GRAVITATIONALLY AIDED BIN LOCKING SYSTEMS

The present invention relates to locks for containers of any type, and is particularly adapted for use with refuse bins intended to collect materials for the eventual disposal thereof.

In the following description, reference will be primarily made to the application of the lock construction to refuse collection bins, however, it will be apparent that the lock construction may be used with other bins and containers that are inverted for emptying. Bins of the aforementioned kind commonly are mounted on wheels for ease of movement especially when filled and include a pivoted lid to retain the material placed in them.

Such bins are often used for collection and disposal of many different kinds of materials such as domestic, commercial and medical waste materials, and security based waste materials including documents that need to retain a certain level of secrecy. In many applications including the collection of security materials and medically based waste materials, the lid needs to be locked to the receptacle portion of the bin to prevent unwanted access to the materials within the bin.

Conventionally this is achieved by the use of chains and padlocks or manual locks which are acceptable for the level of security needed, however, such chains and locks prevent any form of automation of the pick up and disposal process for the collected materials. Such bins necessarily need to be manually picked up and removed bodily with the contents still retained in the receptacle portion, and the bin is replaced by a new bin for refilling. Alternatively the bins may need to be unlocked manually for emptying. This is a labour intensive process and is therefore necessarily quite costly.

In other applications, typically involving the collection of domestic waste and non secret or dangerous commercial waste materials, the bins utilized are not locked and can be readily picked up by automated handling machinery on refuse collection vehicles with the waste material being dumped into the holding compartment of the collection vehicle and the bin is then left for reuse. The automated bin handling equipment picks the bin up, at least partially inverts the bin whereupon the lid swings by gravity away from the upper opening of the bin, and the refuse material is then tipped into the holding compartment of the collection vehicle. The process is quite

effective, not labour intensive and therefore not particularly expensive. There is, however, a practical difficulty with such bins in that during use they are often stored or kept in relatively public places with non owners or unauthorised users of particular bins being able to and commonly placing rubbish in bins that they are not entitled to use to the consternation of the rightful user of the bin. The potential for such disputes would be minimized by providing a lockable lid, however, conventionally available locks would prevent the use of automated handling and pick up equipment currently in use.

Presently bins are used to store waste, in time, the filled bins are collected and emptied typically by a local authority or private refuse service. Another issue is that emphasis is placed on the importance of minimising waste meaning invariably individuals, families or a collection of people are allocated bin sizes which are inadequate in their waste capacity. The problem is the length of time between collections in relation to the bin size(s). At the point of collection bins are frequently overflowing with waste to the point where waste cannot be housed within the allocated bin.

Perhaps through no fault of the individual, this excess waste will need to be disposed of somehow and there is great temptation to fill the neighbours bin. It may be for hygiene reasons that this act is committed, for example in the height of summer, having soiled nappies sitting near a bin because there is no room in the bin will definitely create a serious health hazard through generation and circulation of dangerous airborne bacteria.

This problem is further exasperated by the division of waste into pre defined categories. This typically allows third parties the opportunity to put any form of waste into the pre defined category bins which not only destroys the system but it means that the bin will get filled too quickly.

Prior art does exist relating to bin locks, GB 2021187 describes a system that allows insertion of the entire bin into a housing which can be locked externally. This system is awkward at the point of collection and emptying of waste in addition to being bulky and unpleasant to view. United States Patent 5085341 describes another external system which makes the user manoeuvre and hold long bars which are heavy and cumbersome and impractical for frequent use. Other systems have been described such as DE 19708193A1 , FR 2802965 and WO 01/17880, these devices are inserted

into the bin through a complex connection procedure which requires a skilled tradesman to attach such devices. These devices as a single finished product are unable to attach to variable types and sizes of bins due to the limiting design and the fact that the main mechanism and lock device parts are connected to the bin lid as opposed to the bin. Additionally these devices require a multitude of components which will invariably make the cost to produce including assembly expensive. Therefore a simplified and more commercially viable option such as that provided by our invention is required.

Current legislative discussions regarding waste are heading towards a resolution for people to pay by weight on collection of bins. By using the bin locking system of the present invention the user of the bin(s) will have the peace of mind that if duty or taxes were to be paid on each bin collection, the taxed weight for example would not include third party waste.

