Abstract:
An electric-powered lawnmower having a manoeuvering planar handle, a reel member having a hollow shaft and a pair of integral spaced apart spokes for winding an electrical extension cord therebetween. A reel support polygonal panel having a transverse socket engages the hollow shaft, wherein the shaft is freely rotatable within the socket. The panel defines two opposite side edge portions forming registering concave cavities. An anchor bar member has attachment members anchoring the anchor member to the lawnmower planar handle generally coplanar thereto. The anchor bar member includes a dovetail cavity, frictionally wedgingly yet releasably receiving the panel concave cavities. The reel member socket defines a rotational axis generally orthogonal to the plane of the planar handle.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to reel devices for electrical cords, and more particularly, to reel devices designed for use with electric-powered lawnmowers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     When operating a lawn mower of the electrically powered type, the machine needs to be connected by an electrical cord to a remote plug-in location where electrical power is generated. This means that the electrical cord lays across the lawn to be mowed by the lawn mower. There is therefore the constant hassle of having to clear the way ahead of the machine, otherwise the electrical cord may be accidentally cut by the lawn mower high speed rotating blade. An operator always need to be careful in this regard. The handling of the electrical cord, during lawn mowing operation as well as before and after use, is therefore an inefficiency in operation of the electric lawnmower. 
     It is believed that improvements are needed in this area. 
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     The gist of the present invention is to further improve upon manually operable take-up reel for electrical cords, which is easily and detachably mounted on new or pre-existing lawn mowers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the object of the invention, there is disclosed a reel support for use in releasably supporting a reel member against a lawnmower planar handle, said reel support comprising:—a rigid support main frame, for rotatable engagement with the reel member;—a generally planar anchor bar member having attachment members, for anchoring said anchor member to the lawnmower handle substantially coplanar thereto; and—wedge means, frictionally yet releasably interlocking said support main frame and said anchor bar member for rotation of the reel member along a plane generally parallel to the plane of said anchor bar member. 
     Said support main frame could consist of a polygonal panel, said wedge means including a bevelled cavity made into said anchor bar member and a pair of invaginated concavities made along opposite edge portions of said polygonal panel, said concavities complementarily shaped to said bevelled cavity for releasable frictional wedge interaction therewith. Said support main frame could consist of a flat polygonal panel, and including an aperture, made into an upper edge portion of said panel for hand engagement of said aperture for facilitating handling of said panel. A hook cavity could be made into said aperture of said panel, said hook cavity for frictionally receiving the end portion of the electric cord when winded fully inside the reel and not in use. 
     The invention also relates to the combination of a reel member for winding an electrical extension cord, a reel support for releasably supporting said reel member against a lawnmower planar handle, mounting means rotatively mounting said reel member to said reel support,—a generally planar anchor bar member having attachment members, for anchoring said anchor member to the lawnmower handle substantially coplanar thereto; and—wedge means, frictionally yet releasably interlocking said support main frame and said anchor bar member, wherein said reel member rotates along an axis generally orthogonal to a plane along which extends said anchor bar member. 
     In this latter invention, said support main frame could consist of a polygonal panel, said wedge means including a bevelled cavity made into said anchor bar member and a pair of invaginated concavities made along opposite edge portions of said polygonal panel, said concavities complementarily shaped to said bevelled cavity for releasable frictional wedge interaction therewith. Said mounting means could include a tubular hollow shaft, integral to said reel member, and a tubular socket integral to said panel, said socket releasably engaged into said hollow socket, each of said socket and hollow shaft being preferably cylindrical and defining a first outer end and a second outer end respectively, both said first outer end and said second outer end coming in register with one another; and further including a closure cap, rotatably releasably interengaging said first outer end and said second outer end to prevent accidental release of said reel member from said socket. At least one electrical cord guide member could transversely project freely from said panel. Said reel member could include a pair of inner wheel member and outer wheel member laterally spaced from one another and radially projecting from opposite ends of said hollow shaft integrally thereof, at least one cord retaining hook member transversely projecting from said outer wheel member, said hook member for releasably retaining a portion of the electrical extension cord. 
