Boring or penetrating the earth – Boring without earth removal – Combined with earth removal
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-06
2001-07-17
Dang, Hoang (Department: 3672)
Boring or penetrating the earth
Boring without earth removal
Combined with earth removal
C073S864430, C073S864450, C173S184000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06260633
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns apparatus for collecting soil samples, and more particularly relates to such apparatus of a manually operable nature mountable upon a vehicle for enabling a single operator to collect samples for subsequent analysis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In agricultural operations, it is often necessary for the farmer to ascertain the precise quality of his soil with respect to the soil's need for additives such as fertilizer, lime, herbicides and insecticides. This requires extensive soil testing, involving the collection of many soil samples for separate laboratory analysis. In related operations, it may be necessary to test soils for the presence of pollutants, and thereby determine suitable remediation measures.
Various types of mechanical soil samplers have been proposed, a number of them incorporating hollow tube probes in mechanisms supplying weight and power for causing the probe to penetrate hard soils. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,464,504, 4,284,150, 4,333,541, 4,685,339, and 4,828,047. Other mechanical samplers employ a rotatably driven auger shaft which bores into the soil and withdraws a sample upwardly into a receptacle. Such devices are disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,593,809, 4,482,021, 4,534,231, 5,076,372 and 5,394,949.
The aforesaid mechanical samplers are generally associated with a vehicle suitable for use on farmland. In some instances, the vehicle is dedicated to the one particular purpose of soil sampling. In other instances, the sampling apparatus, though potentially removable from the vehicle, is removable only with considerable difficulty. When associated with a vehicle, the sampling apparatus is usually operated by the vehicle's power sources.
In the preferred, auger-based soil sampling devices, two primary repetitive motions are involved, namely a reciprocating up and down movement of the auger, and an axial rotary motion of the auger during its penetration of the soil. If the vehicle's mechanical or electrical power capabilities are employed to produce the up and down motion, coupling and control components of considerable complexity and expense are required.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a soil sampling apparatus which may be removably mounted upon a vehicle suited for farm use.
It is another object of this invention to provide a soil sampling apparatus as in the foregoing object which employs an auger for upwardly advancing a soil sample into a container.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a soil sampling apparatus of the aforesaid nature wherein up and down movement of said auger is manually affected by the vehicle operator, and axial rotary motion of the auger is produced by the vehicle's electrical system.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a soil sampling apparatus of the aforesaid nature of durable, simple construction amenable to low cost manufacture.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide soil sampling apparatus of the aforesaid nature which can be marketed in kit form for easy installation by the purchaser onto an existing vehicle.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other beneficial objects and advantages are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by a soil sampling apparatus removably mountable upon one side of a wheeled vehicle having front and rear extremities, said apparatus comprising:
a) a mounting frame comprised of forward and rearward longitudinal elongated members adapted to adjustably extend between said front and rear extremities, and paired parallel attachment members emergent from said longitudinal members, said forward and rearward longitudinal members having facing extremities which separately secure vertically oriented first and second bushing means, respectively,
b) a center frame comprised of front and rear upright tubular members elongated between upper and lower extremities and slidably secured by said first and second bushing means, respectively, and brace means connecting said upright members above said bushing means,
c) a drilling assembly comprised of a horizontally disposed bottom panel having a centered aperture and an upwardly directed guide tube in communication with said aperture, outer track rods slideably positionable within said upright tubular members, and upwardly extending interior track means,
d) an electric motor slideably retained by said interior track means and equipped with an auger drill extending downwardly into said guide tube,
e) an operating lever having a downwardly directed proximal extremity pivotally held by said forward longitudinal member, and an upwardly directed distal extremity, said operating lever being removably cradled by said front upright member,
f) a push rod interactive between said motor and operating lever and serving to force said motor downwardly, causing said auger to descend below said bottom panel,
g) electrical switch means for activating said motor as said auger begins its descent below said bottom panel, and
h) collector means removably positionable upon said bottom panel adjacent said guide tube for collecting a soil sample upwardly lifted by rotative movement of said auger.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2468319 (1949-04-01), Adams
patent: 2565224 (1951-08-01), Gibbens
patent: 3224512 (1965-12-01), Alexander
patent: 3464504 (1969-09-01), Stange
patent: 3593809 (1971-07-01), Derry
patent: 4316393 (1982-02-01), Philipenko
patent: 4482021 (1984-11-01), Repski
patent: 5076372 (1991-12-01), Hellbusch
patent: 5394949 (1995-03-01), Wright et al.
patent: 5542476 (1996-08-01), Hansen
patent: 5950741 (1999-09-01), Wright et al.
patent: 6016713 (2000-01-01), Hale
Fullen John T.
Machek Michael D.
Dang Hoang
Rainer Norman B.
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