GB2144018A

GB2144018A - Improvements relating to garden cutting tools

Info

Publication number: GB2144018A
Application number: GB08419395A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham John Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-07-29
Filing date: 1984-07-30
Publication date: 1985-02-27
Also published as: GB8419395D0; GB2144018B; GB8320578D0

Abstract

A cutting tool comprises a body (1,5) which houses a fan (23) which can be driven by a motor (19). The fan (23) is arranged to draw air along a flow path extending through the body from an inlet (7) to an outlet (9). The outlet (9) is connectible to a receptacle (11) which can then entrap any material entrained by the air flow. Rotatable cutting blades (33) also driven by the motor (19), are also arranged within the body (1,5) adjacent to the inlet (7). Thus, any edge cuttings or hedge trimmings produced by the cutting blades (33) are entrained by the air flow produced by the fan (23), and collected in the receptacle (11). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to garden cutting tools The present invention relates to a cutting tool for use in the garden.

In particular the present invention relates to a power tool for use in cutting the edge of a lawn or for use in cutting a hedge.

Lawn edge cutting tools presently available on the market usually are long handled manually operated scissor mechanisms, which cut the grass along the edge of a lawn and deposit the waste cuttings on the adjacent area, e.g. a path or a flower bed. A power operated scissor action tool is also available for cutting lawn edges, though this also deposits the waste cuttings on an adjacent path or flower bed. The depositing of grass cuttings on a flower bed is undesirable as they not only look unsightly, but can germinate.

The most common methods presently used for removing grass cuttings from either flower beds or paths, is to brush or collect by hand, both of which methods can be time consuming and physically tiring.

Hedge cutting tools presently available on the market also usually use a scissor action.

Such tools are either manually operable, or power operated. However, either type of tool produces waste cuttings which have to be brushed up and usually collected by hand.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a power operated cutting tool for use in cutting the edge of lawns and hedges, whereby the waste cuttings are automatically collected as the cutting is effected.

According to the present invention there is provided a cutting tool comprising a body, an inlet port, outlet port, fan, drive unit, cutting blades and receptacle, said drive unit being arranged to drive the cutting blades and said fan, so that the fan propels waste from the cutting blades via said inlet port to said outlet port, and then into said receptacle.

According to a further feature of the present invention there is provided a cutting tool comprising a body which houses a fan which can be driven by a motor, the fan being arranged to move air along a flow path extending through the body from an inlet to an outlet, the outlet being connectible to a receptacle which can then entrap any material entrained by the air flow, rotary cutting blades which can also be driven by the motor, being arranged adjacent to said inlet.

By using a tool constructed according to the present invention the waste cuttings from either the edge of a lawn or a hedge, are drawn by the air flow, along the flow path and into the receptacle. Thus the tedious task of subsequently brushing up and manually collecting such waste cuttings, is obviated.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the tool comprises a generally barrel-shaped body moulded out of a plastics material, the body having a guard portion at one axial end thereof. The body is mounted at the end of a long handle, and houses an electric motor in a closed compartment. The electric motor is arranged to directly drive a turbine impeller, i.e. fan, and to also drive via gears, a rotary cutting assembly provided within said guard portion. Alternatively, the fan my likewise be driven by gears, the main criterion being that the fan rotates faster than the cutting assembly, to thus prevent back pressure and any reduction in air flow and thus performance.

The cutting assembly may comprise planar blades made of a flexible plastics material and arranged as the spokes of a wheel with the plane of each blade parallel to the axis of rotation of the assembly. Alternatively, each blade may be a rigid or flexible, elongate planar member pivoted at one end on a hub mounted on the drive shaft, each blade being counterweighted at its free outer end, or, the cutting assembly may be solely a flexible stand of plastic mounted in the drive shaft.

Thus, if something substantial, e.g. a person's finger, were to move into the path of the plastic or counterweighted blades, the blade would deflect or pivot preventing injury. Further, the blades will not jam on something strong and thus the likelihood of damage is reduced.

The cutting assembly is arranged in the guard portion of the body to rotate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, with the blades projecting beyond the side wall of the barrel shape. Thus, by locating the body with its longitudinal axis normal to the lawn edge, and with the blades of the cutting assembly extending down adjacent to the lawn edge, the motor can be energised and the tool moved along the lawn edge. To aid the movement of the tool, wheels can be provided, though preferably toothed belts extend around the body and are freely rotatable therearound. Thus, the tool can be easily pushed along the lawn edge.

As the blades rotate, so the impeller rotates drawing air into the body past the blades, entraining any waste cuttings into the smooth flow path defined within the body, and out from the outlet into a receptacle secured to the handle. The receptacle is vented and may be either of the disposable type or merely capable of being opened and emptied. The cutting assembly is located within a guard portion of the body, the guard portion being part cylindrical with an axis parallel to the rotational axis of the cutting assembly. The end wall of the cylindrical part of the guard portion adjacent to the barrel-shape, and the side wall of this cylindrical guard portion, are cut away to define the inlet to the flow path.

However, whilst the end wall of this cylindri cal guard portion, axially remote from the barrel-shape, is usually closed during the cutting of the lawn edge, it has a number of radial apertures which can be opened by moving a pivotal closure member. This closure member when fully opened, preferably also closes off the cutaway sections of the guard portion to entrain the air flow through the radial apertures. In this condition the tool can be used to cut hedges, the tool being positioned so that the leaves extend through the radial apertures, the leaves being then cut off by the rotating cutting assembly and carried into the receptacle by the air flow.

Whilst the above described embodiment of the present invention is designed solely for cutting the edge of a lawn and hedge trimming, the cutting tool of the present invention may be incorporated in a garden mower if solely the lawn edge trimming facility is required. In such a construction the cutting assembly is mounted on a pivotable arm so that the mower can be used conventionally to cut the surface of a lawn with the cutting assembly retracted out of the way. As the mower is pushed or powered along the edge of the lawn, the cutting assembly can be lowered to cut the lawn edge. The pivotal movement of the cutting assembly is preferably remotely controlled via a Bowden cable and a control lever mounted on the mower handle.If desired, the impeller and receptacle in this latter construction may also collect the grass cuttings from normal mower operation, as well as the edge cuttings.

The present invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, shown in Fig. 1; Figure 3 illustrates a cutting blade as used in the embodiment of Fig. 11 Figure 4 illustrates an alternative form of cutting blade suitable for use in the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2; Figure 5 is a perspective view of part of the cutting assembly and impeller guard, showing the hedge trimming facility; Figure 6 is a front view of a part of a garden mower incorporating the tool of the present invention; and Figure 7 is a side view of the mower of Fig.

6 The embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a body formed by a generally barrel-shaped housing 1, which defines a closed compartment 3, and an impeller and cutting assembly guard 5. The impeller and cutter assembly guard 5 also defines a flow path which has an inlet in the region 7 and an outlet 9, the outlet 9 being detachably connectible to a disposable receptacle 11 which is supported on a handle 1 3. The handle 1 3 is attached to the housing 1 and enables an operator to push the housing 1 along a grass lawn with the guard 5 depending over the edge of the lawn. To facilitate movement of the housing 1 across a lawn surface, flexible toothed tracks 1 5 are located in grooves 1 7 in the outer surface of housing 1.As the housing 1 is pushed along a lawn surface the tracks 1 5 move in grooves 1 7. Preferably the tracks are made of a fiexible plastics material. Alternatively wheels or rollers (not shown) may be provided.

Within the closed compartment 3 an electric motor 1 9 is mounted, one end of a drive shaft 21 of the motor 19 supporting an impeller 23 located within the guard 5, and the other end carrying a gear wheel 25. The gear wheel 25 is connected to a larger gear wheel 27 by a chain drive 29, the larger gear wheel 27 being mounted on a further hollow drive shaft 31 which also extends within the guard 5 and supports a cutting assembly generally designated 33. Thus, when the motor 1 9 is energised, the impeller 23 is driven at the speed of the motor and the cutting assembly 33 is driven at a slower speed dependent upon the gears 25,27. In this way the impeller 23 produces an air flow through the flow path from the inlet 7 to the outlet 9 which is substantially unaffected by any turbulence produced by the rotation of the cutting assembly 33.

