Abstract:
A garden tool of the type having a shaft handle includes a tool with a handle socket provided with an array of teeth to interengage an array of teeth formed on a lug fastened on the handle shaft so that when the end of the shaft is inserted into the handle socket on the tool, the teeth of the socket will mesh with the teeth of the lug to anchor the shaft in the socket.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to improved structure for assembly of a garden type tool handle shaft and tool that will facilitate storage and transportation of the tool provided with this improvement. More specifically, the invention relates to an anchoring structure provided on the shaft socket of a tool for receiving one end of the handle shaft with the handle shaft being provided with an anchoring element for cooperating with the anchoring structure adjacent the socket of the shaft. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the manufacture of a number of items for retail sale, economic considerations relating to the storage as well as shipping and assembly of the items have been important factors in the design of such items. The reason for this is that storage space is often at a premium for retail merchants so that any reduction in the storage space required for an item will reduce the cost of the items to the retailer and even the consumer. This is particularly applicable to seasonal tools such as rakes and snow shovels. With the cost of transportation of products from the factory to retailers increasing, it has long been desired to improve the design of the tool structure of products to enable them to be more compactly stored for shipment as well as to allow storage and handling of the tools in a manner that will not adversely affect their function and appearance. 
     A number of tool structures that have been in use have not been successfully structured to allow compact shipment on the one hand or secure and reliable assembly for use, on the other hand. One structural problem that is particularly troublesome involves tool products that must withstand severe and repeated forces when put to use by a customer. This has been particularly true with tools that undergo repeated or periodic forces in substantially the same direction in operation but which vary in magnitude depending on the user or the material being worked upon. As a consequence, manufacturers have tended to forego compact shipping design considerations when manufacturing such tools or articles in order to provide a reinforced structure that will withstand such forces as may be imposed by a user. This has tended to increase the cost of the tool to the consumer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a tool structure of the type using an elongated shaft which the user grasps to employ the tool to carry out functions such as gardening, cleaning and the like. In structuring the tool, an improved anchor for the shaft in a socket of the tool such as a shovel or rake is provided. In one embodiment, a portion of an anchor is mounted on the shaft adjacent one end of the tool shaft and a complimentary anchor socket is provided on the shaft socket of the tool. This allows the shaft and tool to be shipped out unassembled to a site such as a retail outlet. The retailer may then store the two parts using a nesting technique which is typically more efficient than segregated item by item storage techniques commonly employed. When appropriate, the retailer may then assemble a needed number of the items by inserting the shaft into the socket of the tool to engage the anchoring elements which hold the shaft and tool in the assembled relation. Preferably, the anchor is fashioned in a manner with improve resistance to separation when the assemble tool is put to use. The anchor may vary slightly for different uses for different tools such as in the material used to construct the anchor elements. 
     In one embodiment, the socket of a tool, which normally receives a shaft, which may be cylindrical or square in cross section, is modified to provide an anchor element in the form of a reception portion. The anchor reception portion is provided with engaging teeth which will be angled away from the direction of the greatest force in a direction the tool is designed to experience. A mating anchoring element is attached to the surface of the shaft generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft and has teeth angled to mate with the teeth of the reception portion. Assembly is achieved by inserting the shaft into the socket of the tool to bring the anchoring elements into mutual engagement with the teeth of each element becoming engaged such as by local deformation. 
