Granted Patent B2

US 7,594,376 · App. 10/931,337 · Granted Sep 29, 2009

Abstract

Claims (57)

1. A receptacle, comprising:

a container comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, a side portion encompassing a void, a lid attached to said top portion of the container;

a cassette comprising a rigid body formed by a tubular core defining a first space, said tubular core open at top and bottom, a surrounding casing wall positioned to provide a second space between said tubular core and said casing wall and a base wall joining a lower end of said surrounding casing wall to a lower end of said tubular core, a length of flexible tubing packed in said second space;

one or more support member(s) projecting from said side portion of said container configured to retain said cassette between said top portion and said bottom portion of said container and permitting communication of said flexible tubing from said cassette to said bottom portion of said container, said cassette being rotatable, said support member comprising a flange structurally configured to allow said cassette to be rotated;

a tube sealing mechanism operably configured to engage with said cassette to form and seal a packet of material in said flexible tubing by rotating said cassette;

a drive plate mounted on said cassette;

a drive gear operably engaged with said drive plate;

a motor mounted to said container and having an output shaft that rotates said drive gear when said motor is activated; and

a timing circuit activating said motor to rotate said cassette at a predetermined amount of time or a predetermined number of times,

wherein said lid comprises an apparatus for actuating said tube sealing mechanism.

2. The receptacle of claim 1 , wherein said receptacle comprises a waste disposal container.

3. The receptacle of claim 1 , wherein said lid is hingedly attached to said container.

4. The receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising a plunging device which is movable downwardly into said bottom portion of said container.

5. The receptacle of claim 1 , further comprising: a first retention mechanism operably configured to prevent rotation of a packet when said cassette is rotated to create a seal in said flexible tubing; and a second retention mechanism operably configured to prevent release of said stored flexible tubing from said tubing cassette during rotation.

6. The receptacle of claim 1 , wherein said flexible tubing is provided with an adhesive.

7. The receptacle of claim 1 , wherein said waste material is a soiled diaper.

8. A receptacle, comprising:

a container comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, a side portion encompassing a void, a lid attached to said top portion of the container;

a cassette comprising a rigid body formed by a tubular core defining a first space, said tubular core open at top and bottom, a surrounding casing wall positioned to provide a second space between said tubular core and said casing wall and a base wall joining a lower end of said surrounding casing wall to a lower end of said tubular core, a length of flexible tubing packed in said second space;

one or more support member(s) projecting from said side portion of said container configured to retain said cassette between said top portion and said bottom portion of said container and permitting communication of said flexible tubing from said cassette to said bottom portion of said container, said support member comprising a flange structurally configured to allow said cassette to be rotated, said cassette being mounted onto said flange;

a tube sealing mechanism operably configured to engage with said cassette to form and seal a packet of material in said flexible tubing by rotating said cassette;

a drive plate mounted on said cassette;

a drive gear structurally engaged with said drive plate;

a motor mounted on said container lid and having an output shaft that rotates said drive gear when said motor is activated; and

a manually operated switch for activating said motor,

wherein said lid comprises an apparatus for actuating said tube sealing mechanism.

9. A receptacle, comprising:

a container comprising a top portion, a bottom portion, a side portion encompassing a void, a lid attached to said top portion of said container;

a cassette comprising a rigid body formed by a tubular core defining a first space, said core open at top and bottom, a surrounding casing wall positioned to provide a second space between said tubular core and said casing wall and a base wall joining a lower end of said surrounding casing wall to a lower end of said tubular core, a length of flexible tubing packed in said second space, said cassette being rotatable;

one or more support member(s) projecting from said side portion of said container configured to retain said cassette between said top portion and said bottom portion of said container and permitting communication of said flexible tubing from said cassette to said bottom portion of said container, said support member comprising a flange structurally configured to allow said cassette to be rotated;

a tube sealing mechanism operably configured to engage with said cassette to form and seal a packet of material in said flexible tubing by rotating said cassette;

a plunging mechanism operably configured to move a sealed waste packet downwardly while pulling a length of said flexible tubing from said cassette to create new space for enclosing a subsequent waste packet,

a drive plate mounted on said cassette;

a drive gear operably engaged with said drive plate;

a motor mounted to said container and having an output shaft that rotates said drive gear when said motor is activated; and

a timing circuit activates said motor to rotate said cassette at a predetermined amount of time or a predetermined number of times,

wherein said lid comprises an apparatus for actuating said tube sealing mechanism.

10. The receptacle of claim 9 , further comprising a gripping mechanism for said flexible tubing to prevent release of said flexible tubing from said cassette during rotation of said cassette.

11. The receptacle of claim 9 , wherein said flexible tubing is provided with an adhesive.

12. The receptacle of claim 9 , wherein said waste material is a soiled diaper.

13. A container for automated waste disposal, comprising:

a container bin compartment structurally configured to receive packaged waste material;

a container top compartment enclosing an apparatus for automated packaging said waste material in said container bin compartment;

a cassette comprising a rigid body formed by a tubular core defining a first space, said core open at top and bottom, a surrounding casing wall positioned to provide a second space between said tubular core and said casing wall and a base wall joining a lower end of said surrounding casing wall to a lower end of said tubular core, a length of flexible tubing packed in said second space;

one or more support member(s) projecting from a side portion of said container top configured to retain said cassette permitting communication of said flexible tubing from said cassette to said container bin compartment, said support member comprising a flange structurally configured to allow said cassette to be rotated;

a combination of an automatically controlled motor-driven cassette turning mechanism which packages said waste material into individual packets in a flexible tubing inside said container bin compartment and an automatically controlled motor-driven plunging device operably configured to move a sealed packaged waste material and downwardly push said packaged waste material, thereby pulling a predetermined length of said flexible tubing to provide space for packaging of subsequent waste material;

a drive plate mounted on said cassette;

a drive gear operably engaged with said drive plate;

a motor mounted to said container top compartment and having an output shaft that rotates said drive gear when said motor is activated; and

a timing circuit activates said motor to rotate said cassette at a predetermined amount of time or a predetermined number of times.

14. A waste disposal apparatus comprising:

a container having a lid, said lid being movable between a closed position covering an opening into said container and an open position providing access into said opening;

a cassette comprising a rigid body formed by a tubular core defining a first space, said tubular core open at top and bottom, a surrounding casing wall positioned to provide a second space between said tubular core and said casing wall, and a base wall joining a lower end of said surrounding casing wall to a lower end of said tubular core, a length of flexible tubing packed in said second space;

a support member projecting from said side portion of said container to support said cassette in said container, said flexible tubing being dispensable from said cassette into a bottom portion of said container;

a tube sealing mechanism having a motor mounted to said lid, said tube sealing mechanism for engaging with said cassette to form and seal a packet of material in said flexible tubing by turning said cassette;

a plunging mechanism for pushing a sealed waste packet downwardly while pulling a length of said flexible tubing from said cassette, said plunging mechanism having a scissor link assembly to move a plunger plate through said first space.

15. The waste disposal device of claim 14 , wherein said scissor link assembly has a drive rod comprising a screw-like wound surface that is inserted into a nut-type center of a scissor link connecting linkage, and wherein said scissor link connecting linkage is moved along said drive rod by rotating said drive rod to move said plunger.

Assignments (10)