Mower blade

Claim 1

An elongated mower blade formed from a substantially flat blank having top and bottom surfaces, parallel longitudinal edges, and opposite end edges, said blade being edgewise rotatable in one direction inside an arcuate mower housing skirt about an axis concentric to the skirt arc that extends through the center of the blade, each of said longitudinal edges thus providing a front edge for one half of the blade that terminates at one of said end edges and a rear edge for the other half of the blade that terminates at the other of said end edges, and each front edge being sharp through a distance inwardly along it from its terminal end edge to provide a cutting edge, said mower blade being characterized by: A. an upwardly and rearwardly inclined lift portion behind each cutting edge, each said lift portion being defined by a bend that extends substantially along a line (1) which is oblique to a rear edge, (2) intersects said rear edge at no less than said distance inwardly along it from its terminal end edge, and (3) intersects said terminal end edge intermediate said front and rear edges; and B. the blade being formed from a blank wherein each of said end edges is straight and extends at a rearwardly and outwardly inclined obtuse angle to its adjacent cutting edge such that the orbits of the terminal edge of each lift portion of the blade and of the terminal end of the cutting edge are substantially equidistant from the skirt.