WO1997005761A1

WO1997005761A1 - Multiuse lawn and garden tool

Info

Publication number: WO1997005761A1
Application number: PCT/CA1996/000546
Authority: WO
Inventors: Charles Basek
Original assignee: Gold Digger International Inc.; Garden Claw Corporation
Priority date: 1995-08-10
Filing date: 1996-08-12
Publication date: 1997-02-20
Also published as: AU6728196A; ZA966756B

Abstract

A manual agricultural tool (20) for use in carrying out at least one lawn care or gardening operation with earthen material such as removal of a ground plug, planting a bulb, or the like. One tool has an upper member (22) having a shaft with a central axis and a handle at an upper end of the shaft for manipulation of the tool and an accompanying attachment (46, 48, 50) selected to carry out one of the operations detachably secured at a lower end of the upper member, the attachment having a downwardly open chamber for receipt of earthen material. The shaft of the upper member is hollow and there is a reciprocating plunger (28) located in the shaft for axial movement between an upper position and a lower position in which the plunger (28) extends into the chamber. A bulb planter having an earth ejection member located between side walls defining a downwardly open cavity and movable between upper and lower positions to assist expulsion of a ground plug from the cavity is also described.

Description

MULTIUSE LAWN AND GARDEN TOOL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a multipurpose tool for gardening or lawn and grounds maintenance, or more generally yard work Particularly, this invention relates to a tool having interchangeable attachments, each attachment lending its own function or set of functions to the usefulness of the tool BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many implements are known for the performance of domestic yard work, examples being given in the patent literature U S Patent No 342,516 issued May 25, 1886, U S Patent No 375,556 issued December 27, 1887, U S Patent No 488,918 issued December 27, 1892, U S Patent No 809,476 issued January 9, 1906, U S Patent No 840,903 issued January 8, 1907, U S Patent No 933,227 issued September 7, 1909, U S Patent No 1,039,012 issued September 17, 1912, U S Patent No 1 ,065,456 issued June 24, 1913, U S Patent No 1 ,647,832 issued November 1 , 1927, Swiss Patent No 137,681 issued April 1 , 1930, U S Patent No 1,692,436 issued November 20, 1928, U S Patent No 2,018,279 issued October 22, 1935, U S Patent No 2,030,770 issued February 11 , 1936, Swiss Patent No 179,360 issued November 16, 1935, U S Patent No 2,531,297 issued November 21 , 1950, U S Patent No 2,686,690 issued August 17, 1954, British Patent No 865,902 issued April 19, 1961 , U S Patent No 3,123,391 issued March 3, 1964, U S Patent No 3,273,930 issued September 20, 1966, U S Patent No 3,333,881 issued August 1 , 1967, U S Patent No 3,443,830 issued May 13, 1969, U S Patent No 3,602,542 issued August 31 , 1971 , U S Patent No 3,847,227 issued November 12, 1974, U S Patent No 4,603,744 issued August 5, 1986, U S Patent No 4,819,735 issued April 11 , 1989, U S Patent No 4,932,339 issued June 12, 1990, U S Patent No 5,005,888 issued April 9, 1991 , Canadian Patent No 1 ,290,969 issued October 22, 1991 , U S Patent No 5,242,024 issued September 7, 1993, U S Patent No 5,338,078 issued August 16 1994

The specification of U S Patent No 5 338,078 is incorporated into this specification by reference While each of the implements described in the above-noted patent literature is useful in its own way, the invention described below is believed to provide advantages thereover, as will become apparent from the ensuing description SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a manual agricultural tool for use in carrying out at least one lawn care or gardening operation with earthen material such as removal of a ground plug, planting a bulb, or the like The tool includes an upper member having a shaft with a central axis and a handle at an upper end of the shaft for manipulation of the tool and an attachment selected to carry out one of the operations detachably secured at a lower end of the upper member, the attachment having a downwardly open chamber for receipt of earthen material therein during use The shaft of the upper member is hollow and there is a reciprocating plunger located in the shaft for axial movement between an upper position and a lower position in which the plunger extends into the chamber and the plunger has a lower end for expelling the earthen material received within the chamber as the plunger is moved from the upper position to the lower position The attachment includes an aperture in an upper portion thereof, which aperture is located to permit passage of the lower end of the plunger therethrough during the movement when the attachment is installed on the upper member

Preferably, the shaft is a thin-walled metal shaft having a thickness between about 16 GA and 18 GA of relatively constant cross-section and the lower end of the plunger includes an enlarged head of greater outer diameter than the outer diameter of the shaft It is preferred that there are walls fixedly located at the lower end of the upper member, which walls define a channel generally transverse to the shaft axis for sliding receipt of a matingly shaped portion of the attachment within the channel for installation of the attachment on the upper member

It is also preferred that an upper body connects the walls and extends radially outwardly of the shaft to provide a foot support such that a person's foot may be located thereon for driving insertion of the attachment into earthen ground Particularly, the walls are generally opposed to each other and are canted inwardly and downwardly from the upper connecting body Most preferably, the channel defined by the walls is wedge-shaped and the shaft and connecting body are of metal and are welded to each other

It is possible for the attachment to include an upwardly extending projection located to abut the upper connecting body when the matingly shaped portion of the attachment is received in the channel to act as a stop and thereby radially locate the attachment with respect to the shaft There can be a latch pivotally connected to the upper body of the upper member for movement between open and locking positions The latch has an opening for receipt of the projection therein when in the locking position to affix the attachment against radial movement with respect to the axis of the shaft

