Patent Application
20190261548
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of earth working and more specifically relates to hand tool.
Digging is a process that is required for many situations and projects. The process of digging can vary quite a bit depending on the nature of the earth or substrate that needs to be moved. In cases where the earth or substrate is soft or loose, a shovel can be used to simply scoop material and move it to a desired area. In cases where the earth or substrate is heavy, hard, or densely packed it is very difficult to scoop the material which can cause a lot of strain on the worker. In some cases, a pick-axe may be used to break up the material making it easier to be scooped by a shovel, and then moved to a desired area. This means that a user must have multiple tools, and perform multiple actions, or possibly that additional workers must be used to manage the additional tools. A solution which alleviates the need for multiple tools or workers is desired.
U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0230419 to Loy Eubanks relates to a garden tool for grubbing. The described garden tool for grubbing includes an elongated handle attached with and approximately perpendicular to, a grub hoe blade. The grub hoe blade has a proximal end and a distal end wherein the distal end is narrower than the proximal end. The grub hoe blade may include a rounded tip or the distal end may be straight. The end and the sides of the grub hoe blade are sharp to allow the grub hoe blade to easily penetrate compact or rooty soil. The grub hoe blade is arcuate and the neck is connected with the handle approximately central to the grub hoe blade along a longitudinal axis, thereby balancing the present garden tool for grubbing during use.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known earth working means art, the present disclosure provides a novel digging tool system. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a combination pickaxe and shovel. The present invention is superior to other digging tools in that it effectively allows a user to both break apart dense or impacted material and to move the material with a single tool. The digging device includes a digging head with a generally triangular blade which is capable of penetrating and moving substrate. The blade has a vertically and horizontally curved face, with a greater depth of curve on one side of the horizontal curvature. The apex of the generally triangular blade provides a substrate-piercing-tip which is preferably positioned off-center (offset) relative to a handle. The digging head also includes an integral handle support frame with an end cap and at least one elongated support arm which are used to affix a handle. The greater depth of curvature on one side, and the off-center position of the substrate-penetrating-tip allow for material to be moved to one side as the digging device is ‘pulled’ through the material.
A digging tool system is disclosed herein. The digging tool system includes a digging device; the digging device comprising a digging head, the digging head including: a generally triangular blade capable of penetrating and moving substrate. The generally triangular blade may have a curved face with vertical and horizontal curvature with the horizontal curvature having a greater depth on one side and terminating in an apex with an acute angle which may be positioned off-center relative to a handle. The apex forms a substrate-piercing-tip; and an integral handle support frame. The integral handle support frame may have an end cap and at least one elongated support arm; and the handle. The digging device may be configured to move a volume of the substrate allowing the substrate to be repositioned during a hoeing-digging process. The device can be used to furrow or row sluffing off the substrate in the desired direction.
A method of using digging tool systems is also disclosed herein. The method of using digging tool systems may comprise the steps of: providing a digging device, the device including: a digging head may include a generally triangular blade with a substrate-piercing-tip, and an integral handle support frame; and a handle; gripping the handle so that the substrate-piercing tip may be pointing downward; swinging the digging device downward; plunging the digging device into the substrate; pulling the digging device toward the user through the substrate. The method of using digging tool systems may further comprise the steps of: scooping the substrate; lifting the digging device; and depositing the substrate to a desired area.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.
The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a digging tool system, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.
The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to earth working and more particularly to a digging tool system as used to improve the use of hand tools.
Generally, the present invention provides a multi-purpose digging tool which is a pickaxe combined with a shovel. It resembles a tilling blade from larger farm equipment but is lighter and more practical as a hand tool. The handle connecting to the head of the digging tool is at a particular angle in relation to the digging head so that driving down into the dirt is very easy, and once the head is in the dirt the leverage on the handle makes it easy to drag the dirt around. The blade has a pointed tip to make penetrating hard ground relatively easy.
Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in
The generally triangular blade 112 terminates in an apex having an acute angle forming a substrate-piercing-tip 114 which is positioned off-center relative to a handle 120. The greater horizontal curvature depth on one side and the off-center position of the substrate-piercing-tip 114 allow for substrate to be moved to an opposite-side when the digging head 110 is inserted into and pulled through substrate. The digging device preferably includes an integral handle support frame 116, which has an end cap 118 and at least one elongated support arm 119. The digging device is configured to move a volume of substrate allowing the substrate to be repositioned during a hoeing-digging process.
Referring now to
Referring now to
It should be noted that steps 506, 507, and 508 are optional steps and may not be implemented in all cases. Optional steps of method of use 500 are illustrated using dotted lines in
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
