GB2489274A

GB2489274A - A hand tool for removing stones from soil

Info

Publication number: GB2489274A
Application number: GB1104922.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joanne Kilfeather; Terry Kilfeather
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-03-24
Filing date: 2011-03-24
Publication date: 2012-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 2031-03-24
Also published as: GB2489274B; GB201104922D0

Abstract

A tool for removing stones from the soil comprises an elongate handle, an end piece (3) attached to the handle, said end piece comprising a base (4) and extending from said base a plurality of tines 5, cross bar members 6 lying perpendicular between the distal end of the tines and the base, and a kick plate 8. The tines extending from the base may be substantially curved as the tines extend outwardly to form a scooped basket shape. The kick-plate may extend from the base in a substantially perpendicular direction and may comprise a plurality of openings 14 or apertures which may be circular or elongated slits. The tool may have side bars 9 running parallel to the tines. The tool may be used as a sieve or a riddle.

Description

"A tool"

Introduction

The invention relates to a tool for removing stones from the soil.

There are various different types of equipment for de-stoning large areas of ground, however most of this equipment is not suitable for smaller areas that require small rocks or stones to be removed from the ground.

There are many different types of garden fork for digging, scooping and gathering however none are suitable for gathering small stones or rocks.

There is a clear need for a gardening tool for manually removing stones from an area which is not suitable for bulky machinery or equipment.

Statements of intention

According to the invention there is provided a tool for removing stones from the soil comprising an elongate handle; an end piece attached to the handle, said end piece comprising a base and extending from said base a plurality of tines; cross bar members lying perpendicular between the distal end of the tines and the base; and a kick plate.

In one embodiment of the invention the tines extending from the base are curved as the tines extend outwardly. The curved tines extending from the base give a scooped basket shape. In another embodiment of the invention the distal end of the tines are pointed.

In one embodiment of the invention the base comprises at least S tines. Preferably the base comprises at least 10 tines.

In one embodiment of the invention the tool comprises side bars running parallel to the tines, In one embodiment the side bars extend from the upper side of the kick plate In another embodiment of the invention the tool comprises at least 2 perpendicular cross bar members. Preferably the tool comprises 3 perpendicular cross bar members.

In another embodiment of the invention the perpendicular cross bar members lie proud across the tines. The perpendicular cross bar members may be angled at each end to extend to the top of the side bar.

In one embodiment of the invention the kick plate is substantially perpendicular to the tines, In another embodiment the kick plate is at least 2cm in width.

In one embodiment of the invention the kick plate comprises apertures. The apertures may be circular or elongated slits. Alternatively the kick plate may comprise a plurality of bars.

Brief Description of the lnvention

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -Fig. 1 is a side perspective view' of a de-stoning tool of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side perspective view of the head section of a de-stoning tool of the invention; Fig. 3 is a side perspective view of the head section of a de-stoning tool of the S invention; and Fig. 4 is further side perspective view of the head section of a de-stoning tool of the invention. lO

Detailed descrjption When first laying out a new lawn or garden area a lot of work is required to prepare the soil properly for sowing and planting. in particular when laying a new lawn the area needs to be substantially free of stones. The soil needs to be rotovated or dug over, the large and small stones removed and the ground tilled and raked before sowing the grass seed.

Removing stones from the ground is a tedious and back breaking task yet an essential one. While for large areas machines may be employed to remove the stones, for people with small or medium sized gardens or allotments such machinery is too big and bulky and in many instances too costly to employ for the task. People have resorted to manually picking stones from the ground or using other tools such as a potato fork or the like to help in the task of removing stones from the soil, However these tools are not ideal for the task.

The de-stoning tool of the present invention provides a simple to use horticultural fork specifically designed to remove stones and small rocks from the soil. It is designed to be lightweight and easy to handle. With a long handle the user does not have to bend low to pick the stones up from the ground. It is suitable for gathering a sizable amount of stone in one pass and allows the user to vigorously shake the stones to remove excess soil and discard the soil-free stones for removal elsewhere. The de-stoning tool of the invention also allows the user to dig down into the soil when required.

Fig. 1 shows the tool I of the invention having an elongate handle 2 and an end piece 3.

The end piece 3 comprises a base 4 and extending from the base 4 are a plurality of tines 5. The tines 5 are evenly spaced apart and designed to allow soil to pass through yet retain stones greater in size than approximately F diameter. The soil may be riddled through the tines. The tines 5 are pointed at their distal end for ease of digging into the soil. Using the tool I of the present invention the user is able to dig down into the soil to release large and small embedded stones.

