Patent Application
20180266258
The present invention relates generally to safety devices. More particularly, the present relates to a mower blade lock.
A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. Common characteristics of a lawn are that it is composed only of grass species, it is subject to weed and pest control, it is subject to practices aimed at maintaining its green color (e.g., watering), and it is regularly mowed to ensure an acceptable length, although these characteristics are not binding as a definition. Lawns are used around houses, apartments, commercial buildings and offices. Many city parks also have large lawn areas. In recreational contexts, the specialized names turf, pitch, field or green may be used, depending on the sport and the continent.
The term “lawn”, referring to a managed grass space, dates to no earlier than the 16th century. Tied to suburban expansion and the creation of the household aesthetic, the lawn is an important aspect of the interaction between the natural environment and the constructed urban and suburban space. In many suburban areas, there are bylaws in place requiring houses to have lawns and requiring the proper maintenance of these lawns. In some jurisdictions where there are water shortages, local government authorities encourage alternatives to lawns to reduce water use.
A lawn mower, or mower, is a machine utilizing one or more revolving blades to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but generally is adjustable by the operator, typically by a single master lever, or by a lever or nut and bolt on each of the machine's wheels. The blades may be powered by muscle, with wheels mechanically connected to the cutting blades so that when the mower is pushed forward, the blades spin, or the machine may have a battery-powered or plug-in electric motor. The most common power source for lawn mowers is a small (typically one cylinder) internal combustion engine. Smaller mowers often lack any form of propulsion, requiring human power to move over a surface; “walk-behind” mowers are self-propelled, requiring a human only to walk behind and guide them. Larger lawn mowers are usually either self-propelled “walk-behind” types, or more often, are “ride-on” mowers, equipped so the operator can ride on the mower and control it.
It is occasionally desired or required to perform maintenance on lawn mowers, including such tasks as servicing or changing the blade or blades of the lawn mower. This can be a dangerous activity if the blade is not secured against rotating and potentially harming the user. In addition, various parts can fall during maintenance and cause damage to the user or other objects. It is therefore an objective of the present invention to present a blade lock for lawnmower blades which locks the blade in place for performing maintenance such as removing and replacing the blade or blades safely.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention is to be described in detail and is provided in a manner that establishes a thorough understanding of the present invention. There may be aspects of the present invention that may be practiced or utilized without the implementation of some features as they are described. It should be understood that some details have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure focus of the invention. References herein to “the preferred embodiment”, “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, or “alternative embodiments” should be considered to be illustrating aspects of the present invention that may potentially vary in some instances, and should not be considered to be limiting to the scope of the present invention as a whole.
The present invention is a blade lock for lawnmowers that may be affixed to the lawnmower blade in order to prevent the blade from rotation while performing maintenance operations on the lawn mower such as removing or replacing the blade.
In general, referring to
In the preferred embodiment, the connecting body 3 is an elongated rod. In other embodiments, the connecting body 3 may vary in form and structure. In general, the connecting body 3 serves as a structural base connecting the blade hook 1 and the handling portion 2 together.
The blade hook 1 of the present invention is formed in order to hook over, latch onto, or otherwise grasp the lawnmower blade and prevent it from moving. In various embodiments, the blade hook 1 may comprise various forms which allow the blade hook 1 to achieve the aforementioned purpose. For example, in some embodiments, the blade hook 1 may comprise a latching mechanism securing the blade hook 1 to the lawnmower blade. However, in the preferred embodiment, the blade hook 1 is simply a generally U-shaped component, with the lawnmower blade being positioned within the crook of the U-shape when in use, and with the bottom of the U-shape representing the direction of rotation of the lawnmower blade to be prevented.
More particularly, in some embodiments, the blade hook 1 comprises a bend 11 and a terminal portion 12. The bend 11 is connected adjacent to the connecting body 3 and corresponds to the bottom of the aforementioned U-shape. The terminal portion 12 is connected adjacent to the bend 11 opposite the connecting body 3 along the bend 11, completing the U-shape. In some embodiments, the terminal portion 12 is oriented parallel to the connecting body 3 to ensure adequate capture of the lawnmower blade during use. To do so, in some embodiments the bend 11 comprises a bend 11 angle 13 greater than 90 degrees. More particularly, the bend 11 preferably comprises a bend 11 angle 13 greater than 90 degrees, such as, but not limited to, 180 degrees.
In general, the purpose of the handling portion 2 should be understood to be for controlling the position of the blade hook 1 through the connecting body 3. The handling portion 2 may be grasped by the user for maneuvering the present invention into place and may further be affixed to an additional component of the lawn mower such as a deck, rim or other object within reach of the lawnmower blade. As such, the handling portion 2 may also comprise a general hook shape or U-shape, though adapted for facilitating user grasp and being attached to the lawnmower deck. In some embodiments, the U-shape of the handling portion 2 and the U-shape of the blade hook 1 may be oriented at or near 90 degrees to each other.
Thus, in some embodiments, the handling portion 2 comprises a first portion 21, a second portion 22, and a third portion 23. The first portion 21 is angularly connected to the connecting body 3, the second portion 22 is angularly connected to the first portion 21 opposite the connecting body 3, and the third portion 23 is angularly connected to the second portion 22 opposite the first portion 21 and is oriented parallel to the first portion 21. Thus, the handling portion 2 may form a general U-shape, or a shape resembling a quadrilateral missing a side.
In some embodiments as illustrated in
Referring to
In some embodiments, the handling portion 2 and the blade hook 1 are positioned opposite each other about the second reference plane 5, as shown in
In view of the foregoing disclosure, the present invention is made to hold the mower blade while removing and replacing the mower blade. The present invention locks on the blade and holds onto the outside of the deck. The present invention prevents the parts from falling out and promotes safety.
The present invention is used to remove and replace mower blades. The user utilizes the present invention to hook over the blade and side of the deck. One side of the present invention is to remove while the other side of the present invention is to replace. The present invention holds the blade while loosening nuts or bolts on the bottom of the blades.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of the U.S. design application serial number 29/639,307 filed on Mar. 5, 2018. The current application also claims a priority to a U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/472,075 filed on Mar. 16, 2017.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62472075 | Mar 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 29639307 | Mar 2018 | US |
| Child | 15922697 | US |
