Whirlpool Corporation

Kenneth M Lee

Paul B Chesnut

In a refuse compactor wherein refuse in a disposable bag within a receptacle is compacted by a ram driven by a reversible electric motor, a 'full bag' indicator lamp is energized when the refuse compacted in the receptacle is at a predetermined level. The motor drives the ram downward into the receptacle to compact the refuse, and when the ram slows in response to the reactive load of the refuse, a centrifugal switch reverses the direction of the motor to return the ram to a rest position above the receptacle. The bag is diagnosed full to energize the indicator lamp if the ram is at a predetermined level in the receptacle when the motor reverses. The indicator lamp is controlled by a latching relay that requires only one pair of contacts to energize and latch on the lamp.

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Lincoln County, KY, United States of America

Kenneth M Lee