BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates generally to a refuse container that has greater resistance to tipping.  
           [0003]    2. Brief Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    In many localities it is common practice to leave refuse in a refuse container at the side of the road for pickup by refuse collectors. The refuse collectors empty the refuse containers and then leave the empty refuse container at the side of the road for their owners. Very often the empty refuse container is blown over by the wind, which can cause damage to the refuse container or the refuse container lid. Occasionally, the empty refuse container may roll or be blown into the path of traffic, thus creating a potential hazard to motorists and the risk of severe damage to the refuse container or its lid. In addition, animals attempting to get at the refuse in the refuse container may tip the refuse container and scatter the contents over a wide area. This greatly inconveniences the refuse collectors who would have to spend a great deal of time gathering up the scattered refuse.  
           [0005]    The problems enumerated above have caused several tip-resistant refuse container designs to be proposed in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,834, issued to Todd A. Gellos et al. on Mar. 30, 1999, discloses a stake having hooks and a tether for keeping the refuse container from tipping over. The stake of Gellos et al. remains above ground and would impair the appearance of the surrounding scenery or nearby residence. Furthermore, the projecting stake may pose a hazard to unwary pedestrians who may bump into the stake.  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,582, issued to Gene L. Sipple on Oct. 10, 1989, discloses a weighted refuse container that uses a liquid filled compartment to weigh down the refuse container in order to make the refuse container more resistant to tipping. The liquid compartment is not convenient to fill and empty. Furthermore, the added weight of the liquid makes the refuse container of Sipple more difficult to handle when the container is full of refuse. The need persists in the art for a refuse container that is resistant to tipping while having a minimal impact on the aesthetics of the surrounding area and on the handling of the container when it is full of refuse.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The present invention is directed to a refuse container system that resists tipping due to wind or animal activity. The system includes a support plate adapted to be anchored to the ground and a refuse container having a magnet supported by the container&#39;s bottom. The plate should be made of a material that is attracted by a magnet. The magnetic attraction between the support plate and the magnet attached to the bottom of the refuse container gives the refuse container added resistance to tipping.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a first embodiment of a tip-resistant refuse container system according to the present invention wherein the base plate is anchored to the ground by spikes.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of a tip-resistant refuse container system according to the present invention wherein the base plate is anchored to a solid surface such as concrete, brick, stone, etc.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a third embodiment of a tip-resistant refuse container system according to the present invention wherein the base plate is anchored to the ground surface by epoxy.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a plan view of the base plate of the embodiment of FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a plan view of the base plate of the embodiment of FIG. 2.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a plan view of the base plate of the embodiment of FIG. 3. 
     
    
       [0014]    Like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]    Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, an illustrative example of a tip-resistant refuse container system according to the present invention can be seen. The tip-resistant refuse container system includes a refuse container  10  and a support plate  11 . The refuse container  10  has a bottom  14  and an upward extending sidewall  12 . The refuse container  10  also has an open top  38  for placing refuse in the container  10 . The refuse may be thrown loosely in the container  10  or the refuse may be enclosed in trash bags that are then placed in the container  10 . Further, the container  10  may be used with a trashcan liner. The sidewall  12  surrounds the bottom  14  and extends from the bottom  14  to the top opening  38  to define an open-topped container. The refuse container  10  may further include a closure for the top opening  38 . In the illustrated examples, the closure is in the form of a lid  16  that has a handle  40 . Furthermore, the tip-resistant refuse container  10  can be provided with handles  22  that are attached to the side wall  12  as shown in the illustrated examples.  
         [0016]    The refuse container system also includes a magnet  20  supported by the bottom  14  of the refuse container  10 . The magnet  20  is held in place relative to the bottom  14  of the refuse container  10  by a housing  18  that is attached to the bottom  14  of the container. The housing  18  can be attached to the bottom  14  of the refuse container  10  in a variety of ways, for example, by welding, by using adhesives, cement, rivets, bolts, or screws, or by molding the bottom  14  and the magnet housing  18  together in one piece. In the illustrated embodiments, the side wall  12 , the bottom  14 , and the magnet housing  18  are all made of a tough plastic such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and the like, and are molded together in one piece. The bottom  14  and the magnet housing  18  are molded together in one piece around the magnet  20  to hold the magnet  20  in place at the bottom of the refuse container. Although in the illustrated embodiments the refuse container is made of plastic, it can also be made of metals such as, for example, galvanized or stainless steel.  
         [0017]    Alternatively, the magnet  20  may be directly attached to the bottom  14  of the refuse container  10  in a variety of ways, for example, by welding or by using adhesives, cement, rivets, bolts, or screws. Furthermore, depending upon the dimensions of the magnet  20  and the thickness of the bottom  14  of the refuse container, the magnet  20  may be embedded in the bottom  14 . It is not strictly necessary for the magnet  20  to be fully encased by the bottom  14  and the housing  18 . However, it is preferred to isolate the magnet  20  from the interior of the refuse container  10  to prevent liquids typically present in refuse from corroding the magnet  20 , especially if the magnet  20  is made of ferrous material. The magnet  20  or portions thereof may be exposed to the exterior of the bottom  14  and be adapted to be flush with the exterior of the bottom  14 . Alternatively, ferromagnetic plates may extend between the magnet  20  and the exterior of the bottom  14 . Such arrangements intensify the magnetic attraction at the top surface of the support plate  11 .  
