Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
563
Back~round o~f the~Invention
This invention relates generally to lawn sweepers and
more particularly to a new and novel lawn sweeper which i5
capable of clearing a lawn of accumulated debris such as leaves,
pine straw and the like. The lawn sweeper comprises a novel
vacuum forming means which accomplishes the purposes hereinafter
specified.
Lawn sweepers and rotating lawn rakes have been utiliz-
ed in the prior art and accomplish the object intended by the
use of rotating brushes, fixed blades, wire sections and other
devices attempting to solve the problem of removing accumulated
debris from the lawn to the lawn sweeper.
Such devices may be satisfactory for certain types of
debris and may not be satisfactory for other types of debris.
For example, a prior art lawn sweeper may be satisfactorily
designed to pick up lawn clippings but may not be able to pick
up twigs or stones. In a similar manner, a lawn sweeper may be
designed to be able to pick up debris such as twigs or stones
but may not be satisfactorily designed to pick up pine straw or
grass clippings.
A detailed prior art search of pertinent lawn sweepers
disclosed the following referenced patents which show the great
variety of devices available in the market place:
PatenteeU.S. Patent No.
Streed, et al2,755,829
Best 3,167,899
Stewart 3,597,910
Rands 3,696,563
Galvin 1,493,670
Herold 2,278,928
Asbury 2,740,980
Peterson2,480,877
Asbury 2,676,447
Asbury 2,763,257
Erickson2,907,064
Asbury 3,036,324
Asbury 3,045,992
Prange 3,314,095
Walton 604,812
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l~S3563
Patentee U.S. Patent No.
~ ~ .
Whitipg 1,204,220
Reitan 2,505,576
Ferris 2,959,904
Lee 3,304,704
Oblinger 3,308,612
Schneider et al 3,518,819
Chouinard 3,664,099
Dankel~ et al 3,713,284
Palmer 3,999,316
While the above mentioned prior art devices may have
proven satisfactory for the individual use intended in the
design, it has been found from experience that they would not
be satisfactory for use in a large variety of applications such
as encompassed within the applicant's device. By the use of
the applicant's new and novel lawn sweeper with its new and
novel vacuum forming means attached thereto, it is possible to
create a strong updraft in the bottom section of the sweeper
so that accumulated debris such as leaves, pine straw and other
light materials may be quickly picked up and thrown into the
sweeper. In addition, the applicant's new and novel lawn
sweeper is capable of also cutting grass, weeds, vines, and
just about any other thing, living or dead, that is in its
path. It is capable of chewing up dead sticks at least up to
two and one-half inches in diameter that lie in its path and
also will pick up beer cans and other large objects such as
that, The subject lawn sweeper does not throw any of the
sweepings out of the sides of the unit as does a rotary mower,
and it is extremely difficult to get a toe or finger underneath
the sweeper which could cause injury to the person's limbs.
Summary of the Invention
In order to overcome the problems inherent in the prior
art type of devices before mentioned, there has been provided
by the applicant's invention a new and improved lawn sweeper
which is capable of clearing a lawn of virtually any type of
accumulated debris from small grass cuttings to large objects
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~3~ 3
and also is capable of removing pine straw from the lawn.
This is accomplished by the provision for a rotatable drum
positioned within a housing with the drum having a novel
vacuum forming means associated with the drum. The drum is
rotatable by means of a self-contained motor, and the entire
lawn sweeper unit is capable of being moved over the lawn area
to be cleaned by means of a plurality of wheels.
The novel vacuum forming means of the invention com-
prises in the embodiment shown a plurality of elongated lengths
of flexible wire cables which are fastened to the rotating
drum with each wire cable having an elongated tubing section
pressed on one of the ends of the cable to form a substantially
flat blade-like weight on the end of the cable. The flat
blade-like weights are toed in relation to adjacent pairs of
the weights to provide the improved vacuum forming means which
serves to draw the debris to be picked up from the lawn into
the lawn sweeper.
The blades also provide a sweeping function and serve
to break up any large objects encountered as the debris is
swept up and back into the collector bin.
The rotating blades of the vacuum forming means are po-
sitioned a predetermined distance above the ground in the
range of approximately one inch to three inches more or less
in order to prevent injury from the blade contacting the object
which it would hit.
