Abstract:
A scooper operable by movement of a hand or hands in which a dowel is held between outer and inner scoops pivotally connected about the dowel, each scoop having a front wall extending from a base such that the scoops form a jaw for picking up an object held inside the scoops in a closed position and movement of the scoops relative to each other are controlled by opposition of a thumb and at least one finger of the hand.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is in the field of hand-operable scoops useful for picking up objects from the ground. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Dog owners who walk dogs on a leash are often faced with a situation in which their dog has left solid excrement along the path of the walk. In many cities there are laws requiring pet owners to pick up pet excrement. A common method of dealing with such excrement is to carry one or more plastic bags that can be used to gather pet excrement. However, this is still distasteful to many people. Accordingly, what is needed is an apparatus useful for picking up dog or pet excrement from the ground that is clean, convenient, inexpensive and easy to use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus operable by movement of a hand in which a dowel is held between outer and inner plastic scoops pivotally connected about the dowel, each scoop having a front wall extending from a base such that the scoops form a jaw for picking up an object held inside the scoops in a closed position and movement of the scoops relative to each other are controlled by opposition of a thumb and at least one finger of the hand. 
     In a first, separate group of aspects of the present invention, the scoops have outer side walls with openings for holding the dowel along with protrusions for connecting the side walls of the scoops. 
     In a second, separate group of aspects of the present invention, the base walls have handles (which can be adjustable) that can be made from straps, rubber, and the like threaded through openings in the base walls which are then fastened together (e.g., through use of hook-and-loop fasteners). A separate strap can be secured to one of the ends of the dowel (which itself can be a fixed or adjustable fastener to hook). 
     Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved hand-operable scoop for picking up objects from the ground. This and further objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art in connection with the drawings and the detailed description of the invention set forth below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a closed state. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along ling  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  with a user hand engaging the hand straps. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates the view of  FIG. 3  as the user&#39;s hand causes the scooper to open by movement of the user&#39;s fingers in the directions indicated by the arrows of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5  illustrates the scooper of  FIG. 4  after it has been further opened and a bag has been inserted into for use. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a user in the process of beginning to scoop up an object with the scooper. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates the user from  FIG. 6  after the scooper has been closed. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates the user from  FIG. 7  after the bag has been gathered forward from the scoops so that the object being scooped up is now contained within the bag in the scooper. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates the user removing the used bag with the scooped up object from the scooper. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to a hand-held scooper that is suitable for use in scooping up objects, such as a pet&#39;s excrement, inside a single use bag. The scooper is designed to be manually operated and capable of easy attachment to a belt or the like. It is operated by opposition of a thumb and at least one finger of the hand (and preferably four fingers) so that once a hand is inserted inside of its handle straps, opposition of fingers and the thumb easily causes the two jaws of the scoop to open and close, thus mimicking the motion of a hand that might otherwise pick up such objects. However, unlike simple use of a bag, the scooper insulates the hand from contact with the object and also helps to gather the object (such as excrement) together inside the scoop from which it can then easily be removed and closed. 
     The present invention will now be discussed in connection with a preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-9 . 
     In the Figures and the following more detailed description, numerals indicate various features of the invention, with like numerals referring to like features throughout both the drawings and the description. Although the Figures are described in greater detail below, the following is a glossary of the elements identified in the Figures.
           1  scooper, generally     2  back opening of scooper     10  outer scoop     11  outer scoop base wall     12  outer scoop side wall     13  outer scoop front wall     13  outer scoop opening     14  outer scoop base opening     15  outer scoop hand strap     16  outer scoop side opening     20  inner scoop     21  inner scoop base wall     22  inner scoop side wall     23  inner scoop front wall     23  inner scoop opening     24  inner scoop base opening     25  inner scoop hand strap     26  inner scoop side opening     31  dowel rod     32  dowel fastener     33  opening     34  strap     35  strap fastener     40  roll of bags     41  individual bag     51  hook-and-loop fastener strip (adjustable)     52  hook-and-loop fastener strip that mates to  51  (adjustable)     60  object to be scooped up in bag       

     A scooper in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally as  1  in  FIG. 1  in which it is in a closed position. Scooper  1  has an outer scoop  10  having a base wall  11 , side walls  12 , a front wall  13 , base openings  14 , side openings  16  and an adjustable hand strap  15  threaded through base openings  14 . Scooper  1  also has an inner scoop  20  having a base wall  21 , side walls  22 , a front wall  23 , base openings  24 , side openings  26  and an adjustable hand strap  25  threaded through base openings  24 . Hand straps  15  and  25  can, in an especially preferred embodiment, be made adjustable, and also opened and closed, through use of hook-and-loop fastener strips (e.g., Velcro® strips). 
