AU732071B2 - Finishing trowel handle - Google Patents

Description

a S F Ref: 320345D1

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

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oe ft t Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Marshalltown Trowel Company 104 South 8th Avenue Marshalltown Iowa 50158 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Curtis Dwight Kelsay, Duane Walker Woltjen and Kent Douglas Williams Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Finishing Trowel Handle Address for Service:

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Invention Title: The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5845 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a trowel handle and more particularly to a finishing trowel handle with a mounting and an interchangeable handle mounted thereto. The handle is angled and rounded at the front portion where the handle meets a post so as to provide a smooth, virtually flush transition between the post and the handle where the users thumb may be frequently placed.

A firm grip upon the handle of a trowel is advantageous to prevent the trowel from turning when troweling concrete or when its edge is being used for dozing concrete from one work area to oooo another. When plastics such as glass-filled nylons, polyolefins, or wood are used for the handle, the low coefficient of friction of the smooth outer surface of the handle allows slippage of the trowel in the user's hand, particularly where the hand becomes 15 wetted from perspiration or concrete.

The present invention's handle can be injection molded from two separate types of plastic, where an outer hand grip is molded from a thermoplastic rubber having a slightly soft, non-slip, rubber-like feel surface. This surface provides a favorable grippability to the handle, added ergonomic comfort for the user, and added aesthetic appeal to the handle's appearance.

Furthermore, the inner part of the handle, as molded from a harder plastic, provides inner strength for mounting the handle and using the tool.

When trowels are used to spread concrete, the user tends to fully grasp the body of the handle for control of the angle of the trowel blade's working face presented to the work surface. The user's fingers and palm are prone to become chapped and may develop callouses wherever slippage or chafing occurs between the handle and the hand. A major factor promoting callousing of the hand is the presence of concrete. Concrete serves as an irritant by its abrasiveness as well as its chemical effect on the skin.

The present invention's inner core can be formed from polypropylene which provides a strong, durable, and resilient mounting surface. The polypropylene also provides a smooth, low 1 0 friction area of transition from the body of the handle to the post .where the thumb may rest. The friction of the polypropylene, "relative to the friction of the outer hand grip and the post, can be controlled by varying the finish on the exposed portions of the inner core.

15 Alternatively, the entire handle can also be made from wood in °o *the same exterior shape or other grippable, yet smooth materials *which can be formed to have smooth and blended transition to the post.

Present finishing trowels often use injection moldable 20 plastics, such as glass-filled nylons or polyolefins for the handle.-However, when hollow plastic handles are used, watertight seals must be maintained around the joints in the component plastic parts because the complete tool is often submerged in water for cleaning. If water leaks into the handle's hollow cavities, then the weight advantage of a hollow structure may be reduced significantly. Often the manufacturing processes become complex and expensive to achieve the tolerances necessary for proper handle assembly with watertight seals.

The present invention provides a practical, ergonomic and effective solution which utilizes lightweight hollow handle cores and inexpensive sealing techniques for the components.

Additionally, injection molded handles are often nonreplaceable as they are integrally molded onto the mounting.

Heretofore, to be interchangeably replaceable, handles and their component parts and mountings, had to be made within exacting tolerances to achieve proper fit upon replacement. Also, replacement handles are often limited to one material which makes no provision for varied user preferences.

The present invention discloses replaceable parts which may be economically manufactured and interchanged without exacting 15 tolerances to achieve a proper fit upon replacement. Additionally, alternative replacement materials may be used.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate some of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative.

Summary of the Invention There is firstly disclosed herein a trowel, comprising: sa flat blade; a mounting affixed to the top surface of said blade, said mounting comprising a rib, a post extending upwardly from said rib, and a tang extending laterally from said post, said tang having a proximal section; a handle secured to said tang, said handle including a proximally located mounting hole for receiving said proximal section of said tang, the sides of said mounting hole extending longitudinally into said handle a distance sufficient to support said tang and provide reasonable strength against torquing forces; wherein said mounting hole surfaces include at least one deformable rib extending along said sides of said mounting hole.

