Patent Application
20210120800
The present invention is directed to the field of a hand tool, and more particularly, by describing in no way to be read as a form of limitation, to a hand tool for the purpose of animal care, and specifically directed to the field of equine care.
There is some debate among historians as to the date of the first use of a horse as an animal in which humans were able to work, train, and breed. While exact dating is not possible, it is agreed that domesticated horses have been around the world for at least the past few thousand years. Since domestication, humans have used horses for a variety of different tasks, such as pulling loads or as a vessel for a human to ride upon.
As a horse is a living organism that moves by walking it is important that their feet, known singularly as a hoof and in the plural as hooves, are well cared for. In more northern climates, such as continental and polar climates, the winter seasons can be quite cold. In these colder climates, it is common to have ice buildups in various areas such as inside a horse's hoof or hooves. Horse hooves generally have a concave interior in or near the center of the hoof, which is where ice might buildup.
The ice tends to form at times in a horse's hoof in a convex rounded shape, which amounts to a horse walking on the edge of an ice ball. These ice balls may cause multiple problematic issues as the affected horse is now walking on the solid ice buildup which may lead to strains, sprains, bruises, hoof cracks, as well as slips and falls.
To prevent the injuries above-mentioned, farriers and horse owners alike will presently employ various differing methods after an ice ball has built up so as to remove the ice ball obstruction. A common method in use is to use a bucket of warm water to soak a hoof in. However, the time spent waiting for the ice to melt away can become exhaustive and a horse is then standing at an uneasy position on the other hooves, particularly if these other hooves have ice balls built up inside them as well.
Another common method is to utilize a hoof pick to remove the buildup of ice therein. A hoof pick is typically shaped similar to an “L” and has a long narrow tool generally used to clean dirt and debris out of a hoof. However a hoof pick is more of a precision tool as it has a small striking surface. When it is used to try and get ice buildup out of a hoof, the small striking surface of the narrow hoof pick can result in a cumbersome process of using a precision tool to remove a large obstruction which results in the horse standing on its other three hooves, similar to the issues of the warm water bucket solution as just described.
To expedite the process, there are some who will use a blunt instrument such as a hammer or a chisel. However, in the interior of a horse hoof is a mass of tissue known as the frog. The frog of a horse's hoof is not only sensitive, but serves important functions, and damage to this frog area from any means, to include brute force when attempting to remove debris, can cause health injuries to the horse, and prevent the horse from applying the proper use of said hoof itself.
Accordingly, it is imperative that accuracy and precision are a paramount concern when attempting to remove the ice ball buildup. What is needed, therefore, is a device which is able to safely, quickly, and efficiently eliminate ice balls which are accumulated in a horse's hoof, so as to allow the horse to safely maneuver while walking.
The present disclosure is directed to an ice removal tool which is useful for cleaning the interior and exterior portions of an equine's hoof, among other uses. It is important at this time to note that although some of the multiple embodiments and variations of the present disclosure are laid out herein, it is to be appreciated that there are numerous alternative variations of these disclosed embodiments and variations that would be obvious to one of skill in the art, and the specific embodiments discussed throughout are merely illustrative of some of the ways to make and use this invention and are not in any way to be interpreted or held to be limited as to the scope of the present invention.
A preferred embodiment of the present disclosure will have a handle which is preferably balanced and preferably designed specifically to be used and manipulated by a human user's hand. This handle is an elongated handle, presently thought of to be generally cylindrical in manner, but alternative elongated shapes such as rectangular prisms or even conical shapes are contemplated herein. As a result of its shape, the elongated handle has a first end and a second end, otherwise known as a top and a bottom end, depending on the particularities.
In an alternative embodiment the elongated shaped handle may additionally be received by an ergonomic handle around the circumference, or the exterior of the handle thereof. This ergonomic handle may be a useful addition, as its presence can help to reduce fatigue, injury, and the possibility of slipping out of a user's hand.
A substantially linear central body is attached, formed, affixed, or otherwise integral with the first end of the elongated handle. In such a fashion, the resulting formation is similar to a “T”, and the substantially linear central body thus has two distal ends, being the top portion of said “T” shape. The closest portions of the substantially linear central body relative to the elongated handle first end are known as connection points. On the top portion of the substantially linear central body at the two distal ends respectively are a first strike surface and a second strike surface. The first strike surface may contain additional instruments to aid in the removal of ice and debris such as a chisel, a hammer, a flat-edge, a hoof pick, a hoof knife, a scoop, or any other similar hand tool, and the second strike surface additionally contains an instrument such as those just-mentioned. In such a fashion, an instrument is located at the two respective distal ends of the substantially linear central body. An instrument is also provided at the second end, or bottom end, of the elongated handle. Thus a preferred embodiment may contain three such instruments.
The two strike surfaces and the substantially linear central body are collectively known as the tool head of the present disclosure. The tool head extends perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the elongated handle, but in one alternative embodiment additionally features hinges, bearings, or bores in order to provide for 90-degree rotation, as is made clear in the appended figures. This angle is thought to be from the hinge connection point, used as the vertex, where one ray is approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the elongated handle, and the other ray is approximately perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of the elongated handle, thus form a 90-degree, or right angle as shown in the attached figures. This embodiment of the present disclosure thus has foldability of at least one striking surface, to provide ease for storage.
