Multi-mode trimmer head
AssigneeMTD Products Inc
InventorsOscar Cabrera, Robert Johnson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-mode trimmer head for use with an outdoor handheld tool such as a string trimmer, brush cutter, or the like is provided. The trimmer head includes an upper housing, lower housing, bump head, spool, and a spring. The spool includes a first pair of apertures configured to receive a pair of flexible trimmer lines to provide a bump-feed operating mode for the trimmer head. The spool also includes a separate, second pair of apertures configured to receive a single fixed-line trimmer line to provide a fixed-line operating mode for the trimmer head. The trimmer head is switchable between the fixed-line operating mode and the bump-feed operating mode without the need to disassemble the trimmer head.
Claims13
A multi-mode trimmer head releasably attachable to an outdoor handheld tool, said multi-mode trimmer head comprising:
- an upper housing;
- a lower housing releasably attached to said upper housing to form a casing, wherein said casing includes a pair of first apertures and a pair of second apertures;
- a spool positioned between said upper and lower housings, said spool having a central plate and a pair of guide channels formed into said central plate, and each of said guide channels includes a first passage and a second passage;
- and
- a bump head attached to said spool and extending from said lower housing for use in a bump-feed operating mode;
- wherein said first passages are configured to operate the trimmer head with a fixed-line trimmer line in a fixed-line operating mode, and each of said second passages is configured to operate said trimmer head with separate bump-line trimmer line in said bump-feed operating mode.
A multi-mode trimmer head releasably attachable to an outdoor handheld tool, said multi-mode trimmer head comprising:
- a casing having an upper housing and a lower housing, wherein said lower housing is releasably attached to said upper housing;
- a pair of opposing first apertures formed through said casing;
- a pair of second apertures formed through said casing, said second apertures positioned adjacent to each other;
- a spool positioned between said upper and lower housings, said spool having a wall defining a central bore therewithin and a central plate having both a portion extending radially outward from said wall defining said central bore and a portion positioned within said central bore that extends radially inward from said wall defining said central bore, said spool further including a pair of guide channels formed into said central plate, each of said guide channels includes a winding aperture formed into said central plate at one end and a holding aperture formed into said central plate at an opposing end, and an entrance into a holding volume wherein said winding apertures are alignable with said first apertures of said casing and said holding apertures are alignable with said second apertures of said casing;
- and
- a bump knob attached to said spool and extending downwardly from said lower housing;
- wherein the pair of second apertures and holding apertures are configured to operate the trimmer head with a fixed-line trimmer line in a fixed-line operating mode, and the winding apertures and the entrance into the holding volume are configured to operate the trimmer head with a pair of bump-line trimmer lines in a bump-feed operating mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.