Harvesters – Motorized harvester – Including driven air-blower unit
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-29
2001-02-13
Shackelford, H. (Department: 3671)
Harvesters
Motorized harvester
Including driven air-blower unit
C056S289000, C056SDIG008, C056SDIG009, C030S123000, C030S539000, C015S377000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185918
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When piles of autumn leaves or wet vegetation debris accumulate, the usual procedure is to begin by raking and collecting them because power air (leaf) blowers cannot usually make inroads into such soggy and heavy masses. This new FAN HEAD MOBILIZER FOR AIR (LEAF) BLOWERS in one operation will stir, cut, toss, and therefore displace wet or matted leaves and vegetation that deflect and defy air currents from present day power air blowers. These cutting, tossing and displacing maneuvers performed by the invention allow air currents to work in the interior of the penetrated and distributed mass so that it can be blown and accumulated in the usual manner. The flexible mobilizer probe of the fan head is the core feature of the new invention. Composed of flexible high carbon steel, carbon fiber composite, or plastic, it is an integral part of the fan head. Said mobilizer has three functions: 1) To (primarily) mobilize masses of vegetation. 2. To (secondarily) act as a weed cutter as the occasion demands. 3) To (secondarily) act as a skid to bear some of the weight of the air blower, therefore lessening the workload of the operator.
Patent searches disclosed the following Design patents that deserve comment: D297,274; D326,458; and D375,822. These patents relate to overall ornamental designs of air tubes, power blowers, and a circular spinning grass trimmer; therefore, they contain no features concerning a fan head air nozzle design for mobilizing matted masses of vegetation, cutting individual heavy weeds, or bearing weight of the air (leaf) blower by the skid feature (vide supra): all three elements being present in this new FAN HEAD MOBILIZER FOR AIR (LEAF) BLOWERS.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Matted leaves, vegetation and various other detritus such as interlocking twigs often interfere with the performance of air and leaf blowers because of the density and weight of an often soggy mass. These problems multiply during autumn rains or during heavy leaf falls resulting from wind storms. Said dense and often wet material can be moved by stirring and agitating it with this invention, thus allowing an accelerated airflow to effectively enter, disperse, and therefore collect and assemble it for disposal in the usual manner.
A flexible stainless steel, carbon fiber composite, or plastic mobilizer probe of high flexibility and tensile strength that projects five inches from the fan head air nozzle will effectively mobilize large masses of matted and wet vegetation using combined airflow and hand levering motions by the operator. Kinetic energy stored in the above described elastic probe enables the operator to toss aside wet vegetation weighing several pounds as well as large twigs and limbs, sending them several feet away if desired. The projecting probe will also cut the stems of large weeds and other vegetation so that they can be blown and accumulated. This is accomplished by fine or gross serrations (saw-teeth) present on the lateral sides of the new mobilizer probe.
The flexible probe terminates in a 30°-40° upward bend (preferably 35°); and this basic core of the invention performs four functions: 1) The curve acts as a cradle to help gather debris and hold it on the probe until it can be tossed aside or stirred to allow air to reach it. 2) The terminal curve is sharpened on its bottom (inferior) surface (i.e. the surface next to the concrete, etc) so that it can thus cut away vegetation caught in cracks and crevices. It is automatically resharpened by sliding it along rough surfaces of concrete, stone, macadam, etc. 3) The terminal curve also acts as a skid to bear part of the weight of the entire power unit, straight pipe, and the terminal fan head air nozzle. 4) The 30°-40° upward bend of the terminus of the flexible probe diverts air upward and forward into the debris for dissection of it to allow effective mobilization.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1945810 (1934-02-01), Holtz
patent: 1979904 (1934-03-01), Guedel
patent: 4070771 (1978-01-01), Yakiwchuk
patent: 4667408 (1987-05-01), Kirk
patent: 5054159 (1991-10-01), Richardson
patent: 5072486 (1991-12-01), Guarascio
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