There is further disclosed herein a trowel, comprising: a flat blade; a post extending from said blade and having a rear surface; 00° a tang extending laterally from said post rear surface; a handle secured to said tang; said handle including: a front receiving surface angled to meet and seal at its lower most portion with said post rear surface; (ii) a mounting hole located in said front receiving surface, said hole Sreceiving a proximal section of said tang; 25 (iii) a raised deformable annular ring surrounding said mounting hole which o °extends proximally from and seals with said post rear surface; (iv) a lip having a lower surface, said lower surface angled to meet and seal ~at its most proximal portion with a top surface of said post, said lip angled and rounded so as to provide a flush transition between a front surface of said post and said handle.

The present invention preferably provides a trowel handle as an interchangeable replacement part that can be manufactured less expensively and to less exacting tolerances.

[I :DayLib\LIBLL]07605.doc:KEH The present invention further preferably provides a trowel with a grippable, nonslippable outer surface.

The present invention further preferably provides a trowel angled and rounded smooth transition at the joint of the handle and the post where the user's thumb may be s placed.

The present invention yet further preferably provides an improved trowel in the combination of handle, mounting and blade.

The present invention at least in a preferred embodiment provides a trowel having a replaceable handle with inexpensive parts and watertight seals, along with an 0o angled and rounded smooth transition where the handle joins the post.

*oo *ooo *ooooo* [I:\DayLib\LIBLL]07605.doc:KEH BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a trowel embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the handle of Figure 1 taken along 5-5 in Figure 1.

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of the handle mounting, tang, and post and the unmounted trowel handle of Figure 1.

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the unmounted trowel handle of the trowel of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a front view of the endcap component of the trowel handle of Figure 1. go FIGURE 6 is an exploded view of the unmounted handle endcap V and the handle body of Figure 1.

oo FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting tang 15 threads distal to the post of Figure 2.

FIGURE 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the mounted handle endcap of the trowel handle of Figure 1.

FIGURE 9 is an exploded view of the unmounted handle endcap and the handle body of Figure 1 showing the indentations caused by 20 the.ribs of the endcap in the handle body when tightened.

FIGtRE 10 is a perspective view of another trowel embodiment of the present invention.

FIGURE 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the front end of the handle and post of Figure 2 where they are joined.

FIGURE 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the front end of the handle and post of Figure 10 where they are joined.

-6- DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a trowel 11 is constructed of a flat metal blade 13, a mounting 15, and a handle 19. The mounting is comprised of a mounting rib 88, a post 17 extending upwardly from mounting rib 88 and supporting a tang 21 and a handle 19 in a manner described hereinafter. Post 17 is shaped with a smooth, cylindrically curved front surface 20. Mounting 15 is integrally formed with, or is otherwise secured to, the top surface of blade 13 in any conventional manner.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, tang 21 extends laterally from post 17 and is disposed substantially parallel to and above the plane of blade 13. Mounting 15, as comprised of rib 88, post 17, and tang 21 are typically made of metal as one piece.

Tang 21 includes a proximal section 23, a middle section 15 and a distal section 27. Proximal section 23 is disposed adjacent to post 17 and has a square cross-section. The square crosssection allows more torque to be transferred from handle 19 to tang 21. Middle section 25 of tang 21 is reduced in thickness and likewise has a square cross-section. Distal section 27 is 20 cylindrical in shape, terminating in a threaded portion 29.

0 The-increased transfer of torque between handle 19 and tang 21 might also be achieved by proximal section 23 having any noncircular cross-sectional shape. For example, triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, or any other non-circular geometric, or irregular, cross-sectional shape for proximate

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section 23 will provide superior torque transfer capabilities over circular cross-sectional shapes.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, handle 19 includes a hollow inner core 31 and an outer grip member 33. The inner core 31 may be formed from polypropylene. The polypropylene forms a firm and durable, but resilient mounting surface. The polypropylene also provides for an outer lip 35 for contact with the users thumb whose surface friction can be controlled by varying the polypropylene surface finish for these exposed areas. A somewhat smooth outer lip 35 provides a lower coefficient of friction with the user's eoee thumb when compared to the outer grip 33, thus permitting it to freely slide along the surface during manipulation of the trowel a without chaffing drag. In the present embodiment, for example, the 0. surface of outer lip 35 has a matt finish providing only slightly more friction than smooth polypropylene, because this finish is ee:.

