Patent ID: 7762002

Claim:
A trimmer head for use with at least one length of a flexible cutting line in a flexible line rotary trimmer, said head comprising: a housing adapted to be operatively connected to a rotary trimmer to effect rotation of said head, said housing defining a cylindrical depending skirt having at least one line outlet opening therein; a spool operatively connected to said housing for rotation therewith in a first direction about a common axis in a drive mode and for rotation with respect to said housing in said first direction in a line winding mode, said spool including a cylindrical body portion, and at least one flange projecting radially therefrom so as to define a cutting line storage area about said body portion adjacent said flange; at least one line receptor formed in said flange, said receptor including an inwardly extending channel formed by a plurality of inwardly tapered walls so as to be polygonal in cross- section, said walls defining a plurality of line engaging surfaces, said channel defining an outer end, said end being radially alignable with said line outlet opening in said skirt upon relative rotation of said spool and said housing; and means for selectively allowing relative rotational movement between said spool and said housing about said common axis in said first direction such that upon inserting an end portion of the length of the flexible cutting line through said opening in said housing and into said channel in said line receptor and rotating said spool with respect to said housing in said first direction, said end portion of said line is pulled against said line engaging surfaces and tightly gripped within said channel by said surfaces whereby the length of the flexible cutting line is pulled inwardly through said line outlet opening in the housing skirt toward said body portion of said spool and is wound about said body portion as said spool is rotated with respect to said housing.