Supports: racks – Special article – Article includes elongated portion
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-14
2001-04-10
Gibson, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
Article includes elongated portion
C211S205000, C211S065000, C248S156000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213314
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to racks, stands, and supports for temporarily holding or supporting various articles, and more specifically to a portable rack for temporary penetration of the ground for leaning, resting, and/or suspending various garden tools and accessories therefrom. The present rack is constructed as a rigid, unitary structure, and includes means for precluding rotation in the event that laterally asymmetric loads are placed upon the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gardening and relatively light duty landscaping activities are popular hobbies with many homeowners, and in fact some amount of such work is a nearly universal requirement for all homeowners. Such work generally involves the use of small trowels and other relatively small hand tools and accessories, and also often requires larger, longer handled tools, such as shovels, rakes, hoes, edgers, etc., depending upon the specific task(s).
Most people will require several different tools during any given gardening session, as it is a rare occasion that the time is spent solely on a single type of operation (e.g., digging and spading, or raking, etc.). Most gardening activities will require several different tools to be used during the operation, with the gardener alternately setting one tool aside and picking up another according to the specific operation being performed. This is not a particularly arduous procedure for operations with relatively small hand tools, as the gardener is generally upon his/her hands and knees anyway, and such small tools may be set aside within arms reach as needed.
However, where larger tools (shovels, rakes, hoes, etc.) are used, the gardener remains standing. Yet, the tools must be placed upon the ground unless there is some convenient structure against which the tools may be placed. This is often not the case unless one is working along a fence or the wall of a house or the like. In a garden, there are often no structures whatsoever against which such tools may be temporarily placed until needed, thus requiring the gardener to stoop and bend each time a different larger tool is needed. The repeated stooping and bending to set aside and pick up different tools during the course of a gardening session can prove to be rather arduous, and in fact may account for a large part of the back strain and discomfort which may be experienced by gardeners after a session working in their flower beds, gardens, etc.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a portable rack or rest for temporarily supporting various larger hand tools as commonly used in gardening and manual landscaping operations, for precluding any requirement for the gardener to bend and stoop to pick up such tools. The present rack comprises a central column with at least two crossmembers rigidly and immovably secured thereto. The lower crossmember serves as a planting device upon which the gardener may step to plant the rack temporarily into the ground, while at least one upper crossmember includes a plurality of lateral fingers or extensions defining a series of tool handle rests therebetween. The lower end of the central column includes a spade or blade extending laterally therefrom, which precludes the rotation of the rack within its hole in the ground when asymmetric loads are placed upon the tool rest crossmember. The present rack may be formed in any suitable dimensions to support larger or smaller tools.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 96,484 issued on Nov. 2, 1869 to Benoit Roux, titled “Shovel Stand,” describes a device for indoor use for holding a relatively small shovel and other utensils for use in a fireplace or the like. As such, no means is provided for embedding the device in the ground, as provided by the present invention. Moreover, the Roux stand is disassembleable, unlike the unitary construction of the present invention, and the Roux stand is limited to holding only two tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,150,256 issued on Aug. 17, 1915 to Oris K. Dunbar, titled “Display Rack,” describes a disassembleable stand having a series of support legs into which a vertical column is threaded. No means of planting the device in the ground is provided. The upper end has a detachable circular rack thereon, for removably holding a variety of different implements. The implements are not leaned against the upper rack, as no means is provided to prevent such implements from falling over laterally. In contrast, the present invention includes a series of tool handle rests, in which the elongate handles of the tools may be leaned for ease of retrieval as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,021 issued on Dec. 18, 1962 to Ruth C. Gray, titled “Garment Drying Apparatus,” describes a folding, generally circular clothes drying rack having a series of radially disposed legs for support atop a surface, and another series of radially disposed arms surrounded by a peripheral clothesline. The radial arms and surrounding clothesline do not define any tool handle rests therealong, and a tool which was leaned against such a device would fall over laterally unless carefully positioned. Moreover, the Gray clothes rack does not penetrate or anchor into the ground, and may be folded and disassembled, unlike the unitary, monolithic construction and ground penetration anchoring of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,557 issued on Feb. 5, 1963 to Ralph Husted et al., titled “Portable, Foldable Support,” describes a T-shaped device having a lower ground penetrating spike and a pair of folding upper lateral arms. Husted et al. provide hooks depending from the bottoms of the folding arms for hanging the handle or bale of a lantern or the like therefrom. However, no laterally extending fingers or pins are disclosed for defining a series of tool handle rests therebetween, as in the present portable rack invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,612 issued on Feb. 23, 1965 to Gordon Blumenschein, titled “Garden Tool Holder,” describes a device having a single rod element with a ground penetrating spike and lateral offset for planting the device in the ground. The tool holder is removably installed in the upper end of the rod. by a spring or the like surrounding the upper end of the rod, with an extension of the holder placed within the spring coils. This allows the tool holder(s) to rotate axially about the rod if an asymmetric load is placed thereagainst, as by one or more tool handles being leaned against the holder(s). Moreover, no spade or blade elements extend laterally from the ground penetrating spike of the rod. This allows the rod to rotate relatively easily when an uneven lateral load is placed thereon. In contrast, the present rack is a rigid, unitary structure with lateral blades, and resists rotation due to any asymmetric loads which may be imparted thereto. Also, the Blumenschein holder is adapted only for hanging small hand tools therefrom (column 2, lines 49-51 of Blumenschein), rather than leaning larger tools thereagainst as in the present rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,925 issued on Aug. 28, 1984 to Harry Ratzloff et al., titled “Wheelbarrow And Garden Tool Storage Rack,” describes a wall mounted rack for holding tools and a wheelbarrow clear of the floor. The Ratzloff et al. rack is generally T-shaped, but is secured to the wall of a structure, rather than penetrating the ground for support as in the present invention. Moreover, the Ratzloff et al. rack is adapted for suspending and completely supporting tools therein, rather than serving as a structure for leaning the tools thereagainst with the lower ends of the tools resting on the ground, as in the present rack invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,239 issued on Jan. 14, 1992 to Joseph W. Rowland, titled “Golf-Club Holder For Use With Golf Carts,” describes a stake with a point for imbedding in the ground and an upper end having a series of short chains with rings secured to their distal ends. A golf
Gibson , Jr. Robert W.
Litman Richard C.
LandOfFree
Portable rack for garden tools does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Portable rack for garden tools, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Portable rack for garden tools will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2541512