Collector and separator apparatus for lawn and garden
First Claim
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1. A free-flow apparatus for separating entrained lawn debris from a transporting air stream by action of body forces thereupon comprising:
- a. means for delivering a stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris;
b. means defining a primary-separation duct having an entrance and an exit, said entrance being adapted to receive said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris, said duct being adapted for conducting said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said entrance to said exit;
said primary-separation duct having a generally curvilinear outer surface spanning an arc of at least about
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Abstract
An apparatus for collection and reduction of yard debris combining a frontally facing rotor-assisted vacuum pick up with a chipper-shredder-blower unit to induce airflow for entraining debris collected at the vacuum pick up; reduce the entrained debris to a more manageable volume; and impel the reduced debris to a free-flow-separator device for removing the debris from the air in which it is entrained.
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Citations
95 Claims
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1. A free-flow apparatus for separating entrained lawn debris from a transporting air stream by action of body forces thereupon comprising:
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a. means for delivering a stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris;
b. means defining a primary-separation duct having an entrance and an exit, said entrance being adapted to receive said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris, said duct being adapted for conducting said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said entrance to said exit;
said primary-separation duct having a generally curvilinear outer surface spanning an arc of at least about - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A free-flow apparatus for separating entrained lawn debris from a transporting air stream by action of body forces thereupon comprising:
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a. means for delivering a stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris;
b. means defining a primary-separation duct having an entrance and an exit, said entrance being adapted to receive said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris, said duct being adapted for conducting said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said entrance to said exit;
said primary-separation duct having a generally curvilinear outer surface spanning an arc of at least about - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A free-flow apparatus for separating entrained lawn debris from a transporting air stream by action of body forces thereupon comprising:
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a. means for delivering a stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris;
b. means defining a primary-separation zone adapted to receive said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris, said primary-separation zone having a generally curvilinear outer surface adapted to direct said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris generally circumferentially along said generally curvilinear outer surface and initiate separation of said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an outerly located debris-enriched stream and an innerly located debris-depleted stream;
c. means defining a secondary-separation chamber connected to said primary-separation zone and having a generally frusto-conical outer wall, said secondary-separation chamber further comprising means for;
i. receiving and directing said streams of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said primary-separation zone in a direction generally tangential to said generally frusto-conical outer wall of said secondary-separation chamber, ii. directing said outerly located debris-enriched stream from said primary-separation zone adjacent to said generally frusto-conical outer wall of said secondary-separation chamber, iii. directing said innerly located debris-depleted stream from said primary-separation zone radially inward of said debris-enriched stream and iv. further separating said streams of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an upwardly and inwardly directed debris-depleted stream and a downwardly and outwardly directed debris-enriched stream;
d. means defining a generally centrally located passage having an entrance and an exit, said generally centrally located passage being adapted for;
i. receiving said upwardly and inwardly directed debris-depleted stream from said secondary-separation chamber through said entrance, and ii. conducting said upwardly and inwardly directed debris-depleted stream to said exit and discharging it into the atmosphere;
e. a baffle extending generally outwardly from a point below said entrance to said passage, the outer periphery of said baffle being spaced inwardly from said generally frusto-conical outer wall;
f. means defining an accumulation chamber below said baffle;
g. said baffle being disposed between said secondary-separation chamber and said accumulation chamber; and
h. means providing an opening around said baffle into the interior of said accumulation chamber below said baffle;
said baffle being disposed to permit movement of entrained yard debris in said downwardly and outwardly directed debris-enriched stream into said accumulation chamber while impeding passage of fine particulates of reduced yard debris from said accumulation chamber into said upwardly and inwardly directed debris-depleted stream discharged from said secondary-separation chamber through said passage. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A free-flow apparatus for separating entrained lawn debris from a transporting air stream by action of body forces thereupon comprising:
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a. means for delivering a stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris;
b. a vessel having an upper bulkhead, a perimetral wall and a bottom;
c. a duct having a duct entrance and a duct exit, said duct entrance being adapted to receive said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris, said duct being adapted for conducting said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said duct entrance to the interior of said vessel;
d. said upper bulkhead having defined therein a generally centrally located passage having a passage entrance and a passage exit, said upper bulkhead extending from said passage generally outwardly to said perimetral wall;
e. a baffle extending generally outwardly from a point below said passage entrance, said baffle separating said vessel into an upperly located separation chamber and a lowerly located accumulation chamber, the outer periphery of said baffle being spaced inwardly from said perimetral wall;
f. the perimetral wall of said separation chamber having a downwardly flaring generally frusto-conical outer wall section;
g. said vessel being;
i. connected to said duct exit, and ii. adapted to;
(a) receive and direct said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said duct in a direction primarily tangential to said perimetral wall of said separation chamber, and (b) separate said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an outerly located debris-enriched stream and an innerly located debris-depleted stream;
h. said generally centrally located passage being adapted for;
i. receiving said innerly located debris-depleted stream from said separation chamber through said passage entrance, and ii. conducting said innerly located debris-depleted stream to said passage exit and discharging it into the atmosphere; and
i. means providing an opening around said baffle into said accumulation chamber;
said baffle being disposed to permit movement of entrained yard debris into said accumulation chamber while impeding movement of fine particulates of reduced yard debris from said accumulation chamber into said debris-depleted stream discharged from said separation chamber through said passage. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
a. a primary-separation zone, b. said primary-separation zone having a generally curvilinear outer surface adapted to direct said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris generally circumferentially along said generally curvilinear outer surface and initiate separation of said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an outerly located debris-enriched stream and an innerly located debris-depleted stream; c. said primary-separation zone being adapted to;
i. direct said outerly located debris-enriched stream from said primary-separation zone in a direction primarily tangential to and adjacent to said perimetral wall of said separation chamber, and ii. direct said innerly located debris-depleted stream from said primary-separation zone in a direction radially inward of said debris-enriched stream;
said separation chamber being disposed to further separate said streams of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an upwardly and inwardly directed debris-depleted stream and a downwardly and outwardly directed debris-enriched stream.
