TWO HANDED SWIVEL ICE SCRAPER

GRATTOIR ARTICULE UTILISABLE AVEC LES DEUX MAINS

English Abstract

A windshield scraper, for removing frost or ice from glass surfaces of motor
vehicles, has
a blade attached to an elongate main handle, plus an auxiliary handle
swivellably connected to the
main handle. The user holds the main handle with one hand, with the blade at a
desired angle against
the surface being scraped, while with the other hand holding the auxiliary
handle at a desired angle
relative to the main handle. The user applies longitudinal force to both the
main handle and the
auxiliary handle. The force applied to the main handle acts primarily to move
the blade across the
scraped surface. The force applied to the auxiliary handle acts primarily to
augment the normal force
against the surface, keeping the blade in effective contact with the surface
as it is moved across the
surface.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
An ice scraper, for removing ice or frost from glass surfaces, said ice
scraper comprising:
(a) an elongate main handle having a blade end and a gripping end;
(b) a blade element attached to the blade end of the main handle; and
(c) an elongate auxiliary handle having a gripping end and a swivel end, said
swivel end
being connected to the mail,.a, handle by swivel means at a point between the
blade end
and the gripping end of the main handle;
wherein the auxiliary handle may swivel through an angle up to ninety degrees
relative to the main
handle.
2. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein the auxiliary handle may be rotated into
a closed position
wherein the auxiliary handle will lie adjacent to the main handle, with the
gripping end of the
auxiliary handle oriented toward the gripping end of the main handle.
3. The ice scraper of Claim, 2 further comprising locking means for
disengageably locking the
auxiliary handle in said closed position.
4. The ice scraper of Claim 3 wherein the locking means comprises a mechanical
closure
assembly.

5. The ice scraper of Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the auxiliary handle has a
swivel pin hole near
its swivel end, and wherein the swivel means comprises:
(a) one or more brackets connected to the main handle, each bracket having an
extension
with a swivel pin hole; and
(b) a swivel pin passing through the swivel pin holes in the auxiliary handle
and in the
extensions of said one or more brackets.
6. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein the blade element comprises a blade made
of plastic.
7. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein, the blade element comprises a blade
made of metal.
8. The ice scraper of Claim 1 further comprising a brush element connected to
the main handle.
9. The ice scraper of Claim 8 wherein the brush element is connected to the
main handle
proximate to the gripping end thereof.
10. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein the main handle is made of materials
comprising wood.
11. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein the main handle is made of materials
comprising metal.
12. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein the main handle is made of materials
comprising plastic.

13. The ice scraper of Claim, 1 wherein the auxiliary handle is made of
materials comprising
wood.
14. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein the auxiliary handle is made o~
materials comprising
metal.
15. The ice scraper of Claim 1 wherein the auxiliary handle is made of
materials comprising
plastic.