         [0018]    In addition, if the magnet  20  is positioned adjacent the side wall  12 , the magnet  20  may be supported at least in part by the side wall  12  as long as the magnet is close enough to the bottom  14  of the refuse container such that an adequate magnetic attraction can be developed between the magnet  20  and the support plate  11  or  11   a . Furthermore, when the magnet  20  is positioned adjacent the sidewall  12 , a portion of the magnet housing  18  may be formed by the sidewall  12 .  
         [0019]    The magnet  20  can be provided in a variety of shapes and configurations such as, for example, block, plate, disk, and annulus shapes. The housing  18  can then be shaped to correspond to the shape of the magnet  20 .  
         [0020]    The support plate  11  is adapted to be anchored to the ground  28 . The support plate  11  includes a substantially flat plate portion and means for anchoring the plate portion to the ground. In the illustrated example of FIGS. 1 and 4, the support plate  11  includes a substantially flat plate portion  24 , and the means for anchoring the plate portion to the ground includes at least one spike  26  attached to the bottom side of the plate portion  24 . In the illustrated example the support plate  11  is shown with a pair of spikes  26  that are welded to the bottom side of the plate portion  24 . It is also possible to braze, sinter, or solder the spikes  26  to the plate portion  24 .  
         [0021]    Referring to FIGS. 2 and 5, a second embodiment  11   a  of the support plate can be seen. The support plate  11   a  includes a substantially flat plate portion  36  and means for anchoring the plate portion to the ground. In the illustrated example of FIGS. 2 and 5, the plate portion  36  has at least one hole  42 , and the means for anchoring the plate portion to the ground includes at least one anchor bolt  32  that is adapted for being anchored to a concrete support structure  30 . The means for anchoring the plate portion to the ground also includes nuts  34  that correspond in number to the anchor bolts  32 . The concrete support structure  30  is securely anchored to the ground  28  by, for example, having at least some portion that is buried below the surface of the ground  28 . The anchor bolt  32  has a threaded portion adapted to extend through a respective hole  42  in the plate portion  36 . The nuts  34  are adapted for threadably engaging the threaded portion of the anchor bolts  32 . The anchor bolt  32  has a hooked or bent end that is embedded in the concrete  30 . Once the plate portion  36  is placed on the concrete  30  with the anchor bolts  32  extending through their respective holes, nuts  34  are tightly engaged to the anchor bolts  32  to thereby anchor or secure the plate portion  36  to the concrete support structure  30 .  
         [0022]    The concrete support structure  30  may be specially made for supporting the plate portion  36 , or the concrete support structure  30  may be part of a curb, foundation, walkway slab, or other structure. Furthermore, the plate portion  36  can be anchored to any solid surface such as concrete, brick, stone, etc. Where the plate portion  36  is to be anchored to a preexisting structure, the structure can be drilled and then masonry anchors can be inserted in the drilled holes. The plate portion  36  can then be secured to the support structure using the masonry anchors and appropriate fasteners adapted to engage the masonry anchors.  
         [0023]    Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6, a third embodiment  11   b  of the support plate can be seen. The support plate  11   b  includes a substantially flat plate portion  24   a  and means  25  for anchoring the plate portion  24   a  to the ground or to a support structure  30 . In the illustrated example of FIGS. 3 and 6, the means for anchoring the plate portion  24   a  to the ground or to the support structure  30 , is a layer of adhesive  25  applied between the plate portion  24   a  and the ground or the support structure  30 . The layer of adhesive  25  firmly binds the plate portion  24   a  to the ground or to the support structure  30 . This mode of anchoring the plate portion  24   a  is most preferable when anchoring the plate portion  24   a  to a solid surface such as concrete, brick, stone, etc. The adhesive used for the layer  25  may be the type of adhesive commonly referred to as epoxy. In the illustrated example, the plate portion  24   a  is a simple, flat rectangular plate, although other suitable shapes may also be used.  
         [0024]    The plate portions  24 ,  24   a , and  36  can be made of a ferromagnetic material such as steel or any other material that is strongly attracted by the magnet  20 .  
         [0025]    With the plate portion  24 ,  24   a , or  36  secured to the ground and the refuse container  10  placed on the plate portion, the magnetic attraction between the magnet  20  and the plate portion  24 ,  24   a , or  36  tends to hold the refuse container  10  in place so as to provide a resistance to tipping of the refuse container  10 . Thus, the magnetic attraction between the magnet  20  and the plate portion  24 ,  24   a , or  36  tends to hold the refuse container  10  in place against, for example, the wind or animal activity.  
         [0026]    It is to be understood that the embodiments of the present invention disclosed above are susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations by those skilled in the art, and that such modifications, changes and adaptations are to be considered within the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the plate  36  may be used in conjunction with long stakes having flattened or bent heads in order to anchor the plate portion  36  directly to the ground  28 . Also, the holes  42  in the plate  36  may be eliminated entirely and any stakes or the anchor bolts  32  may be positioned so as to abut the edges of the plate  36  such that the head of the stakes or the nuts  34  will catch the edges of the plate  36  in order to secure the plate  36  to the ground.  
         [0027]    As yet another modification, the holes  42  may be counter-bored or countersunk such that the heads of any stakes or the nuts  34  will not project above the top surface of the plate  36 . Thus, the heads of any stakes or the nuts  34  will not interfere with the placement of the refuse container  10  on the plate  36 .  
         [0028]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes any and all embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.
A refuse container system that resists tipping due to wind or animal activity is disclosed. The system includes a support plate adapted to be anchored to the ground and a refuse container having a magnet supported by the container's bottom. The plate should be made of a material that is attracted by a magnet. The magnetic attraction between the support plate and the magnet attached to the bottom of the refuse container gives the refuse container added resistance to tipping.