Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SCOOP FOR COLLECTING AND DISPOSING OF REFUSE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates generally to tools or implements for
picking up litter
or refuse from a surface, and more particularly, relating to a hand held and
operated scoop for picking up animal refuse from a lawn or other surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] The collection and disposal of animal refuse, particularly that refuse
generated by
pets is a concern to a hygienic environment. For example, dogs routinely
deposit
fecal material in the owner's yard or dog run and in public areas when the
animal
is walked or permitted to roam free.
[003] Many communities and public parks have established regulations that
require a
pet owner to collect and remove fecal material deposited by their animal to
prevent unsanitary conditions. Many people find the collection of animal fecal
material to be unpleasant, but it may present health concerns when it is not
collected regularly or collected properly. Many people find it desirable to
collect
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animal fecal material while standing up and keeping at an arms length or more
to
prevent one's face from becoming close to the material.
[004] Numerous devices have been devised for picking up animal refuse, such as
animal
fecal material. Heretofore, many of these devices have not been widely
accepted
and used for reasons including ease of use, durability, cost, complexity, and
manufacturability. Accordingly, there is a need for a device of simple design
and
construction for the picking up animal refuse that overcomes the drawbacks of
prior devices. Disposal is easily accomplished to a separate container and
need
not be incorporated into the device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[005] The preferred embodiments of the present invention addresses this need
by
providing a scoop that is easy to use, is durable, low cost and simple to
manufacture.
[006] To achieve these and other advantages, in general, in one aspect, a
scoop for the
collection and disposal of refuse is provided. The scoop includes a unitary
blade
having a bottom wall and a sidewall extending in a continuous curvature from
the
bottom wall, the bottom wall and the sidewall defining a receptacle for
receiving
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refuse. The unitary blade further has a handle coupling and an axis. An
elongated
handle is attached the handle coupling and extends along the axis. The axis
has
angle between 45-degrees and 60-degrees in relation to the bottom wall.
[0071 In general, in another aspect, a scoop for the collection and disposal
of refuse is
provided. The scoop includes a unitary blade of a metal material. The unitary
blade has an arcuate shaped bottom wall and a sidewall extending from the
bottom wall. The bottom wall and the sidewall together define a receptacle for
receiving refuse. The unitary blade further has a handle coupling at a back
portion
of the sidewall and an axis. The handle coupling has a threaded bore to which
a
threaded end an elongated handle of two or more interconnected handle segments
is threadable received. The elongated handle extends along the axis, and the
axis
has angle between 45-degrees and 60-degrees in relation to the bottom wall.
[0081 There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important
features of the
invention in order 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.
[0091 Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will
be
readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the
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following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless
illustrative,
embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings. The invention 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
descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0010] 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 invention. 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.
[0011] For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages
and the
specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the
accompanying
drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred
embodiments of the invention.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The following drawings illustrate by way of example and are included to
provide
further understanding of the invention for the purpose of illustrative
discussion of
the embodiments of the invention. No attempt is made to show structural
details
of the embodiments in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental
understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making
apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention
may be
embodied in practice. Identical reference numerals do not necessarily indicate
an
identical structure. Rather, the same reference numeral may be used to
indicate a
similar feature of a feature with similar functionality. In the drawings:
[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a scoop constructed in accordance
with the
principles of the present invention;
[0014] Figure 2 is a partial side view of the scoop of FIG. 1;
[0015] Figure 3 is a perspective exploded view of a scoop constructed in
accordance with
the principles of the present invention;
[0016] Figure 4 is a partial front view of the scoop; and
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[0017] Figure 5 is a perspective view of alternative embodiment of the scoop.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1
through 5
thereof, a new scoop for the collection and disposal of refuse embodying the
principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by
the
reference numeral 10 will be described. The scoop 10 is particularly useful in
the
collection and disposal of animal litter or refuse deposited on the ground.
[0019] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the scoop 10 generally
comprises a
unitary blade 12. The blade 12 includes an arcuate shaped bottom wall 14 and a
sidewall 16 extending in a continuous curvature upwardly from the bottom wall.
The bottom wall 14 and the sidewall 16 together form a receptacle 18 for
receiving refuse. The sidewall 16 tapers into a forward edge 20 of the bottom
wall 14. Forward edge 20 permits the blade 12 to be slid below refuse for
placement into receptacle 18. Refuse may be stored in the back area of the
receptacle 18 allowing additional refuse to be picked up with forward edge 20.
