GB2418585A - Rake with pick-up means - Google Patents

Abstract

A tool 2 for collecting and picking up debris, which tool 2 comprises an elongated handle 4, a rake head 6, and pick-up means 8 for picking up the debris. The rake head 6 being such that it has prongs of at least two different lengths for allowing the rake head 6 to rake at two different depths. The pick-up means 8 comprising a jaw 18 and control means 20 for moving the jaw 18, the jaw 18 being a pivotable jaw that pivots from an open position to a closed position adjacent the rake head for enabling the debris to be held between the jaw 18 and the rake head 6. The control means 20 being positioned at an end of the handle 4 remote from the rake head 6.

Description

A TOOL FOR COLLECTING AND

PICKING UP DEBRIS

This invention relates to a tool for collecting and picking up debris.

Rakes are well known for use in collecting debris. The collected debris then usually has to be picked up by hand. The picking up of the debris by hand can be inconvenient insofar as it may cause a person to dirty their hands and/or their clothes. The picking up of the debris by hand may also be a problem to persons with restricted movement in their knees and/or their back.

An attempt to reduce the above mentioned problem is disclosed in US-A2891374. In US-A-2891374, there is disclosed a tool for collecting and picking up debris, which tool comprises an elongated handle, a rake head and a pick-up means for picking up the debris. The rake head is not as efficient as it could be in collecting the debris.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a tool for collecting and picking up debris, and which tool is able to collect the debris better than the tool disclosed in US-A-2891374.

Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided a tool for collecting and picking up debris, which tool comprises an elongated handle, a rake head, and pick-up means for picking up the debris, the rake head being such that it has prongs of at least two different lengths for allowing the rake head to rake at two different depths, and the pick-up means comprising a jaw and control means for moving the jaw, the jaw being a pivotable jaw that pivots from an open position to a closed position adjacent the rake head for enabling the debris to be held between the jaw and the rake head, and the control means being positioned at an end of the handle remote from the rake head.

The provision of the prongs of at least two different lengths enables two different types of raking within the one tool of the present invention.

More specifically, longer prongs can work through deeper material such for example as soil or sand, which by its very nature allows larger pieces of debris to rise to the surface. Shorter prongs are able to collect surface debris. Thus, with prongs of differing lengths, then different types of raking action are able to be carried out at the same time. This leads to better collection of the debris, in addition to better general raking.

Preferably, the prongs are of two different lengths only.

With prongs of two different length only, then the prongs preferably alternate in length. Thus there will then be one long prong, one short prong, one long prong, one short prong, etc. Because the long prongs are separated by the short prongs, the prong spacing at the root of the rake head will be smaller than the prong spacing at the long prong tips. The prong spacing at the root of the rake head will enable smaller debris to be collected, whilst the prong spacing at the long prong tips will enable larger debris to be collected. The raking action would then be at two different depths and able to collect various sizes of debris.

The rake head may be a fixed rake head. Alternatively, the rake head may be a removable rake head for allowing the rake head to be replaced by another rake head of a different design. Thus, different rake heads may provide different types of prongs having different prong spacing.

Different types of rake heads may have different types of prongs such for example as a first rake head having a row of metal prongs for tilling soil, a second rake head having a fan-type arrangement of plastics prongs for collecting leaves, and a third rake head having a fan-type arrangement of wire prongs for raking moss from grass.

When the rake head is a removable rake head, then the rake head is preferably removeably connected to the handle by a first quick-release mechanism. The first quick-release mechanism is preferably a bayonet connection, but other types of first quick-release mechanisms may be employed.

The pick-up means may be a fixed pick-up means which is permanently connected to the handle. Alternatively, the pick-up means may be a removable pick-up means for allowing the tool to be used with or without the pick-up means.

When the pick-up means is a removable pick-up means, then the jaw is preferably removably connected to the handle by a second quick-release mechanism. The second quick-release mechanism is preferably a threaded screw which prevents the jaw being removed from its slidable mount. Other types of second quick-release mechanisms may be employed.

The handle may be a tubular handle. Alternatively, the handle may be a solid handle.

Preferably, the tool is one in which the handle is of a length which allows raking to be conducted by a user who is standing up in a substantially upright position, with the user having one hand at the end of the handle remote from the rake head and the other hand at a position between the said end of the handle and the rake head. If desired, the handle could be a shorter handle, for example for one-handed use by a user who is kneeling or is raking a raised bed of flowers or plants.

The control means preferably comprises a lever which is squeezed towards the handle for causing the jaw to pivot from the open position to the closed position. The tool may be one in which the jaw is biased by spring biasing means to the open position, and in which the lever is caused to be moved away from its squeezed position consequent upon the jaw being moved to the open position by the spring biasing means.

