Patent Application
20210092899
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present disclosure relates generally to a landscaping device, and more particularly to an attachment device for landscape trimming tools to create or maintain uniform, concentric circles in turf around a tree.
In general, the circles in turf surrounding trees are commonly known as “tree wells”. These tree wells are typically created by a gardener using a trimming tool, such as a string trimmer, brush-cutter, edge trimmer, lawn trimmer, or stick trimmer. Currently, the operator of the trimming tool uses a freehand method of walking around the tree and doing his or her best to maintain a concentric circle. However, this is often difficult to achieve, and typically clean concentric circles are not achieved. Additionally, it is extremely difficult under the freehand method to achieve repeatably sized wells from tree to tree. As such, in a row of trees, for example, it will be clearly obvious that the diameters of the circles are inconsistent and/or non-concentric.
In order to overcome these problems, various solutions have been introduced. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,720 discloses a trimmer guard that prevents the filament of a string trimmer from getting too close to, and thereby damaging a tree. This disclosure, however, does not allow for sufficiently large tree wells, or creation of uniformly concentric circles around a tree. U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,383 similarly discloses a guard-style device to prevent damage to a tree and/or to keep the trimming device from approaching too closely to the tree. U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,699 discloses yet another guard-style embodiment, while also serving to support the trimming tool for ease of use by the gardener. Other examples of guard-style devices to prevent damage to the tree include, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,381,854; 7,963,041; and 9,433,146. While all of these prior disclosures show a way of keeping the trimming tool from damaging the tree by getting too close to the tree during operation, they do not show a reasonable way to extend the trimming tool away from the tree a sufficient distance and especially do not show a way of extending the trimming tool away from the tree in a manner to create uniform, concentric circle tree wells around the tree.
As such, there is a need for a device that allows the operator of a landscape trimming tool to create and maintain concentric tree wells around various trees in an efficient and uniform manner.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is contemplated a landscape trimming tool attachment device. The attachment device has a telescoping extension shaft, a curved collar, and an attachment portion. The telescoping extension shaft has a proximal end and a distal end. The curved collar has a first end and a second end, with the second end connecting to the distal end of the extension shaft. The attachment portion is connected to the proximal end of the extension shaft.
The curved collar may be removably connected to the telescoping extension shaft. The attachment device may further include at least one detent and at least one notch. The at least one detent is configured to be inserted into the at least one notch when the curved collar is connected to the extension shaft, in order to secure the curved collar to the extension shaft. In one particular embodiment, the attachment device has two detents and two notches. In certain embodiments, the detents may be located in the second end of the curved collar and the notches may be located in the distal end of the extension shaft. In alternative embodiments, the curved collar may be integrally formed with the telescoping extension shaft.
The telescoping extension shaft may include a plurality of diameter markers when the shaft is extended to indicate the diameter being achieved. The attachment device may further include a hand grip disposed along a length of the extension shaft.
In certain embodiments, the attachment portion may include an eyebolt, a washer, and a spring. In these embodiments, the eyebolt may be connected to the proximal end of the extension shaft. Further, the washer may be located around a length of the eyebolt. Additionally, the spring may surround the eyebolt and be located between the proximal end of the extension shaft and the washer, such that an operator is required to depress the washer against the force of the spring to attach or remove a landscape trimming tool from the attachment device.
The attachment device may further include an attachment bracket configured to attach to the eyebolt of the attachment portion and to a landscape trimming tool. In one embodiment, the attachment bracket has a first clamp portion, a second clamp portion, and at least one securing device. The second clamp portion has a channel that engages with the eyebolt. Additionally, the at least one securing device removably secures the first clamp portion to the second clamp portion, such that the first clamp portion and the second clamp portion are disposed around and retain the landscape trimming tool.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates a landscape trimming tool attachment device having a curved collar section, a substantially linear extension section, and an attachment portion. The curved collar section has a first end and a second end. The extension section has a proximal end and a distal end. In this embodiment, the extension section distal end is connected to the collar section second end and the attachment portion is connected to the proximal end of the extension section.
In this embodiment, the curved collar section may be integrally formed with the extension section. Alternatively, the curved collar section may be removably connected to the extension section.
Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates a method of creating a concentric circle in turf surrounding a tree. In particular, the method includes the following steps: providing an attachment device, attaching an attachment portion of the attachment device to a landscape trimming tool, placing a curved collar of the attachment device around the tree, and operating the landscape trimming tool while maintaining tension on the attachment device and circling the tree. In this embodiment, the attachment device may be any of the embodiments disclosed herein, but in particular may have a telescoping extension shaft, a curved collar, and an attachment portion. The telescoping extension shaft may have a proximal end and a distal end. The curved collar may have a first end and a second end. The collar second end may connected to the distal end of the extension shaft and the attachment portion may be connected to the proximal end of the extension shaft.
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and sequences of steps for constructing and operating the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different embodiments and that they are also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the invention.
As shown in
The adjustable attachment device 101 further includes an attachment portion 130 connected to the proximal end 123 of the telescoping extension shaft 121.
As shown in
As shown in
While it has been discussed above, and shown in
The telescoping extension shaft 121 is substantially linear along its length between the proximal end 123 and the distal end 124, and is configured such that the telescoping extension shaft 121 is capable of extending linearly as needed by the operator. Any suitable means for extending the telescoping extension shaft may be utilized, including, but not limited to, threaded tubes that may be twisted to lengthen and shorten the shaft 121, tubes of differing sizes that fit within each other and may be extended to lengthen the shaft 121, or various other extending means.
One particular means of extending the shaft 121 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,096,530, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. As shown in
The extension shaft 121 may further include one or more grips 127 along its length to assist the user in grasping and maneuvering the device 101. The grip 127 may be formed of the same material is the shaft 121, but in a larger configuration to ease with handling, or may be made from a suitable material, such as a foam material, for gripping by the user.
The attachment portion 130 connected to the proximal end 123 of the extension shaft 121 may utilize any suitable means of connection the attachment device 101 to a landscape trimming tool 100, for example, but not limited to, a hook-and-loop strap, a ball-and-socket device, a piece of line, magnets, or the like. The example shown in
A user may apply force to the washer 133 away from the hook portion of the eyebolt 131, thereby compressing the spring 132 and creating a gap which will allow the user to attach or detach a landscape trimming tool 100 to the eyebolt 131. When the force is removed, the washer 133 once again returns to its position against the hook portion of the eyebolt 131, thereby securing the landscape trimming tool 100 to the attachment portion 130. This configuration allows for ease of use in attaching and detaching a tool 100, while requiring a two-pointed application of force to the washer 133 by the user, thereby reducing or eliminating any accidental release of the tool 100 during use.
In combination with the attachment portion 130, there may be utilized an attachment bracket 140 that attaches to the landscape trimming tool 100 and to the attachment portion 130. In particular, the attachment bracket 140 is configured to attach to the eyebolt 131 of the attachment portion 130 and to the landscape trimming tool 100.
As shown in
The first clamp portion 141 and the second clamp portion 142 are configured to abut each other, and to surround a portion of the landscape trimming tool 100, thereby keeping the trimming tool 100 in place. The first clamp portion 141 and the second clamp portion 142 are secured to each other by way of at least one securing device 143. As shown in
Initially, the operator determines the diameter of the tree well and selects the appropriate length extension section if using a non-adjustable attachment device 102 or extends the telescoping extension shaft 121 to the desired diameter if using an adjustable attachment device 101. Then the operator determines the appropriate tree collar size based on the size of the tree's trunk. If using an attachment device with a removable curved collar 111, the operator merely places the correct sized curved collar 111 on the proximal end of the attachment device.
If, however, the operator is using an attachment device with an integrated tree collar section 112, the operator chooses from the appropriate attachment device with the appropriately sized tree collar section 112. To assist in the selection of the appropriate sized collars or shafts, they may be color-coded for the operator's ease. For example, the operator may have a guideline for particular jobs, or particular locations to use a particularly colored collar or attachment device, that coincides with the proper diameter for that particular job or location.
Once the desired selections are made, the operator attaches the attachment device 111 or 112 to the trimming tool 100 and circles the tree. The attachment device may utilize a quick attach and release system, such as the attachment portion 130 and attachment bracket 140 described above. Once the attachment device is attached to the trimming tool 100, the operator simply walks around the tree while keeping tension on the attachment device 100 to form the uniform and circular tree well.
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various materials from which the attachment device may be formed, as well as various sizes and combinations of curved collars and extension sections. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.
