1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of augers. More particularly, the present invention relates to an auger for use in boring and weeding. Specifically, one preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to an auger having an extension for use primarily around the home, lawn, or garden.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Historically, it was known in the prior art to use an auger device to make holes or to mix various liquids and solids.
As is known to those skilled in the art, such auger attachments can be affixed to common hand tools with power sources such as an electric drill or weed eater device. However, a previously recognized problem has been that such augers are specifically usually manufactured for use with one device or the other. Needless to say, it is desirable to have an auger that can be used in the sitting or kneeling position and in a standing position with various power sources.
Therefore, what is needed is an auger that can be used with a variety of household power tools and has an adjustable length. Such an auger is also preferably lightweight, yet is sufficiently strong enough to bore into harder soils. Heretofore these requirements have not been fully met without incurring various disadvantages.
Previously recognized solutions also have the disadvantage of relatively high cost. As such, a preferred solution will be seen by the end-user as being cost effective.
The below-referenced U.S. patents disclose embodiments that were at least in-part satisfactory for the purposes for which they were intended. The disclosures of all the below-referenced prior United States patents in their entireties are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application for purposes including, but not limited to, indicating the background of the present invention and illustrating the state of the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,269 discloses an auger with replaceable tips designed to cut openings through sheet plastic or fiberglass in a continuous operation making an appropriate diameter hole for planting seedlings or seeds as may be desired. The invention is comprised of a shaft with a spiral auger and a cutting tip with a cylindrical cutting edge and a recessed drilling portion as an assembly which is removably attached to the shafts with flights in it. The device can be driven by a conventional electric drill with a one-half inch chuck.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,787 discloses an auger planting tool for boring holes to conveniently implant plants into the soil. The auger planting tool can be attached to a drill or a weed trimming device. By triggering the rotating drive device, the auger tool is driven to the intended depth made for the soil. A detent ring controls the penetration of the auger tool into the soil. An auger spiral flange simultaneously provides a cutting and a screwing action attributable to the spiral configuration thereof. The auger spiral flange is fixedly attached to a shaft and includes a plurality of cutting blades and a plurality of contiguous spiral surfaces.
By way of summary, the present invention is directed to an auger which is both lightweight and durable. One object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that can be used in a standing or sitting position and can be used with a variety of power tools. Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that has one or more of the characteristics discussed above but which is relatively simple to manufacture and assemble using a minimum of equipment and is relatively inexpensive.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, these objects are achieved by providing an apparatus comprising a shaft having a first end and a second end. The first end of the shaft contains a hexagonal shape portion and the second end includes a pointed tip which is offset from center and has one flat side at a preferred angle. A disc is attached a distance from the second end. In another embodiment, a second or extension shaft is provided which is longer than the first. The second shaft has a first end and a second end. Located at the first end is a hexagonal shaped portion. At the second end there is a first shaft receiving portion with the bore therethrough. The first shaft is attached to the second shaft by a shaft locking device or pin. Having a first shaft and a second shaft allows versatility of use with different types of power tools. Moreover, it also allows the user to use the auger in both a kneeling or sitting position and a standing position. Another object of the invention is to provide a method that has one or more of the characteristics discussed above but which is relatively simple to set up and operate.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, these objects are achieved by providing an inventive method. First, preferably an auger is inserted into an electric drill having opened chuck jaws. Next, a hexagonal head of the auger is inserted into the chuck jaws of the drill. The chuck jaws are then tightened around the auger's hexagonal head. A pointed, sharpened end of the auger is then inserted into the soil. And, finally, power is applied to the drill to burrow a hole into the soil or to mix a liquid or a particular solid.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the disc is provided with a serrated portion. In one embodiment, the serrated portion is a serrated edge made by a plurality of spikes lining the outside edge of the disc. Each spike is formed from at least one angled surface, which is a surface that extends from the outside edge of the disc at an angle not tangential to the circumference of the disc at the proximal end of the spike. The angled surface is not meant to include only surfaces of a single angle. The angled surface may be a planar single-angle surface, a planar multiple-angle surface, or curved surface having an arcuate shape.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the second shaft has a plurality of holes near the second end. This allows the user to adjust the height of the tool more acutely when the first and second shafts are connected.
These, and other, aspects and objects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.
A clear conception of the advantages and features constituting the present invention, and of the construction and operation of typical mechanisms provided with the present invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate the same elements in the several views, and in which:
In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention and the best mode currently contemplated which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word “connected” or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.
The present invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments described in detail in the following description.
In its most basic form, the invention is an attachment to a device that provides power, such as a hand-held drill or a weed trimmer. The auger portion contains 1 to 4 discs which are rotated. They are connected to a shaft with a hex head which prevents it from slipping when power is applied. The attachment can be extended to about 26 inches long so the user can stand up while using it, and does not have to stoop over. A pin mechanism holds the first shaft to a second or extension shaft. The device is preferably zinc-coated steel so it is somewhat rust free. However, it may also be made of stainless steel. The power source can be a typical 12 volt or better electric drill, either portable, battery-operated type, or electrical or can be an electric or gas-powered weed trimmer.
