Patent Application
20200191167
The present invention relates generally to landscaping blowers and more particularly to a mounting accessory for attaching a landscaping blower to a utility vehicle or commercial mower.
Commercial landscaping blowers are well known and come in various shapes, sizes and configurations. Walk behind blowers are powerful and easy to use in hilly terrain or large open areas. However, the walk behind blower does not offer air velocity sufficient to blow large quantities of leaves nor is it mountable. Further, because the walk behind blower can take a lot of time to blow small quantities of leaves or debris, it makes it tiresome to use often making it an impractical choice in many blowing situations.
Other blower arrangements include a pull behind blower that is typically supported using its own independent wheel and carriage assembly for separately supporting the blower apart from its mower or vehicle. Although this type of blower can deliver high volumes of air over a large area, this configuration makes maneuvering and transporting inconvenient. Forward speed and overall vehicle gas mileage are also reduced in view of the excessive drag introduced by the supporting carriage. While in use, the operator must look rearward making this style of blower inconvenient and too large for many blowing applicators. Still other blowers are self-propelled and use a stand-on arrangement where the operator stands on a platform and is pulled behind the blower while in motion.
Finally, there are power take-off (PTO) type blowers. The PTO blower is rear mounted to a vehicle which is typically behind a farm implement or tractor. The PTO blower uses the tractor's motor to partially provide drive power to a blower turbine motor. The PTO blower is heavy, rear mounted, cumbersome to use having no adjustment for vertically mounting the blower air exhaust above ground.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the manner upon which the blower is mounted to the vehicle is important since it directly affects performance, efficiency and its ease of use. Prior art blowers require either its own supporting wheel(s), support carriage, external drive power while the blower nozzle's vertical height cannot be easily adjusted in relation to the ground.
Utility vehicles and commercial mowers such as those made for off-road use are commonly used for many types of land management tasks on golf courses, cemeteries and county clubs. The utility vehicle often uses accessories that can be temporarily mounted directly to the vehicle requiring it be carried without use of an independent ground supported wheel base for the accessory. These types of machines include mower cutting decks, snow plows and/or leaf blowers.
An issue in attaching these accessories often involves the steps involved in attaching and/or detaching the accessory from the vehicle. In some cases, the accessory may be very heavy and a complex mount can make it difficult for one or more persons to fasten or unfasten the accessory to the vehicle. Thus, the need exists for a simple accessory mounting arrangement for use with small utility type vehicles or commercial mowers.
The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention.
Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related a mounting system for a utility vehicle blower. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
In this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
Embodiment of the present invention describe a self-contained attachable blower system that utilizes a vehicle chassis for carrying and maneuvering towards areas of debris that an operator desires to clear away.
In one embodiment, the utility vehicle mounting assembly 100 is used to mount a landscaping blower 101 to a utility vehicle 103. The mounting assembly 100 includes a blade 105 mounted to a front bumper or frame 107 of the vehicle 103. As will be described herein, the blade 105 provides a male attachment point for a receiver 109 attached to a side of the blower 101 so that the blower is mounted with the impeller air intake 111 facing the vehicle and the motor 113 facing outward from the vehicle. The motor 113 may be an electric, natural gas or petroleum powered motor.
The landscaping blower 211 includes an impeller housing 213, motor 215 and rotatable nozzle 217. A support frame 219 extends under the impeller housing 213 and includes a receiver 221 at its end. The receiver 221 has a notch 223 configured substantially in the shape of the blade 223 so to receive the end of blade 209. In use, the blower 211 is positioned so the receiver 221 moves downwardly in a vertical manner over the blade 209 so the weight of the blower 211 will provide the necessary downward force to hold the receiver 221 on the blade 209 and into an immoveable positon. This cart 201 is used for transporting the blower 211 into a positon so it can be used with the utility vehicle as well as storing the blower when not mounted to the vehicle. In use, the cart 201 can be rolled into position and then lifted on the utility vehicle to transfer the weight of the blower. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other configuration of the blade are possible for example, a blade having a lower taper that increases in diameter or alternatively, a blade having one or more spring loaded finger(s) that can engage with one or more slots in the receiver.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that not all utility vehicles use a single front axle but instead may use different forms of independent wheel suspension. No matter the type of wheel attachment, embodiments of the invention allow the landscape blower 301 to be mounted so that the blower's exhaust nozzle is substantially close to the front wheel and the ground. This allows the blower 301 and its blower nozzle to effectively blow substantially horizontally close to the ground, when in motion, so to be in unison with the vehicle chassis as well as with the terrain or other objects moving under the wheel. Because of this mounting configuration, no additional wheels or wheel carriage are needed to support the weight of the blower. This arrangement, where the motor is forward of the impeller housing, also works to prevent damage to the blower nozzle as it is not as likely to strike the ground when moving uphill or objects that move under the wheel. Moreover, this configuration also has the benefit of reducing engine noise because the blower motor is furthest away from the operator. This reduces fatigue when using such landscaping blowers over long periods of time.
The blade 601 extents to a rounded edge 607. The rounded edge 607 is a parabolic segment that extends between a line parallel to a fixed line between edges of the blade 601. The blade 601 further includes a chamfered edge 609 that slopes downwardly from the top surface 611. A plurality of notches 613 are formed where the blade 601 joins the base 603.
The coupler assembly 800 provides an uncomplicated, two-part assembly allowing for the quick and easy attachment and detachment of landscaping accessories from a utility vehicle. The coupler assembly is tight fitting requiring no tools to operate allowing for the easy and hassle-free use by a single user/operator. A novel aspect of the invention is that the coupler assembly allows for the simple alignment of the female coupler to male coupler. Once mounted, the coupler's unique size and shape is easily releasable providing a slop-free fitment of the accessory to the utility vehicle. Finally, the coupler assembly is manufactured of metal or durable plastic and is substantially robust allowing future accessories such as large and small leaf blowers, weight kits, storage trays and fertilizer spreaders, spray tanks, hose reels and other accessories related to ground maintenance to use the same coupling assembly with a single vehicle.
Hence, the present invention is directed to a landscaping blower mounting and coupling assembly that includes a landscaping blower having a motor and a shroud. A blade is attached to the front end of the utility vehicle and a receiver is attached to a landscaping blower for receiving the blade so to support the landscaping blower. The blower mounting assembly allows the landscaping blower to be configured so the impeller housing is positioned between the blade and the blower motor.
In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present invention. The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15611222 | Jun 2017 | US |
| Child | 16802837 | US |
