Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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INTEGRATED DEVICE AND METHOD FOR USE IN SHOVELLING,
TRANSPORTING AND DUMPING
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the invention:
The present invention generally relates to tools and methods
for use in shovelling, transporting and dumping various materials, and more
particularly, to such a device in the form of a single piece of equipment with
which all of these actions may be performed and to a method for shovelling,
transporting and dumping bulk material using such a device.
Brief description of the prior art:
It is known in the prior art to use a shovel to shovel various
materials such as earth, rocks, sand, etc. into a wheelbarrow for
transportation
purpose, particularly for domestic uses or small jobs. The wheelbarrow is
usually an open container mounted on a frame having at least one wheel.
Handles are provided on opposite sides from at least one wheel to lift the
frame,
and push or pull the wheelbarrow to a desired location.
However, this system has the following drawback: personal
injury may result from poor posture when handling the material with the
shovel.
Furthermore, a wheelbarrow can be unevenly loaded or unbalanced during
transportation, which may result in the content being spilled when pushing or
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pulling it.
The use of the shovel is inefficient, as the shovel typically will
not carry a large load. When dealing with large projects, a back-hoe can be
used to dig a hole, or a tractor equipped with a front loading bucket may be
used
to shovel snow, earth, rocks, etc. from a mound. However, the use of a back-
hoe or a tractor for intermediate size works such as domestic uses may be
inappropriate, due to the expense and the limited space available for the
tractor
or the back-hoe to manoeuvre and the damages caused to the ground.
Besides the traditional shovel and wheelbarrow, a few devices
of the prior art addressing the problem of manually handling bulk material are
worth mentioning.
US patent No 2,852,304 (Harrisson) issued on September 16,
1958 describes a single wheel dumping wheelbarrow where the bucket can be
tilted upwardly and forwardly to dump its content by bringing the handles
closer
to each other rather than by lifting them. A scissors lifting device installed
between the bottom of the bucket and the frame converts the horizontal
displacement of the handles to perform the desired lifting and tilting action.
Obviously, although such a device may provide some added stability during
dumping and somehow reduce the force applied by the user, it still requires
the
wheelbarrow to be filled using a shovel in the conventional way.
US patent No 2,234,879 (Shoesmith) issued on March 11, 1941
teaches a single wheel handcart provided with a triangular profile bucket for
transporting and dumping bulk material. That device is characterized by the
fact
that the bucket is suspended over the chassis by two pivots located on
opposite
sides of the bucket, at such a level that the centre of gravity of the filled
bucket
is always below the axis connecting the pivots. This arrangement allows the
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bucket to remain substantially in the same orientation regardless of the
position
adopted by the handles and the chassis during loading and transportation, the
centre of gravity of the bucket tending naturally to remain in vertical
alignment
with the pivot axis. A lever connected to the lower portion of the bucket
through
a pair of links can be operated to tilt the bucket forwardly and dump the
material.
Again, such a device features very limited advantages, as
compared to a common wheelbarrow.
The two wheeled self-dumping wheelbarrow disclosed in US
patent No 2,766,063 (Greeley) issued on October 9, 1956 uses two widely
spaced apart wheels and a low centre of gravity for added stability and
limited
risks of spillage. This device comprises a triangular profile bucket pivoting
about
its apex axis. In the loading position, the bucket is prevented from pivoting
since
it is attached to the frame through a hook. Once the bucket has been filled
with
material, the handles can be pulled while blocking the wheel axle to pivot the
frame backwardly about that axis and roll the wheel barrow to the dumping
location. Pulling a lever while the handles and the frame are tilted in the
transport position pulls the hook, thus unlocking the bucket and causing it to
tilt
forwardly and downwardly dumping its content. In the loading position, that
device, in the preferred embodiment thereof, has the bottom surface of its
bucket
lying flat on the ground and its frame terminated by the handle bars extending
substantially upright. While that ground-engaging position of the bucket is
intended for picking up a load from the ground, it shall be deemed that bulk
material can not be shovelled by the device itself since the vertical position
of the
handle bars do not allow the user to apply the necessary horizontal force on
the
bucket to engage it with the material in order to be filled.
