Patent Abstract:
A device for funneling leaves into a bag, preferably used in conjunction with a leaf blower. The device includes a plurality of panels that define a passageway and two forwardly extending arms that define an intake area adjacent an entrance to the passageway. A bag is removably affixed adjacent to the exit of the passageway for receiving leaves and other objects blown therethrough. A ramp in the passageway induces circulating airflow in the bag. Additionally, the arms induce a corkscrew airflow and facilitate improved performance in directing objects through the passageway. The plurality of panels that make up the leaf catcher are preferably collapsible into a substantially flat configuration for ease of transport and storage. Further, the construction of the leaf catcher enables easy set up and take down when manipulating the panels from a folded to a operational configuration and vice versa.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a device for funneling objects, such as leaves, into a bag. More particularly, the invention relates to a collapsible device to assist a user in bagging leaves in a quick and efficient manner. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The collection of leaves and other debris from a yard or other land is tedious and time consuming. Various methods are typically employed to gather the leaves in a manageable area for transferring the leaves into a bag or waste can. 
     Numerous devices have been proposed for the collection of trash, leaves and other refuse. Some of the proposed devices employ a scoop or receiving section coupled to a bag or collection member. Examples of these types of devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,666 to Rahtican for “Lawn Scoop”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,277 to Coker for “Debris Collecting and Bagging Apparatus”; U.S. Pat. No. D309,966 to Bishop for “Trash Bag Funnel”; U.S. Pat. No. D361,185 to Seiler et al., for “Bag Support Insert with Funnel Top”; U.S. Pat. No. D376,237 to Hayes, Sr. et al., for “Leaf Bagging Accessory for Use with Drawstring Leaf Bags”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,3118,419 to Lee for “Collection System and Method”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,742 to Weathers et al. for “Leaf and Debris Chute”. 
     None of the above patents, however, teach features for enhancing the airflow through a passageway and into a collection bag. Instead, when used with a leaf blower that expels high velocity air flows for directing leaves and other debris, performance of the above devices may be diminished due to turbulent airflow, which tends to allow leaves to escape the device rather than direct the leaves into the collection receptacle. Additionally, many of the above devices are not collapsible. Consequently, such devices are inconvenient for a typical homeowner, whose storage space may be limited. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is desirable to provide a collapsible device for efficiently funneling objects, such as leaves, into a bag. The device preferably includes a plurality of panels defining a passageway having an entrance and an exit. A support structure is provided that engages at least one of said plurality of panels defining said passageway. A first forwardly extending arm and a second forwardly extending arm are also preferably constructed of a plurality of panels that are affixed to the panels that define the passageway. The forwardly extending arms define an intake area adjacent said entrance to passageway. Inside surfaces of the first and second forwardly extending arms, which are adjacent to the intake area, are each substantially recessed at predetermined angles about a horizontal axis and define an inwardly pointed apex. Preferably, leaves or other objects are directed into the intake area with a leaf blower. The unique shape of the forwardly extending arms and associated panels that define the intake area result in advantageous airflow patterns that smoothly direct objects into the passageway. 
     A bag having a plurality of openings therein, e.g. a mesh bag, is removably affixed adjacent to the exit of the passageway. The bag is provided to collect objects passing through the passageway and to allow air to escape through openings in said bag. The plurality of panels that define the passageway preferably includes an upwardly angled lower panel configured such that the entrance to the passageway is larger than the exit of the passageway. The upwardly angled lower panel directs debris to an upper portion of the rear of the bag. Once openings in the rear of the bag are covered by debris, a circulation pattern develops wherein debris flows from back to front along a bottom of the bag before re-entering the high velocity airstream passing through the passageway. The result is a tendency not to clog the passageway with debris. 
     The plurality of panels that make up the leaf catcher are preferably collapsible into a substantially flat configuration for ease of transport and storage. Further, the construction of the leaf catcher enables easy set up and take down when manipulating the panels from a folded to a operational configuration and vice versa. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the invention showing the leaf catcher in an operational configuration with both sides open. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front elevation view of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1  wherein the right side is shown with phantom lines so that support structures are visible. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the left side folding section of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1 , shown in a collapsed configuration. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the right side folding section of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1 , shown in a collapsed configuration. 
         FIG. 8  is a side elevation view of the support structures and center pieces of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1  in an operational “legs extended” configuration. 
         FIG. 9  is a side elevation view of the support structures and center pieces of the leaf catcher of  FIG. 1  in folded configuration. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is important to understand that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the embodiments and steps described herein. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in a variety of ways. It is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-4 , the leaf catcher device of the invention is indicated generally by numeral  10 . Leaf catcher  10  is comprised of a plurality of panels foldably connected to one another that are labeled herein as panels A-K. Panels A-K may be connected via “living hinges”, i.e. seams formed in plastic panels or by other means. As will be discussed in greater detail below, certain panels are removably affixed to one another, e.g., by Velcro®, snaps, or other means. Preferably, panels A-K may be folded in a flat configuration for ease of storage and movement as shown in  FIG. 9 . Panels A-K unfold to form an intake area  11  for leaves propelled by a leaf blower, e.g., leaf blower  13  ( FIG. 4 ). Additional advantages associated with the particular construction of the panels A-K will be discussed below. It should be noted that while the application refers primarily to bagging leaves, the leaf catcher of the invention is also suitable for collecting other objects such as grass clippings, trash and other debris. 
     In an operational or unfolded configuration as shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , panels A-K are preferably configured as follows. Panels A and A′ are hingedly affixed to the end of forwardly extending arms designated generally as  12  and  14 . Panels A and A′ preferably are folded back towards arms  12  and  14 , respectively, to form a stabilizing member and to secure leaf catcher  10  against the ground when leaf blower  13  is employed. 
     Left and right arms  12 ,  14  include arm panels B and B′. Arm panels B and B′ preferably lean outwardly and are supported in part by support panels A and A′. Arms  12  and  14  additionally include lower transition panels C and C′. Upper arm panels D and D′ angle back towards intake area  11 . The combination of arm panels B and B′ and upper arm panels D and D′ form a generally recessed structure for each of left and right arms  12  and  14 . Upper transition panels E and E′ are provided to communicate with upper arm panels D and D′. 
     Leaf catcher  10  defines passage  16 . Passage  16  is defined by side panels F and F′ that communicate with lower opening panel G. Upper panel H communicates with upper transition panels E and E′. Panel H is provided to assist in funneling leaves and other objects through passage  16 . Upper opening panel J communicates with a rear edge of panel H and with upper edges or side panels F and F′ to enclose passage  16 . 
     Panels F, F′, G and H, which define passage  16 , are supported by a support structure which is designated generally as  20 . Referring now in particular to  FIGS. 2 ,  5 ,  8  and  9 , support structure  20  includes forward members  22  and  22 ′ and rearward members  24  and  24 ′. Forward and rearward members are pivotally connected at hinge members  26  and  26 ′. Hinge members  26  and  26 ′ are preferably constructed with arcuate members or stops  27  ( FIGS. 8 ,  9 ) that abut one another when forward members  22 ,  22 ′ are rotated away from rearward members  24 ,  24 ′ approximately 30°. Although a separation of forward member  22  from rearward member  24  of approximately 30° is shown in  FIG. 8 , it should be understood that other angles of separation may be used to provide a stable support structure  20 . As can best be seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 , and  5 , forward member  22  and rearward member  24  are connected to forward member  22 ′ and rearward member  24 ′ with upper crossbar  28 . Additionally, forward member  22  and rearward member  24  are connected to forward member  22 ′ and rearward member  24 ′ with lower crossbar  30  ( FIGS. 2 ,  8 ). As can be seen in  FIG. 8 , upper opening panel J and attached panel H are pivotally connected to upper crossbar  28 . Preferably upper opening panel J defines a cut-out area  29  ( FIGS. 1 ,  4 ) so that upper crossbar  28  may be used as a handle. 
     Preferably, a plurality of attachment members, such as hooks  32  ( FIGS. 2 ,  8 ,  9 ), protrude from a rearward face of rearward members  24  and  24 ′ and from rear panel K. Hooks  32  are used to removably secure catch bag  34 . 
     As can be seen most clearly in  FIG. 9 , leaf catcher  10  is designed to fold into a substantially flat configuration for ease of storage and transportation. When leaf catcher  10  is desired to be deployed, panels A-J may be easily unfolded from the flat configuration of  FIG. 9  to the fully open configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . To set up leaf catcher  10 , first forward members  22  and  22 ′ of support structure  20  are opened with respect to rearward members  24  and  24 ′ of support structure  20 . Forward members  22  and  22 ′ are rotated away from rearward members  24  and  24 ′ until stops  27  abut one another to establish a support base as can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 9 . Upper opening panel J and attached upper panel H are rotated from their forward location shown in  FIG. 9  about upper crossbar  28  to a rearward position adjacent rearward members  24  and  24 ′. 
     Left arm  12 , which includes support panel A, arm panel B, lower transitional panel C and upper arm panel D, is rotated outwardly from the flat position adjacent forward members  22  and  22 ′ (shown in  FIG. 9 ) to the open configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . Similarly, right arm  14 , which includes support panel A′, arm panel B′, lower transitional panel C′ and upper arm panel D′, is transitioned from the flat location adjacent forward members  22  and  22 ′ (shown in  FIG. 9 ) into the open configuration shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Upper opening panel J and attached upper panel H are then rotated back from the temporary location adjacent to rearward members  24  and  24 ′ into a forwardly projecting position as shown in  FIG. 1 . At this time, left and right edges of upper opening J are affixed to upper edges of side panels F and F′, e.g. with a fastener such as Velcro® strip  25 . Once upper opening panel J has been affixed to upper edges of side panels F and F′, left arm  12  and right arm  14  may be adjusted to ensure that arm panels B and B′ lean outwardly away from intake area  11 . Preferably, arm panels B lean back such that they form approximately a 30° angle with respect to the ground. 
     Next, upper arm panels D and D′ and attached upper transitional panels E and E′ are raised so that upper transition panels E and E′ may be affixed to upper panel H. Upper arm panels D and adjacent arm panels B then form a generally recessed structure as shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  3  and  4 . Once upper arm panels D and D′ are in position, then support panels A and A′ may be folded outwardly to support arms  12  and  14 . 
     At this time, leaf catcher structure  10  is fully assembled and catch bag  34  may be removably affixed to attachment members, such as hooks  32 , provided on rear members  24 ,  24 ′. Set up of leaf catcher  10  can easily be completed in less than one (1) minute. 
     In use, leaf blower  13  may be employed to direct leaves into intake area  11 , through passage  16  and into catch bag  34 . The configuration of an assembled leaf catcher  10  provides desirable airflow patterns that facilitate efficient leaf collection in catch bag  34 . The generally recessed structure associated with arms  12  and  14  results in a spiral or corkscrew-type airflow pattern proximate arms  12  and  14  as shown in  FIG. 4 . More particularly, leaves adjacent arms  12 ,  14  are forcefully directed in a corkscrew-type flow path that occurs within intake area  11 , which is defined by arm panels B, B′ and upper arm panels D, D′. As the leaves progress towards passage  16 , they are directed by high velocity airflow from leaf blower  13  in a corkscrew flow path, formed in part by the action of high velocity air from leaf blower  13  along recessed sections of arms  12 ,  14 . The flow path adjacent each of arms  12 ,  14  creates a vortex for drawing leaves into passage  16  defined by upper opening J, side panels F and lower opening panel G. 
     A further desirable airflow feature results from the upwardly angled lower surface of passage  16  defined by lower opening panel G. As the high velocity airflow and leaves are ejected from the rear of opening  16 , the ramped lower surface, defined by lower opening panel G, results in high velocity airflow directed to the rear of bag  34 . As leaves build up at the rear of bag  34 , which restricts airflow through the rear of bag  34 , leaves are circulated back towards the leaf catcher in a lower portion of the catch bag  34 . Rear panel K establishes a rear face for preventing migration of leaves under the ramp formed by lower opening panel G. Additionally, rear panel K provides a boundary to facilitate air circulation within bag  34  and facilitates a substantially dead air space adjacent rear panel K. The effect of the air circulation flow path is that leaves do not back up into passage  16  but instead substantially remain confined within bag  34 . A further desirable result of the air circulation path is that leaves tend to be deposited in a substantially even distribution along the portion of the bag that is adjacent to the ground. An even leaf distribution allows for improved filling of the bag and lessens a likelihood that opening  16  will become blocked. 
     A further desirable airflow feature results from the airflow path within intake area  11 . The configuration of arms  12  and  14  results in the leaf catcher  10  being pushed against the ground during use. Support panels A, A′ also bear against the ground. Consequently, leaf catcher  10  does not need to be affixed to the ground, either by staking or otherwise. 
     The construction of catch bag  34  further assists in the ease of collection of leaves. By providing a bag having openings of approximately ½″ to ¾″, it has been found that the above-described airflows do not tend to cause the leaves to exit bag  34 . A suitable bag for use with the leaf catcher of the invention is 35″ by 50″ long and constructed of woven polypropolene. However, other shapes and materials may also be suitable. 
     As set forth above, advantages of the leaf catcher  10  of the invention include a unique panel configuration that induces advantageous airflow patterns for directing leaves through passage  16  into catch bag  34 . Additionally, the upwardly-sloped bottom surface of passage  16  induces a circulating airflow path within catch bag  34  that has the beneficial effect of maintaining an unobstructed passage  16 . Further, downward pressure resulting from the airflow forces the leaf catcher downwards, which results in a self-anchoring effect. This allows the unit to be used on lawns or paved surfaces without having to secure the leaf catcher with stakes or by other means. 
     Additional advantages include the easily collapsible and expandable panel configuration wherein the leaf catcher of the invention may be collapsed into a substantially flat storage position. A further advantage is the easy assembly of the leaf catcher from the storage position to the operable configuration. The invention is preferably constructed of one (1) piece so there is no assembly required. 
     The inventive ramp directs debris towards an upper portion of the rear of the catch bag, which is beneficial for preventing clogging of the outlet. Further, the ramp creates a smaller outlet that chokes down the airflow, which increases velocity and aids in the efficient distribution of debris in the bag. 
     The invention alleviates physical strain by reducing significant stress to the back and knees associated with more conventional methods of bagging leaves. Therefore, the invention is particularly desirable for use by the elderly and/or disabled. 
     The invention can be used with any standard leaf blower. The invention allows a user to collect leaves in a fraction of the time it takes using conventional leaf gathering tools. 
     Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments have been described for purposes of this disclosure, numerous changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are encompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1