Abstract:
A handheld spreader having a fillable container for dispensing particulate from an electrically powered blower assembly in a detachable base. The spreader includes a feed slide leading from the container to the air stream channel of the base that has a vibrating eccentric plate for guiding and improving the flow of particulate from container into the air stream. The container and base are frictionally engaged together, thereby allowing for easy assembly of spreader, including assembly after container has been filled with particulate, as well as easy reassembly if container is removed and refilled. The spreader includes a rotating slide that may be operated by a user to open and partially close the feed slide of the container to control the feed rate.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to particulate spreading devices and, more particularly, to an electrically powered hand spreader. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Home owners frequently need to dispense particulate matter, such as lawn fertilizer, weeding chemicals, grass seed, and even salt, over a given area, such as lawn, sidewalk or driveway. Conventional methods for spreading or dispensing particulate have a hopper that is manually filled particulate and allows the particulate to gravity feed onto a spinning spreader plate that cases the particulate outwardly. The spreader is usually powered by mechanical interconnection to wheels or a hand crank associated with the spreader plate so that the plate is causes to spin and the user pushes the hopper along the ground or turns the hand crank. These systems typically have poor distribution and control over dispensing, and require that the user physically drive spreading operations by moving along the ground or turning a crank. These systems also require a lot of contact between the user of the system and the particulate to be spread, which is a significant disadvantage due to the hazardous nature of many particulates. 
     While automatically powered spreaders avoid the need for the user to provide the distributing force, they suffer from many of the same drawbacks. For example, electrically powered spreader plates still have poor distribution and control, due in part to the lack of means for ensuring flow of particular from the container to the distributor, and also require that the user manually handle particulate. Other systems, such as those the attached to conventional leaf blowers are mechanically complicated and expensive. While these systems may be attractive to commercial customers, they are not too expensive and complicated for the average homeowner and require the use of additional equipment that is expensive and difficult to use. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore a principal object and advantage of the present invention to provide a powered handheld spreader that has improved particulate distribution. 
     It is an additional object and advantage of the present invention to provide a powered handheld spreader that minimizes contact with particulate. 
     It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to provide a powered handheld spreader that is less expensive and may be easily replenished or reused. 
     It is also an object and advantage of the present invention to provide a powered handheld spreader that is easy to manufacture and can be filled with particulate during the assembly process. 
     In accordance with the foregoing objects and advantages, the present invention provides a handheld spreader having a fillable container that is interconnected to a base assembly having a blower and air flow channel via a slide having a vibrating eccentric plate for guiding particular matter and improving flow of particulate into channel. Particulate dispensed from the container is collected in the air flow channel and distributed out of the spreader. The container and base are further interconnected by a coupling member that frictionally engages and seals the container to the base, thereby allowing for easy assembly of spreader, including assembly after container has been filled with particulate as well as easy reassembly if container is removed and refilled at a later date. The spreader further comprises a sliding gate that may be operated by a user to open and close the opening of the container while simultaneously activating and deactivating the blower motor. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reading the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective, exploded view of a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a longitudinal cross-section of an assembled powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a container for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a hook plate for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a slide plate for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan of a slide plate for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a base for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a second perspective view of a base for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a cover for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a base and pull assembly for a powered hand spreader according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, there is seen in  FIG. 1  a powered hand spreader  10  according to the present invention. Spreader  10  comprises an upper assembly having a container  12  that may be selectively attached to or detached from a bottom assembly comprising a base  14 . 
     Container  12  comprises an upper housing  16  having a user handle  18  and defining a cavity  20  therein for holding particulate matter therein. As seen in  FIG. 4 , container  12  further includes a tubular chute  22  extending outwardly therefrom and having a series of circumferentially extending external ridge  24 . Tubular chute  22  defines an opening  26  in the bottom of container  12  that allows any particulate in cavity  20  to be a gravity fed out of container  12  through opening  26 . It should be recognized by those of skill in the art that opening  26  may be temporarily covered by a foil or other closure to ensure that any potentially harmful particulate stored in container  12  are maintained in place prior to spreading operations. Container  12  is preferably blow molded and further includes a pair of planar surfaces  28  and  30  to allow container  12  to be stabily positioned on a horizontal surface with opening  26  facing upwardly. 
     As seen in  FIG. 4 , container  12  is interconnected to base  14  via a hook plate  32  that engages and is retained to the lower edge of container  12  via a hole  34  formed therethrough which tubular chute  22  may extend so that hole  34  engages ridge  24 . Hook plate also include a peripheral edge  36  dimensioned to encompass and retain the lower edge  38  of container  12 . Due to the inherent inaccuracies in blow molding processes, hook plate  32  can be injection molded and used to compensate for manufacturing irregularities in container  12  so that container  12  and hook plate  32  have consistent dimensions for further coupling to the bottom assembly of spreader  10 . As explained in detail below, this provides a modular design and allows for dependable coupling of container  12  to base  14 . To connect to base  14 , hook plate  32  further includes two opposing tabs  40  and  42  extending from hole  34  for releasable attachment to the rest of spreader  10 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , spreader  10  further comprises a slide plate  44  having slots  46  and  48  corresponding to tabs  40  and  42 , respectively, to allow container  12  and hook plate  32  to be releasably attached to slide plate  44 . For example, slots  46  and  48  may each have a first, wide receiving portion  50  that extends to a second, narrow locking portion  52  so that container  12  and hook plate  32  may be mated with slide plate  44  by positioning container  12  and hook plate  32  at a rotationally offset angle from slide plate  44 , inserting tabs  40  and  42  into each wide receiving portion  50  of each of slots  46  and  48 , then rotating container  12  and hook plate  32  relative to slide plate  44  so that tabs  40  and  42  are moved into frictional locking engagement with narrow locking portion  52  of each of slots  46  and  48  to firmly engage container  12  and hook plate  32  with slide plate  44 . Reverse rotation of container  12  and hook plate  32  relative to slide plate  44  thus allows for container  12  and hook plate  32  to be disengaged from slide plate  44 . 
