Vertically storable engine and mower
View Patent ↗A gas powered walk behind mower is configured to be stored in a vertical position or orientation without leaking contained engine fluids.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a gas powered walk behind mower comprising:
a deck;
a gas powered engine supported by the deck; and
a rotating cutting blade driven by the gas powered engine, wherein the deck is configured to be stored in a generally vertical orientation without leaking of fluid contained in the gasoline powered engine, wherein the deck carries a plurality of wheels and wherein at least one of the wheels is elevated off ground when the deck is in the vertical orientation and wherein a handle extends substantially parallel to the deck when the deck is in the vertical orientation;
a mechanical latch actuatable between a locked state in which the latch locks the handle in a collapsed position along the deck and an unlocked state in which the handle is pivotable to an extended use position; and
an actuator to actuate the latch between the locked state and the unlocked state,
wherein the gas powered engine comprises:
a fuel tank having a vent to permit escape of vapor from the fuel tank when the mower is in a substantially horizontal operating orientation and wherein the fuel tank is configured to prevent gasoline from passing through the vent when the fuel tank is maximally filled with gasoline when in the substantially horizontal operating orientation and while the deck is in the vertical orientation,
wherein the fuel tank comprises:
a cap having a vent opening providing the vent; and
a filler skirt projecting into an interior of the tank by a distance to form a vapor lock volume when the mower is in a substantially horizontal operating orientation and wherein the vapor lock volume is no less than an internal volume of the tank above a lower end of the skirt when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fuel tank comprises a fill port, wherein the fuel tank is configured to contain a maximum amount of fuel when the deck is in a horizontal operating orientation and wherein the tank is configured such that fuel within the fuel tank cannot reach the fill port when the deck is in the vertical orientation while the fuel tank contains the maximum amount of fuel.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the deck extends in a plane angularly spaced from horizontal by at least 60 degrees when in the generally vertical orientation.
4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the engine comprises:
an oil sump, the sump comprising a passage through which a governor shaft extends, wherein the governor shaft passage is located below oil within the sump when the mower is stored with the deck in the vertical orientation; and
a seal about the governor shaft passage inhibiting oil leakage from the sump through the passage.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a first oil drain port extending in a first direction through a first wall of the sump, wherein the first wall forms a bottom of the sump when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a second oil drain port through a second wall of the sump, wherein the second wall forms the bottom of the sump when the deck is in the horizontal operating orientation.
7. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the engine comprises:
an oil sump comprising:
a first wall; and
a first oil drain port extending in a first direction through the first wall when the first wall forms a bottom of the sump when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the oil sump further comprises:
a second wall; and
a second oil drain port through the second wall, wherein the second wall forms the bottom of the sump when the deck is in the horizontal operating orientation.
9. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the engine comprises:
a carburetor bowl configured to store a volume of gasoline; and
a bowl vent having a vent outlet located to extend above a level of the volume of gas when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the carburetor bowl has a wall and wherein the then outlet includes an opening formed in the wall at a location above the level of the volume of gas when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a conduit extending from the carburetor bowl, the conduit having a terminal end forming the vent outlet.
12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engine comprises:
an oil sump, the sump comprising a passage through which a governor shaft extends, wherein the governor shaft passage is located below oil within the sump when the mower is stored with the deck in the vertical orientation; and
a seal about the governor shaft passage inhibiting oil leakage from the sump through the passage.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising an oil drain port extending in a first direction through a first wall the sump of the first wall forms a bottom of the sump when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engine comprises:
a carburetor bowl configured to store a volume of gas between uses of the mower; and
a bowl vent having a vent opening located to extend above a level of the volume of gas when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the deck extends in a plane angularly spaced from horizontal by at least 60 degrees when in the generally vertical orientation.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a bracket carried by the deck, the bracket comprising:
a storage detent;
a projection carried by the handle, the projection movable between an extended position and a retracted position, the projection being resiliently biased towards the extended position; and
an actuator for moving the projection towards the retracted position,
wherein the projection extends into the storage detent in the extended position when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a foot to prop the deck in the vertical orientation.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the foot is integrally formed as a single unitary body with the bracket.
19. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a blade disabler configured to disable driven rotation of the blade based upon an orientation of the deck.
20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the blade disabler is selected from a group of blade disabling mechanisms consisting of: an electrical ground, a mercury switch, and an opening in a Bowden cable.
21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises:
a brake actuatable between a braking position in which driven rotation of the blade is stopped and a released position in which the blade is drivable by the engine, the brake being biased towards the braking position; and
a brake release comprising:
manual actuator carried by the handle and movable against a bias to an actuated position;
a wire extending from the manual actuator to the brake to move the brake towards the released position in response to the manual actuator being moved to the actuated position; and
a mechanism configured to disable the brake release while the manual actuator is in the actuated position and based on an orientation of the deck.
