Abstract:
An ice scraper construction ( 10 ) for cleaning ice and/or snow from vehicle windows wherein the construction ( 10 ) includes a handle member ( 20 ) having a pair of slots, ( 25 ), ( 28 ) whose upper ends are provided with an elongated cylindrical recess ( 29 ), a generally straight blade member ( 30 ), and a contoured deflector member ( 50 ). Both the blade member ( 30 ) and the deflector member ( 50 ) have elongated cylindrical beads ( 34 ) and ( 54 ), respectively, that are dimensioned to be laterally received within the cylindrical recesses ( 29 ) in the handle member ( 20 ).

Description:
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 09/271,353 filed Mar. 17, 1999 entitled “Ice Scraper Construction,”, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of ice scrapers in general, and in 
     particular to an ice scraper handle designed to accommodate a plurality of elements, including a credit card or similar item as a reversible blade element. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,274,684; 4,542,554; 5,263,222; and 5,418,998, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse fixed and replaceable blade ice scraping devices. 
     While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical ice scraper construction designed to accommodate either a standard equipment reversible scraper blade and a deflector element or in an emergency, a conventional credit card. 
     As most people in colder climates are all too well aware, the primary problem with fixed blade ice scrapers is that once the scraper blade is broken, the device is virtually useless. Furthermore, the problem with replaceable blade ice scrapers is the fact that they will only accept a replacement blade that is specifically designed for that particular ice scraper. In addition, most ice scrapers do not make any provision to deflect ice and snow away from a user&#39;s hand during the scraping process. 
     As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved type of ice scraper construction that not only is provided with a replacement blade and ice deflector, but which also is designed to accept a conventional credit card as a scraper blade substitute, and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated, the preferred embodiment of the ice scraper construction that forms the basis of the present invention comprises in general, a handle unit, a deflector unit, and a blade unit. The handle unit includes a contoured handle member fabricated from a generally flexible material and provided with a plurality of elongated slots provided with gripping means for releasably engaging the blade unit and the deflector unit. 
     As will be explained in greater detail further on in the specification, while the blade unit of the preferred embodiment comprises a generally rigid reversible blade member dimensioned to be received in the handle slot and provided with discrete apertures that cooperate with the blade gripping means in the handle member, the handle member of the alternate version of the preferred embodiment is also designed to releasably receive a conventional plastic credit card should the reversible blade member become lost, or otherwise rendered unusable. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other attributes of the invention will become more clear upon a thorough study of the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the alternate version of the ice scraper construction of this invention in use; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the handle unit being equipped with a conventional plastic credit card; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the handle unit and the blade unit; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken through line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of this invention; and 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As can be seen by reference to the drawings, and in particularly to FIG. 1, the alternate version of the ice scraper construction that forms the basis of the present invention is designated generally by the reference number  10 . The construction  10  comprises in general, a handle unit  11 , and a blade unit  12 . These units will now be described in seriatim fashion. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, the handle unit  11  comprises a contoured handle member  20  fabricated from a semi-rigid, yet flexible material  21  such as hard rubber or soft plastic. The proximal end  22  of the handle member  20  is relatively narrow and provided with an elongated curved recess  23 . The distal end  24  of the handle member  20  is relatively wide and provided with an elongated central slot  25  which is flanked by a pair of curved flanges  26  whose purpose and function will be described presently. 
     In addition, the interior of the central slot  25  is provided with a plurality of generally rigid prongs  27  which are adapted to engage either the blade unit  12  or a conventional credit card  100 , as will be likewise explained presently. 
     As can best be appreciated by reference to FIG. 1, the curved flanges  26  are designed and dimensioned to serve as snow and ice deflectors that will prevent the scraped ice and/or snow particles from being deposited on the user&#39;s hands. 
     Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the curved recess  23  in the proximal end  22  of the handle member  20  is provided to facilitate the separation of the bifurcated portions of the handle member  20  on opposite sides of the central slot. 
     Turning now to FIG. 3, it can be seen that in the alternate version of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the blade unit  12  comprises a generally rectangular thin flat blade member  30  fabricated from a generally rigid yet flexible material  31  such as plastic which will not scratch the windshield surface. 
     In addition, both the upper and lower portions of the blade member  30  are provided with rows of apertures  32 . Each row of apertures  32  are dimensioned to receive the plurality of prongs  27  on the interior of the central slot  25  of the handle member  20  when the adjacent end of the blade member  30  is inserted into the central slot  25 . 
     In this manner, if one edge of the blade member  30  becomes chipped or cracked, the blade member  30  can be reversed within the slot  25  to bring a fresh edge to bear on the windshield surface. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 4, it can be seen that in the event that the blade member  30  becomes lost, misplaced, or broken, the user may simply substitute a conventional plastic credit card  100 . The pointed prongs  27  in the slot  25  will frictionally grip one side of the credit card  100  in a well recognized manner. 
     In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the enlarged distal end  24  of the handle member is provided with an elongated slot  25  and a relatively short slot  28 . The upper ends of both of the slots  25  and  28  have an enlarged generally cylindrical recess  29  whose purpose and function will be described presently. 
     As mentioned previously, the preferred embodiment of the ice scraper construction  10  includes a deflector unit  13  which comprises a deflector member  50  fabricated from a contoured sheet of generally rigid material  51  such as sheet metal or the like having a curved distal end  52  and a straight proximal end  53  provided with a cylindrical bead  54 . The proximal end  53  of the associated bead  54  are dimensioned to be laterally received within the relatively short slot  28  and associated recess  29  in the handle member  20 . 
     Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the contour of the deflector member  50  resembles the numeral 2 when viewed from the side. The curved upper end  52  will collect and redirect loosened ice and snow away from the user&#39;s hand so that the ice scraper construction can be employed even when the user is not wearing gloves due to the fact that no loosened ice or snow will be deposited on the user&#39;s hand. 
     Still referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the blade unit  12  comprises an elongated, generally thin and flat blade member  30  fabricated from a generally rigid, yet flexible material  31 . The upper end of the blade member  30  is provided with an elongated cylindrical bead  34  such that the blade member  30  may be laterally received in the elongated slot  25  and the enlarged cylindrical recess  29  in the handle member  20 . 
     Although only an exemplary embodiment of the invention has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. 
     Having thereby described the subject matter of the present invention, it should be apparent that many substitutions, modifications, and variations of the invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention as taught and described herein is only to be limited to the extent of the breadth and scope of the appended claims.