     Slide plate  44  further includes a tubular channel  56  that has a first end  58  that is aligned and dimensioned to mate with tubular chute  22  of container  12 . The opposing end  60  of tubular channel  56  includes a first, closed portion  62  that covers a portion of opening  26  of container  12  as well as a second, open portion  64  having a control aperture  66  that is in fluid communication with opening  26  of container  12 , thereby reducing the amount of particulate that can be gravity fed out of opening  26  of container  12 . A rotatable slide  70  comprising a partial disk is positioned in tubular channel  56 , such as by a pivot boss  72 , to be moveable in response to manual input, such as by grasping one of more protrusions  74  extending from slide  70 . Slide  70  can thus be selectively positioned to cover none or various amounts of control aperture  66 , thereby allowing adjustment of the amount of particulate that can flow from container  12  through chute  22  and out of control aperture  66 . 
     In addition to controlling size of control aperture  66 , slide  70  assists in the dispensing of particulate by ensuring a relatively even flow of particulate into base  14 . More particularly, slide  70  may be aligned so that it does not extend perpendicularly to the direction of flow of particulate and thus encourages particular to flow toward control aperture  66 . In addition, by virtue of the agitation produced by the rotation of a blower  80 , described in detail below, slide  70  will vibrate at a high frequency corresponding to the rotational speed of blower  80 . This vibration of slide  70  assists with the flow of particulate to and through aperture  66  by preventing bridging of the particulate or stoppage of flow. To improve vibration of slide  70 , blower  80  may comprise an unbalanced fan, such as one having a single fan blade that is thicker than the other blades. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , spreader  10  further comprises a base  14  having a passageway  82  positioned in operative relation to control aperture  66  to accept any particulate matter and eject it from spreader  10 . More particularly, passageway  82  extends from a point adjacent to blower  80  circumferentially around blower  80 , thereby forming a shroud  86  for blower  80 , while gradually widening until a point  88  just proximate to and upstream of control aperture  66 . At a point  88  just prior to control aperture  66 , passageway  82  narrows slightly and then widens again as reaches and passes under aperture  66  and continues widening until reaching an exit opening  90  formed in base  14 . Thus, any particulate fed through control aperture  66  will be entrapped in the airstream created by blower  80 , forced along passageway  82  and driven out of exit opening  90 . As seen in  FIG. 8 , base  14  further includes an air intake  92  in fluid communication with blower  80  so that blower can create an air stream in passageway  82  that leads out of exit opening  90 . The width of passageway  82  is defined and controlled as explained above to reduce air pressure at blower  80 , thereby improving efficiency, and also to create a slight negative pressure in passageway  82  underneath control aperture  66 . As a result, particulate being fed from container  12  is less likely to be forced back into container  12  and will instead be drawn into passageway  82  by gravity and a slight venturi effect. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , base  14  further comprises a cover  91  positioned over passageway  82  that includes an opening  93  aligned with control aperture  66  and passageway  82  to permit fluid communication therebetween. Cover  91  further includes a battery compartment  94  and a detent  96  for supporting a motor  98  that is interconnected to and drives blower  80 . Battery compartment  94  may include a door  97  enclosing compartment  94  that is aligned with and positioned in slide plate  44 . Thus, in a preferred embodiment, slide plate  44 , cover  91 , and base  14  for a bottom assembly for spreader  10  and may be manufactured and assembled separately from container  12  and then coupled or decoupled from the upper assembly of container  12  and hook plate  32  during manufacturing or by a user. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , base  14  additionally includes a pull  100  that is moveable between a first, closed/off position and a second, open/on position. Pull  100  is operatively interconnected to motor  98 , such as by having movable electrical contact points as part of a switch, to allow manual activation and deactivation of blower  80  as desired. Pull  100  further includes an extending portion  102  that is capable of selectively covering the opposite side of control aperture  66  from slide  70 . Thus, at the same time that pull  100  electrically activates or deactivates blower  80 , pull  100  also selectively uncovers and covers control aperture  66 . Preferably, the distance that pull  100  moves before turning on blower  80  is less than the distance required to uncover aperture  66 , thus allowing an air stream to be formed in passageway  82  by blower  80  before any particulate is allowed to fall into passageway  82  through control aperture  66 . 
     Spreader  10  thus includes two assemblies that may be readily detached from each other. First, is an upper assembly comprising container  10  and hook plate  32  that are frictionally engaged to each other (such as at the time of manufacture) and, second is the bottom assembly comprising slide plate  44 , cover  93 , and base  14 , which can be permanently attached to each other at manufacture. This modularity allows either bottom assembly or top assembly to be reused or reconfigured for attachment to a replacement for the other assembly, as desired or needed. 
     A user can thus obtain a spreader  10  that has been pre-filled with particulate, take spreader  10  to the location where the particulate is to be spread, extend pull  100  to activate blower  80  and, nearly simultaneously, allowing particulate to fall into passageway  82 , thereby blowing particulate out of spreader  10  onto the desired location. When spreading operations have concluded, the user can close pull  100 , thereby preventing any more particulate from being dispensed into base  14  and also turning off blower  18 . If all particulate has been exhausted, the user can separate base  14  from container  12  by twisting container  12  relative to slide plate  32 , and then attach a filled container  12  or a refilled container  12  back to base  14  for further use.