Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Container for non-fluid material – and scattering means – Scattering means is flail
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-03
2001-03-20
Kashnikow, Andres (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Container for non-fluid material, and scattering means
Scattering means is flail
C239S665000, C239S673000, C239S679000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202944
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a material spreader for broadcasting granular material, such as sand, top soil, fertilizers, and the like over the ground surface, and particularly for top dressing turf.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Material spreaders, whether of the pull type or self propelled, are in common use for applying dressings to turfs such as ground surfaces used for various athletic activities, and especially on the various ground surfaces forming golf courses. Such spreaders commonly include a hopper and a moving belt which passes under the hopper for carrying material which has been dumped into the hopper to a point exterior of the hopper where the material is engaged by means, such as a rotating brush, for transferring the material from the belt to the ground surface.
In order to maintain the maximum quality of turf conditions on golf courses, various techniques of best applying different materials are developing. Known spreaders, are usually equipped with a conventionally structured rotating brush which is usually mounted at the rear of the moving belt with its central axes of rotation spaced behind and somewhat above the upper belt surface carrying a layer of material from the hopper. The brush is located relative to the belt so that outer ends of bristles of the brush engage the particles of the material nearing a drop-off point on the belt and fling the particles downwardly into the turf. It has been found that depending on the type of material being dispensed, the condition of the turf, the required density of the material on the turf, etc., better results of applying the material can be achieved under some conditions if a different process of broadcasting the material is used.
The design characteristics and location of the brushes utilized for dispersing the material from moving belts have remained generally constant and have been provided in the main for driving the particles of the material downward with a force sufficient to penetrate to the base of the turf While this type of broadcasting of the material has advantages under some conditions, such as that of filling holes left after aerofication by use of a heavy application, such broadcasting is certainly not most desirable under all conditions.
In the main with known top dressers, provisions have not been made for modification of the machine for achieving the spreading of the material in a manner providing different characteristics of application. Generally personnel utilized in turf grooming are not sufficiently skilled in machine maintenance and servicing to undertake work involving any mechanical complexity, and therefore, if major changes are required or are of a time consuming nature, it would be usual practice to use the machine for top dressing only in the manner for which the machine was basically designed.
Also, available top dressers now in use on golf course turf groomers are not overall constructed for ready service and maintenance. One component of such machines, for example, requiring routine servicing and repair or replacement of parts, is the moving belt which carries the material from the hopper and the related parts for mounting and driving the belt, due to this components continued exposure to abrasive particles, dust and the like. In known structures, this component's particular location requires a major dissembling of the overall machine for removal of the belt and associated parts, thus resulting in work usually beyond the ability of the available staff at a golf course.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a moving belt component capable of being readily removable from the apparatus for the purpose of ready servicing and maintenance.
It is an object of another aspect of the present invention to provide a top dressing apparatus which is of simple and economical design and may be readily modified for applications of different materials suitable for achieving the best type of grooming methods of the turf.
An object of yet another aspect of the invention is to provide a brush device allowing for broadcasting of material in a manner significantly different than which is possible with conventional brushes designed to go beyond the surface of turf and penetrate the turf canopy.
The present invention generally resides in features of a material spreading apparatus of the type for movement over a ground surface while broadcasting a material along a path or strip on the ground surface.
According to one aspect of the apparatus, there is provided a chassis, a hopper carried on the chassis for containing the material and defining an opening for metered flow of the material from the hoper, a conveyor system for receiving the material from the opening of the hopper and delivering the material to one end of the chassis, and a material broadcasting unit attached to the one end of the chassis for receiving the material from the conveyor system and distributing the material over the path on the ground surface. The conveyor system may be in the form of a self-contained belt cartridge which includes a framework having a pair of side rails, a continuous belt and mounting means carried between the side rails and drivingly supporting the continuous belt to provide an upper material carrying flight movable in a direction from one end of the cartridge to the other. The chassis has means forming ledges for removably mounting the belt cartridge in an operative position within the chassis.
As indicated above, the conveyor system in top dressers and the like is one part of the apparatus requiring more frequent maintenance and servicing. In the above described embodiment of the invention, where the conveyor system is in the form of a self contained cartridge which can be easily taken from its mount on the chassis, its removal as a complete unit for servicing separate from the remainder of the apparatus significantly simplifies care of the apparatus.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the chassis includes a pair of laterally spaced side walls having rear ends at a rear end of the chassis, and there are provided a plurality of interchangeable broadcasting units for attachment to the rear end of the chassis. A first attachment means is carried on each of the side walls adjacent to but forward of the rear ends of the walls, and a first abutment means is carried at the rear end of the chassis. Each of the broadcasting units includes a frame supporting a main body portion for positioning rearwardly of the rear end of the chassis when the broadcasting unit is attached to the chassis. Second abutment means is formed at a forward side of the main body portion of the unit, and the frame of the broadcasting unit has forwardly projecting portions substantially aligned with the side walls of the chassis with second attachment means provided on the forwardly projecting portion of the frame for interacting with the first attaching means so as to interlock therewith and thereby suspend the broadcasting unit behind the rear end of the chassis. The main body portion of the broadcasting unit provides a center of gravity rearwardly of the abutment means when the unit is attached. Accordingly, on suspending the broadcasting unit by way of the attachment means, the second abutment means is held in engagement with the first abutment means by the weight of the unit under normal operating conditions.
By providing broadcasting units having different distributing characteristics, top dressing can be carried out in a more effective manner under different conditions, and it is desirable, therefore to have available different units which can be readily substituted, and particularly where it is possible to lift one unit off and install another by hand by way of a quick connect mechanism.
According to yet another aspect of he invention there is provided a broadcasting unit for mounting at one end of the chassis of the material spreading apparatus with a rotatable member disposed below a drop-off end of the conveyor system and for propelling the material dropping from the
Kashnikow Andres
Kerins John C.
Kim Christopher S.
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
Ty-Crop Manufacturing Ltd.
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