Although the latter devices of the prior art could bring some
benefits in transporting and dumping bulk material, none of them provides a
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shovelling function, as for instance a pay-loader or back-hoe does.
More recently, a snow float as schematically illustrated in
Figure 1 has been available on the market for snow shovelling. This device
comprises a relatively large bucket with a triangular profile rigidly
assembled to
a fixed U-shaped handle bar and can be dragged on a slippery snowy ground
surface by pushing or pulling the handle bar. In operation, a user may push on
the handle to drag the bucket with the leading edge of its bottom surface
scraping the snowy ground, thus filling the bucket with snow. The apparatus
can
then by appropriate pushing and pulling of the handle bar be used to transport
the snow load to a discharge location. Dumping the snow at the discharge
location requires the bucket to be tilted forwardly by lifting and tilting the
handle
bar used as a lever.
Although the latter device is relatively advantageous for snow
shovelling, it could obviously not be used for handling heavier bulk material
such
as earth, rocks or sand on a dry ground. For such applications, wheels, a
sturdier structure and a variable position of the handle for optimal leverage
effect
in every operation are necessary.
There is thus a need for an improved device allowing a user to
efficiently shovel, transport and dump fairly large volumes of heavy bulk
material
without the need for additional tools and with minimal risks of personal
injuries.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an integrated device for use in
shovelling, transporting and dumping bulk material which overcomes the
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limitations and drawbacks of the above mentioned solutions of the prior art,
and
more specifically:
- a first object of the instant invention is to provide an integrated device
for
5 transporting and dumping bulk material such as earth, rocks, sand, snow etc.
that can be used to shovel material and load itself without the need for any
other
tool;
- a second object of the present invention is to provide an integrated device
for
use in shovelling, transporting and dumping material featuring a very high
degree
of stability, practically eliminating any risk of inadvertently spilling the
material to
be transported;
- a third object of the present invention is to provide an integrated device
for use
in shovelling, transporting and dumping material that can be used with a wide
selection of materials and operated on miscellaneous types of grounds, dry or
wet;
- a fourth object of the present invention is to provide an integrated device
for
use in shovelling, transporting and dumping material which has a sturdy
structure
and enables a user to handle heavy loads and accomplish large projects alone;
- a fifth object of the present invention is to provide an integrated device
for use
in shovelling, transporting and dumping material that is safe to operate, more
efficient than existing manual equipments and tools with respect to the time
and
energy spent to complete a job, and causes less fatigue and risks of personal
injury for a given job than existing methods;
- another object of the instant invention is to provide an integrated device
for use
in shovelling, transporting and dumping material that is compact, economical,
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takes little space for manoeuvring, creates no environmental pollution in
operation and uses no energy but human power; and
- a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and very
efficient
method for shovelling, transporting and dumping bulk material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
More specifically, in accordance with the invention as broadly
claimed, there is provided a manually operated device for shovelling,
transporting and dumping bulk material, comprising ground-engaging means on
which the shovelling, transporting and dumping manually operated device is
displaced on the ground, a bucket pivotally mounted on the ground-engaging
means, a handle bar assembly pivotally connected to the bucket between a first
shovelling position and a second transporting and/or dumping position
angularly
spaced apart from the first position, a handle bar assembly locking and
releasing
mechanism interposed between the handle bar assembly and the bucket. This
handle bar assembly locking and releasing mechanism comprises means for
locking the handle bar assembly on the bucket in the first position for
performing
a shovelling operation, means for releasing the handle bar assembly from the
first position, means for locking the handle bar assembly on the bucket in the
second position to perform a transporting and/or dumping operation, and means
for releasing the handle bar assembly from the second position.
The present invention is also concerned with a manually
operated device for shovelling, transporting and dumping bulk material,
comprising:
a set of ground-engaging members on which the shovelling,
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transporting and dumping manually operated device is displaced on the ground;
a bucket pivotally mounted on the set of ground-engaging
members;
a handle bar assembly pivotally connected to the bucket
between a first shovelling position and a second transporting and/or dumping
position angularly spaced apart from the first position;
a handle bar assembly locking and releasing mechanism
interposed between the handle bar assembly and the bucket for ( a) locking the
handle bar assembly on the bucket in the first position for performing a
shovelling operation, ( b) releasing the handle bar assembly from the first
position, ( c) locking the handle bar assembly on the bucket in the second
position to perform a transporting and/or dumping operation, and ( d)
releasing
the handle bar assembly from the second position. The handle bar assembly
locking and releasing mechanism comprises:
a first set of mutually engageable and mutually
releasable locking members positioned for engagement
with each other when the handle bar assembly is in the first
position; and
a second set of mutually engageable and mutually
releasable locking members positioned for engagement
with each other when the handle bar assembly is in the
second position.
In accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the
manually operated shovelling) transporting and dumping device:
the handle bar assembly locking and releasing mechanism
comprises two semicircular surfaces laterally disposed with respect to each
other
and each provided with first and second holes, these semicircular surfaces
being
fixedly mounted on the bucket;
the first set of mutually engageable and mutually releasable
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locking members comprises:
the two semicircular surfaces with the two first holes;
and
two rods mounted longitudinally movable on the
handle bar assembly for insertion in the two first holes,
respectively when the handle bar assembly is in the first
position; and
the second set of mutually engageable and mutually releasable
locking members comprises:
the two semicircular surfaces with the two second
holes; and
the two rods for insertion in the two second holes,
respectively, when the handle bar assembly is in the
second position.
In accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the
present invention, each rod has a first end for insertion in the first and
second
holes of the corresponding semicircular surface, and a second end, and the
handle bar assembly locking and releasing mechanism comprises:
a spring mechanism for urging the first end of the rod in the first
or second hole to thereby lock the handle bar assembly in the first or second
position, respectively; and
a lever mechanism connected to the second end of the rod for
pulling the second end of the rod against the force produced by the spring
mechanism in order to withdraw the first end of the rod from the first or
second
hole and thereby release the handle bar assembly from the first or second
position, respectively.
Advantageously, the set of ground-engaging members
comprises a pair of wheels rotatatively mounted on an axle, the bucket is
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pivotally mounted on this axle, and the handle bar assembly is pivotally
mounted
on the axle.
Preferably, the handle bar assembly locking and releasing
mechanism comprises first and second transversally spaced apart frame
members, and the manually operated shovelling, transporting and dumping
device further comprises a transversal elongated member interconnecting the
first and second frame members. This transversal elongated member can be
used for hand-operating and/or foot-operating the shovelling, transporting and
dumping device.
Further in accordance with the present invention, there is
provided a method for shovelling, transporting and dumping bulk material using
the above described manually operated shovelling, transporting and dumping
device, comprising locking the handle bar assembly on the bucket in the first
shovelling position, manually operating the bucket through the handle bar
assembly to shovel bulk material at a shovelling location, releasing the
handle
bar assembly from the first position, pivoting the handle bar assembly toward
the
second position, locking the handle bar assembly to the bucket in the second
transporting and/or dumping position, manually operating the shovelling,
transporting and dumping device through the handle bar assembly to transport
bulk material contained in the bucket from the shovelling location to a
discharge
location, and manually operating the bucket through the handle bar assembly in
order to dump at the discharge location the bulk material contained in the
bucket.
