AU614266B2 - A planting tool for use in planting trees or plants grown in tubes or pots - Google Patents

Description

t .iif COMMO NWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATIN (Original) 6 426 FOR OFFICE USE Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: C C0 1*40 @400 4441 9 44 44 C 4 C 4414 4 4 44 44 44 4 4 4 4 4P 4 Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Mr. K.N. Cumming P.O. Box 180, Hamilton, Victoria, 3300, Australia Mr. K.N. Cumming DAVIES COLLISON, Patent Attorneys, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "A planting tool for use in planting trees or plants grown in tubes or pots" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -1- 910215,gjnspe.D05,78444.cla,1 -i la- A TOOL FOR DIGGING AND EXTRACTING A CORE OF EARTH This invention relates to a tool for digging and extracting a core of earth to be replaced by a plant.

Conventional methods of digging a planting hole for a plant are labour intensive and disturb the soil surrounding the planting hole. As the surrounding soil is disturbed the plant must be heavily watered after planting to ensure that all of the pockets of air surrounding the roots of the plant are removed.

0000oo 0 Dibbler sticks have been used to create a planting hole ooo0 for plants. The problem with using dibbler sticks is 15 that often surface vegetation is pushed into the hole prior to planting and this surface vegetation tends to reduce the rate of survival of the plants. Another device used to plant plants parts the soil and holds it apart until a plant is placed in the hole. This device can only be used with plants grown in paper or peat tubes or pots where the soil is very soft.

A preferred object of the present invention is to provide 0 a planting hole of substantially the same shape as the root mass of the plant while minimizing the disturbance of soil surrounding the planting hole. It is also a o0,00o preferred object of the invention to ensure that the o 0 bottom of the hole remains uncompacted and free of surface vegetation.

According to the present invention there is provided a tool for digging and extracting a core of earth, the hole produced by the extracted core being substantially the same shape as the root mass of the plant which is to be placed in the hole, the tool comprising: an elongate shaft; i.

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-2a handle attached to a first end of the shaft; foot drive means on said shaft; support means fixed with respect to said shaft so as to extend beyond a second end of the shaft; means to extract a core of earth attached to said support means, the extraction means comprising a substantially tubular body having a passageway which extends generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of said shaft and which decreases in cross-section with distance away from the handle, the extraction means being located substantially below the foot drive means and °into the ground by forceful application of an operator's oo0 foot tci the drive means, and said core of earth being 15 discharged out of said passageway substantially below the foot drive means by a subsequent core of earth so that the earth is discharged at a location well clear of the 0 0 0 00 operator's foot which is on the foot drive means.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way o of example only with reference to the accompanying 0 drawings in which: 00 <Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic front view of a digging tool in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and Figures 2 to 9 illustrate alternative embodiments of the extraction means.

Figure 1 illustrates a tool 10 for digging and extracting a core of earth to be replaced by a plant. The tool 10 i comprises an elongate shaft 12 and a handle 14 attached to a first end 16 of the elongate shaft 12. A foot drive means in the form of a crossbar 18 is attached to a second end 20 of the elongate shaft 12. Support means 22 Cr /910424,gjnspe.005,78444.cla,2 /b 1 -2ais attached to the crossbar 18 such that the support means 22 extends beyond the second end 20 of the elongate -0, "000 44 0 a090 t

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-3shaft 12. An earth extraction means 24 is attached to the free ends of the support means 22.

The earth extraction means 24 comprises an open-ended, substantially tubular body having a passageway 26 which extends generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of the elongate shaft 12 and which passageway decreases in cross-section with distance away from the handle 14.

The earth extraction means 24 is arranged to fill with a core of earth when it is driven into the ground by forceful application of an operator's foot to the crossbar 18. The core of earth is discharged out of the open upper end of the passageway 26 substantially below crossbar 18 by a subsequent core of earth. The core of 15 earth when discharged from the extraction means 24 c rleaves the extraction means 24 at a location well clear of the operator's foot.

