US4221018A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Lawn sweeper
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1978-10-10
•
Granted: 1980-09-09
•
Expires: 1998-10-10
Abstract
Abstract An improved lawn sweeper for clearing a lawn of accumulated debris such as leaves, pine straw, and the like is disclosed. The novel sweeper comprises, in the embodiment shown, an open-bottomed housing holding a rotating cylinder having a number of very strong, flexible wire cable sections bolted to the cylinder. The ends of the wire cable sections have formed thereon a section of tubing pressed flat on the outer ends thereof. The wire cables are mounted in pairs on the cylinder with the flat tubing sections being toed in somewhat in relation to each adjacent pair. The rapidly moving blades create a strong updraft to sweep up accumulated debris with the toe in of the pressed flat tubing sections creating a swirling action which tends to enhance the lifting of the moving air. The ends of the wire cable sections are positioned above the ground by an adjustable distance ranging from one (1) inch to three (3) inches.
Inventors
- 👤 Ferenc Hajdu
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 06:41
CPC Classifications
E; E01; E01H; E01H1/00; E01H1/02; E01H1/04; E01H1/045; E01H1/08; E01H1/0827; E01H1/0836
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
270 words
A lawn sweeper for clearing a lawn of accumulated debris such as leaves, pine straw and the like, comprising: (a) a housing comprising, in part, a frame and having a bottom opening and a discharge opening having attached thereto a collector bin; (b) a rotatable base positioned within the housing and supported on an axis of rotation about an at least generally horizontal axis and over the bottom opening and substantially above ground level; (c) vacuum forming means, associated with the rotatable base for forming a vacuum within the housing and over the bottom opening above the lawn area to be cleared, the vacuum forming means comprising, in part, a plurality of spaced wire cable sections, having inner ends fixedly attached to the base and having outer ends radially extending from said base and further comprising, in part, lateral extention blade means positioned on said wire cable sections and extending out from at least one side of said cable section, said cable sections with said lateral extention blade means extending radially out from said base a distance less than the separation difference between the base and the ground level, thereby being out of contact with the ground as said base rotates; (d) drive means, associated with the rotatable base and the housing, for rotating the base with its vacuum forming means as the lawn sweeper is moving forward to vacuum the debris up through the bottom opening and backwards through the discharge opening into the collector bin; and (e) a plurality of ground support means mounted on the housing for carrying the housing and the lawn sweeper along the lawn.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
270 words
A lawn sweeper for clearing a lawn of accumulated debris such as leaves, pine straw and the like, comprising: (a) a housing comprising, in part, a frame and having a bottom opening and a discharge opening having attached thereto a collector bin; (b) a rotatable base positioned within the housing and supported on an axis of rotation about an at least generally horizontal axis and over the bottom opening and substantially above ground level; (c) vacuum forming means, associated with the rotatable base for forming a vacuum within the housing and over the bottom opening above the lawn area to be cleared, the vacuum forming means comprising, in part, a plurality of spaced wire cable sections, having inner ends fixedly attached to the base and having outer ends radially extending from said base and further comprising, in part, lateral extention blade means positioned on said wire cable sections and extending out from at least one side of said cable section, said cable sections with said lateral extention blade means extending radially out from said base a distance less than the separation difference between the base and the ground level, thereby being out of contact with the ground as said base rotates; (d) drive means, associated with the rotatable base and the housing, for rotating the base with its vacuum forming means as the lawn sweeper is moving forward to vacuum the debris up through the bottom opening and backwards through the discharge opening into the collector bin; and (e) a plurality of ground support means mounted on the housing for carrying the housing and the lawn sweeper along the lawn.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for rotating the drum comprises, in part, a gasoline engine mounted to the housing frame.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 1 wherein said blade means comprises a section of tubing pressed radially down on the outer end of the wire cable section.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 3 wherein the section tubing is approximately 1 inch long.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 4 wherein the wire cable section and the section tubing are formed of steel and the tubing is pressed on the end of the cable to rotate in the range of approximately 2,500 to 3,000 revolutions per minute without separating from the end of the cable.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 1 wherein the vacuum forming means comprises, in part, approximately 72 wire cable sections fixedly attached to the surface of the drum.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 1 wherein the rotatable drum is adjustably mounted with respect to the ground level so that the vacuum forming means associated with the rotatable drum can be positioned above the lawn a pre-determined distance.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 7 wherein the pre-determined distance above the lawn is approximately in the range of 11/2 inches to 2 inches.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 1 wherein the wire cable section is approximately 5/16 inches in diameter and is approximately 5 inches long.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 1 wherein said blade means defines an extended lateral surface making an acute angle with respect to the axis of rotation of said drum.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 10 wherein the angle of the blade means is approximately 15°.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 10 wherein adjacent pairs of wire cables are positioned in close proximity with their angled blade means surface angled towards each other and directed rearwardly with respect to the direction of rotation of said cable sections.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
45 words
The lawn sweeper as defined in claim 12 wherein the blade means comprise sections of tubing pressed radially down on the outer ends of the wire cable sections and the angling of the adjacent pairs of blade means forms a V-shape vacuum forming air scoop.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-09-09 | 1984-03-10 | 1984-09-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-09-09 | 1988-03-10 | 1988-09-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-09-09 | 1992-03-10 | 1992-09-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |