The invention relates generally to devices for hauling leaves, dirt, wood, gravel or rocks, lawn or other yard refuse, and tools over ground.
Tarps, wheelbarrows, and other similar devices are well known for use with hauling or carrying materials over ground. However, the prior art exhibits several deficiencies. Tarps lay flat on the ground, without any raised edge or “wall.” Because they lack such walls, dirt, leaves, other refuse, and the like may shift off the tarp due to wind, uneven terrain, or moving the tarp about. Tarps also are large and flexible, making them difficult to transport when loaded down. Other devices, such as wheelbarrows or wagons that attempt to create such a wall are not easily collapsible for storing after use, because they are formed of rigid, non-flexible material. What is needed, then, is a device formed of a flexible but durable material that, when deployed, has walls for collecting refuse.
In some aspects, the invention relates to a device for hauling materials over ground, the device having a non-rigid mat constructed of durable waterproof material and having a front edge, two side edges, and a back edge; a handle attached to the front edge; two sleeves, each sleeve in a corner opposite from the first edge, the sleeve adapted to receive a dowel; two dowels, each dowel adapted to be inserted into a sleeve, such that when the dowels are set substantially perpendicular to the ground, adjacent edges of the mat are raised to form a flexible wall; two handles attached to the back edge, each handle positioned parallel to a sleeve; and a plurality of fasteners adapted to secure the handles to the ground.
In other aspects, the invention relates to a device for hauling materials over ground, the device having a mat; a handle attached to the front edge of the mat; and a dowel coupled to a corner of the mat, such that the dowel is substantially perpendicular to the ground and sides edges are raised when the device is in use.
In other aspects, the invention relates to a method for utilizing a hauling device, having the steps of spreading a mat over the ground, the mat having a front edge, a handle attached to the front edge, a plurality of corners, a plurality of sleeves, each sleeve positioned in a corner and adapted to receive a dowel, and a plurality of bands, each hand attached to a corner having a sleeve; inserting a dowel into a sleeve; pulling the band corresponding to a sleeve having a dowel taut, such that the dowel is substantially perpendicular to the ground; and fastening the band to the ground with a fastener.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
It should be noted that identical features in different drawings are shown with the same reference numeral.
The device 1 is a large planar mat 5 having raised side edges 15 and a raised back edge 10, with handles 25 attached to the front edge 20. The mat 5 in the embodiment shown is rectangular, which allows the back corners 55 to be raised upward. However, other embodiments may be square, triangular, or some other polygonal form. Additionally, the edges 10, 15, and 20 may have a curved or other non-linear profile, or may be sloped as side edges 15 in the embodiment depicted in
The mat 5 is formed of a flexible, durable material, such as nylon, vinyl, mesh, or polyethylene or other flexible plastic. The mat 5 is preferably waterproof or water resistant to prevent water damage to the hauling device 1 when used over moist or waterlogged ground. However, it is not necessary that the device be waterproof or water-resistant.
The back edge 10 of the mat 5 depicted in
The dowel 35 may be coupled to the mat in any number of ways. For example, as depicted in
Also alternatively, in other embodiments, the dowel may be permanently coupled to the mat 5, for example, by being affixed or fastened to the mat 5 with glue or mechanical fasteners such as staples, or being sewn into a closed sleeve or compartment in the corner 55. In such embodiments, the side edges 15 and back edge 10 may be lowered by laying the dowel 35 down parallel to the ground, without actually removing the dowel 35 from its attachment to the mat 5.
In some embodiments, as also depicted in
However, in other embodiments, the band 40 may be rigid and in such a shape as to support the dowel 35 when the dowel is in a raised position.
As depicted in
In
In
Other configurations are also possible by placing fasteners through different grommets 50 around the perimeter.
To use the device 1, a user spreads the mat 5 out over the ground in a desired location. If the user intends to make use of the raised edges to form walls, one or more dowels 35 are inserted into the sleeves 30. To raise the dowels such that they support the side edges 15 and back edge 10, the user pulls the band 40 taut along the ground and secures it to the ground by a fastener 45. If the user desires to use alternative configurations as depicted in
The user may then gather into the mat such lawn debris, clippings, leaves, or other refuse, and any other objects or materials that the user desires. After the user has completed the task, or the mat 5 is full, the user removes the fasteners 45 from the ground and may drag the mat 5 by the handles 25. Alternatively, one person may grab the handles 25, and a second person may grab the bands 40, and together the two may carry away the mat 5. To unload the mat 5, a user can simply pull on the bands 40 to dump the load onto the ground from the front of the mat 5.
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed here. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.
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