Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Processes
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-29
2001-02-20
Douglas, Lisa Ann (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Processes
C239S687000, C222S625000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189802
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lawn and garden spreader, and in particular to a lawn and garden spreader adapted to efficiently spread pelletized mulches, fertilizers, and other oversized applications.
Lawn and garden spreaders are used to spread and disperse a wide variety of lawn and garden applications. The spreaders typically include a hopper, an aperture located in the bottom of the hopper, a gate for opening and closing the aperture, a disbursement blade for spreading the application, and a mechanism for opening and closing the gate.
Heretofore, lawn and garden spreaders have normally incorporated a single gate to open and close the aperture. Typically, these spreaders allow the operator to adjust the gate between the fully open and fully closed positions only. As a result, the size of the apertures are calibrated so as to allow the operator to spread only a single type of application with any given spreader. Other systems, allow the operator to adjust the gate between a plurality of positions thereby allowing the operator to adjust the size of the aperture for the given application. However, current spreaders are typically not designed to provide adequate flow and metering of new pellet fertilizers, mulches and other similar large applications. Many new pelletized mulches and fertilizers are much larger than those typically utilized in the industry for many years and measure from ¼ of an inch up to and including 1 inch in any direction. With most spreaders, opening the gate to a position such that these oversized applications can sufficiently flow through the aperture results in an un-metered flow. At the other extreme, restricting the aperture to meter the flow results in clogging and intermittent flow of the application through the aperture.
Another problem associated with most lawn and garden spreaders adapted to spread various sized applications is that they are complicated to operate and require the operator to consult charts and graphs in order to determine what setting is appropriate for a given application. Still others provide no help at all requiring the operator to rely on trial and error in an attempt to configure the spreader appropriately for each application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a lawn and garden spreader that is adapted for efficiently spreading pelletized mulches and other like applications larger in size than granular products are typically associated with lawn and garden applications. The spreader includes a gravity flow hopper having an outlet aperture in a lower portion thereof, and a horizontally oriented track disposed adjacent to the outlet aperture. A rotatable disbursement blade is situated below the outlet aperture such that an application flowing through the aperture will contact the disbursement blade. A gate is slidably mounted within the track such that the gate may be shifted between an extended position wherein the gate closes the outlet aperture and a retracted position wherein the outlet aperture is open. A metering door is pivotably attached to the hopper such that the metering door may be rotated between a raised position wherein the door covers the aperture, and an open position wherein the door is lowered and meters the application flowing through the aperture and onto the disbursement blade. A mechanical linkage is operatively connected with the gate and the door thereby allowing the operator to selectively operate the gate between the extended and retracted positions, and the door between the closed and open positions.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for metering and spreading pelletized mulches and the like applications that are larger in size then granular products typically associated with lawn and garden applications. The method includes providing a gravity flow hopper having an outlet aperture formed in a lower portion thereof and a horizontally oriented track disposed adjacent to the outlet aperture, providing a rotatable disbursement blade situated below the aperture, providing a gate slidably mounted in the track and shiftable between an extended position wherein the gate closes the outlet aperture and a retracted position wherein the outlet aperture is open, and providing a metering door pivotally attached to the hopper for rotation between a closed position wherein the door is raised and covers the aperture and an open position wherein the door is lowered. The method further includes providing a first mechanical linkage operatively connected with the gate thereby allowing the operator to selectively operate the gate between the extended and the retracted positions, and providing a second mechanical linkage operatively connected with the door thereby allowing the operator to selectively operate the door between the closed and open positions and a plurality of intermediate selectable positions therebetween and calibrated so as to provide a predetermined flow rate of an application contained in the hopper through the aperture and onto the disbursement blade. The method still further includes placing the appropriate application within the hopper, operating the gate in cooperation with the door such that even and uninterrupted flow of the application from the hopper through the aperture is achieved, and adjusting the door such that the application flows through the aperture in and onto the disbursement blade at a specific rate.
The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a lawn and garden spreader adapted for effectively spreading pelletized mulches, and other similar applications larger in size than granular products typically associated with lawn and garden applications. The utilization of a sliding gate in combination with a pivoting door system allows the operator to sufficiently open the aperture associated with the hopper such that the application contained in the hopper freely flows through the aperture, yet allows the operator to meter the flow of the application onto the disbursement blade by way of the pivoting door system. A further object of the present invention is to provide a metering system that is easy to operate and adjust with respect to the appropriate flow rate for a given application.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3907212 (1975-09-01), Ullom
patent: 4106704 (1978-08-01), McRoskey et al.
patent: 4487370 (1984-12-01), Speicher
Douglas Lisa Ann
Price Heneveld Cooper DeWitt & Litton
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