AN EXTENSIBLE HANDLE FOR SPADES, SHOVELS, PICK-AXES AND OTHER SIMILAR IMPLEMENTS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, ALEXANDRE PIRARD, of Avenue de la Republique, Puteaux, in the department
of the Seine, France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
'AN EXTENSIBLE HANDLE FOR SPADES, SHOVELS, PICK-AXES AND OTHER SIMILAR
IMPLEMENTS" to be as follows:-
"
.
The object of this invention is to form an extensible handle for shovels, forks
and similar implements, which is particularly applicable to the spades now used in
the army.
The handle is formed in two distinct parts, one of wood, and the other consisting
of a metallic tube or hollow handle, sliding on the former for the purpose of
increasing its length; spring stops or catches fix the tube at the required place,
and give great solidity to the handle.
The essential object of my invention is to enable the short handles of spades now
in use in the army to be increased sufficiently to allow of the easy handling of the
spades, while when not in use the handles will be of the regulation size.
The spade fitted with an extensible handle can be worked without fatigue, and
the length of the handle enables the soldier to use it like an ordinary spade, without
having to stoop in a fatiguing position as with the spade having a short handle.
The rod or short wooden handle of cylindrical form is fixed in the socket of the
spade, and is provided on one side with two spring catches, one serving to retain
the metallic tube or hollow handle in position when it is required to develop the
handle for only one half of the extension of which it is capable, and the other catch
serves for the same purpose when the handle is fully developed.
Each catch is placed in an opening formed in the wooden handle, which opening
allows the free end of the catch to recede therein or project therefrom according to
the position it is desired to give to the hollow handle or tube.
Each spring catch is fixed by a screw, and is formed with two projections which
serve to maintain the hollow handle in a determined position, the wood being
recessed to allow the projections to recede when the metallic tube or hollow handle
is pushed back to the closed position, so that they do not in any way interfere with
the sliding of the hollow tube on the wooden handle.
The wooden handle is further provided on the opposite side to that on which
the spring catches are situated, with a groove serving to receive a sliding piece or
projection forming-part of the hollow tube or extension handle;

page_text: The extremity of the wooden handle furthest removed from the spade is provided
with a ring or ferrule serving to maintain the hollow tube or handle in the
extended position, when it forms a prolongation of the wooden handle. This
ferrule or ring is formed with an opening for the passage of the spring catch, and
a recess or notch serving to receive the slide piece or projection on the hollow tube
or handle.
The hollow tube or handle is provided with the slide piece or projection above
mentioned, and which serves; 1° To guide the hollow tube or handle while being
opened or closed; 2nd To ensure the solidity of the developed or extended handle
when using the implement or tool, and to prevent the hollow tube or handle closing
on the wooden handle. The hollow tube or handle is closed at the end by a kind
of cap which receives the pressure of the hand during working.
The above described construction of extensible handle may be simplified by
forming one or two grooves in the wooden handle, and causing them to turn off at
right angles near the end of the latter, so as to allow a part of the hollow tube or
handle to remain over the wooden handle when it is developed or opened out.
Projections fixed to or forming part of the hollow tube or handle are always
engaged in these grooves, and to fix the hollow tube or handle effectually it is only
necessary when the handle is fully developed, to give a slight rotary movement to
the handle, when the projections will enter the bent part of the grooves, thus
forming a kind of bayonet joint connection between the wooden handle fixed to
the spade and the hollow tube or handle which can slide thereon.
Dated this 12th dex of Fehm 188A
I, ALEXANDRE PIRARD, of Avenue de la Republique, Puteaux, in the department
of the Seine, France, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"AN EXTENSIBLE HANDLE FOR SPADES, SHOVELS, PICK-AXES AND OTHER SIMILAR
IMPLEMENTS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
"
The object of this invention is to form an extensible handle for shovels, forks and
similar implements, which is particularly applicable to the spades now used in the
army.
The handle is formed in two distinct parts, one of wood, and the other consisting
of a metallic tube or hollow handle, sliding on the former for the purpose of
increasing its length; spring stops or catches fix the tube at the required place, and
give great solidity to the handle.
'
The essential object of my invention is to enable the short handles of spades now
in use in the army to be increased sufficiently to allow of the easy handling of the
spades, while when not in use the handles will be of the regulation size.
The spade fitted with an extensible handle can be worked without fatigue, and
the length of the handle enables the soldier to use it like an ordinary spade, without
having to stoop in a fatiguing position as with the spade having a short handle.

