D e s c r i p t i o n

The present invention relates to a hook for agricultural instruments such as tree or branch shakers and similar devices.

It is known that in agricultural operations for picking up certain types of fruits (such as olives, walnuts, chestnuts and the like) it may be useful to employ one or more hand-held powered shakers which are put on an operator's arm and, by means of a suitable hook connected to a rod driven in a reciprocating motion, are used for shaking the tree branches so as to enable detachment and fall of the fruits that are to be picked up.

Alternatively, tree shaking devices are known that are provided with clamping jaws adapted to tightly surround the tree branches, which jaws are then biased to conveniently shake the branches themselves.

While the known art briefly described above is put into practice in different variants, it however has some drawbacks .

First of all the traditional hooks are not able to perfectly suit all types of branches, since said branches can have a very wide variety of axial extensions and above all a great number of different cross sections; therefore, it is very likely that a given section of a hook may not be suitable for big branches or branches oriented in an unfavourable manner or, on the contrary, may not properly surround too small branches giving rise to a great freedom of relative movement.

At the same time, tree shakers provided with end jaws appear to be too expensive and heavy and above all are such built that they exert an excessive pinching action on the branches that therefore can suffer for important damages .

In the light of the above mentioned known art, it is an object of the present invention to devise a hook for tree shakers and similar devices that is able to eliminate the above discussed drawbacks.

In particular, the present invention aims at conceiving a hook that can be suitable for a wide variety of cross sections of branches and, what is more, requiring very few modifications and a quick and simple intervention.

In addition, the present invention aims at devising a hook for tree shakers whose mass is as reduced as possible, which also has an equally reduced number of constituent parts and is of a simple, reliable and cheap structure.

The present invention also aims at devising a hook for tree shakers that can ensure the maximum grip steadiness and maximum holding of the branch, both in the operating step and in the starting step when the shaker is moved close to and brought into engagement with the branch.

The foregoing and further aims are achieved by a hook for tree shakers and similar devices in accordance with the present invention, having the features set out in the appended claims and hereinafter illustrated in an embodiment thereof given by way of non-limiting example and in the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figs. 1 and 2 show diagrammatic views of a first embodiment of the present hook in two different operating configurations;

- Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views of a second embodiment of the present hook in two different operating configurations; and

- Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a third embodiment of the hook of the invention.

With reference to the drawings, the hook for tree or branch shakers and similar devices according to the invention is generally identified by reference numeral

1 and substantially comprises a main body 2 connectable to a reaction rod 3 of a shaker or similar device; also present is a main gripping expansion piece 4 which extends transversely of the main body 2 and is susceptible of engagement, under operating conditions, with at least one branch or similar object.

Still for the purpose of capturing the branch under operating conditions and keep it to the right position, a complementary gripping expansion piece 5 is present which, in co-operation with the above mentioned main gripping expansion piece 4 defines a gripping space 6 adapted to lodge the branch.

Advantageously, the present hook further comprises means for generating constraining and/or gripping reactions which have the particular feature of being directly activated between the branch itself (or more generally any object that can be gripped by hook 1) and - A -

the reaction rod 3, under operating conditions.

By virtue of this functional feature that, on the other hand, can be implemented in a great number of structural variants, a great simplification of the hook structure is obtained, which as a first result involves an important reduction in its own inertial mass; in other words, while in hooks of known type the constraining reactions between a branch (or any object) and the reaction rod are generated/exchanged on "gripping expansion pieces" that are an integral part of the hook, in the present invention part of the gripping/handling constraining reactions are directly sent to the reaction rod 3.

Due to this innovative and original mode of mechanical interfacing, therefore, a better efficiency in shaking is obtained as well as a more reduced overall weight of the whole hook.

From a structural point of view, the hook of the invention can conveniently comprise adjusting means at least acting on the complementary gripping expansion piece 5 for varying at least one linear size of the gripping space 6; in this way, in addition to the greater dynamic efficiency resulting from a reduction in the inertial mass, the present invention can also offer a greater flexibility in terms of sizes to be gripped by the hook itself.

