Earth working – Lawn aerator or perforator – or plug remover
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-27
2001-08-14
Novosad, Christopher J. (Department: 3671)
Earth working
Lawn aerator or perforator, or plug remover
C172S042000, C172S122000, C172S123000, C172S125000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273197
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates, in general, to a method and apparatus for aerating soil. In particular the invention relates to a method and apparatus for a self-propelled ground or soil aerator. More particularly the invention relates to a spiked drum operationally mounted onto a platform. The platform has a steering handle operationally mounted thereto for steering the apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ground or soil aeration has changed over the years. Originally, soil aeration was accomplished by a farm type tractor pulling or towing a rather large roller. The roller would have ridges or spikes inserted in a random pattern or they would be inserted in horizontal lines. The aerator itself presented little problem for the tractor to pull or tow. If the aerator became wedged or stuck in the soil, the tractor would simply pull the aerator free.
Self-propelled aerators were developed to meet the need for a less expensive way to aerate soil without the use of large farm type equipment. Typically, a motor of some type was mounted onto a wheeled platform along with a spiked drum or a series of spiked wheels. The motor would drive the drum or wheels and propel the wheeled platform forward.
Self-propelled aerators that derive their forward or reverse momentum from the aerator portion of the apparatus tend to be uncontrollable. Steering, for example, becomes impossible because the rotating aerator has a tendency to dig-in when certain types of soil are encountered. For small irregular sized plots of ground steering of the aerator becomes paramount.
Attempts in the past to correct this problem involved aligning the spikes on the aerator horizontally with the ground surface. This attempt yielded a ground aerator that would jerk or jump from one row of spikes to another as the aerator rotated thus exasperating the user trying to steer the aerator. If the horizontal rows of spikes were placed closer together, the desired ground aeration would suffer. If the spikes were randomly placed about the drum, the desired ground aeration would suffer because to aerated holes would overlap or there would be an absence of aerated holes in the ground.
One such attempt incorporated a fertilizer machine with a ground aerator, U.S. Pat. No. 1,887,334 issued to Spaeth on May 14, 1931. The Spaeth patent discloses a ground aerator that has an aerating drum with spikes horizontally aligned on its surface. The fertilizer hopper is positioned above the spiked drum and is powered by the rotating drum. When the drum rotates the spikes, an engaged mechanical arm allows the contents of the hopper to be spread over the area traversed by the spiked drum. The Spaeth's ground aerator relies on the horizontal alignment of the spiked drum to propel the aerator and operate the metering mechanism located in the hopper.
Another attempt is U.S. Pat. No. 2,545,059 issued to Ward on Jun. 3, 1948 discloses a ground aerator and a material spreading machine that is self-propelled. The Ward patent discloses a spiked drum, a hopper, and a metering device for dispensing the material from the hopper. The Ward patent like the Spaeth patent relies on the horizontal alignment of the spikes attached to the drum.
An example of the random placement of spikes on the surface of an aerator is U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,291 issued to Kerns on Oct. 19, 1954. Kerns's patent discloses a ground aerator and a material spreading machine that is pulled or towed by a tractor. The material spreading device is positioned to the rear of a spiked surface that engages the ground to aerate. The spikes of the Kerns's patent are placed in channels and the channels are randomly spaced about the surface of the aerator.
It would desirable to have a self-propelled ground aerator that is easy to steer or maneuver on small or irregular sized plots of ground. The desirable aerator would also have the ability to aerate soil in the forward and reverse direction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a user with a method and apparatus to successfully aerate ground or soil. The present invention is capable of aerating large, small, or irregular sized plots of ground with equal adaptability. The user navigates the present invention from a position of control. The user, after selecting the direction of movement of the present invention i.e., forward or reverse direction, sets the throttle to a desired speed and simply walks behind the present invention at a comfortable speed while the present invention is propelled in the desired direction aerating the soil. Navigating, entails simply steering the present invention in the desired direction while it is being self-propelled in the desired direction.
The present invention is a self-propelled ground aerator. The self-propelled ground aerator comprises, in part, a substantially rectangular platform that may, if desired, have at least one pivotally mounted ground engaging wheel that provides stability for the platform. The pivotally mounted wheel also aids in the steering of the self-propelled ground aerator. A spiked drum is operationally mounted along one edge of the platform oppositely spaced from the ground engaging wheel. A steering handle is operationally mounted onto the surface of the platform adjacent to the edge oppositely spaced from the spiked drum. A power pack, transmission, and drive-train are operationally mounted onto the surface of the platform intermediate the spiked drum and the steering handle. If desired, a hopper may be operationally mounted above and forward of the spiked drum. The hopper may contain material such as fertilizer that may be dispensed by the self-propelled aerator in motion.
The drum portion is substantially cylindrical, enclosed, and hollow. A port or plug may, if desired, be selectively disposed on the drum allowing access to the interior of the drum. If desired the drum may be filled with a fluid to increase the weight of the drum thereby increasing the penetration depth of the soil during aeration. The surface of the drum has a plurality of spikes mounted along the horizontal length of the drum for penetrating the soil during aeration. The pikes disposed on the surface of the drum are in rows and the rows are selectively angled from the horizontal.
Before operating the present invention the user may, if desired, set the soil penetration depth by adjusting a provided ground engaging plate. The ground engaging plate is attached to at least one selected pair of spikes of each row of spikes on the spiked drum. The user is normally positioned to the rear of the present invention behind the steering handle and shifts the transmission into neutral. The power pack is started and the user shifts the transmission into forward or reverse depending on the desired direction of aeration. The self-propelled aerator is now operational. The user may, if desired, adjust the throttle to a desired walking speed for aeration.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1887334 (1932-11-01), Spaeth
patent: 2244099 (1941-06-01), Chase
patent: 2545059 (1951-03-01), Ward
patent: 2778291 (1957-01-01), Kerns
patent: 4336760 (1982-06-01), Cohen et al.
patent: 4550783 (1985-11-01), Hansen
patent: 5014791 (1991-05-01), Kure
patent: 5398768 (1995-03-01), Staples
patent: 5398769 (1995-03-01), Staples
McComas Richard C.
Novosad Christopher J.
Patent Focus, Inc.
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