Patent ID: 7121356
Filing Date: 2006-10-17
Classification: A01B

Abstract:
1. A method of digging a hole in soil to acquire an object without damaging the object, the method comprising: setting a digging level of a hand-held digging tool according to a detected amount of the soil covering the object, the setting being performed by sliding a rod through a main body of the digging tool to a first position corresponding to the detected amount, wherein a cutting tool is secured to an end of the rod; arranging the digging tool so that a plurality of fingers of the digging tool encircle a surface of the soil covering the object, the fingers being flexible and non-metallic; pushing the digging tool down toward the soil, and rotating the digging tool around an axis substantially parallel to a body of the digging tool, wherein the fingers extend down toward the soil; when the pushing and rotating are performed, digging the fingers through the surface of the soil; when the fingers encounter an obstacle in the soil, arranging the digging tool so that the fingers encircle the soil covering the object, sliding the rod down through the main body of the digging tool toward the fingers to a second position to advance the cutting tool and place the cutting tool in contact with the obstacle, and rotating the rod around the axis substantially parallel to the body of the digging tool to operate the cutting tool to cut through the obstacle; when the cutting tool cuts the obstacle, sliding the rod from the second position to the first position, and arranging the digging tool so that the fingers encircle the soil covering the object; pushing the digging tool toward the soil, and rotating the digging tool around the axis substantially parallel to the body of the digging tool, until the cutting tool contacts the surface fo the soil; when the cutting tool contacts the surface of the soil, which indicates that the digging has reached through the predetermined amount of the soil, lifting the digging tool up and automatically holding a quantity of the soil inside the digging tool, wherein the object is contained inside the held soil; incrementally advancing the rod toward the fingers a predetermined distance to push a portion of the held soil out from the digging tool, the incremental advancing being performed by pulling a lever on the digging tool; and separating the soil from the object with a non-metallic scraping tool.