Abstract: An easy to engage and disengage snap fastener for clothing, made of a semi rigid plastic material but also of a more flexible vinyl or rubber like material or a combination of both materials, and an easy to engage and disengage snap strap fastener made preferably of a semi rigid plastic material but also of a more flexible vinyl or rubber like material or a combination of both materials and a strip of thermoplastic yarn web or fabric, said snap strap fastener could be adjustable in some applications. The male fastener part is substantially spherical in shape and the female fastener part, of thin walled construction, is substantially oval or elliptic in its base portion and substantially circular in its upper portion, also engaging portion.

Abstract: A rake comprising a handle with an upper portion, an intermediate portion and a lower portion; a pair of oppositely disposed frames pivotally attached to said lower portion, said pair of oppositely disposed frames having a plurality of tines; an articulating mechanism comprising a pair of brackets fixedly coupled to said lower portion; a pair of rods fixedly coupled between said pair of brackets; a handle collar slidable on said handle, said handle collar coupled to a rod collar by a pair of connecting members, said rod collar slidable on one of said pair of rods; a pair of connector rods hingedly coupled between said rod collar and said pair of oppositely disposed frames; and whereby sliding said handle collar causes said rod collar to slide in sympathy and provides a force to said pair of connector rods to pivot said pair of oppositely disposed frames towards one other or away from one another.

Abstract: A method of use of a rake for gathering material in a raking mode and a picking mode, the method comprising the steps of: pivotally mounting a first rake head and a second rake head between an upper bracket and a lower bracket, said upper bracket being coupled to a handle; articulating said first rake head and said second rake head for axial alignment therebetween to place said rake in said raking mode; engaging a stop mechanism associated with said upper bracket to maintain said rake in said raking mode; and disengaging said stop mechanism and articulating said first rake head and said second rake head to pivot said first rake head and said second rake head towards each other to place said rake in said picking mode.