Mowing machine with annular inertia shifter

Abstract

A mowing machine is provided with its cutting head employing one or more flexible cutting lines such as Nylon cords which serve to cut grasses during rotation of the cutting head. The free end portions of the cutting lines extend radially outwardly from a casing through openings in an annular inertai shifter which is housed in the casing for vertical and angular movements relative to the casing.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A mowing machine having a cutting head comprising a driving shaft, a casing means fixedly secured to the driving shaft for rotation therewith and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections formed thereon, at least one flexible cutting line in the form of a coil wound on a spool housed in and removably fixed to the casing means and having a free end portion, an annular inertia shifter disposed in the casing means in a relation surrounding the coil and the spool .[.at its radial outward position.]. .Iadd.radially outwardly of the spool .Iaddend.for vertical and angular movements relative to the casing means and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections formed thereon and adapted to engage said projections on the casing means during the mowing operation of the machine, said inertia shifter being provided with at least one opening through which said free end portion of the cutting line extended radially outwardly. 
     
     
       2. The mowing machine of claim 1 wherein said casing means comprises an upper casing portion and a lower cap portion fixedly secured to one another and said casing means projections are located at circumferentially spaced portions on siad upper casing portion and said cap portion. 
     
     
       3. The mowing machine of claim 1 wherein said casing means includes an upper casing portion and a lower cap portion with said circumferentially spaced projections of said casing means being located on only said upper casing portion and extending downwardly therefrom. 
     
     
       4. The mowing machine of claim 3 wherein said circumferentially spaced projections on said inertia shifter are on only an upper surface thereof and extend upwardly to engage the downwardly extending projections on said upper casing portion. 
     
     
       5. The mowing machine of claim 2 wherein said spool is clamped between said casing portion and said cap portion for rotation therewith. 
     
     
       6. The mowing machine of claim 1 wherein said annular inertia shifter has two openings formed in an annular wall thereof for two flexible cutting lines. .Iadd. 
     
     
       7.  In a line feeding device having a housing defining an axis of rotation, said housing being fixed to a rotatable spool having a supply of line intended to be fed therefrom and wound thereabout with a distal end of the line urged radially outwardly as an incident of rotation of the spool on said housing about said axis, the improvement comprising: an inertia shifter releasably engaging said housing to be carried for rotation about said axis therewith, and defining a through feed hole opening radially of said axis of rotation for passing the distal end of the line outwardly therethrough,   said housing extending axially downwardly below said inertia shifter;   said inertia shifter being movable about said axis relative to the housing and spool as an incident of disengagement of the inertia shifter from said housing, and thereby permitting the outwardly urged distal end of the line to urge said inertia shifter circumferentially about said axis to reposition said opening progressively in the direction of unwinding of the line from said spool thereby progressively feeding the distal end of the line from said spool only while said inertia shifter is disengaged from said housing. .Iaddend. .Iadd.8. In a line feeding device having a housing defining an axis of rotation, said housing being fixed to a rotatable spool having a supply of line intended to be fed therefrom and wound thereabout with a distal end of the line urged radially outwardly as an incident of rotation of the spool on said housing about said axis, the improvement comprising:   an inertia shifter releasably engaging said housing to be carried for rotation about said axis therewith, and defining a through feed hole opening radially of said axis of rotation for passing the distal end of the line outwardly therethrough;   means for urging the inertia shifter axially upwardly to a first position upon the line feeding device being rotated,   said inertia shifter being movable about said axis relative to the housing and spool as an incident of movement of the inertia shifter axially downwardly from said first position, and thereby permitting the outwardly urged distal end of the line to urge said inertia shifter circumferentially about said axis to reposition said opening progressively in the direction of unwinding of the line from said spool thereby progressively feeding the distal end of the line from said spool only while said inertia shifter is disengaged from said housing. .Iaddend.   
     