The present invention still further relates to a method for
shovelling, transporting and dumping bulk material using the above described
manually operated shovelling, transporting and dumping device, comprising
locking the handle bar assembly on the bucket in the first shovelling
position,
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manually operating the bucket through the handle bar assembly and the
transversal elongated bar to shovel bulk material at a shovelling location,
releasing the handle bar assembly from the first position, pivoting the handle
bar
assembly toward the second position, locking the handle bar assembly to the
5 bucket in the second transporting and/or dumping position, manually
operating
the shovelling, transporting and dumping device through the handle bar
assembly and the transveral elongated member to transport bulk material
contained in the bucket from the shovelling location to a discharge location,
and
manually operating the bucket through the handle bar assembly and the
10 transversal elongated member in order to dump at the discharge location the
bulk material contained in the bucket.
The objects, advantages and other features of the present
invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non
restrictive description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of
example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1, which is labelled as prior art, is an isometric view of
a conventional snow float;
Figure 2 is an isomeric front view of a preferred embodiment
of the the integrated device in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 3 is an isometric rear view of the integrated device of
Figure 2;
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Figure 4 is a side elevation view of the integrated device of
Figures 2 and 3;
Figure 5 is a front elevation view of the integrated device of
Figures 2-4;
Figure 6 is a rear elevation view of the integrated device of
Figures 2-6;
Figure 7 is a top plan view of the integrated device of Figures
2-6;
Figure 8 is a side elevation view of the left frame member of the
integrated device of Figures 2-7; and
Figure 9a is a front elevational view of a handle bar assembly
of the integrated device of Figures 2-8; and
Figure 9b is a side elevational view of the handle bar assembly
of Figure 9a.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A preferred embodiment of the integrated device for use in
shovelling, transporting and dumping material according to the present
invention
will now be described in detail in connection with the appended drawings.
Referring to Figures 2, 3, 4 and 8, there is provided an
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integrated device for use in shovelling, transporting and dumping material
comprising left and right frame members 1 a and 1 b, and a bucket 2.
As better illustrated in Figure 4, the bucket 2 has a C-shaped
profile. It can be made of welded sheet metal or molded plastic material and
is
provided with a metal scraper 3 assembled on the leading edge of the bottom
wall 4 of the bucket 2.
As illustrated, each frame member 1 a, 1 b is preferably made
of metal and comprises:
- an elongated portion 20a, 20b applied to the rear
face of the bucket 2 using fasteners such as rivets (not
shown);
- an elongated portion 21 a, 21 b situated substantially
in the plane of a bottom wall 4 of the bucket 2 and connected
to portion 20a, 20b;
- a semicircular elongated portion 19a, 19b centered
on an axle 6, and connected to the portion 20a, 20b; and
- an elongated portion 22a, 22b interconnecting the
elongated portions 19a, 19b and 21 a, 21 b.
Figure 8 illustrates the profile of the frame member 1 a, 1 b.
Figure 8 also shows the position of right and left bushings 5a and 5b fixedly
secured to the frame members 1 a and 1 b, respectively, for example by
welding.
The right and left bushings 5a and 5b are symmetrical to each other about a
vertical central longitudinal plane of the integrated device. The axle 6 is
inserted
in the right and left bushings 5a and 5a, and a pair of wheels 7a and 7b are
rotatively mounted at the respective ends of that axle 6. Friction end caps 8a
and 8b are inserted at both ends of the axle 6 to retain the wheels 7a and 7b
in
that position. A stop member 9 interconnects the lower portions of the frame
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members 1 a and 1 b together. Stop member 9 can be used ( a) as a rest to
maintain the integrated device in a backwardly tilted position, ( b) to push
the
bucket 2 in the shovelled material with one foot, and ( c) to pull the
integrated
device with one hand to withdraw the bucket from the dumped material.
The integrated device also comprises a handle bar assembly
shown in detail in Figures 9a and 9b, respectively presenting front and side
elevation views thereof. The handle bar assembly 10 is preferably made of
welded steel tubing and comprises a top handle bar 11, a higher transversal
bar
10 12, a lower transversal bar 13, a right side bar 14a, a left side bar 14b,
and two
coaxial left and right bushings 15a and 15b respectively welded to the lower
ends of the side bars 14a and 14b. The bushings 15a and 15b receive the axle
6 to pivotally install the handle bar assembly 10 on this axle 6. Bushings 15a
and 15b are positioned between and adjacent to bushings 5a and 5b.
