Patent Application
20230053768
The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant
The present invention relates to well drilling and soil sampling, and more particularly it relates to a hand-actuated earth auger, the tee handle of which can be clamped at any height along the stem rod, thus allowing the operator to more ergonomically use the auger, and in particular to lift the auger out of the ground by doing a seated calf raise. It is known that seated calf raises allow a regular person to lift easily more than twice his or her own body weight, an ability useful when pulling the auger out of wet clay or wet sand.
Hand-actuated earth augers of the type used to drill water wells, for taking soil samples, or other similar purposes, consist of one spiral or bladed earth drill, extended with one stem rod which ends with a tee handle. The stem rod is assembled form one or more stem segments, each segment being approximately four feet long.
Of the known hand-actuated earth augers, the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 256,039 allows the stem segment ending with the tee handle to be telescopically adjusted in height for improved ergonomics. As disclosed however, the operator is unable to pull the auger out of wet clay or wet sand by doing a seated calf rise, because the height of the tee-handle can be adjusted only with the earth drill removed from the ground.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a hand-actuated earth auger which allows the operator to more ergonomically use the auger, and in particular to lift it out of the ground by doing a seated calf raise, with the tee handle positioned across his upper legs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-actuated earth auger the stem rod of which, or the individual stem segments, can be made longer, thus reducing cost by employing fewer stem-segment connectors.
These and other objects are obtained in accordance with the present invention wherein there is provided a hand-actuated earth auger consisting of a spiral or bladed earth drill, extended with one stem rod composed of one or more stem segments, and one tee handle provided with a handle collar. The handle collar of the tee handle can be clamped at any position along the stem rod, and also allows the tee handle to be configured in two ways, resulting in two different heights of the tee handle measured from the tip of the auger. Such features allow the operator to lift the auger out of the ground by doing a seated calf raise in two quick increments, resulting in superior force-lifting abilities, particularly useful when pulling the auger out of wet clay or wet sand.
Further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Stem rod 15 can be fabricated in one piece or can be assembled from multiple stem segments 30 by means of connectors 35, and of bolts 36.
Handle collar 20 can be clamped at any location along stem rod 15 with the help of clamping bolt 40 which threads into a nut 41 welded on the side of handle collar 20. In another embodiment of the present invention, nut 41 is welded on the edge of handle collar 20, such that the axis of clamping bolt 40 is contained in the diagonal plane of stem rod 15. As it is apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, in order for clamping bolt 40 to engage stem rod 15 when tightened, a sufficiently large hole aligned with the axis of nut 41 must be practiced into handle collar 20 before said nut is welded in place.
Tee handle 25 consists of a pair of handlebars 46 and a central bracket 47 fastened together by welding or by other means, or are fabricated in one piece.
Central bracket 47 is provided with a pair of holes 51 and 61 which serve to assemble securely tee handle 25 with handle collar 20 by means of pins 5 and 6 and of a long pin 55. Pins 5 and 6 are provided each with transverse small holes 50 and 60, and are solidly attached to the side of handle collar 20. Pins 5 and 6 are oriented such that they can be inserted through holes 51 and 61 as suggested by the two parallel dashed lines in
For the hand-actuated earth auger ready for use having the handle collar 20 clamped at a desired location along stem rod 15, and for tee handle 25 secured in place using long pin 55, a distance L1 can be measured between the tip of earth drill 10 and the longitudinal axis of handlebars 46.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been particularly described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it should be understood that the invention is not so limited. Many modifications, equivalents and adaptations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims:
