Waste Disposal Apparatus

Abstract

A waste disposal apparatus includes an open/close sealing mechanism that nips a film at a position between a film accommodating portion and a waste accommodating main body to seal a space below the nipped part of the film from a space above the nipped part of the film. The sealing mechanism has a sealing door capable of being opened and closed, and a sealing door receiving portion. Film nipping portions of the sealing door and the sealing door receiving portion include concavo-convex shapes that bend a vertical intermediate portion of a film portion to be nipped, laterally with respect to an imaginary straight line that connects upper and lower ends of the film portion to be nipped.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A waste disposal apparatus, comprising:
 a film accommodating portion, which has a tubular core that forms a waste inlet at its upper end, and which accommodates a film, which is compressed into a cylindrical shape, so as to surround said tubular core;   a waste accommodating main body, which has said film accommodating portion positioned in an upper part thereof, and which receives a waste material placed in said film pulled out into said waste inlet, together with said film; and   an open/close sealing mechanism that nips said film at a position between said film accommodating portion and said waste accommodating main body to seal a space below the nipped part of said film from a space above said nipped part of said film, wherein   said sealing mechanism has a sealing door capable of being opened and closed, and a sealing door receiving portion that, together with said sealing door, nips said film when said sealing door is located at a closed position, and   film nipping portions of said sealing door and said sealing door receiving portion include concavo-convex shapes that bend a vertical intermediate portion of a film portion to be nipped, laterally with respect to an imaginary straight line that connects upper and lower ends of said film portion to be nipped.   
     
     
         2 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 each of said concavo-convex shapes of said sealing door and said sealing door receiving portion, which engage with each other when said sealing door is closed, is formed by a plurality of surfaces.   
     
     
         3 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein
 at least two of said plurality of surfaces of each of said concavo-convex shapes are connected together substantially at a right angle to form an angled portion.   
     
     
         4 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said concavo-convex shape of said sealing door is formed in a front end of said sealing door, and said sealing door is pivotally supported at its rear end by said waste accommodating main body or said sealing door receiving portion.   
     
     
         5 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said sealing mechanism further includes an elastic member that biases said sealing door in a closing direction.   
     
     
         6 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein
 said elastic member is a single elastic material capable of extending and contracting in its extending direction, and   both ends of said elastic material are coupled with right and left side edges of said sealing door receiving portion, and a central region of said elastic member extends along a lower surface of said sealing door.   
     
     
         7 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said sealing door includes, in its lower surface, an elastic member guide for holding said central region of said elastic member.   
     
     
         8 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said sealing mechanism further includes
 a left elastic member cover, which has its upper end latched by a left side edge of said sealing door receiving portion, and its lower end latched by a left side edge of said sealing door, and accommodates a left end of said elastic member, and 
 a right elastic member cover, which has its upper end latched by a right side edge of said sealing door receiving portion, and its lower end latched by a right side edge of said sealing door, and accommodates a right end of said elastic member, and 
   said elastic member covers follow opening/closing movement of said sealing door while being kept latched by said left and right side edges of said sealing door.   
     
     
         9 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said film accommodating portion is supported by said waste accommodating main body so that an axis of said tubular core is tilted at a predetermined angle.   
     
     
         10 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein
 a lower end of said film accommodating portion, which surrounds a lower end of said tubular core, is tilted and supported at said predetermined angle so that a front end side of said lower end of said film accommodating portion is located at a vertically lower position, and a rear end side of said lower end thereof is located at a vertically higher position, and   said concavo-convex shape of said sealing door receiving portion is located near a lowest position of said lower end of said film accommodating portion.   
     
     
         11 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said sealing door is tilted and supported at a predetermined angle when located at said closed position, so that a front end side thereof is located at a vertically lower position, and a rear end side thereof is located at a vertically higher position.   
     
     
         12 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said film nipping portions of said sealing door and said sealing door receiving portion are formed on a front side of said waste accommodating main body, and   said waste accommodating main body has a tilted surface in a front region of its inner bottom surface, and said tilted surface is tilted so that its vertical height decreases from a front side toward a rear side.   
     
     
         13 . The waste disposal apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 said film accommodating portion is a film accommodating cassette including
 said tubular core, 
 a tubular core flange that extends from a lower end of said tubular core in an outer diameter direction, and 
 a film holding flange that extends from an upper end of said tubular core in said outer diameter direction, accommodates said film in a compressed state between said tubular core flange and said film holding flange, and allows said film to be pulled out beyond an outer edge of said film holding flange into said tubular core, and 
   said film accommodating cassette is detachably attached to said upper part of said waste accommodating main body.