Scoop

Abstract

The device is a scoop for use with an aeration machine for collecting debris lying on the ground. The scoop including a frame and a plurality of debris pick-up plates, where each plate is mounted on the frame. Each plate also has a biasing mechanism for urging a leading edge of the plate downwardly as it is drawn across the ground.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of Irish Short Term Patent Application No. S2007/0165, filed in Ireland on Mar. 13, 2007, and which application is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a scoop for collecting debris lying on the ground, and in particular for collecting plugs of earth extracted from golf greens.

To assist drainage and alleviate compaction, plugs of earth are removed from golf greens and the holes left behind are backfilled with sharp sand. Aeration apparatus is available for mounting on the three point linkage of a tractor, having a number of hollow tines which are inserted into the green and then extracted in a repeating reciprocal motion and plugs of earth removed by the tines discarded onto the surface of the green. Removing these plugs of earth from the surface of the green is a time consuming and labor intensive task. The present invention is directed towards overcoming these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a scoop for collecting debris lying on the ground, the scoop including a debris pick-up plate, said plate being pivotally mounted on a support for drawing the plate across the ground to collect the debris, and bias means for urging a leading edge of the plate downwardly, as it is drawn across the ground.

In a preferred embodiment, the bias means comprises a post upstanding on the plate and means for applying a force to said post in the direction of travel of the plate to urge a leading edge of the plate downwardly.

In another embodiment, the plate is mounted on the support by a trailing arm connected between the support and the post, said trailing arm being pivotally mounted to the support and to the post.

In a further embodiment, the post is mounted at a front end of the plate adjacent the leading edge.

In another embodiment, a counterbalance weight is provided at a rear end of the plate to resist lifting of a rear end of the plate.

In another embodiment, a skid is mounted on an underside of the plate. Preferable, the skid is wedge shaped, being deeper at a rear end than at a front end of the skid.

In another embodiment, a plurality of juxtaposed plates are provided on the support, said plates being arranged in a row side-by-side forming a continuous composite scoop plate assembly.

In another embodiment, side edges of adjacent plates are hingedly interconnected.

In a further embodiment, the plates are hingedly interconnected by straps extending between the plates and secured to each plate.

In another embodiment, stops are provided on the plates to prevent the pates sliding over each other in use.

In a preferred embodiment, the stops comprise upstanding stop lugs at a front end of each plate at side edges of the plate and associated downwardly depending stop lugs at a rear end of each plate at side edges of the plate.

In another embodiment, outermost plates in the row of plates have upturned outer side walls.

In another embodiment, side flaps are provided on the support at each side of the row of plates for retaining material on the plates.

In another embodiment, each side flap is hingedly mounted on the support frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a scoop according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a detail side elevational view showing a debris pick-up plate arrangement for the scoop.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a row of plates forming portion of the scoop.

FIG. 4 is an underneath plan view of the row of plates shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a detail plan view showing portion of adjoining plates.

FIG. 6 is a detail end elevation view showing portions of adjoining plates.

FIG. 7 is a detail plan view showing a plate lifting mechanism forming portion of the scoop.

FIG. 8 is a detail perspective view showing a side of the scoop.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing the scoop in use.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the scoop, in use.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing the scoop, in use, mounted on a tractor.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the scoop.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated a scoop for collecting debris according to the invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The scoop 1 comprises a support frame 2. A set 3 of juxtaposed debris pick-up plates 4 is pivotally mounted on the support 2. Each pick-up plate 4 is mounted on the support frame 2 by a trailing arm 6 connected between a front crossbar 7 of the support frame 2 and an upstanding post 8 located centrally on the plate 4 adjacent a leading edge 9 of the plate 4. Each trailing arm 6 is pivotally mounted to the cross member 7 by a pivot bolt 10 at a front end of the arm 6 and pivotally mounted to the post 8 by a pivot bolt 11 at a rear end of the arm 6. Thus, for example, as the support frame 2 is drawn behind a tractor vehicle, the trailing arm 6 pulls the plate 4 along the ground. As the trailing arm 6 pulls on the post 8, it tends to urge a leading edge 9 of the plate 4 downwardly to keep it in engagement with the surface of the ground, over which the plate 4 is being drawn.