Bin systems are known comprising a lid and a container system in which the lid can be locked to the container and the lock can be automatically released under gravity when the bin is tilted for opening and emptying and can be re-engaged when the bin is returned to the filling position. These systems may also be provided with a separate manual locking device whereby they may be locked and unlocked by the user to prevent unwanted and unauthorised access to the container. Such a system is described in PCT Publication WO 2005/111348. The mechanisms of these systems are however cumbersome, costly to install and can require a considerable amount of space preventing bins from being stacked for distribution. Another example of a gravity operated system may be found in GB Patent Application Publication 2295991. These systems are also difficult to assemble in existing bins.

This invention therefore relates to bin locking devices which can be connected and housed within or become an integral part in the production process for waste disposal and recycle bins for any use such as domestic, commercial, industrial, military and medical. In particular this invention relates to devices which can be locked and unlocked in the filling position and unlocked due to the force of gravity in certain positions and are easy to connect and install in the bin by the end user if required. This invention is most specific to devices which do not need to change in design when they are connected to either commercial or domestic bins and their locking and unlocking mechanisms are connected to the main part of the bin as opposed to the lid. In a further embodiment the locking device is sufficiently compact

that it allows the bins to be stacked for distribution without damaging the locking device.

The present invention provides a locking system which can be operated to manually secure the lid of a bin in a filling position and can also be operated under gravity to release the lock and enable the bin to be emptied when tilted and re-engaged when returned to the filling position.

Accordingly the present invention provides a system which uses a common locking mechanism for the locking and unlocking in the filling position and for locking and unlocking under gravity.

The present invention therefore provides a lidded container system wherein the lid may be locked to the container wherein the lock may be engaged and released manually and may also be engaged and released under gravity by tilting of the container.

In a further embodiment the invention provides a lock comprising a locking pin adapted to engage a toggle plate to form the lock wherein the toggle plate can be engaged and disengaged from the locking pin by both a manual action when the lock is static and by tilting of the lock to engage and disengage the locking pin under gravity. The manual action preferably comprises the turning of a key in the barrel of a locking device to rotate the toggle plate to engage or disengage from the locking pin.

In a further embodiment a lock is provided with a lock plate adapted to be driven by the turning of the key to cause the toggle plate to rotate and engage or release the lock pin. Preferably the lock is provided with a weight attached to the toggle plate which causes the toggle plate to move under gravity when the lock is titled to engage or release the locking pin. The weight may be varied according to the size and weight of the container. The weight is preferably a pendulum plate.

The locking device is preferably provided on the upper external surface of the bin and is connected to the toggle plate whereby the locking device can be activated to rotate the toggle plate to engage or disengage with the locking pin. The lock system is preferably mounted in a housing at the upper internal surface of the container. And

preferably the container is of tapered cross section with a greater cross section at the top than at the bottom and the housing is of a size that allows the bins to be stacked.

The following figures show an embodiment of the invention in which the degrees of rotation for various components that are quoted are for illustration purposes only.

Figure 1 illustrates a gravitational bin locking system which comprises two parts which can engage and disengage. Figure 1A shows a part comprising a 'Lid Pin' (1) and 'Lid Bracket' (2) connected and fixed to the lid of a bin (3). Figure 1 B shows a part comprising a mechanical part (4) internally connected to the upper internal surface of the container (5) whose individual components are housed and move in such a way to provide means to open and close/lock the lid of the bin to/from the container dependant upon the orientation of the bins such as by tilting.

Figure 2 illustrates how the bin locking system of the present invention operates under gravity. The locking system which is mounted with a housing on the upper internal surface of the container provides i) 'Pendulum Plate ¹ (6) ii) Toggle Spring' (7) connected to iii) 'Toggle Plate' (8) which can engage with the lid pin (1).

Figure 3 illustrates the gravitational bin locking system of Figure 2 in combination with the third part which provides means for the owner/user of a bin or an approved third party to unlock and lock the bin lid to the container by means of physical interaction. This part is connected externally to the container as shown in Figure 3A and can activate the internal mechanical part also connected to the container as shown in Figure 3B. In this embodiment the third part is an external 'Lock Device' (9) with an internal 'Lock Plate' (10) which may have a detachable component in the form of a key (11) to activate through the lock device rotation the internally connected mechanical part by engaging and disengaging the lock plate to the 'Pendulum plate ¹ illustrated in Figure 2. In other embodiments, combination lock devices could be used in conjunction with a 'Lock Plate'.

