Container for collecting organic waste, for the domestic production of compost.

Abstract

The invention relates to a container (1) for collecting organic waste for the home production of compost, this container comprising a body (2) and a lid (3). According to the invention: - the body (2) has a slot (5) passing through the lateral wall of this body at a first lateral side (2a), recessed from the upper end of the body (2); - the body (2) has elements (10) forming a slide at the slot (5); - the container includes a sliding plate (6) engaged through the slot (5) and in the slide, for closing or opening the body (2) of the container; the plate (6) includes an operating means (6a), allowing a user to manually operate this plate from outside the body (2) of the container. Figure for the aggregate: Figure 2

Description

Title of the invention: Container for collecting organic waste, for the household production of compost.

[0001] The present invention relates to a container for collecting organic waste, for the domestic production of compost.

[0002] For many people, it is increasingly desirable to directly recycle their organic waste by producing compost at home; this production, however, involves the existence of strong odors, which a conventional bin, with a waste receiving body and a lid, cannot avoid, the odors escaping in particular when the lid is opened to deposit new waste in the container body.

[0003] The present invention aims to overcome this essential drawback by providing a container which is both simple to manufacture, and therefore at a moderate cost, and simple and easy to use.

[0004] The container concerned comprises, in a manner known per se, a body forming a waste receptacle and a cover for closing this body.

[0005] According to the invention, - the body of the container has a slot passing through its side wall at a first lateral side of this body, this slot being arranged on the side of the upper end of the body and set back from this end; - the body of the container has internal elements jointly forming a slide, which are placed at the level of the slot, on second lateral sides of the body consecutive to the first side; - the container comprises a sliding plate slidably engaged through the slot and in the slide-forming elements, this plate being dimensioned so as to, in a sliding position furthest inside the body of the container, occupy the entire cross-section of this body, and therefore allowing the interior of the container body to be completely separated from the exterior of the container, and, in a sliding position towards the exterior of the container body, to free access to the interior of this body; the plate comprises an operating means, allowing a user to manually operate this plate from outside the body of the container.

[0006] In practice, the plate is normally placed in its sliding position in which it is located furthest inside the container body, also referred to hereinafter as the "container body closing position"; in this position, it isolates the interior of the container body from the exterior and allows insulation from in addition to this carried out by the lid of the container. This double insulation makes it possible to prevent, or at least greatly reduce, the escape of odors outside the container.

[0007] A user, when he wants to deposit new waste in the body of the container, opens the lid of the container, deposits this new waste on the plate, closes the lid and maneuvers the plate to a position in which this plate is located totally or partially outside the container body, this position also being called hereinafter "open position of the container body". This maneuver allows the waste to fall inside the container body while the lid is closed; once this operation is carried out, the user returns the plate to the closed position of the container body.

[0008] It is understood that, thanks to the invention, the plate makes it possible to form an airlock for depositing waste inside the container; such depositing therefore does not at any time lead to opening to the outside the part of the container body which contains the waste, which prevents the diffusion of odors into the user's home, and / or prevents insects likely to have developed in the compost from spreading into the user's home.

[0009] It would be conceivable for said means for operating the plate to be constituted by one or more operating members different from the structure of the plate, for example by a handle connected to the plate; this would however result in the disadvantage of making the structure of the container more complex and a correlative increase in the manufacturing cost thereof; consequently, preferably, the plate is dimensioned so as to form, in the sliding position furthest inside the body of the container, an extension of this plate projecting beyond the slot, this extension forming a part capable of being grasped by the user for operating the plate, and therefore constituting the aforementioned operating means.

[0010] Preferably, the container body comprises, inside itself, on said first lateral side, means for scraping the upper surface of the plate, in particular in the form of a flexible lip.

[0011] By this arrangement, the upper face of the plate is cleaned of any remaining waste or any drips which could be deposited on this upper face by the waste.

[0012] Preferably, the plate comprises, along its internal edge, that is to say located furthest inside the container body, a projecting part, projecting on the side of the plate opposite that intended to receive waste.

[0013] This projecting part constitutes a means of stopping the sliding of the plate in the outermost position of the container body, avoiding the risk of disengagement of this plate from this body.

[0014] Advantageously, in this case, said projecting part is formed by a longitudinal piece attached to said internal edge, which is curved towards the external edge of the plate opposite this internal edge so as to form a hooking element capable of engaging on the edge of the container body which delimits the lower part of the slot when the plate is in its outermost sliding position relative to the container body.

