Abstract: A zero turning radius mower park brake system includes a park brake pawl on a transmission which engages a park brake to a pair of independently driven traction wheels. A park brake link may be pivotably mounted to the park brake pawl and connected to a left steering lever and a right steering lever. The park brake link may pivot while moving the park brake pawl forward to a park brake engaged position if only one of the steering levers is moved outward from a neutral traction drive position.

Abstract: A lawn edger having a deflector to deflect debris when the edger is in use. The deflector includes a frame extension and a deflector assembly carried on the frame. The deflector assembly preferably comprises a rigid V-shaped mounting member and a flexible member. The V-shaped mounting member is mounted to the frame at a mounting site that includes a first surface co-planar with the frame extension and a second surface parallel to the top surface of the frame. Upon mounting the flexible member to the frame, the flexible member re-forms from a planar configuration to a mounted configuration wherein an upper portion is angled outwardly from the frame. This angled portion comprises between 20-80% of the area of the flexible member. A trailing edge of the flexible member directly contacts the associated surface on which the lawn edger travels. The deflector is preferably used upon a vertical drive shaft lawn edger.

Abstract: An electric switch operating mechanism is disclosed for use with an electric lawn care appliance. The lawn care appliance has a housing, a switch and a movable bail which can be biased between active and inactive positions. An actuator is juxtaposed in between the bail and the switch. When the bail is moved to its active position, it causes the actuator to actuate the switch. The actuator has an engagement surface that engages with the bail to activate the mechanism. The switch further contains a button which enables the bail to engage the actuator.

Abstract: A vertical drive shaft lawn edger is disclosed having a curb support roller system. A support roller is mounted directly behind the blade of the lawn edger. A height adjustment mechanism controls the height of the front wheel and the support roller in unison. The support roller has a smaller outer diameter than the front and rear wheels. Therefore, when edging along side a curb the support roller contacts the curb thereby providing support when the front wheel is suspended above the ground.

Abstract: A vertical drive shaft lawn edger is disclosed having a non-integral flywheel with the edger engine. This allows for the interchangeability of different flywheels for the same engine or different engines. The flywheel disclosed is preferably a combination flywheel/drive pulley. The flywheel/drive pulley is mounted directly to the drive shaft of the engine. The drive pulley is mounted to the top side or bottom side of the flywheel. Preferably, the flywheel/drive pulley in an integral piece.

Abstract: A vertical drive shaft lawn edger has an arbor which allows the cutting blade to extend outwardly from the lawn edger, yet still be rigid and stable. The arbor is located at an angle .alpha. with respect to a longitudinal axis running perpendicular to the rear axle and lying within the same plane. The angle .alpha. is preferably 5.degree. or less. The arbor is mounted to a frame of the lawn edger by a bracket and screws. A pivoting assembly enables the arbor to pivot thereby increasing or decreasing the angle .alpha..

Abstract: A string zipper is provided for use in the manufacture of material for reclosable plastic bags. The string zipper includes a first profile and a complementary mating profile which, when interlocked and properly attached to the bag walls render the bag easy to open from the outside and hard to open from the inside. One of the profiles is formed of polyethylene material that includes an optical brightener to facilitate properly orienting the zipper on a sheet of plastic material. During manufacture of plastic bag material, the zipper is passed through a black light so that the profile containing the brightener can be detected and thus the profiles may readily be distinguished from one another and properly oriented on the sheet material to obtain the desired force differential feature on the final bag.

Abstract: A string zipper is provided for use in the manufacture of material for reclosable plastic bags. The string zipper includes a first profile and a complementary mating profile which, when interlocked and properly attached to the bag walls render the bag easy to open from the outside and hard to open from the inside. One of the profiles is formed of polyethylene material that includes an optical brightener to facilitate properly orienting the zipper on a sheet of plastic material. During manufacture of plastic bag material, the zipper is passed through a black light so that the profile containing the brightener can be detected and thus the profiles may readily be distinguished from one another and properly oriented on the sheet material to obtain the desired force differential feature on the final bag.

