Patent ID: 7017272

Claim:
A line feeder for a weed and grass trimmer, comprising: a) a spool for holding a cutting line, the spool having: (i) a circular top plate with a plurality of top plate flanges projecting radially from the circumference of the plate spaced apart at a fixed angle, the top plate having a bolt extending from the plate for attachment to a driveshaft, and a cylindrical barrel depending from the plate, the barrel having a bottom face with a cylindrical cavity defined therein, the cavity having a plurality of grooves defined therein; (ii) a replaceable bobbin for holding at least one wound coil of the cutting line; (iii) a circular bottom plate, said bobbin being disposed between said top plate and said bottom plate, the bottom plate having a knob depending therefrom and an upper face having a cylindrical post arising therefrom, the post having a plurality of tabs projecting therefrom, the cylindrical post being slidably inserted into the cylindrical cavity with the tabs sliding in the grooves defined in the cavity and being locked in the grooves when said knob is rotated in order to temporarily attach said bottom plate to said top plate; and (iv) means for interlocking said top plate with said bobbin so that said bobbin rotates with said top plate b) a spool housing enclosing said spool, the spool housing being substantially dome-shaped and having an open bottom and at least one hole defined therein for dispensing the cutting line; c) a plurality of upper flanges disposed inside said spool housing, the upper flanges being equal in number to the flanges projecting from said top plate and spaced apart at the same fixed angle as said top plate flanges; d) a plurality of lower flanges disposed inside said spool housing in a horizontal plane below said upper flanges, the lower flanges being equal in number to the flanges projecting from said top plate and spaced apart at the same fixed angle as said top plate flanges, said lower flanges being rotationally offset by an angle of about one-half the fixed angle separating said upper flanges so that each lower flange is positioned about midway between two of said upper flanges; e) a bias spring positioned between the top plate of said spool and said spool housing, the spring normally biasing the top plate flanges of said spool into abutting contact with the lower flanges in said spool housing; and f) line feeder means for causing relative movement between the top plate flanges and the lower and upper flanges of said spool housing in order to dispense increments of cutting line from said spool, said means being operable from a handle of a weed and grass trimmer without bumping the trimmer on the ground.