In a preferred embodiment described in detail below, there is a plate rigidly affixed at the lower end of the upper member and a pair of walls extending downwardly of the plate to define a downwardly open channel therebetween The channel is transverse to the axis of the shaft, and the attachment includes a pair of matingly shaped upper walls for sliding receipt within the channel as the attachment is installed on the upper member, and there is an enlarged head affixed at the lower end of the plunger, which head extends into the channel defined between the downwardly extending walls when the plunger is in the upper position There is a gap between the upper walls of the attachment to provide clearance between the plunger head and the attachment as the upper walls of the attachment are slidingly received into the channel

It is possible for one or the other of the lower end of the upper member and an upper end of the attachment to include walls defining a channel transverse to the axis of the shaft and the other of the lower end of the upper member and the upper end of the attachment to include a rigid member matingly shaped to the channel for receipt therein so as to fix the upper member and attachment against axial movement with respect to each other when the attachment is installed on the upper member.

In another aspect, the invention is a handle device for a manual agricultural implement for detachable securement to an attachment for carrying out a lawn care or gardening operation having upper walls for securement to the device. The handle device includes a hand grip for hand manipulation of the tool and there is a pair of walls rigidly affixed below the hand grip and defining a channel for sliding horizontal receipt therein of the walls of an attachment such that the walls of the device abuttingly engage the walls of the attachment to preclude horizontal rotation of the attachment with respect to the device during use. The handle device can include an upper body connecting the walls of the device and the walls can be generally opposed to each other and canted inwardly and downwardly from the upper connecting body. The upper body can be a horizontal plate. The plate can define a downwardly open channel. In a preferred embodiment, the plate lies in a first imaginary horizontal plane and the walls forms an acute inner angle with the plane and each wall lies in a second imaginary plane which intersects the first plane along an imaginary line, which lines are nonparallel to each other such that the channel is wedge shaped. The plate and walls can be formed from a single piece of bent metal.

In another aspect, the invention is a handle device for a manual agricultural implement for detachable securement to an attachment for carrying out a lawn care or gardening operation having upper walls for securement to the device and an upwardly directed tab. The device includes a hand grip for hand manipulation of the tool and there is a pair of walls rigidly affixed below the hand grip and defining a channel for sliding horizontal receipt therein of the walls of an attachment. The walls of the device abuttingly engage the walls of the attachment to preclude horizontal rotation and vertical movement of the attachment with respect to the device during use. There is a pivotally connected latch for movement between open and locking positions, a portion of which latch is shaped to engage the tab of the attachment when in the locking position to preclude horizontal movement of the attachment with respect to the device during use.

The plate of the device can have an aperture for insertion therethrough of a plunger. In yet another aspect, the invention is a device for attachment to a handle of a manual agricultural tool, for removal of plugs from the earth. The device includes side walls defining a downwardly open cavity and an earth ejection member located within the cavity. There are wall edges which define a pair of slots and the earth ejection member has a pair of projections, one projection received in each slot to guide the earth ejection member into an upper position within the cavity as the earth ejection member is forced upwardly by earthen material being received into the cavity as the walls of the device are inserted downwardly into the earth.

The device can further include a top member connected between upper portions of the walls and the top member can have an aperture to provide access to an upper surface of the earth ejection member therethrough by a plunger so that the earth ejection member may be pressed downwardly by the plunger from the upper position toward the lower end of the cavity for ejection of a plug of earth from the cavity.

The device can also have upper ends of the walls resiliently connected to each other and lower ends of the walls disconnected from each other to permit flexing of the lower ends radially away from each other as the plug is ejected from the cavity.

In a preferred embodiment, the walls lie on the curved surface of an imaginary circular cylinder and the lower edges of the walls together define an essentially continuous cutting surface to assist the insertion of the walls into the earth. Also preferred, first and second of the side walls lie on first and second halves of the curved surface of an imaginary circular cylinder having a central upright axis, a first of the slots being defined between neighboring first edges of the first and second walls and a second of the slots being defined between neighboring second edges of the first and second walls. Preferably, the slots are essentially parallel to the axis of the cylinder and the earth ejection member includes a substantially circular plate having a diameter of slightly less than the internal diametric distance between the walls. Each projection has surfaces to be in abutting contact with edges of the slot in which it is received to maintain the orientation of the plate with respect to the axis. The abutting contact preferably maintains the plate within about 5° of a plane orthogonal to the axis. The first and second lower portions of each side wall of the device can extend circumferentially beyond the first and second edges of the wall, respectively, for abutment against projections of the earth ejection member when in a lower position within the cavity to preclude axial withdrawal of the earth ejection member from the cavity.

There can be an opening between neighboring respective first and second lower portions of each side wall to permit the flexing of the lower ends of the walls.

The earth ejection member can be a single piece of stamped metal and the device can include a diametric ridge portion extending upwardly of the plate and the projections can include radially extending ends of the ridge.

Preferably, the top member is connected to diametrically opposed portions of first and second of the walls and the slots are circumferentially located intermediate the diametrically opposed portions and the first and second walls are directly connected to each other at first and second points axially above first and second slots. The side walls can be formed from a single piece of metal having a gauge between about 16 and about 18.

In another aspect, the invention is an attachment for a manual agricultural tool having a hand grip and a pair of walls rigidly affixed below the hand grip and defining a channel for sliding horizontal receipt therein of the walls of an attachment. The attachment includes a lower portion for working earthen material and an upper body having a metal plate having a pair of upwardly directed walls for receipt within the channel of an assembled tool to permit rotation of the tool about an axis transverse to the channel and affix the attachment and handle member against mutual rotation about the axis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Turning to the drawings, Figure 1 is side elevational view, in partial section of a preferred embodiment garden tool of the present invention having a plunger;

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the lower portion of the tool shown in Figure 1 having a first embodiment lawn edger attached to the upper member of the tool;

Figure 3 is a top view of the lower portion of the Figure 1 tool having a first ground plug extraction device assembled thereon;

Figure 4 shows the lower portion of the tool shown in Figure 3 in elevation, as viewed from the lower side of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is sectional view taken through 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 shows the lower portion of the tool shown in Figure 3 in elevation, as viewed from the right hand side of Figure 3.

Figure 7 shows a top plan view of the upper portion of an attachment;

Figure 8 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the upper member has no plunger and the tool is intended to be held and manipulated in a single hand;

Figure 9 shows an embodiment of the invention similar to that of Figure 8, for use with a hand-held plunger, also illustrated;

Figure 10 shows an isometric view of a preferred embodiment bulb planter;

Figure 11 shows a top plan view of the bulb planter of Figure 10;

Figure 12 shows a bottom plan view of the bulb planter of Figure 10;

Figure 13 shows a first side elevation taken from the rear and left hand side of Figure 10;

Figure 14 shows a second side elevational view taken from the front and left hand side of Figure 10;

Figure 15 shows a third side elevational view taken from the rear and the right hand side of Figure 10; and Figure 16 shows a second embodiment edger attachment device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to Figures 1 to 7 of the drawings, a description of various aspects of a first preferred embodiment tool generally indicated by the numeral 20 will be given. Tool 20 includes upper member 22 shown with a number of devices variously attached at its lower end throughout the drawings.

Member 22 has upper elements similar to those described in connection with the tool shown in United States Patent No. 5,338,078, namely elongate hollow tubular shaft 24, handle 26 made up of a single piece of hollow curved tubing rigidly affixed by welding at the top end of the shaft, and a plunger 28 having rod 30 extending through the hollow shaft and being topped by knob 32. The shaft can be made of thin-walled steel anywhere between 16 and 18 GA. Plate 34 is rigidly affixed at the lower end of rod 30 which protrudes through the bottom of the hollow shaft. Plunger 28 is biased upwardly with respect to the shaft of the upper member by compression spring 36 working against plate 38 affixed to the plunger rod and stop member 40 affixed against movement by being jammed in the shaft. Tubular plastic members 42 are received onto the handles.

The tool is illustrated in Figure 1 with a type of bulb planter attached at its lower end. In Figure 2, a first lawn edger 46 is illustrated and in Figures 3 to 6 a type of bulb planter 48 is illustrated. A tilling tool attachment 50 is illustrated with a second embodiment tool in Figure 8. Figures 10 to 15 show the preferred embodiment bulb planter 44 attachment device in greater detail. Any of the attachments illustrated can be used with upper member 22.

Rigidly affixed at the lower end of shaft 24 is attachment connector member 52. Attachment member 52 includes upper plate 54 which is transverse to the longitudinal axis 56 of shaft 24, the plate being that part of the connector member which is welded to the lower end of shaft 24. Trapezoidal plate 54 connects downwardly depending and inwardly canted walls 58. In all of the illustrated embodiments, relatively flat connector plate 54 lies in an imaginary plane orthogonal to the axis of shaft 24. Walls 58 are canted downwardly and inwardly toward the central axis of shaft 24. Channel 60 is defined between walls 58 for receipt therein of a matingly shaped upper portion of an attachment, this being described further below. In all of the illustrated embodiments, walls 58 generally lie in imaginary planes each of which intersects with the generally horizontal plane of plate 54. In addition to being slanted towards each other in the downward direction, walls 58 are also angled toward each other in the horizontal so that the channel defined between the walls is actually wedge- shaped. In terms of the geometric arrangement of the imaginary planes, this means that the lines of the intersection the wall planes make with the plate plane are angled toward each other, or are non-parallel to each other.

At the wide end of the connector member are upwardly directed projections provided by tabs 62, 64, spaced from each other. Pivotally connected to tab 62 is latch 66. A first embodiment latch is shown in Figure 2 while a second embodiment latch is shown in Figure 9. The pivotal connection 68 between tab 62 and latch 66 is provided by rivet 70 fitted into three communicating apertures 72 of the tab and latch. The arrangement is such that the latch has an open position, shown in phantom in Figure 4 and a locking position, shown in Figure 2, for example. Latch 66 includes two walls that define downwardly open "U"-shaped channel 74. In the closed position both tabs are received within the channel of the latch. The operation of the tab in connection with a tool in which an attachment is connected to the upper member is described more fully below.

As previously stated, any one of a number of gardening or lawn care attachment devices may be secured to the base or lower end of upper member 22 of the tool for use. All of the attachments have in common with each other an upper body portion 76 for connecting the attachment to the upper member. Upper body portion 76 includes upwardly and outwardly slanted walls 78 connected by transverse plate 80. Upper body portion 76 is slidingly inserted into channel 60 and walls 78 of the upper body portion match walls 58 that define the channel of the attachment member 52 of the upper member of the tool such that when the upper body portion is fully inserted into the channel the walls generally abut, i.e., mate with each other. Once installed in this manner, the attachment is fixed against axial movement with respect to the upper member of the tool.

In the illustrated embodiments, upper body portion 76 of each attachment includes an upwardly directed projection provided by tab 82. When an attachment is fully installed on the upper member of the tool, tabs 62, 82, 64 are mutually aligned, i.e., lie generally in the same plane, tab 82 being located intermediate the two tabs of the attachment member 52 of the upper member of the tool. This permits latch 66 to be pivotally closed from its open position into its locking position to engage all three tabs at the same time and thereby affix the attachment against transverse movement with respect to the axis of the shaft of the upper member. A fully installed attachment with the latch closed is thus securely affixed to the upper member of the tool and cannot be reasonably dislodged therefrom without release of the latch from its locking position.

Certain attachment devices are used to remove plugs of ground from the earth, such as bulb planter 44 or an attachment having the blade configuration of the tool shown in United States Patent No. 5,338,078. Each such attachment defines a downwardly open chamber 84 into which is received earthen material during use. It is with this sort of attachment that the plunger of upper member 22 is used to expel the earthen material from the chamber. Plate 80 thus includes an aperture 86 sufficiently large to permit passage of plunger disc 34 therethrough. In this way, a person may press on knob 32 to move the plunger axially downwardly with respect to the shaft so that the disc enters into and travels downwardly through chamber 84 to expel material contained therein. in the disclosed embodiment, the enlarged head of the plunger provided by the disc actually protrudes into the transverse channel into which the upper body portion 76 is received for affixing the attachment to the upper member. A gap is provided by trough 88 defined between the walls of upper body portion 76, which trough is open at its narrow end, so as to provide clearance between the upper body portion 76 and the plunger head as the attachment is slid into its installed position.

In Figures 8 and 9 are illustrated second and third preferred embodiment tools having upper members 90, 92 suitable for use with a single hand. These tools would generally be used by a person working in a crouching or kneeling position in a lawn or garden, while first embodiment upper member 22 is generally used by a person in a standing position. In the case of upper member 22, a person may press their foot on upper surface of plate 54 for forcing the tool device into the ground. Upper member 90 includes curved handle or hand grip portion 94 with plastic sleeve 96 received thereon The mechanism for connecting devices for carrying out different gardening or lawn maintenance functions is essentially the same as that described above for upper member 22 and will not be described again, although corresponding parts are labeled Handle 94 is welded to upper plate 54 It can thus be seen that all of the devices that can be attached to upper member 22 can also be attached to upper member 90

Third embodiment upper member 92 includes curved handle or hand grip portion 98 having apertures 100, 102 for insertion therethrough of a hand-held plunger 104 Plunger 104 can thus be used to expel earth from those attachment devices used to withdraw plugs of earth from the ground with a tool used in crouching position, just as plunger 28 of upper member is used to expel earth from such devices and attachments

A particular attachment device, bulb planter 44, is shown in Figures 1 , and 9 to 15 As with all of the other attachment devices illustrated in this specification, the mechanism for attachment of planter 44 to any of upper members 22, 90, 92 is the same and will not be described again

Planter device 44 is used to extract plugs of earthen material from the ground In the illustrated embodiment there are two downwardly depending side walls 106 which lie generally on a curved surface of an imaginary circular cylinder The walls are formed from a single piece of metal Each wall is connected to the underside of upper body portion 76 by welding generally at location 108 The walls are connected to each other directly through common wall portions 110 Lower edge 112 of each of the side walls includes serrations or teeth 114 and the edges have tapered regions 115 to provide sharpened edges to ease cutting entry of the device into the earth There are two longitudinal apertures 116 in each side wall The arrangement is provided such that the device can be used to cut in the ground a cylindrical earth plug generally matching cylindrical cavity 118 defined between the side walls

Defined between parallel edges 120 of the walls are slots 122 Edges 120 are generally straight and parallel to central axis 123 of the cylinder with which the side walls are congruent Located within cavity 118 is earth ejection member 124 The diameter of the disc¬ like portion of member 124 is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the downwardly open cavity defined between the side walls of the device The earth ejection member includes an upper portion 126 having radial projections 128 received through slots 122 The slots thus serve to guide the earth ejection member with respect to the side walls as the member is forced up or down within the cavity of the device

In use, device 44 is usually forced into the ground to the full extent possible, although it may be inserted to a lesser extent if desired As the insertion into the ground takes place the earth ejection member is forced by ground material being received into the cavity upwardly into the cavity from its lower position into its upper position Once the device is inserted into the ground, or as it is being inserted into the ground the handle of the upper member to which the device is attached is used to rotate the device about central axis 123 to cut the plug out and ensure its complete formation within the cavity. The device along with the earth plug contained in the cavity of the device are then extracted from the ground.

In the case of bulb planting, a bulb is then generally inserted into the hole in the ground created by removal of the earth plug by the device. The device is then reinserted into the hole for insertion of the plug back into place above the bulb. In the case of upper member 22, this is accomplished by pressing down on plunger knob 32 as handle 26 is used to extract the device from the ground. Plate 34 working downwardly on earth ejection member 124 forces the member downwardly with respect to the side walls as the device is drawn upwardly from the ground to force the earth out of the cavity of the device and to remain in the surrounding earth.

The two side walls are not connected to each other in their lower regions. There is a discontinuity 130 provided, in the illustrated embodiment, at the bottom of each slot. Slight outward radial flexure of the walls of the device is thus possible as earth is being expelled from the cavity. This has been found to enhance to operation of the illustrated embodiment, at least under certain soil conditions. It will be appreciated that although there are two small discontinuities along the cutting edge provided by the device, the cutting edge is more or less continuous, as illustrated. Each gap 130, measured circumferentially is about 2mm (0.08 inches).

