Abstract:
An elongated pole pruner for cutting and trimming trees, bushes and the like having three separable sections, that when assembled, form an extended length pruner. The pole pruner includes a first section containing a handle and battery pack, a second extension section, and a third section that contains the purner itself. Each of the sections contains an electrical conductor that is attached to corresponding conductor in an adjacent pole sections via a male plug and female receptacle. In this way, the battery pack in the first section of the pole is able to deliver power through the second section to the pruner in the third section.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0001]     Power tools, such as saws, trimmers and pruners have been used for some time to cut and shape trees and bushes. To increase their versatility, these tools have been placed on the end of poles so that elevated sections of trees or bushes can be reached for cutting without having to use a ladder or other similar device. In many cases, the power tool is simply placed on the end of a long single pole to provide the necessary extension. However, the typical length of an extension pole makes it is difficult to transport and store. Furthermore, placing the entire power tool at the end of an extension pole makes it difficult to balance, and extremely unwieldy because all of the weight is at the end of the pole.  
         [0002]     Manufacturers have attempted to overcome the burdensome pole length by using a telescopic pole that can be compressed into a smaller space. However, telescoping poles have a decreasing diameter along their length, thus providing a structurally weaker pole at the narrower sections. This increases the likelihood that the pole will break and creates a safety hazard for the user.  
         [0003]     Furthermore, manufacturers have attempted to solve the uneven weight distribution of the power tool by distributing weight at both ends of the pole. This has been done by placing the power tool portion at one end, and the power source portion (i.e. gas tank, battery, etc.) at the other. However, this solution typically entails having a continuous mechanical drive train or an electrical conductor (i.e. wire) connecting the tool end and the power supply end. This continuous connection often cannot be separated or shortened in conjunction with a telescopic or separable pole.  
         [0004]     Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide an extensible pole that can be separated into smaller components for easier transport and storage. It would be further advantageous to provide an extensible pole having uniform diameter and strength.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is directed to an elongated pole saw for cutting and trimming trees, bushes and the like. The saw comprises three detachable sections, that when assembled, form an extended length saw having a battery pack on one end, and a saw or other power tool at the other end. The pole saw includes a first section containing a handle and battery pack, a second extension section, and a third section that contains the saw itself. Each of the sections contains an electrical wire that is terminated at the ends of the pole sections and are attached to adjacent pole sections via a male plug and female receptacle. In this way, the battery pack in the first section of the pole is able to deliver power through the second section to the saw in the third section.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  shows an assembled pole pruner of the present invention;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  shows a disassembled pole pruner of the present invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  shows a pole pruner of the present invention with an intermediate pole section removed;  
         [0009]      FIG. 4A  shows a male plug of a pole section;  
         [0010]      FIG. 4B  shows a female receptacle of a pole section;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4C  shows the female receptacle of  FIG. 4B  with a sleeve pulled rearwardly;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5A  shows a male plug of a second pole section;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5B  shows a female receptacle of second pole section;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6A  shows a cut-away view of the male plug of  FIG. 4A ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6B  shows a cut-away view of the female receptacle of  FIG. 4B ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7A  shows the male plug of an alternative embodiment of the invention; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 7B  shows a female receptacle of an alternative embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     A pole saw  10  of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  in an assembled and disassembled state, respectively. The pole pruner  10  includes a first pole section  12 , and second intermediate pole section  14 , and a third pole section  16 . The first pole section  12  includes a soft cushioning material  13  for comfortable gripping of the pole section  12 , a handle  18 , and a battery pack  20  for supplying power to a tool  22  at an end of the third pole section  16 . The tool  22  is shown in the figures as a saw, but it is contemplated that any tool may be placed at the end of the third pole section  16 , and the invention is not limited to a saw.  
         [0019]     Each of the pole sections are detachably connected to one another to form a single elongated pole for reaching elevated branches and the like without the need of a ladder. This greatly increases the safety of using such a device because a user does not have to balance himself on a ladder while using the tool.  
         [0020]     The pole sections are connected at connecting sections  24 A and  24 B, which comprise female receptacles  26 A and  26 B and male plugs  28 A and  28 B on adjacent ends of each pole section, as best shown in  FIG. 2 . The arrangement shown in  FIG. 2  allows the second pole section  14  to be removed so that the first pole section  12  can be directly connected to the third pole section  16 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The shortened pole arrangement may be useful when only a short reach is needed, and has the advantage of providing greater control over the pole saw  10 . The preferred embodiment limits the number of pole sections to three, by using keying features on the male plugs  28 A and  28 B and female receptacles  26 A and  26 B, as described in greater detail below. The number of pole section is limited to prevent the pole length from becoming dangerously long. However, it should be understood that any number of pole sections may be used and still fall within the scope of the invention.  
