Abstract:
A rake stripper includes a cleaning member pivotally coupled to a rake handle for movement between a retracted position and an extended position. The cleaning member includes a pair of cleaning elements positioned relatively close to the tines of the rake for cleaning debris therefrom as the cleaning member is moved between retracted and extended positions. The cleaning member includes a bracket for telescopically permitting adjustment of the width of the cleaning member. A biasing member couples the cleaning member to the rake handle, permitting movement between retracted and extended positions. The biasing member biases the cleaning member toward the retracted position. The cleaning member scrapes debris from the tines when the cleaning member is forced from the retracted position toward the extended position. Removal of the deployment force permits the biasing member to return the cleaning member to the retracted position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a debris stripping device configured for attachment to a rake for stripping debris from the rake head. More particularly, the present invention is directed toward a rake stripper capable of being adjusted for use with rakes and rake heads of varying sizes. 
   2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
   Prior art rake attachments for stripping debris from a rake have been known for quite some time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 695,139 to Benson (the Benson patent) was issued in 1902 and is directed to such a rake attachment. The Benson patent discloses the use of an ejector formed from a metallic wire loop that engages the front and back sides of the rake tines so that as the ejector is moved from a retracted position to an extended position, debris is removed from the tines. 
   More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,598 to Kutsi (the Kutsi patent) discloses a rake attachment for stripping debris from a rake. The attachment employs a plate fitted about the tines so that as it is moved from a retracted position to an extended position, the plate urges debris from the tines. 
   Such prior art devices, however, are constructed to be of a fixed size and do not provide a means for ready adjustment so that the same attachment may be used on rakes of varying sizes. There is a need for an adjustable rake stripping attachment having a relatively simple design for ease of use and construction. The present invention is directed toward such a device. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A new and improved rake stripper for cleaning debris from a rake broadly comprises a cleaning member pivotally coupled with the handle of a conventional rake for movement between a first, retracted position and a second, extended position. The cleaning member includes a pair of cleaning elements positioned relatively close to at least a portion of the tines of the rake so that as the cleaning member is moved between the retracted and extended positions, the debris is cleaned from the rake tines. 
   The cleaning elements each present a proximal end and a distal end. The distal ends of the elements define the width of the cleaning member. The cleaning member further includes a bracket as an adjustment means for adjusting the width of the cleaning member. The bracket presents a longitudinal axis and is used for selectively positioning the distal ends of the cleaning elements along a line generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bracket for adjustment of the width of the cleaning member. As a result, the rake stripper is capable of being fitted to rakes of varying sizes. In addition, a rake stripper constructed in accordance with the present invention having its cleaning member set for use on a relatively large rake may be removed from that large rake, and the cleaning member adjusted to a smaller width for use on a smaller rake, further increasing the utility of the inventive stripper. 
   A biasing member is used to couple the cleaning member to the rake handle, permitting movement between the retracted and extended positions. In addition, the biasing member is used as a biasing means for biasing the cleaning member toward the retracted position. The rake stripper is deployed by forcing the cleaning member from the retracted position toward the extended position, so that the cleaning elements scrape debris from the tines of the rake. Such deployment may be actuated by rotating the rake 180° about its longitudinal axis and contacting the exposed biasing member with the ground thereby forcing the cleaning member to move from the retracted position to the extended position. Removal of the deployment force permits the biasing member to return the cleaning member to the retracted position for later use. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a rake stripper constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention coupled with a rake; 
       FIG. 2   a  is a perspective view of the stripper of  FIG. 1  showing the cleaning member in the retracted position; 
       FIG. 2   b  is a perspective view of the stripper of  FIG. 1  showing the cleaning member in the extended position; 
       FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view of the stripper of  FIG. 1  wherein the cleaning member is adjusted to a relatively narrow width; 
       FIG. 3   b  is a perspective view of the stripper of  FIG. 1  wherein the cleaning member is adjusted to a relatively wide width; 
       FIG. 4   a  is an exploded view of the stripper of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4   b  is an isolated fragmentary view of the stripper on an enlarged scale taken along the line as depicted in  FIG. 4   a;    
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the rake stripper constructed in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; an 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the rake stripper constructed in accordance with another alternative embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a rake stripper constructed in accordance with another alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  depicts a rake stripper  10  constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention attached to a rake  12  having a handle  14  and a rake head  15  with a plurality of tines  16 . The stripper  10  includes a cleaning member  18  having an open-ended, hollow bracket  20  and a pair of cleaning element bars  22 ,  24  received in the ends of the bracket  20 . The cleaning bars  22 ,  24  are constructed from generally rigid material. 
