Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1 SHOVEL HEAD
2 TECHNICAL FIELD
3 .. [0001] The following relates generally to shovels, and more specifically,
to a shovel head.
4 BACKGROUND
[0002] Shovels are hand tools used to perform a variety of useful tasks, such
as digging in the
6 ground or soil, and lifting and moving of bulk materials.
7 SUMMARY
8 [0003] In an embodiment, there is provided a shovel head of a shovel, the
shovel head affixable
9 to a shaft of the shovel, the shovel head comprising: an elongated socket
for receiving the shaft
therein at a receiving end, the socket forming one or more structural ribs,
the one or more
11 structural ribs being approximately parallel to the length of the
elongated socket; and a blade
12 connected to the socket opposite the receiving end.
13 [0004] In a particular case, the one or more structural ribs comprise
folds in the elongated
14 socket.
[0005] In another case, the one or more structural ribs are located on a front
side of the
16 elongated socket.
17 [0006] In yet another case, the one or more structural ribs extend into
a neck of the elongated
18 socket.
19 [0007] In yet another case, the one or more structural ribs extend from
approximately the
receiving end of the elongated socket and terminate where the elongated socket
connects to the
21 blade.
22 [0008] In yet another case, the one or more structural ribs comprises
exactly three structural
23 ribs.
24 [0009] In another embodiment, there is provided a shovel head of a
shovel, the shovel head
.. affixable to a shaft of the shovel, the shovel head comprising: an
elongated socket for receiving
26 the shaft therein at a receiving end; a blade connected to the socket
opposite the receiving end;
27 and one or two steps extending rearwards from the top of the blade.
28 [0010] In a particular case, there are exactly two steps and each step
is located on opposite
29 sides of the connection to the elongated socket.
[0011] In another case, the one or two steps are formed out of the blade.
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1 [0012] In yet another case, the one or two steps are affixed to the
blade.
2 [0013] In yet another case, the one or two steps comprise one or more
ridges formed out of
3 each respective step.
4 [0014] In yet another case, the one or more ridges are formed where the
respective step meet
the blade.
6 [0015] In yet another case, the one or more ridges are formed out of both
the blade and the
7 respective step.
8 [0016] These and other aspects are contemplated and described herein. It
will be appreciated
9 that the foregoing summary sets out representative aspects of the
embodiments to assist skilled
readers in understanding the following detailed description.
11 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
12 [0017] A greater understanding of the embodiments will be had with
reference to the Figures, in
13 which:
14 [0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a front elevation view of a shovel with a
shovel head, according to an
embodiment;
16 [0019] FIG. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of the shovel head of
FIG. 1;
17 [0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a rotated top-down perspective view of the
shovel head with a partial
18 cutaway of a shaft of the shovel head of FIG. 1;
19 [0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a top-down perspective view of the shovel head
of FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective partial cutaway view along the shaft
of the shovel head of
21 FIG. 1;
22 [0023] FIG. 6 illustrates a side elevation view of the shovel head of
FIG. 1;
23 [0024] FIG. 7 illustrates a rear elevation view of the shovel head of
FIG. 1; and
24 [0025] FIG. 8 illustrates a bottom-up perspective view of the shovel
head of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
26 [0026] Embodiments will now be described with reference to the figures.
For simplicity and
27 clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference
numerals may be repeated
28 among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In
addition, numerous
29 specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough
understanding of the embodiments
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
1 described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary
skill in the art that the
2 embodiments described herein may be practised without these specific
details. In other
3 instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been
described in detail
4 so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. Also, the
description is not to be
considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein.
6 [0027] Various terms used throughout the present description may be read
and understood as
7 follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: "or" as used throughout
is inclusive, as though
8 written "and/or"; singular articles and pronouns as used throughout
include their plural forms,
9 and vice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpart
pronouns so that
pronouns should not be understood as limiting anything described herein to
use,
11 implementation, performance, etc. by a single gender; "exemplary" should
be understood as
12 "illustrative" or "exemplifying" and not necessarily as "preferred" over
other embodiments.
13 Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; these may apply to
prior and subsequent
14 instances of those terms, as will be understood from a reading of the
present description.
[0028] The following relates generally to shovels, and more specifically, to a
shovel head.
16 Illustrative embodiments of the shovel head disclosed herein will now be
described in detail with
17 reference to the figures.
18 [0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a shovel 50. The shovel 50
comprises a handle 60
19 mounted on a shaft 70. The handle 60 and the shaft 70 can be made of any
suitable material;
for example hard-woods, hard plastic, glass-reinforced plastic (ex.,
fibreglass), or metal. The
21 handle 60 can have any suitable shape to allow grasping of the top of
the shovel 50.
22 [0030] The shovel 50 further comprises a shovel head 100, in accordance
with embodiments of
23 the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a front perspective view of
the shovel head 100 and
24 FIG. 3 illustrates a top-down view of the shovel head 100. The shovel
head is typically made
from sheet steel but can be made of any suitable material; for example, hard
plastic or glass-
26 reinforced plastic (ex., fibreglass). FIG. 4 illustrates a top-down
perspective view of the shovel
27 head 100. FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective partial cutaway view along
the shaft of the shovel
28 head 100. FIG. 6 illustrates a side elevation view of the shovel head
100. FIG. 7 illustrates a
29 rear elevation view of the shovel head 100. FIG. 8 illustrates a bottom-
up perspective view of
the shovel head 100.
31 [0031] The shovel head 100 includes a socket 102 having a tubular end
with an inner diameter
32 dimensioned to receive the shaft 70 therein. The shaft 70 can be affixed
to the socket 102 using
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Date Recue/Date Received 2021-03-04
1 any suitable approach; for example, a retaining screw 118 or rivet. A
shovel blade 104 of the
2 shovel head 100 is connected to the socket 102 on the end opposite the
tubular end. In most
3 cases, the socket 102 transitions into a neck portion 108 which is joined
to the blade 104 at a
4 frog portion 110. The socket 102 and the shovel blade 104 can be
manufactured out of one-
piece or can comprise separate pieces affixed to each other. The shovel blade
104 illustrated in
6 FIG. 1A has a rounded-triangular shape, but any suitable shape can be
used.
7 [0032] In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shovel head
100 includes one or
8 more ribs 106 (or folds) formed out of the socket 102 that run parallel,
or approximately parallel,
9 to the length of the socket 102. In this example, there are three such
ribs 106; however any
suitable number of ribs 106 can be used. In this case, the ribs 106 are
located on the front of the
11 socket 102; however, the ribs 106 can be located on any side, or more
than one side, of the
12 socket 102.
13 [0033] In an embodiment, the structural ribs 106 generally begin at or
near the top of the socket
14 102 and extend down through the neck 108 of the shovel head 100 and
recede into or around
the frog 110 (where the socket 102 joins the blade 104). Advantageously, the
ribs 106 provide a
16 significant strength advantage without the need to use a thicker
material gauge or additional
17 components. The structural ribs 106 reduce permanent deformation of the
socket 102 when
18 under pulling forces, and thus withstands greater force without bending.
In some cases, this
19 added structural strength can allow for cheaper and potentially weaker
materials on the socket
102.
21 [0034] The present inventors conducted example experiments to determine
the strength
22 advantages of the ribs 106 in comparison to typical shovel designs. When
pulling down in a
23 prying motion with the blade locked in place, a typical failure is seen
whereby the handle snaps
24 at the top of the socket. A conventional shovel would thus fail under
more duress at the neck of
the socket. A stronger conventional shovel will typically fail when the front
tip of the frog breaks.
26 One such stronger conventional shovel was tested to fail in the range of
240 - 290Ib5 of force. In
27 contrast, a shovel head 100 in accordance with the present embodiments
was tested to fail at
28 around 350Ib5 of force, significantly more than the other shovel.
29 [0035] The shovel blade 104 includes a front surface 120 and a rear
surface 122 on opposing
sides of the blade 104. The front surface 120 is generally used for supporting
shoveled
31 materials. In many cases, the front surface 120 generally defines a
concave curvature for
32 supporting such shoveled materials. Additionally, in typical use, the
user pierces the ground with
33 the rear surface 122 generally facing the user and the front surface 120
generally facing away
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1 from the user. Once the shovel has sufficiently pierced the ground, the
user applies a force at
2 the handle 60 and/or shaft 70 to cause the shovel 50 to pivot
approximately at the neck 108.
3 This causes the material in front of the front surface 120 to be lifted
away from the ground.
4 [0036] In some cases, the shovel head 100 can include one or two steps
for providing a surface
for the user to apply downwards force with their foot for piercing the ground.
In other cases, the
6 shovel head can include 100 no steps and the user can apply force with
their foot to the top of
7 the blade 104.
8 [0037] In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1B and 3, the shovel
head 100 includes two
9 rearwards extending steps 112 on either side of the frog 110. Rearwards
is understood to mean
a direction that is generally towards a similar direction as faced by the rear
surface; for example,
11 forming a 90 angle with the plane of at least a portion of the rear
surface 122 and 270 angle
12 with the plane of at least a portion of the front surface. In other
cases, there can be only one
13 step located on top of the blade 104 to one side of the frog 110. In
most cases, the rearwards
14 extending steps 112 are formed out of the blade 104; however, in other
cases, the rearwards
extending steps 112 can be separate pieces that are affixed to the blade 104.
In some cases,
16 for added strength and stability, one or more ridges 114, comprising
indents, protrusions, or
17 folds, can be formed where the rearwards extending steps 112 meet the
blade 104. In the
18 example illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, indents on the steps 112 extend
from the top-down such
19 that they form ridges when viewed from underneath. These indents/ridges
overlap where the
steps 112 meet the blade 104 for added structural integrity.
21 [0038] A disadvantage of other shovels that include forwards extending
steps is that they
22 comprise a weakness (a kink in the edge of the material) created when
folding the steps
23 forward. The present inventors determined through experimentation that
when folding the steps
24 backwards, the material follows a more natural path, avoiding the stress
and weakness created
when folding forward. Further advantageously, with the rearwards extending
steps 112, the user
26 is in a more balanced state when applying their weight, easing the
process of piercing the
27 ground with the blade 104. A further advantage of the rearwards
extending steps 112 is that
28 having the steps on the back side of the shovel head 100 allows the user
to place a full boot
29 across both steps 112; allowing for more even pressure across both sides
of the shovel head
100 and again allowing for better balance when piercing tough terrain.
31 [0039] While the embodiments described herein generally describe the
handle 60, the shaft 70,
32 and the shovel head 100 as separate parts, it understood that some or
all of these parts can be
33 formed out of a singular piece.
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1 [0040] Although the foregoing has been described with reference to
certain specific
2 embodiments, various modifications thereto will be apparent to those
skilled in the art without
3 departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the
appended claims.
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