Mobile leaf pulverizer

Claim 2

Mobile apparatus, comprising: a mobile pick-up housing having ground-engaging wheels, and an annular side wall, a top wall Connected to the side wall with a top outlet opening, and an annular lip providing a planar surface parallel to the path of motion of the blade, and being connected to the side wall below the top wall to define a bottom inlet opening; an elongated blade mounted in the housing, one end of the blade being rotatable between the top wall and the annular lip in a path of motion substantially parallel to the ground; and power means mounted on the frame and connected to the blade for powered rotation, whereby air is received through the inlet opening defined by the lip and passed through the outlet opening as the blade is being rotated in the housing.

Claim 3

Mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the top outlet opening is adjacent the side wall, and the distance between the top wall and the blade increases as the blade is being rotated along its path of motion.

Claim 4

Mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, including an annular inner wall mounted in the pick-up housing above the path of rotation of the blade and having a diameter less than that of the annular side wall, and a vane carried on the end of the blade between the side wall and the inner wall, the vane being disposed to pass adjacent the outlet opening as the blade is being rotated.

Claim 5

Mobile apparatus as defined in claim 3, in which the end of the blade has a leading edge substantially parallel to the path of motion of the blade, and the vane is disposed at an angle about 45* with respect to said leading edge.

Claim 6

Mobile leaf pulverizing apparatus, comprising: a mobile pick-up housing having wheels for engaging the ground, an inlet opening supported adjacent the ground and an outlet; a pick-up blade mounted in the pick-up housing, and power means connected to the pick-up blade for passing air through the inlet opening as the pick-up blade is being rotated; a cutter blade mounted on said pick-up housing and being connected to the power means for powered rotation; a pulverizer housing enclosing the cutter blade and being connected to the outlet of the pick-up housing to receive air therefrom, and the pulverizer housing having a cylindrical wall adjacent the path of rotation of the blade, said wall having a first opening and a second opening for passing air received into the housing, the first opening being shaped such that air passing through the first opening has a component of motion tangential to the path of rotation of the cutter blade end and in the direction of blade motion, and the second opening being shaped such that air passing through the second opening has a component of motion tangential to the path of rotation of the cutter blade and opposite to the direction of blade motion, whereby leaves being received with the air passing through the inlet opening of the pick-up housing are pulverized as the cutter blade is being rotated and discharged from the pulverizer housing only through the first opening.

Claim 7

Mobile leaf pulverizing apparatus, comprising: a mobile pick-up housing having wheels for engaging the ground, an inlet opening supported adjacent the ground and an outlet; a pick-up blade mounted in the pick-up housing, and power means connected to the pick-up blade for passing air through the inlet opening as the pick-up blade is being rotated; a cutter blade mounted on said pick-up housing and being connected to the power means for powered rotation; a pulverizer housing enclosing the cutter blade and being connected to the outlet of the pick-up housing to receive air therefrom, and the pulverizer housing having a cylindrical wall adjacent the path of rotation of the blade, said wall having a first opening and a second opening for passing air received into the housing, the first opening being shaped such that air passing through the first opening has a component of motion tangential to the path of rotation of the cutter blade end and in the direction of blade motion, and the second opening being shaped such that air passing through the second opening has a component of motion tangential to the path of rotation of the cutter blade and opposite to the direction of blade motion, whereby leaves being received with the air passing through the inlet opening of the pick-up housing are pulverized as the cutter blade is being rotated and discharged from the pulverizer housing only through the first opening.

Claim 8

Mobile leaf pulverizing apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the first opening of the pulverizer housing is elongated and substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the pulverizer blade.

Claim 9

Mobile leaf pulverizing apparatus as defined in claim 5, including a plurality of openings similar to the first opening disposed about a circumferential portion of the pulverizer housing wall, and a plurality of openings similar to the second opening disposed about the remainder of the pulverizer housing wall.

Claim 10

Mobile leaf pulverizing apparatus as defined in claim 5, in which the second opening has a generally circular cross-section.

Claim 11

Mobile leaf pulverizing g apparatus as defined in claim 5, including a container disposed to receive and leaves being passed through the first opening.

Claim 12

Mobile apparatus, useful for pulverizing leaves disposed on the ground, comprising: a pick-up housing having ground engaging wheels, an annular side wall, a top wall connected to the side wall with a top outlet opening, and an annular lip connected to the side wall below the top wall to define a bottom inlet opening; a pick-up blade mounted in the pick-up housing for rotation along a path between the top wall and the lip; a cutter blade mounted on the pick-up housing for rotation about an axis; a pulverizer housing enclosing the cutter blade, and connected to the outlet of the pick-up housing for receiving leaves there from, the pulverizer housing having a wall with a plurality of openings disposed adjacent the path of the rotation of the cutter blade for passing air received in the pulverizer housing, the openings being so formed that leaves being received in the pulverizer housing and passed through the pulverizer housing wall as the cutter blade is being rotated adjacent certain of said openings but not the remainder of said openings; and power means connected to the pick-up blade to rotate it whereby leaves on the ground are moved through the inlet of the pick-up housing and delivered to the pulverizer housing to be pulverized as the cutter blade is being rotated.

Claim 13

Mobile apparatus, useful for pulverizing leaves disposed on the ground, comprising: a pick-up housing having ground engaging wheels, an annular side wall, a top wall connected to the side wall with a top outlet opening, and an annular lip connected to the side wall below the top wall to define a bottom inlet opening; a pick-up blade mounted in the pick-up housing for rotation along a path between the top wall and the lip; a cutter blade mounted on the pick-up housing for rotation about an axis; a pulverizer housing enclosing the cutter blade, and connected to the outlet of the pick-up housing for receiving leaves there from, the pulverizer housing having a wall with a plurality of openings disposed adjacent the path of the rotation of the cutter blade for passing air received in the pulverizer housing, the openings being so formed that leaves being received in the pulverizer housing and passed through the pulverizer housing wall as the cutter blade is being rotated adjacent certain of said openings but not the remainder of said openings; and power means connected to the pick-up blade to rotate it whereby leaves on the ground are moved through the inlet of the pick-up housing and delivered to the pulverizer housing to be pulverized as the cutter blade is being rotated.

Claim 14

A mobile apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which the annular lip has a width greater than one inch.