GB2436056A

GB2436056A - Portable fulcrum

Info

Publication number: GB2436056A
Application number: GB0605063A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anand Dhondo Deshpande
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-03-14
Filing date: 2006-03-14
Publication date: 2007-09-19
Also published as: GB0605063D0

Abstract

A portable and detachable fulcrum is provided which can be attached to the handle of a spade in order to make the work less strenuous and prevent back strain. The portable fulcrum comprises a clamp (A), two screws (B) for removably attaching the clamp to the handle of the spade, and a base rest (C). The clamp (A) has a curved base and two arms (1, 2, fig.2) each having two screw holes (5, 6, 7, 8, fig.2). In use, the base (C) forms a fulcrum with a surface such as the ground. The height of the fulcrum may be adjustable by means of a threaded cylindrical rod (12, fig. 4) attached to the base (C), the rod being rotatable within a hollow threaded cylinder (4, fig.2). The portable fulcrum is also suitable for use on the handle or lever of other tools, especially where lifting a heavy object from the ground may strain the back of a user.

Description

PORTABLE FULCRUM

This invention relates to a portable fulcrum. Digging the earth with a spade is physically tiring. The person using the spade is prone to get back strain. Similar tools requiring the use of a handle or the lever to lift the heavy objects from the ground give backache to the user. Lack of adequate fulcrum makes the work more strenuous.

This invention solves such problem. The portable fulcrum is ready to use whenever the person using the spade wants to attach the fulcrum to the handle of the spade.

A spade is used to lift and toss materials such as gravel or sand. When the spade is used for digging the earth it requires more strength. A spade consists of two parts. The blade or the flat metal part, which is used to dig into the ground. The handle or the lever is the part, which the user holds in his hands. Digging of the earth consists of two actions. First cuffing the earth with the flat metal blade of the spade. The user pushes the tip of the blade into the ground by force. The second action is prising the cut earth. This requires lowering of the lever or the handle of the spade, which helps to lift the cut earth up from the ground. The back of the metal blade acts as the fulcrum. However, this is not adequate to make the work easy.

This invention gives an option to the user of the spade to apply adequate length of fulcrum at an advantageous position along the length of the handle or the lever of the spade. This helps to avoid the strain on the back of the user of the spade.

The portable fulcrum is also suitable for use on the handle or the lever of other tools where lifting heavy object from the ground is potentially straining the back of the user of the implement.

See Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows components A, B and C as shown in the diagram

COMPONENT A

See figure 2.

Component A is the clamp. It has two arms (marked 1 and 2 in the diagram). The two arms are joined to the curved base of the clamp (marked 3 in the diagram). Each of the two arms has at its free end, two holes (marked 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the diagram). The curved base of the clamp has a fulcrum cylinder attached to its convex surface (marked 4 in the diagram). The fulcrum cylinder is hollow inside. Th 2/ Is-

COMPONENT B

See Figure 3 This comprises two screws (marked 9 and 10).

COMPONENT C

See figure 4 This is the base-rest of the portable fulcrum. This has a circular base-plate (marked 11 in the diagram). The circular base-plate has a solid cylindrical rod attached at its centre (marked 12 in the diagram).

COMPLETED PORTABLE FULCRUM ATTACHED TO THE HANDLE

OF A SPADE

See figure 5 The portable fulcrum is attached to the handle of the spade.

The handle of the spade is resting on the concave aspect of the curved base of the clamp of the portable fulcrum (component A) The two screws (marked 9 and 10) secure the handle of the spade in the clamp of the

portable fulcrum.

The solid cylindrical rod of the component C of the portable fulcrum (marked 12 in the diagram) is inserted into the hollow fulcrum-cylinder of the component A (marked 4 in the diagram).

See Figure 6 The piece of the earth cut by the flat blade of the spade is prised easily by pressing the handle of the spade down towards the ground by the user. Now the circular base-plate of the base-rest of the portable fulcrum is resting on the ground.

The portable fulcrum now gives a mechanical advantage to the lever action of the handle of the spade. This uses less energy by the user of the spade. The user of the spade when attaching the portable fulcrum to the handle of the spade sustains less backache.

AD VANTAGES

1) The Portable fulcrum is easy to store and carry by its user.

2) The portable fulcrum can be attached to the handle of the spade if and when required.

3) The portable fulcrum can be attached to the handle of the spade at any desired point on the handle.

4) The height of the portable fulcrum can be adjusted as desired by turning the solid cylindrical rod of the base-rest.

5) When there is no need for the portable fulcrum it can be easily detached from the handle of the spade by loosening the two screws that attach the handle of the spade to the clamp of the portable fulcrum.

6) The portable fulcrum can also be used to the handle of a tool where the lever action is needed to lift heavy objects.

Claims

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CLAIMS

1) The portable fulcrum comprises a clamp (A), two screws (B) and a base-rest (C).

2) The clamp, as claimed in claim 1, has a curved base (3) and two arms (1 and 2) 3) The clamp as claimed in claims 1 and 2 has on each of its two arms two holes (5, 6, 7 and 8) for the insertion of the screws.

4) The clamp as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3, has the hollow fulcrum cylinder (4) attached to the convex aspect of the base curve (3).

5) The hollow fulcrum cylinder (4) attached to the convex aspect of the base curve (3) as claimed in claim 4, has grooves on the inner surface of the hollow cylinder.

6) The two screws (9 and 10) as claimed in claim I hold the clamp (A) of the portable fulcrum tightly to the handle of the spade by threading through the holes (5,6,7 and 8) on the two arms (land 2) of the clamp.

7) The base-rest (C) as claimed in claim I has a circular base-plate (11) 8) The base-rest as claimed in claims 1 and 7, has a solid cylindrical rod (12) attached to the centre of the circular base-plate (11).

9) The base-rest as claimed in claims 1,7 and 8, has a solid cylindrical rod attached to the centre of the circular base-plate. The solid cylindrical rod (12) is grooved on its outer surface.

10) The base-rest (C) as claimed in claims 1, 7, 8 and 9 has the solid cylindrical rod (12) which can be inserted into the hollow fulcrum-cylinder ( 4) by rotating the solid rod and threading the grooves inside the hollow fulcrum-cylinder. The height of the portable fulcrum can be adjusted to desired height by turning the solid cylindrical rod clock-wise or anti-clockwise.