The cutting assembly 33 comprises a rotatable member having two radially extending planar blades 35 (see Fig. 3), each blade 35 lying in a plane which includes the rotational axis of said member. The blades 35 are each made of a flexible plastics material, so that the blades will deflect should a solid object, e.g. a finger, -be encountered. In operation, the blades 35 co-operate with an edge 37 of the guard 5 to produce a scissor-like cutting action.

An alternative blade construction is shown in Fig. 4, the blade comprising an elongate planar cutter 39 which is freely pivotally mounted on a hub 41 which is fixed on said further drive shaft 31. The planar cutter 39 is counterweighted at its free end 43 and arranged to both pivot about and rotate with the hub 41, about respective axes which are parallel to the plane of the cutter member 39.

As the hub 41 rotates, so centrifugal force holds the cutter 39 radially of the drive shaft 31, the edge 40 of the cutter 39 co-operating with edge 37 of guard 5 to produce the lawn edge cutting action. However, should a solid object, e.g. a finger, be encountered, the cutter 39 will pivot out of the counterweighted path, reducing the likelihood of injury or damage to the cutting assembly.

In use, the tool is located with the guard 5 and cutting assembly 33 depending over the edge of a lawn. As the tool is moved along the lawn edge, grass is cut and entrained in the air flow along the flow path to the receptacle 11. Whilst the receptacle 11 is described as being disposable, re-usable receptacle which can be emptied as and when desired, can of course, be alternatively used.

The guard 5 has a cylindrical portion 45 (see Figs. 2 and 5) within which the cutting assembly 33 is housed. This cylindrical portion 45 is cut away on its side wall and on its end face adjacent to the barrel portion of the body, to thus define the inlet 7 and the cutting edge 37, for trimming the edge of a lawn.

Within guard 5 is a part cylindrical closure member 47 which is rotatable about the central axis of the cylindrical portion of the guard 5, between two positions. In one position the cutaway side wall and the cutting edge 37 are exposed for lawn trimming. However, in the other position the cutaway side wall of the cylindrical portion 45 is closed and radially extending apertures 49 in the end face 51 of cylindrical portion 45, are opened to provide a new inlet 7. In this latter condition the tool can be used for hedge cutting, the cutting assembly being formed by the edges 34,38 of the blades 35,39 and the edges of radial apertures 49. Thus, by passing end face 51 over a hedge surface, the leaves extend through the radial apertures 49 and are cut off and drawn into the receptacle.

To enable the closure member 47 to be moved between the two above described positions, a rotatable shaft 53 passes axially through hollow drive shaft 31 and is fixedly connected at one end to the closure member 47. The other end of the shaft 53 is provided with a spiral drive 55 which engages a complimentarily shaped recess 57 provided in a grip 59 of handle 61. Handle 61 is fixed to the end 63 of the barrel shape housing 1 remote from guard 5 and enables the tool to be lifted and controlled during hedge cutting.

The grip 59 is slidable on guides 65 so that when an operator grips the handle 61, he or she slides grip 59 towards handle 61 causing spiral drive 55 to rotate. Thus shaft 53 and closure member 47 are rotated to the hedge cutting position. Also, movement of grip 59 against handle 61 activates switch 63 to energise the motor 19.

Whilst the handle 61 is a virtual essential for control of this tool in the hedge cutting mode, the above described control for the closure member 47 can be simply replaced by a control lever on the handle 11 and a Bowden cable connection (not shown). Further, manual control can be effected via lip 65 provided as an integral part of the closure member 47.