   The cleaning member  18  is attached to the rake handle  14  by a biasing member  26 . The biasing member  26  includes a cantilevered-spring  28  and an integral bracket support  30  for supporting the bracket  20  thereby positioning the cleaning member  18  in close proximity to the tines  16  of the rake  12 . The spring  28  is preferably constructed from spring steel having memory, or other suitable material providing appropriate strength and memory. The spring  28  permits movement of the cleaning member  18  between a retracted position, as shown in  FIG. 2   a , and an extended position, as shown in  FIG. 2   b . In addition, the spring  28  biases the cleaning member  18  toward the retracted position. 
   The support  30  includes a generally T-shaped end (not shown) for supporting the bracket  20 . The T-shaped end of the support  30  permits relatively easy assembly of the stripper  10  while causing the cleaning member  18  to move between the retracted and extended positions as the spring  28  is deflected and released. The bracket  20  may be fixed to the support  30  by screws, rivets, nuts and bolts or other conventional fastening devices known in the art. It will be appreciated that by providing a T-shaped end, the support  30  presents more surface area and a greater linear length for installation of the fastening devices, thereby strengthening the rake stripper  10 . 
   The cleaning member  18  is adjustable between a relatively narrow width and a relatively wider width.  FIG. 3   a  depicts the cleaning member  18  in a narrow condition wherein the cleaning bars  22 ,  24  are fully inserted into the bracket  20 . Such a condition may be desired when the stripper  10  is attached to a rake  12  having a relatively narrow head  15 , or to yield more stability to the stripper  10  for concentrated cleaning of the center section of the head  15 . 
     FIG. 3   b  shows the cleaning member  18  adjusted so that the cleaning bars  22 ,  24  span the entire width of the rake head  15 . Such a condition may be desired when the rake head  15  is relatively wide, or when the debris stripping capabilities of the stripper  10  are desired over the span of the rake head  15 . 
   As revealed in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b , the bracket  20  is hollow and presents a generally rectangular-shaped cross section. A plurality of adjustment holes  32  extend through the upper face of the bracket  20 . 
   The cleaning bars  22 ,  24  each present a distal end  34  and a proximal end  36 . The distal end  34  is generally s-shaped so that in use, the end  34  engages the front side of a portion of the tines  16  and the back side of another portion of the tines  16 . The proximal ends  36  of the bars  22 ,  24  are received for telescopic movement within the interior of the bracket  20  so that the bars  22 ,  24  may be moved between a narrow position, shown in  FIG. 3   a , and a wide position, shown in  FIG. 3   b.    
   The proximal ends  36  have a groove  38  defined therein for engaging the support  30  when in the narrow position. A retaining button  40  is also positioned in a recess located on each of the proximal ends  36  of the bars  22 ,  24 . The buttons  40  are configured for locking the bars  22 ,  24  in a desired position. The grooves  38  provide flexibility at the proximal ends  36  of the bars  22 ,  24  when the buttons  40  are depressed such that the bars may be slidably adjusted. The buttons  40  are conventional and are biased toward the extended position shown in  FIG. 4   b . The buttons  40  have an outer circumference slightly smaller than the inner circumference of the adjustment holes  32 . As a result, when the bars  22 ,  24  are inserted into the bracket  20 , the buttons  40  are configured to reside within a desired adjustment hole  32  locking the bars in position. Depressing the appropriate button  40  permits the bars  22 ,  24  to be moved so that the button  40  may be aligned with another hole  32 , thereby adjusting the width of the cleaning member  18 . 
   When in the narrow position, as shown in  FIG. 3   a , the grooves  38  engage the T-shaped end of the support  30 . This construction yields a relatively rigid connection between the support  30  and bracket  20 , while keeping the relative size of the bracket  20  when compared with the cleaning bars  22 ,  24  and permitting a larger range of telescopic motion in the bracket  20  than if the bars  22 ,  24  did not have the grooves  38 . 