Earth ejection member 124 is made up of a single stamped piece of metal having a thickness of about 0.060 inches. Upper portion 126 is a ridge of generally rectangular cross section. Outer surfaces 132 of the ridge abut slot edges 120 to hold the generally flat disc portion 134 in a generally orthogonal position with respect to axis 123. There is some play in this arrangement to the extent that the disc can rotate about 10° about the central axis of the ridge. Upwardly directed surfaces of lower edges 136 of the walls defining the slots come into abutment with lower surfaces of projections 128 when the earth ejection member is in its lowermost position with respect to the walls and in this way is retained within the cavity of the device. Likewise, downwardly directed surfaces of upper edges 138 of the walls defining the slots come into abutment with upper surfaces of projections 128 when the earth ejection member is in it its uppermost position within the cavity of the device.

Tabs 140 of the radial projections are directed in circumferential directions along the exterior surfaces of the side walls. Inner surfaces 141 of the tabs of a radial projection come into contact with outer surfaces of side walls 106 when the earth ejection member is forced radially inwardly in a direction diametrically coincident with the ridge of the ejection member. In the illustrated embodiment, there is at the same time a limited amount of contact of the diametrically opposite (to the touching tab) perimetral portion of the disc of the ejection member with internal surfaces of the side walls and this has been found to be satisfactory. Locating inner surfaces of the tabs slightly more radially inwardly or slightly more radially outwardly to give slightly more or less (or no) such contact between the edge of the disc and interior side wall surfaces may also provide satisfactory performance

The bulb planter of the illustrated embodiment is made of 17 gauge steel This has been found to provide satisfactory performance with regard to the flexing resilience and rigidity for earth cutting described above Steel of 14 GA or 18 GA might be found to be satisfactory with the illustrated embodiment

The internal diameter of the cavity defined between the side walls of planter 44 is about 5 7 cm (2% inches)

Upper member 22 is intended to be used with a variety of attachment devices The external diameter of plunger plate 34 is about A cm (1 inch) With certain attachment devices, the plunger plate 34 works directly to expel earth received in the chamber of the device The smallest internal cross dimension of the earth-holding chamber of such a device with which the plunger is to be used to expel earth from the chamber cannot be exceeded by the diameter of the disc If this were the case it would be impossible for the disc to be inserted through the chamber to expel earth therefrom With the mechanism of the preferred embodiment for attaching devices the aperture 86 in plate 80 must be of sufficient size to permit passage of plate 34 therethrough and the width of the aperture is limited by the size of plate 80 These two factors limit the diameter of plate 34

The chamber of bulb planter 44 is sufficiently large that the diameter of plate 34 has been found to be insufficient for convenient expulsion of earth therefrom Planter device 44 thus includes earth ejection member 124 having a cross dimension of about 5 3 cm (2 1 inches) The plunger of upper member 22 works to force the earth ejection member downwardly to expel earth from the chamber of planter 44

The outer dimension of shaft 24 of upper member 22 is about 1 9 cm (% inches) and its internal diameter is a little over 1 6 cm (5/8 inches) The wall thickness of the shaft is ?*? inches In the preferred embodiment upper member 22, the uppermost position of the plunger is obtained when the top surface of disc 34 comes into contact with the lower surface of plate 54, since the disc is oversized with respect to the external diameter of shaft 24 and the lower end of the shaft does not protrude below the lower surface of plate 54 The lowermost possible position of the plunger is obtained when the plunger is depressed to the point where knob 32 abuts the cross-tube of hand grips 26

In use, it might or might not be necessary to augment the downward force applied by a person through the handgrips by pressing with a foot on the upper surface of plate 54 Plate 54, thus extends radially outwardly from shaft 24 to provide a foot support such that a person's foot may be located thereon for driving insertion of an attachment into the ground As an attachment is being inserted into the ground and/or after once insertion is accomplished, it is often desirable to rotate the tool about the central axis of the shaft This may be, for example, to compact earth within the receiving chamber of an attachment such as that described in United States Patent No 5,388,078 In any case, one can see that in use the primary forces placed upon an attachment are axial and rotational while the direction of movement required for removal of an attachment from the transverse channel of attachment member 52 of upper member 22 is a radial direction, with respect to the axis of the shaft. The central axis of the shaft, of course, generally coincides with the axis of rotation of the tool in use.

It is not necessary for tab 82 to abut the edge of plate 54, although with the latching mechanism of the preferred embodiment it is generally necessary to have tabs 62, 82, 64 coplanar with each other so that all three can be received within the channel of the latch 66 in a fully assembled tool. Once tab 82 is engaged by the latch, radial movement of the attachment with respect to the axis of the shaft is precluded. In addition to disabling inadvertent release (at least with normal usage) of the attachment from an upper member of the tool, such affixing of the attachment inhibits further jamming of upper body portion 76 against channel defining walls of attachment member 54. It is possible to obtain a tool lacking a latching mechanism, but to the extent that such jamming is prevented as the tool is used, convenient removal of the attachment is facilitated by a latching mechanism as it can preclude the use of banging the attachment or the application of other undesirable forces to dislodge the upper body portion of the attachment from the channel.

Second edger 142 is illustrated in Figure 16. The edger includes upper plate member 144 and downwardly depending semi-circular plate 146 welded thereto. The edge of the plate is tapered to enhance its cutting ability. Indentations 148 also run along the lower edge of the semi-circular plate. Upright grooves or ridges 150 are stamped into the plate, neighboring ridges protruding from the plane of the plate in opposite directions.

