1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus and device for transferring granular material to and from a spreader for dispensing onto a surface.
2. The Prior Art
Hand-operated devices for distributing granular materials on lawns are well known and have been in use for many years. Such devices are available in two general categories, a broadcasting type and a drop type. Due to the popularity of these spreaders, numerous patents have addressed various improvements, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,733 to McRoskey et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,184 to Florer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,641 to Bailey et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,704 to McRoskey et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,818 to Glass; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,327 to Mattson et al. However, in spite of these improvements, numerous drawbacks still remain with these spreaders. Most spreaders have a hopper of limited capacity so that frequent refilling is required even for moderately-sized lawns. The limited size of the hopper is of far greater concern to professional landscapers having a need to fertilize large lawn areas. A different but related problem is emptying the hopper if excess granular material remains after the lawn has been completely fertilized. Although it is relatively easy to pour fertilizer from the paper bag in which it is shipped into the hopper, it is significantly more difficult to transfer the granular material back into the paper bag. Invariably, some fertilizer remains in the hopper which tends to have a corrosive effect on any metal parts of the spreader.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a spreader with an increased capacity without significantly affecting the complexity or cost of such spreader. In addition, it would be desirable to provide a storage bin into which the fertilizer can be easily poured. The storage bin would ideally be sealed shut to prevent moisture from contacting the fertilizer and prevent the fertilizer from accidentally spilling out.