Lawn Sweeper

• US 20160316636A1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Remark Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Remark Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Kramer, Rodney M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,196,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 20/43 for sweeping, collecting or disintegrating lawn debris
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/02 power-driven carriers
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/04 taking- up the sweepings, e.g. for collecting, for loading with dust collector; E01H1/0854 takes precedence; suction machines with brushes E01H1/0845, E01H1/0872; taking- up devices with other mechanical loosening instruments E01H1/106
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/045 the loading means being a rotating brush with horizontal axis E01H1/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/047 Collecting apparatus characterised by the hopper or by means for unloading the hopper
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 1/05 with driven brushes E01H1/04 takes precedence rotary brushes for snow removal E01H5/092

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect, a lawn sweeper for being towed by a lawn tractor including a body, a rotatable brush mounted to the body, and a motor for rotating the brush independently of the rotation of at least one wheel of the lawn sweeper. The lawn sweeper further includes a remote control for being operated by a user of the lawn tractor to control the motor. In another aspect, a lawn sweeper having a pair of wheels rotatable about a wheel axis, a body shiftable between raised and lowered positions relative to the wheels, and brush mounted to the body and rotatable about a brush axis. The brush axis is substantially vertically aligned with the wheel axis when the body is in the raised position and the lowered position.

Claims

1. A lawn sweeper for being towed by a lawn tractor and removing material from a surface along which the lawn tractor is driven, the lawn sweeper comprising:

a body having a tongue for being connected to the lawn tractor;

at least one wheel connected to the body for rolling along the surface;

a rotatable brush mounted to the body for removing material from the surface;

a container carried by the body for collecting material removed from the surface by the rotatable brush;

a motor mounted to the body for the rotating the brush independently of the rotation of the at least one wheel; and

a remote control for being operatively coupled to the motor and manipulated by a user on the lawn tractor to control the motor.

2. The lawn sweeper of claim 1 wherein the motor is an electric motor;

and

an electrical connector for connecting the electric motor to an electrical system of the lawn tractor and powering the motor.

3. The lawn sweeper of claim 2 wherein the remote control includes a switch of the electrical connector.

4. The lawn sweeper of claim 1 in combination with a lawn tractor for towing the lawn sweeper.

5. The lawn sweeper and lawn tractor of claim 4 wherein the lawn tractor has an operator seat and the remote control is arranged to be operated by a user riding in the seat.

6. The lawn sweeper of claim 1 further comprising a gear belt or chain operably connecting the motor and the brush.

7. The lawn sweeper of claim 1 wherein the brush is rotatable about a brush axis and the motor has a rotatable drive shaft operably coupled to the brush by a flexible drive member;

and

a motor mount of the body permits pivoting of the motor and drive shaft thereof about an adjustment axis that extends substantially parallel to the brush axis to adjust tension in the flexible drive member.

8. The lawn sweeper of claim 1 wherein the remote control has a base for being mounted near a footrest of the lawn tractor and a button supported by the base that can be pressed by the user to control the motor.

9. The lawn sweeper of claim 1 wherein the remote control is operable to wirelessly control operation of the motor.

10. The lawn sweeper of claim 1 wherein the at least one wheel comprises only two wheels connected to the body.

11. A lawn sweeper comprising:

a pair of wheels;

a body shiftable between raised and lowered positions relative to the wheels;

a brush rotatably mounted to the body;

a basket supported by the body for receiving material swept up by the brush; and

a support having the wheels mounted thereto that is pivotally connected to the body at a fixed location of the body which permits the support to shift the body between the raised and lowered positions with pivoting of the support.

12. The lawn sweeper of claim 11 wherein the fixed location of the body includes a pair of fixed locations and the support includes a pair of pivot arms, each pivot arm having a pivot portion pivotally connected to the body at one of the fixed locations and a wheel support portion to which one of the wheels is mounted spaced from the pivot portion.

13. The lawn sweeper of claim 11 wherein the body includes a housing for the rotatable brush with lateral side portions on opposite ends of the brush and the pivot connection between the support and the body includes a pivot connection at each of the lateral side portions of the housing.

