Root cutting shovel

Details Root cutting shovel Root cutting shovel

2000-01-13

2002-01-15

Cherry, Johnny D. (Department: 3652)

Handling: hand and hoist-line implements

Hand forks and shovels

C294S051000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06338511

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to manually used shovels, such as are typically utilized for cutting through soil, grass roots and small tree roots as the user digs into soil. More particularly, the present invention concerns a root cutting shovel having the capability for cutting through tree roots that cannot ordinarily be cut by conventional shovels and cutting through surface oriented grass and weed roots to enable efficient handling of the soil, including consolidated soil or loose soil, being shoveled. Even more particularly, the present invention concerns a shovel geometry that enables the soil load being cut away and removed by the shovel to remain on the blade of the shovel as the soil is cut and lifted, thus minimizing the labor that is ordinarily needed for general shoveling activities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Though a wide variety of shovels have been developed for a wide variety of specific shoveling needs, the present invention is directed generally to round point shovels having a long straight handle or a D-handle. Round point shovels typically have a curved shovel blade with a concave blade face directed in a forward direction, away from the user and a convex blade face directed rearwadly or toward the user. At its rear end the shovel blade typically define a tubular handle connector that is typically of curved configuration and which receives a shovel handle of the long straight type or of the D-handle type. The tubular handle typically extends from the central region of the shovel blade, being forged or otherwise formed by the blade structure and extends upwardly well beyond the upper edge of the shovel blade where it forms a receptacle to receive the shovel handle. The tubular handle connector or receptacle is typically of tapered internal configuration and the lower end of the handle is likewise tapered to establish a good surface-to-surface fit between the handle connector and handle.
The handle connector is typically oriented with respect to the shovel blade to provide for angulation or inclination of the longitudinal center-line of the shovel blade relative to the shovel handle. This angulation or inclination of the shovel blade relative to the shovel handle permits the shovel blade to be oriented at a slightly inclined relation with the horizontal, with the shovel blade at ground level, while the handle of the shovel is positioned with its upper end at substantially waist or hip level of a user. In this shovel position the blade of the shovel can be used efficiently to skim or skin a substantially flat section of soil or remove grass and weeds from the surface of the soil without deeply disturbing the soil. This feature permits a round point shovel to be efficiently utilized for contouring or controlling the configuration of the surface of the soil. A D-handle for a round point shovel is typically short and the D-handle fitting at the upper end of the handle defines upwardly diverging handle elements which support a transversely oriented griping element of a size for efficient gripping by the gloved or non-gloved hand of a user. A straight shovel handle is typically significantly longer as compared to a D-handle and thus provides significantly greater leverage for efficient shovel use when the soil being cut is of fairly consolidated nature. A user will typically select between a straight handled shovel or a D-handled shovel to suit the shoveling job that is intended.
On each side of the tubular handle connector, the upper portion of the shovel blade defines foot engaging flanges or is provided with a foot engaging element or fitment having a flat surface that is engaged by the right or left foot of the user, as the case may be, thus enabling the user to apply manual force to the shovel blade with the user's foot to drive the shapened forward end of the shovel blade into the soil being cut. On each side of the curved shovel blade side edges are defined which are typically disposed in substantially parallel relation and extend from the rear end portion of the blade. Typically, these side edges are oriented at angles of about 90° with respect to the rear flanged end of the shovel blade and extend downward toward the point of the blade. Typically, the substantially parallel related side edges extend along about the upper third or half of the shovel blade. From this region of a round point shovel blade, the side edges are gradually curved and disposed in converging relation so that they meet at a central point at the lower end of the shovel blade, essentially at the longitudinal center-line of the blade. In some cases, the side edges of the shovel blade are oriented in slightly downwardly converging relation from the upper flanged foot engaging edges of the blade and become more and more curved as the side edges approach the lower pointed end of the blade.
From approximately the lower third of the shovel blade to the centrally located point, the concave portions of the side edges are beveled to define a sharp cutting edge at the interstion of the beveled surface with the convex rear face of the shovel blade. Typically a user of a shovel of this type will frequently file or hone the cutting edge of the blade because, during use, the abrasive characteristics of typical soil will wear away and dull the cutting edge. For this reason, quality shovels have hardened blades to minimize wear and dulling of the cutting edge during normal use.
One of the disadvantages of round point shovels is their inability to cut through tree roots of significant dimension. Though efficient for cutting through grass and weed roots, except at the side of the shovel blade, and for cutting through the small feeder roots of trees, i.e., those roots having a diameter of from ¼″ to ½″, a round point shovel will function quite efficiently. These shovels, unless extremely sharp, will seldom cut through tree roots exceeding ½″ in diameter. Also, when round point shovels come into contact with a tree root they tend to rotate or slide laterally rather than cut through the root because the curved end of the shovel blade, on either side of the sharp point, is typically forced to move laterally by the root, rather than cutting through the root. When a tree root in encountered, for the most part, it is necessary to utilize another implement, such as an axe, to cut through the tree root at each side of the hole being dug, so that the offending section of the root can be removed from the shoveling area.
Another problem with round point shovels is the loss of shovel load when small roots such as the surface roots of grass and small feeder roots of trees remain in the soil at the edges of the shovel. Typically when cutting through soil with a round point shovel, the blade of the shovel will cut into the soil, but the soil at the side edges of the shovel blade will typically contain surface roots which are not cut by the shovel. When the shovel handle is manipulated pivotally about the blade to loosen a section of soil that has been cut, the remaining surface roots at the side edges of the shovel blade will provide resistance to movement of the edges of the soil load of the shovel blade. More often than not, the resistance of the surface roots at the side edges of the shovel blade will be uneven, so that the blade tends to be ted by greater soil and root resistance at one of the side edges as compared with the other. When this occurs, the shovel blade will rotate as soil loosening force is applied and much if not all of the soil load of the shovel will be lost. The user will then be required to use the shovel in a chopping action to cut the lateral surface roots before the intended soil section can be efficiently removed. This, of course, significantly increases the manual labor that is required for soil cutting and removal. It is desirable therefore to provide a round point type shovel which accomplishes lateral surface root cutting as well as conventional blade cutting during use and wh

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