         [0021]     The connecting sections  24 A and  24 B will now be described in greater detail.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  show detailed views of the male plug  28 A and female receptacle  26 A connecting the first pole section  12  and the second pole section  14 , and  FIGS. 5A and 5B  show the male plug  28 B and female receptacle  26 B for connecting second pole section  14  with the third pole section  16 .  
         [0022]     Referring now to  FIG. 4A , the male plug  28 A comprises a hollow male housing  29  that is fitted over an end of the pole section  12  and fixedly secured thereto by rivets  31  (see also  FIG. 6A ). Although, the male housing  29  is separate from the pole section  12  in the preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that the male housing  29  be made integral with the pole section  12 . The male housing  29  shown in  FIG. 4A  includes threads  30  on its outside diameter and a front stem  32  extending therefrom. The stem  32  includes two openings  34 , two flat surfaces  36  on opposite sides, and a slot  38  along its length. The openings  34  hold two electrical contacts  40  that extend back through the stem  32  and connect to electrical wires  42  that run the length of the pole section (see  FIG. 6A ).  
         [0023]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4B and 4C , the female receptacle  26 A includes a housing  50  and a threaded sleeve  52 .  FIG. 4C  shows the female receptacle  26 A of  FIG. 4B  with the threaded sleeve  52  pulled slightly rearwardly to better reveal the housing  50 . The housing  50  is folded over an end of the pole section  14  and secured on opposite sides by rivets  54  (see also  FIG. 6B ). The housing  50  defines an opening  56  for receiving the stem  32  of the male plug  28 A. A rear portion of the opening  56  includes two apertures through which contacts  57  protrude. The opening  56  is generally cylindrical-shaped having flattened portions  58  on opposite sides thereof to correspond to the shape of the stem  32 . The opening  56  further includes cavities  60  for holding the rivets  54  (only one seen in figure) so that they do not interfere with the insertion of the stem  32  into the opening  56 , and a protrusion  62  corresponding to the slot  38  on the stem  32 .  
         [0024]     When the stem  32  is inserted into the opening  56 , the protrusion  62  slides into slot  38 , and the contacts  40  engage corresponding contacts  57 . The matching flat portions  36  and  58  on the stem  32  and in the opening  56 , respectively, align the male plug  28 A and female receptacle  26 A and prevent their rotation relative to one another. The slot  38  and protrusion  62  further orients the relationship of the male plug and female receptacle for proper electrical connection.  
         [0025]     The threaded sleeve  52  is slidably and rotatably attached to the pole  14  and is prevented from sliding forwardly off of the pole by the housing  50 . The sleeve  52  is threaded on its interior so that when the male plug  28 A is attached to the female receptacle  26 A, the sleeve  52  is slid forwardly so that it overlies and engages the threads  30  of the male plug  28 A.  
         [0026]      FIGS. 5A and 5B  show the male plug  28 B and the female receptacle  26 B for the second connecting section  24 B, connecting the second pole section  14  to the third pole section  16 . Similar elements in the male plug  28 B and female receptacle  26 B of the second connection section  24 B to the first connecting section  24 A are labeled with identical reference numbers. The difference in the second connection section  24 B is that the stem  32  of the male plug has only a single flat surface  36 , and similarly, the opening  56  in the female receptacle has only a single flat portion  58 . The reason for this is explained below.  
         [0027]     The single and double “flat portion” keying feature in the connecting sections  24 A and  24 B allows the pole saw  10  to use three pole sections, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , or two pole sections as shown in  FIG. 3 , but prevents the addition of a fourth pole section, ie. another intermediate pole section  14 . The keying feature allows the male plug  28 A (having two flat portions) of the first pole section  12  to be inserted into either the female receptacle  26 A (having a two flat portion) or  26 B (having a single flat portion) of the second or third pole sections  14  and  16 . However, the keying feature prevents a user from adding an additional fourth intermediate pole section, like pole section  14 , because the male plug  28 B of the pole section  14  (which has a single flat portion) does not fit into the female receptacle  26 A (which as two flat portions) of the similarly made pole section  14 . Therefore, a user is prevented from using more than three pole sections and thereby increasing the length of the pole saw.  
         [0028]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  show an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Here, rather than using corresponding flat portions as a keying feature to prevent rotation, the male housing  28  includes a serrated front face  70  that engages a corresponding serrated face  72  on the female plug  26 . Additionally, this embodiment of the invention uses a single contact  74  on the male plug and a single contact  76  on the female plug. In other respects, the alternative embodiment is identical to the preferred embodiment previously described.  
         [0029]     The present invention provides the advantage of having detachable pole sections that can be separated into three shortened smaller sections, making it easier to package and transport. Also, unlike previous telescopic-type devices whose pole section diameters decrease along their length, the pole sections  12 ,  14  and  16  of the present invention have the same diameter and consequently, their rigidity and strength are consistent throughout its length. Furthermore, because the power source is at one end and the tool is at another, the weight of the device is divided making the product easier to handle.  
         [0030]     Although a preferred embodiment has been disclosed, it should be noted that the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.