Method of and apparatus for compacting scrap

Claim 1

A scrap compactor comprising: a fixed base plate having a substantially planar and uninterrupted horizontal upper surface; first and second spaced-apart upright side walls defining lateral sides of a scrap-compaction chamber and each having a fixed upper portion spaced above said surface and a lower portion between the respective upper portion and said surface and horizontally displaceable relative thereto; third and fourth spaced-apart upright longitudinal end walls defining longitudinal ends of said chamber and extending transversely between said side walls; a top wall displaceable between a raised position well above said first and second walls and a lowered position generally parallel to said surface and generally level with lower edges of said upper portions; means for pivoting said lower portion of said first wall longitudinally and transversely relative to said surface between an outer position relatively far from and generally parallel to said second wall and an inner position relatively close to and inclined relative to said second wall; and means effective in said outer position of said lower portion of said first wall for displacing one of said lower portions horizontally along said surface toward the other lower portion while maintaining said portions generally parallel.

Claim 8

A method of compacting a piece of scrap in a generally parallepipedal compaction chamber defined between vertically spaced top and bottom walls, longitudinally and horizontally spaced end walls, and transversely and horizontally spaced side walls, said method comprising the steps of sequentially: placing said piece of scrap in said chamber; pivoting said top wall down in contact with said piece of scrap from a raised position inclined to said bottom wall to a lowered position generally parallel thereto, whereby said piece of scrap in said chamber is vertically precompressed; pivoting a lower portion of one of said side walls relative to said bottom wall from an outer position relatively far from and generally parallel to the other of said side walls to an inner position relatively close to and inclined to said other side wall, whereby the vertically precompressed piece of scrap is also horizontally precompressed; pivoting said lower portion back into said outer position; sliding the lower portion of said other side wall toward said lower portion of said one side wall while maintaining said lower portions parallel, whereby said vertically and horizontally precompressed piece of scrap is fully compressed; and pushing the fully compressed piece of scrap longitudinally out of said chamber through an outlet in one of said end walls.

Claim 9

A method of compacting a piece of scrap in a generally parallepipedal compaction chamber defined between vertically spaced top and bottom walls, longitudinally and horizontally spaced end walls, and transversely and horizontally spaced side walls, said method comprising the steps of sequentially: placing said piece of scrap in said chamber; pivoting said top wall down in contact with said piece of scrap from a raised position inclined to said bottom wall to a lowered position generally parallel thereto, whereby said piece of scrap in said chamber is vertically precompressed; pivoting a lower portion of one of said side walls relative to said bottom wall from an outer position relatively far from and generally parallel to the other of said side walls to an inner position relatively close to and inclined to said other side wall, whereby the vertically precompressed piece of scrap is also horizontally precompressed; pivoting said lower portion back into said outer position; sliding the lower portion of said other side wall toward said lower portion of said one side wall while maintaining said lower portions parallel, whereby said vertically and horizontally precompressed piece of scrap is fully compressed; and pushing the fully compressed piece of scrap longitudinally out of said chamber through an outlet in one of said end walls.