As shown in Figure 4, the angular position of the handle bar
assembly 10 about the axle 6, i.e. with respect to the frame members 1 a and 1
b
and bucket 2 is adjustable between two extreme positions 23 and 24 according
to the function to be accomplished. This angular position is set by means of
an
angular position adjusting system that will be described with reference to
Figures
2 and 3.
The angular position adjusting system comprises a pair of
longitudinally movable connecting rods 16a and 16b. The lower ends of the two
connecting rods 16a and 16b pass through respective bushings 20a and 20b
(Figure 9a) as well as through respective holes 21 a and 21 b (Figure 9a) of
the
lower transversal bar 13. In position 23, the lower ends of the two connecting
rods 16a and 16b are respectively engaged in a first pair of holes 17a and
17b,
provided in the semicircular frame member portions 19a and 19b, respectively.
In position 24, the lower ends of the two connecting rods 16a and 16b are
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respectively engaged in a second pair of holes 18a and 18b provided in the
semicircular frame member portions 19a and 19b, respectively.
Compression coil springs 25a and 25b are mounted on the
connecting rods 16a and 16b, respectively. Compression coil spring 25a is
mounted on rod 16a between a C-shaped clip 26a and the lower transversal bar
13. In the same manner, compression coil spring 25b is mounted on rod 16b
between a C-shaped clip 26b and the lower transversal bar 13. Therefore, the
compression coil springs 25a and 25b will normally push the lower ends of the
connecting rods 16a and 16b in the holes of the semicircular portions 19a and
19b of the frame members 1 a and 1 b.
The angular position adjusting system further comprises a lever
27. The lever 27 is C-shaped and has two opposite, coaxial and outwardly
extending straight portions 27a and 27b pivotally mounted in coaxial holes
made
in the side bars 14a and 14b. Clips 29a and 29b are mounted on the free ends
of the straight portions 27a and 27b, respectively, to lock these straight
portions
27a and 27b into the coaxial holes of the side bars 14a and 14b. The C-shaped
lever 27 further comprises angular transversal portions 27c and 27d provided
with respective coaxial holes 28a and 28b. The upper end of rod 16a is bent at
right angle toward the right and is rotatably mounted in hole 28a in which it
is
locked by means of an appropriate clip (not shown). The upper end of rod 16b
is bent at right angle toward the left and is rotatably mounted in hole 28b in
which it is locked by means of an appropriate clip (not shown).
It can thus be understood that pulling the lever 27 will rotate this
lever about the straight portion 27a and 27b to pull the connecting rods 16a
and
16b against the compression exerted by springs 25a and 25b to thereby
withdraw the lower ends of these connecting rods 16a and 16b from the
respective holes in the semicircular portions 19a and 19b of the frame members
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1 a and 1 b, thereby enabling the user to reposition the handle bar assembly
10
at a different angle. Reciprocally, releasing the lever 27 will allow the
compression springs 25a and 25b to urge the lower ends of the connecting rods
16a and 16b against the surface of the semicircular portions 19a and 19b of
the
5 frame members 1 a and 1 b, respectively, and to penetrate a pair of holes
such
as 17a, 17b or 18a, 18b when proper alignment with these holes is reached.
The lower ends of the connecting rods 16a and 16b engaged with a pair of holes
(17a, 17b or 18a, 18b) will firmly lock the handle bar assembly 10 in the new
corresponding angular position such as 23 and 24 in Figure 4.
In operation, the above described integrated device may be
used as follows to carry out shovelling, transporting and dumping of bulk
material.