S. more aesthetically pleasing to consumers.

The outer grip member 33 can be molded from a thermoplastic rubber, e.g. Santoprene, having a slightly soft, non-slip, rubberlike feel surface. This material provides a higher coefficient of

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20 friction with the user's fingers and palm thus providing a more grippable and comfortable surface. While the Santoprene could extend over all exposed areas of the inner core 31, such coverage would add expense, lack aesthetic appeal, and retard the said relatively free movement of the thumb.

Inner core 31 has a tapered, arc-shaped lip 35 disposed at the proximal end of handle 19. Lip 35 is terminated flush with the front surface of post 17 to form a smooth transition region 37 (Fig. 1) between the handle's inner core 31 and post 17. This smooth transition is further facilitated by post front surface curving convexly outward. It is preferred that front surface 20 is cylindrical in shape, rather than conical or compoundly curved, for ease in generating matching shape and dimension in manufacturing a smoothly transitioning mounting 15 and handle 19.

The arc-shaped lower surface 90 of lip 35 also encompasses the top surface 89 of post 17. Surface 89 is eccentric to the proximate section 23 of the tang thus allowing for greater torque transfer between the handle 19 and the mounting Referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 4, inner core 31 includes a square shaped mounting hole 39 for receiving the proximate section So23 of the mounting tang in tight interference fit by means of the 15 side surfaces of mounting hole 39 which include a plurality of raised, crushable ribs 41 extending along the axial length of S..mounting hole 39. Ribs 41 make frictional contact with the outer *o SS surface of proximal section 23 and are crushed or deformed as handle 19 is forced onto tang 21. Said crushable ribs 41 provide 20 a means for achieving a secure preloaded lash free fit without the need for more exacting manufacturing tolerances or high assembly forces to have interchangeable handle parts.

As shown in Fig. 2, core 31 includes an inner extended section 43 for providing additional support to the core at the proximal end of the tang 21. Section 43 must be long enough to provide sufficient torque resistance to the tang 21, but short enough so as to maintain. the weight advantages of the hollow inner core 31. The necessary length of section 43 varies with the type of material used for core 31. A stronger material allows for a shorter section 43. Alternatively, weaker and often less expensive, materials can be used for core 31 and yet still provide sufficient support by extending section 43. With the embodiment and materials shown, for example, the necessary length of section 43 was approximately 1.25 to 2 times the minimum cross-sectional dimension of mounting hole 39.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, mounting hole 39 is surrounded by a raised annular crushable ring 45 which is crushed or deformed by the back of post 17 (Surface 100 in Fig. 11) upon mounting of handle 19 on tang 21. The crushing of annular ring 45 serves to seal the proximal end of hollow inner core 31 relative to post 17.

This mounting arrangement is also very resilent, particularly in plastic handles when the mounting connection between hole 39 and tang 21 in conjunction with surface 90 and surface 89 of Fig. 3 is torqued to the point of structural failure. For an overtorqued wooden handle, the mounting connection is most often permanently 0 00 00 0 20 loosened thereby ruining the handle. However, overtorqued plastic handles -often restore themselves sufficientl i' over time -and become usable again due to the resiliency of the plastic and the mounting arrangement.

Referring again to Fig. 2, the handle 19 includes an endcap 47 which supports and seals off the distal end of the inner core 31.

Endcap 47 is formed from the same material, or a harder material, asthat of inner core 31.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, endcap 47 includes a plurality of ribs 49, a majority of which include a spring tab 51 extending outwardly from the rib. Endcap 47 also includes a through hole 53 for receiving the distal threaded portion 29 of tang 21.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the back of endcap 47 includes a tapered countersink 55 surrounding hole 53 to facilitate sealing of the flanged nut 65 against the outer grip member 33. The annular 1 0 surface of nut 65 embeds into surface 55 as nut 65 is advanced on oo the threaded distal portion 29 of tang 21.

."'..•Referring to Fig. 6, to further facilitate mounting of endcap 16, inner core 31 includes a distal end region 57 which terminates in an annular rim 63 where inner core 31 is formed substantially 15 thinner and thus is more easily deformable to pressure. End region 57 includes a guide slot 59 for receiving a guiding endcap rib 61.

:End region 17 also includes a radial channel 91 for receiving and frictionally engaging endcap spring tabs 51. The receipt of endcap spring tabs 51 into the radial channel 91 holds endcap 47 in place ooo .20 on the handle during the handle assembly procedure- until said endcap can be secured by an end nut 65 threaded onto surface 29 of tang 21.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, the tightening of endcap 47 onto mounting tang 21 forces rib contact regions 92 of the endcap to impress into and form indentations 67 in the thinner inner core material of annular rim 63. The inner diameter 93 of endcap outer -11wall 69 is larger than outer diameter 94 of annular rim 63.

Impressed indentations 67 form as endcap 47 moves proximally forward as the nut 65 is tightened so that the endcap outer wall 69 can encompass annular rim 63 and cause compression of the outer grip member 33 to form a watertight seal upon sufficiently tightening end nut Referring to Figures 3 and 11, inner core 31 also terminates proximally in a front receiving surface 102 below lip 35 and mounting hole 39. Surfaces 89 and 90 are not parallel and 102 and 10 100 are not parallel so as to create a void volume 101. As handle core 31 is advanced on the proximate portion 23 of the tang, crushing takes place at the interface of surfaces 89 to 90, 100 to 45 and 100 to 102. Crushing of 45 achieves a seal for the hollow "'core 31. Crushing of 102 and 90 eliminates an opening where cement 15 and sand may lodge making thorough cleanup difficult while also achieving preloaded structural contact for enhanced handle torque e resistance, all without requiring difficult and expensive to hold tolerances.

Referring to Fig. 7, the threads 71 of end nut 65 can be .20 coated with a flowable material 73 to further seal threaded surface 29 of tang 21.

Referring to Figures 10 and 12, an alternative embodiment of the invention includes other handles formed of grippable materials and mounted onto the mounting 75 which is comprised of the rib 77, post 79 and tang 81. Post 79 includes a smooth, cylindrically curved front surface 103 and a top surface 105. Tang 81 includes -12a proximal section 110 and a distal section 111. Proximal section 110 is disposed.adjacent to post 79 and has a square cross-section.

The square cross-section allows more torque to be transferred from handle 83 to tang 81. Distal section 111 is cylindrical in shape, terminating in a threaded portion 112.

A solid wooden handle 83 is illustrated mounted onto mounting Handle 83 includes a hollow cavity 115 with a proximal end 116. Cavity end 116 includes a square cross-section 117 for securely receiving proximal end 110 of tang 81.

10 Handle 83 also includes an angled and rounded arc-shaped lip 85 which has a arc-shaped lower surface 104. The arc-shaped lower •surface 104 of lip 85 also encompasses the top surface 105 of post 79. Surface 104 is eccentric to the proximate section 23 of the tang thus allowing for greater torque transfer between the handle 15 83 and the mounting Angled and rounded arc-shaped lip 85 also blends to the front .of post 79 to form a smooth transition region 87 where the user typically places his thumb. This smooth transition is further facilitated by post front surface 103 curving convexly outward. It is preferred that front surface 103 is cylindrical in shape, rather than conical or compoundly curved, for ease in generating matching shape and dimension in manufacturing a smoothly transitioning mounting 75 and handle 83. Both the material of handle 83 and the metal of post 79 can be further rounded and formed to insure a smooth transition region 87.

-13- While only two preferred embodiments of the invention have been described hereinabove, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that either embodiment may be modified and altered without departing from the central spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the preferred embodiments described hereinabove are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced herein.

