Abstrict A can crusher, particularly suited to reducing cans or similar
containers to a compact form by crushing the containers between
a pair of opposed jaws. The crusher consists of a track which serves
as a base for the crusher and a trolley which is attached to and
slides along the track. A first plate transversely attached to the
track forms the lower jaw. A second plate is attached to the trolley
in juxtaposition with the lower jaw to form an upper jaw. A lower
pair of parallel lever arms are pivotally attached at their lower
ends to opposite sides of the lower jaw. An upper pair of parallel
lever arms are each pivotally attached at a midpoint to the opposite
sides of the upper jaw and pivotally attached at their lower ends
to the upper ends of the corresponding lower pair of lever arms.
A handle is attached to the upper end of the upper pair of lever
arms to serve as an operating grip. A can is inserted between the
jaws and the handle moved from a raised position, which causes the
jaws to open widely, downward through an approximately 180.degree.
arc toward the lower jaw to bring the jaws together crushing the
can. The faces of the jaws may contain bosses which serve to promote
the buckling of the can surfaces.
Claims I claim:
1. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
comprising:
a. a track in the form of a hollow tube having an opening along
one surface to serve as a base for the can crusher;
b. a guide member in the form of a trolley mounted within the track
for low friction travel along the track so that the guide member
will travel along the track;
c. a first jaw positioned exterior to the track and rigidly and
transversely attached to the track;
d. a second jaw positioned exterior to the track and attached to
the guide member in juxtaposition and opposed to the first jaw which
may be variably spaced from the first;
e. a first lever arm pivotally attached at a first end to the first
jaw;
f. a second lever arm pivotally attached at a midpoint to the second
jaw and pivotally attached at a first end to the second end of the
first lever; and
g. means for actuating the can crusher attached to the second end
of the second lever so that a can may be inserted between the jaws
when the second end of the second lever arm is in a position away
from the first jaw and the can crushed between the jaws when the
second end of the second lever arm is swung through an arc toward
the first jaw causing the jaws to converge.
2. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the jaws has a boss
on its face to create an uneven contact surface with the cans to
promote the buckling of the can surfaces during crushing.
3. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
as claimed in claim 2 wherein the boss forms a cross on the plate
face.
4. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
as claimed in claim 2 wherein the boss is in the form of three
non-intersecting radial lines.
5. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
as claimed in claim 1 comprising, in addition: a third lever arm
pivotally attached at a first end to the first jaw opposite the
first lever arm and a fourth lever arm pivotally attached at a midpoint
to the second jaw opposite the second lever arm and attached at
a first end to the second end of the third lever; and wherein the
actuating means comprises a handle which is also attached to the
second end of the fourth lever arm; whereby the first and third
lever arms and the second and fourth lever arms, respectively, form
pairs of lever arms to provide rigidity to the apparatus and eliminate
torque otherwise placed on the apparatus and the handle provides
a grip for manual actuation.
6. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
as claimed in claim 5 wherein the opposing jaw faces have a centrally
located boss in the form of a cross.
7. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
comprising:
a. a track in the form of a hollow tube having an opening along
one surface to serve as a base for the can crusher;
b. a guide member in the form of a trolley mounted within the track
for low friction travel along the track such that the guide member
will run along the track;
c. a first jaw positioned exterior to the track and attached to
the guide member and positioned transversely to the track which
may be variably positioned along the track;
d. a second jaw positioned exterior to the track and rigidly and
transversely attached to the track in juxtaposition and opposed
to the first jaw;
e. a first lever arm pivotally attached at a first end to the first
jaw;
f. a second lever arm pivotally attached at a midpoint to the corresponding
point of attachment on the second jaw and pivotally attached at
a first end to the second end of the first lever arm; and
g. means for actuating the can crusher attached to the second end
of the second lever arm so that a can may be inserted between the
jaw when the second end of the second lever arm is in a position
away from the first jaw and the can crushed between the jaws when
the second end of the second lever arm is swung through an arc toward
the first jaw causing the jaws to converge.
8. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
as claimed in claim 7 comprising in addition; a third lever arm
pivotally attached at a first end to the first jaw opposite the
first lever arm and a fourth lever arm pivotally attached at a midpoint
to the second jaw opposite the second lever arm and attached at
a first end to the second end of the third lever and wherein the
actuating means comprises a handle which is also attached to the
second end of the fourth lever arm, whereby the first and third
lever arms and the second and fourth lever arms, respectively, form
pairs of arms to provide rigidity to the apparatus and the handle
provides a grip for manual actuation.
9. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
as claimed in claim 8 wherein the jaw faces have a centrally located
boss in the form of a cross.
10. A can crusher for reducing such containers to a compact form,
comprising:
a. a track in the form of a hollow tube having an opening along
one surface to serve as a base for the can crusher;
b. a guide member in the form of a trolley mounted within the track
for low friction travel along the track so that the guide member
will travel along the track;
c. a first jaw positioned exterior to the track and having a boss
on its face in the form of a cross, the jaw transversely attached
to the track;
d. a second jaw positioned exterior to the track and attached to
the guide member having a centrally located boss on its face in
the form of a cross, the jaw face in juxtaposition and opposition
to the first jaw face which second jaw may be variably spaced from
the first jaw;
e. a first pair of parallel lever arms pivotally attached at their
respective first ends to opposite sides of the first jaw;
f. a second pair of parallel lever arms pivotally each attached
at a midpoint to the opposite sides of the second jaw and pivotally
attached at their respective first ends to the respective second
ends of the corresponding lever in the first pair of lever arms;
g. a handle attached to the second end of the second pair of lever
arms so that a can may be inserted between the jaws when the handle
is in a position away from the first jaw and the can crushed between
the jaws when the handle is swung through an arc toward the first
jaw causing the jaws to converge.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for crushing containers,
more particularly the device is particularly suited for crushing
metal cans. It is adapted for manual operation.
Can crushers particularly suited for manual operation are illustrated
by Alverez U.S. Pat. No. 2446898; Smith U.S. Pat. No. 2563379;
and Griemert U.S. Pat. No. 3009414. Smith and Griemart both illustrate
an apparatus in which the object to be crushed is placed on a horizontal
base platform and from which a shaft arises vertically from the
base upon which is mounted a crushing plate. A lever is attached
to the vertical shaft and to the crushing plate through a second
lever. The first lever is swung through a downward arc forcing the
crushing plate against the base, crushing the interposed can.
Alverez describes a structure which is basically in the form of
a box with open sides. The box surfaces are hinged at their intersections.
The box collapses to crush the can placed inside the box, a lever
being used to forcefully collapse the box.
The prior container crushers did not incorporate any adjustment
to accommodate different sized cans while maintaining similar mechanical
advantages for all. The can crusher disclosed is adjustable to increase
the spectrum of container sizes which may be accommodated while
maintaining a particular spectrum of mechanical advantage.
The mechanical advantage of the prior crushers did not change to
reduce the amount of effort required to start and finish the crushing.
The disclosed crusher has an increased mechanical advantage at the
start and finish of the crushing operation as well as a long stroke
to reduce the overall effort required.
The previously available crushers collapsed the containers to a
thickness that depended on the force exerted whereas the disclosed
crusher crushes the containers to a uniform thickness.
The prior devices did not, as this device does, have irregularities
in the crushing jaws to induce buckling of the container surfaces
nor an operating handle that is transversely mounted to the direction
of its movement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The container crusher is suitable for crushing various sizes and
composition containers and reducing them into a flat form for disposal
or other use. It is particularly suited to crushing metal cans by
manual operation. The apparatus consists of a track which serves
as a base for the can crusher and a guide member which is slidably
attached to the track so that the guide member is able to travel
along the track. A first plate is rigidly and transversely attached
to the track to form a jaw of the crusher. A second plate is similarly
aligned to the track but attached to the guide member in juxtaposition
with the first plate. The two plates together form opposing jaws
of the crusher. The jaws may be variably spaced by moving the second
plate along the track. A first lever arm is to be attached to the
first plate at its first end. A second lever arm is to be attached
at a midpoint to the corresponding position on the second plate,
and is also attached at its first end to the second end of the first
lever arm. A handle is attached to the second end of the second
lever to form an operating means.
To operate the device, the handle is placed in a position furthest
from the first plate. A can is inserted between the jaws. In this
position the jaws will be at their maximum opening. Upon insertion
of the can the handle is swung downward through an arc toward the
first plate. This causes the jaws to converge and crush the interposed
can.
The crusher will operate in the same manner if the first plate
is attached to the guide and the second plate is attached rigidly
to the track.
It is particularly desirable to place bosses on the opposing surfaces
of the plates. The bosses serve to promote the collapsing of the
can walls and surfaces. To accommodate different diameter sized
cans the boss is most desirably in the form of a cross centrally
located on each plate face.
To prevent twisting of the apparatus it is desirable that the lever
arms come in pairs. The pairs being attached to opposite sides of
the plates.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the can crusher.
FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the embodiment of the can
crusher shown in FIG. 1 with the jaws in the open position and the
closed position of the jaws in phantom.
FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the track and guide member with
part of a jaw shown.
FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of another embodiment of the track
and guide member.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a form of a boss on a jaw.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of another form of a boss on a jaw.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternate form of a boss on a jaw.
FIG. 8 is a vertical section through the preferred embodiment of
the can crusher with the jaws in the open position with the closed
position of the jaws in phantom.
FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a partial vertical section an embodiment of the can
crusher similar to that embodiment shown in FIG. 2 using a trolley.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
INTRODUCTION
It is often found to be desirable to crush empty containers such
as cans prior to their storage or disposal to reduce the amount
of space otherwise taken up. The container crusher shown and described
is particularly well adapted to perform this function. It is particularly
well suited for crushing cans and is conveniently suited for manual
operation in the home, in a camper, or on a boat. It is capable
of reducing cans to approximately twenty percent of their original
volume.
AN EMBODIMENT OF THE CAN CRUSHER
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 one form of the can crusher 20 is shown
mounted on a wall 22. The can 24 is inserted between two jaws 26
and 27 which may, for example, consist of a plate 23 with or without
stiffening structure such as a rim 25. The upper jaw 27 is rigidly
attached, as by using a bolt 28 and nut 30 to a track 32 which serves
as a base for the crusher 20. The upper jaw 27 is positioned transversely
to the track 32 with its face 34 directed toward the lower jaw 26.
The face 36 of the lower jaw 26 is positioned transversely to the
track also and is in juxtaposition with the face 34 of the upper
jaw. The lower jaw is rigidly attached, for example, by the use
of a bolt 38 to a guide member 40 which is closely received within
the track 32 to be slidably retained within the track. See FIG.
3. The track is formed by a rectangular tube having an opening 42
on one side. The guide member 40 has an approximately rectangular
cross section and a raised ridge 44 to which extends through the
opening 42 against which the jaw 26 is secured. The guide member
slides within the track so that the jaw 26 moves longitudinally
along the track so that the jaws may be variably spaced from each
other. A pair of lever arms 46 are pivotally attached at one end
as by a bolt 48 and nut 50 to opposite sides of the lower jaw 26.
A second pair of lever arms 52 are attached similarly at midpoints
54 to the opposite sides of the upper jaw. The ends 56 and 58 of
the two lever arms on the same side of the crusher are pivotally
attached together on both sides of the can crusher. A handle 60
is attached as by welding to the opposite end 62 of the lever arms
52. The handle cross member 64 connects the lever arms 52 and a
grip 66 is attached parallel to the wall to the cross member by
a connecting member 68. The connecting member 68 the cross member
64 and lever arms 52 may be integrally made. In operation the grip
66 is pulled down and away from the wall through an arc as indicated
by arrow A to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 2. This will
cause the lower jaw 26 to assume the position shown in phantom in
FIG. 2 near the upper jaw 27. This, when done forcefully, will result
in the crushing a container interposed between the jaws.
The lever arms 46 may be bowed at their centers 70 to miss the
pivotal connection 72 when the grip is in the lower position.
This form of can crusher allows for easy manual operation. The
mounting of the handle 60 transversely to the operator, who would
normally stand in front of the can crusher facing the wall, allows
grasping the grip 66 with one or both hands.
The downward motion of the handle operation is a motion that is
readily accomplished forcefully by an operator without awkward twisting,
pushing, or pulling body movements.
The multiple lever configuration gives increased mechanical advantage
without requiring a great deal of space for the crusher and results
in the highest mechanical advantage at the top and bottom of the
stroke. It is at these two points, where the buckling of the can
must first be started and where the crushed surfaces contact each
other the most, that the most force is required and can by this
crusher be most easily provided with lower effort exerted on the
handle.
The long 180.degree. movement of the handle allows for a longer
stroke with a reduction in force required on the handle to accomplish
the same amount of crushing work.
The arrangement particularly lends itself to a vertical wall mounting,
eliminating the need to take up valuable horizontal working space
such as a table surface and lending itself to a variety of convenient
mounting locations. The ability to position the handle above or
below the jaws also reduces the amount of apace taken up by the
crusher.
Since the minimum distance between the jaws is controlled by the
mechanical configuration all containers may be crushed to the same
thickness.
ANOTHER EMBODIMENT OF THE TRACK AND GUIDE MEMBER
The track and guide member may take on other configuration. As
shown in FIG. 4 the track 100 has a base 102 by which it may be
attached to the wall 22 and a triangular shaped body 104. The guide
member 106 has a "C" shaped cross section which wraps
about the body of the track to cause the guide member to be slidably
attached to the track.
