Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the field of recycling, in particular to a method and device for manually compressing an empty aluminium beverage can.

Background of the Invention

The beverage can, together with bottles and beverage cartons, is the most common small- consumer packaging for drinks intended for storing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages as well as for the transport of beverages and as a drinking container. Beverage cans are most often manufactured as cylindrical containers made of aluminium or thin sheet metal of various volumes, closed with a folded-back aluminium lid. There is an oval recess in the lid with a riveted metal eyelet, which when lifted presses on the part of the lid inside the recess. The lid material is weakened in the line of the recess, it is torn off by prising it open with the help of the eyelet and bends inside the can, thus creating an oval opening for drinking.

Aluminium beverage cans, which have become one of the significant manifestations of modern consumer society in recent years and are now an essential part of the mass of municipal waste, are disposable, non-returnable packaging. Their recycling is not very widespread in terms of area and percentage, and most of them end up in waste bins as municipal solid waste, at best, in containers for metal/metal sheet. With regard to the environment, it is necessary to return these disposable packaging to the production process, i.e. to recycle them, after consuming the beverage. This takes place more or less in the form of classic separate collection, where in the first collection phase the beverage cans get into collection containers, mostly distributed either in eco-friendly yards of communities or as needed in urban, rural and other collection points, where the collection of municipal solid waste is concentrated. The collection of municipal solid waste, specifically glass, plastic, metal, and therefore also aluminium containers, is generally burdened by the fact that it has a large volume and a relatively small weight. It is therefore a volume-intensive transport, which makes the recycling of beverage cans economically demanding. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the volume of used beverage cans before moving them to municipal solid waste. One of the possibilities is to stomp on the beverage can by the consumer, however it is not an optimal solution mainly due to the socially unethical and unhygienic combination of the process, i.e. throwing the can on the ground, trampling on top of it and often just leaving the can on the ground. A number of devices are known for compressing empty aluminium beverage cans, e.g. on the basis of mechanical lever presses. The disadvantage of these devices is, in particular, that they are not mobile and simple, which is a complication in the sense that, rather than collecting and transporting the cans in this way, the consumer would dispose of them with municipal solid waste.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and device for manually compressing empty aluminium beverage cans, which would eliminate the above-mentioned shortcomings, which would be mobile, simple and easy to operate and ultimately very economical, as the cans would be processed immediately at the place of consumption and empty beverage cans subsequently would be received in the compressed state already in the first phase of the collection process, i.e. from the beginning of the recycling process. This would save about 4/5 of the total transport costs, such as transport and handling on the route from consumer’s hands to the final pressing before re-melting.

Summary of the Invention

This object is achieved by a method of manually compressing an empty aluminium beverage can according to the invention. The core of the invention is based on the following: from the side of the bottom base, placing, on the can, the bottom holder, adapted on one side to place the bottom part of the can in the bottom holder and adapted on the other side for hand holding and/or gripping by hand, and from the other side of the can, i.e. from the side of the top holder, the top holder is placed on the can, adapted on one side to place the top part of the can in a manner preventing the can from rotating in the top holder and adapted on the other side for hand holding and/or gripping by hand. The placement of the bottom holder on the bottom base of the can and the placement of the top holder on the top base of the can does not affect the method of manual compression, it can be done in any order. The bottom holder is placed in a way preventing the can from rotating according to the specific design of the bottom holder. Subsequently, the bottom holder and the top holder are each gripped with one hand, and using the force of both hands, the bottom holder and the top holder are rotated simultaneously in the opposite direction of rotation, i.e. opposite to each other while compressing with both palms against each other, whereby the bottom holder and the top holder are compressed to each other in the direction of the vertical axis of the can, approximately to the minimum possible distance of the two holders, i.e. about 1/5 of the original length of the can.

The counter-rotation of the bottom holder and the top holder in which the can is placed is performed in such a way that the longitudinal stability of the can is disturbed until the bottom holder or the top holder rotates at least 30° around the vertical axis of the can. At the same time, the force for compressing the can in the vertical Y axis of the can gradually increases. Thus, during torsional movement which requires a relatively small force, the can is simultaneously compressed until the can is compressed to about 1/5 of its original height, corresponding to 1/5 of the original volume.

