AU2006100731A4

AU2006100731A4 - Gardening implement

Info

Publication number: AU2006100731A4
Application number: AU2006100731A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Nichloas Kremastos
Original assignee: NICHOLAS KREMASTOS
Current assignee: Kremastos Nicholas
Priority date: 2006-08-28
Filing date: 2006-08-28
Publication date: 2006-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2014-08-28

Description

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GARDENING IMPLEMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION 00 c This invention relates to gardening and agricultural tools and implements in particular but not exclusively to a garden implement which can be used to retrieve garden waste without the use of having to stoop or bend to operate the implement.

10 BACKGROUND ART The raking of garden leaves and garden waste and having to pick up the waste results in an increase of back and knee problems especially in an aging population. The transferring of garden waste into wheelbarrows or compost bins means that bending over or kneeling down can be a painful or difficult task for many elderly people. Gardening is a popular hobby and people like to work in their own backyards not only to keep them neat and tidy but also as healthy exercise to keep fit. The onset of age, arthritis and consequential back and knee injuries can prevent the enjoyment of this aspect of life.

On a greater scale, the cleaning up after public events such as football matches both on a small or large scale whether in parks or large stadiums can be onerous both in terms of physical and time demands. Furthermore, the risk of needle stick injuries from discarded hypodermic needles or injuries from broken glass are also a real threat to workers cleaning up after such events. The invention is also directed to assisting in the cleaning up of other places where large amounts of rubbish or waste need to be picked up especially waste such as paper or plastic cups and food wrappers. There is therefore a need for a quick, easy, safe and time and cost efficient method of solving these concerns.

Prior art solutions to the above situations include the usual practice of picking up rubbish in the back yard by raking up rubbish and then bending over to pick up the rubbish to place it in a bin or wheelbarrow. Gloves are usually required which can be awkward and uncomfortable to use.

Often a wheelbarrow or other such container is needed to transport the rubbish to the bin or place of disposal. In the alternative, large hand scoops can be used to pick up rubbish which can come in contact with the rest of the body. In many cases, only small volumes of rubbish can be moved at any one time by this'method, and in places like stadiums, due to the existence of small areas such as nooks and crannies around buildings, movement and picking up such 2

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rubbish can be awkward and often poses a problem. Furthermore, due to having to stoop and bend to pick up the rubbish, the worker is exposed to dust which can affect the eyes and can be inhaled.

00 N STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect, the invention resides in a garden waste retrieving implement including

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Oin combination, Sa pair of elongate handles, pivoting means adapted to enable the handles to pivot in scissors action with respect to one another, opposed complimentary waste grabbing means at corresponding ends of each handle, at least one of the waste grabbing means having raking tines, wherein in use, the implement can be used as a rake to rake up garden waste and by manipulating handles to separate and bring together the opposed grabbing means, the garden waste can be gathered and grasped, respectively, without a user having to stoop or bend in operating the implement.

Preferably the waste grabbing means are themselves rake ends each with their raking tines facing inwards towards each other.

Preferably the at least one grabbing means is a rake end with opposed sets of tines on either side of the rake end, and wherein one set of tines comprises the grabbing means and the opposite tines are used for normal raking purposes.

Preferably the elongate handles are a pair of rake handles of equal length.

In the alternative, one of the handles may be shorter than the other.

N 3 Preferably the pivoting means is a swivel joint enabling a scissors action between the pair of elongate handles.

00 oo N 5 Preferably the pivoting means is located substantially centrally along the handles.

In another preferred version, the location of the pivoting means can be varied along the length of the handles.

0 10 Preferably, there is a handle keeping means at a free end of the handles to keep the handles Stogether when the implement is used as a rake.

In one version the handles can have a telescoping operation to vary the length of the implement and to facilitate ease of use by users of different physical stature.

In preference, but not necessarily, there can be urging means associated with the handles to urge the grabbing means into the waste gathering or closed position.

Preferably the urging means is a spring associated with the swiveling joint of the pivoting means.

In an alternate aspect of the invention, the invention resides in a garden retrieval implement including, an elongate handle, pivoting means joining the handle to a garden rake adapted to enable the handle and the garden rake to pivot in scissors action with respect to each other, the handle having a waste grabbing means adapted to cooperate with the garden rake, wherein in use, by separating and bringing together the waste grabbing means and the garden rake, garden waste can be gathered and grasped without the user having to stoop or bend to operate the implement.

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In yet a further aspect, the invention resides in a pivoting means for joining two garden rakes ;adapted to enable the handles of the rakes to pivot in scissors action with respect to each other, 00oo S 5 the rake ends of the rakes comprising waste grabbing means, wherein in use, Sby separating and bringing together the rake ends, garden waste can be gathered and grasped, .C 10 respectively, without the user having to stoop or bend to operate the implement.