The tool may be made of any suitable and appropriate materials.

Thus, if the handle is a tubular handle then it may be made of a lightweight metal such for example as aluminium or composite material. If the handle is a solid handle, then it may be made of wood. The rake head can be made of metal, wire or plastics materials as may be desired. The pickup means can be made of metal or plastics materials as desired.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first tool with pick-up means in an open position; Figure 2 is a perspective view like Figure 1 but shows the tool with the pick-up means in a closed position; Figure 3 is a side view of the tool as shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of the tool as shown in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a front view of a rake head forming part of the tool shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a detailed side view showing the operations of the pick-up means in the tool shown in Figure 1; Figure 7 is a sectional view showing part of control means forming part of the tool shown in Figure 1; Figure 8 illustrates how the rake head is connected to an elongated handle in the tool shown in Figure 1; Figure 9 is a side view like Figure 3 but shows a different type of pick- up means; Figure 10 is a side view like Figure 4 but with the pick-up means of Figure 9; and Figure 11 is a view like Figure 6 but with the pick-up means or Figure 9.

Referring to Figures 1 - 8, there is shown a tool 2 for collecting and picking up debris. The tool 2 comprises an elongated handle 4, a rake head 6, and pick-up means 8 for picking up the debris.

The rake head 6 is such that it has prongs of two different lengths for allowing the rake head 6 to rake at two different depths. More specifically, the rake head 6 has long prongs 10 and short prongs 12. As shown most clearly in Figure 5, the prongs 10, 12 are of two different lengths only, with the prongs alternating so that there is one long prong 10, one short prong 12, one long prong 10, one short prong 12 etc. Because the long prongs 10 are separated by the short prongs 12, the prong spacing at the root 14 of the rake head 6 is smaller than the prong spacing at the long prong tips 16. The long prongs 10 are able to rake through material at a greater depth than the short prongs 12. Thus the long prongs 10 collect debris at a greater depth than the short prongs 12. The short prongs 12 collect more surface debris.

Because the prong spacing at the root 14 is smaller than the spacing at the prong tips 16, finer debris is collected at the root end 14 of the rake head 6, with larger debris being collected at the tip end 16 of the rake head 6.

The pick-up means 8 comprises a jaw 18 and control means 20 for moving the jaw 18. The jaw 18 is a pivotable jaw 18 that pivots from an open position as shown in Figures 1 and 3 to a closed position as shown in Figures 2 and 4. As can be appreciated from Figures 2 and 4, in the closed position of the jaw 18, the jaw 18 is adjacent the rake head 6 for enabling the debris to be held between the jaw 18 and the rake head 6. The control means 20 is positioned at an end 22 of the handle 4 remote from the rake head 6.

As can best be appreciated from Figure 8, the rake head 6 is a removable rake head 6 for allowing the rake head 6 to be replaced by another rake head (not shown) of a different design. The rake head 6 is removeably connected to the handle 4 by a first quick-release mechanism in the form of a bayonet connection 24. The bayonet connection 24 comprises a curved slot 26 in a tubular portion 28 of the rake head 6 and a pin 30 which projects inwardly into a bore 32 of the handle 4, the handle 4 being a tubular handle 4.

The bayonet connection is held in position by a retaining pin 30, and prevented from rotational movement by a locking bar 34 which locates a slot at the end of the tubular portion 28. The said locking bar is held in its locking position by a rotational spring (not shown) located about the shaft 38. The rotation of the release lever 36 causes the shaft 38 to rotate and therefore the locking bar 34 to rotate free of the bayonet connection slot 25, thus allowing the rake head 6 and its bayonet connection 24 to rotate freely and be removed. To replace the rake head 6, the tubular portion 28 of the rake head is inserted into the open end of the handle 4 and manipulated until the bayonet connection 24 lines up with the retaining pin 30. The tubular portion is pushed inwards until it meets with the curved slots 26, and then the rake head is rotated until the locking bar 34 locates with the bayonet connection slot 25 where the locking bar 34 will rotate due to spring biasing and will lock the rake head in position automatically.

The pick-up means 8 is a removable pick-up means 8 for allowing the tool 2 to be used with or without the pick-up means 8. The jaw 18 is removably connected to the handle 4 by a second quick-release mechanism in the form of an arrangement comprising threaded screw 62 protruding through a threaded hole located at a suitable position within the jaw operating lever 60, and located with a hole suitably positioned in the pick-up means 8, thus preventing the pick-up means 8 from sliding off its slidable mount on the jaw operating lever 60.