After the empty beverage can is compressed to about 1/5 of the original volume, it is ready to be placed in a collection container, to be taken over by the municipal services. In this way, up to four times the amount, also by weight, of recycled material based on empty beverage cans can be transported with optimal recycling including pressing in the initial recycling phase. Another innovative benefit of the method according to the invention is the use of longitudinal instability of all types of beverage cans. This is due to the form of the can itself and its thin walls, the nature of the form of cans and the type of material, most often aluminium, so that the development of the force required for pressing or compression can be handled not only by every healthy person, but even by grown children, regardless of gender.

The advantage of the method of manually compressing an empty beverage can according to the invention is, inter alia, the effect of entertaining the consumer during the pressing process, and thus unknowingly drawing the consumer into the recycling process, automatically expanding the consumer’s interest in recycling and increasing the volume of recycled disposable material. Another integral innovative benefit and advantage of this method is the simplicity of the pressing process, the ability to compress the can anywhere and anytime, almost immediately after consumption of the contents, which can bring an increased percentage of recycled cans in the so-called zero phase of the recycling process - i.e. directly after consumption. This will result in a significant reduction in transport costs for the recycling of empty beverage cans, which will ensure substantial not only financial but also environmental savings in this narrow but volume- and material-significant segment of municipal solid waste, in particular by reducing the production of carbon dioxide at lower transport frequencies due to many times higher capacity of collection containers by minimizing the volume of the empty beverage cans. This saves about 3/4 of the total transport costs, such as transport and handling on the route from consumer’s hands to the final pressing before re-melting.

The invention also relates to a device for manually compressing an empty beverage can according to the invention in the manner described above. The core of the invention is based on the fact that the device consists of a bottom holder adapted on one side for embracing the bottom part of the can and on the other side for hand holding and/or gripping by hand, and a top holder adapted on one side for embracing the top part of the can and on the other side for hand holding and/or gripping by hand. Both the bottom holder and the top holder are each provided on their inner side with a recess, each of which is provided with a locking device preventing the can placed in the top holder and/or bottom holder from rotating about its vertical axis. Each holder may be provided on the outer surface with protrusions, recesses or other shapes near the maximum diameter, radial axes of the corrugations and recesses oriented from the largest to the smaller diameters to the top of the holder, centrically around the vertical Y axis. These shapes ensure better transmission of torque around the vertical Y axis of the can, rising from each palm, in particular by means of fingers into the holder.

The shape of each holder ensuring a good fit in the palm of the left and right hands simultaneously facilitates and ensures transmission of the force of human hand in the direction of the vertical Y axis of the can, i.e. the applied pressure, and at the same time provides torque around the vertical Y axis of the can, i.e. in the radial plane of the X and Z axes of the can, thanks to individual holders acting in opposite direction. The inner surfaces or recesses of the two holders during the compression or pressing process ensure, thanks to their design and suitable surface, the transmission of pressing pressure and torque applied by both hands/palms by friction or other mechanical transmission, depending on the specific design, to the empty body of the beverage can.

In a preferred embodiment, the recess of the top holder is formed as a shaped counterpart of the top part of the can and the locking device of the top holder is formed as a protruding member for its placement in the opening in the lid of the can. The protruding member fitting into the oval opening of the open can, which is used for drinking from the can, ensures the transmission of the torque of the top holder, and in addition compensates for the imperfect adhesion of the recess of the top holder due to the overturned recess/eyelet used for opening the can.

The recess of the bottom holder is preferably formed with a concave bulge as a shaped counterpart of the bottom part of the can, which is convexly bulged. The locking device of the bottom holder is formed as three projecting points arranged at the apexes of an equilateral triangle along the circumference of the recess, these are sharp conical mandrels located approximately in the last quarter of the maximum radius of the concave surface, with a circular/angular distance of 120° with the longitudinal axis of the mandrel parallel to the Y axis of the can. The locking device of the bottom holder can furthermore be formed as an insert with a roughened surface arranged on the surface of the concave bulge or as a shaped counterpart of the bottom base of the can with a projecting edge for placing the can to place it and ensure that the can is firmly positioned in the bottom holder. In a preferred embodiment, the recess of the top holder and the recess of the bottom holder are provided with two projecting support edges, where the diameter of the inner edge is smaller than the diameter of the outer edge. These edges form channels in the recess of the bottom holder as well as in the recess of the top holder, and can be considered as additional locking devices, as they create settling or storage space for cans of all commercially available sizes.