Description

CA 02268568 2002-09-12
ICE SCRAPER WITH SWIVELLING A~.1XILIARY HANDLE
FIELD I~F THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices for removing frost and ice from glass
surfaces, and
in particular to devices for removing frost and ice from motor vehicle;
windshields and windows.
1 o BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is common for frost ar ice to form on the windshield and windows of a motor
vehicle
during cold weather. Because frost or ice obscures visibility through the
windshield and windows,
it must be removed before the vehicle can be operated safely.
The prior art discloses numerous examples of devices for scraping frost and
ice from vehicle
windshields and windows. Such devices typically include a handle having a
blade element which
can be moved across a window surface while being pressed in close contact with
the surface, thus
scraping off the frost or ice. Effective use of such devices typically
requires application of two
components of force to the blade; i.e., a force component normal to the
surface being scraped (to
keep the blade in close contact with the surface), and a longitudinal force
component (to move the
scraper across the surface). The application of these force components is
usually accomplished by
applying the scraping device against the window surface at an angle.
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CA 02268568 2002-09-12
Exampleofpriorart scrapers include Canadian PatentNo.1,289,704, issued October
1,1991
to Hopkins, and U.S. Patent No. 4,813,458, issued March 21, 1989 to Jacobucci.
The prior art ice scrapers function adequately when scraping glass surfaces
that are
easily accessible to the user. However, they do not always function
satisfactorily when attempting
to scrape glass surfaces that are hard to reach because ofi' the size or
configuration of the vehicle.
This can be a particular problem with large vehicles such as trucks, vans,
sport utility vehicles, and
buses. The problem is exacerbated for people of smaller stature or whose
physical mobility is
restricted.
Scrapers with short handles are difficult or impossible to use effectively on
hard-to-
reach surfaces, and attempts to do so can cause strain to the arms, shoulders,
and back. In an effort
to alleviate these problems, some scrapers have an extended handle which gives
the blade a longer
reach. Unfortunately, the farther the blade is away from the user's h~u~d, the
harder it becomes to
apply a normal force component sufficient to keep the blade in close enough
contact with the glass
surface for effective and efficient removal of frost or ice. 'this is
primarily because the angle formed
between the scraper handle and the glass surface generally becomes shallower
the farther the user
tries to reach with the scraper. As the angle decreases, the normal force
component becomes smaller
relative to the longitudinal force component. When the normal force component
becomes too small,
2 0 the blade cannot exert sufficient normal farce on the glass surface to
allow the blade to remove frost
or ice as the blade is moved longitudinally across the glass surface.
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CA 02268568 2002-09-12
For these reasons, there is a need for an ice scraper that can reach areas
beyond the
camfortable reach of the user's hand, while at the same time allowing the user
to apply sufficient
normal force between the blade and the surface being scraped so that the biade
remains in effective
contact with the surface as the blade is moved across the surface. As well,
there is a need for an ice
scraper that allows the user to remove frost or ice from hard-to-reach
surfaces without undue strain
on the user's arms, shoulders, back, or other parts of the body. Furthermore,
there is a need for an
ice scraper that addresses these needs while being compact in construction and
easy to store in the
passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. The present invention is directed to
these needs.
1 o BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general terms, the present invention is an ice scraper with a blade
attached to an elongate
main handle, plus a swivelling auxiliary handle attached to the main handle.
The main handle
enables the user to reach surfaces beyond arm's reach, much like prior art
scrapers with extension
handles. The auxiliary handle allows the user to apply additional normal force
against the surface
being scraped, in order to keep the blade in close contact with the surface
while the blade is being
moved across the surface in the usual scraping motion.
In one embodiment, the present invention is an ice scraper, for removing ice
or frost from
2 o glass surfaces, said ice scraper comprising:
(a) an elongate main handle having a blade end and a gripping end;
(b) a blade element attached to the blade end of the main handle; and

CA 02268568 2002-09-12
(c) an elongate auxiliary handle having a gripping end and. a swivel end, said
swivel end
being connected to the main handle by swivel means at a point between the
blade end
and the gripping end of the rciain hancll:;;
wherein the auxiliary handle may swivel through an angle up to ninety degrees
relative to the main
handle.
In one embodiment of the invention, the swivel means is made up of one or more
brackets
connected to the main handle, each bracket having an extension piece with a
swivel pin hole, plus
a swivel pin that passes through the holes in the bracket extensions and also
through a corresponding
1 o hole in the auxiliary handle.
In the preferred embodiment, the auxiliary handle may be rotated into a closed
position such
that the auxiliary handle lies adjacent to the main handle, with the gripping
end of the auxiliary
handle oriented toward the gripping end of the main handle. As well, the
preferred embodiment has
locking means for disengageably locking the auxiliary handle in the closed
position. The locking
means could be a mechanical closure assembly of any well known type.
The ice scraper may also include a brush attached to the main handle. The
scraper blade
could be made of plastic or metal. The main handle and auxiliary handle could
be made of wood,
2 o plastic, or metal.
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CA 02268568 2002-09-12
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
imbodiments ~_>f tie invention will now be described with reference to the
accompanying figures, in which numerical references denote like parts, and in
which:
Figure 1 is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment, illustrating the
auxiliary handle in the
closed position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the present
invention, generally
indicated by reference numeral 10, has an elongate main handle 12 having a
gripping end 12a and
a scraper end 12b, an auxiliary handle 14 having a gripping end 14a and a
swivel end 14b, and a
scraper blade element 16 connected to the main handle 12 at its scraper end
x2b. The swivel end
14b of the auxiliary handle 14 is swivellingly connected to the main handle
12, at a convenient
selected point between the gripping end 12a and the scraper end 12b, by swivel
means 18. In the
embodiment shown in the Figures, the swivel means 18 is made up of one or more
brackets 18a
2 0 connected to the main handle 12, each bracket 18a having an extension 18b
with a swivel pin hole
18c, plus a swivel pin 18d that passes through the swivel pin holes 18c in the
bracket extensions 18b
and also through a corresponding hole (not shown) in the auxiliary handle 14.
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CA 02268568 2002-09-12
As indicated by the curved arrows in Figure I, the auxiliary handle 14 may be
rotated freely
relative to the main handle 12. In the preferred embodiment, the auxiliary
handy 14 r~iay be rotaied
through an angle up to ninety degrees. 'the auxiliary handle 14 may be rotated
into a closed position,
as illustrated in Figure 2, such that the auxiliary handle 14 lies adjacent to
the main handle 14, with
the gripping end 14a of the auxiliary handle 14 oriented toward the gripping
end 12a of the main
handle 12.
The preferred embodiment also features locking means 20 for disengageably
locking the
auxiliary handle 14 in the closed position. The locking means 20 could be a
two-component
mechanical closure assembly of any well known type, with a first lock
component 20a connected
to the auxiliary handle 14 and a second lock component 20b connected to the
main handle 12, such
that the two lock components 20a and 20b will engage each other when the
auxiliary handle 14 is
rotated into the closed position. Alternatively, the locking means 20 may be a
one-component
apparatus attached to the main handle 12 (or the auxiliary handle 14) which
directly engages the
auxiliary handle 14 (or the main handle 12) when the auxiliary handle 14 is
rotated into the closed
position.
The blade element 16 may be of any type well known in the art. The blade
element 16 may
2 o be fashioned from plastic or metal. The maic handle 12 and the auxiliary
handle 14 may be made
using any appropriate material, including wood, plastic, or metal.
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CA 02268568 2002-09-12
In the preferred embodiment, the invention XO has a brush element 22 attached
to the main
handle 12, thus providing the user with convenient means for brushing snow,
frost, or ice off a
vehicle window or windshield either before or after scraping away ice or frost
which may have built
up on the window or windshield. As illustrated in the Figures, the brush 22
may be attached to the
main handle 12 near its gripping end 12a.
The advantageous use of the invention 10 may now be simply described. Holding
the
gripping end 12a of the main handle 12 in one hand, and the gripping end 14a
of the auxiliary handle
14 in the other hand, the user moves the blade element 16 at an angle across a
surface to be scraped,
primarily by applying a longitudinal force to the main handle 12. At the same
time, the user rotates
the auxiliary handle 14 at a desired angle relative to the main handle 12, and
applies a longitudinal
force to the auxiliary handle 14. It will be readily appreciated that because
of the angle between the
auxiliary handle 14 and the main handle 12, the longitudinal force applied to
the auxiliary handle
14 will resolve into a normal force component acting against the surface being
scraped at the point
of contact with the blade element 16, as well as a longitudinal :force
component acting to assist in
moving the blade element 16 across the surface. The normal force component
thus applied through
the auxiliary handle 14 greatly assists in keeping the blade element 16 in
contact with the surface
so that it can effectively remove frost and ice even when the main handle 12
is being held at a
shallow angle relative to the surface, as commonly will be the case when the
user is trying to scrape
2 0 hard-to-reach vehicle windows.
Although the Figures illustrate the auxiliary handle 14 being connected to the
main handle

CA 02268568 2002-09-12
12 at a point near the scraper end 12b thereof, this is not essential or
critical to the invention.
The foregoing is a description o ~ ~ pr;.°:Pt-red embodirt~nt of the
invention which is given here
by way of example only, and the invention is not to be taken as limited to any
of the specific features
described. It will be readily seen by those skilled in the art that various
modifications of the present
invention may be devised without departing from the essential concept of the
invention, and all such
modifications are intended to be included in the scope of the claims appended
hereto.
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Representative Drawing