Abstract:
A debris collector and associated systems and methods are disclosed. The debris collector is configured to receive and process debris, such as lawn debris, by way of a variety of intake systems, such as a basket and vacuum tube. After intake, the debris collector is configured to process the debris by way of an auger and agitators, so as to be passed through a blower fan for disposal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application 61/897,048, filed Oct. 29, 2013, and entitled “Lawn Vacuuming System with Hopper,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosed apparatus, methods and system relate to the collection and removal of lawn debris. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Particularly in the fall, large amounts of debris, such as leaves, fall on lawns. There is a need in the art for improved apparatus, systems and methods for efficient, high volume collection and removal of lawn debris. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     As discussed herein, the “debris collector” relates to various apparatus and methods relating to the collection and removal of debris by way of a collection reservoir specially adapted to receive and process the debris before blowing it into a truck for removal. 
     While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the debris collector will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the debris collector. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the debris collector. 
         FIG. 2  depicts a reverse side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 3  depicts a front quarter side view of an embodiment of the debris collector showing the basket in a halfway position. 
         FIG. 4  depicts a read quarter view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  showing the rear collector. 
         FIG. 5  depicts a top view of the auger and agitator assembly inside the debris housing, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  depicts a side, perspective view of the auger and agitator assembly, according to the embodiment of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  depicts a front quarter view of the hydraulic system according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  depicts a perspective view of the debris collector&#39;s hydraulic system, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  depicts an endlong view of the hydraulic system and various motors according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  depicts a side view of another exemplary embodiment of the debris collector. 
         FIG. 11  depicts a further side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  depicts a reverse side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 13  depicts a perspective endlong view of the rear of the debris collector of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 14  depicts an internal endlong view of the debris housing showing the agitators and augers, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 15  depicts a view of the augur blades and blower, according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 16  depicts an external view of the hydraulic system and control switch according to one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present apparatus, systems and methods disclose a debris collector which addresses these flaws in the prior art. For brevity, embodiments will be discussed in reference to the “debris collector,” though as one of skill in the art would be readily aware, this can comprise various aspects of the disclosed apparatus and methods. 
     Exemplary embodiments of the debris collector comprise a chassis set on wheels for towing, and further comprising a walled, generally rectangular debris housing, or “hopper” having first and second sides and first and second (or front and back) ends, and a floor. Exemplary embodiments further comprise at least one auger and at least one agitator mounted lengthwise at or near the floor, with the individual ends reaching substantially the length of the floor from the first end to the second end. In certain exemplary embodiments, a collection devices is also present, and is operated by a power source, such as a hydraulic system and/or gas, diesel or electrical means, such as an engine or motor, which can also be mounted on the chassis for operational communication with the fan or blower, which may be powered by way of a crankshaft and clutch assembly, as would be known by one of skill in the art, and also be in operational communication with the hydraulic system and pumps so as to power the various hydraulic devices, such as arms, augers, agitators and the like. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the debris collector operates to allow side and rear loading of debris, such as leaves, into the hopper for digestion via the auger and separator, and then the device is equipped to blow or otherwise transport the ground or otherwise processed debris into a truck for removal. In further embodiments, the debris collector comprises at least one collection opening, which can be in operational communication with a hose for direct debris collection. 
     Referring now to the figures with particularity,  FIG. 1  depicts a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the debris collector  10 , which comprises a chassis  2  set on a plurality of wheels  4  for towing, and further comprising a walled, generally rectangular debris housing  6  configured to receive lawn waste, and a hitch  8  for attachment to a towing vehicle (not shown).  FIG. 1  further depicts an embodiment further comprising a side collector  12  (hereinafter also referred to as a “basket”) in an upright position and rear collector  14 , also in an upright position. In these embodiments, either the side collector  12  and/or the rear collector can be operated by at least one hydraulic arm,  16 ,  18  so as to facilitate the transition of debris into the hopper. 
       FIG. 2  depicts the opposite view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , and further shows the blower discharge  20 , which in certain embodiments is adjustable as to height. In certain embodiments, a hydraulic cylinder, gin pole, cable and pulleys, or other known means can be utilized to adjust the height of the discharge to the appropriate level for a receiving truck (not shown). In operation, the debris collector functions to allow the user to rapidly collect lawn debris by way of the basket, rear collector or other means (as discuss in relation to  FIG. 10 ) so as to be processed by the auger or augers (as depicted in relation to  FIG. 5 ) and then blown out the blower discharge into a truck or other transportation device having been broken down, shredded, ground, or otherwise processed by the auger or augers. 
       FIGS. 3  depicts an embodiment of the debris collector  10 , wherein the at least one side collector  12  is operable to collect debris and deposit it into the hopper. In embodiments such as this, the side collector  12 , or “basket,” can be moved into a lowered position to collect debris from those operating around the hopper, and then the basket can be raised hydraulically to transfer the debris into the hopper itself.  FIG. 6  depicts a close-up view of the side collector in this upper position for the transfer of debris into the hopper  10 . This raising and lowering motion can be accomplished by way of a hydraulic arm or arms  16 ,  18 , operated by a hydraulic system  40 . 
