Diaper disposal container

Abstract

A waste disposal container for soiled items includes a container body, a lid over a top opening of the container body, and one or more diaphragms and a retaining ring installed inside the container body. A step feature is formed on the interior surface of the container body below the top opening. The diaphragms and the retaining ring rest on the step feature. Each diaphragm is a disk shaped member made of a flexible and resilient material such as rubber, and is partitioned into a plurality of wedge shaped sections by a plurality of radial cuts. Two or more diaphragms may be overlapped and their cuts are offset with respect to each other. The retaining ring is disposed above the diaphragms. In use, a disposable bag is placed inside the container and is held at its top between the container body and the diaphragms and the retaining ring.

1 . A disposal container comprising:
 a container body for containing items being disposed of, the container body defining a top opening, the container body having a step feature on an interior surface thereof disposed below the top opening;   one or more diaphragms disposed inside the container body on the step features, each diaphragms having a disk shape that matches an interior cross-sectional shape of the container body at the step feature, each diaphragm being made of a flexible and resilient material and having a plurality of radial cuts which partition the diaphragm into a plurality of wedge shaped sections;   a retaining ring disposed inside the container body above the one or more diaphragms, the retaining ring having an exterior shape that matches an interior shape of a section of the container body between the top opening and the step features; and   a lid disposed over the opening of the container body.   
     
     
         2 . The disposal container of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more diaphragms are made of rubber. 
     
     
         3 . The disposal container of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more diaphragms include two diaphragms overlapped with each other, and wherein the cuts of the two diaphragms are offset with respect to each other in an angular direction. 
     
     
         4 . The disposal container of  claim 3 , wherein the two diaphragms are joined together forming one unit. 
     
     
         5 . The disposal container of  claim 1 , wherein the retaining ring is made of plastic. 
     
     
         6 . The disposal container of  claim 1 , wherein a height of the retaining ring plus a thickness of the one or more diaphragm is less than or equal to a distance between the top opening and the step features of the container body. 
     
     
         7 . The disposal container of  claim 1 , wherein a section of the container body between the top opening and the step feature has a cylindrical shape with a uniform diameter, wherein the one or more diaphragms have a round shape, and wherein the retaining ring has a cylindrical shape with a uniform exterior diameter. 
     
     
         8 . The disposal container of  claim 1 , wherein the step feature is a ring shaped protrusion on the interior surface of the container body. 
     
     
         9 . The disposal container of  claim 1 , wherein the step feature is formed by a lower section of the interior surface of the container body having a smaller circumference than an upper section above the lower section. 
     
     
         10 . A disposal container comprising:
 a container body for containing items being disposed of, the container body defining a top opening, the container body having a step feature on an interior surface thereof disposed below the top opening;   a retaining ring disposed inside the container body on the step features, the retaining ring having an exterior shape that matches an interior shape of a section of the container body between the top opening and the step features; and   a lid disposed over the opening of the container body.   
     
     
         11 . The disposal container of  claim 10 , wherein the retaining ring is made of plastic. 
     
     
         12 . The disposal container of  claim 10 , wherein a height of the retaining ring is less than or equal to a distance between the top opening and the step features of the container body. 
     
     
         13 . The disposal container of  claim 10 , wherein a section of the container body between the top opening and the step feature has a cylindrical shape with a uniform diameter, and wherein the retaining ring has a cylindrical shape with a uniform exterior diameter. 
     
     
         14 . The disposal container of  claim 10 , wherein the step feature is a ring shaped protrusion on the interior surface of the container body. 
     
     
         15 . The disposal container of  claim 10 , wherein the step feature is formed by a lower section of the interior surface of the container body having a smaller circumference than an upper section above the lower section. 
     
     
         16 . The disposal container of  claim 10 , wherein the lid is pivotally attached to the container body. 
     
     
         17 . A disposal container comprising:
 a container body for containing items being disposed of, the container body defining a top opening, the container body having a step feature on an interior surface thereof disposed below the top opening;   one or more diaphragms disposed inside the container body on the step features, each diaphragms having a disk shape that matches an interior cross-sectional shape of the container body at the step feature, each diaphragm being made of a flexible and resilient material and having a plurality of radial cuts which partition the diaphragm into a plurality of wedge shaped sections; and   a lid disposed over the opening of the container body.   
     
     
         18 . The disposal container of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more diaphragms are made of rubber. 
     
     
         19 . The disposal container of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more diaphragms include two diaphragms overlapped with each other, and wherein the cuts of the two diaphragms are offset with respect to each other in an angular direction. 
     
     
         20 . The disposal container of  claim 19 , wherein the two diaphragms are joined together forming one unit. 
     
     
         21 . The disposal container of  claim 17 , wherein the step feature is a ring shaped protrusion on the interior surface of the container body. 
     
     
         22 . The disposal container of  claim 17 , wherein the step feature is formed by a lower section of the interior surface of the container body having a smaller circumference than an upper section above the lower section.