POWERED AND MANUAL AUGER

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for drilling a hole. A hybrid powered and manual auger is disclosed. The auger may include one or more cutting blades coupled to a drive shaft driven by a motor. The auger may further include a manual crank configured to rotate the motor and the drive shaft about a drive axis. The manual crank comprises a U-shaped offset formed by an upper crank arm and a lower crank arm joined by a crank handle portion. The drive shaft can be rotated by the motor alone, by rotation of the manual crank alone, and by a combination of the motor and rotation of the manual crank.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to augers for drilling holes, and in particular to a hole drilling method and apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Augers are used to drill narrow holes, such as through ice for ice fishing or in the earth for setting posts. A typical auger has one or more boring blades at the lower end of an upright drive shank and a spiral flighting extending from the boring blades up a lower portion of the drive shank. The drive shank is rotated to turn the blades to bore a hole, such as through the ice. Some augers are manual, such that the drive shank is rotated manually, by an operator turning a crank. Other augers are powered, such that the drive shank is rotated by an electric motor or fuel-powered engine.

Presently, powered augers cannot be operated by hand, which creates challenges when the source of power (e.g. fuel, electricity, battery, etc.) runs out or is not available. Similarly, present manual augers do not provide a powered option. Accordingly, users desiring a powered auger option may need to carry both a powered auger and a manual auger. Augers can be large and awkward to transport, which makes carrying and transporting two separate augers burdensome.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to embodiments of and methods of using a hybrid, powered and manual, auger that can be operated as a manual auger or a powered auger independently and in combination.

Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The written disclosure herein describes illustrative embodiments that are non-limiting and non-exhaustive. Reference is made to certain of such illustrative embodiments that are depicted in the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an electric and manual ice auger, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a handle portion of the electric and manual ice auger of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a top handle of the electric and manual ice auger of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a drive motor of the electric and manual ice auger of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a battery mount of the drive motor of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is directed to embodiments of and methods of using a hybrid powered and manual auger that can be operated as a manual auger or a powered auger independently and in combination. Described differently, the embodiments of the present disclosure can be operated as a manual auger without power (manual-only operation), or operated as a powered auger driven by a motor without any manual power (power-only operation), or operated as a combined manual and powered auger. A user can rely on a single auger apparatus of the present disclosure to provide a powered auger option, without concern for situations when the power source for the powered auger option runs out or is unavailable. Were the power source to be unavailable, manual-only operation of the auger would be available. Moreover, the user can enhance the drilling capability of the auger by combining manual power and electrical power.

The following description is made with particular reference to ice augers. However, an ordinarily skilled artisan appreciate that augers can also be used to drill holes for a variety of purposes besides drilling holes in or through ice. For example, an auger can be used to drill holes in the ground, such as for setting posts (e.g. a fence post), or other situations where a narrow hole is advantageous. A typical auger hole is four to ten inches in diameter.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. It will be readily understood that the components of the present disclosure, as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the apparatus is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, but is merely representative of possible embodiments of the disclosure. In addition, the steps of a method do not necessarily need to be executed in any specific order, or even sequentially, nor need the steps be executed only once, unless otherwise specified. In some cases, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an electric and manual ice auger 100, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The auger 100 includes a bit 102, a drive shaft 104, a drive motor 106, and a handle portion 108, which includes a manual crank 110. The bit 102 and drive shaft 104 are concentric and coaxial, sharing a longitudinal axis that can be referred to as a drive axis 105, about which rotation of various components of the auger 100 occurs and along which the drilling direction occurs, as will be described below. As can be appreciated, other embodiment of an auger can be used for purposes other than drilling holes in ice, such as drilling holes in the ground.