It will be appreciated that the various aspects of the invention as exemplified through the preferred embodiments described herein provide advantages. The locking mechanism provides a convenient means for interchanging devices suitable for different jobs to a single upper member. The mechanism can be used to connect a device to different upper members, depending upon whether the tool is for use by a person standing or kneeling or crouching. The attachment mechanism describes positively locates an attachment to its upper member, both axially and radially with respect to a vertical axis of the upper member. The bulb planter is a convenient device for removal of relatively large plugs of earth from the ground and can be effective even though a plunger itself does not have a driving end suitable for directly ejecting earth received into cavity of the device. The disclosed embodiments do not require tools or separate fasteners for the attachment mechanism to operate.

It will of course be understood that the particular embodiments described above are illustrative and although the best mode known to the inventor for carrying out the invention has been described, it is the appended claims which define the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A manual agricultural tool for use in carrying out at least one lawn care or gardening operation with earthen material such as removal of a ground plug, planting a bulb, or the like, the tool comprising: an upper member having a shaft with a central axis and a handle at an upper end of the shaft for manipulation of the tool; and an attachment selected to carry out one of the operations detachably secured at a lower end of the upper member, the attachment having a downwardly open chamber for receipt of earthen material therein during use; and wherein: the shaft is hollow and there is a reciprocating plunger located in the shaft for axial movement between an upper position and a lower position in which the plunger extends into the chamber, the plunger having a lower end for expelling the earthen material received within the chamber as the plunger is moved from the upper position to the lower position; and the attachment includes an aperture in an upper portion thereof, which aperture is located to permit passage of the lower end of the plunger therethrough during said movement when the attachment is installed on the upper member.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein the shaft is a thin-walled metal shaft of relatively constant cross- section and the lower end of the plunger includes an enlarged head of greater outer diameter than the outer diameter of the shaft.

3. The tool of claim 1 wherein there are walls fixedly located at the lower end of the upper member, which walls define a channel generally transverse to the shaft axis for sliding receipt of a matingly shaped portion of the attachment within the channel for installation of the attachment on the upper member.

4. The tool of claim 3 wherein an upper body connects the walls and extends radially outwardly of the shaft to provide a foot support such that a person's foot may be located thereon for driving insertion of the attachment into earthen ground.

5. The tool of claim 3 wherein there is an upper body connecting the walls and the walls are generally opposed to each other and are canted inwardly and downwardly from the upper connecting body.

6. The tool of claim 3 wherein the channel is wedge-shaped.

7. The tool of claim 6 wherein there is an upper body connecting the walls and the walls are generally opposed to each other.

8. The tool of claim 7 wherein the walls are canted toward each other and extend downwardly from the upper connecting body.

9. The tool of claim 3 wherein the shaft and connecting body are of metal and are welded to each other.

10. The tool of claim 4 wherein the attachment includes an upwardly extending projection located to abut the upper connecting body when the matingly shaped portion of the attachment is received in the channel to act as a stop and thereby radially locate the attachment with respect to the shaft

11 The tool of claim 10, wherein there is a latch pivotally connected to the upper body of the upper member for movement between open and locking positions, the latch having an opening for receipt of the projection therein when in the locking position to affix the attachment against radial movement with respect to the axis of the shaft

12 The tool of claim 4 wherein the attachment includes an upwardly extending projection and there is a latch pivotally connected to the upper body of the upper member for movement between open and locking positions, the latch having an opening for receipt therein of the projection when the latch is in the locking position to fix the attachment against transverse movement with respect to the axis of the shaft

13 The tool of claim 1 , wherein there is a plate rigidly affixed at the lower end of the upper member and a pair of walls extending downwardly of the plate to define a downwardly open channel therebetween, the channel being transverse to the axis of the shaft, and the attachment includes a pair of matingly shaped upper walls for sliding receipt within the channel as the attachment is installed on the upper member, and there is an enlarged head affixed at the lower end of the plunger, which head extends into the channel defined between the downwardly extending walls when the plunger is in the upper position and there is a gap between the upper walls of the attachment to provide clearance between the plunger head and the attachment as the upper walls of the attachment are slidingly received into the channel

14 The tool of claim 1 , wherein the lower end of the upper member or an upper end of the attachment includes walls defining a channel transverse to the axis of the shaft and the other of the lower end of the upper member and the upper end of the attachment includes a rigid member matingly shaped to the channel for receipt therein so as to fix the upper member and attachment against axial movement with respect to each other when the attachment is installed on the upper member

15 A manual agricultural tool for use in carrying out at least one lawn care or gardening operation involving extraction of earthen ground material such as removal of a ground plug, planting a bulb, or the like, the tool comprising an upper member having a shaft with a central axis, the shaft being hollow from end-to-end, a handle at an upper end of the shaft for manipulation of the tool, and an attachment selected to carry out one of the operations detachably secured at a lower end of the upper member, the attachment having a downwardly open chamber for receipt of earthen material therein during use, a plunger extending through the shaft for axial movement with respect to the shaft between an upper position and a lower position in which the plunger extends into the chamber, the plunger having an upper end which extends upwardly of a top end of the shaft and a lower end for expelling the earthen material received within the attachment as the plunger is moved from the upper position to the lower position and wherein the plunger is biased into the upper position and the upper end of the plunger is shaped to permit downward pushing of the plunger by a person's hand, to move the plunger into the lower position, 5 there is a plate affixed at the lower end of the shaft which extends radially outwardly thereof to provide a foot support such that a person's foot may be located thereon for driving insertion of the attachment into the ground, there is a pair of walls affixed with respect to the plate and extending downwardly thereof to define a channel transverse to the axis of the shaft therebetween, 10 the attachment includes an upper body for receipt within the channel, the channel walls and the upper body being shaped to preclude axial movement of the attachment with respect to the upper member when the body is received within the channel and the upper body having an aperture located to permit passage of the plunger therethrough as the plunger is moved between the upper and lower positions, 15 the upper body of the attachment includes an upwardly directed projection which extends upwardly of the plate when the upper body is received within the channel, there is a latch pivotally connected to the plate to move between an open position and a locking position, a portion of which latch is shaped to engage the projection of the installed attachment when in the locking position so as to preclude lateral movement of 20 the attachment with respect to the shaft