     As is best shown in  FIG. 4 , certain embodiments of the system further comprise a rear collector  14 . In certain exemplary embodiments, the rear collector  14  can also be operable by way of the hydraulic system to open so as to allow the easy collection of lawn debris by the user, much in the same manner as the basket discussed in relation to  FIG. 3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , exemplary embodiments of the system can further comprise at least one agitator  30  and at least one auger  32 , which are in operational communication with at least one oil-driven hydraulic motor (discussed in relation to  FIGS. 7-9 ). In these embodiments, the agitator  30  may be used to prevent bridging and other problems related to the clumping or otherwise collection of debris around and in the auger  32 . 
     As is shown in  FIG. 6 , in various exemplary embodiments, the blades of the augur  32  may further comprise serrated edges  34  along the leading edge. Other configurations are possible, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. In exemplary embodiments, at least one agitator  30  may be operationally connected to the auger axel  32 C, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. In alternative embodiments, and as discussed in relation to  FIG. 15 , serrated edges may be employed in relation to the fan blades. 
       FIGS. 7-9  depict further views of various embodiments of the hydraulic system  40 .  FIG. 7  depicts a perspective front view of an exemplary embodiment of the debris collector  10 . In this embodiment, the debris collector comprises at least one hydraulic motor  42  attached to at least one hydraulic pump  44 . In certain embodiments, a plurality of pumps may be used for redundancy, though one of skill in the art would understand that various other configurations are possible. As is depicted in  FIGS. 7-9 , the hydraulic system may be used to power and operate a number of features of the debris collector, including the agitators, augers and basket, as well as other components such as hydraulic lifts for use, for example, in raising and lowering the blower discharge. In certain exemplary embodiments, at least one lever  46  can be utilized to operate individual features of the hydraulic system, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. 
       FIG. 7  also depicts an exemplary embodiment of the system comprising a control box  48  for remote operation of the hydraulics related to the agitators and augers. In certain exemplary embodiments, the control box may be operated remotely, such as by a remote control device mounted elsewhere, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art (and as is shown in relation to  FIG. 16 ). 
       FIGS. 8-9  depict exemplary embodiments of the debris collector having a plurality of hydraulic  50 ,  52 ,  54  lines running from the hydraulic pump or pumps of  FIG. 7 , either by way of the control box or not, which are in operational communication with a plurality of motors  56 ,  58 ,  60  which power the agitators and augers (as depicted in relation to  FIGS. 5-6 ). In certain embodiments, the speed and direction of the augers and agitators can be controlled by way of a lever or other means, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. 
       FIG. 10  depicts an alternative embodiment of the debris collector  100 . In this embodiment, the debris collector comprises a chassis  102  set on a plurality of wheels  104  for towing, and a walled, generally rectangular hopper  106  configured to receive lawn waste, and a hitch  108  for attachment to a towing vehicle  110 .  FIG. 10  further depicts a rear collector  114 , also in an upright position. In these embodiments, however, a direct opening  160  is also present, which can be used to directly collect law debris by way of a hose  200  (as shown in  FIG. 11 ), in the fashion of a lawn vacuum, such that the user may pass the hose over collected lawn debris for intake into the hopper and processing, chopping or shredding, by way of the fan (as is shown in  FIG. 15 ). In these embodiments, the power source  162 , such as a diesel or gas engine is configured to operate a blower fan  164  for the collection and discharge of debris by way of the discharge  120 . In certain embodiments, the blower fan is run directly off the power source  162  by way of a crankshaft and clutch, while the power source  162  is also configured to operate the augers and agitators by way of a hydraulic system, as has been previously discussed in relation to  FIGS. 5-9 . 
     Further, in certain embodiments the debris collector may also comprise at least one window  170 , so as to allow the user to view the contents of the debris housing  106 . Further, as is shown in  FIGS. 12-13 , in certain exemplary embodiments, these embodiments having at least one direct opening  160  may still comprise a basket  112 . 
     In certain exemplary embodiments, and as discussed in relation to  FIG. 14 , the individual augers may be general elongate with fanning which is counterset at the ends of the auger  132 A,  132 B,  132 C so as to prevent clumping. In these embodiments, the direction of fanning urges the debris generally in the direction of the fan  135  such that the rotation of the fan (shown by reference arrow “A” in  FIG. 15 ) is sufficient to move the debris through the fan opening and out the blower discharge. As shown in  FIG. 15 , the blower  135  may be operationally coupled to an opening  136  at one end of the debris housing and at the terminus of the augers  132 C, so as to facilitate the movement of the debris from the debris housing out the blower discharge, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. In certain exemplary embodiments, the blades of the fan  135  may further comprise serrated edges  135 A,  135 B on the leading or side edge of the blades  135  so as to facilitate the grinding and processing of the debris. 
     Further, in certain exemplary embodiments, the auger and/or hydraulic system (shown at  40  in  FIG. 7 ) may further comprise a pressure switch (shown generally at  172  in  FIG. 16 , in relation to an embodiment of the control box  148 ), which can detect plugging or clogging in the auger, and in turn automatically reverse the direction of the auger&#39;s flow. In certain embodiments, this is accomplished by detecting the oil pressure in the motor, and when that pressure exceeds a certain point (for example 2000 psi), the system automatically switches into reverse, thus rotating the augers and agitators in the opposite direction for a short period of time. In certain embodiments, a reversal time of approximately 1-5 seconds has been shown to have high efficacy, though other times are of course consistent with the system, though other times are within the scope of the present invention. Similarly, other pressure numbers, such as 1000-3000 psi may be appropriate, as would be determined by the exact components being utilized and as would be apparent to one of skill in the art. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.