Lawn debris bag
A lawn debris bag device is provided and includes a bag member used to hold lawn debris, a support pole for use in holding the first end of the bag member in an open and upright position, and a method for engaging and thus securing the ends of the support pole into the ground. The support pole includes a plurality of sheath members and a method for connecting the sheath members together. The support pole can be positioned into a first condition where the sheath members are arranged to define a continuous line or curve and a second condition where the sheath members are arranged such that their axes are parallel with each other for easy storage.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/487,318 filed Jul. 15, 2003 and from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/497,986 filed Aug. 26, 2003 both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses for debris collection systems and more specifically to methods and apparatuses for collecting, storing and disposing of lawn debris.
B. Description of the Related Art
The desire to maintain lawns is shared by many including home owners, businesses, national and state parks, etc. Such maintenance requires the collection and disposal of lawn debris including fallen leaves, fallen twigs, cut grass and other debris from lawn care activities. It is frequently difficult to efficiently collect and transport such debris to the place of disposal.
In an effort to minimize these difficulties, various lawn bags have been proposed for collecting lawn debris. U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,103 to Hayes et al. (Hayes), for example, discloses a collapsible frame that supports a leaf bag in an open condition to receive leaves and the like. The frame includes a flexible rod that is received within a pair of stabilizing feet. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,028 to Blackaby et al. (Blackaby) discloses a support frame for supporting a lawn bag on the ground with its mouth open to receive leaves raked into the bag. The support frame includes a flexible rod that fits within a clip member.
The support frames for lawn bags provided by Hayes, Blackaby and others may work according to their intended purpose. However, these known devices share the problem of being difficult to disassemble and difficult to store when not in use. The flexible rods used by such known devices are particularly cumbersome to maneuver after use and for storage. Thus, what is needed is a lawn debris bag that can easily be set-up on the ground to receive lawn debris but that can also be easily disassembled into readily manageable components.
Another problem with known lawn bag systems is the difficultly in securing the bag to the ground. This difficulty is magnified when the lawn bag is used with especially hard ground. Hayes does not address this problem as the stabilizing feet that receive the flexible rod are free to move relative to the ground. The ends of the flexible rod of Blackaby can be inserted into the ground. However, no provision is made for especially hard ground where the insertion of the flexible rod into the ground would be very difficult. What is needed is a lawn debris bag that can easily be secured to the ground surface, whether the ground surface is soft or hard.
The invention of this patent application overcomes these problems and provides a lawn debris bag that can easily be set-up on and secured to the ground, whether soft or hard, and can also be easily disassembled into readily manageable components using a sectional flexible support pole.
II. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one aspect of this invention, a lawn debris bag includes a support pole having first and second ends, a bag member having a first open end and a second closed end, and a method for engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground. The preferred support pole is used to hold the first end of the bag member in an open and upright position. The preferred support pole also can be positioned into a first condition where the pole defines a continuous line or curve and a second condition where the pole components are arranged such that their axes are parallel with each other
According to another aspect of this invention, the support pole may include a plurality of sheath members with each sheath member having a female end and a male end. The female end of one sheath member receives a male end of another sheath member with a notch-in-groove connection.
According to another aspect of this invention, the support pole may include: (a) an elastic cord; (b) multiple sheath members that receive the elastic cord; and, (c) multiple collar members that receive the elastic cord. A first collar member can be located between a first and a second sheath member to connect the first and second sheath members together. A second collar member can be located between the second and a third sheath member to connect the second and third sheath members together.
According to still another aspect of this invention, the preferred method for engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground includes: (a) providing a first peg member having a first end that can be inserted into the ground and a second end with an opening that receives the first end of the support pole; and, (b) a second peg member having a first end that can be inserted into the ground and a second end with an opening that receives the second end of the support pole.
According to another aspect of this invention, a preferred method of using a lawn debris bag is provided. This preferred method includes the following steps: 1) providing a support pole that has first and second ends and that includes first, second and third sheath members; 2) providing a bag member that has a first open end and a second closed end where the first end has a sleeve; 3) positioning the support pole into a first condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged to define a continuous line or curve; 4) inserting the support pole into the sleeve in the bag member to hold the first end of the bag member in an open and upright position; 5) engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground; 6) removing the support pole from the ground and from the sleeve in the bag member; and, 7) positioning the support pole into a second condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged such that their axes are parallel with each other.
