Lawn vacuum cleaning and packing apparatus

[57] ABSTRACT

A frustum-shaped housing has an opening at its smaller end connected to a fan to draw air through the housing, an intake disposed tangentially to the inside slating wall of the frustum to pass air and debris into the housing, and an opening in its larger end connected to a nonporous bag into which the debris is packed. The opening for the fan at the smaller end of the frustum is covered with a screen, and a wiper on the inside surface of the screen is rotated to dislodge from the screen particles that did not flow directly toward the larger end of the frustum. Flails near the larger end of the frustum are rotated to strike the debris and force it outwardly from a circular air stream within the housing into the attached bag.

Claims, 7 Drawing Figures

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PATENTED SEP 41973

3,755,992

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FIG 6

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3,755,992

LAWN VACUUM CLEANING AND PACKING APPARATUS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to heavy-duty vacuum cleaning apparatus and particularly to apparatus having air-flow means for picking up debris, a bag or receptacle positioned at an angle to the path of the air stream, and mechanical means for forcing the debris out of the air stream into the receptacle.

Heavy-duty vacuum cleaners are available for removing leaves and other debris from areas such as yards and parking lots. A cleaner of that type is similar to a usual carpet cleaner in that a fan propels air inwardly through a pick-up nozzle and outwardly through the porous wall of a bag used to catch debris.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,507,271 describes a floor vacuum cleaner having a cylindrical chamber. A fan draws air through a front opening of the cylinder, and helical passageways admit air and dust tangentially along the wall of the chamber. A baffle plate placed concentrically in front of a rear wall or end of the cylindrical chamber prevents “reversal of direction of air at the center.” Dust is discharged downwardly through a slot in the cylindrical wall of the chamber to a lower receptacle. Small inclined blades on the periphery of a secondary fan in the front portion of the chamber assist in moving dust toward the rear of the chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of this invention is to pick up debris such as leaves, and in the same operation pack the debris into a disposable, non-porous bag.

A frustum-shaped housing has a small, rearward end connected to a fan and a large, front end connected to a disposable bag. A side air intake enters the frustumshaped portion of the chamber tangentially to establish a circular stream of air within the chamber. Debris carried by air flow through the intake moves toward the periphery of the chamber, and flails rotating close to the conical wall of the chamber collide with the debris to force it forwardly into the disposable bag. The ends of the flails are shaped and slanted as required to force the debris forwardly. Circulation of air in a reverse direction from the front to the rear of the chamber is prevented by a concentric baffle that is disposed between the flails and the rear opening of the chamber.

To prevent particles of substantial size from entering the fan and being emitted from its exhaust, a screen is placed across the opening between the fan and the chamber. A wiper rotates rapidly over the inner surface of the screen to dislodge particles from the screen so that they will move to the periphery of the frustumshaped portion and be forced by the flails into the bag.

The cleaner including the fan, the frustum-shaped housing, and a rigid box for containing the bag are conveniently mounted on a wheeled platform. A large, flexible hose is connected to the intake of the chamber to facilitate picking up debris.

The flails are connected to an extension of the shaft of the fan, and each flail is connected by a pivotal coupling so that the outer end of the flail can move backwardly and upwardly with respect to its usual operating position to travel over an especially large piece of debris. Each flail has a paddle-like end that rotates very closely to ribs that are spaced apart on the inside surface of the frustum-shaped portion of the housing. The ribs are at an angle both to the direction of rotation of the flails and to the lengthwise direction of the paddlelike ends so that debris is broken up to be forced more easily past the edges of the baffle into the bag.