In one preferred embodiment, both the bottom holder and the top holder are formed as a hemisphere or a flattened hemisphere made of solid or flexible material.

The advantages of the method and device of manually compressing an empty aluminium beverage can according to the invention are in particular that it is mobile, simple and easy to operate, improves the volume increase of recycling of aluminium beverage cans and ultimately this solution is very economical, as the cans are processed and compressed right at the place of consumption and the empty beverage cans are subsequently received in the compressed state already in the first phase of the collection process, i.e. from the beginning of the recycling process, thus reducing transport and handling costs. Furthermore, the ecology of recycling is improved by reducing the production of carbon dioxide during transport and handling, as well as increasing the weight and volume capacity of existing recycling containers and possibly leads to a higher emotional attraction of customers to brands of beverages using this device. Another advantage of this device is that it can be considered as an entertainment item for an entertaining form of can recycling education and that it can be considered as an advertising item delivered as a gift along with canned beverages. In general, the device according to the invention attracts and emphasizes the need to recycle not only beverage cans. This advertising effect can also be increased by various locally, regionally and linguistically differentiated trade names of the device, which will increase its level of awareness and, above all, accelerate or generalize expansion of use, thus promoting the environmental significance of the device.

Explanation of drawings

The present invention will be explained in detail by means of the following figures where:

Fig. 1 shows a view of a device for manual compression of an empty beverage can,

Fig. 2 shows a view of the bottom holder and the top holder with a protruding member,

Fig. 3a shows a view of the device with an empty can,

Fig. 3b shows a view of the device with an empty can during compression,

Fig. 3c shows a view of the device with an empty can after compression,

Fig. 4a shows a side section of the bottom holder with a locking device in the form of protruding points,

Fig. 4b shows a top view of the bottom holder with a locking device in the form of protruding points,

Fig. 5a shows a side section of the bottom holder with a locking device in the form of insert with roughened surface,

Fig. 5b shows a top view of the bottom holder with a locking device in the form of insert with roughened surface,

Fig. 6a shows a side section of the bottom holder with a locking device in the form of shaped counterpart made of rubber of suitable hardness,

Fig. 6b shows a top view of the bottom holder with a locking device in the form of shaped counterpart made of rubber of suitable hardness,

Fig. 7a shows a bottom view of the top holder in the shape of flattened hemisphere with a locking device in the form of protruding member,

Fig. 7b shows a side section of the top holder in the shape of flattened hemisphere with a locking device in the form of protruding member, Fig.8a shows a side section of the bottom holder in the shape of flattened hemisphere with a locking device in the form of protruding points,

Fig. 8b shows a top view of the bottom holder in the shape of flattened hemisphere with a locking device in the form of protruding points.

Example of the invention embodiments

Example 1

The device 1 for manual compression of an empty aluminium beverage can 2 according to the invention is formed by a bottom holder 4 and a top holder 3, between which an empty beverage can 2 is placed in the manner shown in Fig. 1. Both the bottom holder 4 and the top holder 3 are formed as a hemisphere made of solid material, in this case plastic, which fits into the human palm 5 or is adapted for easy hand grip and easy handling. On the outer surface, each hemisphere of the top holder 3 and the bottom holder 4 is provided with protrusions 6 alternating with recesses 7 arranged centrically around a vertical axis, as shown in Fig. 2. The bottom holder 4 has a recess 8 of the bottom holder 4 which is formed with a concave bulge as a shaped counterpart of the bottom part of the can 2, and a locking device 9 of the bottom holder 4 which is formed as a shaped counterpart for the bottom base of the can 2 with a space for engaging the protruding edge of the can, whereby the can 2 is firmly placed in the bottom holder 4. The top holder 3 has a recess 10 of the top holder 3, the shape of which corresponds to the top part of the can 2 for placing the top holder 3 on the top part of the can 2. The locking device Y\_ of the top holder 3 is formed as a protruding member which is placed in an oval opening in the lid of the empty can 2 to secure it against rotation.

