US1766691A - Shovel - Google Patents

Description

F. D. RUGG June 24, 1930.

SHOVEL Filed Dec 8, 1927 Patented .lune 24, 1930 UNITED STT GFFCE SHOVEL Application led December S, 1927.

This invention relates to a novel and iniproved shovel for handling snow and other materials. The invention will be best understood by reference to the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of one specific enibodirnent thereof, wnile its scope will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shovel exeniplifying the invention;

Fig. 2 is another perspective view of the shovel tipped up to show the bottoni;

F ig. 3 is a plan on an enlarged scale of one corner of the blade, illustrating' the construction of the sheath;

Fig. 4 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view of the shovel., on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 5 is a detail, sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on line 5-5 of Fig. e.

Referring to the drawings, and to the einbodiment of the invention which is selected for exempliiication, there is shown a shovel having a blade coinprisin T a bottoni 10, two side walls 11, and a rear wall 12. In the present example, the bottoni is a thin., sheet nietal plate, which is Alight and yet sufliciently strong, especially owing to the way in 3o which it is related to the other parts, as will presently appear. rlhe sheet metal plate also has an advantage over wood in this situation, because wood is apt to check and split. The sheet metal has the further advantage that it keeps the shovel in square better than the usual wooden bottoni. The side and rear walls, however', herein. are of wood, which is well suited to the purpose. The bottom plate is conveniently secured to the side walls (see 40 Fig. 2) by fastening elements such as nails 13, driven through the plate and into the side walls. In the present example, the plate eX- tends beneath the rear wall, and thence upwardly along the rear face of the latter, in

which it is conveniently secured by fastening elements, such as nails 14. ln cutting the plate, tabs 15 are left at the rear corners, and these extend rearwardly beyond the rear wall to the rear ends of the side walls to which they are shown secured, thereby rein- Selial No. 238,522.

forcing the latter, and aiding in their resistance to wear.

Extending transversely of and beneath the bottoni plate is a bar 16, conveniently inade of wood, and preferably secured to the bottom plate and to the side walls, as by sonic of the fastening eleinents 13. This bar reinforces the bottoni plate, herein adjacent its front end, and greatly adds to the rigidity of the blade. The front edge of this bar is beveled as at 1"?, and it is provided with a sheet metal sheath 18, to reinforce and protect the saine, and to provide a cutting edge 19. The thickness of this sheath is greatly exaggerated in Fig fr, because of the small scale. rEhe sheath is folded over the bar to present two walls 2O and 21, which embrace its upper and lower surfaces, and these walls are secured to the bar, as by fastening eleinents, herein rivets 22, which entend through said walls and through said bar, as well as through a portion of the bottoin plate 10, which is odset downwardly and extends beneath the wall 20. The lower surface of the reinforcing bar 16 in the present example is perfectly flat, and the lower wall 21 of the sheath is not set into the bar, as this is unnecessary, said wall being so thin that it presents no substantial obstruction at its rear edge.

Herein, the lower wall 21 of the sheath is extended upwardly at each end (see Fig. 2), along the sides of the side walls 11, and thence inwardly and downwardly (see Fig. to present a corner reinforcing tab 23, which is conveniently secured in place as by one of the rivets 22. In this way, the cor ner is greatly strengthened, and its resistance to wear and the effects of shocks is increased. It adds greatly to the durability of the shovel.

The front ends of the side walls 11 slope rearwardly and upwardly; they are beveled as at 24, and provided with sheet metal sheaths 25, having inner and outer walls 26 and 27, which embrace the associated side wall, and are suitably secured thereto, as by nails 27. Herein, these sheaths, at their forward ends, are encompassed by the tabs 23 of the front sheath 18, so that one sheath reinforces the other adjacent the corner.

The rear wall, in the present embodiment, slopes upwardly and rearwardly, and is appropriately secured to the side walls by providing each of the latter with a groove 28, which receives the adjacent end of the rear wall, fastening elelnents 29 being driven through the side walls into the ends of the rear wall. Two runners 30, herein cylindrical tubes, are disposed beneath the blade, and, as shown, extend thence rearwardly and upwardly along the outer face of the rear wall, and continue beyond the latter rearwardly and upwardly to presenthandle bars 31, to which a handle 1:52 is conveniently attached by flattening the tubes, as at 33, to receive bolts 34 for the attachment of the handle. The forward ends oll the runners are suitably secured to the blade, as by flattening and offsetting the runners at 35, to receive bolts 3() extending through the runners, through the bar 1G, and through the plate 10. The tubes are securely united with the rear wall, as by bolts 3T extending through the tubes and through the rear wall. The bottom is supported and prevented from sagging b v bars 38 (see Fig. 5), interposed between the runners and the bottoni plate. These bars are held against lateral displacement by being provided with grooves 39, which receive the tubes 30. Herein, the bars are rabbeted as at 40, to receive the rear edge of the transverse bar 16.

