Refuse Container Door Assembly for Odor Blocking and Easy Disposal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Disposal of smelly or unsavory materials into refuse containers creates unpleasant odors and requires frequent handling, which can expose users to malodorous scents and increase cleaning efforts, while small openings complicate disposal and pose risks for children.
Innovation Solution
A refuse container with an automatic door subassembly that opens and closes a lid and odor-blocking doors, minimizing user interaction and contact with disposed materials, featuring a large opening and an odor-eliminating cartridge for odor absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional refuse container with a single opening is used, then the device complexity is low, but odor blocking performance deteriorates and user handling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refuse container is divided into multiple functional door sections: a lid door for opening/closing the main compartment and separate odor-blocking doors that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows the lid to remain open for disposal while odor-blocking doors close to prevent odor escape, resolving the contradiction between odor blocking and ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The odor-blocking doors are designed to be dynamically controllable through the automatic door subassembly, which can open or close them based on detected conditions (such as when the lid is opened for disposal). This dynamic control enables the system to adapt between different operational states (open for disposal vs. closed for odor blocking) without requiring permanent structural complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a small opening is used for refuse disposal, then the housing structure is simple, but user handling increases and contact with unsavory materials increases
Solution Approach 1:
The opening mechanism is segmented into the lid door that opens the main compartment and separate odor-blocking doors. This allows users to dispose of refuse through the large open lid while the odor-blocking doors remain closed, preventing contact with previously disposed unsavory materials and eliminating the need for small openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The odor-blocking doors act as an intermediary barrier between the user and the disposed materials in the container. Users interact with the container through the lid opening mechanism, while the odor-blocking doors automatically close to mediate and prevent direct contact between users and unsavory materials, improving ease of operation and safety.
3Productivity
If manual door operation is used, then the device complexity is low, but productivity decreases due to increased handling time
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic door subassembly performs preliminary actions by automatically opening the odor-blocking doors before the user needs to dispose of refuse and automatically closing them afterward. This preliminary automation eliminates the need for users to manually operate multiple doors, increasing disposal speed without requiring the user to learn complex manual operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The door subassembly serves itself by using sensors and actuators to automatically detect when the lid is opened and respond by opening/closing the odor-blocking doors accordingly. This self-service capability increases productivity by eliminating manual intervention while keeping the interface simple (users only need to open the lid), effectively hiding the complexity of the automatic mechanism.
4Ease of operation
If the lid remains open during disposal, then ease of operation is improved, but odor release increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is segmented into the lid door and separate odor-blocking doors. This allows the lid to remain open for convenient refuse disposal while the odor-blocking doors close independently to prevent odor escape. The segmentation enables simultaneous achievement of ease of operation (open lid) and odor blocking (closed odor-blocking doors).
Solution Approach 2:
The odor-blocking doors are dynamically controlled to close automatically when the lid is opened for disposal and reopen when the lid is closed. This dynamic behavior allows the system to adapt to different operational states, maintaining odor blocking performance even when the lid is open for convenient disposal operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively blocks odors during and after disposal, reduces user handling, and simplifies disposal processes, enhancing user experience and safety, particularly for children.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating an odor-eliminating cartridge with activated carbon to absorb malodors
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, and methods for disposing of refuse are disclosed. A refuse container may comprise a housing, a lid, an actuator, odor-blocking doors, a base, and an automatic door subassembly. The odor-blocking doors may mount to the housing and the lid may hingedly attach to the housing. The actuator may operatively couple to the base and the automatic door subassembly. Actuating the actuator may move the automatic door subassembly from a first position to a second position to open the lid. A user may place the refuse on the odor-blocking doors. The automatic door subassembly may then move from the second position to a third position to close the lid, from the third position to a fourth position to open the odor-blocking doors such that the refuse drops through the odor-blocking doors, and from the fourth position back to the first position to close the odor-blocking doors.