Abstract:
A multi-purpose weeder attachable to a hand-held rotary power implement is designed to weed, aerate and till soil. A vertical shaft is removably attached to the implement to permit erect operation of the weeder. A pair of substantially spiral-shaped blades are rigidly connected at an acute angle with the lower end of shaft to cause discharge of weeds upwardly and outwardly from soil when the shaft is rotated. The blades are equally spaced from the shaft as they diverge upwardly. A top end of an auger is connected to the lower end of the shaft to penetrate weed and soil at its free end. An annular member with a cross horizontal element connects the upper ends of the blades to the shaft.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to a multi-purpose weeder and, more particularly, to a weeder having an auger rigidly connected to a pair of spiral shaped blades for weeding, aerating and tilling soil. 
     2. Prior Art 
     A multiplicity of gardening tools and implements as well as numerous chemical preparations have been used in the past for deterring, removing or destroying a variety of undesirable weed and plant growths that appear in lawns, gardens or the like. Obviously, the presence of such growths greatly detracts from the appearance of the lawn or garden and most weeds have a detrimental and adverse effect upon surrounding desirable growth, such as vegetation and flowers. Unfortunately, the removal and destruction of weeds has not been accomplished to a desired degree. Cultivation of plants in close proximity thereto is not possible without injury to the plant, and breaking up of hard soils, such as dry clay, is difficult. 
     Many of the undesirable weed and plant growths include elaborate and complex root systems. Other growths incorporate roots of tough and stringy fibrous texture that are difficult to sever or remove from the surrounding earth. Because of these weed characteristics and difficulties being encountered when employing conventional gardening devices, weed growth is not inhibited. Usually, despite much effort, the root system of the weed is left behind only to regenerate the problem for another day. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,554,293 and 3,444,934 to Aman et al. and Alberto, respectively, disclose powered weeding devices having blade means for destroying weeds and spring-operated penetrating means for digging beneath the surface of the ground. Other weed extracting devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,129,771 and 4,723,802 to Lidstone and Fambrough, respectively. Such devices penetrate beneath the ground by way of a sharp tip at the soil engaging section of the weeding devices. Such tools as described above have been developed for standing, stooping, or crouching upon the knees while being operated. 
     Unfortunately, after such devices have removed weeds, the topsoil is typically left in an undesirable condition for planting vegetables and bulbs, for example. Thus, the topsoil must be aerated and tilled with additional gardening devices before it is suitable for reuse. Locating and using additional devices is cumbersome because such tasks require time and effort. Accordingly, there is a need for a weeding device that can effectively remove a weed and prepare soil for planting a bulb, vegetation and/or a flower, for example. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a multi-purpose weeder with an auger rigidly connected to a pair of spiral shaped blades for weeding, aerating and tilling soil. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention, are provided by a multi-purpose weeding apparatus preferably formed from steel and attachable to a hand-held rotary power implement. The weeder includes an elongated vertical shaft having a longitudinal axis between an upper end and a lower end and removably attachable to a power implement for causing rotation of the shaft about the axis. The shaft has a sufficient vertical length so that a user of the weeder may be generally erect while using the weeder. Advantageously, a user will more likely not get back pain from operating the present invention. 
     The weeder further includes a soil engaging section including a pair of substantially spiral-shaped blades having lower ends connected to the shaft and forming an acute angle with the shaft to cause discharge of weeds dug by the weeder upwardly and outwardly from soil when the shaft is rotated. An auger has a free end and a top end connected to the lower end of the shaft and is engagable with a weed and soil so that the weeder will penetrate a weed and simultaneously remove same from soil. Thereafter, the soil is left in a generally aerated and tilled condition for reuse. Advantageously, while unwanted weeds are being removed, the soil is aerated and tilled for planting vegetation, a flower, or a bulb, for example. 
     The weeder further includes an annular member and a cross horizontal element disposed within and connected at its opposed ends to the member. The element has a central aperture for receiving the shaft therethrough and is rigidly connected to the shaft about the aperture. 
     Each of the blades has an upper end rigidly affixed to at least the element and/or the member. The pair of opposed ends of the element may be spaced between about two inches and eight inches apart from each other. Each blade also has a sharpened edge extending between its upper and lower ends for cutting and removing weeds from soil wherein the blades are divergent from the shaft towards the element and converge in a substantially spiral path downward about the shaft. The shaft may have a diameter between about 0.25 inches to 0.50 inches. 
     The auger may be between about one-half inch to two inches long and may be a lag screw for penetrating into a weed and hard soil. Such a lag screw is approximately two inches long. The screw includes a plurality of spaced spiral projections for moving weed and soil upwardly therethrough to be expended above ground. Alternate to the lag screw, the free end of the auger may include a pair of spurs extending therefrom and a lead screw disposed substantially along the axis and between the spurs. 
