This invention relates to a multi-purpose maintenance machine which has interchangeable units capable of performing different maintenance functions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-purpose outdoor maintenance machine capable of performing the following functions: lawn mowing; lawn aerating; dethatching; lawn seeding and/or fertilizing; salt spreading; and snow blowing/throwing, etc.
Lawn mowing machines are known. In particular, a reel or cylindrical mower is known which consists of a device having one or more revolving blades used to cut grass or other plants at an even length. Generally, the reel mower has a set of spiral-cylindrical blades spinning on a horizontal axis. Cutting is by a scissor-like action between the moving spiral blades and a single stationary horizontal blade, or “bed knife”. The axle is attached to a gear that is then mounted on one of the wheels in order to spin the blades rapidly for good grass cutting action even when the mower is moving slowly. Reel mowers are usually not powered by a motor but rather turn with the turning of the wheels as the mower is pushed by a user.
Snow throwers are also known. Snow throwers consist of a machine for removing snow from an area where it is not wanted, such as a driveway, sidewalk, roadway or runway. Conventional snow throwers can use either electric power or a gasoline or diesel engine. Single stage snow throwers use a single high-speed impeller to both move the snow into the machine and force it out through a discharge chute. The impeller is usually in the form of two or more curved plastic paddles that move snow towards the centre line of the machine where the discharge chute is located.
However, the known lawn mowers and snow throwers are separate machines designed to perform the different seasonal maintenance functions.
A device which can be used as a lawn edger and alternately as a snow thrower is also known. A head part of the device capable of performing a lawn edging function is interchangeable with a head of the device capable of performing a snow throwing function. The interchangeable head is attached at an end of a handheld wand. However, such a device is limited in the amount of power which can be provided as it is merely a handheld wand. Also, such a device is not designed to function as a lawn mower, lawn aerator, salter/sander, fertilizer spreader or lawn seeder. Rather, the known device is also limited in its application to merely provide lawn edging and snow blowing functions.
Furthermore, this device is not suitably equipped to act as a snow “blower” and is merely a snow “thrower”. Thus, the device is limited in its application to removal of snow from smaller areas and areas which are covered with less snow.
The applicant has appreciated that providing a single device with exchangeable units capable of performing different maintenance functions such as lawn mowing, lawn aerating, dethatching, lawn seeding and/or fertilizing, salt spreading, and snow blowing/throwing results in a savings in terms of storage space which would otherwise be required to store the different machines. Furthermore, financial savings can be realized by providing one machine with the various interchangeable units as only the different interchangeable units are required to be purchased to perform different functions.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. Also, it is an object of this invention to provide a multi-purpose maintenance machine having interchangeable units capable of performing different maintenance functions thereby reducing the costs associated with purchasing the various different machines to perform the different functions, for example a lawn mower, a snow blower, a dethatcher, etc. Because all of these functions can be performed by the multi-purpose maintenance machine of the present invention, a significant cost savings can be achieved.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a multi-purpose maintenance machine that is simplified in its construction and easy to manufacture and maintain. It is also an object to provide simple means to change between maintenance functions performed by the machine. By providing functional modular heads, the same frame, same driving power and same driving mechanics can be used as an all-in-one machine to perform different maintenance functions.
In one aspect, the present invention resides in a multi-purpose maintenance machine having: a machine body which is able to be manipulated by a user and adapted to receive an interchangeable unit having a specific maintenance function. More particularly, the interchangeable unit is selected from the group consisting of: a lawn mowing device, an aerating device, a dethatching device, a seeding device, a fertilizer spreading device, a snow blowing device, and a salter and/or sand spreading device.
In another aspect, the present invention resides in a multi-purpose maintenance machine having a wheeled body which is able to be manipulated by a user and adapted to receive an interchangeable unit having an outdoor maintenance function.
In another aspect, the present invention resides in a multi-purpose outdoor maintenance machine having: a body having a first side and a second side elongated between a front end and a rear end of the body, the first side having a first slot open towards the front end, and the second side having a second slot open towards the front end; a modular working member having first and second arms fitted into the respective first and second slots, the modular working member having a rotatable shaft; a handle fixed to the rear end of the body for manipulation by a user; and a motor to rotate the shaft of the modular working member.
In a further aspect, the present invention resides in an interchangeable modular unit for a wheeled multi-purpose maintenance machine, the interchangeable unit having an apparatus configured for an outdoor maintenance function. More particularly, the apparatus is selected from the group consisting of: a lawn mowing device, an aerating device, a dethatching device, a seeding device, a fertilizer spreading device, a snow blowing device, and a salter and/or sand spreading device.