Whilst the above described tool is specifically for lawn or hedge trimming at least the lawn trimming provision according to the present invention, can be incorporated within a standard type of grass mower. Such a construction is schematically shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings. This mower 67 comprises a casing 69 within which a standard grass cutter drum assembly 71 is located, the mower being supported on rollers 73 and 75-see Fig. 7, and controllable by means of handle 77. Also within the casing 69 is an impeller 79 and an electric motor 81, the motor 81 being arranged to power an edge cutting assembly 83 as well as the impeller 79 and the grass cutter drum assembly 71.The cutter assembly 83 comprises a rotatable cutter wheel 85 mounted on the free end of a pivotable arm 87, the arm 87 being biased to a retracted position by a spring 89 and movable to the illustrated operation position by a cable and lever arrangement 91, 92. Thus, as the mower is moved along the edge of a lawn, the cable and lever 91, 92 can be operated to move the cutter wheel 85 to an operational position, the edge cuttings together with the grass cuttings from the grass cutter drum assembly 71 being entrained by the air flow produced by the impeller 79, into the receptacle 93. In an alternative construction (not shown), only the edge cuttings are collected in the receptacle, the grass cuttings being collected by conventional means.

The present invention thus provides a simple means for cutting the edges of a lawn and trimming a hedge, obviating the previous necessity for subsequent collection of the cuttings.

Claims

1. A cutting tool for use in the garden comprising a body, an inlet port, outlet port, fan, drive unit, cutting blades and receptacle, said drive unit being arranged to drive the cutting blades and said fan, so that the fan propels waste from the cutting blades via said inlet port to said outlet port, and then into said receptacle.

2. A cutting tool for use in the garden, comprising a body which houses a fan which can be driven by a motor, the fan being arranged to move air along a flow path extending through the body from an inlet to an outlet, the outlet being connectible to a receptacle which can then entrap any material entrained by the air flow, rotatable cutting blades which can also be driven by the motor, being arranged adjacent to said inlet.

3. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the body is generally barrelshaped and mounted at the end of a handle.

4. A cutting tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the body houses an electric motor in a closed compartment.

5. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 4, in which the motor is arranged to directly drive the fan and to also drive, via gears, the rotatable cutting blade assembly.

6. A cutting tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the cutting blades are planar and arranged as the spokes of a wheel with the plane of each blade parallel to the axis of rotation of the assembly of blades.

7. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 6, in which the cutting blades are flexible.

8. A cutting tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the or each cutting blade is an elongate planar member pivotally mounted at one end on a hub, the or each blade being counterweighted at its free end.

9. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 3, in which the assembly of cutting blades is arranged at one axial end region of the barrelshaped housing, to rotate about an axis parallel to but offset from the longitudinal axis of the housing, so that the blades project beyond the side wall of the barrel-shaped housing.

10. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 9, in which flexible tracks are located in annular grooves in the outer surface of the side wall of the housing.

11. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, in which the assembly of cutting blades is located within a guard portion of the housing which is generally cylindrical and located at one axial end face of the barrelshaped housing, the axis of the guard portion being parallel to but offset from the longitudinal axis of the housing.

1 2. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 11, in which the end wall of the cylindrically shaped guard portion, adjacent to the said axial end face of the barrel-shape, and the side wall of this guard portion are cut away to define said inlet.

1 3. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 11 or 12, in which the end wall of this cylindrical guard portion, axially remote from the barrelshape, has a number of apertures which can be opened or closed by the rotation of a closure member.

14. A cutting tool as claimed in claim 13, in which the closure member is a portion of a cylinder designed such that when the apertures are closed, the inlet is open, and viceversa.

1 5. A cutting tool as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 14, when dependent upon claim 2, in which the flow path between the inlet and outlet is smooth and continuous.

1 6. A garden mower incorporating a cutting tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the assembly of cutting blades is retractable to a position above a lawn surface, said cutting assembly being mounted on a pivotable arm which is spring biassed to the retracted position and pivotable to an operational position by remote control means.

1 7. A garden mower as claimed in claim 16, in which the fan is arranged to entrain both edge cuttings and lawn cuttings.

1 8. A cutting tool or garden mower as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the receptacle is a disposable container which can be detachably attached to said outlet.

1 9. A cutting tool or garden mower as claimed in claim 10, in which the container is vented.

20. A cutting tool or garden mower as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, in which the receptacle can be emptied and reused.

21. A cutting tool for use in the garden, constructed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

22. A garden mower constructed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.