WO2003037061A1

WO2003037061A1 - Improved shovel

Info

Publication number: WO2003037061A1
Application number: PCT/GB2002/004431
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patricia Lynn Fearn
Original assignee: Lite Lift Ltd; Patricia Lynn Fearn
Priority date: 2001-10-30
Filing date: 2002-10-01
Publication date: 2003-05-08
Also published as: GB0125953D0

Abstract

A novel shovel is disclosed comprising a doubly bent shaft having two ends, a first handle being provided at a first upper end of said shaft, and a second handle being provided further down said shaft but also remote from the second end of said shaft whereat a bucket shovel element is secured. In accordance with the invention, the shaft is bent in a first direction at a distance remote from the first end of said shaft which is greater than half the length of the shaft and a second bend is in a reverse direction to that of the first bend, said second bend being proximate the second end of the shaft, the second handle being adjustably and releasbly secured to the shaft in the upper region theeof before the first bend so as to provide a pair of handles in the upper region by which effective manipulation of the shovel can be achieved.

Description

IMPROVED SHOVEL

This invention relates to an improved shovel, and more specifically to an improved shovel having a particular configuration which facilitates manipulation and use thereof without compromising efficacy.

Although the following description is provided with almost exclusive reference to shovels and other tools for collecting, gathering, distributing and disposing of matter in agricultural environments, the reader will instantly appreciate that neither this specification nor the invention is to be considered as limited by the manner in which the shovel hereinafter described is use, nor by the particular environment in which the shovel is used. This specification is further concerned with the provision of an effective and useful shovel-like tool which can be easily and usefully manipulated to at least reasonable effect by persons who may be disabled, but again the invention is not to be considered limited to such use. Indeed, those skilled in the art will immediately appreciate from the following description that the potential uses and applications for the shovel described are too numerous to list, and furthermore that the potential uses and applications, and the nature of the material which is collected, distributed or otherwise moved by the shovel described are irrelevant as regards the scope of protection hereof.

Additionally, it should be mentioned that the use of the word shovel hereinbefore and after is meant to connote a tool having at least a shaft and what will be termed herein a matter manipulation element disposed at one end of this shaft. The matter manipulation element may comprise a blade, bucket, hoe formation, or indeed any other type of component which is traditionally used to have a particular effect on usually ground based material or to move material from one place to another.

The reader will understand the construction of a conventional shovel or spade in that a typically straight wooden shaft is provided at one end with a handle formation which is commonly of moulded plastics construction and provided with a cylindrical recess formation into which one end of the wooden shaft is received. At the alternate end of the shaft, a forged or cast steel or iron spade element also having a cylindrical recess formation is provided, the shaft being received in the cylindrical recess formation and retained therein usually by means of a mechanical fixing such as a screw or bolt which passes from one side of the cylindrical formation to the other through that portion of the shaft located therein. Many garden implements are constructed in a similar fashion.

The above construction is generally the most simple and certainly one of the most effective for obtaining the maximum amount of downward pressure on the spade element blade, for in use it is common for the user to stand on or at least apply downward pressure through one or other of his feet by placing such on the upper edges of the spade element on either side of the cylindrical formation which receives the shaft. In this manner, and which controlling the lateral motion of the spade by gripping the handle, it is possible for the user to dig efficiently, albeit with significant effort.

Although this invention can be applied to spades such as described above, it is more concerned with shovels which are generally adapted more for moving or distributing quantities of matter from one place to another. Shovel elements are substantially the same as spade elements and can indeed be used in similar manner, but typically shovel elements are provided with upwardly curled sides and upper edges so that when they are slid in horizontal fashion underneath a pile of rubble, sand, earth or other material prone to slip, they can contain a much larger amount of that material than is possible with a spade which is traditionally simply provided with a substantially flat spade element at its working end.

