Handle and handle set for collecting and transporting a load in a tarpaulin

Four identical handles for manipulating a tarpaulin with grommets in the four corners to collect and transport a load. Each handle has a handgrip with a hook on each end, a staking member, and an attachment system to hold a grommeted corner of the tarpaulin. The hooks are dimensioned to admit and support the handgrips of other handles. Two handles are grasped together by a user and the handgrips of the other two handles are hung on opposite pairs of hooks of the grasped handles that the load in the tarpaulin may be gathered and transported by the grasped handgrips.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a lawn and garden accessory for clearing leaves, grass clippings and other types of refuse, which can be raked into a pile for removal from a lawn or field. Raking leaves in the autumn and removing them is a common problem. Grass clippings from a lawn mower should also be removed along with other types of light refuse, such as small limbs or dead vegetable matter.

One method for removing such material is to rake it into piles and load the piles into a conveyance. When the material is light and bulky, particularly leaves, the conveyance fills quickly, but with very little weight, and requires many trips. Another method for removing such material is to rake it onto a plastic or cloth tarpaulin or other type of pliant sheet member, gather the corners and manually carry or drag the load to a disposal area.

When the tarpaulin is spread out, it will often not stay in place, due to the wind blowing it or due to the raking action or the blast from a leaf blower. Gathering and holding the corners of the tarpaulin is tiring on the hands of the user when the load is carried or dragged for some distance.

Suggestions have been made in the prior art for addressing various aspects of these problems.

A pickup device for hauling leaves in a pliant sheet member is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,971 issued Mar. 14, 1961 to Buck. The device is provided with hold down stakes and a handle for dragging, but must be especially constructed for the task.

Exemplary of a device to convert a conventional general-purpose tarpaulin for dragging refuse is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,101 issued May 20, 2003 to James, Jr. A mandrel holds the tarpaulin flat on one end while raking and shapes the tarpaulin for dragging the refuse. The tarpaulin must be equipped with a hauling rope running through grommets.

A tarpaulin hold down device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,232 issued Oct. 15, 1996 to Callaway. Stakes with integral handles are attached and retained by conventional grommets on the tarpaulin and used to stake the corners in place. The only purpose for the handles is to push the stakes into the ground.

Another tarpaulin hold down device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,372 issued Apr. 8, 1986 to Osborn. weighted handles are attached to the tarpaulin corners by threaded necks and closures for lifting the tarpaulin. This requires special large grommets and adds to the overall weight of the load, as well as requiring the user to manipulate four handgrips at once.

Lastly, a device for gathering and hooking together the four corners of a tarpaulin is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,831 issued Aug. 31, 1999 to Pangburn. A single bent rod of elastically deformable material is attached by threading the end through all four corners. It would appear to be time-consuming to attach and detach the device, and there is no hand grip by which to hold it.

It would be desirable to have a set of handles which could perform the functions of holding the tarpaulin in place, collecting the load by gathering the corners of the tarpaulin, and serving to carry or drag the gathered load manually with one hand.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved handle for collecting and transporting a load in a tarpaulin or similar pliant sheet member.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved handle for holding a tarpaulin in place while collecting a load of light bulky material on the pliant sheet member.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a handle with improved means for attachment to the corner of a tarpaulin.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved handle which, together with other substantially identical handles in a set, cooperate for collecting and carrying or dragging a load in a tarpaulin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated the invention comprises a handle for making up a set of such handles used to manipulate a tarpaulin to collect and transport a load, the tarpaulin having corners, each of the handles comprising a longitudinal handgrip having opposite ends, a pair of hooks each disposed near a respective opposite end of the handgrip, attachment means adapted to connect the handle to one of the corners of the tarpaulin, and a staking member extending from the attachment means and adapted for insertion into the ground to hold down a corner of the tarpaulin while collecting a load by raking or blowing it onto the tarpaulin, the handles in the set being constructed and dimensioned such that the handgrips of two of the handles may be grasped together at the same time by a user and such that the hooks of the two grasped handles will admit the handgrips of two other opposed handles, whereby the load in the tarpaulin may be gathered and transported by the handgrips of two grasped handles with the other two handles being supported on the hooks of the grasped handles.

Preferably the handles are in sets of substantially identical handles. They may be of composite construction with a wire metal staking member and molded plastic handgrip, but are preferably constructed as a one-piece plastic molding. Alternatively, they may be formed from a bent metal rod having a handgrip threaded on the rod, or from a metal stamping with a molded plastic handgrip.