16 The tool of claim 15 wherein the plate walls are downwardly and inwardly canted toward each other

17 The tool of claim 16 wherein an upper surface of the plate lies in a first imaginary plane which is generally orthogonal to the shaft axis

25 18 The tool of claim 17 wherein each of the plate walls forms an acute inner angle with the plane and itself lies in a second imaginary plane which intersects the first plane along an imaginary line, which lines are nonparallel to each other such that the channel is wedge shaped

19 The tool of claim 18 wherein the upper surface of the plate is generally trapezoidal and the projection of the attachment is a first tab located to be parallel to an edge of the trapezoid when

30 installed on the upper member

20 The tool of claim 19 wherein there are second and third tabs projecting upwardly from said edge of the trapezoid of the plate, the tabs all being generally coplanar and located such that the first tab lies intermediate the second and third tabs, wherein the latch is pivotally connected to one of the tabs of the plate and engages the other of the plate tabs and the first tab when in

35 the locking position

21 The tool of claim 20 wherein the latch comprises a "U"-shaped channel, mounted with the legs of the "U" on either side of the tab to which it is connected wherein inner walls of the "U"- shaped channel engage the other of the plate tabs and the first tab when the latch is in the locking position 22 The tool of claim 16 wherein the plate is of bent metal

23 The tool of claim 22 wherein the plate is of stamped sheet metal

24 The tool of claim 22 wherein the shaft is of tubular metal of constant cross section, the plate and shaft are welded together, and wherein the plunger includes an enlarged head fixed at

5 its lower end, the transverse diameter of the enlarged head being greater than the outer diameter of the shaft of the upper member

25 The tool of claim 24 wherein the handle includes two hand grips each extending in common plane from either side of the upper end of the shaft

26 The tool of claim 25 wherein the plunger has a knob at the upper end thereof 10 27 The tool of claim 16 wherein the lower end of the plunger is enlarged and the enlarged portion extends into the channel when the plunger is in the upper position, the upper body of the attachment includes upwardly and outwardly canted walls for sliding receipt within the channel as the attachment is installed onto the upper member and 15 which upper body walls abut the plate walls when the attachment is installed on the upper member, and the upper body includes a gap between the walls thereof to provide clearance between the plunger head and the attachment walls as the attachment is slid into installed position on the upper member 20 28 The tool of claim 27 wherein the walls of the upper body are connected by a lower plate

29 The tool of claim 28 wherein the walls and lower plate of the upper body are of a single piece of shaped metal

30 The tool of claim 29 where the metal is of stamped sheet metal

31 A handle device for a manual agricultural implement for detachable securement to an 25 attachment for carrying out a lawn care or gardening operation having upper walls for securement to the device, the device comprising a hand grip for hand manipulation of the tool, and a pair of walls rigidly affixed below the hand grip and defining a channel for sliding horizontal receipt therein of the walls of a said attachment, wherein the walls of the 30 device abuttingly engage the walls of the attachment to preclude horizontal rotation of the attachment with respect to the device during use

32 The device of claim 31 , further an upper body connecting the walls of the device and the walls are generally opposed to each other and are canted inwardly and downwardly from the upper connecting body

35 33 The device of claim 32 wherein the upper body is a horizontal plate

34 The device of claim 33 wherein the walls and the plate define a downwardly open channel

35 The device of claim 34 wherein the plate lies in a first imaginary horizontal plane and the walls forms an acute inner angle with the plane and each wall lies in a second imaginary plane which intersects the first plane along an imaginary line, which lines are nonparallel to each other such that the channel is wedge shaped

36 The device of claim 35 wherein the plate and walls are formed from a single piece of bent metal

37 In combination, the device of claim 31 with a said attachment

5 38 A handle device for a manual agricultural implement for detachable securement to an attachment for carrying out a lawn care or gardening operation having upper walls for securement to the device and an upwardly directed tab, the device comprising a hand grip for hand manipulation of the tool, a pair of walls rigidly affixed below the hand grip and defining a channel for sliding 10 horizontal receipt therein of the walls of a said attachment, wherein the walls of the device abuttingly engage the walls of the attachment to preclude horizontal rotation and vertical movement of the attachment with respect to the device during use, and a pivotally connected latch for movement between open and locking positions, a portion of which latch is shaped to engage the tab of the attachment when in the locking position 15 to preclude horizontal movement of the attachment with respect to the device during use 39 The device of claim 38, further an upper body connecting the walls of the device and the walls are generally opposed to each other and are canted inwardly and downwardly from the upper connecting body 20 40 The device of claim 39 wherein the upper body is a horizontal plate