However, it should be noted that the blades are
extremely sturdy and flexible so that if the blade does contact,
say a rock, it will merely bend as it passes it over, causing
little if any damage to the blade. In fact, the blades may be
positioned to actually come in contact with the ground and the
device may then be used as a foliage remover, or even as a
grader, and exposed root leveler.
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Accordilngly, it is an object of the invention to prov-
ide a new and improved lawn sweeper which is capable of remov-
ing a larger portion of accumulated debris from a lawn than has
been heretofore possible.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new
and improved lawn sweeper having a new and improved vacuum
forming means attached to the lawn sweeper.
Still yet another object and advantage of the invention
is to provide a new and improved lawn sweeper which is safe to
operate and does not throw debris away from the sweeper when
contacted by the rotating sweeping mechanism.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention
will become apparent from a review of the drawings of the
invention and from a reading of the description of the embodi-
ment shown.
Brief ~escr~ption o`f the Drawing
For a further understanding of the nature and objects
of the present invention, reference should be had to the
accompanying drawings, in which like parts are given like
reference numerals, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a side view of the applicant's new and
improved lawn sweeper showing the placemen~ of the rear cage
for accumulating debris and also showing the placement of the
self contained motor for rotating the drum position within the
sweeper;
Figure 2 is an end view, taken along line 2 - 2 of
Figure l;
Figure 3 is a bottom view, taken along line 3 - 3 of
Figure 1, showing the mounting of the rotatable drum within the
housing of the lawn sweeper and also showing the plurality of
wire cable sections attached to the drum;
Figure 4 is a sectional view, taken along line 4 - 4 of
-- 5 --
Figure 3, showing the construction o~ the rotatable drum and
also showing the placement of the plurality of wire cable
sections around the drum;
Figure 5 is an end view, taken along line 5 - 5 of
Figure 4, showing the pressed flat tubing sections on the ends
of the wire cable sections which form, in combination with the
rotating wire cable sections, the vacuum forming means of the
subject invention;
Figure 6 is a partial side view, taken along line 6 - 6
of Figure 4, showing the pressed flat tubing sections applied to
the ends of the wire cable sections;
Figure 7 is a partial sectional view, taken along
line 7 - 7 of Figure 2, showing the interior of the lawn sweep-
er and the housing;
Figure 8 is a partial side view, taken along line 8 - 8
of Figure 4, showing the connection of the wire cables to the
plates;
Figure 9 is a partial side view, taken along line 9 - 9 .
of Figure 4; and
Figure 10 is a partial side view, taken along line
10 - 10 of Figure 3, showing the adjustable feature on the
wheels of the subject invention.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawing, there is
shown the applicant's new and novel lawn sweeper generally by
the numeral 10 which is formed with a housing 12 comprising in
part a -frame 14 and having an open-bottomed section 16 and an
open rear section 18 to which is attached a collector bin or
cage 20. The collector bin 20 has a pivotable door 22 which is
held closed by means of a latch 24 and may be opened by the
user of the lawn sweeper to remove the accumulation of debris
from the collector bin 20.
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The frame 14 carries a self-contained gasoline engine
26 which drives a rotatable drum positioned within the housing
12. The gasoline engine 26 rotates the rotatable drum by
means of the belt 28 connected to a pulley 30 on the engine 26
and also to a pulley 32 mounted on a shaft running from the
one end of the rotatable drum. A cover (not shown) may be
provided for the belt assembly for safety purposes. The rotat-
able drum is not shown in Figure l of the drawing and by refer- -
ring to Figure 3, it can be seen the mounting of the rotatable
drum within the open bottom 16 of the sweeper 10. The rotat-
able drum is shown generally in the drawings by the numeral 34
and will be described more fully hereinafter when referring to
Figures 3 through 6 of the drawing.
Positioned on the forward portion of the housing 12 is
a rubber blade 36 and positioned on the rear portion of the
housing 12 is a pair of wheels 38. The ~heels 38 are adjust-
able by means of an adjusting connection 40 as will be describ-
ed more fully hereinafter. By means of the adjustment 40, the
wheels 38 may be raised or lowered to raise or lower the posi-
tion of the rotating wire cables shown generally by the numeral42.
Referring now to Figures3 and 4 of the drawing, there
is shown the rotatable drum 34 positioned within the open-
bottomed 16 of the subject lawn sweeper. The rotatable drum 34
is formed of a steel circular section 44 having a plurality of
ends 46 welded thereto with a central shaft 48 which is car-
ried by a flat plate 50 welded to the side of the housing 12.
