Abstract:
The present invention is directed toward a sea turtle friendly beach cleaning assembly designed for removal of seaweed and other debris from a sand beach. The device includes a beach raking assembly including a plurality of tines, in conjunction with a drag bar and a wire basket. When pulled across a sand surface, the device functions by pulling a plurality of “S” shaped tines across the sand surface in a substantially non-invasive manner, thereby eliminating any possible damage to turtle nests. The cooperation of the tine assembly and drag bar function to leave behind a smooth and clean surface free of ruts that would otherwise impede the movements of turtles and hatchlings.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to beach cleaning devices, particularly to beach raking devices designed to comply with the requirements associated with beach raking in the presence of nesting sea turtles. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Beach raking is a common maintenance duty. Beach raking devices exist which utilize tines or brushes to dig small furrows into the sand surface as they are dragged across a beach, leaving a freshly combed appearance. This type of raking is sufficient for most locales, however the nature of such a cleaning process is problematic in the presence of nesting sea turtles. 
         [0003]    The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) regulates mechanized beach cleaning under the Florida Beach &amp; Shore Preservation Act, Florida Statute 161. In order for beach cleaning to occur during nesting season, FDEP have developed special conditions to protect marine turtles, their nests and hatchlings 
         [0004]    Because of the high density of turtle nests in Brevard through Broward Counties, special protection measures are required during the sea turtle nesting season (March 1 through October 31). 
         [0005]    In accordance with Florida Statute 161m it is required that;
       Cleaning equipment must not penetrate more than two inches into the beach surface;   All material collected must be removed from the beach;   In order to avoid adverse impacts in the event that cleaning accidentally occurs over a nest, mechanical beach cleaning equipment shall not penetrate more than two inches into the surface of the beach;   Mechanized beach cleaning shall be accomplished so that no ruts are formed on the beach; and   Burial or storage of any debris (biotic or abiotic) collected is prohibited seaward of the 50 foot setback. Removal of accumulated debris from the beach must occur immediately after cleaning has been performed.       
 
         [0011]    The present inventors have developed a turtle friendly beach raking apparatus which addresses a long felt need for a beach raking device that solves the problem of maintaining clean and pristine beaches while simultaneously preserving and protecting sea turtle nests and the hatchlings which emanate therefrom. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0012]    US Published Application 2007/227750 discloses a beach raking vehicle for beaching cleaning, which comprises a plurality (e.g., 15) of longitudinal members, each extending along the traveling direction and a plurality of sand pins, which are detachably attached to each of the longitudinal members such that the sand pins 23 protrude downward. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,476 discloses a rock racking apparatus for a self-propelled vehicle such as a skid steer loader, which comprises an apparatus adapted to be attached to the hydraulic arm of a loader and has a rock raking unit with a toothed rotor and a rock collector bucket connected to the raking unit. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,847 discloses a method and apparatus for cleaning beaches or other similar sandy areas, which comprises a digger chain and an associated sweeper chain for capturing debris and other articles and conveying the same to a collection box or separation conveyor and includes tines and a basket for removing the debris. 
         [0015]    EP 0704146B1 discloses a device for cultivation of the soil, which comprises both c-shaped and s-shaped tines for furrowing the earth. The tines comprise a plurality of such working implements that are removably attached side by side to the frame of a harrow, cultivator or sowing machine to carry out harrowing, cultivating, and sowing, respectively. 
         [0016]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,434 discloses a bucket mounted ground-raking and rock-gathering attachment for loaders, which comprises hydraulic cylinders for lifting and lowering the bucket and hydraulic cylinders on the tractor which are operated to rotate the bucket, for dumping the debris, while the attachment is substantially maintained in position. 
         [0017]    JP 2002356827 discloses a beach cleaner, which comprises a travelling body grounded on a sand surface by ski members arranged at the four corner sections of an approximately quadrilateral frame and pulled by a tractor. 
         [0018]    EP 1842969B1 discloses a beach cleaner towed by a tractor, which comprises a pair of trapezoid structures (41 L, 41 R) each formed by a grounded member (43) and a mountain-shaped guide member (44) provided on the grounded member (43) and on which the beach cleaner (20, 50) is allowed to ride, the trapezoid structures (41 L, 41 R) being composed of a plurality of divided bodies (41 a, 41 b, 41 c, 41 d) attachable to and detachable from each other. 
