Abstract:
An improved trimmer guard ( 15 ), for use with a trimmer ( 16 ) having a motor ( 18 ), a head ( 19 ) and a shaft ( 20 ), comprising a mounting assembly ( 23 ) configured to mount to a trimmer shaft, a frame ( 24 ) supported by the mounting assembly and a foldable skirt ( 25 ) supported by the frame. The frame and the skirt may be configured and arranged to move from a first folded position ( 26 ) to a second expanded position ( 28 ). The skirt may comprise a material selected from a group consisting of polyethylene film, woven polypropylene, woven nylon, canvas and neoprene. The support frame may comprise a first arm ( 29 ) extending from a mounting assembly and a second arm ( 30 ) extending from the mounting assembly and the first and second arms may be pivotally connected to the mounting assembly. The first and second arms may pivot from a folded position that is substantially parallel to the shaft outwardly to an expanded position that is in a plane substantially perpendicular to the shaft.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to the field of trimmers and, more particularly, to a flexible trimmer guard.  
       BACKGROUND ART  
       [0002]     Trimmers are well-known in the prior art. Generally, such trimmers include a gas or electric motor at one end of a tubular shaft and a rotating head at the other end. The trimmer head rotates at high speeds to cut grass or brush. For lighter cutting a nylon line is used and for larger diameter cutting a metal blade or knife is used. It is also known in the prior art that a hard plastic guard may be mounted just above the trimmer head to provide protection from the blade. These guards are kept small in order to allow trimming of grass and weeds to occur uninhibited. However, trimmer guards known in the prior art are limited in size and often do not adequately protect against debris being thrown onto the user&#39;s feet or legs when in use. Due to the small size of the conventional guard, high amounts of grass, dirt, rocks and other lawn debris are typically propelled onto the lower legs, clothing, socks, shoes and feet of the user. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a trimmer guard which provides protection to the user from flying grass and debris typically thrown or propelled by string trimmers when in use.  
       DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     With parenthetical reference to the corresponding parts, portions or surfaces of the disclosed embodiment, merely for the purposes of illustration and not by way of limitation, the present invention provides an improved trimmer guard ( 15 ), for use with a trimmer ( 16 ) having a motor ( 18 ), a head ( 19 ) and a shaft ( 20 ), comprising a mounting assembly ( 23 ) configured to mount to a trimmer shaft, a frame ( 24 ) supported by the mounting assembly, and a foldable skirt ( 25 ) supported by the frame. The frame and the skirt may be configured and arranged to move from a first folded position ( 26 ) to a second expanded position ( 28 ). The skirt may comprise a material selected from a group consisting of polyethylene film, woven polypropylene, woven nylon, canvas and neoprene. The support frame may comprise a first arm ( 29 ) extending from the mounting assembly and a second arm ( 30 ) extending from the mounting assembly, and the first and second arms may be pivotally connected to the mounting assembly. The first and second arms may pivot from a folded position that is substantially parallel to the shaft outwardly to an expanded position that is in a plane substantially perpendicular to the shaft. The skirt may comprise a first sleeve ( 31 ) for receiving the first arm and a second sleeve ( 32 ) for receiving the second arm. The support frame may comprise multiple arms extending from the mounting assembly and the mounting assembly may include a locking mechanism ( 33 ) for retaining the frame and skirt in the expanded position. The skirt may comprise an upper portion ( 34 ) and a lower portion ( 35 ), the upper and lower portions configured and arranged such that the lower portion pivots relative to the upper portion.  
         [0004]     Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide protection to the user from flying grass and debris typically thrown backwards by a trimmer.  
         [0005]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard which may be sold separately and mounted to the trimmer.  
         [0006]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard that may be easily mounted to or removed from the trimmer.  
         [0007]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard which may be folded against the shaft when not in use.  
         [0008]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard which provides increased protection against flying debris.  
         [0009]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard which may be used to augment the protection provided with the conventional hard plastic guard supplied with the trimmer.  
         [0010]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard that can be easily assembled and attached to the trimmer.  
         [0011]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard which may be adjusted by the user.  
         [0012]     Another object is to provide a trimmer guard which is normally large in area but flexible enough to be moved of the way when cutting against foundations, fences and other obstacles.  
         [0013]     These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the foregoing and ongoing written specification, the drawings, and the appended claims.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the trimmer guard in use on a conventional trimmer.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the trimmer guard shown in  FIG. 1  in a folded position.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the trimmer guard shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the trimmer guard shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the support frame moving from an expanded position to a folded position.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the mounting assembly shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the skirt shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]     At the outset, it should be clearly understood that like reference numerals are intended to identify the same structural elements, portions or surfaces, consistently throughout the several drawing figures, as such elements, portions or surfaces may be further described or explained by the entire written specification, of which this detailed description is an integral part. Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read (e.g., cross-hatching, arrangement of parts, proportion, degree, etc.) together with the specification, and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up” and “down”, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly” and “outwardly” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate.  
         [0022]     Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to  FIG. 1  thereof, this invention provides an improved trimmer guard, the presently preferred embodiment of which is generally indicated at  15 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , trimmer guard  15  is mounted to the shaft of a conventional trimmer  16 , which generally has a gas or electric motor  18  at one end of a tubular shaft  20  and a rotating head  19  at the other end. Trimmer  16  includes a handle  21  and a conventional hard plastic guard  22 . Conventional guard  22  generally includes a blade along one edge which cuts the nylon string extending from the head to the proper length. While trimmer  16  generally uses a nylon line that rotates at high speeds to cut grass, it is also known that a cutting blade may be used in place of such a string assembly.  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , trimmer guard  15  generally comprises mounting assembly  23 , frame  24  and skirt  25 . Trimmer guard  15  is mounted between head  19  of trimmer  16  and the operator of trimmer  16 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 1  shows trimmer guard  15  in expanded position  28 . In expanded position  28 , skirt  25  extends from a point on the shaft  20  to the ground, protecting against debris being thrown back towards the user. Protective skirt  25  is unfolded and stretched by frame  24  to form a generally semi-circular barrier to debris thrown back by rotating head  19 . As shown, arms  29  and  30  of frame  24  extend outwardly from mounting block assembly  23  in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to shaft  20 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  shows trimmer guard  15  in folded position  29  against shaft  20 . Frame  24  and mounting assembly  23  are configured such that frame  24  can be folded up against shaft  20  and secured with hook and loop fastener strap  62  when not in use.  
         [0026]     As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4  and  6 , mounting assembly  23  generally comprises top portion  38  and bottom portion  39 . Top portion  38  and bottom portion  39  clamp around shaft  20  and are held together with a series of screws  40  that extend through screw holes  41  in top portion  38  and into screw bosses  42  in bottom portion  39 . As shown, mounting assembly  23  is molded so that, when aligned, top portion  38  and bottom portion  39  form cylindrical through-bore  36  about axis x-x. Through-bore  36  is generally cylindrical and has a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of shaft  20 . Through-bore  36  is formed by horizontally-extending inner semi-cylindrical surface  43  of top portion  38 , and semi-cylindrical inner annular surfaces  44  of ribs  45  and inner semi-cylindrical annular surfaces  46   a - b  of bottom portion  39 .  
         [0027]     For smaller diameter trimmer shafts, a spacer may be inserted between the inner surface of through-bore  36  and the outer cylindrical surface of the shaft so that mounting assembly  23  may be used with smaller trimmer shafts. The spacer is a cylindrical member having a thickness equal to the difference between the inner diameter of through-bore  36  and the outer diameter of the shaft of the trimmer. In this way, the mounting assembly is adapted to be used with different trimmer shaft sizes.  
         [0028]     Top portion  38  also includes two holes  59  on opposite sides of surface  43 , and bottom portion  39  includes two similarly aligned bosses  58 . These holes and bosses are configured to receive screws  60 .  
         [0029]     As shown in  FIG. 6 , bottom portion  38  includes sidewall  48  extending upwardly from the perimeter of bottom planar member  65 . Along the front half of portion  39 , sidewall  48  forms a top bearing surface  49 . Surface  49  extends above member  65  a distance  50 . Semi-cylindrical surface  46   a  extends from surface  49  into sidewall  48  with a radius corresponding to the radius of shaft  20 . With respect to the portion of sidewall  48  defined by surface  49 , sidewall  48  has a height  50  that is greater than the radius of shaft  20 .  
         [0030]     The rear half of sidewall  48  is lower than the front half of sidewall  48 . In particular, top surface  51  of sidewall  48  is at a height  52  above bottom member  65 . The difference between height  50  and height  52  is approximately equal to the thickness of arms  29  and  30  of frame  24 . Annular surface  46   b  extends from surface  51  into sidewall  48 . Channel  55 , having a depth equal to the thickness of arms  29  and  30 , is thereby defined by the bottom surface of top portion  38  and surface  51  of bottom portion  39 .  
         [0031]     Two detent notches  33   a - b  are cut into surface  51  at its junction with surface  49  on the right and left sides of portion  39  and perpendicular to axis x-x. Top surface  53  of notch  33  is at a height  54  lower than height  52  of surface  51 . The difference between height  54  of surface  53  and height  52  of surface  51  is approximately equal to the thickness of arms  29  and  30 . Surface  53  has a width that corresponds to the width of arms  29  and  30 . Notches  33   a - b  form a locking mechanism to hold arms  29  and  30 , respectively, in a position substantially perpendicular to axis x-x. The vertically extending surfaces between horizontal surface  53  and horizontal surface  51 , and horizontal surface  53  and horizontal surface  49 , hold arms  29  and  30 , respectively, in place and keep them from pivoting.  
         [0032]     As shown in  FIGS. 3-6 , frame  24  comprises arms  29  and  30 . Arms  29  and  30  are flexible wands or battens. When un-biased, arms  29  and  30  are generally flat planar members having a given width and thickness. Arms  29  and  30  include through-bore  56  at one end.  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , through-bores  56  are of a diameter corresponding to bosses  58 . Thus, bosses  58 , through-bores  56  and holes  59  are aligned such that a pair of screws  60  can extend from one side of the assembly into the two respective bosses  58 . Screws  60  are thereby used both to detachably tighten assembly  23  onto shaft  20  and to provide a pivot about which arms  29  and  30  rotate from folded position  26  substantially parallel to axis x-x to expanded position  28  substantially perpendicular to axis x-x.  
         [0034]     In addition to screws  60 , wing bolt  66  is inserted through bottom member  65  into a nut  67  set in a recess in the inner surface of bottom member  65  of portion  38  and tightened to secure mounting assembly  23  to trimmer shaft  20 .  
         [0035]     As shown in  FIG. 7 , skirt  25  generally includes an upper portion  34 , lower portion  35 , first sleeve  31 , second sleeve  32 , relief  61 , and strap  62 . Upper portion  34  is held taut by frame  24  in an expanded position and provides protection against debris thrown by cutter head  19 . Lower portion  35  is designed to brush along the surface of the ground when in use, thereby assuring that debris does find its way underneath the protective barrier of skirt  25 .  
         [0036]     As shown, skirt  25  is of a generally semi-circular shape with relief  61  cut into the peak to provide space for mounting assembly  23  when in an assembled position. Sleeves  31  and  32  extend from relief  61  along the curved edges of skirt  25 . Sleeves  31  and  32  have an opened end at relief  61  and are closed at the other end. Sleeves  31  and  32  are dimensioned so as to receive arms  29  and  30 , respectively. Arms  29  and  30  slide into sleeves  31  and  32  such that through-bores  56  are at the open end of the sleeve near relief  61 . As arms  29  and  30  slide into sleeves  31  and  32  and are positioned on pivot boss sleeves  58  in assembly  23 , they bend or flex in sleeves  31  and  32  to match the upper outside curvature of skirt  25  and to stretch open skirt  25  into expanded position  28 . In the preferred embodiment, skirt  25  has a stretched height  63  of about eighteen inches and a length  64  of about thirty-two inches.  
         [0037]     Strap  62  is a storage strap with hook and loop fastening material. When skirt  25  is folded, strap  62  wraps around skirt  25  to hold it against shaft  20  and in a folded position by securing the hook and loop fastening material.  
         [0038]     In preferred embodiment, skirt  25  is formed of a flexible fabric material, and thereby may be unfolded into an extended position or folded into a storage position. In a preferred embodiment, skirt  25  is made of rip-stop nylon fabric. However, it is contemplated that skirt  25  may be made of other flexible fabric or material such as polyethylene film, woven polypropylene, woven nylon, canvas, and neoprene.  
         [0039]      FIG. 7  shows skirt  25  in an expanded position, as if arms  29  and  30  were inserted into sleeves  31  and  32 . When flexible arms  29  and  30  are inserted, the flexure of the arms opens and holds the skirt in the shape shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0040]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , arms  29  and  30  move in channel  55  from folded position  26  to expanded position  28 . When in expanded position  28 , arms  29  and  30  drop into detents  33 , respectively, and are thereby held in place. To release arms  29  and  30  from this locked position, pressure is applied upwards against the arms to force them out of detents  33  and into channels  55 , whereupon they can be pivoted about pivot bosses  58 .  
         [0041]      FIG. 5  shows how mounting assembly  23  and frame  24  allow for the skirt to be moved between folded position  26  and expanded position  28 . As shown, arm  30  pivots about axis y-y, which is the axis of through-bores  56  and  59  and pivot bosses  58 . This pivot axis is perpendicular to the axis x-x of through-bore  36  of assembly  23 . Thus, in expanded position  28 , arms  29  and  30 , together with skirt  25 , are in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to axis x-x. Arms  29  and  30  may then be moved out of detents  33  and pivoted through channel  55  to a position that is substantially parallel to axis x-x. In this substantially parallel position, skirt  25  may be folded up against shaft  20  and held in a folded position by strap  62 .  
         [0042]     The present invention contemplates that other changes and modifications may be made. Therefore, while the presently preferred trimmer guard has been shown and described, and several modifications discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.