Lawn mower waste collection system
OwnerMichael F. Stephaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A collection system for a mower, including a collector, that has a mounting panel that is removably coupleable to the mower at a discharge of a mower deck and a collecting enclosure that is hingedly coupled to the mounting panel such that the mounting panel and the collecting enclosure together enclose a collecting volume that receives discharged matter. The collecting enclosure is shiftable about a hinge axis between a discharge collecting orientation in which the collecting enclosure abuts the mounting panel and is positioned to receive the discharged matter therein through an opening of the mounting panel and an emptying orientation in which the collecting enclosure is raised by rotation about the hinge axis such that the discharged material exits the enclosure by gravity.
Claims13
A collection system for a mower, comprising:
- a collector, comprising:
- a mounting panel that is removably coupleable to the mower at a discharge of a mower deck, the mounting panel defining an opening that engages proximate the discharge of the mower deck thereby facilitating passage of discharged matter through the opening;
- a collecting enclosure that is hingedly coupled to the mounting panel such that the mounting panel and the collecting enclosure together enclose a collecting volume that receives the discharged matter, the collecting enclosure being shiftable about a hinge axis between a discharge collecting orientation in which the collecting enclosure abuts the mounting panel and is positioned to receive the discharged matter therein through the opening of the mounting panel and an emptying orientation in which the collecting enclosure is raised by rotation about the hinge axis such that the discharged material exits the enclosure by gravity;
- and
- an actuation assembly, comprising:
- a power actuator connected to and between the mounting panel and a portion of the collecting enclosure;
- an actuation control operably connected to the power actuator and accessible from an operator's position,
- wherein operating the power actuator in a first direction urges the collecting enclosure toward the emptying orientation and operating the power actuator in a second direction urges the collecting enclosure toward the collecting orientation.
A method of collecting and dumping discharged matter from a mower, comprising:
- coupling a mounting panel to the mower at a discharge of a mower deck, such that an opening of the mounting panel engages proximate the discharge of the mower deck thereby facilitating passage of discharged matter through the opening;
- coupling a collecting enclosure that is hingedly coupled to the mounting panel such that the mounting panel and the collecting enclosure together enclose a collecting volume that receives the discharged matter, the collecting enclosure being shiftable about a hinge axis between a discharge collecting orientation in which the collecting enclosure abuts the mounting panel and is positioned to receive the discharged matter therein through the opening of the mounting panel and an emptying orientation in which the collecting enclosure is raised by rotation about the hinge axis such that the discharged material exits the enclosure by gravity;
- operating the mower until the collecting enclosure is at least partially full;
- operating a power actuator connected to and between the mounting panel and a portion of the collecting enclosure by operation of an actuation control operably connected to the power actuator and accessible from an operator's position;
- and
- operating the power actuator in a first direction to urge the collecting enclosure toward the emptying orientation thereby dumping the discharged matter from the collecting enclosure and operating the power actuator in a second direction to urge the collecting enclosure toward the collecting orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.