US3802170A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Self-propelled rotary lawn mower
Assignee: Schmidt and Clemens GmbH and Co
•
Filing: 1972-09-15
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Granted: 1974-04-09
•
Expires: 1992-09-15
Abstract
Abstract A self-propelled rotary lawn mower. The drive shaft of the engine is operably connected through a clutch mechanism to the cutting blade and to a belt drive connected the front wheels to drive the mower across the terrain. By disengaging the clutch through manual action of a cable, the driving connection to both the blade and the wheels is stopped, so that the blade will not rotate when the mower is stationary. The housing of the mower includes inner and outer housing sections with the space between the housing sections defining a chamber. The exhaust gases from the engine are directed into the chamber and are discharged from the chamber adjacent the grass discharge outlet in the housing. Directing the exhaust gases through the internal housing chamber substantially decreases the noise level of the mower. The four wheels of the mower are adapted to be raised and lowered in unison by single lever control to thereby vary the height of the blade above the ground. A handle assembly is utilized which is adapted to fold for storage so that the entire handle is located within the perimeter of the housing to facilitate handling and shipment of the mower.
Inventors
- 👤 D Mcelroy
- 👤 R Dunton
- 👤 R Powers
- 👤 W Schmidt
- 👤 S Thorwaldsen
- 👤 F Smith
- 👤 L Seifert
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 11:43
CPC Classifications
A; A01; A01D; A01D34/00; A01D34/01; A01D34/412; A01D34/63; A01D2101/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
161 words
A rotary lawn mower comprising a housing having a discharge outlet for discharge of grass clippings from the housing, an engine mounted on the housing and including a drive shaft extending downwardly into said housing, wheel means connected to the housing to permit the housing to be moved over the ground, rotary cutting means located within the housing, a rotatable member journalled for rotation about said drive shaft, said wheel drive means and said cutting means drivingly connected to said rotatable member, clutch means comprising a first clutch member secured to said drive shaft and a second clutch member connected to said rotatable member, movement of said clutch means to an engaged position Moving said first and second clutch members into engagement to drivingly connect the drive shaft and the rotatable member, and movement of said clutch means to a disengaged position causing disengagement of said first and second clutch members to drivingly disengage the drive shaft and the rotatable member.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
161 words
A rotary lawn mower comprising a housing having a discharge outlet for discharge of grass clippings from the housing, an engine mounted on the housing and including a drive shaft extending downwardly into said housing, wheel means connected to the housing to permit the housing to be moved over the ground, rotary cutting means located within the housing, a rotatable member journalled for rotation about said drive shaft, said wheel drive means and said cutting means drivingly connected to said rotatable member, clutch means comprising a first clutch member secured to said drive shaft and a second clutch member connected to said rotatable member, movement of said clutch means to an engaged position Moving said first and second clutch members into engagement to drivingly connect the drive shaft and the rotatable member, and movement of said clutch means to a disengaged position causing disengagement of said first and second clutch members to drivingly disengage the drive shaft and the rotatable member.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The lawn mower of claim 1, wherein said wheel means includes a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, said wheel drive means being operably connected to said front wheels.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The lawn mower of claim 1, and including resilient means to urge said first and second clutch members into engagement.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
The lawn mower of claim 3, and including a manually operable actuating member engageable with the rotatable member to move the rotatable member axially of the drive shaft against the force of said resilient means and thereby cause disengagement of said first and second clutch members.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
93 words
The lawn mower of claim 1, wherein said first clutch member is provided with a first frustoconical surface and said second clutch member is provided with a second frustoconical surface disposed to engage said first frustoconical surface to drivingly connect the drive shaft and the rotatable member, said rotatable member including a central section extending radially outward beyond said second clutch member, said cutting means secured to said central section of the rotatable member, said wheel drive means including a drive member mounted on the rotatable member and located above said central section.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
The lawn mower of claim 5, wherein said rotatable member is mounted for axial sliding movement with respect to said drive shaft, and said lawn mower includes resilient means for urging the rotatable member axially downwardly with respect to said shaft to urge said first and second clutch members into engagement.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
67 words
The lawn mower of claim 6, and including an arm pivotally connected to the housing, and an actuating member carried by said arm, said actuating member disposed to engage the outer portion of the central section of said rotatable member to lift the rotatable member axially with respect to the drive shaft against the force of the resilient means to disengage said first and second clutch members.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The lawn mower of claim 7, wherein the location of attachment to the cutting means to said central section of the rotatable member is located radially inward of the position of engagement of the actuating member with said central section.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
112 words
The lawn mower of claim 1, wherein said first clutch member is provided with a first frustoconical surface and said second clutch member is provided with a second frustoconical surface disposed to engage said first frustoconical surface to drivingly connect the drive shaft and the rotatable member, said rotatable member being mounted for sliding axial movement with respect to said drive shaft, resilient means for urging the rotatable member axially of said shaft to urge the frustoconical surfaces of said clutch members into engagement, said wheel drive means including a drive member mounted on the rotatable member and located above the position of attachment of the cutting means to said rotatable member.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
158 words
A rotary lawn mower, comprising a housing having a discharge outlet for discharge of grass clippings from the housing, an engine mounted on the housing, rotary cutting means located within the housing and operably connected to the engine, wheel means connected to the housing to permit the housing to be moved over the ground, wheel drive means operably connected to the engine for driving the wheel means, disengaging means for selectively disengaging the wheel drive means and for simultaneously disengaging the cutting means from the engine, whereby the cutting means will stop when the wheel drive means is stopped, said engine including a drive shaft extending downwardly into said housing and both said wheel drive means and said cutting means being operably connected to said drive shaft, said disengaging means including clutch means interconnecting the drive shaft with both said wheel means and said cutting means, said clutch means being operable between an engaged and a disengaged position.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
158 words
A rotary lawn mower, comprising a housing having a discharge outlet for discharge of grass clippings from the housing, an engine mounted on the housing, rotary cutting means located within the housing and operably connected to the engine, wheel means connected to the housing to permit the housing to be moved over the ground, wheel drive means operably connected to the engine for driving the wheel means, disengaging means for selectively disengaging the wheel drive means and for simultaneously disengaging the cutting means from the engine, whereby the cutting means will stop when the wheel drive means is stopped, said engine including a drive shaft extending downwardly into said housing and both said wheel drive means and said cutting means being operably connected to said drive shaft, said disengaging means including clutch means interconnecting the drive shaft with both said wheel means and said cutting means, said clutch means being operable between an engaged and a disengaged position.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
The lawn mower of claim 10, and including manually operable means for moving the clutch means between the engaged and disengaged positions.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
39 words
The lawn mower of claim 11, and including a handle unit attached to the housing, said manually operable means including a cable extending from said clutch means to the handle unit in position to be engaged by the operator.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3229452A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-04-08 | 1977-10-08 | 1978-04-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-04-08 | 1981-10-08 | 1982-04-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-04-08 | 1985-10-08 | 1986-04-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |