Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02541391 2006-01-20
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
Tool Support Apparatus
CROSS-REFRENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION (S)
This application claims priority from a U.S. Provisional Application, Ser. No.
60/685,393, entitled Garden tool attachment "spear-it", filed May 31, 2005.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tool support apparatus applicable to,
construction,
agriculture, gardening or yard tools, such as, a weeder, claw, rake, hoe,
edging knife, pick,
or cultivator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Existing handled tools that are used for the purpose of agricultural,
gardening, or
yard maintenance present a safety hazard when left laying down, or positioned
horizontally
on the ground, or site, because they may be stepped on, or driven on by
support equipment
(four wheelers, mowers, etc.). These chances increase if the area or site has
tall grass or
vegetation. Further, when these mentioned tools are left laying down, or
positioned
horizontally on a site or area surface they become difficult for the user, or
other users to
locate, or relocate, when desiring to utilize the tools, especially so if they
are laying in tall
grass or vegetation. When two or more tools are used in conjunction with each
other, as
could be the case of using a rake and shovel, usually the shovel is stuck in
the ground
when using the rake, however the rake is usually dropped to the ground making
it slow and
inconvenient to retrieve. Also tools that are left laying or positioned
horizontally often
collect soil, mud, or creatures such as slugs, and more so if the area or site
is wet (rain or
dew etc.), which may also decrease the working life of the tools. Sometimes
tools that are
left laying on the ground or in grassy areas cannot be located, or are lost.
Existing handled tools that are used for the purpose of construction and more
particularly asphalt tools similarly have the same inconveniences for
locating, quick
retrieval, safety issues, as well the tool becomes covered with hot sticky
asphalt when left
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laying down, or positioned horizontally on a site or area surface.
The patent literature discloses some potential solutions to this problem. U.S.
Pat.
No. 5,878,563 (Dutcher) shows a rake having a handle with a bend, and a
support stand
attached to a side of the head. U.S. Pat. No.6, 951,095 (Cusato) shows a rake
having a
telescoping handle with a pivoting head having a protruding fixed spike.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a tool support apparatus
which
includes a body with means for securing the body to an end of a handle of a
tool. A ground
piercing member is pivotally secured to the body for pivotal movement between
an operative
position and a stored position. In the operative position, the ground piercing
member
protrudes past the end of the handle, such that the ground piercing member can
be inserted
into the ground to support the handle of the tool in a substantially upright
orientation. In the
stored position, the ground piercing member is oriented substantially parallel
to the handle so
as not to interfere with the normal usage of the tool. Means are provided for
locking the
ground piercing member in a selected one of the pivotal positions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the
following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the
drawings are
for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit
the scope of the
invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a tool support apparatus constructed in
accordance with the teachings of the present invention, attached with straps
to a handle of
a hoe, with the ground engaging member in an operative position.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tool support, attached with fasteners to a
handle
of a hoe, with ground engaging member in a stored position.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tool support apparatus illustrated in FIG.
I and
FIG. 2.
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FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the tool support apparatus
illustrated in
FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tool support apparatus illustrated in FIG
3,
incorporated into a handle of a claw tool.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The tool support apparatus generally identified by reference numeral 10, will
now be
described with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG 5.
Structure and Relationship of Parts:
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, tool support apparatus 10 has a body,
generally
indicated by reference numeral 12, which consists of a base 14 with two
parallel walls 16.
Parallel walls 16 have aligned pairs of holes 18, 20, 22. As will hereinafter
be described,
with reference to FIG. 1, 2, and 5, body 12 is intended to be secured to an
end 24 or 25 of a
handle 26 of a tool 28, with attachment to end 24 being shown. There are
various means for
doing this, a few of which will be further described. Referring to FIG. I and
FIG. 2, a
ground piercing member 30 is pivotally secured to body 12 for pivotal movement
between an
operative position, illustrated in FIG. I and a stored position illustrated in
FIG. 2. Referring
to FIG. 1, in the operative position, ground piercing member 30 protrudes past
end 24 or 25
of handle 26, such that ground piercing member 30 can be inserted into the
ground to support
handle 26 of tool 28 in a substantially upright orientation. It will be
understood that, if a
working member 32 is included on the same end of handle 26 as body 12, ground
piercing
member 30 will also protrude past working member 32. Referring to FIG. 2, in
the stored
position, ground piercing member 30 is oriented substantially parallel to
handle 26 so as not
to interfere with the normal usage of working member 32 of tool 28. Referring
to FIG. 4,
ground piercing member 30 has a piercing end 34 and an attachment end 36.
Attachment
end 36 has bushing 38 with a transverse opening 40. Ground piercing member 30
is
pivotally mounted by positioning attachment end 36 between parallel walls 16
and extending
a fastener 42 through aligned holes 20 in parallel walls 16 and transverse
opening 40 in
ground piercing member 30. A wing nut 44 is threaded onto an end 46 of
fastener 42. The
combination of parallel walls 16, fastener 42 and wing nut 44 serves as a
means for locking
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ground piercing member 30 in a selected one of the pivotal positions
(operative position or
stored position). Wing nut 44 is threaded onto fastener 42 to exert a clamping
force upon
attachment end 36 of ground piercing member 30.