The staking member may be integral with the attachment means. The attachment means is preferably designed to cooperate with a metal grommet of the type commonly provided in each corner of commercially available tarpaulins. A preferred attachment means comprises a slot in the handle receiving a grommeted corner of the tarpaulin and a pin projecting from a tapered stake receiving the grommet with a snap fit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2of the drawings, the handle, shown generally at10is preferably constructed as a single injection molding of plastic material which is strong, tough and relatively rigid, such as polyurethane, polyethylene, or any one of a number of generic or proprietary plastic materials meeting these characteristics. A handgrip12is molded to include undulations14to accommodate the fingers of a user of the device. The handgrip12, as seen inFIG. 2, is thin enough to allow two such handgrips to be grasped in one hand.

Handgrip12is connected by integral support legs16,18on its opposite ends to a central body portion20. Body potion20extends in both directions beyond legs16,18to form a pair of hooks22,24disposed at opposite ends of the handgrip12. The hooks22,24are spaced from legs16,18respectively to provide support surfaces26,28respectively.

Support surfaces26,28are so arranged and dimensioned that they will be able to receive and hook onto handgrips from another handle that is substantially identical to the depicted handle10. The handgrip12, together with undulations14, is so arranged and dimensioned that it will pass between the space between the hook ends and the support legs of a handle that is substantially identical to the depicted handle10.

Extending downwardly from body portion20is a staking member30that is tapered as shown, terminating in a point32. Staking member30is of sufficient length and strength to permit the staking member to be pushed into the ground using the handgrip12and is of sufficient width at the upper end to retain its position against lateral forces during usage to be described.

Protruding laterally from staking member30is an integral pin34. The pin34has an outer diameter over the major part of its length that is small enough to receive a grommet of the type used in commercially available tarpaulins. While the sizes of such grommets may vary, I have found that a pin of 7/16″ diameter is suitable. The pin may also be tapered slightly to accommodate the molding process.

In order to retain a tarpaulin grommet in place, the pin34is bifurcated as shown at34aand has slight bulges on the end at34bthat are larger in diameter than the hole in a grommet of a pre-selected size. Thus, a grommet may be forced over the end of pin34as the bifurcated pin portions flex slightly and retained with a snap fit.

Lastly, the central portion has a slot36extending along its length below and substantially parallel to hand grip12and centered above the pin34. Slot36has a width sufficient to allow a grommet of pre-selected thickness to pass through along with a corner portion of a tarpaulin or similar pliant sheet member to which the grommet is attached. The length of the slot30is such that it will accommodate the corner of the aforesaid tarpaulin without bunching when the grommet is snapped over pin34. I have found that a suitable slot is about ¼″ wide and between 3½″ to 4″ long, depending on the distance between pin34and slot36. Pin34and slot36together provide an attachment means for the corner of a commercially available tarpaulin fitted with a grommet.

FIGS. 3 and 4show a tarpaulin38lying on the ground. Preferably the tarpaulin38is square and may vary in dimension from 3 to 8 feet or more, but commercially available tarpaulins of varying rectangular shapes are also suitable. These may be of canvas, fiberglass-reinforced plastic or any type of pliant sheet material that is capable of transporting a load of refuse. Each of the corners, one of which is seen at40, is fitted with a grommet42that has been attached to a handle10as previously described. Other substantially identical handles10′,10″ and10′″ have been similarly attached. The four corners are staked to the ground with staking members30by means of hand grips12to hold the tarpaulin in place against wind and the forces of a rake or leaf blower. A mound of refuse44, such as leaves or sticks is raked onto the tarpaulin.

FIG. 5shows the tarpaulin with the four corners gathered. First, diagonally opposite corners are pulled together. The handgrips of handles10and10′″ are adjacent and may be gripped in one hand. Then the other two corners are separately pulled up and hooked on the grasped handles. The handgrips of handles10′ and10″ are supported by the hooks on opposite ends of handles10and10′″ as will be described. The refuse44is collected in this manner and the tarpaulin carried or dragged by one hand to where it is dumped by unhooking the handles10′ and10″ and releasing the grasped handles10and10′″.

