Collector and separator apparatus for lawn and garden
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for collecting and reducing twig-containing yard debris comprising:
- a. a frame adapted to be advanced over a surface;
b. a duct mounted on said frame having a duct entrance and a duct exit;
c. twig-arrestor means mounted on said frame;
d. a collector-rotor assembly comprising;
i. a rotating collector-rotor body rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent said surface, said twig-arrestor means, and said duct entrance;
ii. a plurality of impeller elements mounted upon said collector-rotor body extending radially from said collector-rotor body by at least about one half inch and defining crenels and merlons having at least one circumferential alignment of crenels, said impeller elements being adapted to;
(a) engage yard debris disposed on said surface, (b) impel said yard debris toward said duct entrance, and (c) transport twigs encountered on said surface against said twig-arrestor means;
said twig-arrestor means protruding into said circumferential alignment of crenels and, in combination with said impeller elements mounted upon said rotating collector-rotor body, constituting means for fracturing twigs transported against said twig-arrestor means by said impeller elements by impact therewith;
e. a blower unit operatively connected to said duct and adapted to induce a flow of air through said duct and provide suction at said duct entrance;
f. means for providing power to said blower unit; and
g. means for providing power to said collector-rotor assembly.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for collection and reduction of twig-containing yard debris combining a frontally facing twig breaker 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.
83 Citations
51 Claims
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1. An apparatus for collecting and reducing twig-containing yard debris comprising:
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a. a frame adapted to be advanced over a surface;
b. a duct mounted on said frame having a duct entrance and a duct exit;
c. twig-arrestor means mounted on said frame;
d. a collector-rotor assembly comprising;
i. a rotating collector-rotor body rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent said surface, said twig-arrestor means, and said duct entrance;
ii. a plurality of impeller elements mounted upon said collector-rotor body extending radially from said collector-rotor body by at least about one half inch and defining crenels and merlons having at least one circumferential alignment of crenels, said impeller elements being adapted to;
(a) engage yard debris disposed on said surface, (b) impel said yard debris toward said duct entrance, and (c) transport twigs encountered on said surface against said twig-arrestor means;
said twig-arrestor means protruding into said circumferential alignment of crenels and, in combination with said impeller elements mounted upon said rotating collector-rotor body, constituting means for fracturing twigs transported against said twig-arrestor means by said impeller elements by impact therewith; e. a blower unit operatively connected to said duct and adapted to induce a flow of air through said duct and provide suction at said duct entrance;
f. means for providing power to said blower unit; and
g. means for providing power to said collector-rotor assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An apparatus for collecting and reducing twig-containing yard debris comprising:
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a. a frame adapted to be advanced over a surface;
b. a duct mounted on said frame having a duct entrance and a duct exit;
c. a collector-rotor assembly comprising;
i. a rotating collector-rotor body rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent said surface and said duct entrance, having a length generally spanning said duct entrance; and
ii. a plurality of impeller elements mounted upon, and distributed along the length of, said rotating collector-rotor body, said impeller elements extending radially from said collector-rotor body by at least about one half inch, and being adapted to;
(a) engage yard debris disposed on said surface and impel said yard debris toward said duct entrance, and (b) transport twigs encountered on said surface about the axis of said collector-rotor body;
the cylindrical volume swept amongst said impellers and generally coinciding with said length of said collector-rotor body defining rotor-occluded volume; d. means for fracturing twigs being transported about said axis of said collector-rotor body by said impeller elements, said means being mounted on said frame and protruding into said rotor-occluded volume;
e. a blower unit operatively connected to said duct, adapted to induce a flow of air through said duct and provide suction at said duct entrance;
f. means for providing power to said blower unit; and
g. means for providing power to said collector-rotor assembly. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. An apparatus for collecting and reducing twig-containing yard debris comprising:
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a. a frame adapted to be advanced over a surface;
b. means defining a duct mounted on said frame having a duct entrance and a duct exit;
c. a collector-reducer assembly comprising;
i. a rotating collector-rotor assembly rotatably mounted on said frame adjacent said surface and disposed at said duct entrance, comprising;
(a) a rotating collector-rotor body;
(b) a plurality of impeller elements mounted upon said rotating collector-rotor body, said impeller elements extending radially therefrom and being adapted to;
(i) engage and impel yard debris disposed on said surface toward said duct entrance, and (ii) transport twigs encountered on said surface about the axis of rotation of said rotating collector-rotor body;
ii. twig-fracturing means for breaking twigs, said twig-fracturing means being mounted on said frame adjacent said rotating collector-rotor body and adapted to, upon rotation of said rotating collector-rotor assembly, pass between ones of said plurality of impeller elements so as to engage and fracture twigs being transported about said axis of rotation of said rotating collector-rotor body by said impeller elements;
d. a blower unit operatively connected to said duct, adapted to induce a flow of air through said duct and provide suction at said duct entrance;
e. means for providing power to said blower unit; and
f. means for providing power to said rotating collector-rotor assembly. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. An apparatus for collecting and reducing twig-containing yard debris comprising:
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a. a frame adapted to be advanced over a surface;
b. a duct mounted on said frame and having a duct entrance and a duct exit;
c. twig-breaking means including twig-arrestor means disposed adjacent said duct entrance and a plurality of impeller elements movably mounted on said frame, said impeller elements defining crenels therebetween and being adapted to;
i. engage yard debris disposed on said surface, and ii. impel said yard debris encountered on said surface against said twig-arrestor means;
d. said twig-arrestor means comprising at least one fracturing member;
i. protruding into said crenels; and
ii. adapted to break twigs being transported against said fracturing member by engagement therewith;
e. a blower unit operatively connected to said duct adapted to induce a flow of air through said duct and provide suction at said duct entrance;
f. means for providing power to said blower unit; and
g. means for providing power to said impeller elements.
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Specification