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Double action rake
EMILE_QE THE INVENDPIN
[001] The invention relates generally to landscaping tools but more
particularly
to a rake combining two rakes in one.
BacK.Gf~OUND OF TtiE_MCEIVDQN
PRIORARTCAP~4BILETY AND MOTIVATIONS,.~S HELPING TO SHO.W_ _.
PATENTABILITY HERE
[002] Even in hindsight consideration of the present invention to determine
its
70 inventive and novel nature, it is not only conceded but emphasized that
the prior art had many details usable in this invention, but only if the
prior art had had the guidance of the pnrsent invention, details of both
capability and mofiva#ion.
[003_E That is, it is emphasized that the prior ait hadlor knew several
par6culars which individually and accumulatively show the non-
obviousness of this combination invention. E.g.,
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a) The cost of the materials are relatively low and do not have a
profound impact on price to the point of offsetting the benefits of
this novel product;
b) The nature of an inveention as being a "novel combination", in
spite of existence of details separately, is especially significant
here where the novelty is of the plurality of concepts, i.e., the use
of extendible tines in combination with a rake crsates a new
functionality unachievable by using two separate types of rakes
and therefore a synergistic effect is obtained;
C) The addition of providing the extendible tines that are more
rigid and configured nanowhr allows the rake to reach hard to
reach areas onty when needed and leaves the rake to operate as
a standard rake the rest of the time;
d) The matter of particular cost-factors, when Considering that one
rake can not only replace two rakes but can do things that a
simple aggreqation of rake can do because they could not
physicaly be incorpoiated in a manner taught by this invention;
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e) The matter of practicality in having a devioe already modified
adapted and conceived in an original and non-obvious way so as
to achieve the desired resul#;
5 f) The ease of tooling for the present invention has surely given
manufacturers ample incentive to have made modiftcations for
commercial competitiveness in a competitive industry, if the
concepts had been obvious;
g) The prior art has atways had sult'rcient skill to make many types
of extendible tines interlaced vritlt a secondary rake and which act
like a hand to push up low hanging branches from bushes, more
than ample skill to have achieved the present invention, but only if
the concepts and their combinations had been conceived;
h) Substantially all of the operational characteristics and
advantages of details of the present invention, when considered
separateiy from one another and when considered separately
from the present invention's details and acxomplishment of the
details, are wittliil the skill of persons of various arts, but only
vuhen considered away from the integrated and novel combination
of concepts which by their cooperative combination achieve this
advantageous invention;
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i) The details Qf the present invention, when considered solely
from the standpoint of construction, are exceedingly simple,
basically adding a lever and attachment means for a set of
movable tines to a rake othenvAse manufactured using methods
known in the art and the matter of simplicity of construction has
long been recognized as Indicative of inventive creativity;
j) Simiiarly, and a long-recognized indication of inventiveness of a
novel cambination, is the realistic principle that a person of
ordinary skill in the art, as illustrated with respect to the claimed
combination as differing in the stated respects from the prior art
both as to construction and concept, is presumed to be one who
thinks along the line of conventional wisdom in the art and is not
one who undertakes to innovate; and
k) The predictable benefits from a novel product and method of
use having the features of this invention would seem sufffrcien#Iy
high that others would have been working on this type of product,
but only if the concepts which it presQnts had been conceived.
[0041 Accordingly, although the prior art has had capabHity and rrotivation,
amply sufficient to presuniably give incentive to the development a
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product and methOd of use aocon.ling to the present invention, the fact
remains that this invention awaited the creativity and inventive discovery
of the prresent Inventor. tn spite of ample motivation, the prior art did not
suggest this invention.
5PRlORAC3I AS PARTlGULQi(i IN5 fANCES OEEAILURE TO PROIQpa
THI5 NOVE!<PRODUCT AN[D 1t1LS~,ILLATMON _METkL-P-112
[005] In view of the general pracfical advantages of the present invention as
an improved embodiment of the prior ait, It may be difficult to realize that
the prior art has not conceived of the combination purpose and
achievement of the present invention, even though the need for it is a
known requested commodity for people nowadays who do not want to
spend too much time and effort in doing the chore that is raking leaves
and cleaning up their yard. Surely the need for a practical rake that
facilitate the chore of raking has been known for decades and the
technology to achieve such results has been known for years and that
the various cornbination provided in this invention would have been
desired and a#tempted long ago, but only if its factors and combination-
nature had been obvious.
20[006] Other considerations, as herein mentioned, when realistically
evaluated
show the inventive nature of the present invention, a change in concept
which the prior patent and other prior art did not achieve.
lo
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Sll~I~IIARY OF T~il= PR10R,ARTS L4CFi OE SUG~FSTIaNS OF.T~
CONCEP'fS OF THE IN~N"li'tON'S COMBINA~Q, 1~1
[007] And the exiStencw of suc.h prior art knowledge and related ideas
embodying such various features is not only conceded, it is emphasized;
for as to the novelty here of the combination, of the invention as
considered as a whole, a contrast to the prior art helps also to remind of
needed improvement, and the advantages and the inventive significance
of the present concepts. Thus, as shown herein as a contrast to all the
prior arE, tthe inventive significance of the present concepts as a
combination is emphasized, and the nature of the concepts and their
results can perhaps be easier seen as an invention.
[008] Although vaneties of prior art are conceded, and ample motivation is
shown, and full capability in the prior art is conceded, no prior art shows
or suggests details of the overall combination of the present invention,
as is the proper and accepted way of considering the inventiveness
nature of the concepts.