According to still another aspect of this invention, a preferred method of engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground includes the following steps: 1) providing first and second peg members each having first and second ends; 2) inserting the first end of the first peg member into the ground; 3) inserting the first end of the support pole into an opening in the second end of the first peg member; 4) inserting the first end of the second peg member into the ground; and, 5) inserting the second end of the support pole into an opening in the second end of the second peg member.
One advantage of this invention is that the lawn debris bag can easily be set-up but can also be easily disassembled into readily manageable components. This easy set-up/disassembly advantage helps the end operator as well as retail stores that may display the lawn debris bag of this invention.
Another advantage of this invention is that the lawn debris bag can easily be secured to the ground surface, whether the ground surface is soft or hard.
Still another advantage of this invention is that the lawn debris bag can be emptied at either end.
Still other benefits and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains upon a reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
III. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, a preferred embodiment of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
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With reference now to all the FIGURES, the use of the lawn debris bag 50 of this invention will now be described. The lawn debris bag 50 is first transported to the location where it will be used. The various sheath members 60 are then connected together using either of the two connecting means 61 described above. In this way, the support pole 52 is positioned into a first condition where it defines a continuous line or curve. The support pole 52 is then inserted into the sleeve 106 in the bag member 100 to hold the first end 102 of the bag member 100 in an open and upright position. Next, if the ground is relatively soft, the ends of the support pole 52 are engaged or inserted directly into the ground 154. Alternatively, if the ground is relatively hard, a pair of peg members 150 may be inserted into the ground on opposite sides of the open end 102 of the bag member 100. The ends of the support pole 52 are then engaged or inserted into the openings 158 in the peg members 150. Once the support pole 52 and bag member 100 are properly positioned and secured, the bag member 100 may be filled with lawn debris. Once filled, the closeable section 354 may be positioned over the first opening 102 and secured in place by, for example, zipping the zipper into a closed condition.
With continuing reference to all the FIGURES, to dispose of the debris within the lawn debris bag 50, the support pole 52 should be removed from the ground or from the peg members 150. If peg members 150 are used, they also should be removed from the ground. The support pole 52 can then be placed into the second condition, noted above, where the sheath members 60 are arranged such that their axes C-C are parallel with each other. This makes storage of the support pole 52 very convenient. The bag member 100 may then be transported to a disposal site where debris may be easily removed either by using the first open end 102 of the bag member 100 and/or by using the opening means 358 at the second end 104 of the bag member 100. Once the debris is removed, if the second embodiment peg members 150 are use, then a cord, rope or the like may inserted into the hole 302 to thereby tie or connect the peg members 150 to the device 50. The bag member 100 may then be folded up for storage as shown in
The preferred embodiments have been described, hereinabove. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
Claims
1. A device comprising:
- a support pole having first and second ends and comprising: (a) at least first, second, and third sheath members; and, (b) connecting means for selectively connecting the first, second, and third sheath members together;
- wherein the support pole is selectively positionable into (1) a first condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged to define a continuous line or curve; and, (2) a second condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged such that their axes are parallel with each other;
- a bag member having a first open end and a second closed end, the first end having a sleeve for receiving the support pole, the support pole for use in holding the first end of the bag member in an open and upright position; and,
- ground engaging means for engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the ground engaging means comprises:
- a first peg member having a first end adapted to be inserted into the ground and a second end with an opening that receives the first end of the support pole; and,
- a second peg member having a first end adapted to be inserted into the ground and a second end with an opening that receives the second end of the support pole.
3. The device of claim 2 further comprising:
- a first stop member adapted to contact the first end of the support pole and positioned within the first peg member; and,
- a second stop member adapted to contact the second end of the support pole and positioned within the second peg member.
