GB2570931A

GB2570931A - Agricultural device

Info

Publication number: GB2570931A
Application number: GB1802273.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dello Ugo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-02-12
Filing date: 2018-02-12
Publication date: 2019-08-14
Also published as: GB201802273D0

Abstract

The present invention relates to an agricultural device that combines the functionalities of a traditional spade and gardening fork in one tool. The device comprises a handle, blade and a plurality of tines extending from the blade. The tines may be triangular, the tines being aligned with the longitudinal edges of the blade maybe in the form of right angled triangles and intermediate tines in the form of equilateral triangles. The tines maybe equidistantly spaced across the width of the blade portion.

Description

AGRICULTURAL DEVICE

Field of Invention

The present invention relates to an agricultural device, particularly but not exclusively, to an agricultural device for moving and loosening garden soil.

Background of the Invention

Conventional spades have a blade portion with a wide edge for digging into the ground. These wide edges require considerable effort to drive the blade into hard ground, such as soil having a high stone content. In order to loosen hardened ground, it is presently necessary to purchase another agricultural tool, such as a gardening fork, which comprises a plurality of spaced tines formed at the leading edge thereof to help loosen hard ground with significantly less effort. Once the ground is loosened, the conventional spade can be used to dig up the soil.

Although the two aforementioned devices individually work well for their respective purposes, it is desirable to provide an agricultural device that can combine both functionalities in a single piece of equipment.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided an agricultural device comprising a handle portion, a blade portion for moving garden soil, the blade portion having a first end connected to the handle portion, and a plurality of tines extending from a distal end of the blade, said tines being arranged to loosen and turn over garden soil.

In another embodiment, the length of the blade portion in a longitudinal direction is between 10% and 100%, preferably between 20% and 40% longer than a length of the plurality of the tines in the longitudinal direction of the agricultural device. The blade portion and the plurality of tines may form a unitary structure.

The tines may have a triangular shape.

In yet another embodiment, a first tine is aligned with a first side edge of the blade portion and a second tine is aligned with an opposite, second edge of the blade portion, wherein at least one intermediate tine is arranged between the first and second tines.

The first and second tines may have the shape of a right-angled triangle. The at least one intermediate member may have the shape of an equilateral triangle.

The width of the first and second tines may be between 40% and 60%, preferably 50% of a width of the at least one intermediate member.

In another embodiment, the blade portion has a substantially rectangular shape. The blade portion and/or the plurality of tines may have a thickness of 2mm to 3mm, preferably 2.5mm.

The blade portion may have a width of 15cm to 25cm, preferably 20cm.

The blade portion may have a length in the longitudinal direction of the agricultural device of 10cm to 20cm, preferably between 14cm and 16cm.

In another embodiment, the plurality of tines have a length in longitudinal direction of the agricultural device of 10cm to 15cm.

In another embodiment, the blade portion is made from steel.

The plurality of tines may be made from steel.

The blade portion may be connected to the handle portion by means of an elongated shaft extending in a longitudinal direction of the agricultural device.

In one embodiment, the agricultural device may comprise four tines.

The plurality of tines may be arranged equidistantly across a width of the blade portion.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the following detailed description, the invention will be described by way of example only, with reference to the attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of the agricultural device according to the present invention.

The agricultural device 1 shown in Figure 1 is generally a combination of a spade and a gardening fork. The agricultural device has a proximal end 2 and a distal end 3. A handle portion is arranged on the proximal end 2 and connected to a blade portion at the distal end 3 of the agricultural device. A distal end section of the blade portion is provided with a plurality of tines, in this case four tines, which extend from the distal end section of the blade portion. In this example, the blade portion and the tines are formed as a unitary structure, namely as a steel part.

The tines may be manufactured by cutting v-grooves out of a solid blade structure to achieve the shape shown in the figure.

The four tines have a first and second tine arranged on opposite side edges of the blade portion. As such, one side edge of the first and second tines is aligned with a corresponding side edge of the blade portion and extends in a longitudinal direction of the agricultural device. The tines have a triangular shape, the first and second tines having a right-angled triangular shape. Two intermediate tines are arranged between the first and second tine and have an equilateral triangular shape.

The ratio between the length of the blade portion and the length of the tines in a longitudinal direction of the agricultural device is chosen such that the blade portion is between 10% and 100% longer than the tines.

The new layout provides a blade portion with tines long enough and strong enough to act as a fork for forking over soil and breaking up clumps of soil, whilst providing sufficient material behind the tines to turn over rough digged soil and to transfer soil to a new location. Smaller and lighter versions of the agricultural device shown in the accompanying figure may also be manufactured, subject to the aforementioned dimensional ratios being maintained.

Claims

1. An agricultural device comprising:

a handle portion;

a blade portion for moving garden soil, the blade portion having a first end connected to the handle portion; and a plurality of tines extending from a distal end of the blade, said tines being arranged to loosen and turning over garden soil.

2. The agricultural device of claim 1, wherein a length of the blade portion in a longitudinal direction is between 10% and 100%, preferably between 20% and 40%, longer than a length of the plurality of tines in the longitudinal direction of the agricultural device.

3. The agricultural device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the blade portion and the plurality of tines form unitary structure.

4. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tines have a triangular shape.

5. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein a first tine is aligned with a first side edge of the blade portion and a second tine is aligned with an opposite, second side edge of the blade portion, and wherein at least one intermediate tine is arranged between the first and second tines.

6. The agricultural device of claim 5, wherein the first and second tines have the shape of a right-angled triangle.

7. The agricultural device of claim 5 or 6, wherein the at least one intermediate member has the shape of an equilateral triangle.

8. The agricultural device of any of claims 5 to 7, wherein a width of the first and second tines is between 40% and 60%, preferably 50%, of a width of the at least one intermediate member.

9. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the blade portion has a substantially rectangular shape.

10. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the blade portion and/or the plurality of tines have a thickness of 2mm to 3mm, preferably 2.5mm.

11. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the blade portion has a width of 15cm to 25cm, preferably 20cm.

12. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the blade portion has a length in the longitudinal direction of the agricultural device of 10cm to 20cm, preferably between 14 and 16cm.

13. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plurality of tines have a length in the longitudinal direction of the agricultural device of 10cm to 15cm.

14. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the blade portion is made from steel and/or wherein the plurality of tines are made from steel.

15. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the blade portion is connected to the handle portion by means of an elongated shaft extending in a longitudinal direction of the agricultural device.

16. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the agricultural device comprises four tines.

17. The agricultural device of any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the plurality of tines are arranged equidistantly across a width of the blade portion.