SHOVEL AND RELATED METHODS

Abstract

A shovel and related methods are disclosed. The shovel has a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow. The shovel has a skid coupled to the underside of the blade, and a strap attachment mechanism coupled to the at least one side wall.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. § 119

The present application for patent claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/433,068, filed Dec. 12, 2016, and assigned to the assignee hereof, the contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein as if presented in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to shovels. In particular, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for shoveling snow.

BACKGROUND

Snow shovels have been in use for ages; however, there remains a need for a shovel that is effective, easy to transport, long-lasting, and does not damage surfaces that come in contact with the shovel.

SUMMARY

An exemplary shovel has a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow. The exemplary shovel has a skid coupled to the underside of the blade. The exemplary shovel has a strap attachment mechanism coupled to the at least one side wall.

An exemplary method of making a shovel includes providing a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow. The exemplary method includes coupling a skid to the underside of the blade, and coupling a strap attachment mechanism to the at least one side wall.

An exemplary method of using a shovel includes providing a shovel with (a) a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow, (b) a skid coupled to the underside of the blade, and (c) a strap attachment mechanism coupled to the blade. The exemplary method includes detaching at least one of the skid or the strap attachment mechanism from the blade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shovel in a collapsed configuration according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shovel in FIG. 1 in a deployed configuration;

FIG. 3 is a partial exploded view of the lower side of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view and a side view of the blade of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view, side view, and bottom view of the handle connector of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom view and a side view of the skin of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 illustrates various views of the strap attachment mechanism of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 illustrates various views of first and second shafts of the handle of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 illustrates various views of third and fourth shafts of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 illustrates a top view and side view of the tee handle of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of the blade in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 illustrates a rear view of the blade in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a strap attachment portion of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of a strap attachment portion of the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 illustrates a side view of the strap attachment mechanism in FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the strap attachment mechanism in FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 illustrates an exploded side view of the mechanism in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 illustrates an exploded end view of the mechanism in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 illustrates a lower perspective view of the mechanism in FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a strap attachment mechanism suitable for use in the shovel in FIG. 1;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a method; and

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-19 illustrate an embodiment of a shovel 100 described herein and a strap assembly. FIG. 20 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the strap assembly.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the shovel 100 may have a blade assembly 102 having a blade 110. The shovel 100 may also have a handle assembly 104 and a strap assembly 106, which may also be referenced herein as a strap attachment mechanism. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the shovel 100 may also have a skid assembly 108.

An exemplary shovel 100 may have a blade 110 having an underside 111 (see FIG. 3), an upper side (113), and at least one side wall 115, the upper side 113 configured to hold snow. The shovel 100 may have a skid 108 coupled to the underside 111 of the blade 110, and a strap attachment mechanism 106 coupled to the at least one side wall 115.

The strap assembly 106 may provide means for temporarily affixing the shovel 100 to another device, such as a user's backpack, a vehicle, a sled, and/or a receiving hook. The strap assembly 106 and/or the skid assembly 108 may provide a means for protecting the surface across which the shovel 100 is dragged. The strap assembly 106 and/or the skid assembly 108 may be made of a synthetic material and/or a non-metallic material. The strap assembly 106 and/or the skid assembly 108 may be “sacrificial” wear components. That is, the strap and/or skid assemblies 106, 108 may be configured to wear faster as the shovel 100 is dragged about, thereby protecting the blade 110.

The strap assembly 106 and/or the skid assembly 108 may be replaceable.

The components of the shovel 100 may be made of any material suitable for the purpose of use in a snow shovel. Recycled components may be used.

The shovel 100 may have a telescoping shaft 119 or a plurality of shafts 119 coupling the handle portion 104 to the blade assembly (see e.g. FIGS. 8 and 9). The telescoping shaft may be removable from the blade assembly. The telescoping shaft 119 may be attachable at a first position, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1, and/or a second position, such as that illustrated in FIG. 2. The telescoping shaft may be adjustable in length and/or attachment position without the use of tools. The telescoping shaft may telescope in length between about 18″ and about 56.5″. The blade 110 may be about 12″ in height. That is, the total height of the shovel may be adjustable between about 12″ during a storage configuration wherein the shaft is in the first position and up to 68.5″ wherein the shaft is in the second position and fully extended.

A variety of handles may be provided on the shovel 100. As illustrated in FIG. 5, a handle connector 117 may be provided to couple a handle to the blade 110.

The blade 110 may have a plurality of teeth at a distal end of the blade 110, so as to assist with efficient snow grooming and/or ice scraping.

