DEVICE FOR GATHERING TOYS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a hand held and hand operated device for gathering toys and other small objects when tidying a room. In particular, the device is designed to gather toys and other small objects from difficult places such as underneath sofas, beds, and other pieces of furniture commonly found in rooms where children may play.

BACKGROUND ART

The following descriptions are provided to assist the reader to understand the relevance of the invention. However the background art is not intended and do not of themselves provide any admission by the applicant that they are published as may be required for an assessment of novelty or obviousness or are common general knowledge according to the laws of and in any particular country in the world.

People in the charge of small children, such as parents, baby sitters, child care workers, etc. know how quickly children, especially children from about the toddler stage, can cover a floor with toys and other items. At the end of a play session gathering the toys and other items that the children may have played with, to tidy the rooms, can be a long and arduous task. This can be made more difficult where toys collect in difficult to retrieve areas such as under sofas, or between furniture, where the toys may be difficult to reach.

It would therefore be advantageous to have a device that can assist a person in gathering toys in order to tidy a room at the end of a child's or children's play session. The inventor trialled a rake and a broom however neither was found to be suitably effective. The

inventor then discovered that a device having a combination hook and rake mode, was suitably effective in gathering toys in order to tidy a room.

Devices, including hand held devices, with a combination of modes are common, and readily found in the prior art literature. However, the inventor has to date, not found any devices with a combination of modes, which are effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room.

For example, in US2005/0188669 (Tedesco), there is disclosed a combination weeding and raking device, having a rake assembly and scuffling hoe combination. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

In Canadian patent applications, CA2519266 and CA2505353 (Xue) there is disclosed a garden rake that has the function of a conventional rake as well as a device to pick up leaves. The rake consists of two sub rakes that are hinge connected to each other at opposite end of the rakes tine points. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

In US patent US3668850 (Horkey) there is disclosed a rake and broom combination. The rake tines can be extended beyond the broom bristles, when the rake mode is required. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

In US patent US4500125 (Olson) there is disclosed a pet litter collecting device having a receptacle holder and scoop assemblies. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

In Canadian patent application CA2148518 (Abounehme) there is disclosed a rake having with a clamping jaw like mechanism for picking up leaves. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

In US patent US 5527077 (Bickar) there is disclosed an attachment for converting a pitchfork into a combination pitchfork and rake. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

In US patent US4843667 (Hanly) there is disclosed a combination rake, broom and pruning knife. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

In US patent US6619023 (Marcone) there is disclosed a shovel and lawn rake. The device disclosed in this document would not be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

Thus despite an extensive review of the prior art, no devices were identified that would be effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

The device of the current invention is effective in gathering small toys when tidying a room, in particular in gathering toys that may be in a difficult to reach place.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one form of this invention although this need not be the onh _/ or indeed the broadest of this there is provided a hand operated device for gathering small toys when tidying a room, said device including;

an elongated handle having longitudinal centreline defining a first axis, a proximal end and a distal end, said distal end constructed and arranged for the user to hold and operate the device, said proximal end including a hinge arrangement connecting the elongated handle to a hook device, said proximal end further including a rake head with rake tines bending away from said hook device, said rake head being secured to but slideable and lockable along the length of the elongated handle.

The hinge arrangement is a major aspect of the invention In a preferred aspect of the invention, the hinge arrangement allows the handle to be angled against the hook device, when the hook device is laid in a flat orientation against the ground, but the hinge arrangement does not allow the handle to be angled against the hook device when the hook is rotated 90 degrees to be perpendicular to the floor. This angular flexibility of the hook in one orientation but not when rotated 90 degrees, allows the hook to be extended at different angles into hard to reach places such as under a sofa, but when rotated, provides rigidity to allow toys to be picked up with the hook.

The hook device may be of any suitable size and shape, as long as it may be laid flat against the floor and against the rake head in one and the same orientatioa Preferably the inner surface of the hook is flat whereas all the other surfaces of the hook are rounded. This enables effective gripping.

Preferably, the rake head is secured to the elongated handle by means of a collar. The rake head is attached to the collar, and the collar and rake head is slideable along the length of the elongated handle.

Preferably, the collar includes a locking mechanism for locking the rake head anywhere along the length of the elongated handle, and thus prevents further sliding of the rake head.

Preferably the rake head cannot rotate around the longitudinal axis of the elongated handle. This may be achieved by any number of means such as having a groove and corresponding tongue arrangement on the collar and elongated handle. Alternatively the elongated handle and collar aperture may be of a non circular cross section so as to prevent rotation of the rake head relative to the elongated handle.

Preferably the hinge arrangement can be slid into the collar such that when the hinge arrangement is located within said collar, the attached hook is not able to be flexed about said hinge arrangement but remains secured against the rake head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For a better understanding, further description will now be given, with reference to drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention with the hook in the non use position

Figure 2 illustrates a more detailed view of the hook and the rake head with the hook in the non use position.

Figure 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention with the hook in the use position and angled against the elongated handle at the hinge arrangement.

Figure 4 provides an exploded view of the preferred components of the invention.

Figure 5 illustrates an example of one embodiment of the hinge arrangement.

The figures illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 and figure 2 provide an example of the invention having an elongated handle (1), a rake head (2), a collar (4) integrally attached to said rake head, where said handle can slide through the collar allowing the rake head to be slideable along said handle, a hook (3) connected to one end of the handle (1) by means of a hinge arrangement (not shown), and a locking mechanism (5) attached to the rake head.

In figures 1 and 2 the hinge arrangement is not visible as it is wholly located within the collar. In this position the hook is unable to flex relative to the handle, but remains flush against the rake head. This allows easy use of the rake, without the hook moving unnecessarily.

In figure 3, the rake head has been slid part way along the elongated handle. With the rake head in this position, the hinge arrangement 6 is no longer within the confines of the collar, but allows the hook to be angled against the elongated handle. This allows the hook to be positioned in difficult places such as under a sofa, or bed, without the user having to bend unnecessarily.

Figure 4 provides an exploded view, illustrating the main components of the invention. The hook (3) is attached to the elongated handle (1) via the hinge attachment (6). The hinge attachment and the handle are slideable through the collar (4) and the locking mechanism (5). The locking mechanism (5) is attachable to the collar via threads (5a) allowing the locking mechanism to be tightened or loosened by a screw thread action When the locking mechanism is tightened it causes tabs (5b) to be forced against the handle, locking the rake head against the handle, preventing the rake head from sliding along the rake head.

Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment of the hinge arrangement (6). The hinge arrangement has two ends (9a and 9b) where the hook and the handle may be attached at each end. In between the ends of the hinge arrangement there is included a flexible strip permitting the two ends to be flexed against each other. The flexible strip may be made of any suitable material such as a flexible rubber or polymer. The entire hinge arrangement may be made

of the same material to reduce manufacturing costs. In the figure, the flexible strip is thicker along plane (7) and thinner along plane (8). This allows the hinge to substantially flex, and thus the hook when attached, along one plane, but not along the plane at 90 degrees. By only along the hook to be flexed or angled in one plane allows the hook to be used more easily when picking up items. That is the hook can be moved from a flexible position to a non flexible position, relative to the handle, by rotating the handle.

Throughout this specification the purpose of the description has been to illustrate the invention and not to limit this.