Snowthrower chute control
AssigneeThe Toro Company
InventorsDonald M. White, III, Brett P. Yeager, Nathan J. Friberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A snowthrower has a rotatable chute that directs the snow stream in different directions depending on the rotational position of the chute. A slidable hand grip is mounted on one of the handle tubes of the snowthrower. The hand grip can be slid down the handle tube by the operator to rotate the chute in a first direction. The hand grip can be slid up the handle tube by the operator to rotate the chute in a second opposite direction. The hand grip includes a rounded knob that the operator can grip with one hand. A latch is provided to lock the hand grip in an adjusted position on the handle tube.
Claims11
An improved snowthrower of the type having a chute rotatable about a substantially vertical axis for directing a snow stream being thrown by the snowthrower, a handle assembly comprising a pair of upwardly and rearwardly extending, laterally spaced handle tubes, and a control on the snowthrower for operating the chute, wherein the improvement relates to the control which comprises:
- (a) a slidable hand grip carried on one of the handle tubes of the snowthrower for sliding upwardly and downwardly along a portion of the length of the one handle tube, wherein the slidable handle grip has a passageway through which the one handle tube passes with the passageway substantially encircling the handle tube on all sides of the handle tube such that the slidable hand grip slides up and down around the one handle tube;
- and
- (b) at least one flexible connection member coupling the hand grip to the chute for rotating the chute in opposite directions when the hand grip is slid up and down, respectively, on the one handle tube wherein the flexible connection member has a portion carried on the handle assembly and another portion extending between the handle assembly and the chute, and wherein the portion of the flexible connection member carried on the handle assembly is carried only on the one handle tube.
An improved snowthrower of the type having a chute rotatable about a substantially vertical axis for directing a snow stream being thrown by the snowthrower, a handle assembly comprising a pair of upwardly and rearwardly extending, laterally spaced handle tubes, and a control on the snowthrower for operating the chute, wherein the improvement relates to the control which comprises:
- (a) a slidable hand grip carried on one of the handle tubes of the snowthrower for sliding upwardly and downwardly along a portion of the length of the one handle tube;
- (b) at least one flexible connection member coupling the hand grip to the chute for rotating the chute in opposite directions when the hand grip is slid up and down, respectively, on the one handle tube;
- and
- (c) a latch movably carried on the hand grip for holding the hand grip in an adjusted position relative to the one handle tube, wherein the latch has a locking portion which engages a toothed rack on the one handle tube.
An improved snowthrower of the type having a chute rotatable about a substantially vertical axis for directing a snow stream being thrown by the snowthrower, a handle assembly comprising a pair of upwardly and rearwardly extending, laterally spaced handle tubes, and a control on the snowthrower for operating the chute, wherein the improvement relates to the control which comprises:
- (a) a slidable hand grip carried on one of the handle tubes of the snowthrower for sliding upwardly and downwardly along a portion of the length of the one handle tube;
- (b) at least one flexible connection member coupling the hand grip to the chute for rotating the chute in opposite directions when the hand grip is slid up and down, respectively, on the one handle tube, wherein the at least one flexible connection member has a pair of lower ends connected to the chute and arranged relative thereto such that one lower end is pulled by sliding motion of the hand grip to rotate a drive pulley and to be unwound from the drive pulley while the other lower end is being pulled by the drive pulley to be wound onto the drive pulley;
- and
- (c) wherein the drive pulley is non-rotatably coupled to a drive gear such that the drive gear rotates with the drive pulley, wherein the drive gear is connected to a driven gear on the chute to rotate the chute when the drive gear is rotated by rotation of the drive pulley.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.