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Claims (21)

1. A trowel, comprising: a flat blade; a mounting affixed to the top surface of said blade, said mounting comprising a rib, a post extending upwardly from said rib, and a tang extending laterally from said post, said tang having a proximal section; a handle secured to said tang, said handle including a proximally located mounting hole for receiving said proximal section of said tang, the sides of said mounting hole extending longitudinally into said handle a distance sufficient to support said tang and provide reasonable strength against torquing forces; wherein said mounting hole surfaces include at least one deformable rib extending along said sides of said mounting hole. The trowel of claim 1 wherein said post includes a top, front and rear surface.

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3. The trowel of claim 1 wherein said mounting hole is surrounded by a !raised deformable annular ring.

4. The trowel of claim 1 wherein said cross-sectional shapes of said mounting hole and said proximal section of said tang are non-circular.

The trowel of claim 4 wherein said cross-sectional shapes of said mounting hole and said proximal section of said tang are square.

6. The trowel of claim 1 wherein said handle includes an inner core and an outer grip member, said inner core having an outer surface with a first coefficient of friction and said outer grip member having an outer surface with a second coefficient of friction.

7. The trowel of claim 2 wherein said handle further includes a proximally located arc-shaped lip, said lip including a front surface which mounts flush with said post front surface.

8. The trowel of claim 7 wherein said arc-shaped lip is eccentric to said proximal section of said tang.

9. The trowel of claim 1 wherein said handle includes a hollow.

The trowel of claim 9 wherein said sides of said mounting hole extend into a portion of said hollow.

11. The trowel of claim 9 wherein said tang extends through said hollow. [I:\DayLib\LIBLL]07605.doc:KEH 16

12. The trowel of claim 11 wherein said handle includes an end wall for receiving said tang.

13. The trowel of claim 12 wherein said tang further includes a threaded distal section; and said end wall having an end cap, said end cap having a hole for receiving said threaded distal section of said tang; an attachment means threadable onto said threaded distal section of said tang for pressing against said conical endcap receiving surface and forcibly sealing said endcap wall against said outer grip member material while sealing said attachment means to said endcap.

14. The trowel of claim 13 wherein said hollow of said inner core includes a radial channel, said endcap includes an inner rib structure having a plurality of radially disposed inner ribs where a majority of the ribs include an outwardly extending spring tab, and said channel receives said tabs.

The trowel of claim 13 wherein said endcap includes an inner rib structure having a plurality of inner ribs, and said handle inner core terminates in a deformable annular rim, and each said rib includes a rib contact region for contact with said annular rim, said rib contact regions impressing into and deforming said rim upon forcing said endcap against said inner core rim and allowing said endcap wall to forcibly seal against said outer grip member material. ooo S 20

16. The trowel of claim 13 wherein said attachment means is comprised of a nut and washer combination.

17. A trowel, comprising: a flat blade; 0 a post extending from said blade and having a rear surface; a tang extending laterally from said post rear surface; g a handle secured to said tang; ~said handle including: a front receiving surface angled to meet and seal at its lower most portion with said post rear surface; (ii) a mounting hole located in said front receiving surface, said hole receiving a proximal section of said tang; (iii) a raised deformable annular ring surrounding said mounting hole which Rextends proximally from and seals with said post rear surface; [I[:\DayLib\LIBLL]07605.doc:KEH 17 (iv) a lip having a lower surface, said lower surface angled to meet and seal at its most proximal portion with a top surface of said post, said lip angled and rounded so as to provide a flush transition between a front surface of said post and said handle.

18. The trowel of claim 17 wherein said upper lip is eccentric to said proximal section of said tang.

19. The trowel of claim 17 wherein said cross-sectional shapes of said mounting hole and said proximal section of said tang are square.

The trowel of claim 17 wherein said cross-sectional shapes of said mounting hole and said proximal section of said tang are non-circular.

21. The trowel of anyone of the preceding claims wherein said handle is formed from plastic. Dated 5 February, 2000 Marshalltown Trowel Company Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON **ee o e•* o* *o* [l:\DayLib\LIBLL]07605.doc:KEH