⁵ BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in longitudinal cross section of a yard cleaner according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the frustum-shaped housing of FIG. 1; the receptacle for debris is removed;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are additional front views; in FIG. 3, the baffle is removed, and in FIG. 4, both the baffle and the flails are removed;

FIG. 5 shows the action of a rotating wiper for dislodging and raising particles from the surface of the screen located between the frustum-shaped chamber and the fan;

FIG. 6 shows the action of the wiper in removing par20 tides from the vicinity of the screen; and

FIG. 7 shows means for pivotally mounting the flails on a shaft disposed on the axis of the frustum-shaped portion of the housing of the cleaner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As shown in FIG. 1, the yard cleaning device of this invention comprises a platform 11 on which are mounted a fan 12 that includes a motor 13 and an im³⁰ peller 14, a frustum-shaped housing 15, and a bag 17 within a box 16 as a receptacle for debris. The fan 12 is connected to the open, small end of the frustumshaped housing 15 to draw air and debris inwardly through the intake 18 of the housing, and the bag 17 is ³⁵ connected to the open, large end of the housing 15 to receive debris.

The elongated, rectangular platform 11 has a pair of rear wheels, one of which is shown as wheel 20 in FIG. 1, and one or two front casters 21. A handle 22 at the ⁴⁰ rear of the platform is provided for manually moving the yard cleaner to a position near debris that is to be packed in the bag 17. One end of a large, flexible hose 23 (FIG. 2) is connected to the intake 18, and the other end of the hose is brought near the debris to function ⁴⁵ like a usual vacuum-cleaner nozzle. The box 16 is rectangular and is long enough to accommodate the waste bag 17, and it is mounted in place on the platform after the bar 17 has been placed in the box and the edge of the open end of the bag 17 has been turned outwardly ⁵⁰ over the open end of the box. A frame including a rubber strip 26 as a sealing gasket is attached to the front end of the housing 15 to provide a tight coupling between the box and the housing. While the fan 12 is operating, suction draws the box 16 tightly against the ⁵⁵ gasket. The fan motor 13 and a housing 27 for the impeller 14 are mounted above the platform 11 by mounting blocks 24 and 25 respectively so that the shaft of the motor and the impeller is longitudinally centered over the platform 11 at a height equal to the distance between the center of the open end of the box 16 and the platform 11.

The shape of the frustum 15 and the placement of the intake 18 cause air drawn by the fan 12 to flow in a circular path within the frustum such that particles in the frustum tend to flow outwardly and forwardly toward the forward periphery of the frustum. As shown in

FIGS. 1-3, the intake 18 is positioned near the smaller

3,755,992 end of the frustum 15 and enters the frustum tangentially to its perimeter. Objects tend to move outwardly in the frustum 15 and are propelled mechanically by flails 30 into the bag 17. The relative positions of different parts associated with the frustum-shaped housing for separating debris from air flow are shown in FIG. 1. At the rear of the housing, a screen 28 covers the small opening of the frustum 15 to prevent small particles of any substantial size from entering the impeller housing 27, and a wiper 29 is rotatably mounted over the forwardly facing surface of the screen 28 to dislodge particles as described below. Diametrically opposite the forward portion of the frustum 15, four flails 30 are attached to the shaft, or an extension of the shaft, of the fan 12 so that their free ends are revolved close to the conical wall of the frustum; and a short distance in front of the flails, a disk or baffle 31 is secured across the central portion of the larger end of the frustum 15. The flails 30 are rotated to strike debris to force its forwardly past the edges of the baffle 31 into the bag 17, and the baffle 31 prevents a backward, axial flow of air and debris into the flails 30.

The frustum 15 may be fabricated from a heavy gage metal or may be molded of suitable material that will withstand moderate impact from debris that is to be removed from the ground. In a preferred embodiment, a cylindrical portion 32 extends beyond the larger opening of the frustum 15 to prevent the bag from being drawn inwardly and to protect the bag from being punctured by debris thrown outwardly by the flails 30.

The position of the baffle 31 in the larger opening of the frustum 15 is shown in FIG. 2. The baffle 31 has a rigid central portion 33 and a pliable edge 34. Each one of a plurality of curved mounting brackets 35 has one end connected to a point near the outer edge of the inner portion 33 of the baffle 31, and the other end connected to an adjacent point on the outer edge of the cylinder 32 that is an extension of the frustum 15.

The baffle 31 is removed to show the flails 30 in FIG. 3. Four flails 30 are shown pivotally connected to a central shaft 36 that is an extension of the shaft of the fan 12. As shown in FIG. 7, each of four flails may be pivotally connected near a respective comer of a mounting block 37 that has a central mounting hole and means (not shown) for rigidly securing the mounting block to the shaft 36. Each flail has a curved inner end 38 pivotally mounted by a respective fastener 39 to a corner of the block 37 and a free end 40 that is shaped like a paddle or a club and turned at an angle to lie in the direction of the adjacent wall of the frustum 15. As shown in FIG. 3, as the shaft 36 is rotated, the flails are moved outwardly by centrifugal force so that the outer, paddle-like ends are adjacent the wall of the frustum 15. Preferably, ribs 41 are spaced apart on the inside surface of the frustum 15, and the paddle-like ends rotate close to the ribs. The ribs are oriented so that they are at a substantial angle both to the direction of movement of the flails and also to the longitudinal direction of the paddle-like ends of the flails. This orientation of the ribs contributes to shearing action between the flails and the ribs to reduce debris to moderately small particles for packing in the bag 17. The pivotal mounting of the flails 30 permits them to fall backward from their usual position of rotation and move inwardly to pass over unexpectedly large pieces of debris that are drawn into the frustum 15.

In FIG. 4, the flails 30 and their mounting block 37 are removed from the shaft 36 to show the placement of the screen 28 over the small end of the frustum 15. One or more pairs of blades 29 are secured to the shaft 36 so that upon rotation of the shaft 36 the blades pass close to the inner surface of the screen 28. The size of the screen 28 is not critical, and a %-inch mesh screen is satisfactory. The swirl of the air within the frustum 15 and the rotating wiper 29 cooperate to dislodge particles from the screen. The wiper may be of a rubberlike material, or it may be comprised of brush bristles; and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the leading edge of the wiper should preferably pass nearer to the screen than the trailing edge of the wiper. In FIG. 5, the wiper 29 has dislodged particles 47 from the surface of the screen 28, and the particles may move to a position somewhat away from the surface as shown behind the wiper. In FIG. 6, the wiper encounters the particles that have been raised slightly from the surface of the screen and brushes them outwardly so that they travel toward the periphery of the frustum 15. These particles will then join the larger mass of particles that have already moved directly to the periphery of the frustum 15 and have been struck by the flails 30 to be forced past the edge of the baffle 31 into the bag 17.

When the fan 12 is started after an empty bag has been installed, extra precautions must be taken to extend the bag and prevent it from being drawn inwardly around the baffle 31. As shown in FIG. 1, air is exhausted from the box 16 by a conduit comprising lengths of rigid pipe 42 and 43 extending from the front of the top side of the box 16 to the upper front portion of the impeller housing 27. The front end of the pipe 42 is bent downwardly and attached to the front of the top of the box 16 at a point midway between the sides of the box, and the front end of the pipe 42 is connected by a bracket 44 to the top side of the box at a point midway between the edges of the box. The pipe 43 that connects to the impeller housing is connected to the rear end of the pipe 42 by a quick-release coupling 45. Obviously, when the fan 12 is in operation, air is drawn from the box 16 to aid in extension of the bag 17. When the box 16 is to be removed from the platform 11 to exchange a full bag 17 for an empty one, the pipe 42 serves as a handle for the box 16.

The dimensions of the yard cleaner described above may be varied according to its size and the type of fan that is to be used. Usually, the conical wall of the frustum is inclined at an angle between 35° and 45° with respect to its axis. The inside surface of the larger opening of the frustum 15 is preferably smooth, and the front edge of the cylinder 32 can be rolled outwardly to form a reinforcing rim (FIG. 1). The impeller 14 shown in FIG. 1 is the squirrel-cage type, but the type having two intermeshing lobes might be used to provide positive flow of air.

The flails 30 operate effectively to pack debris in the bag 17. If desired, the bag 17 may be attached by a resilient coupling to the cylinder 32 such that it is automatically disconnected when the force from the flails to the debris becomes excessive because the bag is full. Switching means (not shown) can also be provided for stopping the fan motor in response to disconnection of the bag 17.