The consumer inserts an empty beverage can 2 into the bottom holder 4 placed in one of his/her hands. With the other hand, he/she places the top holder 3 against the top part of the can 2 and rotates it so that the protruding member on the inner side fits into the opening in the top base of the can 2 and the can 2 no longer rotates relative to the top holder 3. Once the consumer makes sure that the bottom holder 4 and the top holder 3 are set well and fit at both ends of the can 2, he/she exerts his/her forces in both hands and then breaks the longitudinal stability of the can 2 with a steadily increasing pressure and torsion simultaneously in both hands and rotates or twists the top holder 3 and the bottom holder 4 in opposite directions in the range of about 30° or more around the vertical Y axis of the can 2, increasing the pressure in the vertical Y axis of the can 2 for compression with both hands or the top holder 3 and the bottom holder 4 to each other and the can 2 is gradually compressed during torsional movement with a relatively small force as far as possible in the vertical Y axis of the can 2, i.e. to about 1/5 of its total original height.

The method of manually compressing the can is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3a shows that the bottom holder 4 is placed on the can 2 from the side of the bottom base with a recess 8 of the bottom holder 4 or with a locking device 9 of the bottom holder 4; the top holder 3 is placed on the can 2 from the side of the top base with a recess 10 of the top holder 3, the protruding member of which, i.e. locking device H of the top holder 3, fits into the opening of the can 2. Fig. 3b shows the phase of compressing the can 2 using the device 1 by applying pressure and rotating the bottom holder 4 relative to the top holder 3 about the vertical axis of the can 2. Fig. 3c shows the phase of compressing the can 2 using the device 1, when compressed to 1/5 of the volume of the can 2.

Example 2

The device 1 for manually compressing an empty beverage can 2 according to the invention is formed in the same way as in Example 1 by a bottom holder 4 and a top holder 3, where the top holder 3 is formed in the same way as in Example 1. The bottom holder 4, shown in Fig. 4a in a side section of the bottom holder 4 and Fig. 4b in a top view of the bottom holder 4, has a recess 8 of the bottom holder 4, which is formed with a concave bulge as a shaped counterpart of the bottom part of the can 2. The locking device 9 of the bottom holder 4 is formed as three projecting points arranged at the apexes of an equilateral triangle along the circumference of the recess 8 of the bottom holder 4, which are three sharp conical protrusions or mandrels located approximately in the last quarter of the maximum radius of the concave surface, with a circular/angular distance of 120° with the longitudinal axis of the mandrel parallel to the Y axis of the can 2.

The consumer inserts an empty beverage can 2 into the bottom holder 4 placed in one of his/her hands. With the other hand, he/she places the top holder 3 against the top part of the can 2 and rotates it so that the protruding member on the inner side fits into the opening in the top base of the can 2 and the can 2 no longer rotates relative to the top holder 3. Once the consumer makes sure that the bottom holder 4 and the top holder 3 are set well and fit at both ends of the can 2, he/she exerts his/her forces in both hands and then breaks the longitudinal stability of the can 2 with a steadily increasing pressure to pierce the bottom of the can with sharp mandrels and subsequent torsion and increasing pressure at the same time in both hands and rotates or twists the top holder 3 and the bottom holder 4 in opposite directions in the range of about 30° or more around the vertical Y axis of the can 2, increasing the pressure in the vertical Y axis of the can 2 for compression with both hands or the top holder 3 and the bottom holder 4 to each other and the can 2 is gradually compressed during torsional movement with a relatively small force as far as possible in the vertical Y axis of the can 2, i.e. to about 1/5 of its total original height.

