Rotary lawn mower with safety features

Claim 2

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less that 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing and being dimensioned such that the periphery of the path of cutter blade travel is adjacent to said circular wall, means defining a discharge chute extending from said arcuately spaced end portions of said circular wall and including a top wall and an outer end spaced radially outwardly from the path of said cutter blade, and a bar extending at least partially between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said top wall of said discharge chute and including an arcuate portion extending adjacent to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade in inclined radially outward and downward relation to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 3

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing and being dimensioned such that the periphery of the path of cutter blade travel is adjacent to said circular wall, means defining a discharge chute which is generally of inverted U-shape form and which includes spaced side walls and a top wall extending between said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in the middle between said side walls, and a bar extending at least partially between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said top wall of said discharge chute.

Claim 4

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing and being dimensioned such that the periphery of the path of cutter blade travel is adjacent to said circular wall, means defining a discharge chute which is generally of inverted U-shape form and which includes spaced side walls and a top wall extending between said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in the middle between said side walls, and a bar extending at least partially between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said top wall of said discharge chute.

Claim 5

A rotary lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 wherein said bar is positioned relative to said cutter blade so that the space between the path of said cutter blade and said arcuate bar portion decreases in the intended direction of cutter blade rotation.

Claim 6

A rotary lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 wherein said arcuate bar portion includes an upper edge located radially outwardly and above the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 7

A rotary lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 wherein said blade includes an outer tip and said arcuate bar portion includes a surface extending adjacent to the upper edge of the periphery of the path of such blade tip.

Claim 8

A rotary lawn mower in accordance with claim 1 wherein said arcuate bar portion includes a lower edge located radially outwardly of and below the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 9

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing, and means defining a discharge chute extending from said arcuately spaced end portions of said circular wall, said discharge chute being generally of inverted U-shape form and including spaced side walls having upper margins and an upper wall extending between said upper margins of said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in approximately the middle between said side walls.

Claim 10

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing, and means defining a discharge chute extending from said arcuately spaced end portions of said circular wall, said discharge chute being generally of inverted U-shape form and including spaced side walls having upper margins and an upper wall extending between said upper margins of said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in approximately the middle between said side walls.

Claim 11

A rotary lawn mower in accordance with claim 7 and further including a bar extending between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said upper wall of said discharge chute.

Claim 12

A rotary lawn mower in accordance with claim 7 wherein said central portion increases in width in the direction between said side walls with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 13

A rotary lawn mower in accordance with claim 7 wherein said central portion decreases in height above the ground with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 14

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing and being dimensioned such that the periphery of the path of cutter blade travel is adjacent to said circular wall, means defining a discharge chute extending from said arcuately spaced end portions of said circular wall, said discharge chute being generally of inverted U-shape form and including spaced side walls and an upper wall extending between said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in the middle between said side walls, said central portion increasing in width in the direction between said side walls with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and said central portion also decreasing in height above the ground with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, a bar extending between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said upper discharge chute wall and including an arcuate portion located adjacent to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 15

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing and being dimensioned such that the periphery of the path of cutter blade travel is adjacent to said circular wall, means defining a discharge chute extending from said arcuately spaced end portions of said circular wall, said discharge chute being generally of inverted U-shape form and including spaced side walls and an upper wall extending between said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in the middle between said side walls, said central portion increasing in width in the direction between said side walls with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and said central portion also decreasing in height above the ground with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, a bar extending between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said upper discharge chute wall and including an arcuate portion located adjacent to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 16

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing and being dimensioned such that the periphery of the path of cutter blade travel is adjacent to said circular wall, means defining a discharge chute extending from said arcuately spaced end portions of said circular wall, said discharge chute being generally of inverted U-shape form and including spaced side walls and an upper wall extending between of said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in the middle between said side walls, said central portion increasing in width in the direction between said side walls with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and said central portion also decreasinG in height above the ground with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, a bar extending between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said upper discharge chute wall and including an arcuate portion located adjacent to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade and such that the radial distance between said bar and the periphery of the path of said cutter blade decreases in the direction of cutter blade rotation, said bar including a surface extending adjacent to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and in inclined radially outward and downward relation to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and including a lower edge located radially outwardly of and below the periphery of the path of said cutter blade and an upper edge located radially outwardly and above the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.

Claim 17

A rotary lawn mower comprising a rotary blade housing including a top deck, a circular wall depending from said top deck and having an arcuate extent less than 360* and terminating with arcuately spaced end portions, a plurality of wheels mounted on said housing for supporting said housing for travel in spaced relation above the ground, a cutter blade supported by said housing for rotary movement within said housing and being dimensioned such that the periphery of the path of cutter blade travel is adjacent to said circular wall, means defining a discharge chute extending from said arcuately spaced end portions of said circular wall, said discharge chute being generally of inverted U-shape form and including spaced side walls and an upper wall extending between of said side walls and including a downwardly projecting central portion extending in the middle between said side walls, said central portion increasing in width in the direction between said side walls with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and said central portion also decreasinG in height above the ground with increasing distance from the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, a bar extending between said end portions of said circular wall in downwardly spaced relation from said upper discharge chute wall and including an arcuate portion located adjacent to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade and such that the radial distance between said bar and the periphery of the path of said cutter blade decreases in the direction of cutter blade rotation, said bar including a surface extending adjacent to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and in inclined radially outward and downward relation to the periphery of the path of said cutter blade, and including a lower edge located radially outwardly of and below the periphery of the path of said cutter blade and an upper edge located radially outwardly and above the periphery of the path of said cutter blade.