Two men from Indianola, Iowa, were issued a patent yesterday (US 8,110,934) on an electrical generator attachment for riding lawnmowers. According to the patent, their invention is designed to overcome the unreliability of infrequently-used gas-powered generators.
One problem with portable generators is that they typically are used relatively infrequently. A portable generator with an attached combustion engine may sit for a year or more without being used. A typical consumer tends to not routinely run the generator and maintain it. This infrequent use increases the likelihood that the generator will not properly operate when it is actually needed.
Their device, shown here in red, preferably hooks up to the belt drive of a riding lawnmower, an implement more likely to be kept in good repair.
One clever feature of the invention, a feature not seen in many newly-issued patents, is the "bag filled with rock, sand, or other material," labeled 76 in the drawing. Its weight over-rides the safety switch that turns off the engine when no one is sitting in the driver's seat.
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