     Each blade includes leading and trailing edges and generally planar surfaces between the edges wherein the leading edges are sharpened for initially contacting ground and removing a weed therefrom and the trailing edges are dull to inhibit accidental injury. The blades are offset approximately 180 degrees about the shaft and are equally spaced apart from the shaft substantially along the lengths of the blades. The blades also uniformly converge towards each other in a helical path from the upper end to the lower end of the shaft. 
     The weeder further comprises a rotary implement for rotating the shaft that is battery-powered. The implement may have direction control so that the weeder can be driven in one direction for penetrating ground and can be driven in an opposite direction for being removed from ground. The implement may also have variable speed control for adjusting the rotational speed of the shaft. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a multi-purpose weeder for weeding, aerating and tilling soil, and is powered by a portable rotary power implement; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the soil engaging section of the weeder shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a reduced top plan view of the soil engaging section shown in FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged front elevational view showing an alternate embodiment of the auger shown in FIGS.  1  and  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the true scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime and double prime notations are used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments. 
     The weeder of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral  10 . An undesired plant or weed  25  is shown growing above and below ground  23 . Weeder  10  is shown as being in position to be placed on or adjacent the weed and into the ground for removing weed  25 . 
     Weeder  10  includes an elongated shaft  17  having a lower end portion  42  carrying soil engaging section  31 . The soil engaging section  31  includes a pair of spiral blades  19 ,  20 , an auger  21 , and a horizontal element  26  with its opposite ends connected to annular member  18 . An implement  12  in the form of a reversible battery operated variable speed power drill is removably connected by chuck  16  to the upper end  43  of shaft  17  for rotating same in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions. Pressing finger control  14  will cause shaft  17  to rotate, which operates weeder  10 . 
     Many conventional power implements are known in the art. Such implements are capable of controlling the rotation speed, and are powered by rechargeable battery packs or AC current. In particular, power implement  12  may include a rotary dial  11  for selecting the rotation speed of shaft  17 . Often, the speed control is combined with the finger control  14  as well known in the art. For tougher weeds and/or harder soil, a faster rotation speed should be selected. Power implement  17  also includes a control  15  for reversing the direction of shaft rotation and is useful in retracting the weeder from the ground. 
     Shaft  17  may be removed from chuck  43  for cleaning and storing, for example. Shaft  17  has a sufficient length and cross-section for allowing the user to operate weeder  10  without needing to bend over or squat to reach a weed  25 . Of course, the height of the user and length of his/her arms, for example, may determine the requisite length and diameter of shaft  17 . Accordingly, it is noted that the shaft may be manufactured in sections so that a longer or shorter shaft could be provided with a smaller or larger soil engaging section  31  for adapting to different users and environments. The diameter and length of shaft  17  should be proportionally adjusted whereby the shaft diameter can preferably be between approximately 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches. 
     Now referring more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, soil-engaging section  31  is located and attached to a lower portion of shaft  17 . Annular member  18  forms the top portion of soil engaging section  31  and has a diameter generally defining the cutting diameter of weeder  10  so that the approximate soil cross-section adjacent annular member  18  may be determined for penetrating ground  23  in one vertical motion. Horizontal element  26  is disposed with its opposed ends located within and attached to annular member  18 . The annular member and element  26  are preferably formed of steel. Other materials having requisite durability and rigidity may also be used to form such parts. Height  46  of annular member  18  can range between approximately 0.5 inches to 1.5 inches thereby limiting the exposure of top ends  27 ,  30  of blades  19 ,  20 . Approximately midway along the length of element  26  is an aperture  44 . The aperture is substantially equidistant between the opposed ends of element  26  and centrally of annular member  18 . The diameter of aperture  44  is sufficient for passage of shaft  17  and is rigidly affixed threat to the shaft as by weld  32 . 
     Blades  19 ,  20  have corresponding upper ends  27 ,  30  that are rigidly welded to the bottom surface of element  26  and/or to annular member  18 . Lower ends  33 ,  34  of blades  19 ,  20  are rigidly welded to and on opposite sides of lower end portion  42  of shaft  17 . Upper ends  27 ,  30  of blades  19 ,  20  are offset from each other approximately  180  degrees at opposed ends of element  26 . As blades  19 ,  20  converge downwardly in a helical or spiral pattern towards shaft  17 , they maintain a uniform and symmetrical spaced relationship from the shaft and form an acute angle with shaft  17  for effectively discharging a weed from ground  23 . Blades  19 ,  20  are approximately four inches apart at upper ends  27 ,  30  and approximately ¼″ to ½″ apart at lower ends  34 ,  33 . Of course, weeder  10  may be larger to accomplish boring of larger holes, for example 6″ to 8″ to permit planting of 6″ or 8″ potted plants removed from the pots as well as larger vegetation and bulbs, for example. 
