Device for filling and leveling divots

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for filling and leveling divots created in turf or grass, such as divots created by golfers.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Heretofore devices have been proposed for dispensing seed to an open area in a grass surface, such as a divot. Examples of such previously proposed devices are disclosed in the following U.S. patents:

U.S. Pat. No.

PATENTEE

4,206,714

Walsh

5,037,008

Nockleby

5,131,570

Sawyer, III

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a device for filling and leveling open areas, divots, in a grass surfaces comprising a tube having an upper end and a lower end, a planar bottom chute extending across the lower end of the tube, the planar bottom chute being pivotly mounted to the lower end of the tube, a handle assembly mounted at the upper end of the tube, a linkage mechanism connected between the handle assembly and the planar bottom chute, biasing means biasing the handle assembly to exert a pulling force on the linkage mechanism to hold the planar bottom chute closely against the lower end of the tube whereby an operator can manipulate the handle assembly for moving the planar bottom chute toward and away from the lower end of the tube for opening and closing the tube to facilitate dispensing of grass seed or a grass seed and earth mixture from the lower end of the bottom chute, and can level the seed or seed mixture with the planar bottom chute.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a side elevational view of the divot filling and leveling device of the present invention in a closed position.

FIG. 2

is a side elevational view of the divot filling and leveling device of the present invention in an open position.

FIG. 3

is an enlarged perspective view of the planar bottom chute which is pivotly mounted at a lower end of a tube of the filling and leveling device and shows a transversely extending trowel formation at a front end of the planar bottom chute.

FIG. 4

is a bottom view of the planar bottom chute showing a hole through which grass seed or a grass seed mixture will fall when a handle assembly of the device is manipulated by an operator.

FIG. 5

is an enlarged view of the handle assembly in a bottom chute closed position with portions broken away.

FIG. 6

is an enlarged view of the handle assembly in a bottom chute open position with portions broken away.

FIG. 7

is an elevational view of person carrying a backpack mounting a container which is connected by a hose to the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings in greater detail, there is illustrated in

FIG. 1

a device

10

for filling and leveling divots in open areas in a grass surfaces, such as divots on a golf course. As shown, the device

10

includes a main tube

12

in which a grass seed or grass seed mixture is stored. An upper end

14

of the tube

12

is shown closed with a cap

16

.

It will be understood that to enable an operator to fill more divots with grass seed or a grass seed mixture, the cap

16

can be replaced by a connector (not shown), or a side port

18

can be provided, which is connected to a flexible hose (not shown) which then extends to a receptacle, such as a generally square shaped box which is mounted in a backpack that an operator can wear on his back.

The side port

18

angles upwardly from a central axis of the tube

12

.

A lower end

20

of the tube

12

has a short, smaller-in-diameter, end section

22

fixed thereto and extending downwardly to an inclined oval-shaped end surface

24

of the end section

22

.

Pivotally connected to the end section

22

is a planar bottom chute

26

which has a U or channel shaped cross section.

At the upper end

14

of the tube

12

is mounted a handle assembly

28

which includes a strut

30

which is rigidly fixed to the tube

12

and extends outwardly at an angle to the axis of the tube

12

so that an operator gripping the handle assembly

28

will hold the tube

12

at an angle as shown in FIG.

1

. The handle assembly

28

further includes an arm

32

which is pivotally connected at its outer end

34

to an outer end

36

of the strut

30

. The arm

32

has a generally U or channel shaped cross section so it can straddle the strut

30

. A compression spring

31

is situated between the strut

30

and the arm

32

so that the compression spring urges the arm

32

away from the strut

30

as shown in

FIGS. 5 and 6

. At an inner end

38

of the arm can

32

are two depending lugs

40

which can move upwardly and downwardly relative to the strut

30

on either side of the strut

30

.

The lugs

40

extend downwardly to a lower end

42

which have mounted therebetween a pivot pin

44

. The pivot pin

44

is also connected to a linkage member

46

which can be an elongate rod

46

which is received within a cover

48

that tube-shaped, if desired. The cover

48

is fixed to an outer surface

50

of the tube

48

.

A lower end

52

of the linkage rod

46

is pivotally connected to an upper end

54

of the planar bottom chute

26

.

With reference to

FIG. 2

, it will be understood that squeezing of the handle assembly

28

pushes the arm

32

downwardly against the compression spring and over the strut

30

and in so doing pushes the linkage rod

46

downwardly to move a bottom plate

56

of the planar bottom chute

26

away from the lower oval-shaped end surface

24

defining a lower exit end of the tube

12

thereby to release the grass seed or mixture of seed from the tube

12

over an open area or divot.

As best shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the planar bottom chute

26

has a generally U-shaped cross-section defined by the bottom plate

56

and spaced apart side walls

58

which extend upwardly to the upper end

54

and then angularly downwardly to a front end

59

of the planar bottom chute

26

. The bottom plate

56

has a rear portion

60

which is generally rectangular in shape for resting against the oval-shaped end surface

24

of the short end section

22

. Then, in front of this rectangular shaped rear plate portion

60

is an opening

62

through which grass seed or a mixture of seed can fall over a divot or a bare area in a grass surface.

A front planar portion

64

of the bottom plate

56

extends from the opening

62

to the front end

59

of the side walls

58

and transversely or laterally outwardly extending plate extensions

68

are provided to provide a wide trowel formation

70

for leveling a seed or seed mix over the divot or bare area when the device is pulled back over the divot or open area in the grass surface.

Additionally, an inclined fin

72

extends angularly upwardly and rearwardly from the front planar portion

64

of the bottom plate

56

at the edge of the opening

62

and fin extensions

74

extend in line with the fin

68

from each of the side walls

40

, as shown. This enables flattening of the seed mix level with the existing turf when the device

10

is pulled rearwardly.

The divot filling and leveling device

10

of the present invention has a number of advantages, some of which have been described above and others of which are inherent in the invention. First of all, it is a very simple device for patching bare areas in a grass surface, such as divots. Secondly, while the tube

12

of the device

10

provides a large reservoir for grass seed or a grass seed mixture, an even larger reservoir is provided with a container

80

mounted in a backpack

82

and attached by a flexible hose

84

to the port

18

, as shown in FIG.

7

.

Further, the planar bottom chute

26

, the linkage rod

40

and the handle assembly

26

allow the planar bottom chute

26

to be urged against the oval shaped end surface

24

at the bottom of the tube

12

when the device

10

is not in use and enables an operator to simply and quickly drop a small amount of seed or seed mixture over a bare area or divot by squeezing the handle assembly

28

which opens the bottom end

24

of the tube

12

for dropping grass seed through the opening

62

after which the front planar portion

64

and extensions

68

providing the trowel formation

70

which enables the flattening of the seed mix which has been deposited over a bare area in a grass surface, such as a divot, by simply pulling or dragging the device

10

backward as the trowel formation

70

at the front end of the bottom chute

26

is pulled over the seed mixture just deposited.

Stated another way, (1) the device

10

enables an operator to remain in a comfortable upright position while using the device

10

; (2) the backpack container connected via a flexible hose to the device

10

enables a large amount of seed or seed mixture to be carried by the operator; (3) the angle of the tube

12

allows the operator to easily seed the mixture being applied to the divot; (4) the design of the planar bottom chute

26

with a large trowel formation

70

allows the divot to be filled smooth and level to the adjacent grass; and (5) the divot is filled and leveled in one simple action making the divot filling more precise and saving an operator's time and the amount of seed mixture used.

Also, it will be understood that modifications can be made to the divot filling and leveling device

10

of the present invention without departing from the teachings of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is only to be limited and necessitated by the accompanying claims.