22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the handle is pivotable about an axis relative to the deck and wherein the mower further comprises:
a brake actuatable between a braking position in which driven rotation of the blade is stopped and a released position in which the blade is drivable by the engine, the brake being biased towards the braking position;
manual actuator carried by the handle and movable against a bias to an actuated position;
a wire extending from the manual actuator to the brake to move the brake towards the released position in response to the manual actuator being moved to the actuated position; and
a wire cover about the wire, the wire cover having an opening spanning the axis such that folding of the handle towards the deck creates wire slack within the opening to disable the brake release while the manual actuator is in actuated position when the handle extends substantially parallel to the deck.
23. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising a second cover spaced from the wire about the wire across the opening, the second cover being sufficiently flexible to facilitate bending of the wire within the second cover and relative to the second housing.
24. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a manually actuatable mechanism having a cable coupled to the mechanical latch.
25. An apparatus comprising:
a gas powered walk behind mower comprising:
a deck;
a gas powered engine supported by the deck; and
a rotating cutting blade driven by the gas powered engine, wherein the deck is configured to be stored in a generally vertical orientation without leaking of fluid contained in the gasoline powered engine, wherein the deck carries a plurality of wheels and wherein at least one of the wheels is elevated off ground when the deck is in the vertical orientation and wherein a handle extends substantially parallel to the deck when the deck is in the vertical orientation;
a mechanical latch actuatable between a locked state in which the latch locks the handle in a collapsed position along the deck and an unlocked state in which the handle is pivotable to an extended use position; and
an actuator to actuate the latch between the locked state and the unlocked state,
wherein the gas powered engine comprises:
a fuel tank having a vent to permit escape of vapor from the fuel tank when the mower is in a substantially horizontal operating orientation and wherein the fuel tank is configured to prevent gasoline from passing through the vent when the fuel tank is maximally filled with gasoline when in the substantially horizontal operating orientation and while the deck is in the vertical orientation,
wherein the fuel tank comprises:
a sealing cap;
a vent opening extending through a wall of the fuel tank to provide the vent, the opening being spaced from the sealing cap; and
a filler skirt projecting into an interior of the tank by a distance to form a vapor lock volume when the mower is in a substantially horizontal operating orientation and wherein the vapor lock volume is no less than an internal volume of the tank above a lower end of the vent opening when the deck is in the vertical orientation.
26. An apparatus comprising:
a gas powered walk behind mower comprising:
a deck;
a gas powered engine supported by the deck; and
a rotating cutting blade driven by the gas powered engine, wherein the deck is configured to be stored in a generally vertical orientation without leaking of fluid contained in the gasoline powered engine, wherein the deck carries a plurality of wheels and wherein at least one of the wheels is elevated off ground when the deck is in the vertical orientation and wherein a handle extends substantially parallel to the deck when the deck is in the vertical orientation;
a mechanical latch actuatable between a locked state in which the latch locks the handle in a collapsed position along the deck and an unlocked state in which the handle is pivotable to an extended use position; and
an actuator to actuate the latch between the locked state and the unlocked state,
wherein the gas powered engine comprises:
a fuel tank having a vent to permit escape of vapor from the fuel tank when the mower is in a substantially horizontal operating orientation and wherein the fuel tank is configured to prevent gasoline from passing through the vent when the fuel tank is maximally filled with gasoline when in the substantially horizontal operating orientation and while the deck is in the vertical orientation,
wherein the fuel tank comprises a cap comprising:
a vent opening; and
a valve configured to permit escape of vapor from the fuel tank when the mower is in a substantially horizontal operating orientation and configured to prevent gasoline from passing through the vent when the fuel tank is maximally filled with gasoline when in the substantially horizontal operating orientation and while the deck is in the vertical orientation.
27. An apparatus comprising:
a gas powered walk behind mower comprising:
a deck;
a gas powered engine supported by the deck; and
a rotating cutting blade driven by the gas powered engine, wherein the deck is configured to be stored in a generally vertical orientation without leaking of fluid contained in the gasoline powered engine, wherein the deck carries a plurality of wheels and wherein at least one of the wheels is elevated off ground when the deck is in the vertical orientation and wherein a handle extends substantially parallel to the deck when the deck is in the vertical orientation;
a mechanical latch actuatable between a locked state in which the latch locks the handle in a collapsed position along the deck and an unlocked state in which the handle is pivotable to an extended use position; and
an actuator to actuate the latch between the locked state and the unlocked state,
wherein the gas powered engine comprises:
a fuel tank having a vent to permit escape of vapor from the fuel tank when the mower is in a substantially horizontal operating orientation and wherein the fuel tank is configured to prevent gasoline from passing through the vent when the fuel tank is maximally filled with gasoline when in the substantially horizontal operating orientation and while the deck is in the vertical orientation;
a carburetor bowl configured to store a volume of gas between uses of the mower; and
a bowl vent having a vent outlet located to extend above a level of the volume of gas when the deck is in the vertical orientation;
an oil sump, the sump comprising a passage through which a governor shaft extends, wherein the governor shaft passage is located below oil within the sump when the mower is stored with the deck in the vertical orientation; and
a seal about the governor shaft passage inhibiting oil leakage from the sump through the passage.