Abstrict A manually operated, wall-mountable, beverage can crusher having
a compact hollow housing of rectangular cross-section, a ram mounted
for sliding movement within the housing, and an ejection spring
secured to the rear wall of the housing and operative to urge crushed
cans forwardly out of the housing as the ram is raised. The ram
is raised and lowered by means of a lever arm pivoted to the top
of the housing and connected to the top of the ram through a thrust
link pivoted at both ends. The lever arm includes a cover plate
which completes closure of the housing when the arm is lowered,
and also includes a channel section which partly surrounds the thrust
link for compactness of construction.
Claims I claim:
1. A manually operated beverage can crusher, comprising:
an open-faced hollow rectangular housing mountable against a wall,
and having a baseplate for supporting a can to be crushed;
a ram mounted for sliding movement within said housing, including
a pressure plate and two guide plates integral therewith and substantially
perpendicular thereto for slidingly engaging interior walls of said
housing;
a lever arm mounted by one end to an upper portion of said housing;
a thrust link pivotally connected to said pressure plate and pivotally
connected to said lever arm at a point substantially below its point
of pivotal mounting to said housing; and
can ejection means including a leaf spring secured interiorly to
said housing and operable to urge the can outwardly from said housing
as said ram and said lever arm are raised.
2. A beverage can crusher as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
baseplate and said pressure plate are perforated to vent the can
to be crushed therebetween.
3. A beverage can crusher as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
lever arm includes a front cover plate for completing closure of
said housing when said lever arm is lowered to its closed position.
4. A can crusher comprising:
a hollow wall-mountable housing, including a baseplate for supporting
a can to be crushed;
a movable ram for crushing the can against said baseplate, mounted
for sliding movement within said housing;
a lever arm pivotally mounted on said housing;
a thrust link pivotally connected to said ram and to said lever
arm to transmit force to said ram on movement of said lever arm;
and
can ejection means operable as said ram is moved away from said
baseplate, to eject the can from said housing;
wherein said lever arm is in part of open channel construction
and is sized to partly enclose said thrust link as said lever arm
is lowered to a closed position, thereby providing a compact overall
structure.
5. A can crusher comprising:
a hollow wall-mountable housing, including a baseplate for supporting
a can to be crushed;
a movable ram for crushing the can against said baseplate, mounted
for sliding movement within said housing;
a lever arm pivotally mounted on said housing, and including a
front cover plate which completes closure of said housing when said
lever arm is moved to a closed position;
a thrust link pivotally connected to said ram and to said lever
arm to transmit force to said ram on movement of said lever arm;
and
can ejection means operable as said ram is moved away from said
baseplate, to eject the can from said housing.
6. A can crusher as set forth in claim 5 wherein said lever arm
is pivoted at its upper end, and will fall to its closed position
under its own weight.
7. A can crusher comprising:
a hollow wall-mountable housing, including a baseplate for supporting
a can to be crushed;
a movable ram for crushing the can against said baseplate, mounted
for sliding movement within said housing;
a lever arm pivotally mounted on said housing;
a thrust link pivotally connected to said ram and to said lever
arm to transmit force to said ram on movement of said lever arm;
and
can ejection means operable as said ram is moved away from said
baseplate, to eject the can from said housing, said can ejection
means including a leaf spring secured to a rear wall of said housing,
said leaf spring being operative to urge the crushed can from said
housing as said ram is moved away from said baseplate.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to can crushing devices
and, more particularly, to manually operated can crushers for compressing
lightweight cans of aluminum construction, such as are used for
packaging various beverages.
