Mulching Floor Stand with Pivotable Blower Mount
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hand-manipulated electric blowers with vacuum/mulching features are undesirable due to the suction of beneficial organisms, vibrations causing hand numbness, and the need to carry a mulch bag, while stand-alone mulching devices are large, expensive, and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a floor stand to secure a hand-manipulatable blower/vacuum mulching device and a hopper with a funnel-shaped end for receiving mulch, allowing for perpendicular orientation and easy connection to the device, along with a pivotable securing device and receptacle support for mulch collection, enabling efficient and environmentally sensitive mulching without the need for constant user handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hand-manipulated electric blowers with vacuum/mulching features are used, then mulching capability is achieved, but beneficial organisms are sucked up and hand numbness occurs due to vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the blower/vacuum device from manual operation and mounts it on a stationary floor stand, separating the mulching function from direct user handling. This allows the device to remain effective for mulching while eliminating the harmful effects of hand-held operation including vibration-induced numbness and suction of beneficial organisms from soil areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor stand acts as an intermediary between the user and the blower/vacuum device, providing a stable mounting platform that enables controlled operation. The hopper serves as an intermediary for material intake, allowing debris to be fed into the device without direct user contact with the intake area, thus preventing suction of beneficial organisms.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If stand-alone mulching devices are used, then mulching is performed without harmful suction, but the devices are large, expensive, and inconvenient to move
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adapts a multi-functional blower/vacuum device to serve as a mulcher by mounting it on a floor stand with a hopper attachment. This allows a single device to perform multiple functions (blowing, vacuuming, and mulching) without requiring a dedicated large stand-alone mulching machine, thus maintaining portability and convenience while achieving effective mulching without harmful suction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replicates the functionality of expensive stand-alone mulchers using a modified blower/vacuum device on a floor stand. By copying the essential mulching function through the hopper-fed intake system, it achieves similar results without the high cost and bulk of dedicated mulching machines.
3Ease of operation
If hand-manipulated blowers are used, then portability is maintained, but users must constantly carry and handle the mulch bag
Solution Approach 1:
The floor stand configuration with integrated hopper and collection bag creates a self-service system where the mulch collection process is automated. The device continuously collects and stores mulch in the attached bag without requiring user intervention to remove or carry the bag, eliminating the time loss associated with constant handling while maintaining the portability benefits of the original blower device.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is disclosed for mulching material including a floor stand configured to secure a hand-manipulatable blower/vacuum mulching device in a position to receive material to be mulched, and a hopper having an end for receiving material to be mulched and an opposite end configured to be connected to an intake of the mulching device. A floor stand is disclosed which is operable to secure a hand-manipulatable blower/vacuum mulching device in an upright position. A floor stand may include a securing device pivotably engaged thereto, wherein the securing device is operable to removably engage and permit pivotable selective positioning of a hand-manipulatable blower/vacuum mulching device.