20[o09] That is, although the prior art may show an approach to the overall
invention, it is determinatively significant that none of the prior art shows
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the novel and advantageous concepts in combination, which provides
the merits of this invention, even though certain details are shown
separately from this acxomplishment as a corrbinafion_
[00102 And the prior art's lack of an invention of a double action rake and
other
advantages of the present invention, which are goals only approached
by the prior art, must be recognized as being a long-felt need now
fulfilled.
[0011] Accordingly, the various concepts and components are conceded and
emphasized to have been widely known in the prior art as to various
installations; nevertheless, the prior art not having bad the particular
combination of concepts and details as here presented and shown in
novel combination different from the prior art and its suggestions, even
only a fair amount of reafistic humility, to avoid consideration of this
invention improperly by hindsight, requires the concepts and
achievements here to be reatistically viewed as a novel combination,
inventive in nature. And especially is this a realistic consideration when
viewed from the position of a person of ordinary skiff in this art at the
tirne of this invention, and without trying to reconstruct this invention
from the prior art without use of hindsight toward particulars not
suggested by the prior art.
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EEATURES ANDApVANTAGES OF 'f HE MLVENTlON
SUMMf1RY OF UE IN]LE.h1TLQ.hi
5[0p12J In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known devices
now present in the prior art, the present invention, which will be
described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide objects and
advantages whieh are to provide for a standard rake having extendible
tines interlaced with the main rake and which act like a hand to push up
low hanging branches from bushes, Lifting the branches allows the rake
to easily reach heretofore unreachable areas.
[0013] To attain these ends, the present invention generally comprises a rake
part composed of tines attached to a handle, and a set of secondary
tines passing through a comb The secondary set of tines is attached to a
slider which is itself attached to a rod. The rod, in turn is attached to the
handle by an attachnmnt bracket. A locking means locks and unlocks
the slider and the comb is fixedly attached to the rod.
20[00141 In use, an intended user rakes leaves and/or related debris as is
known
in the art by using the regular tines when the secondary tines are
retracted. Then, as required, the intended user unlocks the locking
means and slides the slider along the rod so as to protract the
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secondary tines_ Of course the process can be reversed to bfing the
double action rake back to its initial configuration.
[W15J There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important
featurns of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof
that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present
contribubon to the art may be better appMciated. There are additional
features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will
form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto,
10[00161 In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the
invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited
in its appGcation to the details of construction and to the arrangements
of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in
the drawings. The inveniion Is capable of other embodiments and of
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 description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0017] 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 stn,ctures, methods and systems for carrying out the
several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that
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the claims be regarded as including such eqtaivalent constructions
insofar as they do not depart fram the spirit and scope of the present
invention.
5[0018] These together with other objects of the invention, along with the
various
features of aovelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this
disclosure_ For a better undemtanding of the invention, its operating
advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference
10 should be made to the accompanying drawings and desc,riptive matter
which contains illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCR ]7ON OF THE DRAWINGS
f00191 Fig, I Top view of the rake retracted.
15[0424] rig. 2 Eido tiriow of the rakc rctrcaotod.
f00211 Fig. 3 Top view of the rake protracted.
DE.TAILED DESC!'21PTION
[0022] A double action rake (10) has a rake part (12) composed of tines (14)
attached to a handle (16). The aforementioned rake part (12) refers to a
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rake construction similar to what is generally known in the art of leaf
rakes. A set of seeondary tines (18) pass through a comb (20) and all
the secondary tines (18) are attached to a slider (24) which slides along
a rod (22). The conib (20) is set perpendicular and is fixedly attached to
the rod (22). The rud (22) is attached to the handle (16) by way of an
attachment bracket (28). The secondary tines (18) are generaiy more
centered in relation to the tines (14) so as to effect a mare concentrated
raking action to thoroughFy clean small tight spots while the tines (14)
push up the branches of the shrubs and bush that would otherwise get
in the way.
f0023] The comb (20) has a plurality of openings (not shown) that allow the
passage of the secondary tines (18) thereethrough. This element is
similar to that of adjustabie rakes and need not be further discussed
herein.
15[0024] A iocking means (30) locks and unlocks the slider (24) so that It can
slide along the rod (22). This sliding motion is what allows the secondary
set of tines (18) to retract or protract. The locking means can be taken
from any of a variety of mechanical configuration which are known in
various art wherein a sliding motion has to be allowed or impeded. As
such, it need not be further discussed herein.
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r.~25] In use, an intended user rakes leaves and/or related debris as is known
in the art by using the regular tines (14) in a configuration as per figs. 1 -
2 which is the retracted configuration. When confronted with a hard to
reach spot such as undemeath a hedge for example, the intended user
unlocks the locking means (30) and slides the slider (24) along the rod
(22) so as to protract the secondary tines (18) into a configuration as per
fig. 3. In ctoing so, the regular tines (14), being on top of the secondary
tines (18), push on branches or like impediments and allow for the
double action rake (10) an extended reach. When this configuration is
no longer requiled, the intended user can of course reverse teh process
and bring retract the secondary tines (18) to the configuration as per
figs. 1-2_
[i>02.f] As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of
the
present invention, the same should be apparent from the above
description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of
usage and operation will be provided.
[0027] 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 varia#ions in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of
operation, assettibly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious
to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those
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illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are
intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
[0028] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and
changes wlll readity 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 moditrications and equivalents
may be resorted to, faiiing within the scope of the invention.
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