A THIRD FORM OF THE TRACK AND GUIDE MEMBER UTILIZING A TROLLEY
A further configuration of the track and guide member is shown
in FIGS. 8 and 9. The track 200 is formed of rectangular tubing
having an opening 202 on one surface. The guide is in the form of
a trolley 204. Two sets of wheels 206 mounted on axles 208 attached
to the body 210 of the trolley. The diameter of the wheels is slightly
smaller than the inside dimension of the track so that the individual
trolley wheels only contact one surface at a time, but large enough
so that the trolley will not twist excessively within the track
when opposite wheel surfaces of adjacent wheels contact opposite
interior surfaces of the track. This assures smooth operation. The
use of the trolley results in a low friction operation of the crusher
reducing the amount of effort required to crush a container. It
also spreads the load over a greater distance and with two axles
maintains the alignment while increasing the strength.
FIG. 10 illustrates the use of a trolley 205 in place of the guide
member 40 shown in FIG. 2.
OTHER FORMS OF THE TRACK AND GUIDE MEMBER
The track and guide member may assume other configurations and
are not limited to those shown. Variations of these configurations
and other configurations may be used in which a guide member is
slidably attached to a track.
AN EMBODIMENT OF THE CAN CRUSHER UTILIZING A BOSS ON THE JAW FACE
The promote the collapsing of the surfaces of the can during crushing,
the surfaces of the jaw face 300 are made uneven by the addition
of a boss 302 as shown in FIG. 5. The boss may assume many different
forms. As shown in FIG. 5 the boss may be in the form of a straight
line across the diameter of the face 300. Alternately the boss may
be in the form of three nonintersecting radial lines 304 as in FIG.
6 a triangle 306 as in FIG. 7 or a cross 212 as in FIG. 9. Preferably
the boss is located on the jaw so that it intersects the rim 21
of the can 24 as shown in FIG. 1 to cause it to buckle and bend
during the crushing operation. The one or both jaw faces may have
bosses which may be of the same configuration or of differing configurations.
The boss or bosses may assume other configurations than those shown
such as the form of a square, circle, "V", or parallel
lines, for example.
OTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE CAN CRUSHER
Varying the lengths of the arms 46 and 52 will alter the mechanical
advantage and the travel distance of the moving jaw. This may be
done by using different length arms or by moving the pivotal connection
points such as connection 74 to an alternate connection point, such
as provided by holes 76 in the arm 46 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Varying the distance from the grip 66 to the pivot connection 72
will also change the mechanical advantage.
It is not necessary that the lever arms be in pairs, but it is
preferred that pairs be used on either side of each jaw to prevent
twisting of the mechanism during the operation.
The apparatus shown is adapted for manual operation of the handle
but it is not so limited and mechanical actuation of the device
is possible.
THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE CAN CRUSHER
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 the preferred embodiment of the can
crusher, the lower jaw 214 is fixed to the track 200 and the upper
jaw 216 is attached to a trolley 204. The trolley has four wheels
206 mounted on two axles 208 which permit relatively low friction
travel of the trolley inside track 200. The track is a rectangular
tube having an opening 202 on one surface. The upper plate is attached
by a bolt 218 to the body 210 of the trolley through the opening
202 in the track 200. The lower jaw is attached by a bolt 220 and
nut 222 which spans the opening 202 to the track 200. The face 224
of the upper jaw and the face 226 of the lower jaw are transversely
aligned to the track and directed towards each other. Each face
224 and 226 carries a boss 212 and 228 respectively in the form
of a cross. The jaws 214 and 216 are made of steel stampings so
that the bosses 212 and 228 and the stiffening rims 230 and 232
around the perimeter of the jaws and normal to the faces 224 and
226 respectively are formed in one operation. It is through extensions
234 and 236 of these rims that the mounting bolts 218 and 220 pass
to attach the jaws to the track and trolley respectively. A lower
pair of arms 238 are pivotally attached at their opposite ends to
a upper pair of arms 240 which are each attached pivotally at a
midpoint to opposite sides of the upper jaw 216. The center 242
of the lower arms are bowed to miss the attachment point 244 of
the upper arms to the upper jaw when the crusher is operated. A
gripping handle 246 is attached between the upper arms to provide
an operating grip.
To operate the device the handle 246 is swung through a downward
arc to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 8. The upper jaw 216
moves forcefully toward the lower jaw crushing an interposed container
finally reaching the position adjacent the lower jaw shown in phantom.
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