DOUBLE-BLADED MANUAL SNOW REMOVING DEVICE
This present invention is a double-bladed manual snow removing device having a front and a back blade hinged together. The blades can be opened at an acute angle or can be closed contiguously to each other. A handle, attached to the back blade, can swivel in a vertical plane. There are three ways the present device can be used to remove snow: pushing, pulling or lifting. When pushing, the front blade member pushes snow at the acute angle out of the path while the back blade member, which is the trailing blade, scrapes at any remaining snow which, when dislodged, is pushed forward by the back blade member. When pulling, it is the front blade member which is the trailing blade. With the blades closed contiguously to each other and the handle locked to the back blade, the device function as a conventional snow shovel.
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/992,363 filed May 13, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made a part hereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to manual devices for removing snow and slush from sidewalks and driveways.
2. Description of Prior Art
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field. In winter, homeowners are required to clear their sidewalks and driveways of snow. Snow accumulated on the sidewalk and driveway is usually in two layers, an upper layer that is not compacted and a lower layer that is compacted and adheres to the sidewalk or driveway. Unfortunately, most people take ‘clearing’ to be shovelling which invariably leads to lifting. Lifting can lead to a lot of health problems as this is usually done with the conventional snow shovel, which has a shaft fixed to a blade. That is the main disadvantage of conventional snow shovels. True, some people use the conventional snow shovel to push snow out of the way, but the snow just accumulates in front of the shovel and at some point has to be lifted away. The device described in this specification has two blades—a front and a back blade—hinged together with the shaft, to which the grip is fixed, rotatably connected to the back blade. This device gives the user three options to remove snow, two of which do not require lifting. It can be configured as a plough for pushing snow, a hoe for pulling snow and a shovel for lifting snow. There is no prior art in manual devices for removing snow and slush from sidewalks and driveways, having two blades—a front and a back blade—hinged together and with the shaft, to which the grip is fixed, rotatably connected to the back blade and which can be configured as a plough or a hoe or a shovel.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe main objective of the present invention is to help users clear sidewalks and driveways of snow by pushing it to a side to the path to be cleared, at an acute angle.
Another objective of the present invention is that in moving to and from the starting point of the path to be cleared, snow is pushed to the same side of the path at the same acute angle.
Another objective of the present invention is that, when snow cannot be cleared from the sidewalks and driveways by pushing it, it can be then cleared by pulling it.
Another objective of the present invention is to allow it to be used as a conventional shovel.
Referring to the attached drawings which form part of this original disclosure:
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This manual snow removing device is designed primarily to push not lift snow. The front and back blade members are made preferably of plastic which is corrugated so as to make them stronger and the device light. There are three ways in which snow can be removed: by pushing it, by pulling it and by lifting it.
1) When the snow on the ground is below the height of the blades of the device, the blades of the device are opened at an acute angle to each other and the handle is unlocked from the back blade member so as to be rotatable. The device is then pushed forward with the back blade substantially parallel to the user's shoulders. In pushing the device forward, the user uses the handle bar of the grip member.
2) When the height of the snow on the ground is above the height of the blades of the device, the blades are opened at an acute angle to each other and the handle is unlocked from the back blade member so as to be rotatable. The device is then pulled with the back blade substantially parallel to the user's shoulders and the front blade the trailing blade. In pulling the device, the user uses the aperture of the grip member.
3) There may be times when the user wishes to lift the snow. This is done by locking the front and back blades contiguous to each other and locking the handle member to the back blade member. In lifting the snow, the user places one hand on the shaft member and the other hand in the aperture of the grip member.
This invention has been disclosed and described in its preferred embodiment with a certain degree of peculiarity; it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred embodiment is only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims
1. A double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it, comprising of:
- a. two blade members with substantially the same heights, with each said blade member having an upper and a lower edge parallel to each other and a frontal and a back face and two ends, with at least one end perpendicular to said upper and lower edges, with one blade member forming the front blade member and the other blade member forming the back blade member, and with an end of said front blade member perpendicular to its upper and lower edges hinged to an end of said back blade member perpendicular to its upper and lower edges such that said upper and lower edges of said front and back blade member are aligned and said back face of said front blade member is foldable into said frontal face of back blade member;
- b. a handle member comprising of a grip member and a shaft member having two ends, one end of said shaft member affixed to said grip member with the other end of said shaft member rotatably connected to substantially the centre of said back face of said back blade member, said shaft member also capable of being locked into a fixed position substantially perpendicular to said upper edge of said back blade member; and
- c. a connector member having a first section member and a second section member, with each said section member having an upper and a lower edge parallel to each other and a frontal and a back face and a first end and a second end both perpendicular to said upper and lower edges, with said first end of said first section member hinged to said frontal face of said back blade member proximal to its unhinged end which allows said back face of said first section member to be foldable into said frontal face of said back blade member, with said second end of said first section member hinged to said second section member, with said second section member secured to said back face of said front blade member, with said upper edges of said first and second section members lower than said upper edges of said front and back blade members and said lower edges of said first and second section members higher than said lower edges of said front and back blade members, said connector member allowing said front blade member and said back blade member to be opened up to an acute angle to each other and to close substantially parallel to each other.
2. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein said front blade member is substantially concave in shape while said back blade member is substantially flat in shape, with both said blade members rectangular in dimension.
3. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein said two blade members are substantially concave in shape, with both said blade members rectangular in dimension.
4. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein said two blade members are substantially flat in shape, with both said blade members rectangular in dimension.
5. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein said front blade member is substantially concave in shape while said back blade member is substantially flat in shape, with both said blade members square in dimension.
6. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein said front blade member has a slot, said slot substantially equidistant and parallel to said upper and lower edges of said front blade member and housing a fastener.
7. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein said grip member of said shaft member of said handle member is crowned by a handle bar member extending symmetrically to each side of said shaft member, said handle bar member substantially parallel to said back blade member, said grip member also having an aperture for accommodating a hand of the user.
8. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein with said shaft member of said handle member connected to substantially the centre of said back face of said back blade member, said shaft member can be rotated vertically from said upper edge to said lower edge of said back blade member such that said hinged front and back blade members can be inverted with their lower edges becoming the upper edges and vice versa.
9. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 6, wherein said first section member of said connector member is longer than said second section member, with said second end of said first section member hinged to said first end of said second section member, with the hinging of said first and second section members allowing said back face of said second section member to be foldable into said back face of said first section member, with said frontal face of second section member secured to said back face of said front blade member by said fastener residing in said slot of said front blade member.
10. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 1, wherein said first section member of said connector member is shorter than said second section member, with said second section member secured to said back face of said front blade member by hinging its second end to said back face of said front blade member proximal to its unhinged end which allows said back face of said second section member to be foldable into said back face of said front blade member, with said second section member having a channel substantially parallel to said upper and lower edges of said second section member and opening into its first end, with said second end of said first section member hinged to said frontal face of said second section member such that said frontal face of said first section member is foldable into said frontal face of said second section member and when folded said first end of said first section member is aligned with said second end of said second section member, with said first section member having a slot substantially parallel to said upper and lower edges of said first section member, with said slot of said first section member housing a fastener, with said slot and channel aligned.
11. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 9, wherein with said fastener sliding within said slot of said front blade member towards said hinged ends of said front and back blade members and said first and second section members rotating around their connection to each other and said first section member rotating around its connection to said back blade member, said hinged front and back blade members can be locked substantially parallel to each other with said first and second members aligned in a straight line and said back face of said front blade member contiguous to said frontal faces of said first and second section members and said frontal face of said back blade member contiguous to said back faces of said first and second section members.
12. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 9, wherein with said fastener sliding within said slot of said front blade member away said hinged ends of said front and back blade members and said first and second section members rotating around their connection to each other and said first section member rotating around its connection to said back blade member, said hinged front and back blade members can be opened up to said acute angle to each other.
13. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 11, wherein with said hinged front and back blade members locked substantially parallel to each other and said shaft member of said handle member locked into a fixed position substantially perpendicular to said upper edge of said back blade member, said double-bladed manual snow removing device functions as a conventional snow shovel for lifting snow.
14. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 12, wherein when snow can be cleared by pushing said double-bladed manual snow removing device forward, said double-bladed manual snow removing device is pushed forward towards the end of the path to be cleared, with said back blade member being the trailing blade and being substantially parallel to the shoulders of the users, and said frontal face of said front blade member pushing snow out of the path at said acute angle, and said lower edge of said back blade member scraping at any remaining snow which, when dislodged, is pushed forward by said frontal face of said back blade member, and at the end of the path to be cleared, by inverting said hinged front and back blade members, when said double-bladed manual snow removing device is pushed forward towards the beginning of the path to be cleared with said back blade member being the trailing blade and being substantially parallel to the shoulders of the users, snow is cleared to the same side of the path at said acute angle by said frontal face of said front blade member, and said lower edge of said back blade member scraping at any remaining snow which, when dislodged, is pushed forward by said frontal face of said back blade member.
15. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 12, wherein when snow cannot be cleared by pushing said double-bladed manual snow removing device forward, snow is cleared by pulling said double-bladed manual snow removing device with said back blade member substantially parallel to the shoulders of the users and being the leading blade.
16. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 10, wherein with said fastener of said first section member sliding completely out of said channel of said second section member and said first and second section members rotating around their connections to each other and to said front and back blade members, said hinged front and back blade members can be locked substantially parallel to each other, with said back face of said front blade member contiguous to said back face of said second section member and said frontal face of said back blade member contiguous to said back face of said first section member.
17. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 10, wherein with said first and second section members rotating around their connections to each other and to said front and back blade members such that said first and second section members are aligned in a straight line and said fastener of said first section member engaged with said channel of said second section member, said hinged front and back blade members are opened up to said acute angle to each other.
18. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 16, wherein with said hinged front and back blade members locked substantially parallel to each other and said shaft member of said handle member locked into a fixed position substantially perpendicular to said upper edge of said back blade member, said double-bladed manual snow removing device functions as a conventional snow shovel for lifting snow.
19. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 17, wherein when snow can be cleared by pushing said double-bladed manual snow removing device forward, said double-bladed manual snow removing device is pushed forward towards the end of the path to be cleared, with said back blade member being the trailing blade and being substantially parallel to the shoulders of the users, and said frontal face of said front blade member pushing snow out of the path at said acute angle, and said lower edge of said back blade member scraping at any remaining snow which, when dislodged, is pushed forward by said frontal face of said back blade member, and at the end of the path to be cleared, by inverting said hinged front and back blade members, when said double-bladed manual snow removing device is pushed forward towards the beginning of the path to be cleared with said back blade member being the trailing blade and being substantially parallel to the shoulders of the users, snow is cleared to the same side of the path at said acute angle by said frontal face of said front blade member, and said lower edge of said back blade member scraping at any remaining snow which, when dislodged, is pushed forward by said frontal face of said back blade member.
20. The double-bladed device for manually removing snow by pushing, pulling or lifting it of claim 17, wherein when snow cannot be cleared by pushing said double-bladed manual snow removing device forward, snow is cleared by pulling said double-bladed manual snow removing device with said back blade member substantially parallel to the shoulders of the users and being the leading blade.
Type: Application
Filed: May 8, 2015
Publication Date: Nov 19, 2015
Inventor: Krishna Ramcharan (Toronto)
Application Number: 14/707,178