The fundamental disadvantages of the conventional shovel and spade are their weight which is not insignificant on account of their steel and wood construction, and the back-breaking nature of their mode of operation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the use of a shovel to move any material, whether light or dense over an extended period of time can cause serious backache for the user. In serious circumstances, injuries can be sustained. The primary reason for the discomfort caused by excessive manual shovel work is that during the use, the user is repeatedly straining his back by lifting the shovel with material thereon when his back is in an approximately horizontal attitude with respect to his legs. It is widely understood that lifting of any significant weight should be achieved through the legs with the back in an upright or vertical condition to avoid any injuries.

The difficulty with the shovels and spades described above is that it is generally impossible to achieve such a safe lift because in manipulating the implement, it is necessary, at least for an able bodied individual, to grip the handle with one hand and the shaft with the other hand. Furthermore, to obtain the maximum amount of leverage, it is usual for the user to grip the shaft near the spade or shovel element remote from the handle, and when using the implement to lift and move material with the hands in such a position, the back of the user necessarily and unavoidably assumes a generally horizontal attitude. Of course there have been many attempts to overcome this difficulty in the prior art, and in general these attempts include some form of secondary handle or gripping device disposed on the shaft of the implement usually remote from the primary handle by which the implement can be gripped by the second hand of the user without his needing to bend his back over to such a significant extent.

For example, Figures 1, 2 and 3 appended hereto all show examples of prior art spades or garden implements provided with a variety of different handles and/ or attachments to enhance their utility and potentially reduce the suffering of users, in particular in their backs. The implements shown in these Figures are the subject of patent or patent applications numbers GB2354731, GB809066 and US5165144 respectively, and in the case of Figure 1 there is shown a conventional spade 2 with a primary handle 4 from which emanates a wooden shaft 6, the alternate end of which is received the cylindrical formation 7 in a steel or iron spade element 8. The element 8 also includes an auxiliary handle 10 by which a user can obtain purchase on the implement to lift the element 8 in conventional manner when digging, moving or otherwise acting on earth or other material. However, the spade 2 provides only marginal alleviation of the back pain suffered by the user during use because in use when it is required to lift material and move or distribute such to another area, the implement is used more in a horizontal manner than in an upright manner (as would be the case when digging), and this necessarily involves some bending of the users back notwithstanding that the auxiliary handle protrudes upwardly away from the main shaft 6.

In Figure 2 (from GB 809066) there are shown plan and side views of an unusual fork implement 20 having both a cranked shaft 22 and a pair of movable handles 24, 26 secured to the shaft 22 by means of jubilee clips or similar. In conventional manner the shaft is received in the cylindrical formation 27 of a fork element 28 and secured therein by bolts or rivets 30 passing through the said formation and the shaft therein. This implement also only marginally alleviates the suffering of users and furthermore the handles are prone to slip when the implement is used roughly, and therefore this configuration of handles and shaft does not really function well. A further disadvantage of the device shown in Figure 2 results from the nature of the shaft which is unusual and in practice does not permit upright use of the implement in a useful manner.

In Figure 3 there is shown a handle 40 for a garden implement such as a rake, shovel or hoe wherein different suitable tool attachements are secured at one end 42 of an elongate and mutiply cranked shaft 44. The handle comprises two perpendicularly disposed handle portions 46, 48 which are provided at a remote end of the elongate cranked shaft 44 and at the end of an auxiliary U-shaped handle which extends laterally and perpendicularly away from the shaft 44.

While this device does facilitate a more upright posture in the user, the device lacks versatility in that the U-shaped handle 50 is fixed to the shaft 44 in a particular position, and the cranks or bends in the shaft 44 still necessitate some bending of the user's back during use, particularly when a shovel element is in use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a garden, agricultural or equestrian implement ideally adapted for use as a shovel in moving or distributing debris, earth, shavings and other material in a desired manner ^"without subjecting the back of the user of the device to excessive or injurious strain while allowing that user to maintain a substantially upright posture. It is a further object of the invention to provide an implement having a cranked shaft which is provided with at least two handle portions which are disposed on or mounted to said shaft, the disposition of the cranks or bends in the shaft and the disposition of the handles relative thereto being such as to result in a device which is of unprecedented manipulability and indeed is capable of use by disabled individuals.

