Chain saw chain containment device

A chain saw including

• a chain bar mount, said chain bar mount comprising a proximal ring and a distal base, said chain bar mount having an interior surface and an opposite, exterior surface;
• a motor assembly attached to the interior surface of the proximal ring, said motor assembly including a motor drive shaft that extends exteriorly through the proximal ring;
• a drive sprocket in driven engagement with the motor drive shaft for rotation therewith about the drive shaft axis whenever the motor is energized, said drive sprocket protruding exteriorly from the proximal ring;
• a chain guide bar that extends from a proximal end portion to an opposite, distal end portion in a direction normal to the motor drive shaft axis, the proximal end portion being attached to the exterior surface of the base of the chain bar mount, said chain guide bar having a straight, upper edge and an opposite, straight, bottom edge joined by a curved, distal edge and having a peripheral groove that extends continuously along said edges;
• a saw chain tensioner disposed distal to the drive sprocket and attached to an exterior surface of the proximal end portion of the chain guide bar and to the base of the chain bar mount by fasteners, said tensioner including means for moving the chain guide bar proximally and distally with respect to the chain bar mount;
• a closed-loop, cutting chain looped around the drive sprocket and the peripheral groove of the chain guide bar, and
• a chain containment device comprising:
• deflector means for deflecting, during operation of the chain saw, a detached or broken cutting chain exteriorly away from the drive sprocket to thereby deenergize the cutting chain;
• wherein said deflector means includes
• ramp means disposed below the bottom edge of the chain guide bar and below the chain saw tensioner, said ramp means having a distal end that is relatively far from the drive sprocket and an opposite, proximal end that is relatively near to the drive sprocket and having an exterior surface that obliquely crosses a plane that contains the exterior surface of the chain guide bar and extends proximally, progressively, and exteriorly toward said proximal end from slightly interior to exterior said plane;
• and
• means for attaching the ramp means to the chain saw;
• and
• chain catcher means for catching and arresting a detached cutting chain after it has been deflected exteriorly away from the drive sprocket, wherein said chain catcher means is attached to the chain saw, spaced exteriorly from the proximal ring of the chain bar mount, and at least partially surrounding the drive shaft axis;
• whereby, whenever the motor assembly is energized, the cutting chain moves proximally through said peripheral groove along the bottom edge of the chain guide bar past the ramp means and toward the drive sprocket.