The bit 102 comprises a central bit shank 112 to drive one or more ice cutting blades 114 positioned and fixedly secured at the distal (lower) end of the bit shank 112. A spiral auger 116 or flighting is coaxially mounted around the bit shank 112, extending up the drive axis 105. The bit 102, and correspondingly the bit shank 112, the ice cutting blades 114, and the spiral auger 116, are configured to rotate around the drive axis 105, when the auger 100 is in operation. The proximal (upper) end of the bit shank 112 is configured to couple concentrically to the drive shaft 104 aligned with the drive axis 105. As the bit shank 112 is rotated about the drive axis 105, the ice cutting blades 114 and spiral auger 116 also rotate around the drive axis 105. If the ice cutting blades 114 are pressed against ice and rotated, the ice cutting blades 114 will gradually bore a hole in the ice in a direction distally along the drive axis 105. The spiral auger 116 is configured to lift ice shavings away from the ice cutting blades 114, proximally along the drive axis, and out of the hole being cut.

As can be appreciated, in another embodiment, the bit shank 112 and the drive shaft 104 may be integrated and/or comprise the same component. In the present embodiment, the bit 102 can be removed from the drive shaft 104 for easy replacement, repair, sharpening, etc. However, this is feature is optional and the blades 114 and spiral auger 116 can be mounted to a single, unitary shaft extending from the drive motor 106.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the handle portion 108 of the electric and manual ice auger of FIG. 1. The handle portion 108 comprises a top handle 118 and the manual crank 110. The handle portion 108 is configured to allow a user to operate the auger 100 manually.

The manual crank 110 comprises a U-shaped offset formed by two crank arms, an upper crank arm 120 and a lower crank arm 122, joined by a crank handle portion 124. The crank arms 120, 122 protrude radially outward in the same direction, away from the drive axis 105, at disparate points along the drive axis 105. The upper crank arm 120 couples at an inner end to the top handle 118 and couples at an outer end to the crank handle portion 124. The lower crank arm 122 couples at an inner end to the drive motor 106 or other component coupled to the drive shaft 104 and couples at an outer end to the crank handle portion 124. The crank handle portion 124 may comprise a tubular member connecting outer ends of the crank arms 120, 122 and extending substantially parallel to the drive axis 105. The manual crank 110 may be operated by rotating the crank handle portion 124 about the drive axis 105, thereby rotating the drive shaft 104 and bit shank 112, which in turn rotates the one or more ice cutting blades 114 and the spiral auger 116. The distance D1 created by the crank arms 120, 122 between the longitudinal axis of the crank handle portion 124 and the drive axis 105 provides leverage to enable the manual crank 110 to drive (rotate) the drive shaft 104, and in turn rotate the bit 102.

The crank handle portion 124 may further comprise a hand grip 126 configured to rotate (or spin) about the longitudinal axis of the crank handle portion 124, allowing a user to more easily rotate the crank 110 about the drive axis 105. The rotatable hand grip 126 allows the user to firmly grasp the crank and/or apply a firm downward pressure while turning the crank 110.

The crank handle portion 124 may further comprise a trigger 127 to activate the drive motor 106. The trigger 127 may be positioned on the hand grip 126 to allow a user to easily activate the drive motor while grasping the hand grip 126. The drive motor 106, when activated by the trigger 127, may spin the drive shaft 104 and the bit 102. The trigger of the hand grip 126 of the crank 110 may work in conjunction with another trigger 130, such as on the top handle 118, to provide a two-button activation safety mechanism, as discussed in greater detail below.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a top handle 118 of the electric and manual ice auger of FIG. 1. The top handle 118 comprises an upper shaft that is aligned coaxial with both the drive shaft 104 and the bit shank 112. The top handle 118, although aligned with the drive shaft 104 on the drive axis 105, is separated from the drive shaft 104 by a distance D2, as shown in FIG. 2. The separation (of distance D2) allows a user's arm to pass through the drive axis 105 unimpeded when turning the crank 110 to operate the auger 100 manually. The user can hold the top handle 118 to steady the auger 100 during both manual and/or powered operation of the auger 100. The user can also provide a downward force along the drive axis 105 using the top handle 118.

As can be appreciated, in other embodiments the top handle 118 may be positioned non-concentric (not aligned or not co-axial) with the drive shaft 104 and the bit shank 112, at a distance away from the drive axis 105 equal to the distance D2 of the crank handle portion 124 away from the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 104, and on an opposite side of the drive axis 105 of the drive shaft 104. Accordingly, the top handle 118 and crank handle portion 124 can simultaneously be rotated about the drive axis 105 to rotate the drive shaft 104.