In more detail, the adjusting means acts on the main body 2 to vary a distance between the main gripping expansion piece 4 and the complementary gripping expansion piece 5. D

According to a particularly appreciated embodiment of the present invention, the complementary gripping expansion piece 5 is integral with one end of said reaction rod 3, while the adjusting means is active on the main body 2 for varying a distance between the main gripping expansion piece 4 and complementary gripping expansion piece 5; in this embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the main gripping expansion piece 4 is therefore integral with the main body 2 and is provided with relative movement (and a movement integral with the whole main body 2) with respect to the complementary gripping expansion piece 5 that, on the contrary, is mounted in an integral manner on the reaction rod.

Due to the just described structure (as hereinafter claimed) , it is advantageously possible to minimise the mass of the whole hook, since practically the final end of the reaction rod performs two functions simultaneously (i.e. support of the main body 2 and mechanical interfacing with the branch) and consequently it is possible to make a main body with a single gripping expansion piece (which body is therefore more compact and lighter in weight) .

From a structural point of view, the adjusting means can be made in any form, provided it is adapted to achieve the technical purposes of the invention; for instance, the adjusting means may comprise a sleeve- like extension 7 slidably engaged on the reaction rod 3 and extending from the main body 2.

In order to keep the due steadiness of the different operating configurations of hook 1 (or in other words, in order to be able to steadily secure the hook so as to define different sizes of the gripping space) , the adjusting means further comprises locking means adapted to vary axial fitting of the sleeve extension 7 relative to a longitudinal extension axis of the reaction rod 3.

Therefore, it is apparent that through utilisation of the just described structure the sizes of the gripping space will vary as a function of axial sliding movements of the main body 2 along the reaction axis 3.

Depending on current requirements, it is also possible for the adjusting means to comprise a sliding guide 8 integral with the complementary gripping expansion piece 5; said sliding guide 8 is adapted to vary a position of the complementary gripping expansion piece 5 relative to the main body 2.

It is to be noted that within the scope of the present invention, the sliding guide 8 can be mounted as an alternative to the sleeve extension 7, or a hook 1 can be provided in which both the sleeve extension and the sliding guide 8 are present; in this case a still greater variation in the gripping space is made possible.

According to a further innovative and original feature of the present invention, the hook can also comprise centring means 9 to be operatively activated in the gripping space 6 for conveying the branch or similar object into a steady mechanical interfacing condition with hook 1; from a structural point of view, this centring means 9 can comprise a prismatic head mounted in an integral manner to the complementary gripping expansion piece 5 (and/or the main gripping expansion piece, depending on current requirements) and preferably coincident therewith.

This prismatic head in turn has at least one face and/or corner, and preferably a pair of faces and/or corners, defining a direction of convergence towards an inner portion of the gripping space 6 and more preferably towards the main body 2 under operating conditions; in this way, when the branch is inserted into the gripping space, it finds geometric interfacing regions tending to address it always towards the main body, thus avoiding accidental or unintentional escape of the branch from the gripping space.

It should be noted that due to its particular functional features, the above described centring means can also be mounted on hooks for tree shakers different from the main type of hook so far described (and as claimed in the following) .

Still in order to improve the mechanical interfacing between branch and gripping space, and in particular to avoid abrasive or breaking actions between the outer layers of the branch and the different hook components, the presence of shockproof means 10 can be provided, which means can be mounted on the main gripping expansion piece and/or the complementary gripping expansion piece and/or the main body (but also on the reaction rod) , said shockproof means generally consisting of fixed or movable padding elements or bodies made of friction-free materials (such as, as shown in the accompanying figures, the presence of a fixed element mounted to the central portion of the main body and a roller made of rubber or friction-free material, pivotally mounted on the main gripping expansion piece) . It is also an object of the present invention a handheld agricultural device, such as a tree or branch shaker and the like, which advantageously comprises at least one gripping hook as above described and/or hereinafter claimed.

The invention enables important advantages to be reached.

First of all, it will be recognised that the particular construction architecture of the hook as above shown

(and hereinafter claimed) enables the user to operate with the greatest adaptability on the different diameters of branches and/or tree parts.

Secondly, it will be appreciated that the functionality of the present hook is ensured with a low number of parts that are to be actuated relative to each other, and also that, due to minimisation of the number of parts, the hook has a greatly reduced mass relative to traditional hooks; this results in a better reliability of the hook and a greater efficiency of the shaking action, since the smaller mass forming the hook (and therefore the reduced inertia of same) allows transfer of kinetic energy to the quantitatively best branch.

Finally, the present invention allows a very versatile hook to be made with low production costs and low selling prices.