Recycling of waste products is a continuing concern of individuals and communities as natural resources are depleted and landfills filled to capacity. In many places, the government mandates the separation of garbage into recyclable categories, such as glass, plastics, paper, etc. Standardized recycling bins facilitate the efficient collection of such recyclable materials. When filled with materials such as metal cans or glass, these bins can often become heavy and cumbersome to move.
As a result, the prior art includes a variety of carts for moving recycling bins. U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,092 discloses a recycling bin carrying device with at least two horizontally extending shelves for holding loaded bins. The cart is designed with each horizontally extending shelf positioned so as to overhang the next shelf, with the bins being slid onto the desired carrying shelf as necessary. The design also suggests that the bin containing the heaviest materials be located close to the ground for easy removal. Each shelf is pivotally attached to a front and back frame which allows for simultaneous folding of the front frame and shelves against the back frame to facilitate storage.
The '092 patent employs horizontally extending shelves which are oriented in a step-like fashion, each subsequent shelf overhangs the next and generally interferes with placement of a bin on the shelf. Instead of being able to vertically place the bin, the user must reach outward to slide the bin onto its desired shelf. As a result, the shelf-like orientation makes it difficult to load and unload bins onto the cart, particularly if they are heavily loaded. The patent also suggests a preference and is constructed for loading the heaviest bins on the bottom shelf. This complicates the ease of usage because a user must bend over further to pick up the heaviest bin. This is often very difficult, particularly for older users, and users with back problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,903 discloses a tubular metal cart which accommodates a plurality of bins placed side-by-side on the cart bracing. Each rectangular bin is a specially shaped, vertically-oriented, canister-like receptacle with a handle on the outwardly facing front. Each side-by-side rectangular bin is then simultaneously accessible from the top, with a common pivoting lid being used to hold the bins in place during transport.
In the '903 patent, the bins are not stackably oriented, and accordingly each bin must be lifted from its position on the bottom bracing of the cart. Each bin has single handle on its front which facilitates carrying the bin like a pail, albeit with the bin angled accordingly. Reloading the bin onto the cart involves reorienting the bottom of the bin to the horizontal plane and sliding it onto the cart. While this might be easily achievable with an empty bin, it would be very difficult with a loaded, heavy bin. The weight of the bin would cause resistance to both the horizontal orientation and sliding movements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,154 discloses a hand truck having a single vertical frame member for transporting multiple bins. The vertical has a handle on one end and an axle assembly on the other. The frame may be tubular metal with horizontal supports attached to the vertical member for holding the weight of the bins. Above each sup ort is a horizontal channel shaped member into which the edges of the bins are inserted.
Accordingly, a bin carrying device is needed which receives standard sized, rectangular tub-shaped recycling bins, which are removably attached via a hook device to the front of the cart. The device should allow for the bins to be vertically loaded and unloaded onto the cart in a sequential fashion for convenience and ease of loading. Such an arrangement would allow the heaviest bins to be loaded on the top hooks so that the user will not have to bend down to lift and move the loaded bin.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds