GB2450504A

GB2450504A - Lawn edge trimmer

Info

Publication number: GB2450504A
Application number: GB0712400A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Gill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-06-27
Filing date: 2007-06-27
Publication date: 2008-12-31
Also published as: GB0712400D0

Abstract

A lawn edge trimmer includes a cutting device 122 and a motorised fan 120 arranged to blow cuttings produced by the cutting device onto a lawn 202 being trimmed. Preferably the cutting device is a swimmer line. The trimmer may include an elongate body 102 with a handle 104 and a cover component 124, 126 partially covering the fan and/or the cutting device. Preferably a guide device 116 including a rotatable wheel 116 mounted on a spindle 114 extends through the elongate body. The fan and the cutting device may be mounted on the spindle and the cutting device attaches to a central hub/boss 121 of the fan. Advantageously lawn edges are trimmed rapidly and the edge trimmings are deliberately directed toward/onto an uncut lawn for subsequent collection by a mower.

Description

I

Lawn Edge Trimmer The present invention relates to a lawn edge trimmer.

One of the most time consuming jobs in a garden is trimming the edges of the lawn and picking up the resulting cuttings. One conventional way of doing this is to use long handled shears and pick up the cuttings by hand. This produces an excellent quality finish, but is very time consuming and can take nearly as long as cutting the lawn itself with a lawnmower. Another known way of trimming the lawn edge is to use a strimmer. This technique is quicker, but can produce an untidy finish because the cuttings are spread in all directions randomly over paths and borders.

Embodiments of the present invention are intended to address the limitations of these existing techniques. Embodiments can trim the edges rapidly (at an operator's walking pace) and deliberately direct the cuttings towards/onto the uncut lawn. Thus, the edge cuttings an easily be collected by a mower when the lawn is subsequently mown.

According to the present invention there is provided a lawn edge trimmer including: a cutting device, and a motorised fan arranged to blow cuttings produced by the cutting device onto a lawn being trimmed.

The trimmer may include an elongate body, with a handle being located at, or adjacent, an upper end of the elongate body and the cutting device and the fan being located at, or adjacent, a lower end of the elongate body.

The trimmer may further include a guide device for assisting with moving the trimmer around the lawn and positioning the cutting device adjacent the lawn edge. The guide device may include a rotatable wheel mounted on a spindle extending through/into the elongate body. The wheel may run freely on the spindle. The fan and/or the cutting device may also be mounted on the spindle. Thus, the fan motor may also rotate the cutting device. The wheel may include an open rim. The cutting device and/or the fan the may be mounted within the periphery of the rim of the wheel.

The trimmer may include at least one cover component. The cover component may be attached to the elongate body, extending outwardly, between the upper and lower ends of the elongate body.

The cutting device may include a strimmer line.

Whilst the invention has been described above, it extends to any inventive combination of features set out above or in the following description.

Although illustrative embodiments of the invention are described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments. As such, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art.

Furthermore, it is contemplated that a particular feature described either individually or as part of an embodiment can be combined with other individually described features, or parts of other embodiments, even if the other features and embodiments make no mention of the particular feature. Thus, the invention extends to such specific combinations not already described.

The invention may be performed in various ways, and, by way of example only, embodiments thereof will now be described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic front sectional view of an embodiment of the lawn edge trimmer in use, and Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the trimmer in use.

Referring to the Figures, an example of the lawn edge trimmer 100 is shown. The trimmer includes an elongate body 102 having a handle 104 formed/attached to at its upper end. As with other components of the trimmer, the body and handle can be formed of any suitable material (or a combination of materials), such as moulded plastic. A motor 106 is attached to the body (at a point around three-quarters of its length from the upper end). The motor may be a petrol/diesel engine, or may be operated electrically by battery or mains.

The device can include an attachment point that allows an off-the-shelf motor module to be used.

The motor rotates an axle that is connected to a first pulley wheel 108. A belt 110 is looped over the first pulley wheel 108 and a second pulley wheel 112, which is located near the lower end of the elongate body 102. The second pulley wheel is connected to a spindle 114 that passes through an aperture in the elongate body 102 through to a fixed bearing housing 119. A fan blade 120 is fixed to the spindle 114. Attached to a central hub/boss 121 of the fan blade is a strimmer line 122. The hub/boss may contain a spool for the strimmer line. Thus, rotation of the spindle 114, resulting from the running of the motor 106, causes both the fan blade and strimmer line to rotate.