     
        .Iadd.9.  The line feeding device of claim 8 wherein said inertia shifter is releasably retained against circumferential displacement by a force developed by the distal end of the line extending outwardly through said opening. .Iaddend. .Iadd.10. In a line feeding device having a housing defining an axis of rotation, said housing being fixed to a rotatable spool having a supply of line intended to be fed therefrom and wound thereabout with a distal end of the line urged radially outwardly as an incident of rotation of the spool on said housing about said axis, the improvement comprising: an annular inertia shifter movably carried for rotation about said axis with said housing and defining a through feed hole opening radially of said axis of rotation for passing the distal end of the line outwardly therethrough; and   means for selectively incrementally permitting said inertia shifter to move relative to the housing circumferentially about said axis to reposition said opening sequentially progressively in the direction of unwinding of the line from said spool thereby progressively incrementally feeding the distal end of the line from said spool while said spool and housing are rotating about said axis. .Iaddend. .Iadd.11. The line feeding device of claim 10 wherein said inertia shifter is releasably retained against circumferential displacement by a force developed by the distal end of the line extending outwardly through said opening. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. An apparatus for controllably feeding flexible line having a free end from a spool having a core with a vertical axis about which the spool is intended to be rotated in a first direction, said apparatus comprising:   a housing;   means for fixing the housing to the spool to define a spool assembly so that the housing follows rotation of the spool;   an inertia shifter,   said housing extending axially downwardly below said inertia shifter;   means on the inertia shifter and spool assembly which with the inertia shifter in a first position cooperate to prevent relative rotation between the inertia shifter and spool assembly;   means mounting the inertia shifter for movement between the first position and a second inertia shifter position in which the inertia shifter is rotatable relative to the spool assembly;   means biasing the inertia shifter towards its first position; and   means on the inertia shifter engaging the free end portion of the line so that the line free end follows rotational movement of the inertia shifter and is extendable radially relative to the spool as line is paid out from the spool,   said inertia shifter, upon being moved against the biasing means and realizing the second position shifting rotatably relative to the spool as the spool assembly is rotated and thereby causing said line to pay out   
     
     
        from the core. .Iaddend. .Iadd.13.  The line feeding apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said inertia shifter is movable axially upwardly relative to the spool axis to the first position, the inertia shifter has a through feed hole for passing the free line end, the means engaging the free end comprises an edge of the inertia shifter about the feed hole including a downwardly facing edge portion, said spool has a flange with a bottom surface axially bounding a bottom portion of the core upon which the line is wound and with the inertia shifter in the first position the downward facing edge portion is spaced axially from the flange surface less than the thickness of the line so that as the spool assembly rotates the centrifugal forces on the free line end urge the inertia shifter 
     
     
        towards its first position. .Iaddend. .Iadd.14.  An apparatus for controllably feeding flexible line, said apparatus comprising: a housing to be fixed to a rotary drive for rotation about a first axis;   a core about which a flexible line with a free end portion is wound in a first direction,   said housing having a portion radially outwardly of and in axial overlapping relationship with the core;   means for fixing the core to the housing;   an inertia shifter;   means on the inertia shifter and housing which, with the inertia shifter in a first position cooperate to prevent relative rotation about the first axis between the inertia shifter and housing;   means mounting the inertia shifter for movement relative to the housing between the first position and a second inertia shifter position in which the inertia shifter is rotatable relative to the housing about the first axis; and   means on the inertia shifter engaging the free end portion of the line so that the free end portion of the line follows rotational movement of the inertia shifter and is extendable radially relative to the first axis as line is being paid out from the core,   said inertia shifter, in said second position, shifting rotatably relative to the housing about said first axis and thereby causing line to be controllably fed off of the core. .Iaddend. .Iadd.15. The line feeding apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the housing has a bottom surface defining the lower extremity of the apparatus. .Iaddend. .Iadd.16. The line feeding apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the core has associated radially extending flanges defining a line storage space, as the housing is rotated the free end portion of the line is urged radially outwardly by centrifugal force and said means engaging the free end of the line comprises a surface on the inertia shifter surrounding an aperture through which the free end portion of the line is passed and the axially uppermost portion of the surrounding surface is approximately axially aligned with the bottom of the line storage space so that the free end portion of the line urges the inertia shifter toward its first position as the spool housing assembly is rotated in the first direction. .Iaddend.