Patent ID: 7793444

Claim:
A shroud ( 28 ) for protecting the front edge of an excavating bucket lip ( 12 ), the lip having an inner face ( 13 ), an outer face ( 14 ), and a boss ( 20 ) that wraps around the front edge, the shroud ( 28 ) comprising a front working portion ( 66 ), and a rear mounting portion ( 70 ) bifurcated to define an inner leg ( 72 ) and an outer leg ( 74 ) to straddle the lip ( 12 ) and the boss ( 20 ) attached to the lip ( 12 ), and a curved inner corner surface ( 89 ) joining the legs ( 72 , 74 ) having a generally uniform curvature to abut a correspondingly curved front part ( 38 ) of the boss ( 20 ) that wraps around the front edge of the lip ( 12 ), the outer leg ( 74 ) being longer than the inner leg ( 72 ), the inner leg ( 72 ) being relatively short and close to the inner face ( 13 ) of the lip for reduced impeding of the gathering and dumping of material into and out of the bucket, the inner and outer legs ( 72 , 74 ) each having an inner surface ( 80 , 87 ) where the inner surfaces generally face toward each other, the inner surface ( 87 ) of the inner leg ( 72 ) having a central cavity ( 91 ) between the aperture ( 86 ) and the inner corner surface ( 89 ) for receiving a support ( 50 ) upstanding on the inner portion ( 39 ) of the boss ( 20 ) to abut the lock ( 56 ), the inner surface ( 87 ) of the inner leg ( 72 ) overlying the inner portion ( 39 ) of the boss ( 20 ) to each side of the cavity ( 91 ), and the outer leg ( 74 ) having an inner surface ( 80 ) including a slot ( 84 ) extending rearward of the cavity ( 91 ) for receiving an outer portion ( 22 ) of the boss ( 20 ) and the inner leg ( 72 ) having an aperture ( 86 ) in general aliment with the central cavity ( 91 ) to receive a lock ( 56 ) rearward of the inner leg ( 72 ) of the boss ( 20 ) such that the entire lock is contained substantially within the collective space defined by the aperture ( 86 ) and the central cavity ( 91 ) to abut a rear wall ( 52 ) of distal end of the support ( 50 ) on the boss ( 20 ) so as to hold the shroud ( 28 ) to the boss ( 20 ).