Abstract:
Grass blower for use with lawn mower, comprising rotating blade assembly in housing. Housing receives grass cuttings discharged from deck of lawn mower. Rotating blade assembly blows grass cuttings in housing into entrance of discharge chute.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates, broadly speaking, to an improved grass blower for lawn mowers. 
     More particularly, this invention relates to an improved grass blower for use with operating lawn mowers, which grass blower receive grass cuttings from said lawn mower and blows or impels said grass cuttings into a discharge chute. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Various means are known and used for receiving grass cuttings from an operating lawn mower and for blowing or impelling said grass cuttings into a discharge chute. 
     However, these conventional means need improvement, particularly in the efficiency of discharging said grass cuttings into a discharge chute, and in ease of construction. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved grass blower for use with a lawn mower. 
     Another of the objects of this invention is to provide the grass blower for the aforesaid purposes, of high efficiency and ease of construction. 
     Still other and further objects of this invention will become apparent by reference to the accompanying specification and drawings, and to the appended claims. 
     The foregoing objects are attained by providing a grass blower comprising a rotary blower unit mounted to a rotor plate driven by the engine powering the lawn mower to which the grass blower is mounted. 
     The blower unit comprises pairs of transversely spaced blades which blow or impel grass cuttings received by grass blower from the lawn mower into the entrance end of a discharge chute. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like parts in the several views: 
     FIG. 1 represents a section in elevation showing the grass blower of the present invention and the discharge chute which receives grass cuttings blown or impelled into it by the grass blower. 
     FIG. 2 represents a view in perspective of the grass blower and the adjacent portion of the deck of a lawn mower. 
     FIG. 3 represents an enlarged view in side elevation of the blower unit. 
     FIG. 4 represents an enlarged view in perspective of the blower unit. 
     FIG. 5 represents in perspective an exploded view of the assembly of the blower unit, rotor plate and drive pulley. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Grass blower  1  comprises rotor blade assembly  2  and rotor plate  3  mounted within housing  4 , the details of which assembly are shown in FIG.  5 . 
     Rotor plate  3  is secured to shaft  5 , one end of which extends out of one side of housing  4 . Drive pulley  6  is secured to that end of shaft  5  extending out of housing  4 . 
     Housing  4  is mounted to deck  7  of a lawn mower. The discharge opening of deck  7  abuts an opening (not shown) in that side of housing  4  through which shaft  5  does not extend. In this manner, grass cuttings generated in deck  7  by the rotating cutting blades therein enter housing  4  through the said opening. 
     Pulley  8  positioned on deck  7  is secured to shaft  9  extending into the interior of deck  7  to a pulley (not shown) within the said deck  7  and driven by a conventional belt system operated by the engine driving the lawn mower. In this manner, pulley  8  is rotated in the direction indicated by arrow  10 , thereby to drive belt  11  around intermediate pulleys  12  and  13  and around drive pulley  6 , causing drive pulley  6  to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow  14 . 
     Because drive pulley  6  is secured to shaft  5  at one end thereof, and because rotor plate  3  is secured to shaft  5 , the said rotor plate  3  will rotate in the direction indicated by arrow  15 . 
     Turning now to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that rotor blade assembly  2  comprises web  16  with flanges constituting blower blades  17  and  18 , and web  19  with flanges constituting blower blades  20  and  21 . Rotor blade assembly  2  is balanced around shaft  5 , and the areas of blower blades  17 ,  18 ,  20  and  21  are equal. 
     Webs  16  and  19  are held together by means of bolts  22  in such manner that blower blades  17  and  18  are adjacent each other as shown, and that blower blades  18  and  21  likewise are adjacent each other as shown. 
     As shown in greater detail in FIG. 5, bolt  23  extends through central openings  24  and  25  in webs  16  and  19  and through spacer  26 , and is securely threaded into threaded aperture in one end of shaft  5 . 
     Shaft  5  extends through rotor plate  3 , center drive hub  27  to which said shaft  5  is secured, out through one side of housing  4 , and into drive pulley  6  to which the said shaft  5  is secured, as aforesaid. Bolts  28  and nuts  29  secure the rotor plate  3  to center drive hub  27 . In this manner, rotation of drive pulley  6  rotates shaft  5  and causes rotation of center hub drive  27  and thus of rotor plate  3  secured thereto. Rotation of rotor plate  3  results in rotation of rotor blade assembly  2  secured thereto. 
     The other elements of the exploded view of FIG. 5, unnumbered, are readily recognizable washers, etc. Blower housing  4  is provided with discharge opening  30  communicating with the entrance end of discharge chute  31 . Inclined plate  32 , mounted to blower housing  4  and extending partially into blower housing  4  at one edge thereof and into discharge chute  31  at the other end thereof, assists in the propulsion of grass cuttings into discharge chute  31  and prevents the return into blower housing  4  of grass cuttings blown upwardly by the rotor blade assembly  2 . The direction of travel of grass cuttings into and out of discharge chute  31  is indicated by arrow  33 . 
     In operation, grass cuttings generated by the lawn mower in the deck  7  pass from the deck  7  into blower housing  4  and are blown by rotating rotor blade assembly  2  out of blower housing  4  into the entrance end of discharge chute  31 , all in a most efficient manner. 
     Since modifications and changes which do not depart from the spirit of the invention as disclosed herein may readily occur to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains, the appended claims should be construed as covering all suitable modifications and equivalents.