     The invention also relates to an electric-powered lawnmower per se, having a manoeuvering planar handle, a reel member having a hollow shaft and a pair of integral spaced apart spokes for winding an electrical extension cord therebetween, a reel support polygonal panel having a transverse socket engaging said hollow shaft wherein said shaft is freely rotatable within said socket, said panel defining two opposite side edge portions forming registering concave cavities;—a generally planar anchor bar member having attachment members, anchoring said anchor member to said lawnmower planar handle generally coplanar thereto, and a dovetail cavity frictionally wedgingly yet releasably receiving said panel concave cavities; wherein said reel member socket defines a rotational axis generally orthogonal to the plane of said planar handle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric lawn mower, shown in phantom lines, and further showing in full lines the electrical cord reel, the electrical cord wound around the reel and the reel support assembly; 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but at a smaller scale and showing the reel and reel support assembly in exploded view; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view at an enlarged scale of the reel support assembly, reel and electrical cord of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a partly sectional front plan view of the reel support assembly, suggesting in phantom view the release play of the support panel relative to the wedge block; 
     FIG. 5 is a front edge view of the wedge block of FIG. 4; and 
     FIG. 6 is a rear plan view of the reel support assembly and reel of FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The electric lawn mower  10  illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 conventionally includes a casing  12  supported rollingly spacedly over ground by a pair of front wheels  14  and a second pair of rear wheels  16 . An electrical motor (not shown) is lodged at a central location  12 A centrally inside the casing  12 , and is powered by electrical sector AC current via an electrical cord  18  projecting therefrom. The electrical motor rotatably drives at least one blade (not shown) having a long sharp edge, this blade for shearingly cutting the upper section of grass tufts on a lawn. A tubular open arcuate handle  20  (e.g. generally inversely U-shape) projects rearwardly upwardly from casing  12 . An ignition and motor speed control unit  22  is mounted at a top web portion  20 A of handle  20 , at arms length of the operator, and the plug  18 A of electrical cord  18  is inserted into a socket  22 A integral to control unit  22 . 
     Now, according with the invention, there is provided a reel member  24 , around which can be wound an electrical extension cord  26 . Extension cord  26  has at one end a socket  26 A, for operative connection with a complementary plug  22 B at control unit  22 , and at the opposite other end a plug  26 B, for operative connection to a remote AC wall socket (e.g. from a building) connected to an electrical power generator source. Socket  22 A and plug  22 B of control unit  22  are electrically interconnected. Reel member  24  includes a cylindrical hollow shaft  28 , and a pair of enlarged wheel members  30 ,  32 , radially projecting from opposite ends of shaft  28  and integral thereto. Preferably, a rotating hand lever  34  projects transversely outwardly from a portion of the radially outer end of outer wheel member  30 , integrally thereto. Preferably also, and as best illustrated in FIG. 3, there is provided a few hooks  35  projecting outwardly transversely from outer wheel member  30 , for retaining the end portion of electric cord socket end  26 A when released from control unit  22 . 
     A separate support panel  36  is further provided. Support panel  36  is generally planar and generally polygonal, for example generally quadrangular, and includes a socket member  38  projecting transversely from a central portion thereof. Socket member  38  is sized for free through engagement into the hollow of hollow shaft  28  of reel member  24 , wherein reel member  24  is rotatably carried by support panel  36  around socket member  38 . A friction cap  40  may be provided to close the outer end of socket member  38  and to rotatably releasably interengage reel member  24  to socket member  38 . In this way, reel member  24  cannot accidentally release from support panel  36  when extension cord  26  is unwound from reel member  24 . Support panel  36  is adapted to be mounted to the lawn mower handle  20 , via bar  44  (see below). 