   In use, the stripper  10  is attached to the handle  14  of a rake  12  so that the cleaning member  18  is adjacent to the rake head  15 . A fastening device is preferably used to secure the biasing member  26  to the handle  14 . Prior to attachment, the cleaning bars  22 ,  24  are adjusted to an appropriate length so that the cleaning member  18  is of a similar length to that of the rake head  15 . Once attached, the distal ends  34  of the cleaning bars  22 ,  24  are adjacent to the outer-most tines  16  of the rake head  15 . Should the rake  12  become worn or broken and in need of replacement, it will be appreciated that the rake stripper  10  may be easily removed from the rake  12  for use on another rake. Furthermore, the length of the cleaning member  18  of the stripper  10  may be adjusted so that the stripper  10  may be used on a replacement rake having different size than that of the original rake  12 , greatly increasing the utility of the stripper  10 . 
   In an alternative form the bracket and cleaning bars of the cleaning member may be incorporated in a unitary structure wherein the outer ends of the cleaning member utilize breakaway tabs ( 25 ) to yield adjustability (FIG.  7 ). While such a design would only permit adjustment of the length of the cleaning member downwardly, it would provide a degree of adjustability and relatively lower costs due to fewer parts. The breakaway tabs of such an alternative cleaning member would be broken away at the time of installation so that the cleaning member would be of a suitable size for the rake to which the stripper is attached. 
   Turning now to  FIG. 5 , an alternative rake stripper  42  is depicted attached to the rake  12 . The stripper  42  broadly includes a cleaning member  44  having a plurality of cleaning element wires  46  and a bracket  48 . The wires  46  each present a distal end  50  and a proximal end  52 . The proximal ends  52  are received in a clamp  54  configured for attachment to the rake handle  14 . It will be appreciated that the clamp  54  and bracket  48  keep the wires  46  in a generally co-planar configuration. The wires  46  are of varying lengths with the shortest wires  46  positioned in the center portion of the stripper  42  and the longer wires  46  positioned toward the outer edges of the stripper  42  permitting the wires  46  to be fanned while keeping the distal ends  50  positioned generally along a common line and also aligned with the tines  16 . 
   The bracket  48  includes opposed, upper and lower halves  56 ,  58  that are fastened together by conventional means for clamping the wires  46  adjacent to the distal ends  50  thereof. Deflection flanges  60 ,  62  are mounted on the upper half  56  of the bracket  48 . 
   The bracket  48  and distal ends  50  of the wires  46  cooperatively define the cleaning member  44 , the width of which is defined by the two distal ends  50  that lie along the outer edges of the array of wires  46 . By unfastening the halves  56 ,  58  of the bracket  48 , the bracket  48  may be moved back and forth along the wires  46  permitting increased or decreased fanning of the wires  46 . As a result, the bracket  48  provides an adjustment means for adjusting the width of the cleaning member  44 . While movement of the bracket  48  along the wires  46  will not keep the distal ends  50  in perfect alignment due to their geometry, the ends  50  will stay in general alignment while providing various options with regard to the width of the cleaning member  44 . 
   The proximal ends  52  of the wires  46  are constructed from material that is relatively flexible, with memory. Therefore the proximal ends  52  permit movement of the cleaning member  44  between a retracted position and an extended position, and provide a means for biasing the cleaning member  44  toward the retracted position. 
   In use, the rake  12  is rotated 180°, and the deflection flanges  60 ,  62  are pressed against the ground, thereby moving the cleaning member  44  from the retracted position toward the extended position, scraping debris from the tines  16  of the rake  12 . Removal of the deflection force allows the cleaning member  44  to be brought back to the retracted position. 
     FIG. 6  shows a rake stripper  63  constructed in accordance with another alternative embodiment of the present invention. The distal ends  50  of the wires  46  of the stripper  63  define loops  64  that loop about the tines  16  when the stripper  42  is attached to the rake  12 . It will be appreciated that the alternative stripper  63  functions in much the same way as the stripper  42 . By incorporating the loops  64 , the stripper  63  provides relatively more surface area for stripping debris from the tines  16  than the stripper  42  of FIG.  5 . 
   Although the invention has been described in the above preferred embodiment with reference to the drawing figures, it is understood that substitutions may be made and equivalents employed herein with departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.