Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HEDGE TRIMMER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a gardening machine, and more
particularly to a hand-held hedge trimmer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hedge trimmer is a specialized machine for gardening to cut hedges and
shrubs with an easier operation and high efficiency. The conventional hedge
trimmer
includes a motor, a transmission mechanism, a main handle, a front handle, a
switch
and a cutter mechanism to cut hedges in a very convenient way that reduces the
loading and time of cutting work much. However, user has to hold the main
handle and
the front handle to hold the hedge trimmer and turn aside to cut a lateral
side of the
hedge that increases the loading of the work. With the limitation of the
dimension of
the hedge trimmer, the handle must be short that is inconvenient to user to
cut the
higher hedge. The hedge trimmer with longer handle is disadvantageous to
package
and inconvenience in operation. When user wants to cut the hedge into a
predetermined shape, the conventional hedge trimmer has a limited operation
range
because of the complex factors at outdoors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a hedge trimmer,
which has telescoping and rotary handles to fit the various situations when
user
operates the hedge trimmer and provides user with a more convenient and
comfortable
operational mode in different environments.
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According to the objective of the present invention, a hedge trimmer includes
a motor, a transmission mechanism, a main handle, a front handle, a switch and
a cutter
mechanism. The motor drives the cutter mechanism through the transmission
mechanism. The main handle is provided at a rear of the hedge trimmer and the
front
handle is provided at a front of the hedge trimmer, and the front handle may
be turned
for a predetermined angle. The main handle and the front handle are provided
with a
main switch and an auxiliary switch at inner sides thereof respectively. The
auxiliary
switch is connected to a microswitch through a soft shaft or controls a
switch, which is
serially connected to the main switch directly.
The main handle is connected to a main of the hedge trimmer by passing
through a telescoping shaft, and a rotary mechanism is provided between the
main
handle and the telescoping shaft or between the telescoping shaft and the
main.
A telescoping shaft, which includes an inner tube and an outer tube fitted to
each other, has opposite ends fixed to a case of the hedge trimmer and the
main handle
respectively. The inner tube has a slot along an axial direction thereof to be
engaged
with a protrusion of a lock ring, which is fixed on the outer tube at an
overlapped
portion of the inner tube and the outer tube so that the inner tube is
reciprocated
relative to the outer tube without rotation. The inner tube is provided with a
plurality of
parallel indentations to be engaged with a button for secure the telescoping
shaft at
different predetermined lengths. The telescoping shaft may be retracted to
integrate the
main handle hand the main as a unit to have a tight structure.
The rotary mechanism includes a fixed annular slot, a sliding annular slot, a
button and a spring. The fixed annular slot and the sliding annular slot,
which are
provided on two elements respectively that may be rotated relative to each
other, have
a teeth slot on an inner side and an outer side respectively. The spring urges
the sliding
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annular slot to have the teeth slot of the sliding annular slot engaged with
the teeth slot
of the fixed annular slot.
The hedge trimmer of the present invention further comprising a pair of
lateral handles on opposite sides thereof, each of which has an end connected
to a
pivotal portion of the front handle through a telescoping shaft respectively
and the
other end connected to each other through a telescoping shaft to form an
annular
handle. The lateral handles may be turned downwards, and a rotational center
thereof is
as same as that of the front handle. A knob is provided to control the
rotations of the
lateral handles. Each of the lateral handles is provided with an auxiliary
switch, which
is as same as the auxiliary switch of the front handle and has the same
operation mode.
When the main switch of the main handle and any one of the auxiliary switches
on the
front handle and the lateral are pressed in the same time, the hedge trimmer
will be
started. User may have one hand holding the main handle and the other hand
holding
the front handle or one of the lateral handles to operate the hedge trimmer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FICi. I is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
FICi. 2 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FICi. 3 is an exploded view of the telescoping shaft of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG 4 is an exploded view of the rotary mechanism of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
FICi. 5 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
showing the main handle being drawn backwards;
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FIG 6 is a top view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
showing the main handle being drawn backwards and turned aside and the lateral
handle opened;
FIG. 7 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
showing main handle being drawn backwards and turned to the bottom side and
the
lateral handle turned downwards; and
FIG 8 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
showing main handle being retracted and turned to the smallest condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FICz 1 and FIG. 2, a hedge trimmer 10 of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention includes a motor 3, a transmission
mechanism 6,
a main handle 1, a front handle 4, a switch 2, a cutter mechanism 5, two
lateral handles
7, a telescoping shaft 8 and a rotary mechanism 9. The main handle I is fixed
to an end
of the telescoping shaft 8 through the rotary mechanism 9. The telescoping
shaft 8 is
connected to a main of the hedge trimmer. The lateral handles 7 are connected
to
opposite sides of the main respectively to be drawn outwards and a telescoping
shaft 8
or the equivalent device thereof at the other ends to connect them. The
lateral handles 7
are provided with a telescoping shaft and a rotary mechanism 9 or the
equivalent
device thereof at the other ends to connect a pivotal portion of the front
handle 4. The
front handle 4 has a rotary mechanism, which may be as same as aforesaid
rotary
mechanism. A knob 12 is provided to control the rotations of the front handle
4 and the
lateral handles 7 respectively. The main handle 1 has a main switch 10 at an
inner side
thereof. The front handle has an auxiliary switch (not shown) in an inner side
thereof.
