GB2212373A

GB2212373A - A garden tool

Info

Publication number: GB2212373A
Application number: GB8824737A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Samuel Falconer Long
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-11-20
Filing date: 1988-10-21
Publication date: 1989-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 2008-10-21
Also published as: GB8727279D0; GB2212373B; GB8824737D0

Abstract

A hand held weeding tool (20) comprises a scoop (21) having an apertured bottom (22), soil riddling means (23) associated with the apertured bottom (22) and weed retaining means (25) for retaining weeds or plants on the riddling means (23) during passage of soil through the riddling means. <IMAGE>

Description

A GARDEN TOOL This invention relates to a garden tool and in particular to a hand held weeding tool.

In GB-A-260,864 there is disclosed a hand held hoe having a forwardly positioned blade and, rearwardly thereof, a grid or grating, e.g. in the form of a wire mesh, for collecting weeds severed from the ground in use of the hoe. The grid or grating, however, is not well designed for retaining the collected weeds and thus these can easily be discharged back into the ground being worked during use of the hoe.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved hand held weeding tool in which means are provided for retaining collected weeds on the tool during use of the tool.

According to the present invention a hand held weeding tool comprises a scoop for soil and weeds having an apertured bottom provided with weed retaining means for retaining weeds on, whilst allowing soil to pass through, the apertured bottom during riddling of soil and weeds contained in the scoop.

The apertured bottom of the scoop may conveniently be in the form of a wire mesh, a grid, a grating or spaced apart bars defining elongate slots between each other.

Alternatively the scoop bottom may be perforated.

The weed retaining means preferably comprise upwardly extending projection means, e.g. spikes, projections or barbs, on which weeds become impaled during use of the tool. Conveniently the projection means are designed to allow weeds to ride over the projection means when the scoop is pushed in a forward direction but to become impaled on the projection means when the scoop is moved back in the reverse direction. For example, if the projection means are in the form of spikes they may be angled towards the rear of the scoop. Alternatively the projection means may comprise barbs having a sloping front surface and a steep rear surface. Although preferred, it is not essential for the weed retaining means to comprise projection means.Instead, for example, at least some of the apertures of the apertured scoop may have jagged edges to enable soil to pass through the apertures but to cause weeds to be caught in the openings.

The scoop conveniently has a substantially flat bottom with upwardly extending side and rear walls and an open front end. Suitably the front of the scoop is rounded or pointed to provide a cutting edge when the tool is inserted into the ground. The scoop is preferably provided with a rearwardly extending handle.

Another aspect of the invention is disclosed in claim 1 1 .

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan of one embodiment of a weeding tool according to the invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the weeding tool shown in Figure 1 illustrating its weed retaining means, Figure 3 is a schematic view illustrating how weeds are caught or impaled on upwardly projecting weed retaining means, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a weeding tool according to the invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show a hand held weeding tool 1 according to the invention comprising a flat bottomed scoop 2 having side walls 3, 4, an end wall 5, an open curved front 6 and a handle 7. The bottom of the scoop 2 has a large aperture 8 therein in which is positioned an apertured grid 9 comprising shaped longitudinal rails 10 and transverse rails 11 defining the grid. The shaped longitudinal rails 10 are better illustrated in Figure 2, their upper edges defining upwardly projecting barbs or projections 12.

Conveniently the projections 12 have a sloping, forwardly facing surface 12a (see Figure 3) and a vertical rear surface 12b.

In use of the tool 1, the scoop 2 is shovelled into the ground, the curved front 6 of the scoop facilitating insertion of the scoop into the ground. In this way weeds 13 and earth are shovelled into the scoop 2. The weeds 13 and earth attached to the roots of the weeds ride over the sloping surfaces 12a of the projections as the scoop moves forwards. On backwards movement of the scoop, the weeds 13 become impaled on the projections 12. Once the weeds are impaled, the earth and weeds in the scoop can be riddled to cause the earth to pass through the apertures of the grid 9 whilst the weeds are retained on the projections without being discharged from the scoop. In some soils, the mere action of moving the scoop through the soil will allow soil to pass through the grid apertures and weeds to become impaled on the projections 12, i.e. without active riddling of the tool.In this manner the pushing motion serves as a passive riddling (i.e. the soil moves through the grid apertures as the tool moves through the soil) without the need to subsequently "actively" riddle the soil.

Although the tool 1 is described as a weeding tool it will be realised that in use it may also act as a hoe and/or a riddle. In use, when weeds become impaled on the weed retaining means, any soil or stones left in the scoop 2 may be riddled or, alternatively, tipped back onto the ground.

The weeding tool can be modified in many ways. For example the grid 9 can be replaced by any wire mesh, grating, spaced apart rails, perforations or the like. The weed retaining means may form part of the apertures grid, grating, mesh or the like. Alternatively it may comprise a separate device positioned over the grid, grating or mesh.

For example the weed retaining means could comprise barbed wire or the like positioned on top of a conventional grid or riddle. Other alternatives for the weed retaining means comprise spikes, e.g. rearwardly inclined spikes, or apertures defining the grid or mesh having sharp or jagged edges for catching weeds therein but allowing soil to pass therethrough.

The grid 9 and projections 12 are conveniently stamped from sheet metal material. For example a plurality of holes may be stamped in the sheet, each, or at least some, of the holes being shaped to define a projection which can be bent out of the plane of the sheet metal material.

Another embodiment of a weeding tool, generally designated 20, according to the invention is disclosed in Figure 4. The tool 20 has a scoop 21, provided with a large bottom opening 22, and a long handle 30. A grid 23 is positioned over the bottom opening 22 and is formed of spaced apart parallel blades or plates 24 having upwardly directed pointed projections 25 and spaced apart cross members 26 in the form of rods which pass through the plates 24. The openings of the grid 23 defined by the plates 24 and cross members 26 enable soil to pass through the grid openings 23 and the large bottom opening 22, e.g.

during riddling. The projections 25 serve to impale and retain any weeds or plants contained in the scoop. As with the tool 1, the weeding tool 20 may act as a hoe - i.e. to retain weeds on the projections 5 as the tool is moved back and forth in the soil - or as a riddling device - i.e.

to riddle soil and weeds held in the scoop 21.

Claims

1. A hand held weeding tool comprising a scoop for soil and weeds having an apertured bottom and provided with weed retaining means for retaining weeds on, whilst allowing soil to pass through, the apertured bottom during riddling of soil and weeds contained in the scoop.

2. A tool according to claim 1, in which the apertured bottom of the scoop comprises a wire mesh, a grid, a grating or spaced apart bars defining elongate slots between each other.

3. A tool according to claim 1, comprising grid means arranged above or within a large aperture of said apertured bottom.

4. A tool according to claim 3, in which the weed retaining means are provided on said grid means.

5. A tool according :to any one of the preceding claims, in which the weed retaining means comprise upwardly extending projection means on which weeds become impaled during use of the tool.

6. A tool according to claim 5, in which the projection means are designed to allow weeds to ride over the projection means when the scoop is pushed in a forward direction but to become impaled on the projection means when the scoop is moved back in the reverse direction.

7. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the scoop has a substantially flat bottom with upwardly extending side and rear walls and an open front end.

6. A tool according to claim 7, in which said front end of the scoop is rounded or pointed to provide a cutting edge when the tool is inserted into the ground.

9. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims, provided with a rearwardly extending handle.

10. A hand held weeding device constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in, Figures 1 to 3, or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A hand held weeding tool having an open bottom and riddle means associated with said open bottom, the riddle means defining a plurality of openings for the passage of soil therethrough and having weed retaining means for retaining weeds thereon whilst allowing soil to pass through said openings.