In a preferred embodiment, one of the strike surfaces of the tool head contains tapered edges. The tapered edges begin to narrow until they reach a point, known as a break contact surface. This break contact portion contains a narrowed point which is similar to a slot-head. This contact surface is useful for chipping away at buildup of solid mass such as an ice ball, while maintaining control and safety. As earlier discussed, it is important to use finesse when using tools in sensitive areas, such as near the frog of a horse's hoof. Further, this first position of the break contact in some embodiments may have a slight or generally downward slope in relation to the linear axis of the top of the tool head. In such an embodiment, a user is able to acquire greater leverage, precision, and accuracy with their use of the ice removal tool.
A hoof pick is provided in one embodiment which may be attached, formed, affixed, or otherwise integral with the second end of the elongated handle located at an opposing end of the elongated handle away from that of the tool head. The hoof pick is thought to contain an exterior edge along the outside of the hoof pick itself, an upper edge, which is also known as the curved upper portion of the hoof pick, and a contact surface, which is the general end point of the pick itself. The hoof pick allows a user to apply precision removal of small debris particles in a horse hoof or other crevice as previously-discussed.
It is specifically contemplated that any number of styles of hoof picks may be used and depending on the particular circumstances of the horse hoof or hooves, and the user's preference, each would have its own advantages and disadvantages. It is presently thought that a hoof pick made of a highly durable material such as steel might be useful as the pick, and multiple shapes are contemplated herein, whether the general shape is triangular, cylindrical, or otherwise, the hoof pick can help to scrape and remove small stones, or debris that is lodged in a hoof. To assist in the overall task, an additional brush may be affixed or attached to the exterior of the horse pick so as to brush away any dirt or debris loosened but still present in the hoof.
It is presently contemplated that in certain embodiments the hoof pick at the second end of the elongated handle may be foldable along a 180-degree radius, or an approximately 90-degree short radius from the second end of the elongated handle inwards. In such a fashion the hoof pick is able to be extended from an extended position positioned outwards from the elongated handle and is also able to rotate in towards the elongated handle itself by way of a hinge to provide foldability as depicted in the attached figures. In such a manner the hoof pick may rest against the elongated handle itself while not in use.
A hoof knife may be provided in some embodiments. The hoof knife is known and described herein as a blade element where the tip of the knife's blade is turned back on itself similar to a shepherd's crook shape. This hoof knife can serve a variety of purposes, such as trimming a horse's frog, cleaning up exfoliation on the sole, or for general sculpting, prying, and loosening of debris. An embodiment disclosed herein depicts the just-described hoof knife at a position on or near the second end of the elongated handle. The hoof knife may also have the above-described foldability as one embodiment of the hoof pick, by rotating outwards and inwards in relation to the elongated handle itself by way of a hinge. It is also contemplated that the hoof knife might be on the second striking surface of the tool head. In so doing, the hoof knife is positioned on the generally linear axis of the upper tool head as opposed to on or near the second end of the elongated handle.
In a contemplated embodiment, ice removal tool additionally comprises an attachment device so as to assist in storing the ice removal tool. Said attachment device may be a D-ring, a D-Loop, an O-ring or O-Loop, an Oval ring, or Oval Loop, or any other ring or loop to assist in hanging on a nail, for example. Further examples of attachment devices may be a form of a shackle or a gate, or even a carabiner. These attachment devices are provided for ease of storage and may be put, by way of example, on a user's belt or upon or in a saddle such that the present invention is readily available even when not in use at a particular moment. As an alternative to being located on or near the hoof pick exterior, it is also contemplated that this attachment device may be located at any other position upon the ice removal tool as is most practical, such as at a position on the upper surface of the substantially linear central body, or upon the exterior of a hoof pick or hoof knife near the second end of the elongated handle.
Various other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description and any appended drawings herein.
One or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout and in which:
Before explaining one or more embodiments of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components as set forth in the following description or as illustrated in any appended drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and appearances, and may be practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
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The substantially linear central body 50 may additionally contain a downward slope 75 near the first striking surface 130. This downward slope 75 is known to be relative to the perpendicular nature of the substantially linear central body 50 with the axis created from the elongated handle 20 of the present disclosure. Further, the first striking surface 130 may contained tapered edges 110a, 110b, which generally converge away from the substantially linear central body 50 and towards a first contact surface 120.
The second striking surface 100 in the present figure is shown here to have a beveled edge 80, which allows for the ability of a human user to scrape or pry with said implement. The beveled edge 80 meets at a second contact surface 90.
The elongated handle second end 40, which is located opposite that of the elongated handle first end 30 in this embodiment utilizes a hoof pick 140. The hoof pick 140 contains an exterior edge 150 with ability for additional features (such as shown in
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Understandably, the present invention has been described above in terms of one or more preferred embodiments and methods. It is recognized that various alternatives and modifications may be made to these embodiments and methods that are within the scope of the present invention. It is also to be understood that, although the foregoing description and drawings describe and illustrate in detail one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention, to those skilled in the art of hand tools, hand tool accessories, ice and debris removal, or in any other art to which the present invention relates, the present disclosure will suggest many modifications and constructions, as well as widely differing embodiments, applications and methods without thereby departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