Abstract: In an electric hand tool, particularly a drill, with a housing, an electric motor which is received in the housing and has a motor shaft parallel to the housing axis, and with a work spindle which is driven by the electric motor via a transmission gearing, the housing is divided along a dividing plane for the purpose of switching from straight drilling to angular drilling and it is provided that the front housing part containing a bearing for the work spindle and the rear housing part containing the electric motor can swivel relative to one another in such a way that the work spindle projecting out of the front housing part can occupy any angle between 0.degree. and 90.degree. or more relative to the motor shaft. A catch lock which can be unlocked and/or locked manually stops the two housing parts in the selected swivel position. A torsionally rigid transmission of force from the motor shaft to the work spindle is realized in every swivel position of the housing parts in the transmission gearing.

Abstract: A hedge trimmer having a hedge trimmer housing, a motor disposed in the hedge trimmer housing and a drive assembly associated with the motor. The drive assembly includes a first housing, a first gear connected to the rotatable drive shaft of the motor, a second housing, a second gear associated with the second housing, the second gear being in contact with the first gear so that the second gear rotates when the first gear rotates, and a support connector for causing the first and second housings to maintain a fixed positional relationship to ensure that the first and second gears remain in contact. The hedge trimmer also includes a first cutting blade operatively coupled to the second gear so that the first cutting blade reciprocates when the second gear rotates and a second cutting blade movable relative to the first cutting blade. The hedge trimmer may also include a gear-travel limit member to prevent any substantial misalignment of the second gear with respect to the first gear.

Abstract: A milling machine, in particular a hand-guided router has a foot plate to be placed on a workpiece, a motor housing having a lower side provided with a tool receptacle for a milling tool and displaceable relative to the foot plate, a protective shield arranged between the foot plate and the motor housing before the milling tool to hold back chips from an operator. The protective shield is foldably mounted on the foot plate so as to facilitate a tool exchange.

Abstract: A manual milling machine comprises a motor housing, a foot plate adapted to be placed on a workpiece and having a central opening, a milling tool extending through the central opening, a tool receptacle provided on the lower side of the motor housing, a guiding sleeve which surrounds the milling tool and extends in the mounted condition beyond the foot plate, and an assembly for connecting the guiding sleeve with the foot plate. The connecting assembly includes a plug connection provided on the guiding sleeve and a bayonet lock connecting the plug connection with the foot plate.

Abstract: A routing machine has a motor housing with a lower side having a tool receptacle for a milling tool, a foot plate adapted to be placed on a workpiece, guiding columns extending perpendicularly relative to the foot plate, the motor housing being arranged displaceably on the guiding columns parallel to an axis of the milling tool, a clamping sleeve having a clamping screw and releasably fixing the motor housing on at least one of the guiding columns, at least one spring supporting the motor housing on the foot plate, an adjusting member axially displaceable relative to the clamping sleeve over a thread and supports a weight of the motor housing. The spring has an upper end abutting against the adjusting member. The motor housing is supported relative to the adjusting member on bearings and is fixed in an axial direction of the guiding column at both sides.

Abstract: A saber saw comprises an elongated displacing rod which supports a saw blade and is reciprocable in a displacement direction extending along its elongation and also swingable in a swinging direction which is transverse to the displacement direction, and a unit for moving the displacement rod in the swinging direction and including a driveable control element having a cam surface and a sensing element which is connected with the displacement rod and is controlled by the control element, the control element being rotatable about an axis of rotation, the cam surface of the control element being formed as a symmetrical conical surface which is eccentrical relative to the axis of rotation of the control element.

Abstract: A modular knee joint prosthesis using variably sized components for joining a variably resected tibia bone and a femur bone, having a tibial platform defining peripheral edges on its bottom surface for engaging beveled edges of the plates or spacers. The platform has an upraised boss on a top surface for engaging a tibial insert which can be locked in place with a lock key. The tibial insert serves as an articulating surface for a femoral component. An implantable stem extends below the platform and may be complementarily joined to a second stem; the stems lock together using a Morse taper and a locking bolt. Full-sized or half-sized extension plates have beveled edges on a top surface to engage complementing edges on the bottom surface of the tibial base plate. The plates act as a spacer or cap to the resected tibia and act to distribute load or make up for bone deficits.

Abstract: A saber saw comprises an elongated displacing rod which supports a saw blade and is reciprocable in a displacement direction extending along its elongation and also swingable in a swinging direction which is transverse to the displacement direction, and a unit for moving the displacement rod in the swinging direction and including a driveable control element having a cam surface and a sensing element which is connected with the displacement rod and is controlled by the control element, the control element being rotatable about an axis of rotation, the cam surface of the control element being formed as a symmetrical conical surface which is eccentrical relative to the axis of rotation of the control element.