Method and apparatus for picking up litter

Claim 1

Apparatus for picking up litter comprising in combination; receptacle means defining a receptacle having a forward end with hitch means on the forward end for hitching the apparatus to a vehicle to be pulled thereby, said receptacle means including a base, a front wall and opposite side walls upstanding from the base to define the receptacle with an open end in the rear of the receptacle, a cylindrical drum, means on the receptacle mounting the cylindrical drum for rotation across the rear open end of the receptacle, a plurality of substantially rigid elongated tines fixed to the drum in groups spaced along the longitudinal axis of the drum with spaces between each of said groups of tines and with the tines in each group extending radially outwardly from the drum at locations about the periphery of the drum, said drum being supported on the ground solely by said tines, said tines having sharp edges on their extremities for facilitating penetration in litter, and stripper means for removing litter impaled on said tines and for guiding the same forwardly into said receptacle, said stripper means including a plurality of substantially rigid elongated stripper members fixed to the base of the receptacle at the open end thereof and respectively extending rearwardly between said groups of said tines in said spaces, the extremities of said stripper members being directed toward the axis of the drum but offset towards the receptacle in a plane substantially below the extremities of said tines, said stripper members extending arcuately from their free end extremities forwardly and downwardly towards the receptacle.