Abstract:
An apparatus for collecting thorns, spines, prickles, seeds, burrs, and the like from the ground. Embodiments of the present disclosure include a roller for picking up thorns, spines, prickles, seeds, burrs, and the like from the ground, a scraper to remove the picked-up objects from the roller, and a collector tray to catch and collect the removed objects. In embodiments, the roller comprises a cylindrical foam roller. In embodiments, the scraper comprises a mesh screen rolled into a cylinder-like form and held adjacent to or against the roller. Objects that are removed from the roller may be ejected and/or fall into the collector tray for subsequent disposal.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a device for collecting dispersed thorns, spines, prickles, seeds, burrs, and the like from the ground. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a device for gathering thorns and the like from a surface such as a sidewalk, road, or other ground surface. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Throughout most the world, certain plants produce hard, durable products that have one or more pointed and/or hooked ends. Such products may commonly be known as thorns, prickles, stickers, burrs, or spines. Within the present disclosure, such plant products may generally be referred to as “thorns” throughout, and any such reference may include a variation of a plant products having pointed ends, barbs, hooks, or other attachment means. (For example, a burr can attach to fur or clothing via small hook-like protrusions.) 
     Many types of thorns are plant seeds and employ the attachment means as dispersal mechanisms due to a thorn&#39;s propensity to attach to animal fur and/or skin, clothing, and other mobile objects. Thorn-producing plants include  Tribulus terrestris  (commonly known as puncturevine or goathead),  Xanthium strumarium  (commonly known as common cocklebur),  Cenchrus longispinus  (commonly known as spiny burr grass),  Emex spinosa  (commonly known as devil&#39;s thorn), and many others. 
     Thorns may be dropped by their producing plants in numerous quantities. Wind, animals, humans, and other dispersal means may subsequently cause thorns to be dispersed across the ground, on sidewalks, and over roadways, making them difficult to remove and causing injury to people and animals and damage to bicycle, automobile, and other tires. 
     Current thorn removal methods may include collecting thorns by hand or dragging an object made of a soft material such as a blanket, a carpet, or a foam block across the ground. Once used, the object is typically disposed of due to the difficulty of removing the thorns from the object. One inherent weakness of dragging a thorn-collecting object across the ground is that such methods may not include a continuous motion, but rather employ numerous repeated dragging motions. Such methods also typically lead to unsatisfactory results due to the amount of thorns left behind. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one embodiment, a thorn collector is disclosed. The thorn collector comprises a frame, an axle mounted to the frame, a cylindrical foam roller on the axle, a wire mesh scraper, a collector tray, and an attachment mechanism. The foam roller has free rotation relative to the frame. The scraper is held proximate to the foam roller by scraper arms. The scraper is adapted to remove a thorn from the foam roller. The collector tray is adapted to catch the thorn. The attachment mechanism is mounted on the frame. 
     In an additional embodiment, a thorn collector is disclosed. The thorn collector includes a cylindrical roller, a scraper, and a collector tray. The scraper is proximate to the roller along an axial length of the roller. The collector tray is positioned at least partially below the scraper. 
     In an additional embodiment, a method of collecting dispersed thorns is disclosed. The method includes moving a thorn collector across a ground surface, thereby causing a roller of the thorn collector to contact and roll across a portion of the ground surface; picking up at least one thorn on the roller; engaging the at least one thorn with a scraper that is held proximate to the roller, thereby causing the at least one thorn to eject from the roller; and catching the at least one thorn in a collector tray. 
     The present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be read in conjunction with both this summary, the detailed description, and any preferred or particular embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of illustration only so that this disclosure will be thorough, and fully convey the full scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. 
         FIG. 1  depicts a side view of a thorn collector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a perspective front view of a thorn collector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a perspective rear view of a thorn collector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  depicts a front view of a thorn collector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a rear view of a thorn collector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  depicts an exploded diagram of a thorn collector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a thorn collector having a handle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 8  depicts a thorn collector mounted on a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the concepts disclosed herein, and it is to be understood that modifications to the various disclosed embodiments may be made, and other embodiments may be utilized, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. 
     Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one example,” or “an example” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” “one example,” or “an example” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable combinations and/or sub-combinations in one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, it should be appreciated that the figures provided herewith are for explanation purposes to persons ordinarily skilled in the art and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure comprise a roller apparatus for picking up thorns from a surface. Particular embodiments comprise a roller, a roller scraper, and a collector tray. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be adapted to be pushed and/or pulled by a person. Alternate embodiments may be pushed and/or pulled by a vehicle. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , according to embodiments of the present disclosure, a thorn collector  100  comprises a frame  102 , roller  110 , scraper  120 , and collector tray  130 . Roller  110  comprises a cylindrical roller having thorn collection surface  112  around an axle  114 . 
     In embodiments, roller  110  comprises a foam material. For example, an embodiment comprises a roller  110  made of polyethylene foam similar to a consumer swimming product commonly known as a “pool noodle.” In alternative embodiments, other types of foam or other soft, spongy, and/or porous materials are used as a collection surface  112 . In an alternative embodiment, roller  110  comprises carpet-like material wrapped around a cylinder-shaped article. In other embodiments, roller  110  can be manufactured from virtually any kind of soft plastic, polyurethane material, or other variations of foam. Additionally, roller  110  may be formed of combinations of the foregoing materials. 