Figure 4 illustrates how the 'Lid Bracket' (2) can adjust the position of the 'Lid Pin' (1) to suit any container size and type and how the container locking system engages and can be positioned.

The bin locking system mode of operation will now be described.

The bin locking system operates in our preferred embodiment in the following ways. The numerals in Figures 1 to 4 are used to designate the same components in Figures 5 A and B.

When the bin is in the locked position, the user can place an appropriately shaped key into a 'Lock Device'. The user can then turn the key in the 'Lock Device' in either direction but we prefer anti clockwise. This movement can then be transmitted through to the 'Lock Plate' which may in turn engage directly with the 'Pendulum Plate ¹ . The 'Pendulum Plate' upon engagement can rotate upwards against gravity. Although varying degrees are possible, we prefer after 5° of movement the pendulum plate to come in contact with the 'Toggle Plate' which is preferably held in position (A) shown in Figure 5A by the Toggle Spring'. The 'Pendulum Plate' can continue to rotate through the action of the 'Lock Plate' controlled by the user's rotation of the key. Again varying degrees are possible but we prefer, when the 'Pendulum Plate' has rotated over 10°, the corresponding position of the 'Toggle Plate' will have rotated 7.5 ^° . Once it has got to this position, the 'Toggle Spring' can hold the Toggle Plate' in this equilibrium position. A further degree of movement, preferably 1 ^° , from the 'Pendulum Plate' can move the Toggle Plate ¹ past this equilibrium position and Toggle Plate' can be pulled, preferably a further 7.5°, into position (B) shown in Figure 5B by the Toggle Spring'. As the Toggle Plate' moves through this final degree of movement, the 'Lid Pin' will be released and forced out of the Toggle Plate'. The 'Lid Pin' that is connected to the lid by the 'Lid Bracket' may then allow the user to open the lid. The Toggle Plate' can continue to stay in this position (B) shown in Figure 5B until the 'Lid Pin' is physically forced back into the Toggle Plate'.

The bin containing the locking system of the present invention can be turned upside down for emptying the container. By way of example, the refuse lorry picks the bin up and it is inverted to empty the contents. This action reverses the forces of gravity normally applied on the 'Pendulum Plate' which now rotates or moves downwards or the same direction as if opening our system with a key. After a degree of movement, preferably 5°, the 'Pendulum Plate' can come into contact with the Toggle Plate' which is held in position (A) by the Toggle Spring'. The 'Pendulum Plate' can continue to rotate due to the reversed forces of gravity. Although degrees

may vary, we prefer when the 'Pendulum Plate' has rotated over 10 ^" , the corresponding position of the Toggle Plate' will have rotated 7.5 ^° , once it has got to this position, the Toggle Spring' will hold the Toggle Plate' in this equilibrium position. A further 1 ^° of movement from the 'Pendulum Plate' can move the Toggle Plate' past this equilibrium position and Toggle Plate' can be pulled a further 7.5 ^° into position (B) by the Toggle Spring'. As the Toggle Plate' moves through this final 7.5° of movement, the 'Lid Pin' will be released and forced out of the Toggle Plate', this action is preferably assisted by gravity acting on the weight of the lid as well. The 'Lid Pin' that is connected to the lid by the 'Lid Bracket' may then release the lid and the container can empty. The Toggle Plate' can continue to stay in this position (B) until the 'Lid Pin' is physically forced back into the Toggle Plate'.

The bin locking system creates a lock in our preferred embodiment in the following ways.

The lid can be manually shut by the user or refuse collector once they have used the bin. As the 'Lid Pin' engages into the Toggle Plate', the natural action occurring in the geometry of the Toggle Plate' will rotate the Toggle Plate' back, in the order of 15°, through the equilibrium position and into it's natural resting position (A). The lid may now be locked by the Toggle Plate' on the 'Lid Pin'.

