Abstract:
A rear bagging receptacle for a power lawn mower has a lift-off collection bag and a flip-top lid. The collection bag has a frame sewn into a flexible fabric around its mouth, the frame allowing the bag to be rested on the laterally spaced, rearwardly extending legs of a handlebar frame. The flip-top lid has an integral, stiff, recessed member and yieldable, opposing fingers at a back end of the member to pivotably and detachably mount the lid to a crossbar of the handlebar frame. There, the lid pivots forwardly and downwardly to close over the mouth of the collection bag and exit of a discharge chute extending on the front edge of the collection bag. The lid also pivots upwardly and rearwardly to allow access to the collection bag and lift-off removal of the collection bag or disposable liner bag.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     I. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to grass catchers and grass bags that attach to power lawn mowers. 
     II. Description of the Prior Art 
     The lawn mower consumer looks for convenience when selecting a mower. Therefore, an important consideration in grass catching mowers is the relative ease with which a full grass bag or full grass catcher can be emptied. Another feature of grass catching mowers, which is appreciated by many, is the positioning of the grass catcher directly to the rear of the mower. Such grass catchers and their associated mowers are often referred to as &#34;rear baggers&#34; in contrast to &#34;side baggers&#34;, where a bag extends to the side of the mower and requires increased space for maneuvering the mower. 
     The rear bagger provides advantages in mowing along fences, buildings, garden borders and the like. Unfortunately, many rear bagging grass catchers are more difficult to unload than their side bagging counterparts due to the type of hardware that must be handled to detach the rear bag. Rear-mounted bags also tend to be larger than side-mounted bags and when the rear-mounted bag is full, it can be cumbersome to handle. And, many grass bags seen today, both rear-mounted and side-mounted, have zippers or other fasteners which must be undone each time the bag is emptied. This is because the inlet into the grass catcher is generally too small to also serve as the outlet for emptying the grass bag. 
     A typical sequence for unloading a rear bagging mower is as follows. First, the grass bag must be detached from the mower. Second, any zippers or other fasteners or latches must be undone to open a grass dumping exit. And third, the grass bag must be lifted and aligned over some type of bag for packaging the clipped vegetation for disposal. 
     There has long been a need to improve the design, construction and operation of rear-mounted grass catchers. Despite the appearance of a variety of such grass catchers in recent years, these have not greatly simplified the unloading operation mentioned above. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is incorporated in a grass catching receptacle with a collection bag that can be rested on the handlebar frame of a power mower and a flip-top lid that mounts and pivots on a crossbar of the handlebar frame. 
     The invention eliminates the need for additional hardware for mounting the grass catcher. In one prior construction of a rear-mounted grass catcher, a tubular frame separate from the handlebar frame was used to mount the grass catcher. Other prior constructions used a variety of clamps and other fasteners to attach a flexible bag portion to the handlebar frame. 
     The present invention provides the simplest manner of attaching and detaching a rear-mounted grass receptacle. The flip-top lid has yieldable, opposing fingers at its back end and these fingers are simply clipped onto the crossbar. The lid can be detached by pulling or lifting it with a minimum of effort to spread the yieldable fingers. The collection bag simply drops into a generally rectangular space formed by the rearwardly extending legs of the handlebar frame and the crossbar. The collection bag rests on the legs of the handlebar frame and on a bag support bracket at the back of the mower deck, and can be lifted off the mower without undoing clamps or other fasteners. 
     The incorporation of the pivotable lid permits a large top opening in the collection bag for removing the collected clippings. The lid and collection bag also provide an upper lip and a lower lip, respectively, which together close around an exit of a discharge chute on the power mower. The grass-receiving inlet is contiguous with the opening into the collection bag, and is a departure from prior grass catchers in which the grass-receiving inlet and grass-dumping outlet are at opposite ends. 
     Now, all that is required to unload a rear-mounted grass catcher is to lift up the lid and lift out the clippings, which are contained either in the collection bag or in a disposable plastic bag used as a liner in the collection bag. When a disposable bag is used as a liner, there is no need to dump clippings out of the collection bag. The grass handling operation involves the simple lifting out of the bag material in a manner resembling the emptying of a flip-top trash receptacle. 
     The flip-top lid of the present invention has a relatively stiff lid member which is molded to a complex, recessed shape. The lid has an intake channel with an inlet to the front and to the right side of the lid. The front end of this channel nests on the top and along the sides of the mower discharge chute to provide continuation of the discharge path from the mower into the collection bag. The lid also has a ledge extending around the portion of its perimeter and this rests on the mouth of the collection bag which is made rigid by a wire bag frame. Along the ledge of the lid is a downwardly extending skirt which holds the lid in a seated position on the rigid mouth of the collection bag. 
     The collection bag frame also includes abutments which fit between the spaced apart legs of the handlebar frame to prevent the collection bag from shifting sideways. 
     The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved rear-mounted grass catcher which makes the grass bagging operation easier and more convenient. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a grass catcher that more easily and conveniently mounts on the basic elements found in power mowers, thereby making additional mounting hardware unnecessary. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a compact and efficient apparatus for collecting a maximum amount of clippings in a location where the apparatus will not interfere with the maneuverability of the power mower. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a rear-mounted grass receptacle which is more easily connected to the exit of a mower discharge chute. 
    
    
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description that follows, and from the drawings, which are a part hereof and which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. This preferred form of the invention, however, is not to be understood as the only embodiment of the invention, because the scope and principle of the invention are defined by the claims, which may also encompass other embodiments. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the grass catching receptacle of the invention installed on a power lawn mower; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grass catching receptacle of FIG. 1 with the flip-top lid pivoted to its open position; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the grass catcher of the invention taken in the plane indicated by line 3--3 in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a detail perspective view of the mounting of the collection bag seen in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a detail inside view of the bracket seen in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a top view of the grass catcher of FIG. 1 with parts broken away; 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line 7--7 in FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 8 is a detail view taken in the plane indicated by line 8--8 in FIG. 1. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The invention is exemplified by a grass catching receptacle 10 in FIG. 1, which is installed on a power lawn mower 11. A brief description of the basic elements of the mower 11 will be helpful in understanding the environment of the invention. 
     The parts of the mower 11 are assembled to a base 12, the top of which is referred to as a mower deck 13. The base 12 houses a rotating blade (not shown) in a cylindrical cutting chamber, as revealed by the elevation 14 in the deck 13 and the curved sidewalls 15 of the base 12. Wheels 16 are mounted as the four corners base 12 on axles located to the front and rear of the cutting chamber. 
     A gasoline engine 17 is mounted at the center of the mower deck 13 and is coupled through a crank shaft (not shown) to the rotating blade. As an option the engine 17 may also be coupled through a transmission beneath the mower deck 13 to drive the rear wheels 16 in a mode known as self-propulsion. 
     Besides these basic elements, the forward portion of the mower 11 also includes a discharge chute 18, which sweeps around the front of the engine 17 and rises upwardly along its right side (as seen from the back). The discharge chute 18 is fastened to the mower deck 13 in front of the engine where the chute 18 meets the elevation 14 in the mower deck 13. The discharge chute 18 communicates with the cutting chamber through an opening in the mower deck 13 that is covered by the chute 18 in FIG. 1. From there the chute 18 extends upwardly and rearwardly past the engine 17. A portion of the chute 18 is provided by a flip-up, transparent chute door 19 which forms the top and sides of the portion of the chute 18 leading to a discharge chute exit. The bottom of the discharge chute 18 near the exit end (seen in FIG. 7) is integrated with the main portion of the chute 18. The rotating blade creates air pressure, so that clippings can be blown through the chute 18 and out its exit end seen in FIG. 2. The forward end of the chute door 19 is pivotally connected to the main body of the chute. If clippings accumulate in the exit end of the chute 18 near the grass catching receptacle 10, the exit end of the chute door 19 is lifted to open the chute 18 for removal of such an accumulation. This completes the description of the forward portion of the mower 11. 
     The forward portion of the mower 11 is directed, and in some embodiments pushed, through a handlebar frame 20 that slants upwardly and rearwardly from a back end of the mower deck 13 as seen in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 6. Referring now to FIG. 2, the handlebar frame 20 has lower and upper tubular sections 21 and 22 which are generally U-shaped. The lower section 21 has laterally spaced legs with ends mounted to brackets 23 at the rear of the mower deck 13. These legs slant upwardly and rearwardly to a horizontally extending crossbar 24 which joins the legs and is located above, behind and generally parallel to the back end of the mower deck 13. The upper U-shaped section 22 has laterally spaced apart legs with grooved ends that fit against the tubular legs of the lower section, where they are fastened with knobbed hand screws 25. When the hand screws 25 are tightened, the upper and lower sections 21 and 22 form a rigid handlebar frame 20, and when the hand screws 25 are loosened, the upper section 22 becomes pivoting or foldable relative to the lower section 21. The legs of the upper section 22 are joined by an uppermost frame section that is bent upwardly in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the longer part of the handlebar frame 20. This section includes two inwardly angling side grip bars 26 as well as a horizontal, centrally located handle 27 for gripping and pushing the mower. 
     As seen best in FIG. 1, just below the upper handle 27 and between the legs of the handlebar frame 20 is a control console 34 with looped control handles 28 and 29 for controlling engine operation and the rear-wheel-drive transmission, respectively. 
     Another item of mower apparatus forming the environment for the invention is a bag support 30, which is mounted at the rear of the mower deck 13. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5 this support 30 is formed by a bent metal rod with ends received in small brackets 31 mounted on the inside of the larger brackets 23 mounting the handlebar frame 20. The ends of the bag support 30 slip through eyes 32 at the end of an elastic cord 33, the purpose of which will become apparent from the further description that follows. 
     The bottom portion of the grass catcher 10 in FIG. 1 is provided by a grass collection bag 35 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. Referring now to FIG. 3, the body 36 of the collection bag 35 is made of an air-permeable, polyester-knit fabric. The body 36 has flaps that have been folded down around the inside and sewn around the mouth of the bag 35. The flaps fold over a bag frame 37 of metal rods and the flaps are sewn, so that the bag frame 37 is disposed in sleeves formed by the flaps. The bag frame 37 imparts shape and rigidity to the mouth of the bag 35. 
     At the center front of the bag frame 37 as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, a downwardly opening channel member 38 is attached. The manner of attachment is seen in FIG. 3, where the channel member 38 is bolted to a flange 39 that hangs down from the front portion of the bag frame 37. As seen in FIG. 7, the channel member 38 has apertures 40 that are provided for manufacturing purposes. 
     The bag 35 is mounted by resting its back corners (FIG. 6) on the legs of the lower handlebar section 21 and by supporting its front on a bag support 30 as seen best in FIG. 4. The channel member 38 rests on and over a central horizontal portion of the bag support 30 as seen best in FIGS. 6 and 7. 
     At the bottom of FIG. 6, the bag 35 and bag frame 37 flare outwardly along their right side to reach around one side of the discharge chute 18 as seen in FIG. 7. The bag frame 37 dips after it turns the corner from the right side to the front to form a lower lip 45 that fits underneath the discharge chute 18. 
     The rear corners of the bag frame 37 seen in FIG. 6 rest on the legs of the lower handlebar section 21 just forward of the crossbar 24. As seen in more detail in FIG. 8, there is an upper rod 41 and a lower rod 42 forming the back portion of the bag frame 37, with the lower rod 42 fitting in between the legs of the handlebar frame 20 and providing abutments 43 at its ends to prevent the bag 35 from shifting sideways. 
     Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the rear of the bag 35 is considerably deeper and is therefore mounted higher than the front of the bag 35. This results in the mouth of the bag 35 opening frontwardly as well as upwardly. Also seen in FIG. 3 is a stiff, polyethylene member 44 which is sewn into the bottom of the bag 35 to provide shape and better wear characteristics to the portion of the bag 35 which may skim the ground. 
     Referring back to FIG. 2, the collection bag 35 is complemented by a flip-top lid assembly, which due to the manner of mounting the collection bag 35, can be pivotably mounted on the exposed crossbar 24. The assembly is formed principally by an integral, stiff lid 46 of polypropylene material that is molded in a complex shape. The lid 46 is recessed to provide depth and height and its perimeter corresponds generally to the shape of the bag frame 37. 
     Along the right side of the lid 46 (as viewed from the back in FIG. 1) an intake channel 49 is formed for communication with the exit from the mower discharge chute 18. The top and sides of this intake channel form an upper lip 55 that fits down upon the top and sides of the discharge chute door 19 in a nested fashion illustrated in FIG. 7. The lid 46 has a ledge 47 seen in FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7 that rests on the rigid mouth of the collection bag 35. A skirt 48 depends from the ledge 47, as seen best in FIG. 7, to fit down around the perimeter of the bag frame 37, thereby seating the lid 46 on the bag frame. A handle 50 is formed by an extension of the ledge 49 from the lower front edge portion of the lid 46. When the lid 46 is resting in the position seen in FIG. 3, its handle 50 can be secured with the elastic cord 33 anchored to the small brackets 31 for mounting the bag support 30. 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, two side-by-side U-shaped spring members 51 are riveted to the bottom side of a rear hinge portion 52 of the lid 46. These spring members 51 provide yieldable, opposing fingers 53 that snap over and around the crossbar 24 to pivotably mount the flip-top lid. With the cord 33 removed, the lid can be lifted to the position above the crossbar 24 as seen in FIG. 2. The lid 46 can be detached from the crossbar 24 simply by pulling or lifting it with a minimum of effort to cause the yieldable, opposing fingers 53 to spread and release the crossbar 24. The lid 46 can be mounted on the crossbar 24 by pressing downwardly so as to spread the yieldable, opposing fingers 51 to receive the crossbar. 
     Several features are provided by the lid 46 and collection bag 35 to control air flow and dust which are blown into the grass catcher 10 from the discharge chute 18. As seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the lid 46 has screened vents 54 along its sides except for the portion forming the intake channel 49. A first strip 57 of resilient, air-impermeable material is adhesively secured to the underside of the ledge 47 to be trapped between the lid 46 and the bag frame 35 as seen at the front and back of the grass catcher 10 in FIG. 3. This strip 57 provides a seal that prevents air and debris from escaping between the lid 46 and the collection bag 35. A second strip 58 of this material is also attached inside the opening of the intake channel 49 to fit down and around the top and sides of the exit end of the discharge chute 18 as seen in FIG. 7. This completes the formation with upper lip 55 and lower lip 45 of a grass-receiving entrance into the receptacle 10. The receptacle is thus conveniently closed around the discharge chute 18, and the lid 46 is easily opened to provide a grass removal opening of larger size than the grass-receiving entrance. As a last air control feature, the collection bag 35 has an air-impermeable liner 59, illustrated in FIG. 3, which is sewn to its inside back wall to prevent dust from being blown rearwardly through the polyester-knit fabric. 
     This completes the details of the illustrative example of the invention. The following claims are made to define the scope of the invention.