Referring now toFIG. 6of the drawing, the handle10is shown, together with cross-sections through the two substantially identical handles10′ and10″. The parts of handles10′ and10″ are identified by the same reference numbers as handle10with prime and double prime superscripts. A portion of a pliant sheet member, comprising a commercially available tarpaulin38with grommets in its four corners, is shown with one of the corners40inserted through slot36. Corner40is fitted with a grommet42that has been snapped over the end of pin34and retained thereon by the bulging portions34b. Similarly, another corner40′ of the same tarpaulin38has been inserted through slot36′ and snapped over pin34′. Similarly, another corner40″ of the same tarpaulin38has been inserted through slot36″ and snapped over pin34″. A fourth substantially identical handle10′″ and tarpaulin corner (not shown) are located directly behind handle10. Handle10and the fourth handle10′″ are grasped by their respective handgrips as a pair. The handgrips12′ and12″ of handles10′ and10″ respectively are supported by the hooks of the grasped handles10and10′″ when a load is being collected and transported by carrying or dragging.

First Modification

FIGS. 7 and 8illustrate a modified form of the invention as constructed from a metal rod bent into a shape to perform the functions previously described. A handle46is formed from a metal rod48of steel or similar metal possessing sufficient ductility and strength. Rod48is bent as depicted, to successively provide a vertical staking member50, a perpendicular horizontal central half-section52a, a vertical doubled-back section making a hook54, a horizontal handgrip support section56, a support leg58, a horizontal hand grip section60a, a support leg62, a horizontal hand grip section64, a vertical doubled-back section making a hook66and a horizontal central half-section52b. The end of central half-section52bis welded to the end of central half-section52ato make a complete central section52. A comfortable hand grip60is provided by coating rod section60awith a plastic over-molding60b. The over-molding60bshould be small enough to fit on the support surfaces56,64between hooks54,66and support legs58,62respectively of substantially identical handles46.

FIG. 8shows an elevation view of a handle46, along with a fourth handle grasped together behind it (not shown). The tarpaulin38has been attached by passing the corner40of the tarpaulin through the space between central section52and hand grip60, bringing the grommet42down around the end of the staking member50, and then pulling it tight as shown. The other four corners of the tarpaulin are similarly attached to their respective handles.

Handle46is shown, as it would appear after collecting a load of refuse and gathering the four corners of the tarpaulin as previously described inFIGS. 3–5. Handle46is shown supporting a substantially identical handle46′ on the left and another handle46″ on the right. Handles46′ and46″ are supported by means of the hooks54,66on opposite ends of hand grip60holding hand grips60′,60″ respectively.

Second Modification

FIGS. 9 and 10depict another modification, in which substantially identical handles are constructed from metal stampings. A handle62is stamped from a sheet of metal, such as steel. Multiple handles may be stamped from a roll using a series of dies in a transfer press in a well-known conventional in-line process. The dies remove metal to leave functional elements similar to those previously described in connection with the plastic molding shown inFIGS. 1 and 2.

These are a central body portion64with support legs66,68, joined at the top by a hand grip section70a. A pair of hooks72,74are spaced from support legs66,68respectively to provide support surfaces76,78respectively.

A tapered staking member80extends downwardly from central body portion64, and a slot82is cut in the central body portion to receive the corner of a tarpaulin. A tab82is stamped by one of the dies and bent up to leave a projecting end84to provide an attachment means. Tab82is small enough in width to go through a standard grommet and long enough to hold a grommet wedged in place between staking member80and the tab.

Lastly, in another conventional industrial process, the hand grip section70ais over-molded with a plastic coating70bto provide a comfortable hand grip70. A set of four handles substantially identical to the handle62are used as previously described in connection withFIG. 6.

Operation

Referring back toFIGS. 3,4and5, the handles of the preferred embodiment and the two modifications are all used the same way.FIGS. 3 and 4show the tarpaulin38lying on the ground. Each of the corners is fitted with a grommet that has been previously attached to substantially identical handles. The four corners are staked to the ground with the staking members to hold the tarpaulin in place against wind and the forces of a rake or leaf blower. A mound of refuse44, such as leaves or sticks is raked onto the tarpaulin.

FIG. 5shows the tarpaulin with the four corners gathered. First, diagonally opposite corners are pulled together. The handgrips of the handles may be grasped in one hand. Then the other two corners are separately pulled up by the attached handles and their hand grips are hooked on the hooks of the grasped handles. The refuse44is collected in this manner and the tarpaulin carried or dragged to where it is dumped by unhooking the supported handles and then releasing the grasped handles. The handles remain attached to the tarpaulin, which is spread and staked in a new location to repeat the process. When the tarpaulin becomes worn or torn, it may be replaced by a new tarpaulin using the same set of handles and the simple attachment means described.

While there is shown what is considered to be the preferred embodiment and two modifications of the invention, other modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is desired to secure in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.