[0015] This part thus makes it possible to attach the plate to the container body, in a position in which the plate is folded against this body. The container thus has a reduced footprint in the fully open position, in particular so as not to hinder the collection of compost, the cleaning of the interior of the container or the installation of a waste collection bag.

[0016] This longitudinal part may in particular have a rounded shape in cross-section and be made of a semi-flexible material, that is to say having a rigidity allowing it to ensure the aforementioned hooking, but having a flexibility allowing it, at the end of the travel of the plate towards the inside of the container body, to dampen the movement of this plate, and allowing it to be applied against the wall of the container body, in the manner of a seal.

[0017] The plate may in particular be made of a transparent material in order to allow the level of waste inside the container body to be viewed.

[0018] The invention will be better understood, and other characteristics and advantages thereof will appear, with reference to the attached schematic drawing showing a possible embodiment of the container concerned.

[0019] [Fig-1] [Fig.l] is a perspective view of it, in a position of a plate sliding which this container comprises, providing a closure of the body of the container; [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a view similar to [Fig.l], in a position of partial opening of the body of the container; [Fig.3] [Fig.3] is a view similar to [Fig.1], in a fully open position of the container body; and [Fig.4] [Fig.4] is a partial view of the container, in perspective, on an enlarged scale, and in median longitudinal section, said plate being in a position for closing the body of the container.

[0020] The figures represent a container 1 for collecting organic waste, for the domestic production of compost, comprising a body 2 for receiving waste and an upper cover 3.

[0021] The container 1 generally has dimensions that make it comparable to a household waste bin.

[0022] In the example shown, the side wall of the body 2 has a horizontal section of substantially square shape, so that this body has four lateral sides.

[0023] The cover 3 ensures that the body 2 is closed as tightly as possible; it may be independent of the body 2 or connected to this body by a hinge, and may be operated simply manually, or by means of a pedal, using techniques that are well known in themselves and do not form a particular part of the invention, and therefore are not detailed here.

[0024] As can be seen, the body 2 has a slot 5 passing through its side wall at the level of a first front lateral side 2a of this body 2. This slot 5 is arranged on the side of the upper end of the body 2 and set back from this end, this setback being sufficient to form between the upper surface of a sliding plate 6 described below and the lower surface of the cover 3, a compartment 7 for receiving new waste, as will appear later.

[0025] The body 2 has internally elements 10 forming a slide, which have grooves for sliding the plate 6, placed at the same level as the slot 5? These elements 10 are placed on second lateral sides 2b of the body 2 consecutive to the first side 2a, on either side thereof. Each of these elements 10 is formed by a profile made of a single piece of synthetic material, this piece forming, on one lateral side of itself, the aforementioned groove, and, on an opposite lateral side, a surface for fixing the element 10 to the container body 2. This fixing can be done by any suitable means, in particular by gluing or welding.

[0026] The plate 6 is slidably engaged through the slot 5 and in the slide which the elements 10 jointly form; as can be seen, the plate 6 is dimensioned so as, in its sliding position furthest inside the body 2 visible in [Fig. 1], to occupy the entire cross-section of this body, and therefore to completely separate the interior of the body 2 from the exterior of the container 1. In a sliding position towards the exterior of the body 2, whether this sliding is partial ([Fig. 2]) or total ([Fig. 3]), the plate allows more or less free access to the interior of the body 2.

[0027] It also appears that the plate 6 is dimensioned so as to form an extension 6a of this plate projecting beyond the slot 5 in the sliding position of the plate furthest inside the body 2, as visible in FIGS. 1 and 4. This extension 6a thus forms a part capable of being grasped manually by the user for maneuvering the plate 6.

[0028] With reference to [Fig.4], it appears that the body 2 comprises, inside itself, on said first side 2a comprising the slot 5, a flexible lip 11 for scraping the upper surface of the plate 6, in particular made of a synthetic material.

[0029] It also appears in this [Fig. 4] that the plate comprises, along its edge internal to the body 2 of the container, an elongated part 12 attached to this edge, which is curved towards the opposite edge of the plate 6 so as to form a hooking element. This part 12 has a rounded shape in cross section and is made of a semi-flexible material. The shape of this part 12 and the relative rigidity of this part 12 allows this part to constitute a suitable hooking element, as can be seen in [Fig.3], to come into engagement on the edge of the body 2 which delimits the lower part of the slot 5, when the plate 6 is in its fully open position of the body 2; the shape of this part 12 and the relative flexibility of this part allows this part, at the end of the travel of the plate 6 towards the inside of the body 2, to dampen the movement of this plate and to be applied against the wall of the body 2, thus constituting a seal which ensures the insulation of the inside of the body 2 from the outside of the container 1.