A number of manually operated can crushing devices are to be found
in the prior art. Some of these utilize a piston or ram which is
moved toward a stationary plate by means of a hand-operated lever
connected to the ram through some kind of mechanical linkage. A
can is placed in position on the stationary plate and the lever
is operated to lower the ram and crush the can. Typical of devices
of this general type are those described in patents to Griemert
(U.S. Pat. No. 3009414) and Smith (U.S. Pat. No. 2563379). The
prior art devices, such as those of Griemert and Smith, typically
employ a floor-mounted pedestal for the stationary plate, are usually
relatively bulky and heavy in construction, and are relatively expensive
to manufacture. Moreover, operation of can crushers of the prior
art requires that the crushed cans be removed manually after raising
the ram. Accordingly, there is still room for significant improvement
in can crushing devices, and the present invention is directed to
this end.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention resides in a can crusher of the aforementioned
general type, but having a lightweight, compact structure for wall
mounting, and having means for automatically ejecting crushed cans.
Briefly, and in general terms, the can crusher of the present invention
comprises a hollow housing for wall mounting, having a baseplate
for supporting a can to be crushed, a ram mounted for sliding movement
within the housing, a lever arm pivotally mounted on the housing,
a thrust link pivotally connected to the ram and to the lever arm,
to transmit force to the ram on movement of the lever arm, and can
ejection means operable as the ram is raised to eject the can from
the housing.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, the lever
arm includes a hollow channel section which in part surrounds the
thrust link as the arm is lowered to a closed position, for increased
compactness of construction. The lever arm also includes a cover
plate which completes closure of the housing when the lever arm
is lowered to its closed position.
More specifically, the housing is of rectangular cross-section,
open at its front face, and the ram includes a pressure plate to
which the lever arm is pivotally attached, and two integral guide
plates which slidingly engage the sides of the housing. The lever
arm is pivoted near the top of the housing for motion in a substantially
vertical plane, and, when not in use, the ram and the lever arm
will be held by their own weight in a lowered position.
The can ejection means in the presently preferred embodiment comprises
a leaf spring attached to the inside of the rear wall of the housing.
The leaf spring is held compressed against the rear wall by the
ram in a lowered position, and, when the ram is raised after crushing
a can, the spring is operative to urge the crushed can forwardly
out of the housing.
Another feature of the invention is that the baseplate and the
ram include at least one hole therethrough, to prevent any pressure
build-up in the can as the ram is lowered, and thereby to facilitate
manual operation of the device.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention
represents a signficant advance in the field of can crushers. In
particular, its compact construction of relatively lightweight materials,
and its inclusion of can ejection means, are features not to be
found in can crushers available heretofore. Other aspects and advantages
of the invention will become apparent from the following more detailed
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a can crusher embodying the features
of the present invention, with the can crusher shown mounted on
a wall and with the ram in a raised position;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section,
of the can crusher of FIG. 1 with the ram shown in a lowered position;
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the can crusher, partly in
section and with the front cover partly broken away;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the can crusher; and
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the can crusher, with
the ram shown in a lowered position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present
invention is principally concerned with a number of significant
improvements in can crushers. In common with a number of can crushing
devices of the prior art, the present invention includes a ram 10
which may be moved toward a baseplate 12 so that a can 14 can be
crushed therebetween. The ram 10 is moved by means of a lever arm
16 and a connecting thrust link 18. Although there have been a number
of can crushers conforming with this general description, the one
to be described offers a number of significant advantages and improvements
over devices available heretofore for the same purpose.
In accordance with the invention, the ram 10 is mounted for sliding
movement within a hollow housing 20 which not only houses the device,
but guides the ram in its movement, thereby providing an extremely
compact and lightweight construction. Mounted inside the housing
20 is a leaf spring 22 which is compressed against the rear wall
of the body as the ram 10 is lowered, but which springs outwardly
as the ram is raised, automatically ejecting the crushed can 14.
More specifically, the housing 20 takes the form of a U-shaped
channel member having a flat rear wall 20a and two flat sidewalls
20b, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The sidewalls 20b are, at the
front edges thereof, bent inwardly to form a pair of retaining lips
20c to keep the ram 10 enclosed within the housing 20. The baseplate
12 is a relatively flat rectangular plate with right-angle bends
at its front and rear edges to facilitate permanent mounting to
the lower end of the housing 20. The rear wall 20a of the housing
20 is drilled to receive bolts 23 for purposes of wall mounting.
