GB2419268A

GB2419268A - Gardening tool glove

Info

Publication number: GB2419268A
Application number: GB0423626A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Coleman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-10-25
Filing date: 2004-10-25
Publication date: 2006-04-26
Also published as: GB0423626D0

Abstract

The invention provides a gardening tool comprising a plurality of flexible members 2, 3 linked together and each carrying at the free end thereof a hard soil-working tip 4, each flexible member 2 or 3 being configured to conform independently with a separate finger of a user's hand, in use, whereby the soil-working tip projects beyond the end of the user's finger and can be moved with the finger as the finger is flexed. The tool may be in the form of a glove, which may be formed from an elastomeric material. The tips 4 may be moulded into the ends of the glove fingers.

Description

24 1 9268

GARDENING TOOL

Field of the Invention

This Invention relates to a gardening tool particularly useful in cultivating small borders and window boxes.

Background to the Invention

Typically, hand tools for use in cultivating small borders and window boxes consist of a handle grasped by the user and some form of blade or spikes extending from the handle with which to disturb the soil in the border or box. While these are generally sat- isfactory, they do suffer from a number of inconveniences.

Firstly, the handle needs to be carefully designed to ensure that it is comfortable for prolonged use; straight handles in particular can be uncomfortable since they force the user's wrist to be continuously bent. This is particularly disadvantageous for users with disabilities or disorders such as arthritis.

Secondly, since the blade or spikes are fixed, the cultivating action requires careful control to ensure that damage is not done to plants adjacent to the area being cultivated.

In addition, when the user wishes to pick up weeds removed from the soil by the tool's action, it is necessary to put down the tool temporarily.

The present invention seeks to overcome these disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention

According to the invention, there is provided a gardening tool, comprising a plu rality of flexible members linked together and each carrying at the free end thereof a hard soil-working tip, each flexible member being configured to conform independently with a separate finger of a user's hand, in use, whereby the tip projects beyond the end of the user's finger and can be moved with the finger as the finger is flexed.

The flexible members are conveniently fingers of a glove. While the glove may be provided with the soil-working tips on fewer than the normal four fingers and a thumb, it will usually be convenient for each of these to carry such a tip. The glove may be formed of any flexible material, for example leather or canvas, but it is preferably formed at least partly from a plastics material, and more preferably from a cloth fabric coated with an elastomeric material. The soil-working tips may be attached to the fingers/thumb by such Spec'Ncaton COLEMAl-P1256 GBA--200410-08 dcc - 2 means as stitching or adhesive, but where the gloves include a plastics material, it may be convenient to mould the tips into the plastics material during moulding of the glove.

The hard sol-working tips will typically be made of metal, preferably a durable metal such as steel or brass, but hard plastics materials may also be suitable. It has been found convenient to use tips which are of a generally conical or frusto-conical shape.

They may be at least partly hollow, so as to fit partly over the end of the user's fingers and thumb.

The tool may be used as a rake, or for cultivation/soil-working using one or more fingers, the flexibility of the fingers permitting items to be picked up or otherwise manipu fated as with a conventionally gloved hand.

Brief Description of the Drawing

The drawing is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the tool, in use.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiment

The tool consists of a glove formed of a strong flexible material such as a plastics coated textile material or a thick plastics or elastomeric material on its own. The glove can be assembled by stitching or gluing together shaped components in the manner of clothing manufacture, or moulded by coating a shaped former with a liquid plastics mate rial and curing the plastics. Alternatively, a fabric glove may be coated with a plastics ma serial, for example by dip coating in a solution of plastics material and then curing the coating.

Referring to the drawing, the glove 1 is of generally conventional form, having a shape conforming generally to a user's hand in such a manner as to facilitate introduction and removal of the user's hand. Each finger 2 of the glove, as well as the thumb 3, has a hollow conical soil-working tip 4 formed of metal and moulded into the plastics material from which the glove is formed or with which it is coated.

In use, the glove is worn on the user's hand, thereby serving to protect the hand while cultivation of small borders, window boxes or plant containers, is carried out using the soil-working tips to dig into and turn the soil, and to dislodge weed roots. The weeds can then be gripped by the gloved hand to pull them out of the soil and dispose of them.

Spec'Ncaton COLEMAJ-Pl 256 GBA -200410-08.doc - 3 It will be seen from the broken line in the Figure that the user's finger tip 5 extends into the tip 4, permitting precise control of the tip during the cultivating and weeding activities, the finger being protected and kept clean by the glove finger 2 and metal tip 4. Because each finger of the glove can be moved with the enclosed finger of the user's hand, precise control of the tip 4 can be exercised, ensuring that no damage is inadvertently done to the plants being grown in the border, box or container during soil working or weeding opera- tions.

Specification COLEMAJP1256 GBA20041048 doc - 4

Claims

1. A gardening tool, comprising a plurality of flexible members linked together and each carrying at the free end thereof a hard soil-working tip, each flexible member being configured to conform independently with a separate finger of a user's hand, in use, whereby the soil-working tip projects beyond the end of the user's finger and can be moved with the finger as the finger is flexed.

2. A tool according to Claim 1, wherein the flexible members are the fingers of a glove.

3. A tool according to Claim 2, wherein the glove is formed of an elastomeric 1 0 material.

4. A tool according to Claim 3, wherein the tips are moulded into the ends of the fingers of the glove.

5. A tool according to any preceding claim, wherein the tips are formed of metal.

6. A tool according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the tips are formed of a plastics material.

7. A tool according to any preceding claim, wherein the tips are generally conical or frusto-conical.

8. A gardening tool, substantially as described with reference to, and/or as shown in, the drawing.

Specification COLEP1Al-P1256 GBA--20010-08 doc