Further and other features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the embodiments thereof.
Reference may now be had to the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference is first made to
The multi-purpose maintenance machine 2 is advantageously capable of carrying out various maintenance features, for example lawn mowing, lawn aerating, dethatching, lawn seeding and/or fertilizing, salt spreading, and snow blowing/throwing, etc. These maintenance functions are provided by a removable component 8. As shown, the removable component 8 has arms 10A and 10B at opposite ends thereof that are slidably removably insertable into slots 12A, 12B provided on the frame 4. As shown in
As shown in
The removable drive shaft 14 also passes through a central opening 18 in a component pulley 20. The central opening 18 as shown in the sectional view of
To facilitate rotation of the component pulley 20, a drive motor 22 is mounted to the frame 4, as shown in
A cover 32 is slidably disposed on the frame 4 to optionally enclose the inner space in the frame 4 of the multi-purpose maintenance machine 2, as shown in the drawings.
A set of user controls 34 are fixed to the handle. The user controls 34 are electrically connected to the motor 22 by electrical wire 36. The wire 36 is fixed to the user handle 5 by fasteners 38. The user controls 34 are used to activate the motor 22 and turn the component 8 in a desired direction.
A user control 210 is provided on the handle 208. The user control 210 has a power switch to turn a DC motor 212 on or off. The motor 212 is shown in
A second gear shaft 220 is positioned at a centre of the second gear 218. The shaft 220 has a slot 222 which receives a flat end of a drive shaft 224 of an interchangeable functional cartridge 226. The drive shaft 224 has a flat end which fits into the slot 222 and the drive shaft 224 is correspondingly rotated by rotation of the second gear 218 to provide rotational movement to the interchangeable functional cartridge 226, for example to facilitate a snow throwing or lawn mowing function.
As shown in
As shown in
The removable component 226 has lateral sides or arms 234A, 234B. A back plate 236 is fixed to the sides 234A and 234B, as shown in
To attach the removable component 226 to the machine frame 204, the side arms 234A, 234B, are slidably received within respective slots 238A, 238B, as shown in
A front cover assembly 244 is provided and is pivotable into open and closed positions.
As shown in
The controller 250 has a threaded post which meshes with teeth circumferentially provided on the snow guide blade shaft 248, shown in
As shown in
As shown, the flattened end 270 of the shaft 268 extends through a mechanical ball or roller bearing 272 positioned on an arm 274 of the cartridge 263. An outer race of the bearing is engaged against the arm 274 and an inner race of the bearing is engaged against the shaft 268. As such, rotation of the shaft 268 in turn rotates the blades 264A, 264B, 264C and 264D about an axis of the shaft 268.
A fixed edge blade 276 is positioned below the set of cutting blades 264A, 264B, 264C and 264D. A spring 278 is provided to force the fixed edge plate 276 downward to a desired height, and to allow for undulations in a lawn which is being mowed.
A hole (not shown) is provided at a substantially central location of a bottom surface of the hopper 286. The seed, fertilizer, salt and/or sand disposed in hopper 286 is permitted to fall through the hole and onto a rotatable dispenser 290, disposed below the hole. The dispenser 290 is rotatably fixed to a bottom surface of the hopper 286 by a rotatable shaft 292. The rotatable shaft 292 is rotated by a drive shaft 294 having spiral gear teeth 296 which mesh with gear teeth provided spirally around the rotatable shaft 292. By this configuration, an axial rotation of the drive shaft 294 provides an to axial rotation of the shaft 292, and therefore the dispenser 290, orthogonal to the axial rotation of the drive shaft 294. A gear 298 is provided at an end of the drive shaft 294 which is opposite to the gear joint 296. The gear 298 engages teeth disposed on an inner circumference of a wheel drum of the multi-purpose maintenance machine (not shown). The drive shaft 294 is supported by posts 300 fixed to an underside of the hopper 286. As such, rotation of the drive shaft 294 is provided merely by the rotation of a wheel of the machine, and not by a motor.
In use, as the machine is moved, rotation of the wheel translates into rotation of the dispenser 290 to spread seed, fertilizer, salt and/or sand.
Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is also to be understood that the invention is not restricted to these particular embodiments rather, the invention includes all embodiments which are functional, or mechanical equivalents of the specific embodiments and features that have been described and illustrated herein.
It will be understood that, although various features of the invention have been described with respect to one or another of the embodiments of the invention, the various features and embodiments of the invention may be combined or used in conjunction with other features and embodiments of the invention as described and illustrated herein.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/907,667, entitled “Multi-Purpose Maintenance Machine”, filed Apr. 13, 2007.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60907667 | Apr 2007 | US |