US3696595A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Low-velocity discharge means for rotary mowers
Assignee: Toro Co
•
Filing: 1970-07-15
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Granted: 1972-10-10
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Expires: 1990-07-15
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed herein is a rotary lawn mower including a paddle wheel or fan which is located in the blade housing and freely rotatably supported on the engine output shaft and rotated at a rate of rotation less than the cutting blade. Radially extending paddles move in the path of grass clipping discharge and reduce the velocity of impelled missiles caused by impact with the cutting blade to the low tip velocity of the paddles to minimize danger to bystanders and the mower operator. A horizontal partition located between the cutting blade and the paddle wheel and extending around the blade housing beneath one or more mower grass clipping discharge outlets prevents direct discharge of any missiles through the outlets.
Inventors
- 👤 Einar S Dahl
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 10:26
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01D; A01D43/00; A01D43/06; A01D43/077; A01D2101/00; A01D34/00; A01D34/01; A01D34/412; A01D34/63
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
80 words
A lawn mower including a blade housing having a depending annular wall with a discharge opening, an engine supported on said housing and including an engine output shaft having thereon a cutting blade, a paddle wheel, means for rotatably supporting said paddle wheel above said cutting blade and within said annular wall for rotation about the axis of rotation of said output shaft, and means for driving said paddle wheel at a rate of rotation less than said cutting blade.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
80 words
A lawn mower including a blade housing having a depending annular wall with a discharge opening, an engine supported on said housing and including an engine output shaft having thereon a cutting blade, a paddle wheel, means for rotatably supporting said paddle wheel above said cutting blade and within said annular wall for rotation about the axis of rotation of said output shaft, and means for driving said paddle wheel at a rate of rotation less than said cutting blade.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 wherein said paddle wheel includes a hub and said means for rotatably supporting said paddle wheel comprises a bearing located between said hub and said output shaft.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 wherein said paddle wheel has a hub and a series of angularly spaced blades extending from said hub.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
82 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for Driving said paddle wheel at a rate of rotation less than said cutting blade comprises first and second pulleys supported for common rotative movement on said housing independently of said output shaft and said paddle wheel and with said second pulley having a diameter less than said first pulley, means drivingly connecting said output shaft to said first pulley, and means drivingly connecting said second pulley and said paddle wheel.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 including a partition located within said annular wall and extending between the paths of rotation of said cutting blade and said paddle wheel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
55 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 5 wherein said partition extends from the end of said discharge opening in the direction of blade rotation and in the direction counter to the direction of blade rotation for a distance which blocks a trajectory in a vertical plane tangent to the rotational path of said blade.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 5 wherein said partition is concentric with said annular wall and has an arcuate extent of more than about 160* .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
43 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 5 wherein said cutting blade includes at one end thereof, a cutting edge, and wherein said partition extends radially inwardly from said annular wall for a distance greater than the radial length of said cutting edge.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 5 wherein said discharge opening is located at about 9 o''clock and said partition extends from about 3 o''clock to about 9 o''clock.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
73 words
A lawn mower including a blade housing with an annular wall, an engine supported on said housing and having an output shaft carrying a cutting blade, a deflector plate extending from said housing inwardly from said annular wall above the rotational path of said cutting blade and inwardly beyond the periphery of the rotational path of said cutting blade, and a discharge opening in said annular wall located wholly above said deflector plate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
73 words
A lawn mower including a blade housing with an annular wall, an engine supported on said housing and having an output shaft carrying a cutting blade, a deflector plate extending from said housing inwardly from said annular wall above the rotational path of said cutting blade and inwardly beyond the periphery of the rotational path of said cutting blade, and a discharge opening in said annular wall located wholly above said deflector plate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
42 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 10 wherein said cutter blade includes at one end thereof a cutting edge and wherein said partition extends radially inwardly from said annular wall a distance greater than the radial length of said cutting edge.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 10 wherein said discharge opening is located at about 9 o''clock and said partition extends from about 3 o''clock to about 9 o''clock.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
124 words
A lawn mower including a housing having a deck and an annular wall depending from said deck, a discharge outlet in said housing, wheels for supporting said housing for travel above the ground, an engine supported on said housing and having an output shaft carrying a cutting blade, a paddle wheel having angularly spaced paddles, means for rotatably supporting said paddle wheel in concentric relation to the axis of said output shaft with said paddles located between said deck and said cutting blade, means for rotating said paddle wheel with a paddle tip velocity less than the cutting blade tip velocity, and a partition extending radially inwardly from said annular wall between said paddle wheel and said cutting blade and beneath said discharge outlet.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
124 words
A lawn mower including a housing having a deck and an annular wall depending from said deck, a discharge outlet in said housing, wheels for supporting said housing for travel above the ground, an engine supported on said housing and having an output shaft carrying a cutting blade, a paddle wheel having angularly spaced paddles, means for rotatably supporting said paddle wheel in concentric relation to the axis of said output shaft with said paddles located between said deck and said cutting blade, means for rotating said paddle wheel with a paddle tip velocity less than the cutting blade tip velocity, and a partition extending radially inwardly from said annular wall between said paddle wheel and said cutting blade and beneath said discharge outlet.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
133 words
An lawn mower including a blade housing having a deck and a depending annular wall, a shaft carrying a cutting blade rotatable in a path located beneath said deck, a slot extending inwardly from said annular wall and having inwardly extending margins, an opening in said annular wall extending downwardly from said slot in said deck and having downwardly extending margins, said slot and said opening forming a discharge outlet, and a discharge chute detachably connectable to said blade housing in registry with said discharge outlet to receive grass clippings and debris from within said housing, said chute having a mouth with portions in registry with said inwardly extending margins of said slot in said deck and with portions in registry with said downwardly extending margins of said openinG in said annular wall.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
133 words
An lawn mower including a blade housing having a deck and a depending annular wall, a shaft carrying a cutting blade rotatable in a path located beneath said deck, a slot extending inwardly from said annular wall and having inwardly extending margins, an opening in said annular wall extending downwardly from said slot in said deck and having downwardly extending margins, said slot and said opening forming a discharge outlet, and a discharge chute detachably connectable to said blade housing in registry with said discharge outlet to receive grass clippings and debris from within said housing, said chute having a mouth with portions in registry with said inwardly extending margins of said slot in said deck and with portions in registry with said downwardly extending margins of said openinG in said annular wall.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
59 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 14 including a panel having an upper wall portion and a depending wall portion, and means for detachably connecting said panel to said mower housing with said upper wall portion in closing relation to said slot and said depending wall portion in closing relation to said opening to close said discharge outlet.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 14 including a partition extending radially inwardly from said annular wall below said discharge outlet and above the path of said cutting blade.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 16 wherein said cutting blade includes at one end thereof, a cutting edge, and wherein said partition extends radially inwardly from said annular wall for a distance greater than the radial length of said cutting edge.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 16 wherein said partition extends from about 3 o''clock to about 9 o''clock.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
56 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 16 and further including a paddle wheel rotatably mounted in said housing co-axial with said cutting blade and between said deck and said deflector plate and means connected between said output shaft and said paddle wheel for rotating said paddle wheel at a slower rate than said output shaft.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 19 wherein said discharge outlet is located at about 5 to 6 o''clock.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
A lawn mower in accordance with claim 14 wherein said chute includes a top panel, side panels and a bottom panel.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
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Cited
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Cited
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Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-10-10 | 1976-04-10 | 1976-10-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-10-10 | 1980-04-10 | 1980-10-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-10-10 | 1984-04-10 | 1984-10-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |