1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a rewinding accessory for monofilament lawn line trimmer devices. More specifically, it is directed to an improved, low cost rewinder that enables users of lawn trimmers to replace a worn monofilament line with maximum efficiency and in the shortest possible time thereby saving time and money.
Monofilament line used in weed trimmers is available both on spools ready for use or in bulk. The spools are reusable and are characterized generally by a cylindrical or tubular hub with spaced flanges to confine the trimmer line. The size of the spools varies according to the type of trimmer and amount of line on the spool. The line sold in bulk is substantially less expensive than the spooled line but requires winding onto a spool before use. Thus, people who use a great deal of the line may obtain substantial savings by buying the line in bulk and rewinding the line onto a spool. However, the monofilament line used in the trimmers is relatively stiff and resilient making difficult re-spooling by hand. Consequently, a device to hold and turn the spool for rewinding the line onto the spool makes the job of re-spooling simpler and less time consuming. Because the size of spools does vary, the re-spooling device should adapt to a range of spool sizes.
2. Related Art
Rewinding devices have long been known to the prior art. Illustrative of such rewinders are U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,086 which issued on Jan. 5, 1988 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,286 which issued on Aug. 9, 1988. Such rewinders have disc elements adapted to receive an empty spool and a rotating drive crank which facilitates rotation of the spool. Both of these devices uses a spring element to hold the spool in place and compensate for the variety of spool widths. Neither of these devices provides a truly simple remedy for the problem of compensating for various sizes and types of spools. The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,086 uses a spring element and a plurality of notches in a shaft in combination with an arm attached to one of the disk elements for adapting to different widths of spools. Likewise, the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,286 uses prongs extending from the disc element to engage the spool and facilitate rotation of the spool thereby limiting its universality to various sized spools.
Another prior effort to design a spool rewinding device is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,048. This rewinder also uses a spring to hold the spool in place. However, the device uses a disk and a frusto conical shaped element to receive the empty spool and help accommodate for different sized spools. The device uses a power drill to facilitate rewinding.
Other pertinent examples of rewinders include those revealed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,979,833 and 4,164,332, and 4,442,984 none of which deal with lawn trimmer spools.
Though the above mentioned rewinders may be helpful in rewinding lawn trimmer spools, they can be improved to provide faster rewinding and greater universality with a lower cost, positive drive clamping combination.