[0030] In practice, the plate 6 is normally placed in its position for closing the body 2, visible in [Fig.l]; in this position, it insulates the interior of the body 2 from the exterior in addition to the insulation provided by the cover 3. The adjustment of the slot 5 and the grooves of the elements 10 to the thickness of the plate 6, as well as the presence of the lip 11 and the part 12, allows perfect insulation of the interior of the body 2 from the exterior, and therefore makes it possible to eliminate the escape of odors to the exterior of this body.

[0031] A user, when he wants to deposit new waste in the body 2 of the container, opens the cover 3, deposits this new waste on the plate 6, closes the cover 3 and maneuvers the plate 6 towards the position of total or partial opening of the body 2, which allows the waste to fall inside this body, this while the cover 3 is closed; once this operation is carried out, the user returns the plate 6 to the closed position.

[0032] During the sliding of the plate 6 in the direction of the opening of the body 2, the lip 11 makes it possible to clean the upper face of this plate, in the case of possible remains of waste on this face or possible drips produced by this waste.

[0033] The invention thus provides a container 1 for collecting organic waste, for the domestic production of compost, which has the decisive advantage of being both simple to manufacture, therefore at a moderate cost, and simple and easy to use.

[0034] It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described with reference to the drawings by way of example; thus, said projecting part 12 could be a simple hook allowing the plate 6 to be attached to the body 2 of the container in the fully open position of this body.

Claims

1. Claims Container (1) for collecting organic waste, for the domestic production of compost, comprising a body (2) forming a waste receptacle and a cover (3) for closing this body; the body (2) of the container has a slot (5) passing through the side wall of this body at a first lateral side (2a) of this body; a sliding plate (6) is slidably engaged through the slot (5); - the cover (3) is an upper cover of the container; - the slot (5) is arranged on the side of the upper end of the body (2) and set back from this end, this setback being sufficient to form between the upper surface of the sliding plate (6) and the lower surface of the cover (3), a compartment (7) for receiving new waste; - the body (2) of the container has internal elements (10) jointly forming a slide, which are placed at the level of the slot (5), on second lateral sides (2b) of the body (2) consecutive to the first side (2a); - said sliding plate (6) is slidably engaged through the slot (5) and in the slide-forming elements (10), this plate (6) being dimensioned so as, in a sliding position furthest inside the body (2) of the container, to occupy the entire cross-section of this body (2), and therefore allowing the interior of the container body to be completely separated from the exterior of the container (1), and, in a sliding position towards the exterior of the container body (2), to free access to the interior of this body; the plate (6) comprises an operating means (6a), for manually operating this plate from outside the body (2) of the container; characterized in that: - the container (1) generally has dimensions that make it similar to a household waste bin; - the plate (6) comprises, along its internal edge, that is to say located furthest inside the body (2) of the container, a projecting part (12), projecting from the side of the plate (6) opposite the side of this plate intended to receive waste; - said projecting part is formed by a longitudinal piece (12) attached to said internal edge, which is curved towards the external edge of the plate (2) opposite this internal edge, so as to form a hooking element capable of engaging on the edge of the container body (2) which delimits the lower part of the slot (5) when the plate (6) is in its outermost sliding position relative to the container body (2).

2. Container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the plate (6) is dimensioned so as to form, in said innermost sliding position of the container body (2), an extension (6a) of this plate (6) projecting beyond the slot (5), this extension (6a) forming a part capable of being grasped by a user for maneuvering the plate (6), and therefore constituting the aforementioned maneuvering means.

3. Container (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the container body (2) comprises, inside itself, on said first lateral side (2a), means for scraping the upper surface of the plate (6), in particular in the form of a flexible lip (11).

4. Container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the longitudinal part (12) has a rounded shape in cross section and is made of semi-flexible material, that is to say having a rigidity allowing it to ensure the aforementioned hooking, but having a flexibility allowing it, at the end of travel of the plate (6) towards the inside of the container body (2), to dampen the movement of this plate (6), and allowing it to be applied against the wall of the container body (2) in the manner of a seal.

5. Container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the plate (6) is made of a transparent material.

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