steps: procuring a model of the container 10 having a desired internal volumetric size; transporting the container 10 using a special truck, or similar suitable vehicle, to a site for waste loading; unloading the container 10 upon a ground surface using the wheel assemblies 30 to help roll the container 10 into place; configuring the container 10 for ground-level loading, if desired; opening the door halves 20a, 20b by removing the locking pin 24b; rotating the release bar 24a to disengage the hooks 27 from the latches 28; pivoting one of both of the door halves 20a, 20b about the hinges 21a, 21b until the end of the container 10 is accessible; utilizing the container 10 to carry loads of construction and demolition waste or similar types of debris as needed or until full; closing the door halves 20a, 20b by reversing the aforementioned steps; continuing to load waste materials into the container, if desired, into the open-top portion as needed or until the container 10 is full; utilizing the drain aperture features 60 of the container 10 to remove any liquids which may accumulate within the container 10; transporting the container 10 as previously described to a waste disposal site; utilizing the special transport vehicle to tilt the container 10 to dump and empty its contents; and, benefiting from a waste container 10 with improved strength, reduced corrosion, and lasting like-new appearance, afforded a user of the present invention 10.

[0080] The method of utilizing the alternate repair of an existing waste container 100 using sidewall portions 15a may be achieved by welding sections of the double-walled sidewall 15a to protruding channel-shaped gusset portions 110 of an existing waste container 100, and utilizing the strengthened and repaired existing waste container 100 in a similar manner as the previously described container 10.

[0081] The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.