Crossbar 18 extends substantially perpendicular to the S 4 t 20 longitudinal direction of the elongate shaft 12. The support means 22 comprises first and second elongate members 28a, 28b. One elongate member extends obliquely from each end of the crossbar 18 to abut and join to the extraction means 24. Preferably, the crossbar 18 and the 25 elongate members 28a, 28b are respectiva segments of a S: single length of metal pipe. The handle 14 and elongate shaft 12 are also preferably made from a length of the appropriate manner.

e Earth extraction means 24 is connected to the ends of the C 9 4t pipe segments, 28a, 28b by welding. The extraction means 24 as shown in Figure 1 comprises a tube of a decreasing outer diameter. Figures 2 to 9 illustrate alternative embodiments of the extraction means. All of the 4 illustrated embodiments reflect the general prefermentent V 5(M y 910215,gjnipe.005,78444.cla,3 -4that the earth extraction means 24 has an outer diameter that tapers downwardly with distance away from the handle 14. The tapered configuration of the earth extraction means 24 enables the extraction means 24 to be easily driven into the ground and also ensures minimum disturbance of the earth around the planting hole as well as allowing the bottom of the planting hole to remain uncompacted. The tapered configuration is also advantageous becuase it ensures that the planting hole is also tapered and thereby arranged to more readily receive and closely fit the root mass of the plant.

The tapered internal configuration of the earth extraction means 24 ensures that when the digging tool 15 is lifted out of the planting hole the core of earth 1, cC inside the extraction means 24 is held in position in the passageway 26. The core of earth is only discharged from the passageway 26 when a subsequent core of earth is formed by the digging tool. The discharged core of earth c C 20 exits the earth extraction means 24 at a location well cc clear of the operator's foot on crossbar 18. This C t prevents earth from being discharged over the operator's foot.

25 The angled configuration of the elongate pipe segments I" 28a, 28b limits the distance into which earth extraction I cmeans 24 may be driven into the ground. Thus the maximum penetration of the earth extraction means 24 into the ground is defined by the height of the extraction means S 30 24.

cThe handle 14 of the tool is a simple tubular crossbar fitted with hand grips 30 to aid the operator's use of the tool.

The illustrated tool is particularly advantageous because a 910215,gjnspc.005,78444.ca,4 fr it minimizes the disturbance of soil around the planting hole and thereby in turn minimizes the formation of air pockets in the soil surrounding the plant. The invention also enables a planting hole to be quickly and easily made. This factor is important when a large number of seedlings or plants are being planted at any one time.

The tool enables a standard size planting hole to be produced with the minimum amount of effort. As the planting hole produced by the tool is the correct size for a particular size of seedling that is being planted, minimum work is required to fill in earth about the seedling after it has been positioned in the planting hole. Furthermore, since there has been minimum disturbance of the soil surrounding the plant it becomes 15 less important to water the seedling to remove air c pockets surrounding the roots of the plants. These factors all decrease the time required to plant the Sseedlings.

Cff 20 The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of Sthe invention.

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Claims (9)

1. A tool for digging and extracting a core of earth, the hole produced by the extracted core being substantially the same shape as the -oot mass of the plant which is to be placed in the hole, the tool comprising: an elongate shaft; a handle attached to a first end of the shaft; foot drive means on said sham'-; support means fixed with respect to said shaft so as to extend beyond a second end of the shaft; means to extract a core of earth attached to said ct tIt support means, the extraction means comprising a substantially tubular body having a passageway which C's, extends generally parallel to the longitudinal direction of said shaft and which decreases in cross-section with distance away from the handle, the extraction means being located substantially below the foot drive means and being arranged to fill with a core of earth when driven ,into the ground by forceful application of an operator's foot to the drive means, and said core of earth being discharged out of said passageway substantially below the foot drive means by a subsequent core of earth so that the earth is discharged at a location well clear of the operator's foot which is on the foot drive means.

2. A tool according to claim 1 wherein the extraction means is arranged to produce a hole having sides more j) tapered than the sides of the extracted core.

3. A tool according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the support means is attached to the foot drive means.

4. A tool according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the foot drive means comprises a bar disposed substantially 910424,gjnspc.005,78444.cla,6 -7- perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said shaft.

A tool according to claim 4 wherein the support means comprises first and second elongate members, one member extending from each end of the bar, said first and second members extending obliquely to the bar to abut and join said extraction means.

6. A tool according to claim 5 wherein the support means and the foot drive means are in a single length of metal. C tt

7. A tool according to claim 6 wherein the support means and the foot drive means are formed from a metal cr tube. C e c

8. A tool according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the extraction means is an open ended tube so that a discharged core is discharged vertically from the tube into a zone under said bar.

9. A tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (t DATED this 29th day of April 1991 Keith Cumming By His Patent Attorneys SDAVIES COLLISON 491029ns.5,78444. 1 910429,EJnspc. 5,7844.cla,7 L