It should be noted that there are several pairs of aligned holes, identified
as 18, 20,
and 22. These pairs of holes 18, 20, and 22 provide body 12 with more than one
mounting
position for ground piercing member 30. This allows tool support apparatus 10
to
accommodate installation requirements of varying tool configurations. If
ground piercing
member 30 needs to extend farther in the operative position or not so far in
the stored
position, the mounting provided by aligned holes 22 is used. If ground
piercing member 30
needs to extend not as far in the operative position or farther in the stored
position, the
mounting provided by aligned holes 18 is used.
As mentioned above, it is envisaged that in most installations some form of
clamping assembly will be used as means for securing the body to the end of
the handle.
Two clamping assemblies have been illustrated. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4,
slotted strap
guides 48 extend through parallel walls 16 adjacent to base 14 of body 12.
Referring to FIG.
1, it can be seen how straps 50 or bands can be used to secure body 12 to end
24 or 25 of
handle 26 of tool 28. Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, openings 52 are provided
through base
14 of body 12. Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen how fasteners 54 can be
extended through
openings 52 and used to secure body 12 to end 24 or 25 of handle 26 of too128.
It will be
appreciated that tool support apparatus 10 could be secured to handle 26 of
tool 28 by
welding, quick releases, and or other known methods too numerous to mention
and
illustrate.
Once the teachings of the present invention are well known, original equipment
manufacturers may start manufacturing handles with body 12 incorporated into
their handle
or working member 32 of their tool. Referring to FIG. 5, there is illustrated
body 12
incorporated in tool 28.
Operation:
FIG. 1 shows a side view of tool support apparatus 10 attached to handle 26 of
tool
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28 (a hoe), using a clamping system, which uses metal bands or straps 50.
These clamping
bands 50 are commercially available. Ground piercing member 30 can be made or
formed
from metals, and or plastics, and or materials satisfactory for strength or
other reasons. The
depicted arc 56 demonstrates the swing travel of ground engaging member 30,
between the
5 operative position and the stored position. Ground engaging member 30 is
shown in the
operative position, with piercing end 34 extending beyond working member 32 of
too128.
In this operative position, piercing end 34 is in a position to penetrate a
surface or object.
Ground piercing member 30 can be positioned by the operator manually with hand
and or
foot and or by other methods as seen fit. It should be noted also that there
could be various
mechanisms arranged to activate the movement of the ground piercing member 30,
for
example a slide handle with connecting rods, spring activated devices, and or
other
mechanisms.
FIG. 2 shows a tool support apparatus 10 attached to handle 26 of tool 28
(hoe)
using fasteners 54 (screws or bolts) passing through openings 52 in base 14
that may align
with predrilled holes on or near working head 32 of tool 28. Ground piercing
member 30
is shown in the stored position, withdrawn from working head 32 and parallel
to handle 26
of tool 28, thereby permitted normal operation of tool 28.
FIG. 3 and 4 show ground piercing member 30 pivoted on fastener 42. It will be
appreciated that there are similar systems that could be used with pins, axles
or bolts. It
will also be appreciated that much different systems can be used which employ
connections such as ball joints, universal joints, flexible material and or
other suitable
connections. Wing nut 44 is tightened to increase pressure exerted against
ground piercing
member 30 from parallel walls 16, to frictionally hold or lock ground piercing
member 30
in a desired position. It is understood that other types of frictional holding
or locking
mechanisms could be used that include bump and detent, locking washers, spring
loaded
apparatuses, and or other systems as are know in the art.
FIG.5, as previously described, shows a too128 into which has been
incorporated
tool support apparatus 10.
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Advantages:
This invention provides a tool support apparatus that can be attached to, or
be
incorporated into a handle of a tool. This can be done at the gripping end,
but for reasons
of balance is preferably done near the working head of the tool. As described
above, the
tool support apparatus has a pivoting ground piercing member that swings or
pivots
between an operative position and a stored position and is maintained by
friction in the
selected position. In the operative position, the ground piercing member
extends beyond
the working head of the tool, allowing it to be speared into the ground. It
can also be used
for other purposes such as to spear litter and other objects. More
importantly, in the stored
position the ground piercing member is positioned parallel to the tool handle,
and
withdrawn from the working head of the tool, allowing the tool to be worked
without
compromising the designed methods of the tool. The present invention will give
handled
tools added versatility that will make tools handier saving money and time.
Tools will be
located and retrieved quicker, better preserved and safer, overcoming issues
presented in
the background. As an example most garden or agricultural tools have sharp
edges or
protrusions that if stepped on can cause injuries, but if the tools are
standing upright there
is less chance of stepping on them reducing related injuries. In another
example the
chances of driving on yard or agricultural tools with mowers or maintenance
vehicles is
reduced if they are standing upright which saves money and time because of
flat tires and
broken tools. Also when garden or agricultural tools are standing upright they
are more
visible which saves time and effort locating them especially if they are lying
in tall grass or
vegetation. Elderly people, or people with health restrictions will not have
to bend over to
pick up handled tools that are standing upright. Litter or objects can be
easily pierced and
retrieved with no bending over.
Although these embodiments are disclosed, still other design variations will
become obvious to those understanding the detailed description. Further, the
invention is
capable of modifications while still functioning for the intended purpose,
therefore the
drawings are regarded as merely examples and not as limiting.
In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in its non-limiting
sense to
mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically
mentioned are
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not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not
exclude the
possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context
clearly requires
that there be one and only one of the elements.
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made
to the
illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as
hereinafter defined in the Claims.
