GB2278300A

GB2278300A - Garden riddle with means for securing to a wheelbarrow

Info

Publication number: GB2278300A
Application number: GB9310801A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevin Hardinge
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-05-25
Filing date: 1993-05-25
Publication date: 1994-11-30
Also published as: GB9310801D0

Abstract

A garden riddle 1 for preparing mulch, is secured to a wheelbarrow 24 so that movement of the riddle in a transverse or lateral direction is prohibited so as to allow the riddle to be raked to aid in the sieving process. The riddle is secured to the wheelbarrow by means of elongate extension 6 - 20 having grooves (22, Fig. 2) on the underside thereof for securely engaging the upper edges of the wheelbarrow. <IMAGE>

Description

AN IMPROVED GARDEN RIDDLE Background This invention relates to an improved garden riddle and, in particular, to a garden riddle that provides for a more efficient and convenient means of producing mulch.

Mulch may be used in gardens to promote growth or to act as a protective layer of top soil and is typically sieved or riddled to remove, for instance, unwanted rocks or pebbles. The sieve or riddle employed for these purposes consists of a circular sieve affixed and aligned to the base of a shallow, wood or metal cylinder. The hand held device is utilised by depositing an amount of material onto the sieve and then shaking it vigourously from side to side.

The mulch passes through the sieve and is thus separated from material having a diameter greater than the mesh size.

A disadvantage of this device is the necessity for the user to employ a vigorous and laborious sieving technique, which is also limited to small quantities of material.

It is an object of the embodiments of the invention described to overcome this problem.

According to the present invention there is provided a garden riddle comprising: a riddle member designed to be used with a collection unit and means for securing the riddle member to the collection unit in a substantially horizontal plane in such a manner that movement of the riddle member in a transverse or lateral direction is prohibited.

Typically, the collection unit is a wheel barrow.

Preferably, the riddle member is designed to be used with raking means.

Preferably, the raking means for raking pre-sieved mulch over the riddled surface to aid the sieving process is a garden rake.

Preferably, the securing means are elongate extensions extending beyond the corners of the mesh surface, designed to abut onto upper edges of the collection unit and having grooves on the underside thereof for securely engaging the upper edges of the collection unit.

Preferably, the meshed surface defines a substantially rectilinear member and the upper edges of the collection unit correspondingly define the upper rectilinear opening in a closed substantially frustopyramidal shell and the riddled surface is designed so that the perimeter thereof can be wholly contained within the perimeter of the upper edge of the collection unit and the elongate extensions act to support and stabilise the meshed surface within the perimeter of the upper edges of the collection unit and substantially equiplanar therewith by extending beyond the edges of the collection unit and securely engaging therewith via the said grooves on their underside.

Preferably, the riddled surface is enclosed by vertical walls extending substantially around the perimeter thereof so as to prevent excess unsieved material from falling directly off the edge of the riddled surface and into the collection unit.

The riddle is typically of metal but it is envisaged that polymer coated metal or suitable polymeric materials may also be used.

The walls of the riddle are typically of plywood but it is envisaged that other materials such as plastics and metal could also be used.

The method of utilising the riddle is to place the riddle centrally on the collection unit so that the grooves on the under side of the elongate side extensions engage with the upper edges of the collection unit thus securing the riddle to withstand any lateral or transverse movement. A batch of material to be sieved is then put onto the riddle surface and the sieving action is enhanced and substantially effected by raking the batch across the riddle surface. It will be appreciated that when the collection unit is a wheel barrow the transportation of the barrow to the deposit site will also aid in the sieving process.

Thus the advantage of the device is threefold; it provides a more convenient and efficient method of riddling mulch by use of a raking technique in situ; it may also utilise the advantages of a wheel barrow collection unit which itself enhances the riddling process by passing vibrations through to the riddle and thus effecting sieving during transportation of the pre-riddled mulch on the riddle surface to a deposit or storage site and it provides for larger quantities of material to be riddled than has hitherto been possible using the hand held devices known.

In addition, the mulch riddled by this invention is conveniently collected by the corresponding collection unit and in the case of a wheel barrow collection unit it is conveniently transported to the application site without further transference of material.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of producing riddled mulch in which mulch is deposited on a riddle surface and raked over the riddled surface to effect riddling and collection in a collection unit affixed to the underside of the said riddled surface.

The invention will now be further illustrated by a description, by way of example, of a preferred form of the garden riddle with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a riddle; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a partial view of a metal support; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a riddle employing a wheel barrow as a collection unit.

In Figure 1 a garden riddle 1 consists of a rectilinear riddle mesh 2 which provides a base for a shallow rectilinear box 4 of equal dimensions and metal supports 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 coplanar with the riddle extend from the sides and are colinear therewith.

In Figure 2 a metal support 6 contains on the under side thereof corrugations 22, designed to engage the upper edges of a collection unit such as a wheel barrow, thus providing stability and support against lateral and transverse movements of the riddle during the riddling process.

In Figure 3 the garden riddle 1 is shown resting on a wheel barrow 24 so that the elongate metal support extensions 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 engage with the upper edges of the barrow so that the riddle housing 26 is contained within the perimeter of the barrow and is coplanar with the upper edges thereof.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments described are by way of example and are not intended to limit the invention in any way.

Claims

1. A garden riddle comprising; a riddle member designed to be used with a collection unit and means for securing the riddle member to the collection unit in a substantially horizontal plane in such a manner that movement of the riddle member in a transverse or lateral direction is prohibited.

2. A garden riddle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the collection unit is a wheelbarrow.

3. A garden riddle as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the riddle member is designed to be used with raking means.

4. A garden riddle as claimed in claim 3 wherein the raking means is for raking pre-sieved mulch over the riddled surface to aid the sieving process and comprises a garden rake.

5. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the securing means are elongate extensions extending beyond corners of the mesh surface, designed to abut on to upper edges of the collection unit and having grooves on the under sides thereof for securely engaging the upper edges of the collection unit.

6. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the meshed surface defines a substantially rectilinear member and the upper edges of the collection unit correspondingly define the upper rectilinear opening in a closed inverted substantially frustopyramidal shell.

7. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the riddled surface is designed so that the perimeter thereof can be wholly contained within the perimeter defined by the upper edges of the collection unit.

8. A garden riddle as claimed in claims 5 to 7 wherein the elongate extensions act to support and stabilise the mesh surface within the perimeter of the upper edges of the collection unit.

9. A garden riddle as claimed in claims 5 to 8 wherein the elongate extensions act to support and stabilise the mesh surface and are substantially equiplanar with the upper opening of the collection unit by extending beyond and being supported by the edges of the said collection unit and securely engaging therewith via the said grooves on their underside.

10. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the riddled surface is enclosed by vertical walls extending substantially around the perimeter thereof so as to prevent excess un-sieved material from falling directly off the edge of the riddled surface and into the collection unit.

11. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the member is made of metal.

12. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the member is made of polymer coated metal.

13. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the member is made of suitable polymeric material.

14. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the walls of the riddle are made of plywood.

15. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the walls of the riddle are made of plastic.

16. A garden riddle as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the walls of the riddle are made of metal.

17. A method of producing riddled material in which the material is deposited on a riddled surface and raked over the riddled surface to effect riddling and collection in a collection unit affixed to the underside of the said riddled surface.

18. A method of producing riddled material as claimed in claim 17 wherein the material is mulch.