With reference to FIGS. 13-19, and in particular FIG. 16, the strap assembly 106 may include a first side 106a and a second side 106b, with one of the sides configured to snap into the other side. For example, the first side 106a may have a flanged protrusion 106c shaped to flex as the first side 106a is pressed against the second side 106b, and to engage flanged recess 106d in the second side 106b, although those skilled in the art will recognize that a reverse configuration is possible.

With reference to FIG. 20, one can readily recognize that any temporary engagement between the first and second sides of the strap assembly 106 is possible and/or that the first and second sides may be reversible with each other.

Turning now to FIG. 21, a method 2100 of making a shovel includes providing 2102 a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow. The method 2100 may include coupling 2104 a skid to the underside of the blade, and coupling a strap attachment mechanism to the at least one side wall. The method 2100 may be accomplished using the shovel 100 previously described herein.

Turning now to FIG. 22, A method 2200 of using a shovel includes providing 2202 a shovel with (a) a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow, (b) a skid coupled to the underside of the blade, and (c) a strap attachment mechanism coupled to the blade. The method 2200 may include detaching 2204 at least one of the skid or the strap attachment mechanism from the blade. The method 2200 may be accomplished using the shovel 100 previously described herein.

The terms and expressions employed herein are used as terms and expressions of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. In addition, having described certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating the concepts disclosed herein may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as only illustrative and not restrictive.

Each of the various elements disclosed herein may be achieved in a variety of manners. This disclosure should be understood to encompass each such variation, be it a variation of an embodiment of any apparatus embodiment, a method or process embodiment, or even merely a variation of any element of these. Particularly, it should be understood that the words for each element may be expressed by equivalent apparatus terms or method terms—even if only the function or result is the same. Such equivalent, broader, or even more generic terms should be considered to be encompassed in the description of each element or action. Such terms can be substituted where desired to make explicit the implicitly broad coverage to which this disclosure is entitled.

As but one example, it should be understood that all action may be expressed as a means for taking that action or as an element which causes that action. Similarly, each physical element disclosed should be understood to encompass a disclosure of the action which that physical element facilitates. Regarding this last aspect, by way of example only, the disclosure of a fastener should be understood to encompass disclosure of the act of fastening—whether explicitly discussed or not—and, conversely, were there only disclosure of the act of fastening, such a disclosure should be understood to encompass disclosure of a fastening mechanism. Such changes and alternative terms are to be understood to be explicitly included in the description.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments and examples is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples disclosed herein. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A shovel, comprising:

a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow;

a skid coupled to the underside of the blade; and

a strap attachment mechanism coupled to the at least one side wall.

2. The shovel of claim 1, further comprising:

a handle removably coupled to the blade.

3. The shovel of claim 1, wherein:

the skid is detachable from the blade.

4. The shovel of claim 1, wherein:

the strap attachment mechanism is detachable from the blade.

5. The shovel of claim 1, wherein:

the skid comprises a first material;

the blade comprises a second material different from the first material; and wherein

the first material is configured to wear more quickly than the second material.

6. The shovel of claim 1, wherein:

the strap attachment mechanism comprises a first material;

the blade comprises a second material different from the first material; and wherein

the first material is configured to wear more quickly than the second material.

7. The shovel of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of strap attachment mechanisms.

8. A method of making a shovel, comprising:

providing a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow;

coupling a skid to the underside of the blade; and

coupling a strap attachment mechanism to the at least one side wall.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

removably coupling a handle to the blade.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detaching the skid from the blade.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detaching the strap attachment mechanism from the blade.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the skid comprises a first material;

the blade comprises a second material different from the first material; and wherein

the first material is configured to wear more quickly than the second material.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the strap attachment mechanism comprises a first material;

the blade comprises a second material different from the first material; and wherein

the first material is configured to wear more quickly than the second material.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

coupling a plurality of strap attachment mechanisms to the at least one side wall or the underside.

15. A method of using a shovel, comprising:

providing a shovel with (a) a blade having an underside, an upper side, and at least one side wall, the upper side configured to hold snow, (b) a skid coupled to the underside of the blade, and (c) a strap attachment mechanism coupled to the blade; and

detaching at least one of the skid or the strap attachment mechanism from the blade.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

removably coupling a handle to the blade.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detaching the skid from the blade.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

detaching the strap attachment mechanism from the blade.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the skid comprises a first material;

the blade comprises a second material different from the first material; and wherein

the first material is configured to wear more quickly than the second material.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the strap attachment mechanism comprises a first material;

the blade comprises a second material different from the first material; and wherein

the first material is configured to wear more quickly than the second material.