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Title:
THERMO-MECHANICAL COMPACTOR FOR PLASTIC CONTAINERS
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2013/186762
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A compactor (100) for plastic bottles (4), formed by a supporting base (12) housing an inductive power supply, by a container (5) comprising in the interior thereof a fan (9), a resistor (8) and an aluminium beaker (7) which can house at least the bottom of the bottle to be compacted, and is provided with slots for the passage of hot air provided by way of the resistor (8) and the fan (9). A jack (10) supported by the supporting base (12) serves to crush the bottle (4) along the vertical axis thereof.

Inventors:
DE MARCO LEO FRANCO (IT)
Application Number:
PCT/IB2013/054940
Publication Date:
December 19, 2013
Filing Date:
June 17, 2013
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
DE MARCO LEO FRANCO (IT)
International Classes:
B29B17/00; B30B9/32
Foreign References:
FR2668732A11992-05-07
ITPN920064A11994-03-03
US5832818A1998-11-10
EP0707932A21996-04-24
CN202069424U2011-12-14
Other References:
None
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
CELONA, Antonio et al. (Milano, IT)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. An apparatus (100) for domestic use for reducing the volume of plastic containers (4), formed by

- a supporting base (12) having a lower surface and an upper surface and housing a power supply,

- a container (5) having a lower base and an upper base, the lower base may be full and may rest on the upper surface of the supporting base, the upper base has an opening to communicate the inside of the container with the outside, said container (5, 5') containing, in the order starting from the lower base:

a) a fan (9) driven by a motor powered by means of the power supply housed in the supporting base (12),

b) and at least one resistor (8), which is also powered, substantially centred on the fan (9) spin axis,

in which there is provided an actuator device adapted to exert a crushing force on the plastic container,

characterised in that

said power supply is an inductive-type power supply,

said motor is powered inductively by means of said power supply,

said at least one resistor (8) is also powered inductively,

and there is provided a beaker (6) arranged between said at least one resistor (8) and said actuator device and adapted to house the plastic container.

2. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1 comprising a thermostat for regulating the temperature within the beaker (6).

3. An apparatus (100) according to claim 2 comprising a thermostat-controlled switch for interrupting the power supply of the resistor (8) and the fan (9).

4. An apparatus (100) according to claim 1 , wherein the beaker (6) is equipped with slots (7) which are tilted with respect to the beaker central axis, for allowing the passage of hot air within the beaker and imparting a whirling motion to the hot air.

5. An apparatus ( 00) according to claim 4, wherein the beaker (6) central axis coincides with the fan (9) spin axis, the central axis of which coincides with the fan

(9) spin axis.

6. An apparatus (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lateral wall of the container (5, 5') comprises longitudinal resistors arranged in housings (20) which are parallel to the container central axis.

7. An apparatus (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuator device is a screw jack (10) formed by an inverted L-shaped support which is fixed vertically to the supporting base (12) and equipped with a screw (1) passing through the base of the "L" shape and coaxial with the fan (9) spin axis, the screw ending with a bell-shaped piston (3).

8. An apparatus (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the beaker (6) is of a metal material.

9. An apparatus (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one resistor (8) is annular in shape.

10. An apparatus (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container (5) can be removed from the supporting base (12).

Description:
THERMO-MECHANICAL COMPACTOR FOR PLASTIC CONTAINERS

*** * ** * * ** **

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for domestic use for reducing the volume of plastic bottles with the aim of simplifying the disposal thereof.

Prior art

Nowadays, plastic bottles, more particularly made of PET, are used almost exclusively instead of glass bottles as containers for mineral water and soft drinks. Although on the one hand this phenomenon has improved the economic and safety aspect, on the other hand it has complicated the problem of disposal. Considering the average drinks consumption, primarily of mineral water, of an average family, it is easy to end up having to dispose of a significant number of bottles per day, which once empty end up being bulky, creating problems of space. The problems of transporting and storing plastic containers are obvious, both in terms of space and in terms of energy consumption due to the frequency of the journeys necessary for transporting the containers from the places of consumption to the places of collection and disposal. There is thus a great need for reduction in the volume of the plastic container once its use is over, both in terms of the bulk and in terms of the energy saving. So as to alleviate the inherent problems of space, various types of compactors have been designed and produced for reducing the volume of bottles, both for industrial use and for domestic use. One of the reasons why an apparatus for reducing the volume of a PET bottle is not so simple is the considerable rigidity thereof, especially for compression along the vertical axis. Moreover, once the compressive force has been reduced, the bottle tends to return to the original shape thereof, unless use is made of the ability to prevent the return of the air, this operation being rather complicated since it involves finding a way, for example, of screwing the cap while the bottle is kept under compression. It is therefore necessary to resort to apparatuses which reduce the rigidity and at the same time make a permanent deformation possible. In general, methods of heating the bottle are used. Whilst the encumbrance may not be a crucial problem for industrial compactors, this is a problem for compactors for domestic use, which generally take up volumes which are sometimes the same as the volume of the bottle, without any consideration for the aesthetic aspect. There is therefore a need for a compactor for domestic use which is of a minimal size and which is also aesthetically acceptable. Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for domestic use for reducing the volume of PET bottles which has dimensions of the same order of magnitude as the volume of the bottle which is to be crushed, which is simple and easy to use, and which may be acceptable in aesthetic terms.

The present invention thus proposes to achieve the objects described above by means of an apparatus for domestic use for reducing the volume of plastic containers, formed by a supporting base having a lower surface and an upper surface and housing a inductive-type power supply, and by a container having a lower base and an upper base, the lower base may be full and may rest on the upper surface of the supporting base, the upper base has an opening to communicate the inside of the container with the outside,

said container containing, in the order starting from the lower base:

a) a fan driven by a motor powered inductively by means of the power supply housed in the supporting base,

b) at least one resistor, which is also powered, inductively, of an annular shape substantially centred on the fan spin axis,

c) a beaker, preferably made of metal, adapted to house the container made of thermoplastic material,

d) an actuator device adapted to exert a crushing force on the container made of thermoplastic material.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the apparatus also comprises a screw jack formed by an inverted L-shaped support which is fixed vertically to the supporting base and equipped with a screw passing through the "L" shape base and coaxial with the fan spin axis, the screw ending with a bell-shaped piston.

In a further advantageous embodiment, resistors are also provided buried in the peripheral wall of the external container, and have the purpose of increasing the flow of heat which grazes the lateral walls of the thermoplastic bottle or container to be crushed. If appropriate, these longitudinal resistors may also be used instead of the resistor placed in the base of the metal beaker.

Brief description of the drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will become clearer in light of the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of an apparatus adapted to reduce the volume of empty plastic bottles, said apparatus being illustrated in an exemplary and non-limiting manner with the aid of the appended drawings:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the main components of the device,

Fig. 2 is an overview of the device for compacting plastic bottles, in which the container has been sectioned along a vertical plane to make it possible to view the interior thereof,

Fig. 3A and 3B are a side view and plan view respectively of a variant of the container,

Fig. 4 is a view of the bottle before and after the crushing operation.

In the drawings, equal numerals represent equal elements.

Description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

Fig. 1 shows the main components of the apparatus for reducing the volume of plastic bottles. The apparatus consists of a beaker 6, preferably made of aluminium, which serves to house the bottom of the bottle. The beaker 6 is equipped with slots 7 through which a flow of air passes, heated by an electric resistor 8 through which a current is passed. The resistor is housed in a special container, where there are also a fan 9, for directing the air around the resistor and into the slots 7, and finally a small motor 1 1 for the fan itself.

Fig. 2 is a schematic drawing of the entire apparatus 100 for compacting plastic bottles, seen in a section along a vertical plane passing through the central axis so as to make it possible to view the interior of said apparatus. Numeral 12 represents the supporting base, which houses the inductive device or power supply for inductively powering the fan 9 and the resistor 8. The supporting base 12 can be connected to the mains by way of the outlet 13. An inductive connection is preferred, both because it is more reliable in terms of safety and because it is possible to remove the container 5 from the supporting base 12, so as to remove the compacted bottle, without having to disconnect power lines. Numeral 5 represents the container of the apparatus, also for housing the bottle, which should also have an aesthetic function. The bottom of the container 5 contains a resistor 8, for example of the spiral type, which extends along a circumference perpendicular to the axis of revolution of the container 5. The aluminium beaker 6, which serves to support the bottle 4, is located above the resistor 8. The container 5 is of a cylindrical shape and of appropriate dimensions for containing a bottle 4. Said container 5 may be closed at the base, so as to be able to support the devices comprising the fan 9 and the resistor 8. The upper part of the container 5 has a circular opening for the bottle 4 to pass through. During use, the bottle 4 made of thermoplastic material which is to be compacted is inserted into the container 5 via the upper opening and slid until it rests on the bottom of the beaker 6 contained in the container 5. An annular gap is provided between the external surface of the beaker 6 and the internal surface of the container 5. The hot air heated by means of the resistor 8, driven by the fan 9, passes into the gap between the container 5 and the beaker 6 and enters the inside of the beaker via the slots 7 formed in the lateral wall of the beaker 6. Said slots 7 are preferably arranged at equal distances from one another along the lower region of the beaker 6 and preferably have a predetermined inclination with respect to the central axis of the beaker, resulting in a swirling flow of hot air being produced inside the beaker and encircling the bottle which is to be crushed, also leading to a reduction in the diameter of the crushed container. This reduction in diameter also ensures an easier extraction of the bottle, the folds of which will not get stuck against the walls of the beaker 6. Within the beaker 6, the flow of hot air also softens the bottom of the bottle, making it easier and less tiring to compact the bottle, this compaction being carried out using a jack 0 which is controlled manually by way of a crank 2 or lever or even an automatically controlled jack, for example a jack using compressed air or another fluid such as oil. Conveniently, the jack screw ends with a bell-shaped piston 3 to facilitate the engagement of the neck of the bottle 4. The use of the jack also makes it possible in principle to use the device cold, or for example to crush aluminium containers. A thermostat, not shown in the drawing, limits the temperature to approximately 90°C so as to avoid dangerous overheating. The dimensions of the container 5 are of the same order of magnitude as the bottle to be compacted. Figure 3A is a side view and 3B is a plan view of a variant of the cylindrical container 5', in the side wall of which longitudinal housings 20 are provided for linear resistors distributed in an appropriate manner for better heating the entire body of the bottle. The base of the container 5', Fig 3B, is provided with holes 21 for the passage of the hot air which is produced after passing the resistor 8. Fig. 4 shows a plastic bottle before (30) and after (31) the use of the compactor according to the invention. As can be seen, the height of the container is reduced to 1/6-1/7 of the original height. The described compactor apparatus is easy to use, has a small bulk and can be operated safely within a domestic setting. The description of the compactor apparatus has been given purely by way of illustration, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present application.