The top handle 118 may also comprise a rotatable hand grip 128 configured to rotate (or spin) about a longitudinal axis of the top handle 118. A rotatable hand grip 128 allows a user to firmly grip the top handle 118 while operating the crank 110.

In the illustrated embodiment, the top handle 118 includes a trigger 130 on top of the rotatable hand grip 128 to activate the drive motor 106. A user can grasp the hand grip 128 of the top handle 118 in the hand and operate the trigger 130 with, for example, the thumb. The trigger 130 causes the drive motor 106 to spin the drive shaft 104 and the bit 102. As can be appreciated, the trigger 130 may be positioned other than on the top of the hand grip 128, so as to be operated by one or more different fingers.

The trigger 130 may function in conjunction with another trigger 127 (shown in FIG. 2) on the hand grip 126 of the crank 110 to provide a two-button activation safety mechanism. The trigger 130 of the top handle 118 and the trigger 127 of the crank 110 may be configured to require concurrent activation in order to activate the drive motor 106. Concurrent activation may require that the user place both hands on the auger 100, one hand on the top handle 118 and the other hand on the crank 110, to use the power-option of the auger 100, which can limit accidental or inadvertent activation of the drive motor 106.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a drive motor 106 of the electric and manual ice auger 100 of FIG. 1. The drive motor 106 enables the powered option of the electric and manual ice auger 100. The drive motor 106 of the illustrated embodiment is electric and comprises a battery 132 to provide a source of electric power to the drive motor 106. As can be appreciated, in another embodiment the drive motor 106 may be other than electric powered. For example, the drive motor 106 may be a fuel-powered engine.

The drive motor 106 is coupled at a distal end to the drive shaft 104 and is configured to rotate the drive shaft 104 on (or about) the drive axis 105. The drive motor 106 is also coupled to the lower crank arm 122. By coupling the lower crank arm 122 to the drive motor 106, the crank 110 can be used to hold the drive motor 106 rotationally fixed (not rotating around the drive axis 105) during power-only operation of the auger 100. The crank 110 can also be used to rotate the drive motor 106 around the drive axis 105 in the direction of drilling (the direction in which the one or more ice cutting blades 114 rotate when cutting ice) for either manual-only operation of the auger 100 or combined manual and power operation of the auger 100.

The drive motor 106 may include an internal breaking mechanism and/or locking mechanism 140 to lock the drive shaft 104 relative to the drive motor 106. Locking the drive shaft 104 relative to the drive motor 106 may enable the drive motor 106 to be rotated manually, such as with the manual crank 110, to rotate the drive shaft 104, the bit 102, and the ice cutting blades 114. In one embodiment the locking mechanism 140 may be a pin. In another embodiment, the locking mechanism 140 may be a spring loaded pin. In another embodiment, the locking mechanism 140 may include a button to activate an internal breaking mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a battery mount 134 of the drive motor 106 of FIG. 4. As illustrated, the battery 132 of the illustrated embodiment is mounted on the side of the drive motor 106. The battery mount 134 allows the battery 132 to quickly slide and lock into position, while also allowing quick release of the battery 132 for ease of charging. The battery mount 134 also allows a dead or drained battery to be exchanged for a charged battery.

As can be appreciated, in other embodiments the battery mount 134 may be positioned in different configurations. For example, the battery mount 134 may be positioned on a different side of the drive motor. The battery mount 134 may also be positioned on top of the drive motor 106, so as to be in line with the drive axis 105. Positioning the battery 132 in line with the drive axis 105 can harness gravity to provide a balanced downward force, down the drive axis, to enhance effectiveness of the ice cutting blades 114.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention.