page_text: My invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which
Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 show one form of my improved handle.
The rod or short wooden handle a, of cylindrical form, is fixed in the socket of
the spade b, and is provided on one side with two spring catches c and d, the catch e
serving to retain the metallic tube or hollow handle k in place when it is required
to develop the handle for only one half of the extension of which it is capable (as
shown in Fig. 2), and the catch & serving for the same purpose when the handle is
fully developed (as shown in Fig. 3).
Each catch is placed in an opening formed in the wooden handle, which opening
allows the free end of the catch to recede therein or project therefrom according to
the position it is desired to give to the hollow handle or tube k.
Each spring catch is fixed by a screw e, and is formed with two projections fand g,
which serve to maintain the tube k in a determined position, the wood being
recessed to allow the projections to recede when the tube is pushed back to the
closed position (as shown in Fig. 1), so that they do not in any way interfere with
the sliding of the hollow tube on the wooden handle.
The wooden handle is further provided on the opposite side to that on which the
spring catches are situated, with a groove h serving to receive a sliding piece or
projection L. forming part of the tube k.
The extremity of the wooden handle furthest removed from the spade is provided
with a ring or ferrule i serving to maintain the tube k in the extended position, when
it forms a prolongation of the wooden handle a. This ring or ferrule is formed with
an opening for the passage of the spring catch, and a recess or notch j serving to
receive the slide piece or projection 7.
The projection or slide piece above mentioned serves; 1st To guide the tube k.
while being opened or closed; 2nd To ensure the solidity of the developed or
extended handle when using the implement or tool, and to prevent the tube k
closing on the wooden handle a. The tube k is closed at the end by a kind of cap m
which receives the pressure of the hand during working.
Fig. 7 shows a more simple construction of extensible handle, in which the
wooden handle a is formed with one or two grooves n, and these grooves turned off
at right angles near the end (as shown at o), so to allow part of the tube k to remain
over the wooden handle when it is developed or opened out. Projections p fixed to
or forming part of the tube k are always engaged in the grooves n, and to fix the
tube effectually it is only necessary when the handle is fully developed, to give a
slight rotary movement to the handle, when the projections p will enter the bent
part o of the grooves n, thus forming a kind of bayonet joint connection between
the wooden handle a fixed to the spade and the tube or hollow handle k capable
of sliding thereon.
Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrate a modification of the bayonet joint, in which
the groove or grooves n are formed at the opposite end of the wooden handle a, to
that on which the spade or other implement is secured, and extend only a short
distance along such handle, the ends being turned off at right angles, as shown at o.
A projection or projections p secured at or near the end of tube k, engage in such
groove or grooves, and fix the tube in position by entering the bent part o when the
handle is slightly turned. The end of tube k is preferably strengthened by a ring k¹,
and the end of the wooden handle a is similarly strengthened by a ring a' in which
the groove or grooves n are formed. This arrangement enables the tube / to be
readily detached from the handle a for facility of transport.
Figs. 13, 14 and 15 show a further modification of the bayonet joint, in which
the groove n extends the whole length of the handle a and is provided with off-sets
either of the form shown at n' consisting of a simple groove at right angles to n, or
of a double bend as shown at n³, the tongue or projection p at or near the end of
the tube k being capable of entering such off-sets by slightly turning the handle.
The tongue or projection p can thus be made to enter any one of the off-sets which
are arranged at convenient distances apart along the groove n, so that the handle of

page_text: :
the implement can be adjusted and fixed as desired.
preferably formed in plates q secured in the handle a.
The off-sets n¹, n³, are
In the modification shown in Figs. 16, 17, 18 and 19, the groove n is formed in
the tube k, and the projection or knob p is secured at or near the end of the wooden
handle a, and can be caused to enter any one of the off-sets n¹, n³, from the grooven,
for the purpose of adjusting and securing the handle as required.
In Fig. 20 the ring i at the end of the handle a is shown slightly larger in
diameter than the handle, and the tube k is provided with an internal ring at its
'open end, so that the friction of the two parts sliding one within the other will be
reduced to the contact surfaces of such rings respectively with the handle a and
tube k.
It will be readily seen that my system may be applied to ladders, the legs of
tripods and other stands, the supports of garden umbrellas and tents, and
generally to all objects having rods, supports or handles which it is desirable to
make adjustable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
'I claim is:-
1st The improved extensible handle or support consisting in a hollow tube
capable of sliding on a rod and of being secured in position thereon by means of
spring catches, the tube being guided in its movements by causing an internal
projection to travel along a groove in the rod, substantially as described and shown.
2nd The improved extensible handle or support consisting in a hollow tube
capable of sliding on a rod, the movements of such tube being guided by means of
a projection or projections on one part engaging with a groove or grooves in the
other part, and the two parts secured in the extended position by causing such
projection or projections to enter off-sets from the groove or grooves by imparting a
slight rotary movement to the handle or support, substantially as described and
shown.
Dated this 11th day of November 1884