Patent ID: 7126237

Claim:
A control arrangement for a lawn mower having an engine with an associated operation circuit, a motive drive arrangement operatively connected to the engine for selectively propelling the lawn mower in a forward direction and a reverse direction, and an operable lawn mowing mechanism operatively connected to the engine for cutting vegetation, the control arrangement selectively preventing operation of the lawn mower in the reverse direction with the lawn mowing mechanism operating, the control arrangement including: means for sensing operation of the lawn mowing mechanism; means for sensing selection of the motive drive arrangement to propel the lawn mower in the reverse direction; means for receiving a bypass input from a lawn mower operator indicative of the desire to operate the lawn mowing mechanism while the mower is propelled in the reverse direction as a bypass mode; means for sensing presence of the lawn mower operator within an operation position with regard to the lawn mower; and means for interacting with the engine operation circuit to cause the operation circuit to selectively terminate operation of the engine, the means for interacting being responsive to the means for sensing operation, the means for sensing selection, and the means for receiving such that the operation of the engine is terminated when the lawn mowing mechanism is operating and the motive drive arrangement is selected to propel the lawn mower in reverse except when the bypass mode is established via the means for receiving, the means for interacting including means for terminating the bypass mode responsive to the means for sensing presence indicating absence of the lawn mower operator; and the means for interacting includes circuitry that latches until the means for sensing presence indicates absence of the lawn mower operator; and wherein the means for terminating the bypass mode is provided by the circuitry that latches and includes a flip-flop.