Patent Application
20150021368
This disclosure relates to an accessory for wheelbarrows, and more specifically, a Wheelbarrow Support Strap.
Wheelbarrows are hand-propelled vehicles that allow a user to transport a load of materials such as tools or yard waste over a relatively short distance. They are commonly used by laborers in the fields of gardening, farming, and construction. A conventional wheelbarrow includes at least one wheel at its front end, an axle assembly, a bin, two legs, and two handle shafts at its rear.
Most wheelbarrows are designed to distribute the weight of its load between its front wheel section and the user. Because the operator must grasp and lift the wheelbarrow's handles to maneuver it, the operator's hand, arm, shoulder, and back muscles often become strained or sore. In addition, because the wheel section is typically located in front, most wheelbarrows easily tip to one side or the other when it they are in use. The laborer must exert significant effort and strength to keep the wheelbarrow stabilized when operating the vehicle. This balancing effort often causes considerable upper body fatigue in the laborer.
The instant application discloses, among other things, a Wheelbarrow Support Strap. In one embodiment, Wheelbarrow Support Strap 110 may comprise of a strap with a first end and second end. Each end may have an attachment means comprising, for example, a cylindrical or tube-shaped grip configured to receive the end of a handle shaft. In another embodiment, the attachment means may be loops, S-hooks, snap hooks, bolt plates, anchor plates, J-hooks, flat hooks, ratchet fasteners, over-center fasteners, slide buckles, and snap buckles. A person skilled in the art will understand that a grip may be made of rubber, foam, silicone, gel, plastic, leather, or any other material.
In another embodiment, the Wheelbarrow Support Strap may comprise a strap equipped with a retraction assembly, for example, a retractable reel that is secured to the strap and which contains a cable reel that connects to the wheelbarrow handle grip. The wheelbarrow assembly may allow the laborer to keep the strap taut while operating the wheelbarrow, as a loose strap would fail to upwardly distribute the weight of the wheelbarrow's load away from the handles and relieve the laborer of upper body fatigue. The retraction assembly may allow the user to adjust the strap length using only one hand. In another embodiment, the retractable reel may be located on the strap's attachment means, for example, the handle grip, to facilitate adjustment to the strap length while the wheelbarrow is in use. In yet another embodiment, the Wheelbarrow Support Strap may have a shock absorbing means attached to each of the first end and the second end, which may provide shock absorption, and may relieve fatigue in the user. The shock absorbing means may comprise, for example, a retraction assembly, an extension spring, or a hydraulic damper. One having skill in the art will recognize that other forms of shock absorbing means may be used.
In yet another embodiment, the Wheelbarrow Support Strap may comprise a strap with a single or plurality of retractable ratchets, for example, two ratchets on opposite ends of the strap.
A person skilled in the art will understand that Wheelbarrow Support Strap may be comprised of any material such as nylon, polypropylene, polyester, webbing, mesh, cotton, spandex, rubber, rope, or cable. One having skill in the art will also recognize that Wheelbarrow Support Strap 100 may be made in various shapes, sizes, and colors, and may have different ways of adjusting length.
Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts in the accompanying drawings.
A more particular description of certain embodiments of Wheelbarrow Support Strap may be had by references to the embodiments shown in the drawings that form a part of this specification, in which like numerals represent like objects.
One or both ends of Wheelbarrow Support Strap 110 may have an adjustment means to lengthen or shorten a working range of Wheelbarrow Support Strap 110. As an example, a fastening means may comprise Buckle 130, which may adjust to various Adjustment Holes 140. In other embodiments, an adjustment means may comprise hook and loop fasteners, spring-loaded retraction devices, a peg, bolt, or other device through corresponding Adjustment Holes 140, friction-based strap adjuster, or other forms of adjusters known in the industry. In another embodiment, Wheelbarrow Support Strap 110 may be of a fixed size, with no adjustment for length. In yet another embodiment, Wheelbarrow Support Strap 110 may have portions that may stretch, configured to prevent excessive force on a user's neck and shoulders. One having skill in the art will recognize that there are many ways to adjust a strap.
Handle Grip 220 may include an ergonomic cushion to minimize fatigue on the laborer's hands and absorb shock. Handle Grip 220 may include any means to provide friction, for example, indentations, to keep the user's hand from slipping. A person skilled in the art will understand that a Handle Grip 220 may be made of rubber, foam, silicone, gel, plastic, leather, or any other material and may provide cushion for the user's hands.
While the detailed description above has been expressed in terms of specific examples, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many other configurations could be used. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that various equivalent modifications of the above-described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Additionally, the illustrated operations in the description show certain events occurring in a certain order. In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order, modified or removed. Moreover, steps may be added to the above described logic and still conform to the described embodiments. Further, operations described herein may occur sequentially or certain operations may be processed in parallel. Yet further, operations may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.
The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
