US3235212A

US3235212A - Portable laundry basket

Info

Publication number: US3235212A
Application number: US263031A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Bernard J Baumiller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-03-05
Filing date: 1963-03-05
Publication date: 1966-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 1983-02-15

Description

1966 B. J. BAUMILLER, JR 3,235,212

PORTABLE LAUNDRY BASKET Filed March 5, 1965 FIG.6.

IN VENTOR.

BERNARD J. BAUMILLER JR.

United States Patent 3,235,212 PORTABLE LAUNDRY BASKET Bernard J. Baumiller, Jr., 116 Tenhury Road, Lutherville, Md. Filed Mar. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 263,031 4 Claims. (Cl. 24S142) This invention relates in general to article handling apparatus and more specifically to apparatus in the general form of a clothes basket for collecting wet, damp, or dry clothes from an industrial type laundry machine or Washer for transfer to other types of machines as used in commercial laundries.

In the type of laundry machines to which the present is an especially useful adjunct, the articles to be collected for transfer are delivered by gravity from a machine at a level in close proximity to the floor into a convenient type container. When said container is filled, it is either manually emptied or this container is carried to another machine or operation and upended to dump the contents. The labor involved in reaching up over the side of the container and then down into the same to lift out the articles, and the subsequent bending and sto-oping to transfer the articles from the laundry machine or washer to the other machine, and the labor involved in manually lifting and carrying the container from place to place, the upending the container and returning it to the former location is extremely arduous, dangerous, time consuming, and costly, necessitating frequent relief for the operator. Additionally, the foregoing operations establish a specific requirement for labor having certain muscular and physical qualifications.

The principal object of this invention therefore is to provide apparatus that minimizes manual effort as heretofore usually associated with the acts of collecting and transferring hot, wet, damp, or dry materials from one type of industrial machine such as a washing machine to another type such as a mangle.

A further object is to provide a laundry basket apparatus which is adjustable -to accommodate collecting discharge level conditions with various types of industrial or commercial laundry machines, whereby the operator is not required to manually lift the loaded container.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a laundry basket apparatus which is portable or which can be permanently aihxed to a floor or wall.

More particularly, the present invention provides for the objects aforesaid an upwardly open container mounted for rotation between a yoke, with the axis of rotation being established by bearings which are positioned eccentric with respect to the centerline of the container, whereby the container obtains free gravity movement in one direction of rotation. Thus, the container can be brought into a position for filling the same and can be rotated in the opposite direction into a different position for ease of emptying the same. The yoke is provided with a support mounted on a portable base, with the support being vertically adjustable to alter the level above the base at which the container is held. Limiting means are provided to limit the extent of free gravity movement of the container to a predetermined position. Restraining means are provided to restrain the container against free gravity movement prior to limitation by the limiting means. Manually operated means are provided for rotating the container in the opposite direction. Means are also provided for releasing the restraining means so that the container rotates by gravity from a position set by the manually operated means. Also, the present invention provides for the elevation of the container relative to the base without requiring a corresponding adjustment of the limiting and restraining means, for coaction at the various levels to which the container may be adjusted.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of portable basket apparatus for collecting and transfer of dry, wet or damp articles in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the basket restraining means;

MG. 5 is a view illustrating a modified. form of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

PEG. 6 is a view illustrating another modified form of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, an open top basket or container ll) is provided on two opposite sides 11 thereof with trunnions 12 eccentrically positioned with respect to the centerline of rotation of the container to provide free gravity movement thereof in one direction about the eccentric axis established by said trunnions, The trunnions 12 are mounted for rotation in oppositely disposed bearings 13, and a manually operable hand lever 14 is connected with the basket or container through one of the trunnions 12 to provide contra-gravity rotation of the container.

For movement of the container from one machine to another, the bearings 13 are mounted in two oppositely disposed upwardly extending arms 15 of a yoke 16. The yoke is centrally supported by a vertical pedestal 17 mounted on a portable base 18. To change the height of the container Ill above the base 18, the pedestal 17 is vertically adjustable by having a section 19 movable to telescope over a narrower section 20. The sections 19 and 2d are apertured and a pin 21 is provided for extending through corresponding apertures for fixing the sections 19 and in their vertically adjusted relationship.