The refuse lorry's and/or its mechanics can rotate the bin back to its naturally standing or upright position once the refuse or content has been emptied. This action can swing the lid back into it's resting position, as the 'Lid Pin' engages into the Toggle Plate', the natural action occurring in the geometry of the Toggle Plate' can rotate the Toggle Plate' 15 ^° back through the equilibrium position and into it's natural resting position (A). The lid will now be locked by the Toggle Plate' on the 'Lid Pin' and secured against unauthorised use but can be opened by the user with their key.

In a further preferred embodiment the system can open with an internal button or Tab' (12) as a further safety measure such as release of a person trapped inside: When the bin is in the locked position, the unit can be opened internally without the use of a key or gravity, a force is transmitted directly onto the 'Pendulum Plate' through a Tab', as shown in Figure 6, that protrudes through the mechanism part's housing. If the Tab' is pushed, the force can make the 'Pendulum Plate' rotate upwards against gravity, after 5° of movement it can come into contact with the

Toggle Plate' which is held in position (A) by the 'Toggle Spring'. The 'Pendulum Plate' can continue to rotate through the action of the 'Lock Plate', when the 'Pendulum Plate' has rotated over 10°, the corresponding position of the Toggle Plate' may have rotated 7.5 ^° , once it has got to this position, the Toggle Spring' can hold the Toggle Plate' in this equilibrium position. A further 1 ^° of movement from the 'Pendulum Plate' will move the Toggle Plate' past this equilibrium position and Toggle Plate' can be pulled a further 7.5° into position (B) by the Toggle Spring'. As the Toggle Plate' moves through this final 7.5° of movement, the 'Lid Pin' may be released and forced out of the Toggle Plate'. The Toggle Plate' can continue to stay in this position (B) until the 'Lid Pin' is physically forced back into the Toggle Plate'. The 'Lid Pin' that is connected to the lid by the 'Lid Bracket' can then open the lid. The degrees of movement described are preferable indications but any degree is possible.

The moving components of the 'Lock Device' including the 'Lock Plate' and the moving components of the mechanism part, the 'Pendulum Plate' and the Toggle Plate' can rotate because they are positioned or held at different axis points shown at (13), (14) and (15) in Figure 6 providing the pivotal motions desired. These pivotal points are preferably formed as part of the housing but can be individual sub- components which are attached to the housing. As shown in the Figures, each moving component has a different motion or point at which the component rotates around allowing varying degrees of movement. There is space between the pendulum plate and the toggle plate which has been designed to allow or tolerate tampering or shaking movements of the bin. Whilst it is possible to turn the bin upside down to release the lock or let the Toggle Plate' disengage with the 'Lid Pin', it is not possible to shake the bin in the natural or upright position and open it due to the space allowing sufficient independent movement of the 'Pendulum Plate' before engagement with the Toggle Plate'.

In addition to allowing the desired movement, the pivot points can prevent the moving component from straying from this point either by a clip or protrusion at the end or by forming a wedge between one side of the housing to another. Additionally the housing may be formed from the same or similar material as the container providing a single moulding or two mouldings welded or joined together which allows for the moving parts to be inserted inside. This is beneficial if the system is to be an integral part of the bin.

The plates are preferably relatively thin and are mounted to be generally parallel to the internal wall of the bin to minimise the space required within the container to accommodate the locking system.

In order for the complete system to operate and further illustrate and explain each component, the following terms have the meanings given.

'Lock Device' comprises anything which allows instigation or activation of the bin locking system. This can include combination locks, frequency locks, magnetic locks, temperature locks and the like but we prefer key locks to manually activate the mechanical part for opening and closing of the bin lid. It is important that the lock device is capable of being attached to the exterior of the bin at a point which allows for engagement with the lock plate. Part of the 'Lock Device' needs to be able to rotate around an axis when manually turned providing a clockwise or preferably anti clockwise motion.

'Lock Plate' can be any shape providing part of the shape allows for engagement with the lock device in certain positions, has means to be connected but allowing the directional movement desired. The 'Lock Plate' can be made of any appropriate plastic or metal material.

'Pendulum Plate' can be any shape providing the plate is located around a point allowing the pendulum to rotate and connect with the Toggle Plate' there is space when in the resting position between the Toggle Plate' and the 'Pendulum Plate'. The plate also needs to be able to engage with the 'Lock Plate' at a point which provides the desired movement. The pendulum can be either plastic or metal but preferably weighted at the point which aids the motion of gravity to allow the pendulum to move up or down. The weight of the pendulum plate can be adjusted according to the weight of the container (filled and empty) with which the locking system of the invention is employed.

