US3791118A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Compactor attachment for a lawn mower
Assignee: Deere and Co
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Filing: 1973-05-18
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Granted: 1974-02-12
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Expires: 1993-05-18
Abstract
Abstract A lawn and garden type tractor has a belly-mounted rotary lawn mower with a side discharge opening communicating with an inlet opening at the lower inner side of a fore-and-aft elongated, material-receiving housing or housing section extending longitudinally alongside the tractor. A substantial portion of the walls of the material-receiving section are foraminous so as not to impede the flow of air created by the cutting blade or blades of the mower and the material-receiving housing is large enough so that material entrained in the flow of air from the mower will be temporarily suspended therewithin before falling onto an auger which is rotatably mounted in the bottom and projecting from the rearward end thereof into a tubular member forming part of an intermediate housing or housing section, the tubular member opening into a relatively large compaction housing or housing section of the structure. The compaction housing is adapted to support a plastic bag or the like in a position with its open end in material-receiving relation to the outlet of the tubular member through means of a removable mounting ring assembly, the bag when so positioned being operable for having material compacted therein by the auger. Once a bag is filled with compacted material, it may be removed from the enclosure and replaced by an empty bag. The housings form part of a unitary structure which is supported on a single ground wheel located at the outer side of the structure and the structure is pivotally connected to the tractor by means permitting it to follow undulations of the ground and move vertically relative to the tractor.
Inventors
- 👤 R Behrens
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 05:46
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01D; A01D43/00; A01D43/06; A01D43/063; A01D43/0633; A01D2101/00; A01D34/00; A01D34/01; A01D34/412; A01D34/63
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
250 words
A material compactor of the type adapted for receiving material discharged from the housing of a tractor-mounted rotary mower, comprising: a substantially box-like structure defining a first enclosed, elongate housing section having top, bottom and spaced front and rear end walls and spaced inner and outer side walls; a second enclosed, elongate housing section having top, bottom and spaced front and rear end walls and spaced inner and outer side walls; an intermediate housing section securing said first and second housing sections together to form one elongate structure with said rear and front end walls respectively of said first and second housing sections being in adjacent spaced relationship to each other and having respective axially aligned circular openings therein; said intermediate housing section including a tubular member extending between and being fixed to said rear and front walls in axially aligned relationship to said circular openings; an auger having a majority of its length located in said first housing section and having a rear end portion located in said tubular member; said bottom wall of said first housing section being cylindrically curved and receiving approximately the lower half of said auger; said inner side wall of said first housing section having an inlet opening located in a lower portion thereof for receiving material discharged from the housing of a rotary mower; said outer side wall of said first housing section being substantially foraminous; and said first housing section being at least twice as high as the diameter of said auger.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
250 words
A material compactor of the type adapted for receiving material discharged from the housing of a tractor-mounted rotary mower, comprising: a substantially box-like structure defining a first enclosed, elongate housing section having top, bottom and spaced front and rear end walls and spaced inner and outer side walls; a second enclosed, elongate housing section having top, bottom and spaced front and rear end walls and spaced inner and outer side walls; an intermediate housing section securing said first and second housing sections together to form one elongate structure with said rear and front end walls respectively of said first and second housing sections being in adjacent spaced relationship to each other and having respective axially aligned circular openings therein; said intermediate housing section including a tubular member extending between and being fixed to said rear and front walls in axially aligned relationship to said circular openings; an auger having a majority of its length located in said first housing section and having a rear end portion located in said tubular member; said bottom wall of said first housing section being cylindrically curved and receiving approximately the lower half of said auger; said inner side wall of said first housing section having an inlet opening located in a lower portion thereof for receiving material discharged from the housing of a rotary mower; said outer side wall of said first housing section being substantially foraminous; and said first housing section being at least twice as high as the diameter of said auger.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
113 words
