Patent Application
20210251134
The present invention relates to a rake, and in particular to a pick-up rake which in addition to raking up leaves and debris also enables a user to grab and transport objects such as leaves or debris.
Generally, when raking grass, leaves or other debris before disposal, it is necessary to bend down and use the hands or a separate device to grasp the grass, leaves or other debris. Many people have problems with bending down and picking up objects from the ground which makes disposal of such debris difficult. In addition hands can be soiled by contact with the grass, leaves and other debris. A further issue is that it is only possible to pick-up a small amount with the hands.
There is a need in the industry to provide a rake which addresses the problems associated with grasping and transport of grass, leaves or other debris or at the very least ameliorate one or more disadvantages or limitations associated with the prior art.
It is to be appreciated that any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the present invention. Further, the discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realisation of the inventor and/or the identification of certain related art problems by the inventor. Moreover, any discussion of material such as documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention in terms of the inventor's knowledge and experience and, accordingly, any such discussion should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia, or elsewhere, on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a pick-up rake comprising:
an elongate handle having an upper end and a lower end;
a first rake head mounted onto the lower end of the elongate handle;
a second rake head oppositely disposed to the first rake head, the second rake head mounted onto the elongate handle via a bracket assembly enabling movement of the second rake head relative to the first rake head between a closed position and an open position, wherein the bracket assembly includes a first pivot point located on one side of the elongate handle and a second pivot point located on the opposite side of the elongate handle.
In a second aspect, there is provided use of the pick-up rake of the first aspect to pick up an object(s).
By mounting the second rake head via a bracket assembly having pivot points on either side of the elongate handle, it is possible to move the second rake head relative to the first rake head without the need to clamp or pivot the second rake head on the first rake head. As a consequence, it is possible to use most types of rake heads without modification.
The invention will now be described with reference to the following non-limiting drawings.
The present invention relates to a pick-up rake comprising an elongate handle having an upper end and a lower end; a first rake head mounted onto the lower end of the elongate handle; a second rake head oppositely disposed to the first rake head, the second rake head mounted onto the elongate handle via a bracket assembly enabling movement of the second rake head relative to the first rake head between a closed position and an open position, wherein the bracket assembly includes a first pivot point located on one side of the elongate handle and a second pivot point located on the opposite side of the elongate handle. The handle is suitably hollow and cylindrical in shape.
In one or more embodiments, the bracket assembly suitably includes (a) a first bracket having two ends, the first bracket connected at one end to the second rake head and connected at the other end to a first end of a second bracket thereby forming the first pivot point, and (b) a linker (or small bracket) having two ends, wherein one end of the linker is mounted proximate the lower end of the elongate handle and the other end is connected to the first bracket thereby forming the second pivot point. In one or more embodiments two first brackets and two linkers are used. In one or more embodiments the second rake head suitably includes a rod portion or is suitably mounted onto a rod. In one or more embodiments two first brackets are suitably present and suitably connected on either side of the rod or rod portion and to either side of the second bracket, and two linkers are also suitably present and suitably connected either side of the elongate handle and to the respective first bracket. The bracket(s) may be straight or angular. The rod portion or rod is suitably hollow and cylindrical in shape.
In one or more embodiments a guide sleeve may be provided for sliding movement on the elongated handle in cooperation with the bracket assembly to move the second rake head relative to the first rake head. In one or more embodiments the second bracket suitably includes a second end and the guide sleeve is connected to the second bracket proximate the second end via a third bracket (or guide bracket), suitably a ring member, thereby forming a third pivot point. In one or more embodiments the guide sleeve is suitably provided with an aperture for cooperation with at least one locking pin for locking the rake in the open or closed position. In one embodiment the locking pin is located internally within the elongate handle and has a protrusion acting as a release button which fits through an aperture provided in the elongate handle and cooperates with the aperture provided in the guide sleeve to lock the rake. The guide sleeve may be provided with a cut-out section proximate the aperture in the guide sleeve to guide the protrusion on the locking pin coming into contact with the aperture in the guide sleeve.
In one or more embodiments, in the closed position, the first rake head and second rake head are suitably in close juxtaposition such that a terminal edge of the second rake head is adjacent or flush with an internal surface of the first rake head and in the open position the terminal edge of the second rake head is suitably moved away from the surface of the first rake head thereby forming an opening.
In one or more embodiments, the first rake head and the second rake head suitably have the same or a similar shape, suitably a triangular shape. In one or more embodiments the first rake head and the second rake head are suitably not the same size. In one or more embodiments the second rake head is suitably smaller than the first rake head. In one or more embodiments the first rake head and/or the second rake head suitably includes a base and parallel spaced apart tines projecting from the base. One or more cross-members may be included to support the tines. The tines may be spaced apart at fixed or variable distances. In one or more embodiments the first rake head and/or second rake head suitably includes a base and a pan portion. In one or embodiments the first rake head and/or second rake head includes at least one angled portion proximate a terminal edge.
It will be appreciated that in one embodiment the bracket assembly functions as a lever to move the second rake head through sliding motion of the guide sleeve on the elongated handle.
The various components of the rake can be constructed of any suitable material, for example wood, metal, metal alloy (such as stainless steel, plain carbon steel), rubber, or plastic (for example, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene)) using techniques well known in the art. The metal may be coated such as chrome plated metal. Hand grips, suitably made from rubber, can be provided on the upper end of the elongate handle and on the guide sleeve for comfort. The hand grips may be molded to include grooves to assist manipulation. The components can be extruded, stamped or molded and fixed or mounted to each other by use of bolts, screws (for example 15 to 50 mm headed or headless screws), washers, spring washers, wing nuts, other suitable fasteners, press-fitting, brackets, complementary grooves/threads or otherwise connected.
The invention will now be better understood with reference to the drawings which should not be construed as limiting on the invention. Turning to
Also mounted (via a bracket assembly) onto the handle 2 oppositely disposed to the large rake head 3 is a small rake head 4 which is similar in size and shape to the large rake head 3. The small rake head 4 has a foreshortened terminal small rake head edge 4c allowing the small rake head 4 to be seated above the terminal large rake base edge 3d in the closed position. The small rake head 4 includes a rake base 4a and pan portion or plate 4b which includes an upwardly angled portion close to the terminal small rake head edge. In this way, in the closed position the large rake head 3 and small rake head 4 are in close juxtaposition such that a terminal edge of the small rake head 4c is adjacent or flush with an internal surface of the large rake head 3 and wherein in the open position the terminal edge of the small rake head 4c is moved away from the surface of the large rake head 3 thereby forming an opening (see
The small rake head 4 is mounted onto the elongate handle 2 via a bracket assembly A enabling movement of the small rake head 4 relative to the large rake head 3 between the closed position shown in
In use, the rake 1 in the closed position is used to rake up leaves or other debris. In the closed position the terminal rake head edge 4c of the small rake head 4 is adjacent or in contact with a surface of large rake head 3. To pick up leaves or other debris, a user presses down on the lock pin or button 11 to release the guide sleeve 9 and then pushes down on the guide sleeve 9 enabling the bracket assembly A to pivot around pivot points B, C and D to move the small rake head 4 into the position shown in
The rake of the present invention has the advantage that it is possible to rake up grass, leaves or other debris and pick them up with the same gardening tool. It is possible to pick up leaves or other debris without bending down and saves time by picking up more leaves than is manually possible using hands. The rake of the invention has both domestic and commercial applications. It can be used in domestic backyards, with commercial gardeners and on golf courses, for example.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concept of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiment illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover, by the appended claims, all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
Throughout this specification and the claims that follow, unless the context requires otherwise the words “comprise”, “comprises”, “comprising” will be understood to mean the inclusion of the stated integer, step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any of other integer, step or group of integers or steps.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018902328 | Jun 2018 | AU | national |
| 2018100926 | Jul 2018 | AU | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AU2019/050389 | 4/30/2019 | WO | 00 |