The control means 20 is mounted on the handle end 22 and is permanently fixed by suitable means.

The handle grip 40 can be seen at the handle end 22 and it can be of suitable high grip material such as a rubber-type compound, and held in position by its own friction or other suitable means.

The handle 4 is of a length which allows raking to be conducted by a user who is standing up in a substantially upright position, with the user having one hand at the end 22 of the handle remote from the rake head 6, and the other hand at a position between the end 22 and the rake head 6.

The control means 20 comprises a lever 42 which is squeezed towards the handle 4 for causing the jaw 18 to pivot from the open position to the closed position. As shown in Figure 6, the jaw 18 is biased by spring biasing means 44 to the open position. The lever 42 is caused to be moved away from the squeeze position consequent upon the jaw 18 being moved to the open position by the spring biasing means 44. A steel wire 46 connects the lever 42 to the jaw 18. The jaw 18 pivots about a pivot 48.

The end of the wire 46 adjacent the control means 20 is connected to an adjusting screw 47 shown in Figure 7, which moves freely through a rotatable member 49 also shown in Figure 7, and is adjusted by a rotatable adjuster nut 53. Thus the length of the wire 46 can be adjusted to be appropriate for correct opening and closing positions of the jaw 18 with respect to the rake head 6. As shown in Figure 6, the wire at the rake head end runs over a pulley 51.

The jaw 18 is L-shaped as shown. The jaw 18 can be formed of bent sheet metal or the jaw 18 can be formed of a moulded plastics material.

Figures 9, 10 and 11 show a tool 50 which is similar to the tool 2. In the tool 50, similar parts as in the tool 2 have been given the same reference numerals for ease of comparison and understanding.

The tool 50 has a jaw 52 which is like the L-shaped jaw 18 but which also has sides 54. The sides 54 are provided with slots 56 for enabling debris to extend beyond the ends of the sides 54. The jaw 18 may be more appropriate for collecting debris in the form of long twigs, whilst the jaw 52 may be more appropriate for collecting smaller pieces of debris such for example as small stones.

The tools 2, 50 can be manufactured from a variety of plastics and metal materials. The tools 2, 50 can be light to operate, whilst being robust and efficient to use. Collected debris can easily be picked up and placed where desired, without the necessity for a person having to bend down and perhaps get themselves dirty and/or get knee pain and/or back pain.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the handle 4 may optionally be provided with an aperture 58 as shown in some of the drawings for enabling the tool 2, 50 to be hung up from a nail or the like when not in use. The aperture 58 may be provided in a bung which is pushed into the open end of the handle 4. The design for the rake head 6 may be different from that shown. Similarly, the design for the pick-up means 8 may be different from that shown.

Claims (15)

1. A tool for collecting and picking up debris, which tool comprises an elongated handle, a rake head, and pick-up means for picking up the debris, the rake head being such that it has prongs of at least two different lengths for allowing the rake head to rake at two different depths, and the pick-up means comprising a jaw and control means for moving the jaw, the jaw being a pivotable jaw that pivots from an open position to a closed position adjacent the rake head for enabling the debris to be held between the jaw and the rake head, and the control means being positioned at an end of the handle remote from the rake head.

2. A tool according to claim 1 in which the prongs are of two different lengths only.

3. A tool according to claim 2 in which the prongs alternate in length.

4. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims in which the rake head is a removable rake head for allowing the rake head to be replaced by another rake head of a different design.

5. A tool according to claim 4 in which the rake head is removably connected to the handle by a first quick-release mechanism.

6. A tool according to claim 5 in which the first quick-release mechanism is a bayonet connection.

7. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims in which the pickup means is a removable pick-up means for allowing the tool to be used with or without the pick-up means.

8. A tool according to claim 7 in which the jaw is removably connected to the handle by a second quick release mechanism.

9. A tool according to claim 8 in which the second quick-release mechanism is a threaded screw which prevents the jaw being removed from its slidable mount.

10. A tool according to any one of claims 7 - 9 in which the control means is mounted on the handle.

11. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims in which the handle is a tubular handle.

12. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims in which the handle is of a length which allows raking to be conducted by a user who is standing up in a substantially upright position, with the user having one hand at the end of the handle remote from the rake head and the other hand at a position between the said end of the handle and the rake head.

13. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims in which the control means comprises a lever which is squeezed towards the handle for causing the jaw to pivot from the open position to the closed position.

14. A tool according to claim 13 in which the jaw is biased by spring biasing means to the open position, and in which the lever is caused to be moved away from its squeezed position consequent upon the jaw being moved to the open position by the spring biasing means.

15. A tool for collecting and picking up debris, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.