Importance

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Abstract

A garden cleaning implement (10) for weeds and the like comprising a cutting mechanism (14) and a retractable guard mechanism (28), generally free to 'float' up and down about the cutter mechanism, carried on, for example, an extended pole handle (22). The cutting mechanism includes--an associated rotational power source (16/116); an intermediate, rotatable shaft (18) connected thereto; and a rotatable, rectangular blade, cutting member (20). The guard mechanism includes--a cylindrically-shaped, retractable housing (28) providing an enclosing cavity of a size sufficient to receive therein and protectively cover over the rotating cutting member; and a guide means (32) for guiding the retraction of the retractable housing along a path substantially parallel to the rotatable shaft's longitudinal axis between first, lower and second, upper positions, in which the rotatable cutting member is disposed within the enclosing cavity, and in which the rotatable cutting member is below and outside of the enclosing cavity, respectively. When the cutter mechanism is above ground level, the guard mechanism is in its down, cutter covering position under the force of gravity or biasing springs (68), protecting the user and any surrounding desirable vegetation (V) from the cutter; but, when the cutter mechanism is lowered down into the ground to macerate the weed roots and till the ground (G) around the roots, the guard mechanism is raised up by the ground contact of its lower periphery on the ground, allowing the cutter mechanism to easily go down into the soil outside of the protective enclosure as the guard moves up.

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First Claim