Preferably in this version, the tines of the rakes face in the same direction thereby allowing one of the rakes to still retain its raking function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention be better understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2 shows use of the invention of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to the drawings and initially to Figure 1, there is shown a preferred garden waste retrieving implement 10 according to the invention. In this preferred embodiment, the implement comprises a pair of garden rakes 12, 14 with the handles 12a, 14a joined substantially mid way along the length of the handles by pivoting means 16 in the form of a swivel joint. The swivel joint 16 is preferably constructed of high impact plastic and enables the handles 12a, 14a of the rakes to pivot or swivel with respect to one another in scissors action. The scissors action allows the rake ends 12b, 14b to be separated and brought together and grasp or hold leaf litter or other garden waste, respectively.

In the preferred version, the location of the swivel joint 16 may be varied along the length of the handles to accommodate both short and tall users of the implement. The waste grabbing means

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N 13 in the form of the rake ends 12b, 14b may be replaced by specially adapted or designed ;grabbing members. In addition, one of the rake ends 12b may have an opposed set of tines 12c to enable the implement to still function as a rake in the usual fashion. There is preferably a C 5 keeper 18 at the free end of the handles to keep the handles together when the implement is being used as a rake in the normal manner. In a preferred embodiment, there may be spring Surging means (not shown) associated with the swivel joint 16 to urge the opposing rake ends 12b, 14b into the closed or litter holding fashion, however, this is not necessary for the operation Sof the implement.

\O Figure 2A 2D show use of the preferred implement of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2A, a user uses the implement 10 as a rake in the usual fashion to rake up leaves or garden waste 22.

In order to use the invention to retrieve the raked material, the user separates the handles 12a, 14a, which in turn separates the rake ends 12b, 14b (see Figure 2B). The separated rake ends 12b, 14b are then placed over the garden waste 22 wherein the handles 12a, 14a are brought together to also bring the rake ends together whereby the garden waste 22 is gathered and grasped (see Figure 2C). As shown by Figure 2D, the waste held in the implement can then be lifted and disposed of in a bin 30 or wheelbarrow.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the length of the handles is of importance to eliminate the necessity of the user to bend or stoop in operating the invention thereby reducing or avoiding injury as a consequence of having to do so.

It will also be obvious to the skilled addressee that the grasping members or rake ends can be configured to a design having an appearance other than that of rakes or rake ends.

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VARIATIONS

It will of course be realised that while the foregoing has been given by way of illustrative 00 C 5 example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is herein set forth.

SThroughout the description and claims this specification the word "comprise" and variations of IC 10 that word such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Claims

1. A gardening implement resides in a garden waste retrieving implement including in combination, a pair of elongate handles, pivoting means adapted to enable the handles to pivot in scissors action with respect to 1C1 10 one another, opposed complimentary waste grabbing means at corresponding ends of each handle, at least one of the waste grabbing means having raking tines, wherein in use, the implement can be used as a rake to rake up garden waste and by manipulating handles to separate and bring together the opposed grabbing means, the garden waste can be gathered and grasped, respectively, without a user having to stoop or bend in operating the implement.

2. A gardening implement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the waste grabbing means are themselves rake ends each with their raking tines facing inwards towards each other.

3. A gardening implement as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the at least one grabbing means is a rake end with opposed sets of tines on either side of the rake end, and wherein one set of tines comprises the grabbing means and the opposite tines are used for normal raking purposes.

4. A gardening implement as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein the elongate handles are a pair of rake handles of equal length. A gardening implement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein one of the handles is shorter than the other.

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6. A gardening implement as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein the pivoting ;means is a swivel joint enabling a scissors action between the handles. 00oo S 5

7. A gardening implement as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein the pivoting means is located substantially centrally along the handles.

8. A gardening implement as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein the location of O Othe pivoting means can be varied along the length of the handles. Q

9. A gardening implement as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein there is a handle keeping means at a free end of the handles to keep the handles together when the implement is used as a rake.

10. A gardening implement as claimed in any one of the above claims, wherein the handles have a telescoping operation to vary the length of the implement to facilitate ease of use by users of different physical stature.

11. A gardening implement as claimed in any of the above claims, wherein there is urging means associated with the handles to urge the grabbing means into the waste gathering or closed position.

12. A gardening implement as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the urging means is a spring associated with the swiveling joint of the pivoting means.

13. A garden retrieval implement including, an elongate handle, pivoting means joining the handle to a garden rake adapted to enable the handle and the garden rake to pivot in scissors action with respect to each other, the handle having a waste grabbing means adapted to cooperate with the garden rake, wherein in use, \O 9 M by separating and bringing together the waste grabbing means and the garden rake, ;garden waste can be gathered and grasped without the user having to stoop or bend to operate the implement. 00 C

14. A pivoting means for joining two garden rakes adapted to enable the handles of the rakes to pivot in scissors action with respect to each other, Sthe rake ends of the rakes comprising waste grabbing means, wherein in use, by separating and bringing together the rake ends, garden waste can be gathered and grasped, respectively, without the user having to stoop or bend to operate the implement. A gardening implement as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the tines of the rakes face in the same direction thereby allowing one of the rakes to still retain its raking function.