Snow shovel/scraper

• US 5,048,883 A
• Filed: 04/18/1990
• Issued: 09/17/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Debra Waluk
• Original Assignee: Debra Waluk
• Inventors: Waluk, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pringle, Cathleen
• Application Number:
  US07/510,663
• Time in Patent Office: 517 Days
• Field of Search: 295/54.5, 295/51, 295/57, 295/58, 135/66, 135/69, 135/75, 37/265, 37/130, 37/283, 37/285, 37/271, 37/278, 37/284, 172/351, 172/353, 172/370
• US Class Current: 294/54.5
• CPC Class Codes: E01H 5/02 Hand implements E01H5/04, E01H5/10, E01H5/12 take precedence shovels or spades in general A01B1/02; brooms, brushes A46B

Abstract

A snow shovel/scraper comprises a blade in form of a flat sheet of metal which has three transverse bend lines defining a base panel, a narrow scraping edge along the forward edge of the base panel, and a pair of receptacle panels which extend upwardly from the rear edge of the base panel for carrying the snow forwardly. The blade is attached to a handle arrangement in the form of a pair of rails which are adjustable in length. The upper end of each rail includes a shoulder engaging portion having a curved projection at right angles to the rail and at right angles to the scraping edge to fit into the underarm area of the user. In between the upper end and the blade is mounted a crossbar which can be adjusted along the length of the rails and to space the rails at a required spacing. The crossbar has a pair of handles turned downwardly from the rails at either side of the rails for grasping by the hands of the user with the shoulders under the upper curved portions. The handle arrangement allows the blade to be pushed using the shoulders and hands of the user in a vigorous pushing action requiring little muscular effort.

Claims

1. A snow shovel comprising a blade including a blade edge arranged to scrape the ground and a blade surface to push snow lifted by the edge, and a handle arrangement by which the blade can be pushed across the ground, the handle arrangement comprising first and second elongate rails each connected at a forward end to the blade such that the edge intersects a longitudinal axis of each rail so that longitudinal force on the rail is applied through the edge to the ground, a pair of concave receiving portions each mounted on a respective one of the rails and defining a receptacle area which extends substantially at right angles to the blade edge and to the respective rail with the portions being spaced in a direction longitudinally of the edge each for engaging an area on the user adjacent the front of the underarm, said rails mounting the receiving portions on the blade such that the receiving portions are spaced from the blade by a distance such that the receiving portions lie substantially at shoulder height with the blade edge on the ground, each of the receiving portions being integrally formed with the respective one of the rails such that the rail is bent at an upper end thereof in a direction substantially at right angles to the length of the rail to form said receiving portion, a crossbar fixedly attached directly to each of the rails at a position thereon between the receiving portions and the blades so as to extend transversely thereacross from a first end adjacent one of the rials to a second end adjacent the other of the rails including means for adjusting the position of the rails thereon so as to adjust the spacing between the rails and a pair of hand grip members each formed at a respective end of the crossbar so as to extend downwardly therefrom substantially at right angles to the crossbar and at right angles to the respective rail, the hand grip members being fixed relative to the rails so that force applied to the hand grip members is directly communicated to the rails.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein each of the receiving portions projects upwardly from the respective rail.

3. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the length of each of the rails is adjustable.

4. The invention according to claim 1 wherein each of the rails comprises a pair of tubes with one tube being slideable inside the other tube and each tube having a plurality of transverse holes to that one tube can be clamped at a required position onto the other tube by a pin extending through aligned ones of the holes.