     Element  26  and annular member  18  provide a shield for directing debris and weed roots as they are discharged from blades  19 ,  20  to be deposited laterally and away from the user. Gap  45  exists between element  26  and within annular member  18  to provide a line of sight for the user to properly position the weeder  10 . Advantageously, such a line of sight allows the user to monitor the depth and location of weeder  10  without the requirement of stopping or removing the weeder from ground  23 . 
     Each blade  19 ,  20  has substantially planar surfaces and corresponding opposed edges  28 ,  38  and  29 ,  39  downwardly extending from upper ends  27 ,  30  to corresponding lower ends  34 ,  33 . Moreover, each blade  19 ,  20  has a corresponding sharp edge  28 ,  39  and a dull edge  38 ,  29 . Sharp edges  28 ,  39  are the inner or leading edges when weeder  10  is rotated in a clockwise direction. Such an orientation of sharp edges  28 ,  39  is preferred so that roots and hard soil can be more readily cut as blades  19 ,  20  penetrate a weed  25  and rotate below ground level. As leaf portion  22  and roots  24  of weed  25  are cut, the centripetal force and diverging spiral blade rotation effectively lifts such portions and soil from the ground and discharges same above ground level. 
     Accordingly, roots  24  are removed from the surrounding earth so that the root system of weed  25  will be rendered incapable of survival. Should any root portions or other debris remain attached to blades  19 ,  20 , they can be removed by rotating weeder  10  above ground  23  in the same or opposite direction for discharging such debris away from blades  19 ,  20 . The dull edges  29 ,  38  are the trailing edges and cooperate with sharp edges  39 ,  28  for removing a weed and aerating and tilling soil. Such dull edges  29 ,  38  follow sharp edges  39 ,  28  so that same are within the cutting diameter of blades  19 ,  20  while dull edges  29 ,  38  are further towards the edge of the cutting diameter. Such an arrangement may help to reduce the likelihood of accidental injury. 
     As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the auger  21  is in the form of a screw auger or lag screw having a top end  36  that is rigidly welded to lower end  42  of shaft  17 . Such a lag screw has a free end  37  for penetrating ground  23  and a weed  25 . Various screws known in the art may be used as would occur to those skilled in the art. Elongated body  40  of auger  21  has generally the same shape and cross-section as shaft  17  and includes projections or teeth  35  spiraling down body  40 , from top end  36  to free end  37 . Preferably, auger  21  should be about 0.5 inches to 2 inches long. Longer penetrating devices may be impractical as blades  19 ,  20  should be able to reach deep roots initially penetrated by auger  21 . 
     An alternate embodiment  21 ′ of auger  21  is seen in FIG. 5 in a different form than a conventional lag screw. Elongate body  40 ′ preferably has a smaller cross-section surrounded by projections or teeth  35 ′ spiraling about body  40 ′ from top end  36 ′ to free end  37 ′. Such a free end  37 ′ is wider than free end  37  in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 thereby allowing the soil to be more readily moved upwardly by rotation of auger  21 ′ than in the first embodiment described above. Lead screw  49  extends along the longitudinal axis of shaft  17  and is generally medially disposed between spurs  47 ,  48  of free end portion  37 ′. Of course, auger  21  may have the form of many known augers such as tapered augers, for example. 
     In operation, the user places weeder  10  adjacent a typical weed  25  so that free end  37  of auger  21  is in close proximity to ground  23  for effectively removing a weed  25  therefrom. Auger  21  initially engages a portion of weed  25  having leafs or growth  22  above ground. Soil-engaging section  10  then engages weed  25  and topsoil as downward pressure and the rotating action of weeder  10  proceeds to grasp and wind-up roots  24  beneath ground  23 , shown in FIG. 1, for example. In combination, auger  21  and blades  19 ,  20  are able to sever leaf portion  22  and roots  24 . Both leaf portion  22  and roots  24  are then withdrawn from the soil upwardly above ground level  23 . This withdrawal may be done while weeder  10  is no longer rotating or while it is rotating in the same or reverse direction to more easily perform the withdrawal procedure. After the weeder has removed unwanted weeds and roots from subterranean ground levels, such debris may be quickly removed from topsoil by way of conventional gardening tools such as a rake, for example. 
     The remaining soil left in the penetrated site is in an aerated state and is loosely retained therein. Very little soil has been withdrawn from the newly formed hole to be left in mounds in proximity to the spot where weed  25  had been removed and the same soil does not form a deeply embedded hole after it has been watered in further operations. If necessary, the user may again use weeder  10  for further aerating and tilling the soil or for digging deeper holes for planting vegetable and bulbs, for example. The depth of the holes may be adjusted as necessary by simply controlling the rectilinear force exerted along the longitudinal axis of shaft  17 . Of course, various seeds and bulbs now may be planted in the aerated and tilled soil. Advantageously, a user may operate weeder  10  to weed, aerate and till soil without exerting excessive energy and without having to use different gardening tools. 
     While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.