According to the present invention there is provided a matter manipulation tool comprising a doubly bent shaft having two ends, a first handle being provided at a first upper end of said doubly bent shaft, and a second handle being provided further down said shaft but also remote from the second end of said shaft whereat a matter manipulation element is secured, characterised in that the shaft is doubly bent inasmuch as it is bent in at least two places, a first bend in a first direction being provided at a distance remote from the first end of said shaft which is greater than half the length of the shaft and a second and bend being in a reverse direction to that of the first bend being provided proximate the second end of the shaft, and further characterised in that the second handle is adjustably and removably secured to the shaft in the upper region thereof before the first bend.

Most preferably, the second end of the shaft is provided with a slot into which is received a rear face of the matter manipulation element in sliding fashion whereafter one or more bolts (but preferably at least two) secured said element to said second end of said tool.

Most preferably the matter manipulation element is a shovel or bucket-type element, which may optionally be slotted, provided with rake-like formations along its working edge, or may be solid. Most preferably the matter manipulation element is a shovel element having a rear f ce which is substantially perpendicular to the lower face which ultimately terminates in the working edge of said element.

Most preferably the second handle is adjustably secured to the first portion of the shaft be means of a screw and nut, one of which is embodied in the handle, said handle also including a mating element which is shaped according to the contours of the outer surface of the shaft with which it comes into contact to prevent said handle from rotating.

Most preferably, a plurality of pairs of holes are drilled through the shaft in its first region on either side allowing said second handle to be secured to said shaft in a variety of different positions.

Most preferably there are provided further pairs of holes drilled through the shaft in its first region which are perpendicular to the first pairs of holes allowing the securement of the second handle to the shaft in a variety of different orientations as well as spaced positions.

Most preferably, the shaft is manufactured in aluminium on account of its weight, and the handles and bucket elements are manufactured from plastics materials such as polypropylene, ABS (Acrylontrile Butadene Styrene), or mixtures of such compositions with rubber, talc or the like.

Most preferably the bends in the shaft, and the weight of the respective components of the tool is such that the centre of gravity of the tool is disposed between the first and second bends. A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figures 1-3 shows prior art shovel devices as discussed above,

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a tool according to the invention, and

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a modified bucket-like shovel element for attachment to the shaft of a tool according to the present invention.

Referring to Figure 4 there is shown a tool 50 consisting of an at least doubly bent shaft 52 having a first and second end 54, 56, at which are respectively provided a first handle 58 and a bucket- like shovel element 60. The shaft 52 may be divided into three notional regions A, B, C as shown which are defined by first and second bends 62, 64 and by the ends of the shaft 54, 56.

The shaft 52 is provided with two sets of pairs of holes 66, 68 in region A, each set of holes being arranged perpendicularly to one another so that a secondary handle 70 having a screw thread 72 embedded therein and a mating element 74 integrally provided therewith may be secured in a lateral orientation to one side of the shaft 52 as shown in the figure in a variety of spaced locations up and down the first region of said shaft when the screw thread passes through any of the pairs of holes 66, or in an upright or upwardly protruding orientation when the screw thread of the handle passes through the pairs of holes 68. In accordance with the invention, the second handle 70 is secured to the shaft as described above in the first region A of the shaft 52 behind the first bend 62, and furthermore the centre of gravity of the tool 50 is ideally disposed between the first bend 62 and the second bend 64. This configuration has proven to be ergonomically extremely convenient to users and the provision of the two handles allows extremely versatile manipulation of the tool in whatever manner desired. Indeed, although the tool was originally designed as an equestrian tool for spreading shavings and the like around horseboxes and stalls, the potential uses for the tool are very numerous, but of course its application as a simple gardening tool should be immediately apparent to the reader.

In Figure 4, the end 56 of the shaft is shown as being provided with a slot 76 into which a rear face 78 of the bucket-type shovel element 60 may be received whereupon it is preferably bolted into position with bolts 80. In Figure 5, an alternate type of bucket type shovel element 60A which is provided with a cylindrical formation 61 into which may be received the end 56 of the shaft, which in such case need not be provided with a slot 76. Again the shaft may be secured to the shovel element by means of bolts passing through apertures (not shown) provided in the cylindrical formation 61 and thence through the end of the shaft disposed therein.

The element 60 is provided with a plurality of apertures 82 in its base and a plurality of slits 84 in its working edge virtually denoted at 86 so to define a plurality of tines. Of course, the bucket-type shovel element may be formed in solid manner without apertures or slits as desired, but in any event the element should be of a light weight plastics material, and the shaft should be of an aluminium based compound or alloy to ensure that the tool is as light and thus as manipulable as possible. Indeed, with these materials and the configuration of the tool as a whole, the tool can be used one-handedly by merely lifting the tool and moving it with the second handle 70 alone.

Claims

1. A matter manipulation tool comprising a shaft having two ends, a first handle being provided at a first upper end of said shaft, and a second handle being provided further down said shaft but also remote from the second end of said shaft whereat a matter manipulation element is secured, characterised in that the shaft is doubly bent inasmuch as it is bent in at least two places, a first bend in a first direction being provided at a distance remote from the first end of said shaft which is greater than half the length of the shaft and a second and bend being in a reverse direction to that of the first bend being provided proximate the second end of the shaft, and further characterised in that the second handle is adjustably secured to the shaft in the upper region thereof before the first bend.

2. A tool according to claim 1 characterised in that the second handle is adjustably and releasably secured to the shaft in the upper region thereof, the adjustment allowing for said second handle to be disposed at different locations along the length of said upper region of said shaft.

3. A tool according to either claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the second end of the shaft is provided with a slot into which is received a rear face of the matter manipulation element in sliding fashion whereafter one or more bolts secure said element to said second end of said tool.

4. A tool according to either claim 1 or 2 characterised in that the rear face of said matter manipulation element is provided with a cylindrical formation into which may be received the second end of said shaft for securing said matter manipulation element to said shaft.

5. A tool according to any preceding claim characterised in that the matter manipulation element is a shovel or bucket-type element, which may optionally be slotted, provided with rakelike formations along its working edge, or may be solid.

6. A tool according to any preceding claim characterised in that the matter manipulation element is a shovel element having a rear face which is substantially perpendicular to the lower face which ultimately terminates in the working edge of said element.

7. A tool according to any preceding claim characterised in that the second handle is adjustably secured to the first portion of the shaft by means of a screw and nut, one of which is embodied in the handle.

8. A tool according to claim 7 characterised in that said handle also includes a mating element which is shaped according to the contours of the outer surface of the shaft with which it comes into contact to prevent said handle from rotating relative thereto.

9. A tool according to any preceding claim characterised in that a plurality of pairs of holes are drilled through the shaft in its first region on either side allowing said second handle to be secured to said shaft in a variety of different positions.

10. A tool according to claim 9 characterised in that there are provided further pairs of holes drilled through the shaft in its first region which are perpendicular to the first pairs of holes allowing the securement of the second handle to the shaft in a variety of different orientations as well as^~spaced ^"positions.

11. A tool according to any preceding claim characterised in that the shaft is manufactured in aluminium.

12. A tool according to any preceding claim characterised in that the handles and bucket elements are manufactured from plastics materials.

13. A tool according to claim 12 characterised in that the handles and bucket elements are manufactured in a material selected from the following list: polypropylene, ABS (Acrylontrile Butadene Styrene), or mixtures of such compositions with rubber, talc or the like.

14. A tool according to any preceding claim characterised in that the bends in the shaft, and the weight of the respective components of the tool is such that the centre of gravity of the tool is disposed between the first and second bends.