     Outer and inner scoops  10  and  20  are, in an especially preferred embodiment, made of rigid plastic and can be snapped together when one of the side walls (of either the inner or the outer scoop) has a protrusion (preferably circular, and not shown) to snap into the opening (either  16  or  26 ) of the contingent side wall in a snap fit relationship. A dowel rod  31  is inserted through openings  16  and  26  of each of the side walls and provides a pivot point (unless circular protrusions from the snap fit provide a pivot point). The reason the scoops are made of a rigid material is so that a user&#39;s hand does not feel or have a feeling of contact with objects being picked up (as would be the case, e.g., if one were to simply use a paper or plastic bag). Although the scoops are preferably made of rigid plastic, they can also be made of a plastic material that is not rigid (i.e., something that can bend), so long as the scoops have sufficient structural integrity to form scoops and also, coupled with their thickness, to avoid allowing the user to have a feeling of contact with objects being picked up. The reason the scoops are made of plastic is so they do not collapse or rust upon coming into contact with wet surfaces, such as wet grass. Although it is believed that plastic is the preferred material for the scoops in view of its cost and ease of use with molds, any material that does not rust and does not suffer structural collapse upon contact with water (as would cardboard) can be deemed to be a “plastic” material within the meaning of this invention. 
     Dowel rod  31  has dowel fasteners  32  on each of its ends to hold it in place. Dowel fasteners  32  can each be removable, or just one of them can be removable, or, in its simplest form and for a disposable scooper  1 , neither can be removable after assembly, although it is preferred that at one be removable so a replacement roll of bags  40  can be used with scooper  1 . Dowel rod fasteners can, for example, be nuts that are fastened to a thread on the end of the dowel rod. It is especially preferred that a strap  34  be attached to a dowel fastener  32  that is not removable, and  FIG. 1  illustrates how a strap fastener  35  can be threaded though an opening  33  in a dowel fastener  32 . Strap  34  can be a common loop strap as shown in  FIG. 1 , or it can be a piton strap or some other convenient mechanism for attachment to a belt and the like so that scooper  1  can conveniently be carried by clothing or hung on a hand until it is needed. 
     A roll of bags  41 , carried by dowel rod  31 , provides a convenient source of single use bags for use. An individual bag  41  can be removed from a back opening of scooper  1  (see  FIG. 1 ) or, when scooper  1  is opened, from between scoops  10  and  20  when they are in an open jaw configuration (see, e.g.,  FIG. 9 ). 
     Scooper  1  according the present invention provides a simple, economical and easy-to-use apparatus for scooping up objects  60  from the ground into an individual bag  41 . In use an individual bag  41  is removed from roll of bags  40  and then secured around outer and inner scoops  10  and  20  (see  FIG. 5 ). When a thumb is inserted into one of hand straps  15  and  25 , and one to preferably four fingers are inserted in the other of hand straps  15  and  25 , opposition of fingers and the thumb easily causes the two scoops  10  and  20  of scoop  1  to open and close in a jaw-like fashion, thus mimicking the motion of a hand that might otherwise pick up such objects, as depicted in  FIGS. 6-8 . Once object  60  has been scooped up inside of an individual bag  41  inside of scoop  1 , scoop  1  can be oriented so that once it is opened individual bag  41  can be reversed off of scoops  10  and  20  and then sealed so that it is ready for disposal. 
     It should be noted that scooper  1  according to the present invention does not rely upon a spring to provide bias to either open or close outer and inner scoops  10  and  20 . Instead, inner and outer scoops  10  and  20  are designed so that inner scoop  21  will easily fit inside of outer scoop  10  and present an efficient profile as shown in  FIG. 1  that can easily be attached to a user&#39;s clothing, that can easily be retrieved, and that can easily be used. By not requiring any force to counter a spring, or any other mechanism that might be used to bias scoops  10  and  20  closed, use of scooper  1  is natural and intuitive in that it mimics one&#39;s use of one&#39;s own hand, yet with decided advantages. Such simplicity is critical because it promotes ease of use, low cost of manufacturing, and thus creates broader user appeal, since such scoops  1  could be sold at convenient locations or even easily vended from machines. 
     While the invention has been described herein with reference to certain preferred embodiments, those embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and not to limit the scope of the invention. For example, while hand straps  15  and  25  are described in the preferred embodiment as being threaded through slots  14  and  26 , and as having hook-and-loop fastening strips, many other mechanisms and ways of attaching straps, whether they are adjustable or not, can be used, although it is believed they would not be as convenient and economical as what has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment. Additional embodiments and further modifications are also possible in alternative embodiments that will be obvious to those skilled in the art having the benefit of this detailed description. 
     Accordingly, still further changes and modifications in the actual concepts described herein can readily be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed inventions as defined by the following claims.