     An advantage of this arrangement is that the anchoring elements can be manufactured either to prevent disassembly or to allow releasable assembly depending on the intended use of the tool. For example, a lawn rake is a type of tool that does not require permanent assembly since its use is generally seasonal so that storage is typically desired by a user. For such a tool, the set of anchoring elements may be formed with yieldable material that will allow disassembly for storage. A shovel may require permanent assembly once purchased and the material of the anchor elements will be selected to that end. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent as consideration is given to the following detailed description taking in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of the shaft socket according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional view along lines  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an anchoring element useful in the present invention; and 
     FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the anchoring element of FIGS.  1  and  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1, a portion of the base of a snow shovel  10  including a socket  12  having an interior  14  for receiving one end of a handle shaft ( 32  in FIG.  3 ). In the illustrated form, it will be appreciated that the shaft will be in the form of a cylinder or rod having an exterior diameter to form an interference fit with the inner edges of ribs  17  which project radially inwardly of interior surface  14  of the socket  12 . As is conventional, these structures are formed by molding techniques that are well known and, hence, will not be described. An anchoring element generally designated at  16  is formed integrally adjacent the outer end of the handle shaft socket  12  of the tool  10 . In one embodiment, the anchoring element comprises facing sets of the teeth formed on the facing walls  22  that extend substantially perpendicular to the axis of handle socket  12 . The spacing between walls  22  is selected to allow insertion and an interference type fit with the teeth of an insertion lug  24  (FIG. 3) as described below. The lug  24  is securely attached to the exterior surface of the shaft  32  of the tool. The manner of attachment of the insertion lug  24  will vary depending upon the type of material from which the shaft  32  is made. For example, for a plastic, polyethylene rod, the lug  24  may be simply secured by an epoxy glue. For a metal shaft, screws or rivets should be employed. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the anchoring element  16  is located adjacent the upper end  21  of the socket  12  and that a distance D is provided from the upper end  21  to the base  23  of the socket  12 . The distance D is several times greater than the length F of the anchoring engaging teeth portion  18  of the anchoring element  16 . Preferably, D is at least twice the length F. With this provision, much greater stability for the handle and tool  10  will be achieved since the ribs  17  in cooperation with socket  12  will maintain the shaft  32  in a relatively stable position with the locking teeth  18  and  26  operable substantially to prevent movement parallel to the longitudinal axis of the socket  12 . The ribs  17  will absorb substantially all other motions that would tend to distort the anchoring element surfaces such as the teeth  26  on the lug  24  and the teeth  18  of the anchoring element  16 . While the longitudinal length of the face of the teeth  18  may be very large in consideration of the estimated magnitude of the force expected to be experienced by the tool, in use, it has been found that the provision of a relatively small longitudinal dimension for the teeth faces  18  in combination with a relatively long dimension for socket  12  as shown in FIG. 2 provides good retention force for the shaft in the socket  12 . Thus, a major portion of the force experienced in use will be borne by the wall of socket  12  and not by the lug  24  which will experience substantially only force along a direction parallel to the axis of socket  12 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, there are shown detailed views of the anchoring lug  24  and the handle socket  16  which may be formed integrally with the shaft socket  12  on the tool  10 . In FIG. 3, it will be seen that the lug  24  is provided with a front face  27  and a curved rear face  29  and side faces  26 , a lower portion of each of which is provided with ridges in the form of teeth which extend perpendicular to the faces  27  and  29 . A shown in FIG. 3, the ridges  26  are angled upwardly in contrast to the complementary ridges or teeth  18  shown in FIG. 4 in anchoring element  16 . The lug  24  may be attached to a shaft  32  in any suitable manner such as by screws inserted into the openings  28 . 
     By properly establishing by design the distance above the end of the shaft  32  at which the lug  24  is fastened to the shaft  32 , the advantages of stable attachment by use of the anchoring element  16  and lug  24  with the socket  12  will be achieved. Preferably, the faces  27  and  29  of the lug  24  are tapered from the upper end  31  to the lower end  33  of the lug  24  to facilitate insertion of the lug into the anchoring element  16 . The side walls  26  are preferably parallel although in some applications a slight taper to these walls may also be useful. Clearly, where the shaft  32  is rectangular and the surface to which the lug  24  is to be attached is flat the rear face  29  of the lug  24  will also be flat. 
     As shown in FIG. 4, the anchoring element  16  is provided with two sets of teeth  18  provided with ridges each angled downwardly to provide secure interlocking with the upwardly angled teeth of the side walls  26  of the lug  24 . Where the elements are made out of a material that tend to deform such as a plastic such as nylon, secure interengagement is assured with this configuration since the tips of the ridges  18  and  26  can flex sufficiently to allow substantially full insertion of the lug  24  into the cavity of the socket  16  defined by the spaced apart sets of teeth  18 . Also, by providing the ridges  26  over only the lower portion of the lug  24 , disengagement of the lug  24  from the anchoring element  16  can be achieved where the  18  elements are made of nylon. This is effected by simply tilting the shaft  32  slightly while holding the shovel  10  stationary by foot. Accidental disengagement is resisted by the provision of the bridge  20  which extends from one side to the opposite side of the handle socket  16  and is located at the upper end of the element  16  above the teeth  18  as shown in FIG.  4 . 
     While the foregoing is an advantageous form of the invention especially for a snow shovel molded from plastic such as nylon, minor modifications can render the tool capable of more strenuous applications. For example, by making the shovel and socket  12 , anchoring element  16  and lug  24  of a metal such as bronze or steel, a substantially permanent connection between the shaft and the socket  12  can be achieved. Also, the anchoring element  16  and lug  24  need not be made of the same material as the tool but may be made of metal while the tool is molded from a plastic as above. 
     Having described invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the appended it claims.