Patent ID: 7621572

Claim:
An apparatus for picking up material comprising: a scooping device comprising: a shovel portion having a front end having a curvilinear leading edge, a back end, a bottom, sides and an open top; a back support connected to said shovel portion at said back end of said shovel portion, extending above said sides of said shovel portion to facilitate filling of said scooping device above said sides, wherein said back support is otherwise substantially co-terminus with said sides and said bottom of said shovel portion; a handle connected to said back support and extending from the back support in a direction opposite the shovel portion; a hand guard connected to said back support and spaced from the handle, wherein said hand guard is an elongated member having a first end connected to said back support and that extends in a direction opposite the shovel portion and a second end opposite first end and spaced from said back support, and wherein the hand guard is positioned generally below the handle; and wherein the handle is spaced from the hand guard such that the palm of a grasping hand engages the handle without the fingers of the grasping hand engaging the hand guard; and wherein the handle has an elongated body defined by a first end connected to the back support of said apparatus and a second end opposite the first end that is supported by the back support in a cantilevered fashion and wherein the body is spaced from the back support such that the grasping hand can circumferentially grasp the body without contacting the hand guard, and wherein the elongated body of the body has a first length defined between the first end and the second end that exceeds a length of the hand guard as defined between the first end and the second end of the elongated member.