4. The device of claim 2 wherein the first and second peg members each comprise:
- a leg portion adapted to be forced into the ground;
- a bracket portion that extends from the leg portion and defines a force receiving section; and,
- a leg opening that extends through the leg portion and the bracket portion, the leg opening adapted to receive either end of the support pole.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the ground engaging means comprises:
- a peg member used to pilot holes in the ground into which the first and second ends of the support pole are received.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the first, second and third sheath members are flexible and return to a generally linear orientation after having been flexed.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein:
- each of the first, second and third sheath members comprises a first female end and a second male end, wherein the first female end of one sheath member is adapted to receive the second male end of another sheath member; and,
- wherein the connecting means comprises a notch-in-groove connection.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein the connecting means further comprises:
- a spring member positioned within the first female end of each of the first, second and third sheath members, wherein the spring member of one sheath member is adapted to receive and bias the second male end of another sheath member; and,
- at least a first notch extending from the second male end and at least a first groove formed on the first female end, wherein the first groove in one sheath member is adapted to receive the first notch from another sheath member.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein the connecting means comprises:
- an elastic cord that is received within the at least first, second, and third sheath members;
- at least first and second collar members that receive the elastic cord; and,
- wherein the first collar member is selectively locateable between the first and second sheath members to connect the first and second sheath members together, and wherein the second collar member is selectively locateable between the second and third sheath members to connect the second and third sheath members together.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein the bag member has a top portion formed of a first material and a bottom portion formed of a second material that is substantially different from the first material.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein the bag member further comprises:
- a closeable section that is selectively positionable over the first open end of the bag member; and,
- securing means for securing the closeable section over the first open end of the bag member.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein the bag member further comprises:
- opening means for selectively opening the second-closed end of the bag member.
13. A method of using a lawn debris bag comprising the steps of:
- providing a support pole having first and second ends and comprising at least first, second, and third sheath members;
- providing a bag member having a first open end and a second closed end, the first end having a sleeve;
- positioning the support pole into a first condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged to define a continuous line or curve;
- inserting the support pole into the sleeve in the bag member to hold the first end of the bag member in an open and upright position;
- engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground;
- removing the support pole from the ground and from the sleeve in the bag member; and,
- positioning the support pole into a second condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged such that their axes are parallel with each other.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground, comprise the steps of:
- providing first and second peg members each having first and second ends;
- inserting the first end of the first peg member into the ground;
- inserting the first end of the support pole into an opening in the second end of the first peg member;
- inserting the first end of the second peg member into the ground; and,
- inserting the second end of the support pole into an opening in the second end of the second peg member.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of engaging the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground, comprise the steps of:
- providing a stake;
- piloting holes in the ground with the stake on opposite sides of the open end of the bag member; and,
- inserting the first and second ends of the support pole into the ground.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein before the step of removing the support pole from the ground and from the sleeve in the bag member, the method comprises the steps of:
- filing the bag member with debris;
- positioning a closeable section over the first opening in the bag member; and,
- securing the closeable section over the first opening in the bag member.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein after the step of removing the support pole from the ground and from the sleeve in the bag member, the method comprises the step of:
- opening the second closed end of the bag member; and,
- emptying the debris from the bag member using the opening at the second closed end of the bag member.
18. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of positioning the support pole into a first condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged to define a continuous line or curve, comprises the steps of:
- providing each of the first, second and third sheath members with a first female end and a second male end; and,
- inserting the male end of one sheath member within the female end of another sheath member.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of positioning the support pole into a first condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged to define a continuous line or curve, further comprises the steps of:
- providing a spring member and at least one groove within the first female end of each of the first, second and third sheath members;
- providing at least a first notch extending from the second male end of each of the first, second and third sheath members; and,
- wherein the step of inserting the male end of one sheath member within the female end of another sheath member, comprises the steps of: (a) inserting the first notch of the one sheath member within the first groove of the another sheath member; (b) compressing the spring within the another sheath member; and (c) rotating the one sheath member with respect to the second sheath member.
20. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of positioning the support pole into a first condition where the first, second and third sheath members are arranged to define a continuous line or curve, comprises the steps of:
- providing an elastic cord that is received by the first, second and third sheath members;
- providing at least first and second collar members that receive the elastic cord;
- connecting the first and second sheath members together using the first collar member; and,
- connecting the second and third sheath members together using the second collar member.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 15, 2004
Publication Date: Jan 20, 2005
Inventor: J. Kalal (Akron, OH)
Application Number: 10/891,898