     Anchor means  42  are provided to releasably anchor support panel  36  against an intermediate section of the lawn mower handle  20 . In one preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5 of the drawings, anchor means  42  includes a rectangular bar  44  having opposite end portions  46 ,  48 , and an intermediate front cavity  50 . Each end portion  46 ,  48 , includes an ovoïdal slot  46 A,  48 A, for passage of screw members  51 , for adjustable releasable anchoring of end portions  46 ,  48 , with bracket members  52  to the two lateral legs  20 B,  20 C, respectively of the lawn mower handle  20 . Ovoïdal slots  46 A,  48 A, enable adjustment of bar  44  to lawnmover handles  20  of the varying sizes. Cavity  50  forms a wedge means, in that its two sides—on the inner edge portions  46 B,  48 B, of the bar end portions  46 ,  48 , respectively—are downwardly inwardly bevelled. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the section of support panel  36  intermediate its length is narrowed, forming a concave invagination  54 ,  56 , along each opposite lateral edges  36 A,  36 B, in register with socket member  38 . The distance between the troughs of support panel edge invaginations  54 ,  56 , is smaller than the minimum width of bar wedge cavity  50 , but the distance between support panel lateral edges  36 A,  36 B, is greater than this minimum width of bar wedge cavity  50 . That is to say, and as suggested sequentially by FIGS. 2 and 4, support panel  36  is engageable freely transversely (e.g. toward the rear of the lawn mower) across the open mouth  50 A (FIG. 4) of cavity  50  and into cavity  50 , and can then become frictionally interlocked therein by downwardly sinking support panel  36  transversely of wedge bar  44 . As support panel  36  moves transversely relative to bar  44  into cavity  50 , the bevelled edge portions  46 B,  48 B, of bar  44  become lockingly wedged against the upper portions of the lateral side edge concavities  54 ,  56 , of support panel  36 . 
     After use, to remove the support panel  36  from the wedge bar  44 , one needs only, firstly, to manually pull support panel  36  upwardly, just enough so that the lateral side edge concavities  54 ,  56 , of panel  36  release the bevelled edge portions  46 B,  48 B, of bar  44 , and then lastly, to pull the panel  36  forwardly away from the plane of wedge bar  44 , to release the cavity  50  and pass through cavity mouth  50 A. It is understood that no tool is required to install or remove support panel  36  and associated reel member  24  against the handle  20  of lawn mower  10 . For removal of the wedge bar  44 , wing nuts can be manually screwed, but wedge bar  44  may also remain a permanent component of the lawn mower  10  since it remains an inconspicuous added component thereof, extending generally within the plane of handle  20 . 
     Preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 4, an ovoïdal aperture  60  is made at an upper portion of support panel  36 , for hand engagement for facilitating handling of support panel  36  when required. Ovoïdal aperture  60  may include a lower intermediate cavity  60 A, for frictionally receiving the end portion of electrical extension cord when not in use . As suggested in FIGS. 2-3, at least one of the four corner portions, and preferably all four comer portions of support panel  36  could each be fitted with an integral transverse guide arm,  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68 , so as to guide winding of electrical extension cord  26  around reel member  24 , as well as to substantially prevent accidental unwinding of the electrical extension cord  26 . 
     Obviously, the distance between support panel socket member  38  and each of transverse guide arms  62 - 68 , should be greater than the radial width of any of reel member wheel members  30 ,  32 , so that guide arms  62 - 68  do not hamper free rotation of reel member  24 . Upper corner guide arms  62 ,  64 , could simply be smaller cylindrical studs, as shown, whereas lower corner guide arms  66 ,  68 , could be larger right angle studs. However, lower corner arms  66 ,  68 , work mainly as ground stands for support in upright condition of assembled components  44 ,  36 ,  24 , when released from lawn mower and not in use. 
     It is understood that the present invention may be easily retrofitted to existing lawn mowers, or could be provided on new lawn mowers either as a standard feature or as an optional one. Also, the reel support could be used detached from the lawn mower, for other applications using electrical wires, for example against a wall mount, or on an electric snow blower. This reel support is removably mounted.