For increased rigidity of the housing 20 one of the bolts 23 is
also utilized to secure a right-angle bracket 24 which is sized
to fit snugly between the sidewalls 20b.
The lever arm 16 includes a front cover plate 26 which is sized
to cover the open front of the housing 20 when the lever arm is
in a lowered, vertically oriented position. Attached to the inside
of the cover plate 26 are a pair of elongated members having an
L-shaped cross-section, and arranged in parallel spaced relation
so as to form a U-shaped channel together with the front cover 26.
There is a pair of aligned holes 30 in the members 28 close to
the top end thereof, and a pivot pin 32 is assembled through the
holes and through corresponding aligned holes 34 in the sidewalls
20b of the housing 20 to mount the lever arm 16 pivotally to the
housing. The pivot pin 32 is secured in position by spring clips
35 near its ends. The effective length of the lever arm 16 is increased
by the addition of a rod 36 of rectangular cross-section, secured
between the members 28 and against the rear face of the cover 26
by two flanged pins 38 extending through corresponding aligned holes
in the members 28 and the rod 36 the pins being held in place by
cotter pins 40 as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The thrust link 18 is a straight rod also of rectangular cross-section,
which may, as in the illustrative embodiment, be hollow for lightness
of construction. The thrust link 18 is pivotally mounted by its
upper end between the members 28 at a location toward the upper
end of the lever arm 16 but significantly below the pivot holes
30. The link 18 is pivotally secured between the members 28 by means
of another flanged pin 42 held in place by another cotter pin 44.
The thrust link 18 is similarly pivotally attached at its lower
end between two parallel, upwardly projecting plates 46 secured
to the top of the ram 10. Again, a flanged pin 48 and a cotter pin
50 are used to effect the pivotal connection. In the illustrative
embodiment of the invention, the upwardly projecting plates 46 are
formed from two continuous sheets of metal which are bent outwardly
to overlie portions of the ram 10 and are bent upwardly again to
form a pair of guide plates 52 parallel with and closely fitting
between the sidewalls 20b of the housing 20. The plates 46 are slightly
wider, in a front-to-rear direction, than the ram 10 so that the
leaf spring 22 can be positioned between the plates, thereby allowing
free movement of the ram over the spring.
A hole 54 is provided in the ram 10 and another hole 55 in the
baseplate 12. These are for venting purposes, and prevent any possible
pressure build-up in the can as the ram 10 is lowered.
To operate the device of the invention, the lever arm 16 is first
raised, lifting the front cover 26 from the housing 20 and raising
the ram 10 sufficiently to insert the can 14 to be crushed. As the
can 14 is inserted, the leaf spring 22 is compressed toward the
rear wall 20a of the housing, and a rearward force must be maintained
on the can to prevent its ejection before a crushing force is applied.
Then, the lever arm 16 is lowered, as shown by the arrows 56 in
FIGS. 1 and 2 thereby applying downward force to the ram 10 through
the thrust link 18 and crushing the can against the baseplate 12
as shown in FIG. 2. The lever arm 16 is then raised again, allowing
the leaf spring 22 to eject the crushed can 14 from the housing
20. The lever arm 16 may then be lowered or allowed to fall to the
closed position.
The housing 20 baseplate 12 ram 10 guideplates 52 bracket 24
front cover 26 and L-section members 28 can all be conveniently
fabricated from sheet metal. The rod 36 and thrust link 18 are of
easily obtainable rectangular tube stock, and the other elements
are off-the-shelf items. Consequently, the entire device is relatively
inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and the hollow, sheet-metal
construction is lightweight, yet rigid.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention
provides significant advantages over similar devices for the same
general purpose shown in the prior art. In particular, the device
of the present invention is of lightweight and compact construction,
and can be manufactured relatively inexpensively. In addition, the
inclusion of the leaf spring 22 to eject the cans automatically,
and the provision of venting holes in the ram and baseplate, facilitate
convenient manual operation of the can crusher. Although one preferred
embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes
of illustration, it will be appreciated that various modifications
may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the
appended claims. |