         [0019]    U.S. Pat. No. 8,109,342 discloses a box-shaped beach-cleaning trailer, which comprises a towed vehicle for beach-cleaning and which has a litter collection trailer like vehicle which unit is towed by a vehicle to collect small pieces of litter which may be swept up from the sand to the trailer&#39;s container. 
         [0020]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,906 discloses a beach cleaner for debris on a sandy surface, which comprises a towed vehicle for gathering and collecting debris from a beach and which has tines for pushing the debris into the gathering receptacle and which has two internal combustion engines for powering the tines. 
         [0021]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,518 discloses a beach cleaner with an interchangeable ground engaging blade member, which comprises a blade member extending outwardly of the forward end and has a rotating rotor that moves debris from the beach to the debris holder for disposing of at a convenient time. 
         [0022]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,732 discloses a ground raking attachment for a bucket-equipped tractor, which comprises a toothed, cylindrical rotor which works the soil and at the same time rakes the ground free of rocks, refuse, roots, sticks and other debris which is transferred to the tractor bucket by the action of the rotor. 
         [0023]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,506,692 discloses a tine raking device assigned to H. Barber and Sons of Naugatuck, Conn. The tine raking device includes a frame and a conveyor assembly supported on the frame. The conveyor assembly has a conveyor belt defining perforations sized to allow passage there through of granules of sand and to prevent passage there through of larger sized debris to be removed from a ground surface. Flexible tines extending outwardly from the conveyor belt. The tines are arranged in rows across a width of the conveyor belt. The rows each are longitudinally spaced from adjacent rows along the conveyor belt such that a generally unimpeded path is defined along an outer surface of the conveyor belt for debris to flow between adjacent tines along an associated row. The conveyor assembly includes a lower section for permitting the tines to contact and remove debris from a ground surface being cleaned, and an inclined section for lifting debris on the conveyor belt away from the ground surface being cleaned. 
         [0024]    The reference citations fail to teach or suggest the invention as disclosed and claimed herein. All of the references included supra appear to substantially penetrate the sand, and do not contemplate an arrangement whereby the sand is left smooth and unfurrowed, as required by Florida law during periods of turtle nesting. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0025]    The present invention is directed toward a beach cleaning assembly that is designed to remove seaweed and other debris from a sand beach. The device includes a beach raking assembly including a plurality of tines forming a tine assembly, in conjunction with a drag bar and a wire basket. When pulled across a sand surface, the device functions by pulling a plurality of “S” shaped tines across the sand surface in a substantially non-invasive manner, thereby eliminating any possible damage to turtle nests. The cooperation of the tine assembly and drag bar function to leave behind a smooth and clean surface free of ruts that would otherwise impede the movements of turtles and hatchlings. 
         [0026]    Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with any accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Any drawings contained herein constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of the beach cleaning assembly; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the beach cleaning assembly; 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section of the beach cleaning assembly taken through Section Line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of the beach cleaning assembly; 
           [0031]      FIG. 5  is a magnified view of the tines and tine support connection; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 6  is a rear perspective view of the beach cleaning assembly in use on a beach. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0033]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 6 , in one embodiment the invention is directed toward a beach cleaning assembly  100 , which is dragged behind a tractor or the like (shown in phantom lines) to gather seaweed and other debris. The beach cleaning assembly  100  is constructed of a first side plate and a second side plate  10  and  12 , each said side plate having a front edge, a back edge, a top edge, a bottom edge, an inner face, and an outer face. The side plates  10  and  12  are positioned in a spaced apart, substantially parallel relationship, and are maintained in such relationship by their attachment to several supporting components. The supporting components include a drag bar  14 , positioned between said first side plate  10  inner face and said second side plate  12  inner face, in proximity to each said back edges thereof. The drag bar  14  is positioned essentially perpendicular to the inner faces of each of said side plates  10  and  12 . In an embodiment the drag bar  14  is formed from an 8″ Schedule 40 steel pipe, although alternative sizes and material components are contemplated by the invention. A further supporting component which assists in stabilizing sides  10  and  12  is tine support bar  16 , which in one embodiment may be formed from a 3″×3″ angle iron. The tine support bar  16  is positioned between said first side plate  10  inner face and said second side plate  12  inner face, in proximity to each said top edges thereof, said tine support bar being substantially perpendicular to said first and second side plate inner faces. The tine supporting bar  16  has a plurality of “S” shaped tines  18  attached thereto. Said plurality of “S” shaped tines  18 , are affixed in spaced relation along said tine support bar, said tines being positioned in relation to said drag bar to prevent penetration of greater than two inches (2″) into said sand beach. 