14. The lawn sweeper of claim 11 wherein the brush is rotatable about a brush axis, the wheels are rotatable about a common wheel axis, and the pivot connection between the support and the body defines a pivot axis for the support extending substantially parallel to the brush axis and the wheel axis.

15. The lawn sweeper of claim 14 wherein the body and the support separate the brush axis from the pivot axis and the wheel axis from the pivot axis by substantially same distance.

16. The lawn sweeper of claim 11 wherein the fixed location of the body includes a pair of fixed locations of the body and the support includes a pair of arm portions pivotally connected to the body at the fixed locations and a cross member connecting the arm portions to pivot the arm portions together relative to the body.

17. The lawn sweeper of claim 16 further comprising an adjustable linkage connecting the cross member to the body for selectively inhibiting pivoting of the arm portions relative to the body.

18. The lawn sweeper of claim 11 further comprising a motor mounted to the body and operably coupled to the brush for rotating the brush relative to the body.

19. The lawn sweeper of claim 11 wherein the body includes a tongue for connecting the body to a lawn tractor.

20. The lawn sweeper of claim 19 in combination with a lawn tractor.

21. A lawn sweeper for removing material from a surface, the lawn sweeper comprising:

a pair of wheels rotatable about a common wheel axis;

a body shiftable between raised and lowered positions relative to the wheels;

a brush mounted to the body and rotatable about a brush axis, the brush axis being substantially vertically aligned with the wheel axis with the body in the raised position and the lowered position;

a basket supported by the body for receiving material swept up by the brush from the surface; and

a height adjustment mechanism for shifting the body between the raised and lowered positions relative to the wheels.

22. The lawn sweeper of claim 21 wherein the brush axis is above the wheel axis with the body in the raised position and the brush axis is below the wheel axis with the body in the lowered position.

23. The lawn sweeper of claim 21 wherein the brush axis travels along an arc as the body shifts between the raised and lowered positions.

24. The lawn sweeper of claim 23 wherein the arc intersects the wheel axis as the body shifts between the raised and lowered positions so that the brush axis and wheel axis are coaxial with the brush axis at a predetermined position along the arc.

25. The lawn sweeper of claim 21 wherein the height adjustment mechanism includes a support to which the wheels are mounted, the support being pivotally connected to the body so that pivoting of the support shifts the body between the raised and lowered positions.

26. The lawn sweeper of claim 21 further comprising a motor mounted to the body and operably coupled to the brush for rotating the brush about the brush axis.

27. A sweeper for removing material from a surface, the sweeper comprising:

a body;

a pair of wheels connected to the body;

a brush rotatable relative to the body for removing material from a surface with rotation of the brush;

a container for receiving material removed from the surface by the brush and being pivotally supported by the body, the container being pivotal upwardly away from the brush from an operating orientation with the container arranged to receive material from the brush to an inverted, discharge orientation that permits the material to fall out of the container;

a flexible, elongate actuator for pivoting the container;

a handle end portion of the elongate actuator for being pulled;

an anchor end portion of the elongate actuator fixed to the body and spaced from the handle end portion along the elongate actuator; and

an intermediate portion of the elongate actuator intermediate the handle end portion and the anchor end portion and connected to the container to permit the handle end portion to be pulled and cause pivoting of the container from the operating orientation to the discharge orientation.

28. The sweeper of claim 27 wherein the connection between the intermediate portion of the elongate actuator and the container includes a pulley mounted to the container configured to multiply the pulling force applied to the handle end portion of the elongate actuator.

29. The sweeper of claim 27 wherein the connection between the container and the intermediate portion of the elongate actuator includes a first pulley;

and

a second pulley mounted to the body for engaging the intermediate portion of the elongate actuator and providing a mechanical advantage to pivot the container from the operating orientation to the discharge orientation.

30. The sweeper of claim 27 wherein the body includes a tongue for being connected to a vehicle and the body includes a riser portion that receives the elongate actuator handle end portion and positions the handle end portion above the tongue for grasping during operation of the vehicle.

31. The sweeper of claim 27 further comprising a motor mounted to the body and operably coupled to the brush for rotating the brush relative to the body.