The auxiliary switch is connected to a microswitch through a soft shaft or
connected to
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a switch, which is serially connected to the main switch 10 directly. The
hedge trimmer
is started only when both of the main switch 10 and the auxiliary switch are
pressed at
the same time. The lateral handles 7 are also provided with an auxiliary
switch I 1 at an
inner side thereof respectively. The auxiliary switches 11 have the same
operational
mode as the front handle 4. It can start the hedge trimmer when both of the
main
switch 10 and any one of the auxiliary switches 11 are pressed.
As shown in FIG. 3, the telescoping shaft 8 includes a button 81, a sliding
block 86, a spring 82, a lock ring 83, an inner tube 84, and an outer tube 85.
The inner
tube 84 is inserted into the outer tube 85. The inner and outer tubes 84, 85
are hollow
tubes with a spiral guiding line through the inner portion. The lock ring 83
is fixed to
the outer tube 85 at an overlapped portion of the tubes. The inner tube 84 has
a slot 87
to be engaged with a protrusion 88 of the lock ring 83 for securing the lock
ring 83 on
the outer tube 85 at the overlapped portion of the tubes and causes the inner
tube 84
moved relative to the outer tube 85 without rotation. The inner tube 84 has a
plurality
of parallel indentations 89. The button 81 is fixed on the sliding block 86,
and the
spring 82 urges the sliding block 86 that the sliding block 86 locates the
lock ring 83 in
any one of indentations 89 of the inner tube 84 to secure the telescoping
shaft 8. The
spring 82 is compressed, and the sliding block 86 releases the lock ring 83
when the
button 81 is pressed to extend or short the telescoping shaft 8.
As shown in FIG 4, the rotary mechanism 9 includes a sliding annular slot
91, a fixed annular slot 93, a spring 92, and a button 94. The sliding annular
slot 91 and
the fixed annular slot 93 are provided on two elements, which may rotate
relative to
each other. The sliding annular slot 91 and the fixed annular slot 93 are
provided with
teeth slots on an inner side and an outer side respectively. The spring 92
urges the
sliding annular slot 91 to have the teeth slots of the sliding annular slot 91
and the
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fixed annular slot 93 meshed with each other that makes sure of no rotation of
the
sliding annular slot 91 and the fixed annular slot 93. The button 94 is hollow
to pass a
handle shaft for connection with the fixed annular slot 93. The button 94
pushes the
sliding annular slot 91, and the spring 92 is compressed, and the sliding
annular slot 91
is separated from the fixed annular slot 93 (the teeth slots thereof are
separated) to
have the sliding annular slot 91 rotating relative to the fixed annular slot
93 when the
button 94 is pressed. The sliding annular slot 91 is moved by the spring 92
toward the
fixed annular slot 93 to have the teeth slots thereof meshed that the sliding
annular slot
91 is fixed to the fixed annular slot 93 again at a predetermined angle when
the button
94 is not pressed. The rotary mechanism 9 may be incorporated in the main
handle, the
front handle and the lateral handles of the present invention to control their
rotations.
The knob 12 has an eccentric cam to move the sliding annular slots 91 of two
rotary
mechanisms 9 by turning the knob 12.
FIGS. 5 to 7 show the telescoping and rotations of the main handle and the
lateral handles for different working environments. FIG. 5 shows the main
handle of
the hedge trimmer is drawn backwards. The distance of drawing the main handle
is
adjustable by the user according to the work requirement to have different
working
range for cutting higher and farer hedge. FIG. 6 shows the main handle is
drawn
backwards and turned ninety degrees and the lateral handles are opened that
the hedge
trimmer of the present invention may cut the aside hedges. FIG 6 shows the
main
handle is drawn backwards and turned 180 degrees and the lateral handles are
tuned
ninety degrees that the hedge trimmer of the present invention may cut the
higher
hedges. In combination of the front handle, the user may adjust the hedge
trimmer of
the present invention to different conditions according to requirements.
FIG. 8 shows all of the handles of the hedge trimmer of the present invention
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are retracted and turned to a minimum size for package, storage and
transportation.
The advantages of the present invention are that hedge trimmer of the present
invention has a plurality of the handles for telescoping and rotation. User
may adjust
the hedge trimmer of the present invention different condition according to
different
working requirements and the favor inode of the user holding the hedge trimmer
that
provides an easier, more relax and higher efficient way of operation. The
hedge
trimmer of the present invention may be retracted to take less space and save
package.
The description above is a few preferred embodiments of the present
invention and the equivalence of the present invention is still in the scope
of the claim
of the present invention.
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