Waste disposal device for refuse, particularly for personal hygiene materials and products

Abstract

The present invention relates to a waste disposal device for refuse, comprising a container having a container opening and closing means that are positioned near to the container opening for substantially closing the container opening in such a way that odour release is prevented. The closing means comprising a drum housing comprising a drum opening and housing a drum body, wherein the drum body is pivotable between an insertion position for placing refuse in the waste disposal device and a transit position for aligning the refuse with the drum opening. The drum opening further comprising a flexible sealing member extending about the edge of the drum opening for that part that is closely connected to the external surface of the drum body, wherein the flexible sealing member having upwardly facing raised sealing portions in a direction away from the bottom of the container, that are in contact with the external surface of the drum body or wherein the flexible sealing member comprises two separated flexible sealing parts.

Claims

1. A waste disposal device for refuse, in particular for personal hygiene materials and products, comprising a container having a bottom and a circumferential wall, wherein the container has a container opening on the end remote from the bottom, wherein the waste disposal device is provided with closing means that are positioned near to the container opening for substantially closing the container opening in such a way that odour release is prevented, wherein the closing means comprise: a drum housing provided in the internal part of the waste disposal device, said drum housing having a drum opening facing the interior of the container; a drum body having an external surface that is at least partially closely connected to an inner surface of the drum housing, wherein the drum body has a transport container for the refuse, said transport container extending inwardly from the external surface thereof, wherein the drum body is pivotable between: an insertion position wherein refuse is placeable in the transport container; and a transit position wherein the transport container is aligned with the drum opening; a flexible sealing member extending about the edge of the drum opening of the drum housing for that part that is closely connected to the external surface of the drum body, wherein: the flexible sealing member comprises a connection part that is located outwards, and that is connected to the drum housing; the flexible sealing member comprises a sealing part connected to the connection part, which sealing part extends inward from the connection part and which may be brought into sealing contact with the external surface of the drum body for sealing the container opening in a substantially odour-free manner; and the inner end of the sealing part that is remote from the connection part is free from any connection to the drum housing such that a freely movable free end of the flexible sealing member is formed, wherein the waste disposal device further comprises a cover configured and arranged to be received on the container, wherein the cover comprises a cover opening for supplying the refuse to the container, wherein the drum housing, when the cover is placed on the container, at least partially encloses the drum body, and wherein, in the insertion position, the transport container is aligned with the cover opening, characterized in that the sealing part of the flexible sealing member is provided with two or more upwardly facing raised sealing portions in a direction away from the bottom of the container, that are in contact with the external surface of the drum body; or in case the drum body has a cylindrical shape comprising two parallel circular bases joined by a curved surface which curved surface defines the external surface of the drum body, the flexible sealing member optionally comprises two separated flexible sealing parts, in that one flexible sealing part extends about the edge of the drum opening of the drum housing opposite the edge of the drum opening of the drum housing the other flexible sealing part extends, and in that said flexible sealing parts are in contact with the external surface of the drum body.

2. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible sealing parts are provided with two or more upwardly facing raised sealing portions in a direction away from the bottom of the container, that are in contact with the external surface of the drum body.

3. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein, in case the drum body has a cylindrical shape, the two parallel circular bases of the drum body are connected to the drum housing and wherein each of the external surfaces of the two parallel circular bases is provided with a sealing ring for sealing a gap formed between the external surface of the circular base and the internal surface of the drum housing.

4. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the upwardly facing raised sealing portions of the sealing part of the flexible sealing member are selected from the group consisting of ridges, ribbons, strips and combinations thereof.

5. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing part of the flexible sealing member has a sine waveform, triangle waveform, sawtooth waveform or composite waveforms combining different waveforms.

6. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the inner end of the flexible sealing member extends upwardly in a direction away from the bottom of the container, and is in contact with the outer surface of the drum body.

7. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the connection part is movably connected to the drum housing.

8. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the connection part is slidably received in a groove of the drum housing.

9. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the connection part is an integral part of the drum housing.

10. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing part extends radially inward from the connection part, towards the bottom of the container, wherein the sealing part subsequently continues to extend further radially inward, in a direction away from the bottom of the container.

11. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the drum body is slidably connected to the drum housing, in such a way that in the insertion position the drum body is pressed, under the influence of gravity, on the flexible sealing member.

12. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the waste disposal device further comprises bag holder means for aligning a bag-like container with the drum opening.

13. The waste disposal device according to claim 12, wherein the bag holder means comprise a holder housing having a holder opening, wherein said holder housing is connected to the container, and wherein said holder opening is aligned with the drum opening.

14. The waste disposal device according to claim 13, wherein the drum opening comprises a wall that extends from the drum opening towards the bottom of the container, wherein said wall engages the edge of the holder that is formed by the opening of the holder.

15. The waste disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the circumferential wall of the container comprises at least two circumferential wall portions, which circumferential wall portions are configured such that they are telescopically slidable over each other.

16. The waste disposal device according to claim 14, wherein the at least two circumferential wall portions are moveable between a telescopically retracted position and a telescopically extended position, wherein, optionally, in the telescopically extended position the at least two circumferential wall portions are reversibly lockable relative to each other.

Description

EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention, wherein:

[0031] FIG. 1 depicts a cross section of the closing means according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] FIG. 2 depicts a cross section of the flexible sealing member according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] FIG. 3 depicts a cross section and a perspective view of the waste disposal device comprising the closing means according to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1;

[0034] FIG. 4 depicts a cross section of the waste disposal device according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] FIG. 5 depicts a perspective cross sectional view of the waste disposal device of the same embodiment depicted in FIG. 4;

[0036] FIG. 6 depicts an exploded view of the flexible sealing member and the pill-shaped drum body according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

[0037] FIG. 7 depicts an exploded view of the flexible sealing members, sealing rings and drum body having a cylindrical shape.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a cross section of the closing means 5 of an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the closing means 5 comprise a drum housing 10 and drum body 20 which closing means 5 further cooperate with a cover 40. The drum body 20 as shown in FIG. 1 has a spherical shape. The drum body 20 is enclosed by a circumferential flexible sealing member 30. The flexible sealing member 30 is received by the drum housing 10 in a circumferential groove 12 located at the edge of the drum opening 14 of the drum housing 10. The flexible sealing member 30 comprises a connection part 32 received by a circumferential groove 12 of the drum housing, such that the flexible sealing member 30 encloses the drum body 20 at the edge of the drum opening 14. The connection part 32 is connected to the sealing part 34. In FIG. 1 the sealing part 34 extends radially inward from the connection part 32, towards the bottom of a container (not shown). By providing a sealing part 34 that extends radially inward from the connection part 32, the contact of the sealing part 34 with the external surface of the drum body 20 is further improved. The sealing part 34 as shown in FIG. 1 is in the form of a sine waveform providing a double or triple sealing effect on the drum body 20. It is further noted that the inner end 36 of the flexible sealing member 30 is free from any connection to the drum housing 10 such that a freely movable free end 36 of the flexible sealing member 30 is formed.

[0039] FIG. 1 further shows the transport container 22 for refuse (not shown) of the drum body 20. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the drum body 20 is in its insertion position, i.e., the opening 24 of the transport container 22 is facing away from the drum opening 14 and aligned with the covering opening 42. The drum body 20 is further provided with rotation means 26 which rotation means 26 are connected to the drum housing 10.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the flexible sealing member 30 of an embodiment of the present invention. The flexible sealing member 30 comprises a connection part 32 configured to be received by the drum housing (not shown), e.g., by a circumferential groove (not shown). The connection part 32 is connected to the sealing part 34. In FIG. 2, the sealing part 34 extends radially inward from the connection part 32, towards the bottom of a container (not shown). Further, as shown in FIG. 2 the flexible sealing member 30 is designed in the form of a sine waveform.

[0041] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the waste disposal device 1 comprising a cover 40 comprising a cover opening 42. The waste disposal device 1 further depicts the drum body 20 positioned in its transit position. In addition, the container 50 of the waste disposal device 1 is shown including two circumferential wall portions 52, 54. The two circumferential wall portions 52, 54 are telescopically movable relative to each other. Further the perspective view of FIG. 3 shows the handle bar 44 for operating the waste disposal device 1 by rotation of the drum body 20 between the insertion position and the transit position.

[0042] In addition to the perspective view of the waste disposal device 1 as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 further shows a cross section of the waste disposal device 1 in the transit position, i.e., wherein the opening 24 of the transport container 22 is aligned with the drum opening 14 to deposit the refuse (not shown) into the container 50. It is noted that typically a plastic bag (not shown) may be used as a liner to avoid contamination of the inner surface of the container 50. Again, the rotation means 26 are shown as well as the flexible sealing member 30 and the closing means 5 for substantially closing the container opening. Also the cover 40 comprising the cover opening 42 are shown. In addition, the locking means 56 for reversibly locking the two circumferential wall portions 52, 54 relative to each other in the telescopically extended position are shown in FIG. 3. Here, the locking means 56 are comprised of cooperating flanges that interact by rotating the two circumferential wall portions 52, 54 relative to each other.

[0043] FIG. 4 discloses a cross section of a further embodiment of the waste disposal device 1 of the present invention. In the waste disposal device 1 shown in FIG. 4 the drum body 20 is of cylindrical shape. The waste disposal device 1 shown in FIG. 4 is in its insertion position wherein the opening 24 of the transport container 22 is in alignment with the cover opening 42 provided in the cover 40. The cover 40 encloses the closing means 5 comprising the drum housing 10 and the drum body 20. The drum housing 10 comprises a drum opening 14 facing the container 50. A flexible sealing member 30 is provided about the edge of the drum opening 14. As noted, the flexible sealing member 30 comprises a first flexible sealing part 30 and a separate second flexible sealing part 30.

[0044] FIG. 5 shows a perspective cross sectional view of the waste disposal device 1 of the present invention, similar to the waste disposal device 1 shown in FIG. 4. Corresponding parts of the waste disposal device 1 are identified. The lefthanded waste disposal device 1 is in its insertion position, whereas the righthanded waste disposal device 1 is in its transit position.

[0045] FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of a drum body 20 having a pill-shaped shape. The drum body 20 is provide with a drum opening 24 for receiving refuse. A cooperating flexible sealing member 30 is also shown in FIG. 6. The flexible sealing member 30 is designed such that it encloses a drum opening (not shown) by providing a circumferential flexible sealing member 30.

[0046] FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of a drum body 20 having a cylindrical shape. The drum body 20 is provide with a drum opening 24 for receiving refuse. The drum body 20 is sealed by using two separate flexible sealing parts 30, 30. In addition to the two separate flexible sealing parts 30, 30, the drum body 20 is further sealed by providing sealing rings 38 on the circular bases of the cylindrical drum body 20.