Claims

1. An auger comprising: one or more cutting blades configured to penetrate a surface of a material in which a hole is desired;a drive shaft coupled to the one or more cutting blades and configured to rotate the one or more cutting blades around a drive axis in line with a longitudinal axis of the drive shaft, the cutting blades positioned at a distal end of the drive shaft;a spiral auger blade extending a length from the one or more cutting blades toward a proximal end of the drive shaft, the spiral auger blade configured to raise debris created by the blades out of the hole as the spiral auger blade is rotated in a drilling direction, the drive shaft coupled to the spiral auger blade and configured to rotate the spiral auger blade around the drive axis in the drilling direction;a motor coupled to the drive shaft and configured to, when activated, rotate the drive shaft on the drive axis; anda manual crank coupled to the motor and configured to rotate the motor and the drive shaft about the drive axis, the manual crank comprising a U-shaped offset formed by an upper crank arm and a lower crank arm joined by a crank handle portion,wherein the drive shaft can be rotated by the motor alone, by rotation of the manual crank alone, and by a combination of the motor and rotation of the manual crank.

2. An auger of claim 1, further comprising: a hand grip for the manual crank positioned on the crank handle portion, the hand grip rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the crank handle portion and relative to the crank handle portion; anda trigger on the hand grip of the manual crank to activate the motor.

3. An auger of claim 1, further comprising: a top handle coupled to the upper crank arm and positioned above and separate from the drive shaft and aligned with the drive axis, the top handle rotatable about the drive axis and relative to the crank arm;and a trigger on the top handle to activate the motor.

4. An auger of claim 1, further comprising: a hand grip for the manual crank positioned on the crank handle portion, the hand grip rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the crank handle portion and relative to the crank handle portion;a trigger on the hand grip of the manual crank to activate the motor;a top handle coupled to the upper crank arm and positioned above and separate from the drive shaft and aligned with the drive axis, the top handle rotatable about the drive axis and relative to the crank arm;and a trigger on the top handle to activate the motor,wherein the drive motor is activated by concurrent activation of the trigger on the hand grip of the manual crank and activation of the trigger on the top handle, such that the two triggers provide a two-button activation safety mechanism by ensuring two hands are positioned on the auger when the motor of the auger is activated.

5. An auger of claim 1, further comprising a breaking mechanism configured to lock the drive shaft relative to the motor to enable the motor to be manually rotated to rotate the drive shaft and the blades.

6. An auger of claim 1, wherein the motor is an electric motor.

7. An auger of claim 1, wherein the motor is a fuel-powered engine.

8. An auger of claim 1, further comprising a two-button activation mechanism to ensure two hands are positioned on the auger when the motor of the auger is activated, the two-button activation mechanism comprising: a trigger on a hand grip of the manual crank; anda trigger on a top handle, the top handle coupled to the upper crank arm and positioned above and separate from the drive shaft and aligned with the drive axis,wherein the drive motor is activated by concurrent activation of the trigger on the hand grip of the manual crank and activation of the trigger on the top handle, such that the two triggers provide a safety mechanism to ensure two hands are positioned on the auger when the motor of the auger is activated.

9. An auger comprising: a drive shaft configured to rotate on a drive axis in line with a longitudinal axis of the drive shaft;an auger bit coupled to the drive shaft and configured to be rotated by the drive shaft on the drive axis, the auger bit comprising: a bit shank having an elongate shape having a proximal end and distal end, the proximal end configured to releasably couple to the drive shaft;one or more blades disposed at the distal end of the bit shank and configured to penetrate a surface in which the hole is desired as a force is applied down the drive shaft and down the bit shank, the bit shank coupled to the one or more blades and configured to rotate the one or more blades around the drive axis in a drilling direction to cause the blades to bore into the surface; anda spiral auger blade spiraling and extending a length from the one or more blades at the distal end of the bit shank toward the proximal end of the bit shank, the spiral auger blade configured to raise debris created by the blades out of the hole as the spiral auger blade is rotated in the drilling direction, the bit shank coupled to the spiral auger blade and configured to rotate the spiral auger blade around the drive axis in the drilling direction;a motor coupled to the drive shaft and configured to, when activated, rotate the drive shaft on the drive axis and thereby rotate the auger bit; anda manual crank configured to rotate the motor and the drive shaft about the drive axis, the manual crank comprising a U-shaped offset formed by an upper crank arm and a lower crank arm joined by a crank handle portion,wherein the drive shaft can be rotated by the motor alone, by rotation of the manual crank alone, and by a combination of the motor and rotation of the manual crank.

