Hand Tool for Removing Loose Dirt from a Hole in the Ground

Abstract

A hand tool that provides a means for a person standing outside of a hole in the ground to remove loose soil from the bottom of the hole by using, in the preferred embodiments, a shaft to pull the tip of the hand tool across the bottom of the hole and toward the user, and where the loose soil is collected through the open side of the hand tool and onto a horizontal surface where it is contained on said horizontal surface by its sides. Once the loose soil is collected onto the horizontal surface, the shaft is used to lift the loose soil out of the hole for deposit at a location outside of the hole. The hand tool is sized to allow a manageable amount of loose soil to be lifted by hand from the hole. Other embodiments are described.

Claims

1. A hand tool providing a means for removing loose soil from the bottom of a hole in the ground, comprising: (a) a horizontal surface fabricated from a rigid material of a predetermined size and thickness onto which loose soil can be collected, (b) three sides composed of a rigid material of a predetermined size and thickness to contain the loose soil within the limits of the horizontal surface, (c) the three sides being joined to the horizontal surface leaving one side open for the loose soil to be collected onto the horizontal surface and between the sides of the hand tool, (d) a socket composed of a rigid material of a predetermined size, thickness, and shape attached to the rear side of the hand tool, (e) the socket oriented to permit the attachment of a shaft or handle, (f) the socket of the hand tool having a predetermined angle to the horizontal surface that allows the tip of the hand tool to be dragged across the bottom of the hole while collecting loose soil onto the horizontal surface, whereby a person standing outside of the hole can grasp the shaft of the hand tool and pull the open side of the tool towards the person thereby collecting loose soil through the open side of the tool and onto the rigid horizontal surface, and the hand tool, with the loose soil contained within its three sides, can be lifted out of the hole by the user and deposited at a location outside the hole.

2. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the socket is attached to the right and left sides of the hand tool.

3. The hand tool provided in claim 2 wherein there is no rear side.

4. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the socket is attached to the horizontal surface.

5. The hand tool provided in claim 4 wherein there is no rear side.

6. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the tip of the hand tool has a beveled edge.

7. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the rear side is attached to the left and right sides but is not attached to the horizontal surface.

8. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the rigid material is composed of metal.

9. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the rigid material is selected from the group consisting of fiberglass, plastic, and carbon composite.

10. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein one or more sides of the hand tool is perforated.

11. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the horizontal surface, sides, and socket are formed by weldment.

12. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the horizontal surface, sides, and socket are formed by stamping.

13. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the horizontal surface, sides, and socket are formed by bending.

14. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the horizontal surface, sides, and socket are formed by casting.

15. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the horizontal surface, sides, and socket are formed by moulding.

16. The hand tool provided in claim 1 wherein the horizontal surface, sides, and socket are formed by 3D printing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hand tool.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a side view of the left side of the hand tool showing the socket and handle attached to the rear side of the hand tool.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a cross-section through a hole in the ground showing how the hand tool is intended to be used.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a side view of the left side of the hand tool showing an embodiment with the socket and handle attached to the left and right sides of the hand tool.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a front view of the hand tool showing an embodiment with the socket and handle attached to the left and right sides of the hand tool.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a side view of the hand tool showing an embodiment with perforations in the side of the hand tool.

DRAWINGSREFERENCE NUMERALS

[0023] 10 right side of the hand tool [0024] 11 horizontal surface of the hand tool [0025] 12 tip of the horizontal surface [0026] 13 left side of the hand tool [0027] 14 rear side of the hand tool [0028] 15 socket [0029] 16 shaft or handle [0030] 17 predetermined angle between socket and horizontal surface [0031] 18 open side of the hand tool [0032] 19 attachment connecting the socket to the left and right sides of the hand tool [0033] 20 perforations in the side of the hand tool

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] One embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 1 (perspective) and FIG. 2 (side view). The user of the hand tool stands outside the hole and close to the edge of the hole being dug as, for example, shown in FIG. 3. While holding the shaft (16), the user drags the tip (12) of the hand tool across the bottom of the hole and toward the user. Loose soil is collected onto the horizontal surface (11) of the hand tool and is contained on the horizontal surface (11) by its left (13), right (10), and rear (14) sides. The hand tool includes a socket (15) which facilitates connection of the shaft (16) to the hand tool. The angle (17) between the shaft (16) of the hand tool and the horizontal surface (11) of the hand tool is predetermined to permit the user of the hand tool to drag the tip (12) of the hand tool across the bottom of the hole so the loose soil can be collected through the open side (18) of the hand tool and onto the horizontal surface (11) of the hand tool. The preferred range of the predetermined angle is between 30 and 85 degrees and an even more preferred range is between 40 and 60 degrees. The hand tool is sized to allow a manageable amount of loose soil to be lifted by hand from the hole and deposited outside the hole without exceeding a weight that would tax the lifting ability of an average user.

[0035] The hand tool can also be fabricated in more than one size. For example, for wide holes, the width of the hand tool from left side to right side can have a preferred width of between 5 and 10 inches, while the width of the hand tool for a narrow linear hole can have a preferred width of between 3 to 8 inches. The hand tool can be manufactured from any rigid material including metal, fiberglass, carbon composites, or plastic with the thickness or gauge of the material varying according to what is required to provide adequate strength and durability. Depending upon the material used to fabricate the hand tool, the preferred range of thickness of the material is between 0.0469 inch and 0.250 inch, and an even more preferred range is between 0.0625 inch and 0.1875 inch.

[0036] Another embodiment of the hand tool is illustrated in FIG. 4 (side view) and FIG. 5 (front view). In this embodiment, the socket is attached to the left and right sides of the hand tool. FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the hand tool with one or more sides perforated. The perforations, which could vary in number, size, and configuration, would reduce the weight of the hand tool.

[0037] Although the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but as merely providing illustrations of some of several embodiments. For example, the horizontal surface (11) and sides of the hand tool can have other shapes and dimensions, and can be stamped, bent, welded, forged, or molded out of one or more pieces of rigid material. Also, there are alternative ways the socket (15) can be attached to the hand tool, and alternative ways to connect the shaft (16) to the socket.

[0038] Thus, in addition to the above description, the scope of the embodiments should also include the appended claims and their legal equivalents.