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60. A free-flow apparatus for separating entrained lawn debris from a transporting air stream by action of body forces thereupon comprising:
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a. means for delivering a stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris;
b. a vessel having an outer wall, an upper bulkhead and a bottom;
c. said upper bulkhead having defined therein a substantially centrally located passage with a passage entrance and a passage exit;
d. a baffle extending generally outwardly from a point below said passage entrance, the outer periphery of said baffle extending outwardly to an extent sufficient to span at least a major portion of the inside diameter of said vessel while being spaced inwardly from said outer wall, said baffle defining in said vessel an upperly located separation chamber and a lowerly located accumulation chamber;
e. a duct having a duct entrance and a duct exit, said duct entrance being adapted to receive said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris, said duct being adapted for conducting said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said duct entrance to said vessel, and adapted to direct said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into said vessel in a direction primarily tangential to said outer wall;
f. said separation chamber being adapted to separate said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an outerly located debris-enriched stream and an innerly located debris-depleted stream;
g. said substantially centrally located passage being adapted for;
i. receiving said innerly located debris-depleted stream from said separation chamber through said passage entrance, and ii. conducting said innerly located debris-depleted stream to said passage exit and discharging it into the atmosphere; and
h. means providing an opening around said baffle into said accumulation chamber;
said baffle being disposed to permit movement of entrained yard debris into said accumulation chamber while impeding movement of fine particulates from said accumulation chamber into said innerly located debris-depleted stream discharged from said separation chamber through said substantially centrally located passage. - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
a. a primary-separation zone, b. said primary-separation zone having a generally curvilinear outer surface adapted to direct said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris generally circumferentially along said generally curvilinear outer surface and initiate separation of said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an outerly located debris-enriched stream and an innerly located debris-depleted stream; c. said primary-separation zone being adapted to;
i. direct said outerly located debris-enriched stream from said primary-separation zone in a direction primarily tangential to and adjacent to said outer wall of said vessel, and ii. direct said innerly located debris-depleted stream from said primary-separation zone in a direction radially inward of said debris-enriched stream;
said separation chamber being disposed to further separate said streams of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an upwardly and inwardly directed debris-depleted stream and a downwardly and outwardly directed debris-enriched stream.
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78. A free-flow apparatus for separating entrained lawn debris from a transporting air stream by action of body forces thereupon comprising:
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a. means for delivering a stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris;
b. a duct having a duct entrance and a duct exit, said duct entrance being adapted to receive said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris, said duct being adapted for conducting said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said duct entrance to said duct exit;
c. a vessel having a separation chamber defined interiorly thereof by;
i. a generally frusto-conical outer wall section, ii. an upper bulkhead to said separation chamber having defined therein a generally centrally located passage having a passage entrance and a passage exit, said upper bulkhead extending from said passage generally outwardly to said generally frusto-conical outer wall section, and iii. a baffle extending generally outwardly from a point below said passage entrance, the outer periphery of said baffle being spaced inwardly from said generally frusto-conical outer wall section;
d. means defining an accumulation chamber below said baffle;
e. means providing an opening around said baffle into the interior of said accumulation chamber;
f. said separation chamber being;
i. connected to said duct exit; and
ii. adapted to;
(a) receive and direct said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris from said duct in a direction primarily tangential to said generally frusto-conical outer wall section of said separation chamber, and (b) separate said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an outerly located debris-enriched stream and an innerly located debris-depleted stream;
g. said generally centrally located passage being adapted for;
i. receiving said innerly located debris-depleted stream from said separation chamber through said passage entrance, and ii. conducting said innerly located debris-depleted stream to said passage exit and discharging it into the atmosphere;
said baffle being disposed to permit movement of entrained yard debris into said accumulation chamber while impeding movement of fine particulates of reduced yard debris from said accumulation chamber into said innerly located debris-depleted stream discharged from said separation chamber through said passage. - View Dependent Claims (79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95)
a. a primary-separation zone, b. said primary-separation zone having a generally curvilinear outer surface adapted to direct said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris generally circumferentially along said generally curvilinear outer surface and initiate separation of said stream of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an outerly located debris-enriched stream and an innerly located debris-depleted stream; c. said primary-separation zone being adapted to;
i. direct said outerly located debris-enriched stream from said primary-separation zone in a direction primarily tangential to and adjacent to said generally frusto-conical outer wall section of said separation chamber, and ii. direct said innerly located debris-depleted stream from said primary-separation zone in a direction radially inward of said debris-enriched stream;
said separation chamber being disposed to further separate said streams of air bearing entrained lawn debris into an upwardly and inwardly directed debris-depleted stream and a downwardly and outwardly directed debris-enriched stream.
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Specification