Balanced housing construction for flexible line trimmer head
AssigneeEcho Incorporated
InventorsJoseph John Zenkus, Stephen J. Towner, Ryan Garrett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A housing having a rotary axis and configured to support at least one radially projecting cutting component that effects cutting as the housing is turned around the rotary axis. The housing has a first housing part with a first wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the first wall and each having a volume. The volumes of at least a first and second of the cavities respectively at first and second locations are different and strategically selected to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis.
Claims21
A housing having a rotary axis and configured to support at least one radially projecting cutting component that effects cutting as the housing is turned around the rotary axis, the housing comprising:
- a first housing part with a first wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the first wall and each having a volume,
- the volume of at least a first and a second of the cavities respectively at first and second locations being different and strategically selected, based upon a determined mass distribution of at least one of the first housing part and an entirety of the housing, to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis,
- wherein each of the first and second cavities has a subvolume each with a blocked depth.
A housing having a rotary axis and configured to support at least one radially projecting cutting component that effects cutting as the housing is turned around the rotary axis, the housing comprising:
- a first housing part with a first wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the first wall and each having a volume,
- the volume of at least a first and a second of the cavities respectively at first and second locations being different and strategically selected to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis,
- wherein the first and second cavities each has a cylindrical shape with an axis substantially parallel to the rotary axis,
- wherein the first and second cavities have a diameter less than ½ inch.
A housing having a rotary axis and configured to support at least one radially projecting cutting component that effects cutting as the housing is turned around the rotary axis, the housing comprising:
- a first housing part with a first wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the first wall and each having a volume,
- the volume of at least a first and a second of the cavities respectively at first and second locations being different and strategically selected to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis,
- wherein the first and second cavities each has a cylindrical shape with an axis substantially parallel to the rotary axis,
- wherein the first and second cavities have a diameter less than ¼ inch.
A housing having a rotary axis and configured to support at least one radially projecting cutting component that effects cutting as the housing is turned around the rotary axis, the housing comprising:
- a first housing part with a first wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the first wall and each having a volume,
- the volume of at least a first and a second of the cavities respectively at first and second locations being different and strategically selected to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis,
- wherein each of the cavities has a depth, the depth of each cavity extends parallel to the rotary axis, and the depths of the first and second cavities are different.
A housing in combination with a spool, the housing having a rotary axis and configured to support at least one radially projecting cutting component that effects cutting as the housing is turned around the rotary axis, the housing comprising:
- a first housing part with a first wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the first wall and each having a volume,
- the volume of at least a first and a second of the cavities respectively at first and second locations being different and strategically selected to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis,
- wherein the housing comprises a second housing part with a second wall, the second wall having a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities each having a volume, the volumes of the plurality of the cavities in the second housing part strategically selected to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis,
- wherein the first and second housing Parts cooperatively define a line storage space,
- wherein each of the first and second housing parts has a cup-shaped configuration,
- wherein the spool has a core and the cutting component comprises a supply of flexible cutting line wrapped around the core, wherein the spool is captively maintained between the first and second housing parts with the first and second housing parts connected to each other.
A housing having a rotary axis and configured to support at least one radially projecting cutting component that effects cutting as the housing is turned around the rotary axis, the housing comprising:
- a first housing part with a first wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the first wall and each having a volume,
- the volume of the cavities strategically selected to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis;
- and
- a second housing part with a second wall and a plurality of discrete circumferentially spaced cavities in the second wall and each having a volume,
- the volume of the cavities in the second wall strategically selected, based upon a determined mass distribution of at least one of the first housing part, the second housing part, and an entirety of the housing, to cause a mass distribution on the housing that contributes to improved dynamic balancing of the housing as the housing is turned around the rotary axis,
- wherein the plurality of cavities in each of the first and second housing parts has a subvolume each with a blocked depth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.