The central shaft 48 also carries the pulley 32 through which
the power to rotate the circular drum is obtained by means of
the gasoline engine 26.
By referring now generally to Figure 3 and Figure 4 of
the drawing, there is shown in more detail the mounting of the
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1~535~i~
vacuum forming means of the subject invention to the rotating
drum 44. A plurality of plates 52 are welded to the periphery
of the circular drum 44 as shown especially in Figure 4 of the
drawing and the plurality of wire cable sections 42 are attach-
ed to the plates. In the embodiment shown in the drawings,
there have been formed 8 rows of plates 52 around the periphery
of the circular drum 44 with each row of plates having alter-
nately 5 plates and 4 plates attached to the drum. The
plurality of wire cable sections 42 forming the vacuum forming
means of the invention have their inner ends 54 fixedly attach-
ed to the plates 52 and thereb~ to the circular drum 44 and
have their outer ends 56 positioned within a pressed flat
tubing section 58. The wire cables and the elongated pressed
flat tubing sections are formed of steel and ~he tubing sec-
tions are pressed on the ends of the wire cables in such a
manner as to be able to rotate in the range of approximately
2,500 to 3,000 revolutions per minute without separating from
the ends of the cable. In addition, the tubing sections may
have a layer of very hard alloy welded onto the tops to provide
greater durability.
By referring to Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings,at this
time, it can be seen how the pressed flat tubing sections 58 of
adjacent pairs of rotating wire cable sections 42 are position-
ed relative to each other to provide a toe in effect. The
pressed flat tubing sections 58 are formed in the embodiment
shown of an elongated section of tubing approximately 1 inch
long which would be shown by the numeral 60 in Figure 6 of the
drawings. The wire cable sections 62 would be constructed in
the embodiment shown of approximately 5/16 inchdiameter steel
wire cable and would be approximately 5 inches long as shown by
the numeral 64 in Figure 4 of the drawing.
When the tubing sections 58 are pressed flat on the
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~3~
ends of the wire cable 62, they form a substantially blade-like
weight on the end of the cable, and when they are toed in
relationship to each other, they aid in creating a swirling
action as shown by the curved line 66 in Figure 5 of thedrawing
whenever the pressed flat tubing sections 58 are rotating in
direction shown by the arrow 68. The rotational direction of
the circular drum 44 is such that the bottom surface of the
drum is rotating in a forward direction as the lawn sweeper is
moving forward to thereby vacuum the debris up through the open
bottom 16 of the sweeper and to throw the debris backwards
through the open rear 18 of the sweeper into the collector bin
20. By referring back to Figure 1 of the drawing, it will be
seen that the angle of rotation of the circular drum 44 is
shown by means of the arrow 70 while the direction of the lawn
sweeper is shown by means of the arrow 72 and it can then be
seen the function of the rubber blade 36 in preventing debris
from being thrown forward of the housing 12 whenever the lawn
sweeper is operated. In an alternative embodiment (not shown)
small circular discs may be attached, as by welding, brazing
or soldering, at their centers to cable sections 62 to provide
improved cu~ting action when the device is used, for example,
as a root leveler.
While in the embodiment shown it is noted that the
lawn sweeper 10 is designed with a single pair of wheels 38
mounted rearwardly on the housing 12, it is within the spirit
and scope of the invention that a second pair of wheels could
be mounted on the forward section and by the use of means
known in the arts, the sweeper unit could become self-contained
a~d self-powered. The embodiment shown in Figure 1 of the
drawing is designed to have a bifurcated frame 14 which is
attachable to a tractor or some other pulling device.
The angle of the pressed flat tubing section 58 would
_ g _
be approximately 15 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the
rotating drum and by referring to Figure 5 of the drawing, it
can be seen this angle shown by the numeral 74 in that drawing
view. The adjacent pairs of wire cables are positioned so that
their predetermined weights formed from the flat pressed tubing
section 58 are angled toward each other approximately 15 de-
grees from the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum. When
formed thusly, the adjacent pairs of pressed flat tubing sec-
tions 58 form a substantially V-shape vacuum forming air scoop
which aids to form the strong uplift obtainable with the
applicant's invention. In the embodiment shown in the drawing,
approximately 72 wire cables were fixedly attached to the
surface of the rotating circular drum 44 and when the drum
rotates in the range of approximately 2,500 to 3,000 revolu-
tions per minute, large amounts of all sizes of debris are
capable of being picked up by the lawn sweeper. The ends 76
of the pressed flat tubing sections 58 do not touch the ground
and in the embodiment shown have been designed to be positioned
approximately 1 inch to 3 inches above the ground level.
