CUTTING HEAD FOR A STRING TRIMMER
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A string trimmer tool comprising:
- a shaft having a handle on one end thereof and a working head on an opposite end;
the working head including a spool assembly having a spool housing, a spool, a spool cap and a lever;
a motor operatively connected to rotate the spool assembly;
the spool housing and spool cap being coupled together to define an interior space and housing a spool with cutting line wound thereon;
the lever being movable between a retracted position and an extended position, and in both positions the lever rotationally locks the spool relative to the spool housing or spool cap, and during the transition of the lever between these two positions the spool is in an unlocked state so that it is free to rotate and feed out additional cutting line;
wherein the lever includes a locking means to lock the lever in either the retracted or extended position.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a string trimmer line feeding mechanism having a sliding lever that locks a spool relative to the spool housing, and only feeds additional cutting line when the user actuates a button. This brakes a motor, which generates a force acting on the spool to move the lever into an unlocked position, allowing the spool to rotate relative to the spool housing and feed additional cutting line.
4 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A string trimmer tool comprising:
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a shaft having a handle on one end thereof and a working head on an opposite end; the working head including a spool assembly having a spool housing, a spool, a spool cap and a lever; a motor operatively connected to rotate the spool assembly; the spool housing and spool cap being coupled together to define an interior space and housing a spool with cutting line wound thereon; the lever being movable between a retracted position and an extended position, and in both positions the lever rotationally locks the spool relative to the spool housing or spool cap, and during the transition of the lever between these two positions the spool is in an unlocked state so that it is free to rotate and feed out additional cutting line; wherein the lever includes a locking means to lock the lever in either the retracted or extended position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A string trimmer tool comprising:
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a shaft having a handle on one end thereof and a working head on an opposite end; the working head including a spool assembly having a spool housing, a spool, a spool cap and a lever; a motor operatively connected to rotate the spool assembly; the spool housing and spool cap being coupled together to define an interior space, the spool and lever being housed in said interior space, the spool having cutting line wound thereon; wherein the lever is movable within the interior space between a retracted position and an extended position, and in both positions the lever rotationally locks the spool from rotating, and during the transition of the lever between the retracted and extended position the lever is in an unlocked state so that the spool is free to rotate to feed out additional cutting line; wherein the lever includes a peg, and one of the spool housing or spool cap includes a slot for engaging the peg to lock the lever in one of the extended or retracted position. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of releasing cutting line from a string trimmer comprising the steps:
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providing a string trimmer having a working head including a spool assembly and a motor operatively connected to the spool assembly to rotate the spool assembly, the spool assembly having a spool housing and a spool cap that are coupled together to define an interior space, a spool having cutting line thereon and a lever housed in said interior space; wherein the lever is movable between a retracted and extended position, and in both positions, locking the spool to prevent rotation; wherein when the motor is not energized, a spring biases the lever in one of a retracted or extended position; energizing the motor to rotate the spool assembly and move the lever into the other of the retracted or extended position, the lever having a peg that engages a slot in one of the spool cap or spool housing to lock the lever in the retracted or extended position, wherein the transition of the lever between its retraced and extended position unlocks the spool allowing it to rotate and feed out cutting line. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification