WO2008067548A2

WO2008067548A2 - Weed removal apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2008067548A2
Application number: PCT/US2007/086133
Authority: WO
Inventors: Warren Janse-Van Rensburg
Original assignee: Warren Janse-Van Rensburg
Priority date: 2006-11-30
Filing date: 2007-11-30
Publication date: 2008-06-05
Also published as: WO2008067548A3

Abstract

A weed removal apparatus that allows an individual to remove a weed by driving the apparatus into the ground above a weed and then pulling the apparatus out of the ground, pulling the weed along with it. The apparatus comprises a shaft that has a top mounted handle attached to it and a spike on the bottom end Attached to the shaft near the bottom end is a wire having a corkscrew-like configuration, with this wire also culminating in a point.The spike is pressed into the ground above a weed, the apparatus is turned, thereby enveloping the weed, and the weed is dislodged as the apparatus is pulled up. The wire also has the effect of ripping apart any weed root material that still remains in the ground, thereby increasing the chance that the weed will not grow back once the weed has been removed.

Description

APPLICATION FOR UNITED STATES LETTERS PATENT

TITLE WEED REMOVAL APPARATUS

INVENTOR Warren JanseVanRensburg 5019 Kirkland Avenue Spring Hill, Florida 34606

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Not Applicable FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT Not Applicable INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK Not Applicable SPECIFICATION

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Be it known that I, Warren JanseVanRensburg, a citizen of South Africa, have invented new and useful improvements in a weed removal apparatus as described in this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns that of a new and improved weed removal apparatus that allows an individual to easily and efficiently remove a weed by driving the apparatus into the ground above a weed and then pulling the apparatus out of the ground, pulling the weed along with it when being removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

United States Patent No. 5,441 ,118, issued to Cruz, Jr., discloses a tool for removing roots, plants, and other tubular objects from the earth while only minimally disturbing the surrounding soil. United States Patent No. 6,119,787, issued to Garcia, discloses a sugar planting tool for boring holes in yards and the like. United States Patent No. 6,955,227, issued to Motosko, discloses an auger to assist in ground-burrowing or mixing paint or concrete, is used by attaching it to an electric or cordless power source. United States Patent No. 4,901 ,800, issued to Wilson, discloses a tool which includes a shaft adapted at its upper end to receive a power source. United States Patent No. 5,133,269, issued to Dulkoski, discloses an auger with fixed or replaceable tips designed to cut openings through sheet plastic or fiberglass ground coverings and drill, in a continuous operation, an appropriate diameter hole for planting seedlings or seeds as may be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention concerns that of a new and improved weed removal apparatus that allows an individual to easily and efficiently remove a weed by driving the apparatus into the ground above a weed and then pulling the apparatus out of the ground, pulling the weed along with it when being removed. The apparatus comprises a central stake that has a top-mounted handle attached to it and a spike on the bottom end. Attached to the stake near the bottom end is a wire that has a corkscrew-like configuration, with this wire also culminating in a bottom-mounted point. An individual can push the spike on the bottom end of the stake into the ground above a weed and then turn the apparatus until the wire has enveloped the weed, at which time, the individual can pull up with force, thereby dislodging the weed. The configuration of the wire also has the effect of ripping apart any weed root material that still remains in the ground, thereby increasing the chance that the weed will not grow back once the weed has been removed by the apparatus. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of a weed removal apparatus that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the weed removal apparatus that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the weed removal apparatus in detail, it is to be understood that the weed removal apparatus is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The weed removal apparatus is capable of other embodiments and being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present weed removal apparatus. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a weed removal apparatus which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. It is another object of the present invention to provide a weed removal apparatus which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a weed removal apparatus which is of durable and reliable construction. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a weed removal apparatus which is economically affordable and available for relevant market segment of the purchasing public. Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the weed removal apparatus as it would appear in use. Figure 2 shows a close-up perspective view of the bottom end of the shaft of the weed removal apparatus, highlighting the corkscrew-like configuration of the wire attached to the shaft near the bottom end of the shaft. Figure 3 shows a top view of the weed removal apparatus as it would appear in use. Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the weed removal apparatus as it would appear in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to Figures 1 through 4 thereof, a new weed removal apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 2 will be described. As best illustrated in Figures 1 through 4, the weed removal apparatus 2 comprises a primary shaft 4 that has two ends comprising a top end 30 and a bottom end 32. The shaft 4 can have a wide variety of lengths but preferably has a length in between thirty-six inches to forty inches in length. Furthermore, the shaft 4 can have a wide variety of widths but preferably has a width in between one-half to five-eighths of an inch. A handle 6 is attached to the top end of the shaft 4 at a ninety degree angle, with the handle 6 having a preferable length of twelve inches. The top end of the shaft 4 is attached to the handle 6 at the midpoint 8 of the handle 6, allowing an individual to easily grasp the handle 6 with both hands. The apparatus 2 further comprises a spike 10 that is located at the bottom end of the shaft 4. The spike 10 is tapered, allowing an individual to grasp the handle 6 and rotate the shaft 4 back and forth, thereby forcing the bottom end of the shaft 4 into the ground rather easily without too much effort. The apparatus 2 further comprises a wire 12 that has two ends, a top end 40 and a bottom end 42. The top end of the wire 12 is attached to the shaft 4 near the bottom end of the shaft 4, with the first few inches of the top end of the wire 12 being welded to the shaft 4 itself. The attachment means 20 is preferably at least one weld 22. Then, the remaining portion of the wire 12 extends outward and then circumferentially spirals downward toward the bottom end of the shaft 4 in a corkscrew-like manner. Most of the length of the wire 12 is equidistant from the center of the shaft. A sharp point 14 is located at the bottom end of the wire 12, thereby helping to allow the wire 12 to be forced into a ground surface when downward pressure is applied. In use, an individual would place the apparatus 2 over a weed or noxious plant that is desired to be removed from a ground surface 50. Then, he would place the spike 10 over the ground and then push downward, trying to drive the shaft 4 into the ground as far as possible. Once the shaft 4 was lowered to the point where the point 14 on the wire 12 touches the ground surface, the individual would then proceed to continue to push downward in a clockwise manner, with the shape and configuration of the wire 12 helping to dislodge the weed from the ground and cut off its root supply. Once an individual can burrowed far enough under the ground and felt confident that he or she had cut off the weed from its roots, then the individual could reverse the twisting direction in an effort to begin pulling the apparatus 2 up and out of the ground. Once this occurs, the weed or noxious plant would either come up with the apparatus 2, or at the very least, could be grabbed with gloved hands and pulled out of the ground with ease. The shape of the wire 12 would also have the effect of grinding up roots still in the ground, thereby making it unlikely that the remaining roots would regenerate into a new plant at a later time. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS What I claim as my invention is: 1. A weed removal apparatus comprising: (a) a shaft having two ends, a top end and a bottom end, (b) means for grasping the shaft, and (c) means for facilitating the forcing of the bottom end of the shaft into a ground surface. 2. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for grasping the shaft further comprises a handle, the handle having two ends comprising a first end and a second end, the handle further comprising a midpoint, wherein the top end of the shaft is attached to the midpoint of the handle. 3. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the handle is attached to the shaft at a ninety degree angle. 4. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the means for facilitating the forcing of the bottom end of the shaft into a ground surface further comprises a spike located at the bottom end of the shaft. 5. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the bottom end of the shaft is tapered. 6. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the apparatus further comprises (a) a wire, the wire having two ends, a first end and a second end, and (b) attachment means for attaching the first end of the wire to the shaft near the bottom end of the shaft. 7. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the attachment means for attaching the first end of the wire to the shaft near the bottom end of the shaft further comprises at least one weld. 8. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 7 wherein a majority of the length of the wire circumferentially spirals downward toward the bottom end of the shaft in a corkscrew-like fashion. 9. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the second end of the wire further comprises a sharp point. 10. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the length of the shaft is between thirty-six inches and forty inches. 11. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the width of the shaft is between one-half inch and five-eighths of an inch. 12. A weed removal apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the handle has a length of twelve inches.