To shovel material and fill the bucket 2, the handle bar
assembly 10 is first set to its lowermost position (preferably less than 45
degrees
with respect to the ground) by inserting the lower ends of the connecting rods
16a and 16b in the holes 18a and 18b, respectively. This position transfers
sufficient horizontal force from the handle bar assembly 10 to the bucket 2
positioned with its bottom wall applied to the ground surtace. Pushing the
handle bar 11 rolls the integrated device on the ground with the leading edge
of
the bucket 2, provided with the metal scraper 3, scraping the ground or
engaging
a mound of material. Appropriate alternated pushing, tilting and pulling of
the
handle bar 11 enables the operator to fill the bucket 2 with material. Of
course,
pushing the stop member 9 with one foot will drive the bucket 2 in the
shovelled
material.
Then, the operator moves the handle bar 9 to a upper angular
position, using the lever 27 according to the procedure described above, to
pass
to the transportation mode. For that purpose, the lever 27 is pulled to
withdraw
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the lower ends of the connecting rods 16a and 16b from the holes 18a and 18b,
the handle bar assembly 10 is pivoted about the axle 6, the lever 27 is
released
and, finally, the lower ends of the connecting rods 16a and 16b are urged in
the
holes 17a and 17b, respectively. Then, the user pulls the handle bar 11
backwards and downwards, possibly helped by a pressure on the stop member
9 with a foot, to provide maximal torque about the axle 6 to tilt the whole
integrated device backwards and lift the bottom wall 4 of the bucket 2 from
the
ground. The handle bar 11 now returned to a comfortable height can be pulled
or pushed by the user while substantially maintaining its vertical level to
roll the
loaded device to a dumping location.
Dumping of the material can then be simply accomplished by
firstly releasing the handle bar 10 to let the bucket 2 rest on the ground and
secondly by pushing forwardly and upwardly on the handle bar 11 to create a
torque about the longitudinal axis of the scraper 3 and tilt the device
forwardly,
lifting the wheels 7a and 7b and the rear end of the bucket 2 and dumping the
material. It is also contemplated that the operator may use one hand to pull
the
stop member 9 while pushing the handle bar 11 with the other hand to produce
an optimal torque about the centre of gravity of the bucket 2 in view of
performing the dumping operation more efficiently. With regard to that
operation, it shall be noted that the shape of the bucket 2 is so engineered
to
optimise the leverage ratio and the position of the centre of gravity for a
given
volumetric capacity, in order to minimise the force to be applied to the
handle bar
11 for dumping the load. Indeed, one can observe that the virtual line
connecting the longitudinal axis of the scraper 3 to the axis of the upper
hole pair
17a and 17b in the frame members 1 a and 1 b, respectively, is relatively
short
with respect to the length of the handle bar 11 extending above that hole
axis,
and that the centre of gravity of the loaded bucket 2 is located above and
forwardly from that virtual line.
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Another feature of the integrated device of the instant invention
is that the stop member 9 can be used to maintain the integrated device tilted
backwardly, both the wheels 7a and 7b and the stop member 9 resting on the
ground. That latter position can be maintained without the assistance of the
user
and regardless of the angular position of the handle bar assembly 10. Such a
position is useful to avoid spillage of the load during a pause or some manual
loading or unloading operations.
Therefore, it can be seen that the integrated device of the
present invention can be advantageously used for efficiently shovelling,
transporting and dumping miscellaneous materials on various grounds, with
minimal effort) stress and risks for the user, thus overcoming the drawbacks
of
the prior art devices.
Although the present invention has been described by means
of a preferred embodiment thereof, it is contemplated that various
modifications
may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the embodiment described be
considered only as illustrative of the present invention and that the scope
thereof
should not be limited thereto but be determined with reference to the claims
hereinafter provided and their equivalents. It is also intended to provide at
least
one other pair of holes in the semicircular elongated members 19a and 19b,
intermediate holes 17a, 17b and 18a, 18b or not, to provide for additional
adjustment of the handle bar assembly 10 during operation of the integrated
device.