The base 4 of the de-stoning fork of the invention has a kick plate or foot rest 8 which allows the user to apply foot pressure to push the fork into the soil and dig into the soil to remove any stones buried just below the surface of the soil. Typically not all stones lie freely on top of the soil and digging is required to ease stones out from just below the soil surface, The kick plate 8 comprises a wide platform which provides the foot with better leverage. The user is able to deliver good digging power with less muscle effort and strain, The kick plate is substantially perpendicular to the tines forming a substantially right angle with the tines and is at least 2cm in width. The wide foot plate provides a high edge allowing more stones to be retained in the head section of the de-stoning fork.

The kick plate may be a solid strip of material or it may have apertures or openings 14 such as circular holes or elongated slits as shown in particular in Fig. 4. The kick plate may alternatively comprise a series of bars. Not having a solid piece of material for the kick plate would allow loose soil from the boot of the user to fall through and not adhere to the kick plate. In addition it would provide better grip for the users foot. It would also ensure that the de-stoning tool of the invention is lighter to handle. The kick plate may also be manufactured in such a way as to prevent the users foot from slipping when putting pressure on the kick plate. For example the surface of the kick plate may be serrated or coated with a material to provide better grip.

The tines 5 are curved in such a way as to provide a scoop or basket shape to the head of the fork, in this way more stones may be retained while loose soil is shaken from the stones. in many gardens good soil can be a very precious commodity and therefore it is important to be able to separate the excess soil from the stones by vigorous shaking of the stones in the tines and not throw away good soil with the unwanted stones. The stones may then be collected in a wheel barrow or gathered in a pile for removal.

In addition to the scooped shape of the tines 5 the de-stoning tool has a side bar 9 on both edges of the head section of the fork running parallel to the tines 5. The side bars 9 are attached to the kick plate 8 and add to the strength and load bearing ability of the tool.

The side bars 9 along with the scooped or basket shape of the tines help retain the stone when riddling the soil away.

Cross bar members 6 lie perpendicular to the tines 5 between the distal end of the tines and the kick plate 8. The crossbars may be bent at their ends to extend up to the top of the side bar 9, adding to the strength and efficiency of the fork, The crossbars may be bent at an angle of 90° at either end to extend up the side to the top of the side bars. This adds to the ability of the scooped or basket shaped head of the fork to retain a lot of stone.

The cross bars may be proud across the top of the tines 5 as shown in particular in Fig. 3.

When lying proud across the tines the cross bars help in breaking up any clods of soil and releasing soil from the stones.

The cross bar members 6 add to the ability of the de-stoning tool to retain stones even when the tool is shaken vigorously to remove the loose soil from the stones. The crossbars also strengthen the tool and help retain the shape of the tool, The crossbars block the spreading of the tines by larger stones and also prevent long nan-ow flat stones slipping through the tines or getting jammed in between the tines.

The elongated handle having an end piece 3 attached at one end may have a hand grip attached at the other end. The handle preferably has a slight curve to avoid the user having to bend too much when using the tool. The curved handle also allows the user to put pressure on the kick plate for easy digging into the ground. Such a long handled tool would preferably have a smooth end for ease of handling.

The tool of the invention may be manufactured in various ways. The handle may be manufactured from any material known for its strength and durability. It may be manufactured from wood, engineered polymers or fiberglass. The base and head section may be moulded, formed or forged as a single piece. Alternatively the tines may be individually manufactured and assembled and welded together as shown in particular in Fig. 2, The tang 12 for the handle may comprise some of the tines extending up into the handle. This would help strengthen the fork. Any suitable material for manufacturing the de-stoning tool may be used. Preferably the tool is manufactured from a lightweight yet hard and durable material commonly used in the manufacture of outdoor gardening tools.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments herein before described which may be varied in detail,

Claims

Claims 1. A tool for removing stones from the soil comprising an elongate handle; an end piece attached to the handle, said end piece comprising a base and extending from said base a plurality of tines; cross bar members lying perpendicular between the distal end of the tines and the base; and a kick plate.
2. A tool as claimed in claim I wherein the tines extending from the base are curved as the tines extend outwardly.
3. A tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein the curved tines extending from the base give a scooped basket shape.
4. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the distal end of the tines are pointed.
5. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base comprises at least 8 tines.
6. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base comprises at least 10 tines.
7. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim comprising side bars running parallel to the tines.
8. A tool as claimed in claim 7 wherein the side bars extend from the upper side of the kick plate.
9. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim comprising at least 2 perpendicular cross bar members.
10. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim comprising 3 perpendicular cross bar members.
11. A tool as claimed in claim 9 or 10 wherein the perpendicular cross bar members lie proud across the tines.
12. A tool as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11 wherein the perpendicular cross bar members are angled at either end to extend to the top of the side bar.
13. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the kick plate is substantially perpendicular to the tines.
14. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the kick plate is at least 2cm in width.
15. A tool as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the kick plate comprises apertures or openings.
16. A tool as claimed in claim 15 wherein the apertures are circular or elongated slits.
17. A tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.