As shown in one preferred embodiment shown in
At the other or first end 20 of the first shaft 15, is a hexagonal shaped portion 50. In the preferred embodiment shown at
As best shown in
In the top down angled view shown in
In one embodiment, the disc 27 is approximately 1¼ to 1¾ inches in diameter. This smaller diameter disc 27 is particularly advantageous when a user wishes to remove weeds from the soil. When this embodiment is placed in the soil it will grab the entire weed, including the roots and remove it without the user ever having to touch the weed itself. Furthermore, the relatively small diameter of the disc 27 will leave a smaller portion of the soil disturbed by the weed removal as opposed to any larger disc. A disc diameter less than 1¼ inch is best for punching holes in the soil to plant seeds.
The second shaft 30 is preferably approximately 22-26 inches long and, as mentioned previously, has a first end 55 and a second end 65. At the first end 55 of the second shaft, is a hexagonal portion 60. The hexagonal portion 60 of the second shaft 30 is approximately 1.5 inches long as is the hexagonal portion 50 of the first shaft 15.
The second end 65 of the second shaft 30 includes a receiving portion 70. The receiving portion 70 has a bore 78 (best shown in
As best shown in
In
As shown in
An alternative embodiment of the second shaft 340 is shown in
The user may then select a desired overall height by aligning the hole 75 of the first shaft 15 with one of the four holes 355, 360, 365, 375 in the receiving portion 345 and then inserting a U-shaped pin 82 to securely connect the two shafts. For example, this adjustable shaft 340 allows the same tool to be used by people of different heights or by a person in a wheel chair and a position using a walker (i.e., someone in a seated position and someone in a stooping or standing position).
An alternative embodiment of a cutting portion 390 of a disc 395 can best be seen in
When the device 5 is in use, the auger 10 must first be attached to the power source 35. To do this, the preferred embodiment auger 10 is inserted into an electric drill 35 by first ensuring the chuck jaws 40 of the drill 35 are open to receive the auger 10. The hexagonal portion or head 50 of the auger 10 is placed into the chuck jaws 40 of the drill 35. Preferably, the chuck jaws are tightened around the augers hexagonal head 50. In one preferred embodiment, the pointed, sharpened end 29 of the auger 10 is inserted into soil for mixing or boring. Finally, power is applied to the drill 35 through preferably an on/off control switch or trigger 48.
In devices 5 that have power sources with a forward and reverse switch 45, the power source 35 control lever is first switched to a forward position. In devices 5 that have multiple speeds, the low speed control 49 is selected. Next, the trigger or on/off control switch 48 is then depressed by preferably a finger of the user to apply power to the auger 10. The auger sharpened tip 27 which has been resting on the dirt is kept in preferably a perpendicular position while a downward pressure is applied to the drill. This pressure and the forward drilling action of the spiral disc 27 of the auger tip 29 push the auger into the soil, thus drilling a hole.
In one preferred embodiment after the hole is drilled, the reverse position is selected on the forward/reverse control 45. When the on/off control 48 is depressed the auger 10 reverses its original downward drilling motion to raise the auger 10 back out of the soil along with loosened dirt.
In one preferred embodiment, an extension shaft 30 can be added to the auger shaft 15 in order to allow the user to use the auger 10 in an upright position. This is preferably done by inserting a hexagonal head 50 of the auger shaft 15 into a receiving portion 70 of the second shaft 30. Next holes 75, and 80 of the shafts 15, and 30 are aligned. A locking pin 82 is inserted through the holes 75, and 80 to attach the shafts 15, and 30 together and thus provide an extension to the auger 10. Preferably this is done while the drill 35 and the auger 10 are in a horizontal position.
When the soil boring or mixing project is complete, the auger 10 is preferably laid in a horizontal position and the chuck jaws 40 are loosened to release the auger's hexagonal head 50. The auger 10 is then lifted from the power source 35. The open chuck jaws 40 thus release the auger 10 so that the user can remove it and store it for use on another occasion.
In addition to weeding, mixing, and boring, there are virtually innumerable uses for the present invention, all of which need not be detailed here. Moreover, all the disclosed embodiments can be practiced without undue experimentation.
Although the best mode contemplated by the inventors of carrying out the present invention is disclosed above, practice of the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be manifest that various additions, modifications and rearrangements of the features of the present invention may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept.
The individual components mentioned herein need not be fabricated from the disclosed materials, but could be fabricated from virtually any suitable durable and strong materials.
Moreover, the individual components need not be formed in the disclosed shapes, or assembled in the disclosed configuration, but could be provided in virtually any shape, and assembled in virtually any suitable configuration. For example, the entire shaft may have a hex shape and the disc itself can also have a hex or some other shape to enhance the disc's ability to bore into the soil.
Further, although the discs described herein are physically separate modules, it will be manifest that the discs may be integrated into the shaft.
Furthermore, all the disclosed features of each disclosed embodiment can be combined with, or substituted for, the disclosed features of every other disclosed embodiment except where such features are mutually exclusive.
It is intended that the appended claims cover all such additions, modifications and rearrangements. Expedient embodiments of the present invention are differentiated by the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/229,895, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/251,731, filed Sep. 21, 2002, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,955,227, the entire contents of both applications are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11229895 | Sep 2005 | US |
Child | 12939743 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10251731 | Sep 2002 | US |
Child | 11229895 | US |