Inasmuch as the runners are made entirely of metal, I am enabled to avoid the use ot' the metal shoes usually employed on the bottoms of wooden runners. The all metal runner is much stronger and more durable than the composite runner, especially the metal shoes heretofore employed are apt to break away from the wooden runners, particularly after they have become worn. Furthermore, by making the handle bars integral extensions of the runners, the structure is much stronger than is the case with separate handles bolted to the runners or to the bottom.

'hen the shovel is in use, the user grasps the handle 32, and thrusts the shovel forward, tipping its front end downwardly to cause the cutting edge 19 to engage the surface which is being cleared otl snow or other material. vWhen the shovel has gathered up a sufficient load, the runners are allowed to rest flatwise on the ground or plat-form, and the shovel is pushed to a place where the load is to be deposited.

Having thus described one embodiment of the invention, but without limiting myself: thereto. what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. In a shovel, the combination of a blade, a rear wall, and a pair of runners, each cornprising a continuous bar disposed in part beneath said blade and extending thence rearwardly and upwardly behind said rear wall and continuing therebeyoud rearwardly and upwardly, fastening means securing said bars to said blade and to said rear wall, portions of said bars rearwardly of thin front ends being spaced from the bottom of said blade, and blade supporting means interposed between said portions and the bottom of said blade.

2. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheet material, a bar extending transversely of and beneath said plate from its front end rearwardly, and a pair of runners disposed beneath said plate and secured to said bar.

3. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheet material, a bar extending transversely of and beneath said plate from its front end rearwardly, a pair of runners disposed beneath said plate and beneath said bar, and fastening means extending through said runners, through said bar and through said plate.

4. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheet material, a rear wall, and a pair of runners disposed in part beneath said plate and extending thence rearwardly and upwardly along the outer face of said rear wall, said plate extending upwardly along said wall.

5. In a shovel, the combination of a blade comprising a plate of sheet material, a rear wall, and a pair of runners disposed in part beneath said plate and extending thence rearwardly and upwardly along the outer face of said rear wall, said plate extending rearwardly beneath said wall and` thence upwardly along the rear face of said wall, and fastening means securing the upwardly extending portion of said plate to said Wall.

6. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and a continuous, one-piece sheath extending across the front of said bottoni, and thence part way about and enr bracing each wall.

7. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and a sheath having up r and lower walls embracing the front edite o f said bottom, one of said sheath walls being extended to form tabs which are wrapped part way about said side walls.

8. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and a sheath having upper and lower walls embracing the front edge of said bottom, one ot' said sheath walls being extended to form tabs which are wrapped part way about said side walls, the ends of said tabs being directed toward each other along said upper wall.

9. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, and a sheath having up r and lower walls embracing the front e ge of said bottom, said lower wall presenting tabs which extend upward on the outer faces of said side walls, thence across said side walls, thence downward on the inner faces of said side walls and thence inward on the upper face of said upper wall.

l0. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls, a sheath having upper and lower walls emb-racing the front edge of said bottom, one of said sheath walls being eX- tended to form tabs which are wrapped part way about said side walls, and fastening elements which extend through said upper and lower walls, through said bottom and through said tabs.

l1. In a shovel, the combination of a bottom, side walls having upwardly and rearwardly sloping front ends, sheaths having inner and outer walls embracing said sloping front ends of said side walls, and a sheath extending across the front of said bottoni and extended to embrace the irstmentioned sheath.

12. In a shovel, the combination of Wooden side and rear walls, a sheet metal bottom plate extending beneath said walls and upwardly behind said rear wall, fastening elements ext-ending through said plate into said side and rear Walls, a pair ot runners beneath said plate, and a handle rearwardly of said plate.

13. In a shovel, the combination of a sheet metal bottoni plate, a wooden reinforcing bar beneath and secured to said plate, and a sheet metal sheath about the front edge of said bar.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK D. RUGG.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,766,691. Granted June 24, 1930, to

FRANK D. RUGG.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 7l, claim 1, for the word "thin" read "their"; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform te the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 5th day of August, A. D. 1930.

Wm. A. Kinnan, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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