Hand-held motor or engine powered rigid blade brush cutting device having fail-safe design

• US 5,768,786 A
• Filed: 03/10/1997
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven F. Kane, William Marletta
• Original Assignee: Steven F. Kane, William Marletta
• Inventors: Marletta, William, Kane, Steven F.
• Primary Examiner(s): PAYER, HWEI SIU CHOU
• Application Number:
  US08/813,991
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 30/296, 30/390, 30/391, 188/77 W
• US Class Current: 30/276
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 34/90 for carrying by the operator
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 75/20 Devices for protecting men or animals

Abstract

A pole-mounted, hand-held brush or vegetation trimmer is provided with a self-actuating braking device, and a fixed guard or a fail-safe articulating guard for selectively fully enclosing the rotating blade to prevent injury to the user.

Claims

1. A hand-held, powered brush cutting device, comprising:

an elongated member;

a rigid rotatable cutting member rotatably mounted at a distal end of said elongated member to rotate about an axis generally in line with said elongated member;

driving means for rotatably driving said cutting member;

a selectively operable brake for quickly stopping the rotation of said rotatable cutting member, said brake including a rotatable member and a friction member, said friction member having an engaged position wherein said friction member is frictionally engaged to said rotatable member to stop its rotation and a released position wherein said friction member is disengaged from the rotatable member to allow it to freely rotate;

resilient means coupled to said friction member to resiliently urge said friction member into its engaged position;

lever means coupled to said elongated member and having a first position and a second position, said lever means being operatively coupled to said friction member so that manual movement of said lever means from said first position to said second position causes said friction member to move to its released position against the urging of said resilient means, and whereby movement of said lever means from said second position to said first position causes said resilient means to urge said friction member to its engaged position,

means for selectively substantially fully enclosing said rotatable cutting member comprising a generally semicircular fixed guard extending approximately half way around said cutting member,

a generally semicircular articulating guard being pivotable about an axis generally coaxial with the axis of rotation of said rotatable cutting member from a closed position, whereby the portion of said rotatable cutting member not enclosed by said fixed guard is covered, to an open position whereby the portion of said rotatable cutting member not enclosed by said fixed guard is not covered; and

second resilient means coupled to said articulating guard to resiliently urge said articulating guard into its closed position.

2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said lever means includes means for urging said lever means to said first position, whereby release of said lever means automatically causes said lever means to move to its first position.

3. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said lever means is operatively coupled to said friction member by means of a cable.

4. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said rotatable member has a cylindrical shape.

5. The device defined in claim 4, wherein said friction member engages with the outer periphery of said rotatable member.

6. The device defined in claim 5, wherein said friction member is a brake band.

7. The device defined in claim 6, wherein said brake band wraps more than 180 degrees around the outer periphery of said rotatable member.

8. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said brake is automatically engaged when said driving means is controlled to not rotatably drive said rotatable cutting member.

9. The device defined in claim 8, wherein said brake is automatically disengaged when said driving means is controlled to rotatably drive said rotatable cutting member.

10. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said lever means further is operable, in the second position, to control the driving means to rotatably drive said cutting member, and is operable, in the first position, to control the driving means to not rotatably drive said cutting member.

11. The device defined in claim 1, further comprising a generally semicircular-shaped fixed guard extending more than half-way around said cutting member for substantially enclosing said rotatable cutting member.

12. The device defined in claim 11, wherein said fixed guard extends substantially 200°

around said rotatable cutting member.

13. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said lever means is further operatively coupled to said articulating guard so that manual movement of said lever means from said first position to said second position causes said articulating guard to move to its open position against the urging of said resilient means, and whereby movement of said lever means from said second position to said first position causes said resilient means to urge said articulating guard to its closed position.

14. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said articulating guard substantially surrounds said fixed guard in said open position.

15. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said lever means is further operatively coupled to both said articulating guard and said driving means, wherein manual movement of said lever means from said first position to said second position causes said articulating guard to move to its open position against the urging of said resilient means and controls the driving means to rotatably drive said cutting member, and movement of said lever means from said second position to said first position causes said resilient means to urge said articulating guard to its closed position and controls the driving means to not rotatably drive said cutting member.

16. A hand-held, powered brush cutting device, comprising:

an elongated member;

a rigid rotatable cutting member rotatably mounted at a distal end of said elongated member to rotate about an axis generally in line with said elongated member;

driving means for rotatably driving said cutting member;

means for selectively substantially fully enclosing said rotatable cutting member comprising a generally semicircular fixed guard extending approximately half way around said cutting member;

a generally semicircular articulating guard pivotable about an axis generally coaxial with the axis of rotation of said rotatable cutting member from a closed position, whereby the portion of said rotatable cutting member not enclosed by said fixed guard is covered, to an open position whereby the portion of said rotatable cutting member not enclosed by said fixed guard is not covered;

resilient means coupled to said articulating guard to resiliently urge said articulating guard into its closed position; and

lever means operatively coupled to said articulating guard and having a first position and a second position, wherein manual movement of said lever means from said first position to said second position causes said articulating guard to move to its open position against the urging of said resilient means, and movement of said lever means from said second position to said first position causes said resilient means to urge said articulating guard to its closed position.

17. The device defined in claim 16, wherein said lever means includes means for urging said lever means to said first position, whereby release of said lever means automatically causes said lever means to move to its first position.

18. The device defined in claim 16, wherein said articulating guard substantially surrounds said fixed guard in said open position.

19. The device defined in claim 16, wherein said lever means further is operable, in the second position, to control the driving means to rotatably drive said cutting member, and is operable, in the first position, to control the driving means to not rotatably drive said cutting member.