41 The device of claim 40 wherein the walls and the plate define a downwardly open channel

42 The device of claim 41 wherein the plate lies in a first imaginary horizontal plane and the walls forms an acute inner angle with the plane and each wall lies in a second imaginary plane which intersects the first plane along an imaginary line, which line are nonparallel to each other

25 such that the channel is wedge shaped

43 The device of claim 42 wherein the plate and walls are formed from a single piece of bent metal

44 The device of claim 43 wherein the plate has an aperture for insertion therethrough of a plunger

30 45 In combination, the device of claim 47 with a said attachment

46 A device for attachment to a handle of a manual agricultural tool, for removal of plugs from the earth, the device comprising side walls defining a downwardly open cavity, and an earth ejection member located within the cavity, and wherein 35 there are wall edges which define a pair of slots and the earth ejection member has a pair of projections, one projection received in each slot to guide the earth ejection member into an upper position within the cavity as the earth ejection member is forced upwardly by earthen material being received into the cavity as the walls of the device are inserted downwardly Into the earth 47 The device of claim 46 further comprising a top member connected between upper portions of the walls and wherein the top member has an aperture to provide access to an upper surface of the earth ejection member therethrough by a plunger so that the earth ejection member may be pressed downwardly by the plunger from the upper position toward the lower end of the

5 cavity for ejection of a plug of earth from the cavity

48 The device of claim 47 wherein upper ends of the walls are resiliently connected to each other and lower ends of the walls are disconnected from each other to permit flexing of the lower ends radially away from each other as the plug is ejected from the cavity

49 The device of claim 48 wherein the walls lie on the curved surface of an imaginary circular 10 cylinder

50 The device of claim 48 wherein lower edges of the walls together define an essentially continuous cutting surface to assist the insertion of the walls into the earth

51 The device of claim 48 wherein first and second of said walls lie on first and second halves of the curved surface of an imaginary circular cylinder having a central upright axis, a first said

15 slot is defined between neighboring first edges of the first and second walls and a second said slot is defined between neighboring second edges of the first and second walls

52 The device of claim 51 wherein the slots are essentially parallel to the axis of the cylinder, the earth ejection member includes a substantially circular plate having a diameter of slightly less than the internal diametric distance between the walls and each projection has surfaces to

20 be in abutting contact with edges of the slot in which it is received to maintain the orientation of the plate with respect to the axis

53 The device of claim 52 wherein the abutting contact maintains the plate within about 5^° of a plane orthogonal to the axis

54 The device of claim 52 wherein first and second lower portions of each side wall extend 25 circumferentially beyond the first and second edges of the wall, respectively, for abutment against projections of the earth ejection member when in a lower position within the cavity to preclude axial withdrawal of the earth ejection member from the cavity

55 The device of claim 54 wherein there is an opening between neighboring respective first and second lower portions of each side wall to permit said flexing of the lower ends of the walls

30 56 The device of claim 54 wherein the earth ejection member comprises a single piece of stamped metal

57 The device of claim 56 wherein the metal includes a diametric ridge portion extending upwardly of the plate and the projections include radially extending ends of the ridge

58 The device of claim 57 wherein each projection includes a circumferentially directed tab 35 located externally of the cavity and having an inwardly facing surface which abuts an outer surface of a said wall to limit radially inward movement of the plate and preclude abutment of a diametrically opposite perimeter portion of the plate with inner surfaces of said side walls

59 The device of claim 50 wherein each wall includes one or more apertures between upper and lower edges of the wall - I8 ¬ 60. The device of claim 49 wherein the top member is connected to diametrically opposed portions of first and second of said walls and said slots are circumferentially located intermediate the diametrically opposed portions.

61. The device of claim 60 wherein the first and second walls are directly connected to each 5 other at first and second points axially above first and second said slots.

62. The device of claim 60 wherein the first and second walls are respectively welded to the top member.

63. The device of claim 50 wherein portions of the walls are tapered to define sharp edges for cutting into the earth.

10 64. The device of claim 63 wherein the lower portions are indented to define teeth.

65. The device of claim 47 wherein the walls are formed from a single piece of metal having a gauge between about 14 GA and about 18 GA.

66. A manual agricultural tool for use in removal of plugs from the earth, the tool comprising: an upper member having a handle;

15 lower side walls affixed to the upper member and defining a downwardly open cavity; and an earth ejection member located within the cavity; and wherein: there are wall edges which define a pair of slots and the earth ejection member has a pair of projections, one projection received in each slot to guide the earth ejection member into an upper position within the cavity as the earth ejection member is forced upwardly 20 by earthen material being received into the cavity as the walls of the device are inserted downwardly into the earth.

67. The tool of claim 66 further wherein the upper member has an aperture to provide access to an upper surface of the earth ejection member therethrough by a plunger so that the earth ejection member may be pressed downwardly by the plunger from the upper position toward the

25 lower end of the cavity for ejection of a plug of earth from the cavity.

68. The tool of claim 67 wherein upper ends of the walls are resiliently connected to each other and lower ends of the walls are disconnected from each other to permit flexing of the lower ends radially away from each other as the plug is ejected from the cavity.

69. An attachment for a manual agricultural tool having a hand grip and a pair of walls rigidly 30 affixed below the hand grip and defining a channel for sliding horizontal receipt therein of the walls of a said attachment, the attachment comprising: a lower portion for working earthen material; and an upper body having a metal plate having a pair of upwardly directed walls for receipt within said channel of an assembled tool to permit rotation of the tool about an axis 35 transverse to the channel and affix the attachment and handle member against mutual rotation about the axis.