GB2307838A

GB2307838A - Lawn edger

Info

Publication number: GB2307838A
Application number: GB9525127A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Neil Hawkins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-12-08
Filing date: 1995-12-08
Publication date: 1997-06-11
Also published as: GB9525127D0

Abstract

A spring loaded lawn edger has a shaft 16 within which is an inner shaft 5 which has attached to its top two handles and towards its lower end two foot bars and at the extreme bottom end a guillotine blade. The shaft moves downwards against the resistance of a spring 7 through which it passes and which is trapped by two collars. When downward pressure is released the shaft and attached blade move up freely, assisted by the compressed spring returning to its normal length. To facilitate a right angled cut and to provide guides and housing for the blade there is a right angled base plate attached to the bottom of the unit. Brackets 9 and 11 are used to strengthen, attach and support the base plate to the main outer shaft 16.

Description

SPRING LOADED LAWN EDGER This invention relates to a spring loaded lawn edger.

The tools and implements for the edging of lawns available today comprise mainly of two types. The most common lawn edger being a simple shaft with a handle at one end and a half moon semi circular spade like blade at the other end. The other type of lawn edger has metal blades or course nylon cords at the end electrically or petrol powered and controlled from the top of the units handle.

Owing to the 'chisel' design of the blade of lawn edges of the spade type, bending and a great deal of effort is required to force it down on the earth and grass surface to effect a cut.

Apart from the initial relative expensive of the electrically or petrol driven strimmer type lawn edger, it is by virtue of the fuel required more costly to operate,and further presents a greater safety hazard. There is also a strong possibility of damaging flowers and plants that are in close proximity to the edge of the flower bed.

According to the present invention there is a spring loaded guillotine type blade, one end longer than the other that is fitted between two metal guides and attached to a central shaft within an outer shaft. The inner shaft has at its lower end two opposite bars extending at right angles to itself and each running in elongated rectangular spaces on each side of the outer tube facilitating the opportunity to apply downward pressure by either the right or left foot.

Attached to the same shaft but at the top of the unit are two opposite handles at right angles to the shaft and each running in elongated rectangular spaces to allow for both hands to hold and push downwards assisted or not by the aforementioned foot bars at the bottom. When this unit is placed upon the ground and pressure is applied to the top handles or bottom foot bars or both a downward movement of the sharp blade is achieved and first contacts the ground with the point of its longest end and follows a slicing action through the ground best described as a guillotine effected cut.During this downward motion the aforementioned spring that is situated around the inner shaft and within the outer between two collars is compressed and on release of the downward pressure pulls the blade back up again to within its metal side guides by forcing itself on the top and bottom collars thereby pushing up the inner shaft. Less effort and bending is required to operate the spring laoded lawn edger.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which; Figure 1 shows in perspective, the lawn edger with the guillotine blade withdrawn within its guides.

Figure 2 shows the internal detail of the inner and external shafts with handles and foot bars attached and the spring in position. Also seen is the back plate base to facilitate a right angled cut.

Figure 3. shows the blade withdrawn within its guides and the spring uncompressed.

Figure 4. shows the blade extended to its fullest and the spring fully compressed.

Referring to the drawing as in figure 2 the spring loaded lawn edger comprises of a outer shaft 16 attached to the bottom of which are bracket supports 9 a support collar 10 which is attached to a bracketed 11 right angled base plate 12 upon which are two blade guides 14 within which is a guillotine like blade 13 which is attached to the bottom of the inner shaft 5 that passes through a spring 7 that is trapped between a collar 10 and a collar 6 which are in turn attached to the inner shaft 5. coming out at right angles on each side of the shaft 5 and attached to the collar 6 and through the elongated rectangular spaces 8 in the outer shaft are two foot bars 15 Further up the inner shaft 5 is attached one collar 3 into which are attached two handles 2 each pass through elongated rectangular spaces 4 in the outer shaft. The top of the outer shaft 16 is an end cap 1. The shaft 5 is able to move freely up and against the spring resistance down.

When the right angled base plate 11 is placed upon the ground and as the handles 2 and or the foot bars 15 are pushed down the inner shaft 5 moves downwards compressing the spring 7 and extending the blade 13 within its guides 14 the foot bars 15 being attached to the same shaft 5 move in the same downward direction. Once the cut has been made pressure is released from the handles 2 and or foot bars 15 and the spring 7 forces against the collar 6 and collar 10 and returns the handles 2 and foot bars 15 and blade 13 to their original respective positions ready for a repeat of the operation described above.

Claims

1 A spring loaded lawn edger with a right angled base plate at its base within which is a sharpened guillotine blade cut at an angle making one end longer than the other and running between two guides on each side.

2 A spring loaded lawn edger as claimed in claim 1 has an inner shaft able to move freely up and down with two handles opposite each other attached to its top end and two foot bars opposite each other on its lower end and attached to its extreme bottom end a guillotine blade as claimed in claim 1

3. A spring loaded lawn edger as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2 has an inner shaft that passes through a spring that is trapped between two collars at the shafts lower end enabling with downward pressure on the handles and/or foot bars to compress the spring and on release of the handles and/or foot bars returns to its original length and in so doing pushes against the collar attached to the inner shaft pushing it up and in turn pulling the blade which is attached to the inner shaft back into position.

4. A spring loaded lawn edger as claimed in claims 1, 2, 3 has an outer shaft with an end cap on the one end and on the other end attached by means of brackets and a collar is a right angled base plate within which is a guillotine blade in guides as claimed in claim 1.

5 A spring loaded lawn edger as claimed in 1,2,3,4 has an outer shaft on opposite sides top and bottom has two elongated rectangular spaces and within it has an inner shaft two collars and a spring.