10. An auger of claim 9, further comprising: a top handle coupled to the upper crank arm and positioned above and separate from the drive shaft and aligned with the drive axis, the top handle rotatable about the drive axis and relative to the crank arm;a hand grip for the manual crank positioned on the crank handle portion, the hand grip rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the crank handle portion and relative to the crank handle portion; anda trigger on at least one of the top handle and the manual crank to activate the motor.

11. An auger of claim 10, further comprising: a trigger on the other of the top handle and the manual crank to activate the motor, such that both the top handle and the hand grip include a trigger.

12. An auger of claim 11, wherein the drive motor is activated by concurrent activation of the trigger on the hand grip of the manual crank and activation of the trigger on the top handle, such that the two triggers provide a two-button activation safety mechanism by ensuring two hands are positioned on the auger when the motor of the auger is activated.

13. An auger of claim 9, further comprising a two-button activation mechanism to ensure two hands are positioned on the auger when the motor of the auger is activated, the two-button activation mechanism comprising: a trigger on a hand grip of the manual crank; anda trigger on a top handle, the top handle coupled to the upper crank arm and positioned above and separate from the drive shaft and aligned with the drive axis,wherein the drive motor is activated by concurrent activation of the trigger on the hand grip of the manual crank and activation of the trigger on the top handle, such that the two triggers provide a safety mechanism to ensure two hands are positioned on the auger when the motor of the auger is activated.

14. An auger of claim 9, further comprising a breaking mechanism configured to lock the drive shaft relative to the motor to enable the motor to be manually rotated to rotate the drive shaft and the blades.

15. An auger of claim 9, wherein the motor is an electric motor.

16. An auger of claim 9, wherein the motor is a fuel-powered engine.

17. A method of drilling a hole, comprising: positioning an auger on a surface where the hole is desired, the auger configured to operate powered and manually, the auger comprising: one or more cutting blades configured to penetrate the surface in which the hole is desired;a drive shaft coupled to the one or more cutting blades and configured to rotate the one or more cutting blades around a drive axis in line with a longitudinal axis of the drive shaft, the cutting blades positioned at a distal end of the drive shaft;a spiral auger blade spiraling and extending a length from the one or more cutting blades toward a proximal end of the drive shaft, the spiral auger blade configured to raise debris created by the blades out of the hole as the spiral auger blade is rotated in the drilling direction, the drive shaft coupled to the spiral auger blade and configured to rotate the spiral auger blade around the drive axis in the drilling direction;a motor coupled to the drive shaft and configured to, when activated, rotate the drive shaft on the drive axis; anda manual crank configured to rotate the motor and the drive shaft about the drive axis, the manual crank comprising; a U-shaped offset formed by an upper crank arm and a lower crank arm joined by a crank handle portion;a hand grip for the manual crank positioned on the crank handle portion, the hand grip rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the crank handle portion and relative to the crank handle portion, the hand grip including a trigger to activate the motor; anda top handle coupled to the upper crank arm and positioned above and separate from the drive shaft and aligned with the drive axis, the top handle rotatable about the drive axis and relative to the crank arm, the top handle including a trigger to activate the motor,wherein the drive motor is activated by concurrent activation of the trigger on the hand grip of the manual crank and activation of the trigger on the top handle;positioning a first hand on the hand grip of the manual crank;positioning a second hand on the top handle; andactivating the motor to rotate the drive shaft and drill the hole.

18. The method of drilling a hole of claim 17, further comprising rotating the manual crank with the first hand to rotate the drive shaft by a combination of the motor and rotation of the manual crank.

19. The method of drilling a hole of claim 17, wherein activating of the motor includes manipulating one of the trigger on the hand grip and the trigger on the top handle to activate the motor to rotate the drive shaft and drill the hole.

20. The method of drilling a hole of claim 17, wherein the motor of the auger is configured such that activation of the motor requires concurrent manipulation of the trigger on the hand grip and the trigger on the top handle, and wherein activating the motor includes concurrently manipulating the trigger on the hand grip and the trigger on the top handle.