Patent Publication Number: US-6701622-B2

Title: Handle mounting arrangement for a power tool

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This invention relates to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/285,129, filed Apr. 20, 2001. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to hand-held power tools and more specifically to a handle mounting arrangement for a power tool. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Hand-held power tools such as hedge trimmers, chain saws and the like, are generally provided with a bail handle attached to and extending from a motor housing. The bail handle is commonly located between a rear handle and the cutting portion. For example, a conventional arrangement includes a combined bail and top handle extending over and spaced above the top of the motor housing of the power tool. 
     A power hedge trimmer may be provided with a handle in the shape of an inverted U which forms a top handle and opposite side handles. In such an arrangement, the handle is commonly fastened on opposite ends to the housing with a single screw passing through the housing. In some cases, with continued use, the vibrational forces associated with a power tool may influence the handle to rotate relative to the housing about the fasteners. 
     While known handle attachment configurations are satisfactory for their intended purpose, it remains desirable in the pertinent art to provide a handle arrangement for a power tool which includes a structure able to resist relative rotation of the handle about the housing. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for mounting a bail handle to a power tool. In one form, the present invention provides a power tool having a housing including a first mounting portion with a plurality of projections extending laterally therefrom. The arrangement further includes a bail handle having a second mounting portion including a plurality of recesses adapted to receive the plurality of lateral projections. 
    
    
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a power tool constructed to include a handle mounting arrangement in accordance with the teachings of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the power tool of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the power tool of FIG. 1 shown with the bail handle removed for purposes of illustration. 
     FIG. 4 is a enlarged detailed view of the area identified at circle A of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of one end of the bail handle. 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken through the cooperating components of the arrangement for mounting a handle to a power tool of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
     With initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a power tool embodying the teachings of the present invention is illustrated and generally identified at reference numeral  10 . As will become apparent below, the present invention is specifically directed to an arrangement for mounting a handle to a power tool. In the embodiment illustrated, the power tool is a hedge trimmer  10 . Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the teachings of the present invention are applicable to various other power tools. 
     The power tool  10  is illustrated to generally include a housing  12 . The housing  12  is injection molded of a plastic material and includes left and right halves which are secured with fasteners in a conventional manner. The housing  12  defines a first handle  14  to be grasped by the user. Adjacent the first handle  14  is an opening  16  for receiving a hand of the user. 
     The power tool  10  further includes a pair of blades shown simplified in the drawings at reference numeral  18 . The blades  18  are driven by an electric motor  19  within the housing  12 . An angled guard portion  20  is positioned between the blades  18  and the housing  12 . In certain applications one blade will be stationary and the other blade will move relative to the stationary blade. In other applications both blades will reciprocate relative to the housing  12 . 
     The power tool  10  is further shown to include a second handle in the form of a bail handle  22 . The bail handle  22  is generally U-shaped. While not specifically shown in the drawings, it will be understood that the bail handle  22  is injection molded of a plastic material and includes upper and lower halves having the generally U-shape which are secured with fasteners. Alternatively it will be appreciated that the bail handle  22  may be a unitary piece. The bail handle  22  includes first and second ends  24  secured to the housing  12  in a manner to be discussed below. 
     With continued reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and additional reference to FIGS. 3-6, the arrangement of the present invention for securing the bail handle  22  to the housing  12  will be further detailed. A common arrangement is employed for securing both of the ends  24  of the bail handle  22  to corresponding portions of the housing  12 . The remainder of this detailed description will be primarily directed to the arrangement used to secure the first end  24  of the bail handle  22  to the housing  12 . However, it will be clearly understood that the arrangement for securing the second end  26  to the housing  12  is a mirror image thereof. 
     The mounting arrangement of the present invention is shown to generally include first and second cooperating portions  28  and  30 . The first portion  28  is integrally formed with the housing  12 . Motor  19  is positioned between the first mounting portion  28  and the second mounting portion  30  incorporated on the opposing side of the housing  12 . Such an arrangement provides improved weight distribution for ease of maneuverability. The second portion  30  is intricately formed with the end  24  of the bail handle  22 . The first portion  28  is shown most clearly in FIG.  4 . The second portion  30  is shown most clearly in FIG.  5 . FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the cooperating nature of the portions  28  and  30 . 
     In the embodiment illustrated, the first portion is shown to include a plurality of projections  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c  and  30   d  laterally extending from the housing  12 . Each of the projections  30   a - 30   d  includes a peripheral segment  32  and a plurality of inwardly directed segments  34 . The peripheral segments  32  each have a convexly curved surface  36 . Three of the projections  30   a - 30   c  are substantially identical and include three inwardly extending segments  34 . The remaining projection  30   d  includes two inwardly extending segments  34 . A middle one of the segments  34  otherwise present in the remaining projections  30   a - 30   c  is not present in the projection  30   d  so as to provide clearance for a threaded fastener (not shown) which engages an internally threaded screw boss  40 . 
     The second portion  30  defines an opening  42  having a general oval shape with cooperating recesses  44  for accommodating the projections  30   a - 30   d . Each of the recesses  44  includes an arcuate side and opposed tapered sides which matingly receive the peripheral segment  32  of the associated projections  30   a - 30   d.    
     The second portion  30  further includes a generally rectangular shaped projection  46  which laterally extends toward the housing  12 . The projection  46  includes an opening  48  for accommodating the threaded fastener (again not shown) that is received within the threaded boss  40 . The fastener extends through an aperture  50  positioned adjacent the opening  48 . It will be understood that a distinct fastener extending a predetermined distance will be employed for each mounting portion so as not to interfere with the motor  19  positioned therebetween. The projection  46  includes four sides  52  sized and oriented to abut the segments  34  of an associated one of the projections  30   a - 30   d.    
     As is inherent with power tools, vibrational forces are transmitted from a motor  19  and working portion through other portions of the tool such as the handle during operation. This condition may encourage a conventional fastener connecting the handle to the housing to loosen over time. The projections  30   a  and  30   d  of the first portion  28  interfit with recesses  44  of the second portion  30  and cooperatively function to further resist relative rotation between the first and second portions  28 ,  30 . Explained further, the cooperating geometries of the first and second portions  28  and  30  discourage movement therebetween which may otherwise be influenced by casual handling of the power tool  10  or vibrational forces associated with operating the power tool  10 . 
     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. For example the first portion  28  may alternatively be formed with the handle  22  and the second portion  30  formed with the housing  12 .