     Frame forks  104  protrude from frame  102  at a distance roughly equivalent to the length of roller  110  and axle  114 . Ends of axle  114  are connected to frame forks  104 , thereby allowing free rotation of roller  110  relative to frame  102 . In alternative embodiments, roller  110  is mounted to frame  102  and/or frame forks  104  via pins or like hardware that allow free rotation of roller  110  relative to frame  102 . In embodiments, frame  102 , forks  104 , and axle  114  comprise a steel material. In alternative embodiments, other suitable materials may be used. Characteristics that may indicate suitability of a material include relatively light weight, durability, and sufficient strength to withstand sustained use of the thorn collector  100 . 
     Scraper  120  is fixed to frame  102  via scraper arms  122 . Scraper arms  122  comprise relatively rigid elements mounted to frame  102 . In the embodiments depicted in FIGS.  1 - 5 , scraper arms  122  comprise two steel arms. In other embodiments, virtually any number of scraper arms  122  may be included. In other embodiments, scraper arms  122  may be manufactured from other materials, for example plastics. Scraper arms  122  are adapted to hold scraper  120  at the collection surface  112  of roller  110 . 
     In embodiments, scraper  120  may be held in light contact against collection surface  112  of roller  110  by scraper arms  112  in such a way as to allow rotation of roller  110  while maintaining near-constant contact between scraper  120  and collection surface  112 . In embodiments, scraper arms  122  further comprise springs or other resilient materials adapted to apply a holding force to scraper  120  to maintain constant or near-constant contact between scraper  120  and collection surface  112 . In other embodiments, scraper  120  may be held near collection surface  112 , leaving a small clearance therebetween. Such a clearance may be slightly smaller than anticipated sizes of thorns to be collected. For example, surfaces of scraper  120  may be maintained within roughly 5 millimeters of portions of the collection surface  112  when collecting thorns sized larger than 5 millimeters. 
     In the embodiment depicted, scraper  120  comprises a wire mesh rolled into a cylinder-like shape and secured in that shape by L-shaped bracket  124 . In embodiments, the mesh comprises a woven mesh made of a metal material such as steel. In alternative embodiments, other types of mesh materials and constructions are utilized in scraper  120 . Differently-sized openings in the mesh lattice may selectively be used for different scraper  120  implementations. As an example, in one embodiment, scraper  120  comprises 14 mesh stainless steel. Mesh size and/or mesh type of scraper  120  may selectively be modified to suit the terrain, the types and sizes of thorns targeted for collection, the method of movement of thorn collector  100  (i.e. depending on whether the thorn collector  100  may be pushed or pulled, if a person might manually push or pull thorn collector  100 , or what type of vehicle might push or pull thorn collector  100 ), and other factors. 
     In an embodiment, scraper  120  is formed by rolling a mesh into a cylinder-like shape having an approximate diameter of three-fourths (0.75) of an inch. In alternative embodiments, mesh scraper  120  is rolled into other sizes. Embodiments of the present disclosure comprise a scraper bracket  124  mounted to scraper arms  122  and adapted to hold scraper  120  near roller  110 . Scraper bracket  124  can also hold scraper  120  in a desired shape. 
     In embodiments, collector  130  comprises a tray mounted to frame  102  via collector arms  132 . Collector  130  is mounted forward and below scraper  120  so that thorns that are scraped from roller  110  by scraper  120  can be caught in collector  130 . Collector  130  comprises a tray shield  134  that extends from a wall of collector  130  that is opposite roller  110  and scraper  120 . In embodiments, collector arms  132  are manufactured from a strong, durable material. In alternative embodiments, collector arms  132  comprise clips to secure collector  130  to frame  102 . The clips may comprise metal, plastic, various other suitably strong and durable materials, or a combination thereof. 
     In operation, thorn collector  100  may be pushed or pulled over a ground surface where thorns are dispersed. As collection surface  112  passes over the ground, the pointed ends, hooks, and like elements of the thorns can penetrate or catch onto collection surface  112  and thereby get picked up by roller  110 . As the roller  110  rolls around the axle  114  by continued motion of thorn collector  100 , thorns are carried around roller toward scraper  120 . The motion from roller  110 , combined with interaction with scraper  120 , is adapted to catch and pull thorns from the roller  110  and deposit the thorns into collector  130 . Tray shield  134  may block errant thorns that are propelled by the scraper  120  from roller  110 . After collector  130  has filled with thorns, collector  130  may be emptied into another receptacle. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an exploded diagram of an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. From time to time, the collection surface  112  may wear down after normal usage. In such cases, the roller  110  (or alternatively, only the collection surface  112 ) can be replaced by removing it from the frame  102  by removing or loosening hardware, removing roller  110  or collection surface  114  from axle  114 , placing a new roller  110  or collection surface  114  on axle  114 , and securing axle  114  to frame  102  by re-securing hardware. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , embodiments of thorn collector  100  comprise attachment mechanism  106  for securing frame  102  to a handle  108 . For example, embodiments of attachment mechanism  106  comprise a threaded socket for connection to a handle  108 , extension pole, or the like. As depicted in  FIG. 8 , in alternative embodiments, frame  102  comprises an attachment mechanism  106  to secure thorn collector to a vehicle  109 . Embodiments can be attached to a vehicle  109  such as an ATV, a riding lawnmower, an automobile (including a truck and the like), a tractor, a bicycle, or other means. Embodiments of the thorn collector  100  of the present disclosure are adapted to be pushed, while alternative embodiments are adapted to be pulled. Other embodiments are bi-directional, and may function when pushed or pulled. 
     Although the present disclosure is described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure, including embodiments that do not provide all of the benefits and features set forth herein, which are also within the scope of this disclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.