Abstract:
A tool for removing unwanted plants from an area of soil is disclosed. A flexible two-edged blade bent back upon itself with both ends fastened to a common shaft. One edge acts as a knife to slice through soil and roots, moving parallel to the surface of the ground. The opposing blade edge has teeth to grasp, uproot and remove unwanted plants. The design facilitates the removal of unwanted plants or debris without touching said debris with the hands.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to garden tools, and more specifically, to a hand held garden tool that is intended to assist in removing unwanted plants and debris. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Undesirable plants compete with desirable plants with regard to water, nutrients and sunlight. Desirable plants produce food or provide ornamental displays such as lawns and flower gardens. 
         [0003]    Numerous tools have been created to assist in the task of removing undesirable plants. One of the traditional tools associated with this task is the hoe. The hoe incorporates a blade that strikes the surface at an angle more or less perpendicular to the ground and is capable of penetrating the soil to cut the roots and turn over the soil to bury the undesirable plants. The physical work required to move the mass of the soil accompanied with the work of “chiseling” the soil loose is excessive and unnecessary. This results in a large expenditure of energy by the user, resulting in minimal time at task before becoming physically tired and forced to stop. Therefore, it is desirable to have an improved garden tool to assist in removing unwanted plants and debris. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Embodiments of the present invention provide a tool for removing unwanted plants from an area of soil. One embodiment is comprised of a flexible two-edged blade bent back upon itself with both ends fastened to a common shaft. In one embodiment, the shaft is circular. One edge acts as a knife to slice through soil and roots, moving parallel to the surface of the ground. The opposing blade edge has teeth to grasp, uproot and remove unwanted plants. The design facilitates the removal of unwanted plants or debris without touching said debris with the hands. 
         [0005]    The blade design is capable of utilizing handles of various diameters and lengths to suit the needs of the user. The advantages of this design are such that the blade may be sold separately and mounted on any readily available handle. The blade is replaceable when it becomes dull. 
         [0006]    Many previous hoes were designed to weed large areas around crops planted in rows. Modern flower gardens and beds are not planted in rows and access is more difficult. This creates a need to remove undesirable plants growing in close proximity to desirable plants. Embodiments of the present invention are capable of cultivating and loosening soil as well as outlining the edges of beds while utilizing a tooth edged blade to lift and remove unwanted plants. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows a side view of the garden tool. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the garden tool. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  shows an un-mounted blade. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  shows details of a blade. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  shows an alternate embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  shows installation of a blade. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a tool  100  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is a corresponding side view. Blade  102  is mounted on shaft  104  via a plurality of fasteners  106 . In one embodiment, the fasteners  106  are threaded bolts. Blade  102  is comprised of a linear member having a toothed edge  108  and a knife edge  110 . In one embodiment, shaft  104  has a length ranging from about 3 feet to about 5 feet, and is suitable for use while standing. In another embodiment, shaft  104  has a length ranging from about 6 inches to about 18 inches, and is suitable for use while kneeling or sitting. In one embodiment, the shaft is comprised of wood. In another embodiment, the shaft is comprised of fiberglass. In one embodiment, the shaft is cylindrical. 
         [0015]    The shape of the blade  102  is in a U-shape, and is such that force is concentrated into a small area. This permits the operator to expend less energy and work for longer periods. The relatively narrow width of the tool head permits the removal of unwanted plants in close proximity to obstructions or desirable plants. 
         [0016]    The toothed edge  108  of the blade  102  serves to uproot and grasp unwanted plants for removal. The knife edge  110  of the blade  102  serves to slice through soil and cut roots and can be used to outline flower beds and perimeters. In one embodiment, blades  102  can be readily mounted on user-supplied shafts  104  of varying lengths and diameters. Furthermore, with embodiments of the present invention, the blade is easily replaced when worn or damaged. 
         [0017]      FIG. 3  shows a top view of the garden tool, as viewed from arrow A of  FIG. 2 . In this view, nuts  118  are shown, which secure fasteners  106 , and thus, blade  102  to shaft  104 . Shaft  104  comprises a plurality of fastener openings  121  for receiving fasteners  106 , which are secured by nuts  118  threaded onto the end of each fastener  106 . The blade  102  is secured to the shaft  104  such that the blade is disposed on the outer surface of shaft  104 . This serves to allow convenient replacing of worn blades. 
         [0018]      FIG. 4  shows details of blade  102 . Blade  102  is comprised of a linear member that comprises knife edge  110  and toothed edge  108 . In one embodiment, the teeth (indicated generally as reference  116 ) are of a saw-tooth shape. Blade  102  also comprises un-toothed blade portions  112  and  114 , which each have a plurality of mounting openings  119  thereon, for allowing fasteners  106  ( FIG. 3 ) to traverse through the mounting openings  119  and through the fastener openings  121  of shaft  104  ( FIG. 3 ), thereby securing the blade  102  to the shaft. In one embodiment, blade  102  is comprised of steel, and has a TPI (teeth-per-inch) count value ranging from 4 to 12. In one embodiment, each tooth has the shape of an isosceles triangle. In a particular embodiment, each tooth has a negative rake angle in the range of about 10 to about 30 degrees, which provides for engagement of weeds to be removed from a garden. 
         [0019]      FIG. 5  shows details of blade  102 . In one embodiment, each tooth  116  has a negative rake angle R in the range of about 10 to about 30 degrees, and gap G between each tooth. In one embodiment, inter-tooth gap G is approximately one fourth (¼) to one third (⅓) of the length of the base B of the tooth  116 . The gap G aids in trapping weeds and other debris that is intended to be picked up during use. In one embodiment, the blade configuration is 4 teeth per inch with a 3/16 inch tooth base and 1/16 inch inter-tooth gap for a total tooth plus inter-tooth gap of ¼ inch. 
         [0020]      FIG. 6  shows an alternate embodiment of a tool  600  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Tool  600  is similar in construction and operation to tool  100 , with the exception of blade ridge  632 . Blade ridge  632  serves as an alignment aid during installation of a new blade  102 . Periodically, blade  102  may be replaced by removing an old blade by removing nuts  118  and removing fasteners  106  to release the old blade. The new blade  102  is then installed by positioning an un-toothed blade portion of the blade against blade ridge  632 , which positions the blade such that the openings  119  ( FIG. 4 ) in the blade align with corresponding fastener openings  121  in the shaft  104 . The blade  102  is then bent to allow the openings in the other un-toothed blade portion of the blade to engage fasteners  106 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 7  shows the embodiment of  FIG. 6  during installation of a new blade  102 . In one embodiment, a blade  102  is available to the customer as a straight blade. The blade  102  is affixed to one side of shaft  104  and then bent in the direction indicated by arrow C such that the opposite end of blade  102  engages fasteners  106  on the side of shaft  104  that has nuts  118  to secure the blade  102 . The fully installed configuration is depicted in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0022]    Although the description above contains many specific details, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but merely as providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of the present invention. The present invention may have various other embodiments. Furthermore, while the form of the invention herein shown and described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not intended to illustrate all possible forms thereof. It will also be understood that the words used are words of description rather than limitation, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention disclosed. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than solely by the examples given.