To limit the extent of free gravity movement of the container 10 around its eccentric axis of rotation established by the trunnions l2 and 13, a container limit means in the form of a stop member 24 is mounted on the horizontal arm of the yoke 16 to engage or abut the container Ill} and thus halt the free gravity rotation thereof when its forward edge 25 reaches a predetermined level, such as the level at which the entire open top portion of the container 10 is in a horizontal plane. A different level for the forward edge 25 may be established by a diiferent setting of the stop member 24.

The container ltl can be rotated by the operating lever 14 in the opposite direction from the direction of free gravity movement to lower the level of the rearward edge 22 for ease in transfer of its contents to another machine such as a mangle machine, not shown. Upon release of the lever 14, the container 1d tends to return under its own gravity, thus necessitating manual holding of the container 10 or the operating lever 14 while at the same time transferring its contents to the mangle. Accordingly, there is instead provided means 26 for restraining the movement of the container 1% against its normal gravity movement after a predetermined counter rotation via the lever 14. Advantageously, this means 26 takes the form of an apertured wear block 27 mounted on the side 11 of the container 10 and a spring loaded pin 28 extending from a bracket 29 which is fastened to an arm 15 of the yoke 16. The pin 28 is located out of the path of the handle 14 so that each is readily acessible for operation. The pin 28 projects through the bracket 29 and terminates in a handle 30 which serves to release the pin 28 from engagement with the apertures in the Wear block 27. The wear block 27 and pin 28 are set to maintain predetermined degrees of counter gravity movement of the container 10. The maximum degree of such movement is determined by the point at which the pin 28 rides off the surface of the wear block 27 to engage its end. This prevents rotation by gravity of the container until the handle 30 of the pin 28 is operated manually by an attendant in control of the process of transfer of the articles from the container.

The container 10 can be raised and lowered to meet diflerent level requirements without altering the limiting means 24 or the restraining means 26 simply by moving the section 19 of the pedestal 17 towards or away from the base 18 and then by insertion of the pin 21 through corresponding apertures in the

sections

19 and 28.

The operation of the apparatus as above described will be readily apparent from the foregoing description. In general, the restraining means 26 is set to hold the container 10 in the rotative position which is best for either manual removal of articles from the container, or for upending or dumping them from the container. The limitin means 24 is set to have the container 10 always return to the same level which is suitable for collection or receiving articles by gravity flow thereto. The height of the container in any of the positions determined by the restrainw ing means 26, the limiting means 24, or by the lever 14 is adjustable by adjusting the height of the vertical pedestal 17.

The laundry basket apparatus is transported from place to place at will and when set in position for collection of articles, the handle 30 is retracted to permit the container 10 to rotate to the proper position for collection as from a washer for example. For transfer of articles from the container, the lever 14 is depressed until the pin 28 rides ofi the surface of the wear plate 27 onto its end 32. The rearward edge of the container is thus held at its desired lower level for removal of its contents, or if desired, the lever 14 is depressed until the container 10 is up-ended for dumping. Thereafter, the handle 39 is retracted to permit the container to gravitate to its normal level for filling.

Instead of manual operation of the handle 30, it may be operated semi-automatically by a foot pedal 36 operated lever arrangement as shown in FIG. 6. Likewise, the lever 14 may be pneumatically operated by a pneumatic cylinder 38 and lever system 40 as shown in FIG. 5. The geometrical shape of the container can be rectilinear peripherally shaped and provided with a spherical bottom, or the container can be cantilever suspended from a single eccentri trunnion, or the container can be of dififerent materials with an easily detachable bottom for maintenance reasons, or a number of levers 14 can be provided to manually rotate the container contra-gravitationally. Additionally, a detented arrangement of a universal joint may be substituted in the columnar construction of the main pedestal for supporting the container to adapt the A container for multi-positional use.