Toggle Plate' can be any shape providing it can engage with the 'Pendulum Plate' at the desired point, is located around point which provides desired movement and has means to attach the Toggle Spring'. The plate needs to also provide an arm or surround in its shape to slide or slot over the 'Lid Pin' when engaged to create the lock between the bin lid and the bin when attached but also have the shape to disengage from the 'Lid Pin'.

'Toggle Spring ¹ needs to have means of attaching to the Toggle Plate' and fixed to the main case or housing of the internal mechanism part. The Toggle Spring' should be of sufficient tension to ensure the Toggle Plate' in its resting position remains locked around the 'Lid Pin' but be sufficiently elastic, flexible or have less force to allow movement of the Toggle Plate' when engaged with the greater forces of the 'Pendulum Plate' when applied. The spring can be made of appropriate plastic but it is preferable that it is metal due to the repetitive use and wear put on this component.

'Lid Pin' can be any shaped bar or rod or hollow tube providing it can connect and be held by the shape of the Toggle Plate' at the point of temporary connection. The 'Lid Pin' and the Toggle Plate' at this point need to have complimentary shapes acting like male and female parts. The pin needs to be able to be housed or connected permanently to the 'Lid Bracket'. Whilst a strong plastic can be used it is preferable to be made of metal.

'Lid Bracket' can be of any shape providing the bracket is able to connect to a bin, have the ability to adjust to any sized bin and house the 'Lid Pin'. It is preferable to be made of an appropriate plastic such as ABS (Acrylonitrite/Butadiene/Styrene copolymer)or any other polymer.

The bin under normal use will need to resist all weather conditions and ambient temperatures. During these conditions, when the bin lid is opened rain will get inside as well as dust etc. In addition to this, other liquid wastes and debris will be poured/put into the container which will inevitably at some point come into contact with the external part of the bin locking system's housings. It is also likely that such deposited matter will not be cleaned or removed on a regular basis. Therefore we prefer that the locking system be provided with a housing to prevent introduction of waste matter including liquids which could contaminate the system and prevent the moving parts from not moving properly. Which is another reason why we prefer that the housing is made from a single plastic moulded form.

One of the benefits of having the 'Lock Device' positioned on the external main part of the bin is that the lip of the bin which may be present can cover and/or protect the point at which the key is inserted into the 'Lock Device'.

It is possible to lose the key and even spare key to the bin locking system. In order to protect against this bins can have individual manual locks and the refuse lorry operators can be provided with a master key alternatively additional keys will be able to be purchased through the manufacturer.

During transport from manufacture to third parties for distribution, bins are typically stacked with the container inside each other with lids open to save space. Many of the present designs of containers provide a tapered shape, wider at the top than at the bottom. It is preferable that the housing for the internal mechanism of the locking system of the present invention does not protrude beyond this tapered distance still allowing bins to be stacked in transit. The locking mechanism of the present invention allows this to happen as it can be compact and can be flat due to the simplistic design as the moving parts as described can be flat plates. This also prevents obstruction of waste being put in or removed from the container. Although consideration should be made for expansion and contraction of materials under different weather and temperature conditions and a tolerance of space should be incorporated to allow for this within the mechanism part. We prefer fractions of a millimetre but a few millimetres is acceptable. If the bins are to arrive with the intention of the end user to fit the bin locking system, they can come with predefined holes or markers. This makes fitment very simple by positioning the two or three parts of the invention and securing into position. Alternatively it is possible to fit to existing bin mouldings. This is very easy to do requiring two main fitting holes, one lock hole and one hole for the lid and takes far less time and skill than when fitting other bin locking devices. Our parts are self aligning with large tolerances for fitting.

When made from the appropriate plastic and metal material combination, our invention is very simple to assemble and manufacture allowing this design to be commercially viable.

The invention therefore provides a compact simple dual function locking mechanism which can be supplied for assembly by a bin user within an existing bin or can be integrated with the bin manufacture in which case the compact nature of the locking system enables it to be located on the internal surface of the container towards the top of the bin such that the tapered shape of the container enables bins to be stacked for distribution without damaging the locking mechanism.