By referring now to Figures 8 and 9 of the drawing
there can be seen the detail of the application of the rotating
wire cables 42 to the plates 52. When attached as shown in
Figures 8 and 9, a U bolt 78 is positioned around the steel
wire cables 42 and through a plurality of holes in the plates
52. The holes are not shown in Figures 8 and 9 and would
preferab~y be drilled in the plates 52 prior to the plates
being welded to the steel circular drum 44. The U bolt 78
would tightly grip the rotating wire cables 42 and would be
held in place by means of a plurality of nuts 80 and associated
lock washers (not shown in the drawing).
Referring now to Figure 7 of the drawing there is
shown a partial sectional view, taken along line 7-7 of
-- 10 --
Figure 2, showing the interior of the lawn sweeper and especial-
ly showing in detail the interior of the housing 12. The
housing 12 is formed having a sloping front 82 and a sloping
rear 84 in combination with a curved rear portion 86 and a
straight front portion 88. The portions 82, 84, 86 and 88,
form the vacuum chamber 90 in which the steel circular drum 44
rotates with its attached plurality of rotating wire cables 42.
As previously mentioned the rotation of the steel circular
drum 44 is in the direction shown by the arrow 70 whenever the
sweeper 10 is being pulled by the direction shown by the arrow
72,
It can then be seen that any debris picked up by the
vacuum created by the rotating wire cables 42 will be depcsited
within the chamber 90 and will be thrown backwardly into the
collector bin or cage 20 where it can ultimately be removed
through the pivotable door 22. The door 22 is shown in
Figure 7 in the open position with the latch 24 being opened
by means of lifting the pin 92 from the latch.
As has been mentioned before, the wheels 38 are design-
ed so that they may be adjustable upwardly and downwardly sothat the ends 76 of the pressed flat tubing sections 58 may be
raised and lowered above the ground level. In the embodiment
shown it is preferable to position the ends 76 a distance of
from approximately one to three inches above the ground level
as shown by the arrow distance 94 in Figure 7 of the drawing.
When positioned at this distance, the pressed flat tubing
sections 58 operate at a maximum efficiency and operate with
extremely long life.
By referring now to Figures 7 and 10 of the drawing
there is shown how the wheels 38 may be designed for adjustment
upwardly and downwardly. The wheels 38 are carried by a
single shaft 96 which is positioned within a notch 98 in the
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;i$3
housing side 12. The shaft 96 is also carried by a plurality
of plates 100 which are pivotably mounted by means of a pair of
pins 102 in a frame section 104 attached to the main sweeper
frame 14. It can be seen then that the wheels 38 are free to
ride up and down in the notch 98. In order to control the
motion of the wheels 38 in the notch 98, there has been provid-
ed an adjusting screw 106 which is positioned in an adjusting
nut 108 which has been welded to the housing sides 12. The
adjusting screw 106 and its companion adjusting nut 108 have
been re~erred to previously in the specification as an adjust-
ing connection 40 and are shown in Figure 1 of the drawing.
The ends of the adjusting screw 106 are welded to a
circular plate 110 which`is positioned around the shaft 96 as
shown in Figure 10 of the drawing. It thus becomes apparent
that whenever the adjusting screw 106 is rotated in the adjust-
ing nut 108, the wheels 38 and their attached shaft 96 will
move upwardly or downwardly a predetermined amount within the
notch 96 in order to set the desired height 70 of the ends 76
of the pressed flat tubing sections 58.
From the foregoing it can be seen that there has been
provided by the subject invention an improved lawn sweeper
having an improved vacuum section which is capable of clearing
large amounts of all sizes of accumulated debris from the area
over which the sweeper is operated. It should become apparent
from a review of the drawings and from a reading of the
specification, that many changes may be made in the parts of
the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention and the invention is not to be limited to the
exact embodiment shown which has been shown only for illustra-
tion purposes.
Having described my invention, I claim:
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