         [0034]    In an embodiment, one or more stop members  22  are affixed to the tine support bar  16  proximate each tine, and are positioned to prevent twisting of the tines during use. Steel side plates  10  and  12  act to contain spill out of the collected seaweed. 
         [0035]    In an embodiment, the beach cleaning device  100  is fabricated with a crisscross pattern style rake basket  24 , which is mounted on top of the tines  18  to hold trashcans and large objects (not shown) that are gathered from the beach. The steel sides  10  and  12  of the device  100  and the basket  24  on top of the tines  18 , provide for containment of the seaweed within the device  100 , allowing for larger piles of seaweed to be collected. The rake basket  24  is mounted on hinges  17  so it can be tipped toward the rear so one person can load large items into the rake basket  24  and to allow for maintenance of the tines  18  and rake basket  24 . 
         [0036]    When being dragged across a beach, as more clearly illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the drag bar  14  allows for a small amount of sand to be built up between the tines  18  and the pipe  14  to prevent seaweed from escaping past the tines  18  and falling out the rear of the unit. This gives the beach a “groomed appearance” and also satisfies the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) regulation for mechanical beach cleaning during turtle nesting season which states that no tine marks or tire tracks be left in the sand after mechanical cleaning of the beach so as to allow turtle hatchlings to make their way from the sandy beach to the surf without getting trapped in ruts. 
         [0037]    The FDEP permit conditions also states that mechanical cleaning devices must not penetrate the sand to more than two inches in depth. The present configuration of the drag bar  14 , which is mounted two inches below the tines  18 , allows the drag bar  14  to make contact with the sand first leaving the “S” tines  18  to skim the sand and gather the seaweed on the surface with little or no penetration of the sand. 
         [0038]    In an embodiment, the rake basket  24 , by using a 3# steel grating, enables the operator of the device to put trash like soda cans and bottles directly in the basket. Once the device is complete, the basket  24  may be hot dip galvanized to prevent corrosion and extend the life of the basket with a pleasant appearance. 
         [0039]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a front perspective view an embodiment of the beach cleaning device  100  is illustrated. Rake basket  24  is positioned between said first and second side plate  10 , 12  inner faces proximate to each said top edge thereof, and is formed from frame  26  and steel grating  28 . Lift frame  30  is shown having lift hooks  32  and is adapted for attachment to a towing vehicle, e.g. a tractor or the like. 
         [0040]    Now referring to the cross-sectional view taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  shows hitch attachment plates  34 . This figure clearly depicts the attachment of “S” tines  18  to tine supporting bar  16  via fastener  20 . This figure also illustrates the 2″ height differential between the bottom of drag bar  14  and the lowermost portion of tines  18 . Cross-member  36  is shown which helps to provide additional stability at the front of the beach cleaning device  100 . 
         [0041]    With further reference to  FIG. 4 , a rear view of the device permits visualization of the relationship between the drag bar  14 , tines  18 , tine support bar  16 , and rake basket  24 . Hinges  17  are illustrated herein, which permit tipping of rake basket  24  to permit easy emptying and to allow convenient access to the area enclosing tines  18 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 5  is a close in view of the tine assembly, inclusive of tine support bar  16 , which illustrates a typical attachment of adjacent “S” shaped tines  18  to tine supporting bar  16 , via fasteners  20 , e.g. a nut and bolt, rivet, weldment, or the like. The interaction of stop members  22  to eliminate twisting of the tines  18  is also illustrated is also shown. 
         [0043]    As depicted in  FIG. 6 , as the device  100 , is dragged across a beach, the device  100  settles into the sands surface as it is pulled across. The components, particularly drag bar  14 , and first and second side plates  10  and  12 , interact with the sand to seal off the central portion of the assembly  100  which houses the tines  18  preventing spill out of the seaweed which is being collected, while allowing the “s” shaped tines  18  to skim over the surface of the sand, and pushing a small build-up of sand ahead of the drag bar to facilitate seaweed collection, and result in a furrow-free cleaned area behind the device. 
         [0044]    All patents and publications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. All patents and publications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. 
         [0045]    It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention is illustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement herein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the invention is not to be considered limited to what is shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figures included herein. 
         [0046]    One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. The embodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein are presently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended to be exemplary and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changes therein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which are encompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by the scope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of the described modes for carrying out the invention which are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.