Patent Application
20220017131
This disclosure relates to implementations of a lawn roller-wheelbarrow that can be used to even out a lawn surface while also carrying a load.
A lawn roller is an agricultural tool routinely used to establish and/or maintain a lawn. A lawn roller may be useful when laying down sod, planting grass seed, or smoothing down molehills and ruts. Typically, a lawn roller is a cylindrical roller with added weight, often water or sand, used to flatten ground.
A wheelbarrow is designed to distribute the weight of its load between one or more wheels and the operator. Typically, a wheelbarrow includes a tray or bin, at least one wheel, and a frame having a pair of legs and a pair handles attached thereto. A wheelbarrow is moved by lifting its handles to raise the legs off the ground, balancing the wheelbarrow on its wheel(s), and then walking while pushing or pulling the handles. A wheelbarrow is typically unloaded (i.e., dumped) by lifting the handles to tip the tray or bin into a vertical position where the load slides or pours out the sloped front end of the tray.
Wheelbarrows are often used to move loads across lawns and other surfaces. Wheelbarrows are also useful because they can easily dump their load. However, as the weight of the load increases, the narrow wheels found on prior art wheelbarrows can leave a track, or even a rut, in the surface of the lawn. A narrow wheel having a diameter (or width) that is greater than its length.
Accordingly, it can be seen that needs exist for the lawn roller-wheelbarrow disclosed herein. It is to the provision of a lawn roller-wheelbarrow configured to address these needs, and others, that the present invention is primarily directed.
Implementations of a lawn roller-wheelbarrow are provided. The lawn roller-wheelbarrow comprises a roller-wheel that can be used to even out a lawn surface and a tray adapted to carry a load. Through the use of a wheel adapted to act as a lawn roller, the tray can be used to transport a load without leaving a track, or potentially creating a rut, in the lawn surface.
The preferred implementation of the lawn roller-wheelbarrow comprises: a frame that includes a pair of handles, a tray mounted on the frame that is adapted for carrying a load, and a roller-wheel rotatably mounted to the frame. The roller-wheel has the general shape of a cylinder and a length L that is greater than its width W.
The surface area of the cylindrically shaped roller-wheel, as compared to the narrow wheel(s) used by conventional wheelbarrows, distributes the weight of any load carried in the tray over a larger area. In this way, the lawn roller-wheelbarrow can be used to transport a load without leaving a track, or potentially creating a rut, in the lawn surface.
Like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
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The roller-wheel 110 is adapted to even out a lawn surface as it passes thereover and to prevent, or at least minimize, the formation of ruts in the lawn surface. In particular, as shown best in
In general, the preferred implementation of the roller-wheel 110 relies on its shape (discussed above), the weight of the lawn roller-wheelbarrow 100 as a whole, and any load carried by the tray 112 to function as a conventional lawn roller. Correspondingly, the roller-wheel 100 has a hollow cylindrical body portion that is not adapted to be filled with a fluid or any other material. The body portion of the roller-wheel 110 could be fabricated of sheet metal bent into a cylindrical shape, a molded plastic (e.g., high density polyethylene), or another suitable material and/or process known to one of ordinary skill in the art. In some implementations, not shown, the roller-wheel can be adapted to be filled with water, sand, or another material.
As shown, the roller-wheel 110 is rotatably coupled to the frame 114, specifically the roller-wheel support structure 120, by an axle 138. In some implementations, the axle 138 extends through the roller-wheel 110 and is coupled to the frame 114 by a pair of brackets 140, each end of the axle 138 being secured to the underside of a lateral frame member 134 of the roller-wheel support structure 120.
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For the purpose of clarity, fasteners used to assemble the lawn roller-wheelbarrow 100 have been omitted from the illustrations. It should be understood through, that suitable fasteners such as screws, rivets, adhesives, and the like can be used to assemble the lawn roller-wheelbarrow 100. One of ordinary skill in the art, having the benefit of the present disclosure, would be able to select appropriate fasteners.
In operation, the lawn roller-wheelbarrow 100 is moved by lifting its handles 116, 118 to raise the leg members 128 of the stand 126 off the ground, and walking. The preferred implementation of the lawn roller-wheelbarrow 100, and any load carried thereby, easily balances due to the width of the roller-wheel 110. The lawn roller-wheel barrow 110 is unloaded (i.e., dumped), by lifting the handles 116, 118 to tip the tray 112 into a vertical position where the load slides or pours out the sloped front end of the tray 112. While in the described vertical position, the lawn roller-wheelbarrow 100 rest on the front frame member 134 of the roller-wheel support structure 120.
Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “implementation” or words of similar import means that a particular described feature, structure, or characteristic is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the phrase “in some implementations” or a phrase of similar import in various places throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.
The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the above description, numerous specific details are provided for a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that embodiments of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations may not be shown or described in detail.
While operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results.
