Patent Publication Number: US-RE32948-E

Title: Pivotable multiple socket

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of hand shovels, in which the handle can be moved to different positions relative to the blade of the shovel. 
     Prior art devices of this kind have been able to position the handle at different fixed angles relative to the shovel blade in either the horiztonal direction or the vertical direction but not both. The socket member in accordance with the present invention is able to position the handle at different angles relative to the blade in both the horizontal and vertical directions. 
     Some examples which are illustrative of the prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,096 which discloses a shovel having two handles, one in a fixed position and the other not fixed in any regular position but connected by an eye bolt to the blade or scoop for free swinging relationship therewith. U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,838 discloses a shovel having a handle which can be positioned at different angles to the blade in the vertical direction only. U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,150 discloses a snow shovel in which the handle can be rigidly held in a vertical plane relative to a horizontally extending blade, which includes a swing bar or clamping lever 27 that allows the handle to become free swinging relative to the blade when the clamping lever 27 is swung outwardly as shown in FIG. 4 of that patent. U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,699 discloses a shovel having a handle with a bend at an intermediate point thereon. It is connected to the blade at a permanently fixed angle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,074,889 discloses a shovel having an auxiliary handle extending forwardly of the shovel blade. U.S. Pat. No. 1,896,568 discloses a digging instrument, comprising a shovel on one end and a fork or rake type tool on the other end, connected to the handle by a pivotable member which enables rotating the digging instrument so the shovel end is in the working position axially aligned with the handle and when rotated one hundred eighty degrees the fork or rake end is in the working position axially aligned with the handle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a pivotable multiple socket member for shovels wherein the shovel can be used as a scoop when the handle is in one angular position relative to the blade and as a dozer when the handle is removed to a different angular position relative to the blade. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a pivotable multiple socket member for shovels wherein the handle can be positioned at different angles to the blade in both the horizontal and vertical directions. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded plan view of a pivotable multiple socket member for a shovel in accordance with this invention, showing it in position for connection at one end to a shovel blade and to a handle at its other end. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the pivotable multiple socket member for a shovel as shown in FIG. 1 but with the socket member connected to the shovel blade and the handle connected to the socket member, showing in phantom by broken lines a handle connected to the diagonally extending socket of the multiple socket member, the socket member being rotated to the position wherein the diagonally extending socket extends vertically above the rearwardly extending socket which is axially aligned with the socket that is permanently attached to the blade. 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the pivotable multiple socket member in accordance with this invention. 
     FIG. 4 is is a section view taken on line 4--4 or FIG. 3. 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of a shovel having a multiple socket member connected thereto, rotated to the position wherein its diagonal socket extends rearwardy at a diagonal toward the right, for use as a dozer. 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of a shovel having a multiple socket member in accordance with this invention showing the handle seated in the rearwardly extending socket which is axially aligned with the permanently connected socket of the shovel blade. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A pivotable multiple socket member for shovels, comprising an elongated tubular body 2 having an insert end 4 and a handle receiving end 6. The handle receiving end 6 comprises a socket cavity 8 which is axially aligned with the insert end 4. A second handle receiving socket 10 extends at an oblique angle from the tubular body 2, having a socket cavity 12 which extends at an oblique angle to the longitudinal axis of the insert end 4 and its axially aligned socket cavity 8. 
     The insert end 4 of the socket member has a cross-sectional dimension and configuration to rotatably seat in the permanently mounted socket 14 affixed to the rear wall 16 of the shovel blade 18. The permanently mounted socket 14 includes a pair of diametrically opposed apertures 20 to receive a retaining pin 22 therethrough. The insert end 4 of the socket member includes two pairs of diametrically opposed apertures 24 and 26, which sequentially come into registration with apertures 20 of socket 14 when the insert end 4 is inserted into socket 14 and rotated to a first position in which the second handle receiving socket 10 is in vertical angular alignment with the horizontally extending blade 18 wherein apertures 24 of the insert end 4 are in registration with apertures 20 of the socket 14, and to a second position in which the second handle receiving socket 10 is in horizontal angular alignment with the blade 18 and apertures 26 of the insert end 4 are in registration with apertures 20 of the socket 14. 
     A handle 28 is inserted into either socket cavity 8 or 10, depending on how the shovel is to be used. 
     When the insert end 4 of the socket member is inserted into the permanently mounted socket 14 of the shovel blade 18, and rotated to the first position in which apertures 24 of the insert end 4 are in registration with apertures 20 of socket 14, the handle 28 can be inserted into the first handle receiving socket 8 for use at a relatively greater vertical angle relative to the blade 18 or in the second handle receiving socket 10 for use at a relatively smaller vertical angle relative to the blade 18. When the insert end 4 of the socket member is rotated to the second position in which apertures 26 of the insert end 4 are in registration with the apertures 20 of the socket 14, the second handle receiving socket 10 is positioned at a horizontal angle to the blade 18. The handle 28 can be inserted in socket 10 in such position, and the handle 28 is then positioned relative to the blade 18 wherein the shovel can be used as a dozer. In other words, the blade 18 is at an oblique angle to the handle 28, whereby when forward pressure is applied to the handle 28 the blade 28 moves at an oblique angle to whatever is being pushed such as snow on a sidewalk. The shovel in this position can be used as a dozer. 
     An aperture 30 is provided through the side wall of the first handle receiving socket 6 opening to the socket cavity 8, to receive a set screw 32 therethrough for seating in a corresponding aperture 34 in the insertable end 36 of the handle 28 when inserted in the socket cavity 8 until the handle aperture 34 is in registration with the socket aperture 30. The set screw 32 thus holds the handle 28 securely in socket 6 until it is desired to remove the handle from that socket. 
     An aperture 38 is provided through the side wall of the second handle receiving socket 10 opening to the socket cavity 12. When the handle 28 is inserted in socket 10, the handle aperture 34 is brought into registration with the socket aperture 38 and set screw 32 is then seated through socket aperture 38 in the handle aperture 34 to hold the handle securely in the second socket 10 until it is desired to remove the handle from that socket. 
     The elongated tubular body 2 can be rotated a full three hundred and sixty degrees within the permanently mounted socket 14 of the shovel blade 18. Thus, the diagonally extending socket member 10 can be positioned either at a diagonal extending from the blade 18 rearwardly toward the right as shown in FIG. 5 of the drawing, and the tubular body 2 can be rotated one hundred and eighty degrees so the diagonally extending socket member 10 extends rearwardly from the blade 18 at a diagonal toward the left. In both positions, the diametrically opposed apertures 26 through the insert end 4 of the tubular body 2 are in registration with the corresponding apertures 20 through the wall of the permanently mounted socket 14. The retaining pin 22 can be inserted through such aligned apertures to hold the tubular member 2 in either of such positions. When the handle 28 is inserted in the diagonally extending socket 10, the blade 18 can be used as a dozer to angle the blade toward either the right or the left depending on which position the tubular body member 2 is rotated to as described above. 
     The permanently mounted socket 14 is affixed to the rear wall 16 of the blade 18 with the longitudinal axis of socket 14 extending at a right angle to the lateral direction of the blade 18, or at a right angle to a laterally extending plane in which corresponding side edges of the blade 18 lie. 
     The cavity of the permanently mounted socket 14 is cylindrical in cross-section and the insert end 4 of the elongated tubular body 2 is also cylindrical, and of such cross-sectional dimension that it seats snugly in the cavity of the socket 14 for rotation therein.