WO2004019672A2

WO2004019672A2 - Garden tool

Info

Publication number: WO2004019672A2
Application number: PCT/US2002/028224
Authority: WO
Inventors: Raymond F. Ceplina
Original assignee: Ceplina Raymond F
Priority date: 2002-08-28
Filing date: 2002-08-28
Publication date: 2004-03-11
Also published as: AU2002329978A8; AU2002329978A1; WO2004019672A3

Abstract

A garden tool comprises a blade (14) attached to an elongated shaft portion (12) for use in a standing position. The blade comprises a piercing point (36) at a first end and a toothed portion (58, 59) defining a slot at a second end for grasping and applying a pulling force to a weed.

Description

GARDEN TOOL

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to garden tools. In one aspect, the invention relates to a lightweight multipurpose yard tool for weeding, preparing soil, and removing litter and plant debris by a user in a standing position. Description of the Related Art

Garden tools, such as those used for weeding, are typically small, hand-held tools which are used in a kneeling or seated position. Remaining in a kneeling or seated position for a long period of time can cause fatigue or muscle strain in a user, particularly to the back and legs. As well, the small size of the tool minimizes the leverage that can be exerted by the tool, thereby limiting its effectiveness. The typical garden tool having a longer handle for use while standing, e.g., a hoe, comprises a blade portion having a single configuration for cutting weeds below the ground surface. But even this time-honored tool is limited in that it normally takes more than one hand to use effectively and it cannot pull weeds out by the roots. Other known tools have an elongated wooden handle with a blade extending therefrom in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle. Such tools are commonly used for removing weeds such as dandelions, but they are nevertheless inappropriate for use close to tender garden plants and their weight still may require use of two hands

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An improved garden tool according to the invention comprises an elongated shaft having a proximate handle portion and a thin, rigid body mounted to the distal end. The thin rigid body has a central portion, a first portion extending from one side of the central portion, and a second portion extending from an opposite side of the central portion. The first portion has a diamond shaped blade and the second portion has two teeth separated by a notch. The central portion is mounted normally to the distal end of the shaft.

Preferably, the thin, rigid body is metal and typically would be stainless steel. In one aspect of the invention, the first and second portions of the body are coplanar with the central portion. But one or the other or both can be inclined at an obtuse angle relative to the central portion. Preferably, the inclination will be toward the shaft. The shaft can be a single piece made of a lightweight material such as graphite or a light metal, having a grip at the handle portion. Or, the shaft can be telescopically collapsible. In a preferred embodiment, the shaft comprises two parts, a handle portion and an extension portion, separable from each other. The handle portion is preferably a lightweight wood and the extension portion is a lightweight metal such as aluminum.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typical operation of a first embodiment of a garden tool according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the garden tool of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a flat blade comprising a portion of the garden tool of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the flat blade of Fig. 3 taken along line 4-4.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a garden tool similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but comprising a second embodiment having a curved blade.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of a garden tool similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but comprising a third embodiment having a two-piece shaft portion.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a garden tool similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but comprising a fourth embodiment having a telescoping shaft portion.

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of a garden tool similar to that shown in Fig. 2 but comprising a fifth embodiment having a unitary shaft portion and a handle grip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Fig. 1, a first embodiment of a garden tool 10 comprises a shaft portion 12 at a first end of which is attached a blade 14 and transitioning at a second end into a handle 16. Referring to Fig. 2, the shaft portion 12 comprises an extension member 18 joining the blade 14 to the handle 16. Preferably, the extension member 18 is an elongated, rod-like member of a suitable material, such as aluminum, graphite, or stainless steel, for the purposes described herein. The handle 16 is an elongated, generally cylindrical member having a bore 20 at a first end extending coaxially into the handle 16. In the preferred embodiment, the handle is made of wood. In Fig. 2, the bore 20 is shown as threaded. The extension member 18 is provided at a first end with a threaded aperture 24 extending coaxially into the extension member 18. The extension member 18 terminates at a second end in a threaded stud 22 which is adapted to be threaded into the threaded bore 20 to fixedly attach the extension 18 to the handle 16. Alternatively, other means can be used to attach the extension member 18 to the handle 16, such as gluing or a friction fit.

As shown also in Fig. 3, the blade 14 comprises a generally thin, rigid, platelike body 30 having a central portion 31 , a first portion 32 extending from one side of the central portion, and a second portion 34 extending from the other side of the central portion. The first portion 32 transitions to a generally diamond-shaped, platelike piercing blade 36 generally coplanar with the central portion 31 and comprising a pair of inclined edges 40, 41 oriented at an acute angle to form a diamond point 38. As shown in Fig. 4, the edges 40, 41 can be finished with a bevel 42 to form sharpened cutting edges. The piercing blade 36 extends from the central portion 31 to form a pair of juxtaposed notches 44 intermediate the piercing blade 36 and the central portion 31.

The second portion 34 comprises a pair of triangular-shaped, plate-like teeth 58, 59 in generally parallel, spaced-apart juxtaposition. The tooth 58 comprises an outer inclined edge 46 and an inner inclined edge 48 joined at an acute angle to form a cutting point 66. The tooth 59 comprises an outer inclined edge 47 and an inner inclined edge 49 joined at an acute angle to form a cutting point 67. The inner inclined edges 48, 49 are inclined toward each other to form a notch 50 that terminates in a slot 52 extending into the body 30.

An aperture 54 extends through the central portion 31. The body 30 also comprises a pair of parallel, spaced apart long sides 56 extending orthogonally from the first portion 32 to the second portion 34. It will be understood that outer inclined edges 46, 47 are optional; those edges can be collinear with the long sides 56. The blade 14 can be made of any suitable material having the strength and durability for the purposes described herein, and preferably comprises stainless steel.

In the preferred embodiment, the blade 14 is attached to the extension 18 with a conventional machine screw 26 and lock washer 28. The machine screw 26 is first inserted through the lock washer 28 followed by the aperture 54 and threaded insertion into the aperture 24 to secure the blade 14 to the shaft portion 12.

A first alternate embodiment of the blade 14 is shown in Fig. 5. In this embodiment, the blade 68 is identical to the blade 14 except that the blade 68 comprises a central portion 60 transitioning to a first portion 62 and a second portion 64, each of which us inclined from the central portion 60 at an obtuse angle. The central portion 60 is provided with an aperture 54 for attaching the blade 68 to the shaft portion 12 in the manner described above. The first portion 62 comprises the piercing blade 36 and the second portion 64 comprises the teeth 58, 59. The blade 68 is attached to the shaft portion 12 so that the inclined portions 62, 64 are inclined toward the shaft portion 12. It is within the scope of the invention for only one of the first 62 and second 64 portions to be inclined relative to the central portion 60 and the other to be straight, i.e., coplanar with the central portion.

A first alternate embodiment of the shaft portion 12 is shown in Fig. 6. In this embodiment, the shaft portion 76 comprises two approximately equal sections 77, 78 that are threadably joined at a threaded joint 70, and can be disassembled for ease of transport and storage. The first section 77 terminates in a threaded stud 72 which can be threadably inserted into a threaded aperture 74 in the second section 78 to form the assembled shaft portion 76.

Fig. 7 shows a second alternate embodiment of the shaft portion 12 comprising a telescoping shaft 90. In this embodiment, the shaft 90 comprises generally conventional telescoping sections 92, 94, 96 so that the shaft 90 can be collapsed, thereby enabling the tool 10 to be shortened for ease of transport and storage. The telescoping sections 92, 94, 96 can also comprise a conventional locking mechanism 98, such as a twist-lock mechanism, for locking the sections 92, 94, 96 into the extended shaft 90. Alternatively, the telescoping sections 92, 94, 96 can be extended to a length somewhat less than the fully extended length to selectively provide a shortened tool.

Fig. 8 shows a third alternate embodiment of the shaft portion 12 comprising a unitary shaft 80 having a removable grip 82 which can be selectively configured and installed on the shaft 80 to accommodate different users.

The novel garden tool 10 can be used in a variety of ways to accomplish a variety of tasks that would otherwise be performed by different tools. The piercing blade 36 can be used to pierce and cut a weed or other plant at or below the ground surface, or to form a furrow in the soil. The piercing blade 36 can also be used to pierce and recover ground litter or debris, such as pieces of paper, without bending or stooping. The teeth 58, 59 can be used to scarify the soil, or form a wider furrow in the soil. Both the piercing blade 36 and the teeth 58, 59 can also be used to cultivate around plants and seedlings. The light weight of the tool reduces the amount of momentum and increases sensitivity for close work around tender plants. Additionally, the second end 34 can be used to grasp and remove weeds or other plants by grasping the plant so that the stem is received in the notch 50 or the slot 52, and lifting up on the tool 10. In this way, the tool is effective to remove small weeds by the roots. The tool 10 can also be used to smooth the soil and scrape emerging weeds by running the long sides 56 over the soil. The tool 10 is lightweight, preferably weighing between 4-5 oz. with a graphite handle and a grip, and about 8 oz. with a wooden handle with extension, thereby reducing fatigue during extended periods of use. The length of the tool 10 enables the user to perform a multitude of tasks from a standing position, further reducing user fatigue.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and the scope of the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the prior art will permit.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A multi-purpose garden tool comprising: an elongated shaft 12 having a proximate handle portion 16 and a thin, rigid body 30, wherein the thin rigid body has a central portion 31 , a first portion 32 extending from one side of the central portion, and a second portion 34 extending from an opposite side of the central portion, the first portion having a diamond shaped blade 36 and the second portion have two teeth 58, 59 separated by a notch 50; and wherein the central portion is mounted normally to the distal end of the shaft.

2. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein the thin rigid body is made of stainless steel.

3. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein the central portion has edges 56 intermediate the first and second portions 32, 34, and at least one of said edges is sharpened.

4. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein the diamond-shaped blade 36 is set off from the remainder of the thin, rigid body 30 by opposing notches 44.

5. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein the teeth are triangular so that each has a cutting point.

6. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim of claim 1 wherein a slot 52 extends into the thin, rigid body 30 from the notch 50.

7. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim of claim 1 wherein the shaft 12 has an extension portion 18 separate from the handle portion 16.

8. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 7 wherein the extension portion and the handle portion are connected by a threaded connector 22.

9. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 7 wherein the handle portion 16 is wood and the extension portion 18 is metal.

10. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein the handle portion 16 has a grip 82.

11. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein the shaft 90 is collapsible and expandable.

12. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 11 wherein the shaft 90 is collapsible and expandable telescopically.

13. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second portions is inclined at an obtuse angle relative to the central portion.

14. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 13 wherein the inclination is toward the shaft.

15. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 1 wherein both the first and second portions are inclined at an obtuse angle relative to the central portion.

16. The multi-purpose garden tool of claim 15 wherein the inclination is toward the shaft.