US-20260125209-A1 - HAULING CONTAINER AND BODY

US20260125209A1US 20260125209 A1US20260125209 A1US 20260125209A1US-20260125209-A1

Abstract

Hauling containers, vehicles having hauling containers, and methods of forming and installing hauling containers are disclosed. In one aspect, a hauling container includes a body defining a storage volume of at least two cubic yards. The body is formed, at least in part, of a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both. In another aspect, a vehicle includes a chassis and a hauling container removably mounted to the chassis. The hauling container includes a body defining a storage volume. The body is formed, at least in part, of a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both. In yet another aspect, a method includes forming a body of a hauling container. The body defines a storage volume, and is formed, at least in part, of a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both. The body is configured to sit on a chassis of a vehicle.

Inventors

Michael W. Patterson

Assignees

Michael W. Patterson

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251218

Claims (20)

1 . A hauling container, comprising: a body defining a storage volume, wherein the body is configured to mount to a chassis and comprises a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both.
2 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the polymer material is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
3 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a unitary monolithic component that includes at least two walls that collectively define, at least in part, the storage volume.
4 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the body weighs less than 2,000 pounds and the storage volume is greater than four cubic yards.
5 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the body has stiffening elements coupled with, or embedded within, one or more walls of the body to provide structural reinforcement thereto.
6 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the body has at least one wall formed of a thermoplastic matrix combined with steel rods supported by shear stirrups.
7 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the body has at least one wall with a beam extending therethrough, and wherein the beam includes a beam matrix combined with steel rods supported by shear stirrups, and wherein the beam includes, or is wrapped in whole or in part by, a fabric layer.
8 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the body has a floor wall having a lining arranged on a top surface thereof.
9 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the body has a floor wall having a stacked arrangement with a thermoplastic layer arranged between two lining layers.
10 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the storage volume is divided into at least two compartments, with a divider wall separating the at least two compartments.
11 . The hauling container of claim 1 , further comprising: a blade operable to move between a first position and a second position, and wherein the blade comprises the polymer material.
12 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the hauling container is removably mountable on a vehicle.
13 . The hauling container of claim 1 , wherein the polymer material is Polydicyclopentadiene.
14 . A vehicle, comprising: a chassis; and a hauling container removably mounted to the chassis and having a body defining a storage volume, wherein the body comprises a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both.
15 . The vehicle of claim 14 , further comprising: an automatic loader mounted to the body, the automatic loader being operable to pick up one or more offboard objects and move the offboard objects into the storage volume.
16 . The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the body has multiple sections, including a hopper and a storage compartment.
17 . The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein a top end of the hopper is arranged at a different height than a top end of the storage compartment, and wherein the hopper and the storage compartment are formed as a unitary monolithic component.
18 . A method, comprising: forming a body of a hauling container, the body defining a storage volume and being formed, at least in part, of a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both, wherein the body is configured to mount to a chassis of a vehicle.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the body comprises: extruding a unitary monolithic component having a floor wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall arranged opposite the first side wall, wherein the first side wall and the second side wall are each connected to the floor wall; and coupling a wall to each of the first side wall, the second side wall, and the floor wall.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the polymer material is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or Polydicyclopentadiene.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims benefit of co-pending U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/690,027 filed Sep. 3, 2024 and is a continuation in part of co-pending U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 19/317,910. The aforementioned related patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND Refuse vehicles collect refuse (e.g., garbage, recycling, and other waste) from residences and businesses and transport the refuse to a storage or processing facility (e.g., a landfill, an incineration facility, a recycling facility, etc.). Refuse vehicles, such as garbage trucks, are limited by the weight that they carry. Refuse vehicles typically include a refuse container having a body formed of steel, with such bodies weighing between 7,500 and 22,000 pounds. The relatively heavy body of a refuse container can place considerable stress on the roads and can limit the refuse payload capability of a refuse vehicle. SUMMARY In one aspect, a hauling container is provided. The hauling container includes a body defining a storage volume. The body is configured to mount to a chassis and comprises a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both. In one or more examples, the storage volume is at least two cubic yards and the body weighs less than 2,000 pounds. In one or more examples, the polymer material is a moldable plastic material, and wherein the body includes at least one wall formed primarily of the moldable plastic material. In at least one example, at least two walls are integrally formed with the moldable plastic material. In one or more examples, the polymer material is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). In one or more examples, the body includes a unitary monolithic component that includes at least three walls that collectively define, at least in part, the storage volume. In one or more examples, the body weighs less than 2,000 pounds and the storage volume is greater than four cubic yards. In one or more examples, the body weighs less than 1,000 pounds and the storage volume is at least ten cubic yards. In one or more examples, the body has stiffening elements coupled with, or embedded within, one or more walls of the body to provide structural reinforcement thereto. In one or more examples, the body has at least one wall formed of a thermoplastic matrix combined with steel rods supported by shear stirrups. In one or more examples, the body has at least one wall with a beam extending therethrough, and wherein the beam includes a beam matrix combined with steel rods supported by shear stirrups, and wherein the beam includes, or is wrapped in whole or in part by, a fabric layer. In one or more examples, the body has a floor wall having a lining arranged on a top surface thereof. In one or more examples, the body has a floor wall having a stacked arrangement with a thermoplastic layer arranged between two lining layers. In one or more examples, the storage volume is divided into at least two compartments, with a divider wall separating the at least two compartments. In one or more examples, the hauling container includes a blade operable to move between a first position and a second position, and wherein the blade comprises the polymer material or the non-metallic recyclable material, or both. In one or more examples, the hauling container is removably mountable on a vehicle. In another aspect, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a chassis and a hauling container removably mounted to the chassis. The hauling container has a body defining a storage volume of at least two cubic yards. The body comprises a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both. In one or more examples, the vehicle includes an automatic loader mounted to the body, the automatic loader being operable to pick up one or more offboard objects and move the offboard objects into the storage volume. In one or more examples, the body has multiple sections, including a hopper and a storage compartment. In one or more examples, a top end of the hopper is arranged at a different height than a top end of the storage compartment, and wherein the hopper and the storage compartment are formed as a unitary monolithic component. In yet another aspect, a method is provided. The method includes forming a body of a hauling container, the body defining a storage volume and being formed, at least in part, of a polymer material or a non-metallic recyclable material, or both. The body is configured to mount to a chassis of a vehicle. In one or more examples, the storage volume is at least four cubic yards and the body weighs less than 2,000 pounds. In one or more examples, forming the body includes extruding a unitary monolithic component having a floor wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall arranged opposite the first side wall, wherein the first side wall and the second side wall are each connected to the floor wall; and coupling