Sidewall 16 of the blade 12 includes a back portion 22. A handle coupling 26
is
disposed on the back portion 22 and generally extends upwardly and outwardly
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therefrom. The handle coupling 26 includes a threaded bore 28 for the
attachment
of a handle 30. Preferably, the blade 12 is constructed from a metal, such as,
but
not limited to aluminum alloy that can be highly polished to provide all
interior
and exterior surfaces with non-stick properties to prevent refuse from
adhering,
particularly to the bottom wall and sidewall. The blade 12 further includes an
axis 32 that may be coaxial with threaded bore 28.
[0020] Handle 30 comprises two or more handle segments 34 and 36 joined
together
forming an elongated handle suitable for grasping by a human in a standing
position. Handle segment 34 comprises a coupling 38 fixedly attached to end
thereof. Handle segment 36 comprises a coupling 40 fixedly attached to a end
thereof and configured to threadably receive coupling 38 to join the handle
segments together. Handle segment 36 further comprises a coupling 42 at an end
opposite of coupling 40. Coupling 42 is configured to be threadably received
by
threaded bore 28 to attach handle 30 to the blade 12. For packaging, shipping
or
storage, handle segments 34 and 36 may be disconnected from one another,
and/or with blade 12.
[0021] In an embodiment, handle segments 34 and 36 are comprised of tubular
polyvinyl
chloride pipe (PVC). The use of PVC piping provides the handle 30 with a
certain degree of flexibility which aids in the operation of the scoop 10 when
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collecting refuse with blade 12. In embodiments, the handle 30 may have a
length
of between 36-inches and 48-inches depending on the volume of the blade 12. In
embodiments, the blade 12 may have a 12-ounce, 24-ounce, 38-ounce, 58-ounce
or 85-ounce volume as provided by the receptacle 18. In embodiments, the
handle 30 may have a diameter of between 0.5-inches and 1.0-inches.
[0022] Handle 30 is connected to blade 12 via handle coupling 26 such that the
handle
extends substantially along axis 32. I have discovered axis 32 having an angle
0
of between 45-degrees and 60-degrees in relation to the bottom wall 14
provides
the best combination of leverage with the flexibility of handle 30 to an
operator
for digging below refuse and depositing the refuse in the receptacle 18.
[0023] The combination of the handle coupling 26 being disposed on the back
portion 22
of the sidewall 16, the handle 30 extend along axis 32, and the curvature of
the
bottom wall 12 and sidewall 16 provides a unique leverage and ability to push
and
maneuver the forward edge 20 under refuse and into receptacle 18 with a simple
wrist flip motion by a user.
[0024] In a non-limiting example, scoop 10 may be manufactured by modifying a
conventional scoop blade by cutting off a portion of the scoop handle to leave
a
stub. A 45-degree PVC coupling is attached to the stub with an appropriate
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adhesive, such as, but not limited to an epoxy adhesive. A handle stub is
glued to
the opposite end of the 45-degree PVC coupling. A male-slip to a threaded-
female coupling is glued to the free end of the handle stub, thereby providing
the
handle coupling 26.
[0025] In another non-limiting example, the scoop 10 may be manufactured by
casting
the blade 12 of a metal material, such as, but not limited to aluminum alloy
to
have the desired handle coupling 26 comprising the threaded bore 28.
Alternatively, handle coupling 26 may comprise a male threaded stub 48 as
shown in FIG. 4.
[0026] In another non-limiting example, the scoop 10 may be manufactured by
casting
the blade 12 of a metal material, such as, but not limited to aluminum alloy
to
have desired stub of a dimension suitable for the attachment of a PVC
coupling.
[0027] In embodiments, it is contemplated the blade 12 could be manufactured
from
other materials, such as, but not limited to plastics by injection molding.
The
blade 12 could be treated to have non-stick surfaces.
[0028] While the above description has been made in relation to the collection
of animal
refuse, the scoop 10 of the invention can be utilized in the collection of
other
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forms of waste, litter, refuse or the like. In one example, the scoop 10 is
particularly useful for collecting tar balls that may accumulate on beaches.
The
tars balls may come from ship ballast, oil spills at offshore installations or
from
natural seeps on the ocean flow. Tar balls create an environmental hazard for
all
life in the intertidal zone including humans using the beach. The scoop 10 of
the
present invention provides an effective means for collecting and removing the
tar
balls from beaches.
[0029] A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described.
Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly,
other
embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
