Patent Application
20150264854
The disclosure relates to gardening tool devices and more particularly pertains to a new gardening tool device for allowing a person to dig holes into the dirt using a single hand.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an elongated shaft having a first end and a second end. A handle is coupled to the first end of the shaft. A blade is coupled to the second end of the shaft and is configured for being inserted into an area of soil. A stop is coupled to the shaft. A perimeter edge of the stop extends outwardly beyond an outer diameter of the shaft wherein the stop is configured to prevent a user's hand from sliding down the shaft beyond the stop when the user's hand is grasping the handle.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A blade 28 is coupled to the second end 16 of the shaft 12. The blade 28 is configured for being inserted into an area of soil for digging a hole in the area of soil. The blade 28 may be collinear with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 12. The blade 28 includes a distal end 30 with respect to the handle 18. The distal end 30 may be pointed. The blade 28 comprises a plurality of planar faces 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 and may comprise exactly six planar faces. The planar faces 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 include a pair of lateral faces 32, 34, a pair of top faces 36, 38, and a front face 40 positioned opposite a rear face 42. Each of the top faces 36, 38 is attached to the second end 16 of the shaft 12 and slants downwardly and outwardly relative to the second end 16 of the shaft 12. Each of the top faces 36, 38 has a distal edge 44, 46 and a proximal edge 48, 50 with respect to the second end 16 of the shaft 12. Each top face 36, 38 may taper inwardly from the proximal edge 48, 50 to the associated distal edge 44, 46. Each of the lateral faces 32, 34 extends upwardly and outwardly from the distal end 30 of the blade 28 in opposite directions with respect to each other. Each of the lateral faces 32, 34 has an associated top edge 52, 53. Each lateral face 32, 34 may taper inwardly from the top edge 52, 53 to the distal end 30 of the blade 28. Each of the top faces 36, 38 is attached to the top edge 52, 53 of an associated one of the lateral faces 32, 34. Each of the front 40 and rear 42 faces may be diamond-shaped. Each of the blade 28 and the shaft 12 are constructed from a rigid material, such as metal. As shown in the Figures, the blade 28 may be constructed in various sizes. In particular,
A stop 58 is coupled to the shaft 12. A perimeter edge 60 of the stop 58 extends outwardly beyond an outer diameter of the shaft 12 wherein the stop 58 is configured to prevent a user's hand from sliding down the shaft 12 beyond the stop 58 when the user's hand is positioned on and is grasping the handle 18. The perimeter edge 60 of the stop 58 may be annular. The stop 58 may comprise a plate 62 having an upper surface 64 and a lower surface 66 each being planar. The perimeter edge 60 of the stop 58 is coupled to and positioned between the upper surface 64 and the lower surface 66. The stop 58 may be positioned in vertically spaced relationship above the blade 28 and may also be positioned between the handle 18 and the first end 14 of the shaft 12. The stop 58 is also constructed from a durable material, such as metal, plastic or the like. In the event that the handle 18 and the shaft 12 are integrally coupled, the stop 58 may have a central hole through which the handle 18 and shaft 12 extend. Alternatively, in the event that the handle 18 and the shaft 12 are formed from separate pieces of material, the stop 58 may be completely solid between the upper 64 and lower 66 surfaces.
In use, as stated above and shown in the Figures, the user grasps the handle 18 with a single hand and inserts the blade 28 into an area of soil. The user moves the assembly 10 in a circular motion in order to separate the soil without disrupting any mulch that was applied to the soil. This allows the user to dig a hole in the soil in order to plant a flower or other plant in the soil. The user is able to control how great of a circular motion to apply in order to create a larger or smaller hole as desired.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