A counterbalance weight 14 is mounted on an underside of the plate 4 at a rear end 15 of the plate 4. A skid 16 is also centrally mounted on an underside of the plate 4. This skid 16 is wedge-shaped being deeper at a rear end 17 than at a front end 18 of the skid 16.

All of the plates 4 in the set 3 of plates 4 are hingedly interconnected. Straps 20 span between adjacent plates 4 between top surfaces 21 of the plates 4 to which they are attached by metal plates 22 secured by fasteners 23 to each plate 4.

Stop lugs 28 are upstanding at a front end of each plate 4 at side edges of the plate 4 and similar stop lugs (not shown) are provided downwardly depending from a rear end of each plate 4 at side edges of the plate 4 to prevent the plates 4 sliding over each other in use. It will be noted that the plates 4 can hinge together to accommodate uneven ground, while not overriding each other.

Referring in particular to FIG. 8, side flaps 30 are provided on the support 2 at each side of the row 3 of plates 4 for retaining material on the plates 4. Each side flap 30 is hingedly attached by a pivot 31 at a rear lower edge of the side flap 30 to the frame 2. A skid 32 is provided along a lower edge of each flap 30 for allowing the flap 30 to travel over the ground without digging into the ground. These side flaps may be directly attached to the outer two plates and hence pivot with the plates. As described these side flaps are side means pivotably connected to the frame to retain scooped material on said plates.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 7 and 12, a plate lifting assembly, indicated generally by the reference numeral 40 is shown. The lifter 40 comprises an elongate bar 41 rotatably mounted in associated bushings 42 on the support frame 2.

Rearwardly projecting arms 44 have chains 45 at their outer end. These chains 45 attach to posts 8 on some of the plates 4. An upwardly extending actuating lever arm 48 is centrally mounted on the bar 41. This lever arm 48 is connected by a link arm 49 with a pivoting arm 50 at a rear of the support frame 2. A chain 52 connected to the arm 50 extends forwardly to a tractor vehicle for pivoting the arm 50 and hence through links 49 and 48 the bar 41 to raise the plates 4.

In use, the scoop 1 is mounted behind a tractor 60, as shown in FIG. 10. Conveniently, as shown, it can be mounted behind apparatus 61 having tines for extracting plugs of material from the green 62, said apparatus being mounted on the three point linkage of the tractor 60. Thus, as the apparatus 61 throws plugs onto the surface of the green 62, the scoop 1 picks up the waste plugs 63 from the surface of the green 62. As the plates 4 are pulled along the surface of the green 62, the trailing arms 6 pull the posts 8, thus urging the leading edge 9 of each plate 4 downwardly against the surface of the green 62. Thus, the plugs 63 are picked up and collected on top of the plates 4. The tractor 60 then drives off the green to a suitable location for dumping the plugs 63. By raising the three point linkage on the tractor 60, the plates 4 will pivot downwardly, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, dropping the plugs 63 onto the ground.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims

1. A scoop for use with an aerator comprising a frame defining a front and a rear, said frame having two attachment points attachable to an aeration device, said scoop further having a plurality of plates pivotally connected to said frame, said plates substantially horizontally aligned, said scoop further having a biasing means to bias each plate downwardly.

2. The scoop of claim 1 wherein said biasing means comprises a plurality of arms, each of said arms pivotally connecting one of said plurality of plates (the “associated plate”) to said frame near the front edge of said associated plate.

3. The scoop of claim 1 wherein each of said plates has a wedge shaped skid mounted to the underside of said plate.

4. The scoop of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of plates further includes a counterweight.

5. The scoop of claim 2 wherein said biasing means further comprises a plurality of upstanding posts, each of said upstanding posts positioned near the front edge of one of said plates and each said training arm pivotably attaches to a corresponding one of said upstanding posts.

6. The scoop of claim 1 further having a side means to retain debris scooped onto said plates.

7. The scoop of claim 6 wherein said side means to retain debris further comprises a plate pivotably connected to said frame.