Example 3

The device 1 for manually compressing an empty beverage can 2 according to the invention is formed in the same way as in Example 1 by a bottom holder 4 and a top holder 3, where the top holder 3 is formed in the same way as in Example 1. The bottom holder 4, shown in Fig. 5a in a side section of the bottom holder 4 and Fig. 5b in a top view of the bottom holder 4, has a recess 8 of the bottom holder 4, which is formed with a concave bulge as a shaped counterpart of the bottom part of the can 2. The locking device 9 of the bottom holder 4 is formed as an insert with a roughened surface of rough steel sheet arranged on the surface of the concave bulge. In another exemplary embodiment, the insert can be made of rubber, however, in each exemplary embodiment it performs the function of fine grater or coarse sieve. After placing the can 2 in the bottom holder and the top holder and applying pressure to the holders, friction is achieved between the surface of the can 2 and the insert with the roughened surface, thereby transmitting torque and preventing the can 2 from rotating. In this example, the effect of compression of the can 2 is the same as in Examples 1 and 2.

Example 4

The device 1 for manually compressing an empty beverage can 2 according to the invention is formed in the same way as in Example 1 by a bottom holder 4 and a top holder 3. Both the bottom holder 4 and the top holder 3 are formed as a hemisphere made of solid material, in this case hard rubber, i.e. they are flexible hemispheres which fit into the human palm 5 or are adapted for easy hand grip and easy handling. The top holder 3 is formed in the same manner as in Example 1. The bottom holder 4, shown in Fig. 6a in a side section of the bottom holder 4 and Fig. 6b in a top view of the bottom holder 4, has a recess 8 of the bottom holder 4, which is formed with a concave bulge as a shaped counterpart of the bottom part of the can 2, locking device 9 of the bottom holder 4, which is formed as a shaped counterpart for the bottom base of the can 2 with a space for engaging the protruding edge of the can, whereby the can 2 is firmly placed in the bottom holder 4. Thanks to the hard rubber-based material, it provides an additional locking effect not only of increased friction preventing the bottom holder 4 from slipping, but also of possible compression of the bottom holder 4. In this example, the effect of compression of the can 2 is the same as in Examples 1 and 2.

Example 5

The device 1 for manually compressing an empty beverage can 2 according to the invention is formed by a thin-walled top holder 3 as shown in Figs. 7a and 7b and a thin-walled bottom holder 4 as shown in Figs. 8a and 8b. Both the bottom holder 4 and the top holder 3 are formed as flattened hemispheres with respective recesses, i.e. recess 8 of the bottom holder 4 and recess 10 of the top holder 3. The settling space for the can 2 is given by two raised edges on the inner side of the top holder 3 and the bottom holder 4. The edges form a universal space for cans 2 of all commercially available sizes, from beer cans 2 to smaller lemonade cans 2 or cans 2 of energy drinks. The smaller edge of the convex bulge corresponds to the smaller size of the two bases of the can 2, the larger circle, i.e. the edge corresponds to the larger of the two types of beverage cans 2. This achieves the supporting function of the can 2 compared to the storage function of the top holder 3 and the bottom holder 4. The locking device Y\_ of the top holder 3 is formed as a protruding member for its placement in the opening in the lid of the can 2, which fits into the opening in the top base of the can 2 and the bottom base of the can 2 is placed in the recess 8 of the bottom holder 4 or in its so-called storage part, the locking device 9 of the bottom holder 4 of which is formed as three projecting points arranged at the apexes of an equilateral triangle along the circumference of the recess 8 of the bottom holder 4. After application of compressive force, the concave part of the bottom base of the can 2 is punctured. The compression process then takes place as described above in Example 2. The advantage of this solution is the minimization of the material and the reduction of all other supporting functions described in other solutions - i.e. simplicity and usability of one device 1 for all current sizes of beverage cans 2. Industrial applicability

The method and device of manually compressing an empty beverage can according to the invention can be used in any environment where beverages packaged in aluminium cans are consumed, in addition to being advertising, educational and entertaining.

List of index reference numerals

1 device

2 can

3 top holder

4 bottom holder

5 palm

6 protrusion

7 recesses

8 recess of the bottom holder

9 locking device of the bottom holder

10 recess of the top holder

11 locking device of the top holder