An open-spoke wheel 116, which may be formed of a rigid material such as plastic, is also fitted on the spindle 114 and runs freely upon it. As can be seen in Figure 1, the wheel includes a circumferential rim 118, with the wheel being open at the side facing away from the elongate body 102. The wheel is fitted on the spindle between the fan/stnmmer line and the elongate body 102.

Thus, the fan/strimmer line can be at least partially accommodated within the open rim of the wheel. The diameter of the wheel in the example is around 240mm.

Various components of the trimmer device can be covered for safety. For example, a first cover component 124 houses the pulley wheels and belt, whilst a second cover component 126 encases the upper half of the wheel (and the components located within its rim). A further shield 126B extends from the second cover component (generally perpendicularly to the elongate body 102) and acts as a shield against grass cuttings being blown directly towards a user.

In use, the operator positions the wheel of the trimmer 100 in a gutter 204 adjacent to the edge of the lawn 202 that is to be trimmed, with the strimmer line 122 located next/abutting to the lawn edge. The example trimmer is intended to be used with its elongate body 102 held at an angle as illustrated in Figure 2. The effective height of the device, from the bottom of the wheel to the top of the handle (illustrated by arrows 20A) is 0.81 m in the example. The operator switches on the motor 106, which causes the fan blade 120 and strimmer line 122 to rotate, and pushes the device in a forward direction (illustrated by arrows 20B). The strimmer line 122 (and fan 120) rotates clockwise (illustrated by arrows 20C) and cuts overhanging grass at the edge of the lawn 202. The resulting grass cuttings become airborne and susceptible to being blown by the fan blades. The location of the fan behind the strimmer line (and the presence of the cover component 126) means that all/the majority of the cuttings are blown in the general direction of the lawn 202 (as illustrated by arrow 20D), ready to be collected later on when the lawn itself is mowed.

It will be apparent to the skilled person that any variations to the device described above are possible. For example, the strimmer line could be replaced by another type of cutting device, such as a metal blade or the like. In the example illustrated, a single spindle 114 is used for mounting the wheel, fan and strimmer line, but in other versions separate axles could be used, possibly allowing the fan and the cutting device to be motorised or rotate independently of each other. A motor could also drive the guiding device/wheel, to assist with traction/ease of use. The described example is suitable for use by a right-handed person, but it will be understood that a version suitable for use by a left-handed operator could be produced.

Alternatively, certain components, such as the shield and the handle, could be reversible/re-locatable so as to facilitate use by left-handed users. In yet another embodiment, the trimmer could be fitted to a ride-on mower or tractor instead of being a hand-held device, with the trimmer being retractable when not in use.

Embodiments of the present invention can trim lawn edges rapidly and deposit the cuttings on the lawn for convenient collection, thereby producing an extremely tidy edge very quickly.

Claims

1 A lawn edge trimmer including: a cutting device (122), and a motorised fan (120) arranged to blow cuttings produced by the cutting device onto a lawn (202) being trimmed.

2. A trimmer according to claim 1, including an elongate body (102), with a handle (104) being located at, or adjacent, an upper end of the elongate body and the cutting device (122) and the fan (120) being located at, or adjacent, a lower end of the elongate body.

3. A trimmer according to claim I or 2, further including a guide device (116) for assisting with moving the trimmer around the lawn and positioning the cutting device adjacent the lawn edge in use.

4. A trimmer according to claim 3, wherein the guide device includes a rotatable wheel (116) mounted on a spindle (114) that extends through/into the elongate body (102).

5. A trimmer according to claim 4, wherein the wheel (1 16) runs freely on the spindle (114).

6. A trimmer according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the fan (120) and the, cutting device (122) are also mourted on the spindle (114). S...

7. A trimmer according to claim 6, wherein the cutting device (122) is S...

*** . attached to a central hublboss (121) of the fan (120). S..

8. A trimmer according to claim 6 or 7, wherein rotation of the fan (120) *. S. motor also rotates the cutting device (122).

9. A trimmer according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the wheel (116) includes an open rim (118).

10. A trimmer according to claim 9, wherein the cutting device (122) and/or the fan (120) are mounted within the periphery of the rim (118).

11. A trimmer according to any one of claims 2 to 10, further including at least one cover component (124, 126) that at least partially covers the fan (120) and/or cutting device (122).

12. A trimmer according to claim 11, wherein the cover component (126B) is attached to the elongate body (102) and extends outwardly, between upper and lower ends of the elongate body.

13. A trimmer according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cutting device comprises a strimmer line (122).

14. A lawn edge trimmer substantially as described herein and/or with reference to the accompanying drawings. * ** * * * * ** **** * * S... *S*.

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