US20030213085A1

US20030213085A1 - Polygonal shaped ice scraper

Info

Publication number: US20030213085A1
Application number: US10/151,777
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Murphy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-05-20
Filing date: 2002-05-20
Publication date: 2003-11-20

Abstract

The present invention provides an ice scraper comprising a polygonal shaped body with multiple scraping edges, and a handle attached to the top of the polygonal shaped body.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel scraping device, particularly a polygonal shaped scraper used to dislodge ice from surfaces upon which ice accumulates.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ice scrapers are useful to scrape, cut and chop ice from vehicle windows and windshields. Ice scrapers can also remove ice accumulated on sidewalks, stairs, driveways and pavement from ice storms or from snow which has melted during the day and freezes at night when the temperature drops. Ice scrapers have traditionally been used for cleaning windows on a vehicle. Many of the traditional ice scrapers include a brushing tool for removing snow and a scraping tool for removing ice.

Some of the traditional ice scrapers include only one scraping edge and lack the ability to be useful in the event that the scraping edge becomes impaired. U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,592 describes a combination ice scraper and mitt. The ice scraper can be inserted into a hole within the mitt. The mitt provides warmth and protection to the hand of the user. U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,801 describes an ice scraper with a handle section and a downward curved intermediate section. At the distal end of the downward curved intermediate section is a blade region with a plurality of downwardly curved resilient scraping fingers.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,715 describes an ice scraper with a unitary body, including a handle with a hand grip. Circular shaped ice scrapers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,957, U.S. Pat. No. 2,299,089, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,742. U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,540 describes an ice scraper with multiple scraping surfaces in a plastic plate shape with a circular center opening that acts as a handle but exposes the fingertips of the user to ice and snow fragments.

Existing ice scraper models are often bulky, heavy and cumbersome to use. If the ice scraper blade is made too thin, it will bend under the load and may not be suitable to adequately remove snow and ice. It is, therefore, desirable to develop an improved ice scraper which is long wearing, protects the hands of the user, and which provides enough strength to chip ice into small pieces without breaking the body of the ice scraper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a polygonal shaped ice scraper of the present invention. [0006]
FIG. 2 shows a side view of a polygonal shaped ice scraper of the present invention. [0007]
FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of a polygonal shaped ice scraper of the present invention.[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an ice scraper comprising a polygonal shaped body having a top surface and a bottom surface, said body having a plurality of straight-edged sides which meet the top surface and the bottom surface of the body wherein each of the sides comprises a scraping edge; and a handle attached to the top of the polygonal shaped body. [0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to polygonal shaped ice scrapers which are strong, easy to use and which effectively remove ice from surfaces upon which ice accumulates, particularly windows and windshields. [0010]
As shown in FIGS. [0011] 1-3, the ice scraper comprises a handle 2 attached to a polygonal shaped body 4 having a top surface 8 and a bottom surface 10. In a preferred embodiment the handle is centrally located or attached in the center of the polygonal shaped body. The polygonal shaped body 4 of the ice scraper has a plurality of sides 6, each of the sides comprises a scraping edge 7. The polygonal shaped body 4 may form various configurations including non-conventional shapes and traditional geometrical shapes including, but not limited to, triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, and octagons. In a preferred embodiment, as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, the body 4 of the scraper is hexagonal in shape and has six sides 6 of equal length, each of which comprises a scraping edge 7. The sides 6 meet the top surface 8 and the bottom surface 10 of the body 4. The sides 6 may be configured to produce a beveled scraping edge 7, or a scraping edge 7 formed by gradual sloping out from the top surface of the body to the bottom surface of the body 4. The sides 6 may also be configured to form a substantially perpendicular scraping edge 7 from the top surface 8 to the bottom surface 10 of the body 4.
As shown in FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment the [0012] bottom surface 8 of the body 4 is concave. The concave bottom surface 8 adds strength to the design.
The [0013] handle 2 is located on the top surface 8 of the body 4. In a preferred embodiment, the handle 2 is centrally located on the top surface 8 of the body 4. This design allows protection of the hands of the user from stray ice chips and snow. The handle 2 may be of any shape which allows for secure and easy gripping. In a preferred embodiment the handle is oval in shape. The handle 2 should be of a size which allows for a stable grip and ease in use. It is preferred that the dimensions of both the length and the width of the handle be less than the corresponding dimensions of the body of the ice scraper. It is further preferred that the handle is between 8 cm and 11 cm in length and between 2 and 4 cm in width, more preferably the handle is 9.2 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The handle may further comprise a contoured lip for easy gripping. Most preferred is a handle oval in shape and comprising a contoured lip. The body 4 and the handle 2 may be comprised of any suitable material, including plastics, metals, and vinyls. However, it is preferred that the entire ice scraper be comprised of a contiguous piece of plastic.
Multiple scraping edges provided by the ice scraper of the present invention allow for an extended lifetime of the ice scraper. Should one or more of the edges become dull or damaged, the user simply rotates the scraper to a different scraping edge. Also, multiple scraping edges allow for multi-directional scraping without having to rotate the ice scraper. In a preferred embodiment, wherein the body of the scraper is hexagonal, all six of the sides of the ice scraper have scraping edges. The [0014] scraping edges 7 may vary in length depending upon the size of the window or windshield for which the ice scraper will be used. In a preferred embodiment the scraping edge 7 is between two inches and four inches in length. In a more preferred embodiment the scraping edge 7 of the ice scraper is about three inches in length. Each scraping edge 7 of the ice scraper may further comprise various configurations of beveled edges, raised ridges or other designs to assist in snow and ice removal. A configuration of a scraping edge with raised ridges 12 is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Claims

What is claimed:

1. An ice scraper comprising:

(a) a polygonal shaped body having a top surface and a bottom surface and a plurality of straight edged sides, wherein the sides meet the top surface and the bottom surface of the body and wherein each of the sides comprises a scraping edge; and

(b) a handle attached to the top surface of the polygonal shaped body.

2. The ice scraper of claim 1 wherein the body is a hexagon with six sides.

3. The ice scraper of claim 1 wherein the bottom surface of said body is concave.

4. The ice scraper of claim 1 wherein at least one of the sides of the body comprise a raised ridge surface on the scraping edge.