A RAKE

Abstract

The invention comprises a rake that functions in the same position both when pulled and pushed and its stiff tines (39) are flexibly (9) pivoted or fastened with a spring (9) onto the rake head (16) that consists of an axle (16) made of a tubular section that is open is one side and the tines (39) have double ends (17).

Claims

1.-8. (canceled)

9. A rake, with which, when the head stays in the same position, it is possible to rake both with pulling and pushing motions, wherein the stiff or somewhat stiff tines are flexibly jointed, pivoted or fastened with a spring onto the rake head or to the tine stubs that are part of the head, and its flexible part's flexibility must be such that the pressure on the tines from raking bends the tines at their flexible point, preferably at a minimum of 45 degree angle to both sides, i.e., forwards and backwards, from the tines' resting position, and the tines are equipped with the tine ends intended for both pulling and pushing, and, in the resting position, those tine ends form over 90-degree angles to the ground that open to own work movement's direction, i.e., forwards and backwards, when the rake handle is in the working position, this is, at a 45-60 degree angle to the ground.

10. The rake according to claim 9, wherein the tine branches into two ends before the tine tip, which so-called double end can be both a detachable part attachable onto the tine stem or a fixed part of the tine stem.

11. The rake according to claim 9, wherein the rake's head with its tines is an integrated solution, in which the entire rake is made of the same polymer material with the tine's flexible part preferably at its root.

12. The rake according to claim 9, wherein the rake tines are formed of torsion springs made of approximately 2-3 mm thick spring wire, and the torsion springs' coils form the tines' flexible part, and the coils' other, longer ends and it is easy to bend two narrow tandem loops from spring wire that is bent into the U-shape functioning as a tine and connecting two adjacent coils to form a double end that resembles a salmon's tail, which coils are attached onto the head by threading them onto the axle that functions as the rake head and the other shorter ends of those coils bend tightly against the entire length of the flat axle side whose width is about ⅓ of the axle's diameter, this way locking the spring, i.e., the coil, onto the axle and preventing the coil from freely rotating in the axle, and, to minimise the friction between the coils, there are preferably plastic washers or bushings between those coils.

13. The rake according to claim 9, wherein the rake head consists of a axle that is open on one side and made of a tube or polymer profile, and the width of the axle's opening or gap is at least smaller than the axle's diameter, and the flexible part of the torsion springs, this is, the coils, functioning as the tines, can be pushed inside this axle, and the torsion springs coil's other longer end functioning as the tine protrudes from this axle opening, and it is easy to bend a salmon-tail-like double end into the tine end especially from the spring wire bent into the U-shape that connects two adjacent loops, and the other coils' shorter ends, not including their end tips that remain inside the axle, form a U- or V-shaped loop, protruding out of the axle opening that prevents the coils from freely rotating inside the axle, and the rake handle's fastening sleeve can be conveniently and without an obstruction fastened onto this axle that does not require any penetrating anchor screws in this solution, and, to prevent the coils from falling off, there are plugs at the end of the axle.

14. The rake according to claim 9, wherein the rake's stiff tine is an separate part attachable onto the head either through a flexible joint, rubber loop firmly fastened onto the tine or attachable through a separate flexible joint, e.g., solid rubber band, both onto the tine and onto the head, which solutions require two contact surfaces, this is, fastening points between the tines and the rake head, one at the head's front part that is preferably formed of an axle on the head's front edge and of the tines threaded side by side onto it through the holes and, alternatively, of another axle at the head's back part or of openings or hooks in the head, onto which the tines' rubber loops are fastened, and when the flexible part is a separate rubber band, it is threaded through the other penetrating holes located at the root of the tines forming loops between the tines, with which the tines are fastened onto the pins or hooks in the head.

15. The rake according to claim 9, wherein the flexible pivoting is generated with a few cm high flexible bottom part whose width corresponds to the width of the upper part and is made of polymer or rubber that is fastened below the rake's narrow stiff top part, onto which the tines are preferably anchored from their T- or L-shaped bottom ends by either mechanically gluing or fastened in the mould when the mould's soft bottom part is pressed, and when raked, the soft flexible bottom part bends back and forth with the tines at the connection point between the rubber part and the stiff head's top part and the profile of the flexible bottom part's edge is notched, so that the notched part with the tines could bend independently.

16. The rake according to claim 9, wherein, at the horizontal level, the tine ends are placed closer to the tine's flexible point or joint than to the tine point farthest off from the tine's flexible point, so that when the rake is being pushed, the tines' farthest off point pulls the pulling tine behind it, and, in order to prevent the tine from bending under the rake head when being pushed in too sharp an angle, the tine's beginning part should preferably form an approximately 180-150 degree angle to the rake handle, and the beginning part of those tines has to be at least 6-12 cm before they bend downwards toward the ground, which takes place through one or more curves, and the tine ends as a double end, and the angles to the ground of the tine ends, that are in the resting position, open into the working direction are over 90 degrees when, in the working position, the rake handle is at a circa 45-60 degree angle to the ground, and the distance between those tines' lowest and highest point is at least 10 cm.

Description

[0064] The following is a presentation of the rake with the references to the enclosed illustrations, in which

[0065] FIG. 1 shows a rake head, onto which the tines equipped with the rubber loops are fastened.

[0066] FIG. 2 shows a close illustration of the solution presented in FIG. 1.

[0067] FIG. 3 shows a solution, in which the tines are attached onto the rake head with a separate rubber band.

[0068] FIG. 4 shows a solution, in which the double-end tines made of metal spring are firmly anchored onto the flexible bottom part fastened onto the rake head.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows an integrated solution, in which the rake is entirely made of the same polymer material.

[0070] FIG. 6 shows a solution, in which the rake's torsion spring tines are threaded onto the axle equipped with a flat side.

[0071] FIG. 7 shows a solution, in which the rake head consists of a tubular section open on one side and the torsion spring coils functioning as the tines are placed inside it, and the tine end consists of double ends.

[0072] FIG. 8 shows a close illustration of the rake's open tubular section and of the U-shaped torsion spring functioning as a tine and of the U-shaped loop of the coil's end tip.

[0073] FIG. 9 shows a solution, in which a double end is fastened onto a U-shaped torsion spring's end with quick clamping.

[0074] FIG. 10 shows a solution for the double end twisted in a U-shaped torsion spring.

[0075] FIG. 11 shows a tine solution, in which the tines curve through a turn toward the ground.

[0076] FIG. 12 shows a schematic illustration of the angles between the rake and the handle and between the tine and the ends.

[0077] FIG. 1 presents a rake head (4), whose front part consists of an axle (3) that forms one of tines' (1) fastening points onto the head (4). The other fastening point consists of the hooks (7) at the back part of the head (4), onto which the rubber loops (21) attached onto the tines (1) are fastened. A sleeve (5) is fastened onto the head (4) for fastening the handle (6).

[0078] FIG. 2 presents a close illustration of the fastening of the axle (3) going through the tine (1) holes (34) and the fastening of the rubber loops (21) attached onto the tines (1) onto the head's (4) hooks (7).

[0079] FIG. 3 presents a close illustration of the fastening of the tines (1) onto the rake head (4) with a separate rubber band (13) that is threaded through the holes (40) at the back end of the tines (1), which rubber band (13) between the tines (1) forms a loop (13) that attaches onto the hooks (7) fastened onto the head (4).

[0080] FIG. 4 presents a torsion springs equipped with a double end (17) that function as the tines (2) anchored from their L-shaped (22) ends onto the notched (20) bottom part (19) made of the rake head's (41) flexible polymer material. The head has a sleeve (5) for the handle (6).

[0081] FIG. 5 presents an integrated solution, in which the entire rake is made of the same flexible polymer material, and the rake head (24) with its tine stubs (27) and the tines (26) with their double ends (28) are made of a sturdy thicker material layer and the flexible part (25) is made of a thinner material layer.

[0082] FIG. 6 shows a flat-sided (8) axle functioning as the rake head (31), and the torsion springs functioning as the tines (2) are threaded onto it, and the coils' (9) free shorter end tips (10) are firmly bent against the axle's (31) flat edge (8).

[0083] FIG. 7 shows a tubular section (16) open on the side (36) functioning as the rake head, and the torsion springs (2) bent at the middle into the U shape with two coils (9) function as the rake tines (2), and a double end (17) is bent from their U-shaped end, and one of the double end's (12) end is directed forwards and diagonally up in relation to the tine (2) stem and the other one (11) forwards diagonally down.

[0084] FIG. 8 shows a close illustration of a tubular section equipped with an open (36) side that functions as the rake head (16), and the torsion springs (2) with the coils (9) functioning as the tines (2) are placed inside it, and, thanks to the U-shaped loops (15) penetrating from the opening (36) at their end tips, the coils (9) stay in the tube (16) without rotating. There are plugs (14) at the tube (16) ends for preventing the coils (9) from coming out of the tube (16).

[0085] FIG. 9 shows a rake with a tubular section head (16) equipped with the torsion spring tines (2) that are of the U-shape, whose U-shaped tines (2) are equipped with the double ends (28) that operate with quick clamping (18).

[0086] FIG. 10 presents a rake with a tubular section head (16) and the ends of its U-shaped torsion spring ends functioning as the tines (2) are bent into a double end (17) resembling a salmon's tail.

[0087] FIG. 11 shows a solution, in which the tine (39) bends through a curve (46) towards the ground, and the tine's (39) end consists of two end tips (32, 33).

[0088] FIG. 12 shows a schematic illustration of the relations between the rake handle (6), the tine (39), and the ground (52), in which, when the rake handle's (6) working position, there is at an approximately 45-60 degree (48) angle to the ground (52), the beginning part of the tine (39) is approximately at a 150-180 degree angle to the handle (6). The tine stem (39) curves toward the ground (52) through one (46) or two curves (46A), and the tine (39) ends are double ends (17), and the tines' (32, 33, 32A, 33A) angles (50, 51) to the ground (52) opening to the working direction are over the 90 degrees. There is a solution shown with the dash lines, in which the tine (39A) makes two curves (46, 46A) before the ground (52). The illustration shows that the distance (44) from the tine's (39) curve (46) to the tine's (39) flexible part (47) is greater than the distance (45) from the tine (39) ends (32, 33) to the flexible part (47).

[0089] The clarification and the related drawings are only intended for illustrating the concept according to the invention. The details of the rake according to the invention can vary within the framework of the following claims.