The material compactor defined in claim 1 wherein an inner collecting bag-retaining ring is removably connected to said front end wall of said second housing section inside said second housing section in substantial axial alignment with said tubular member; outer ring means for releasably clamping the open end of a bag received on said inner retaining ring and said auger extending a short distance past said tubular member into said second housing section for preventing the formation of a compacted material column immediately rearwardly of the tubular member so as to minimize the difficuLty of removing the inner collecting bag-retaining ring when a filled bag is being removed from the second housing section.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
The material compactor defined in claim 2 wherein said front end wall of said second housing section has three upwardly projecting hooks fixed thereto in a triangular arrangement disposed about the opening therein; and said inner bag-retaining ring having three hook-receiving parts respectively receiving said three hooks.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
The material compactor defined in claim 1 wherein said box-like structure is mounted on ground-engaging means; an attaching structure means being fixed to said box-like structure and being adapted for pivotally securing said box-like structure to a tractor for vertical movement relative thereto.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
94 words
The material compactor defined in claim 1 wherein a baffle member is hingedly connected along an edge portion of said bottom wall which edge portion defines the lower edge of said inlet opening and is inclined downwardly and away therefrom and has an upper surface arranged for guiding air-entrained material, discharged from a rotary mower housing, through said inlet opening; and skid means secured to the bottom surface of said baffle along an edge thereof remote from the inlet opening for effecting pivotal movement of the baffle in correspondence with uneven ground surface areas.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
114 words
The material compactor defined in claim 1 wherein said inner side and rear end walls of said second housing each includes upper edges and said top wall of said second housing includes inner and rear edges; first and second hinge means respectively interconnecting said inner and rear edges of said top wall respectively with the top edge of said inner wall and the top edge of said rear end wall; and an overcenter latch means mounted on said rear housing section for releasably retaining said top and rear end walls in a closed position wherein they cooperate with the front end, bottom and outer side walls of said second housing to form an enclosure.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
127 words
The material compactor defined in claim 6 wherein said overcenter latch means includes an actuator rod pivotally mounted on said rear end wall of said second housing section for rotation about an axis which extends substantially horizontal when said top and rear end walls of said second housing are in said closed position; said actuator rod including a central cranked portion spaced away from the last-named rear end wall and defining a handle extending generally parallel to the pivotal axis of the actuator rod; and said overcenter means further including means responsive to downward movement of said cranked portion for effecting an overcenter latched condition in said latch means and responsive to upward movement of said cranked portion for effecting an unlatched condition in said latch means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
162 words
A material compactor of the type adapted for receiving material discharged from the housing of a tractor-mounted rotary mower, comprising: an elongate material-receiving housing having a material-receiving inlet disposed in a lower portion thereof and having a bottom recessed to form an upwardly opening elongate trough curved cylindrically about a fixed axis; said housing further having a rear end wall in which a circular opening is located in coaxial relationship to said fixed axis; a tubular member being fixed against said rear end wall exteriorly of said material-receiving housing in coaxial relationship to said circular opening; a material compacting housing connected to said tubular member for receiving material therefrom; and an auger being received in said elongate trough and tubular member and rotatably mounted for feeding material from said material-receiving housing to said material compaction housing; and said material-receiving housing being at least twice as high as the diameter of said auger and a substantial portion of the walls thereof being foraminous.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
162 words
A material compactor of the type adapted for receiving material discharged from the housing of a tractor-mounted rotary mower, comprising: an elongate material-receiving housing having a material-receiving inlet disposed in a lower portion thereof and having a bottom recessed to form an upwardly opening elongate trough curved cylindrically about a fixed axis; said housing further having a rear end wall in which a circular opening is located in coaxial relationship to said fixed axis; a tubular member being fixed against said rear end wall exteriorly of said material-receiving housing in coaxial relationship to said circular opening; a material compacting housing connected to said tubular member for receiving material therefrom; and an auger being received in said elongate trough and tubular member and rotatably mounted for feeding material from said material-receiving housing to said material compaction housing; and said material-receiving housing being at least twice as high as the diameter of said auger and a substantial portion of the walls thereof being foraminous.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-02-11 | 1977-08-13 | 1978-02-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-02-11 | 1981-08-13 | 1982-02-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-02-11 | 1985-08-13 | 1986-02-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |