Patent ID: 7500284

Claim:
A machine for sweeping up loose material from grass, said machine comprising: (a) a frame; (b) at least two front wheels fixedly coupled to said frame, said wheels each comprising a screw mechanism moving said frame relative to said each wheel; (c) at least one rear wheel coupled to said frame; (d) a chute mounted to said frame, said chute comprising i) a front wall; ii) a rear wall; iii) an exit; and, iv) an entrance, said entrance being at a level proximate the grass; (e) a pair of elongated flexible skirts affixed to said chute and extending downwards and across said front and said rear walls of said chute; (f) a rotatable brush mounted to said frame, wherein said brush is contained within the confines of said pair of skirts and said chute, said brush having a bottom portion that brushes the grass when said brush rotates; (g) a hopper mounted on said frame, said hopper having an opening in fluid communication with said exit of said chute, wherein said hopper is positioned to receive material thrown up said chute by said brush; and, (h) a motor for rotating said brush; whereby a partial vacuum is created by rotation of said brush within said pair of skirts and said chute, which vacuum assists said brush in picking up and projecting waste material from the grass into said hopper.