The invention as heretofore set forth may be variously embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Portable laundry basket apparatus comprising a container, bearing means eccentrically mounting said container for rotation, with the eccentric axis of rotation of said container as defined by said bearing means being laterally offset from the center of gravity of said container and adjacent the top of said container, whereby 41 when said container is titled in the direction from said center of gravity towards said eccentric axis of rotation and is filled with laundry said container rotates by gravity in the opposite direction, a portable base, vertically adpustable supporting means mounted on said portable base for supporting said bearing means, means for fixing the supporting means in its vertically adjusted position, limiting means for limiting the extent of rotation of said container in said opposite direction, means for tilting said container in the first mentioned direction, restrainng means for restraning said contaner in the desired tilted position in said first mentioned direction, and means for effecting the release of said restraining means, whereby said container rotates by gravity in said opposite direction.

2. The laundry basket apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said limiting means and said restraining means are mounted on said supporting means.

3. The laundry basket apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said limiting means positions said container horizontally upon rotation thereof in said one direction, and said restraining means positions said container at least 45 degrees from the horizontal position upon rotation of said container in said opposite direction.

4. Portable laundry basket apparatus comprising a base, a vertically adjustable pedestal mounted on said base and having means for fixing said pedestal in the vertically adjusted position desired, a container, a yoke centrally mounted on the upper end of said pedestal and having two oppositely spaced upwardly extending arms, bearing means mounted on each said arms for rotatably supporting said container on an eccentric axis within said yoke, with said eccentric axis being laterally offset from the center of gravity of said container and adjacent the top thereof, whereby when said container is tilted in the direction from said center of gravity towards said eccentric axis and is filled with laundry said container rotates by gravity in the opposite direction, limiting means mounted to said yoke for abutting the bottom of said container for limiting the extent of gravity rotation of said container in said opposite direction, means for tilting said container in the first mentioned direction, and releasable restraining means for restraining said container in the desired tilted position in said first mentioned direction.

Refierences Qitetl by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 364,351 6/1887 Ingraham et al. 248141 637,738 11/1899 Ludwig 248-440 996,658 7/1911 Minor 248-142 1,064,939 6/1913 Sunkler 248-442 1,348,134 7/1920 Barnstead 248-134 1,515,601 11/1924 Kuhn 248142 1,535,698 4/1925 Swanson 248142 1,627,490 5/1937 Disibio 248-l42 2,129,394 9/1938 Allen 214-3 14 2,448,300 8/1948 Eaddy 280-34 2,505,723 4/1950 Rees 248-142 2,665,098 1/1954 Oden 24S-137 CLAUDE A. LEROY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. PORTABLE LAUNDRY BASKET APPARATUS COMPRISING A CONTAINER, BEARING MEANS ECCENTRICALLY MOUNTING SAID CONTAINER FOR ROTATION, WITH THE ECCENTRIC AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID CONTAINER AS DEFINED BY SAID BEARING MEANS BEING LATERALLY OFFSET FROM THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID CONTAINER AND ADJACENT TO TOP OF SAID CONTAINER, WHEREBY WHEN SAID CONTAINER IS TITLED IN THE DIRECTION FROM SAID CENTER OF GRAVITY TOWARDS SAID ECCENTRIC AXIS OF ROTATION AND IS FILLED WITH LAUNDRY SAID CONTAINER ROTATES BY GRAVITY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, A PORTABLE BASE, VERTICALLY ADPUSTABLE SUPPORTING SAID BEARING MOUNTED ON SAID PORTABLE BASE FOR SUPPORTING SAID BEARING MEANS, MEANS FOR FIXING THE SUPPORTING MEANS IN ITS VERTICALLY ADJUSTED POSITION, LIMITING MEANS FOR LIMITING THE EXTENT OF ROTATION OF SAID CONTAINER IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION, MEANS FOR TILTING SAID CONTAINER IN THE FIRST MENTIONED DIRECTION, RESTRAINING MEANS FOR RESTRANING SAID CONTANER IN THE DESIRED TILTED POSITION IN SAID FIRST MENTIONED DIRECTION, AND MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE RELEASE OF SAID RESTRAINING MEANS, WHEREBY SAID CONTAINER ROTATES BY GRAVITY IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION.