ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 5 -- United States Patent no. 12,240,690, issued on March 4.
"Receptacle lid fastener" was invented by Sarah McCloughen (Elkhart, Ind.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "According to the present disclosure, a lid fastener and receptacle assembly is provided to removably secure the lid of a garbage receptacle assembly. Lid fastener is designed to allow the contents of the receptacle assembly to be secured within the assembly while it is in an upright position and automatically disengage when receptacle assembly is in the dumping position, relocking when receptacle assembly is returned to the upright position."
The patent was filed on April 30, 2021, under Application No. 17...