Cutlery – Cutting tools – With blade moving means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-12
2001-06-26
Watts, Douglas D. (Department: 3724)
Cutlery
Cutting tools
With blade moving means
C030S347000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249978
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention is related to flail heads for vegetation cutters having molded plastic components.
BACKGROUND ART
The prior art teaches the use of flail head as a suitable alternative to string heads for vegetation cutters. Flail heads such as taught by Lee in U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,943 and Kondo et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,035 represent the current state of the art in flail heads. These flail heads are multiple component assemblies and the flail blades are individually attached to a central body using bolts or pins respectively. Doolittle et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,114 teaches a flail head having two integrally formed flail blades which are snap fit onto the end of a conical housing. The two flail blades are not pivotally mounted relative to the conical housing. A flail head having a single pivotable flail blade is taught by Rebhun in U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,841. The single flail blade is pivotally attached to a protrusion formed in a circular support disc. The single blade is only supported on one side and is secured to the protrusion by an enlarged head. The support disc is designed to counter-balance the flail blade. The object of the invention is a flail head which has a minimum number of parts, is easy to manufacture and is safe to the user.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
A flail head for a vegetation cutter having a central body and a series of equally spaced flail blades. The central body consists of two face-to-face bowl shaped body portions. The open faces of the bowl shaped body portions are spatially separated from each other and at least one of the body portions has pivot posts extending between the two body portions. The series of flail blades are pivotally attached to the pivot posts between the two body portions. Abutting central bosses provided on each body portion along with the pivot posts maintain the spatial separation of the two body portions.
In a first embodiment, the pivot posts are provided on one of the body portions and the other body portion has mating bores in which the distal ends of the pivot posts are received. In a second embodiment, the two body portions are identical and each body portion has mating semi-cylindrical posts which when joined from the pivot posts. The two body portions are molded plastic parts molded from a plastic different from the plastic from which the flail blades are molded.
One advantage of the flail head according to the invention is that no tools are required for assembly.
Another advantage of the flail head according to the invention is that the pivot posts are molded into one or both of the body portions eliminating separate pins or bolts.
Still another advantage of the invention is that the central body consists of only two parts.
Another advantage of a second embodiment, the two body portions are identical and may be molded using the same die.
These and other advantages of the flail head according to the invention will become more apparent from reading the detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2676448 (1954-04-01), Limberger
patent: 4089114 (1978-05-01), Doolittle et al.
patent: 4107841 (1978-08-01), Rebhun
patent: 4118865 (1978-10-01), Jacyno et al.
patent: 4290257 (1981-09-01), Frantello
patent: 4300336 (1981-11-01), Miyata
patent: 4374465 (1983-02-01), Comer
patent: 4631828 (1986-12-01), Burnett
patent: 5406708 (1995-04-01), Stephens et al.
patent: 5430943 (1995-07-01), Lee
patent: 5491962 (1996-02-01), Sutliff et al.
patent: 5622035 (1997-04-01), Kondo et al.
patent: 5722172 (1998-03-01), Walden
patent: 5791054 (1998-08-01), Bessinger
patent: 5887349 (1999-03-01), Walden
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
MTD Products Inc.
Watts Douglas D.
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