The Toro Company

Kevin D Docken

Philip C Dretzka

David J Martin

Aaron Y Curtis

Khari S Clarke

Chadwick Aaron Shaffer

Daniel A Phipps

Nathan J Friberg

Darrell W Hinklin

Dale A Stover

Alexander Steven Frick

Jason Thomas Kraft

Aaron A Hernandez

Thomas G Mayer

Joseph S Sauvageau

A handle assembly for an autonomous vehicle such as a lawn mower is provided and may include a cradle adapted to receive a mobile computer. The handle assembly may be configured in both an autonomous mode position and a manual mode position. The vehicle may operate autonomously when the handle assembly is in the autonomous mode position, and be adapted to move under manual operator control, e.g., for perimeter training, when the handle assembly is in the manual mode position.

Handle assembly for autonomous vehicle

Lawnmower shell

Handle for a ground working implement

Snowthrower chute control

Snowthrower power head

A ground speed control system for an outdoor power equipment unit comprises a slidable handle grip that moves up and down on a handle to decrease and increase the ground speed, respectively. A pivotal control lever is provided on the handle grip. The pivotal lever includes a toothed sector gear. A toothed rack is fixed to the handle. Normally, the sector gear and toothed rack are out of engagement with each other during sliding motion of the handle grip. However, if the operator pivots the control lever to engage the sector gear with the rack, cooperation between the teeth of the sector gear and the teeth of the rack will move the slidable handle grip further down the handle to provide a temporary speed increase and will also lock the handle grip to the handle to provide cruise control capability. The handle grip is U-shaped and has two legs telescopically received inside the open upper ends of a pair of spaced handle tubes.

Ground speed control system with hill assist, cruise control and lockout lever

A walk-behind lawn mower having a cord guide system for routing a recoil starter cord relative to a handle assembly of the mower. The guide system may include a cord guide operable to hold the starter cord to a non-interfering position such that a rear collection hopper can be easily removed from the lawn mower for dumping of collected grass clippings. The cord may be moved from the non-interfering position back to a starting position by application of a pulling force to the cord.

Lawn mower and starter cord guide for use with same

Growing community of inventors

Chanhassen, MN, United States of America

Kevin D Docken