Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a lawn maintenance device and, more particularly, to a device which facilitates raking, collection and removal of leaves or other similar debris from a lawn.

Background of the Invention

Raking, collection and removal of leaves, or other similar debris such as tree blossoms, fruits, nuts, or the like, is a common task for land and homeowners. The leaves or other debris must be removed from the lawn in a timely fashion. Unless the leaves are removed in a timely fashion they will slowly begin to decompose and can present a haven for moulds, insects and rodents. Furthermore, leaves that are strewn across a lawn and not removed are generally unsightly and can cause damage to the lawn if left for an excessive period of time.

Traditionally leaves and other debris have been collected by means of raking into piles for removal, or in some cases incineration. More recently, others have developed less labour intensive machines that may be used to vacuum leaves from the ground surface and deposit them into bags or other containers so that they may be disposed of or composted. Still others have proposed the use of high powered blowers that move and accumulate leaves. Machines have also been developed that mulch leaves into fine pieces so that they may be more readily broken down and absorbed into the soil.

Unfortunately, none of these prior methods of disposing of leaves and similar debris have met with complete success. Raking tends to be a labour intensive and physically demanding task. While vacuuming leaves into large bags or containers can be effective, the costs associated with the necessary equipment are in many cases prohibitive. Leaf blowers are also relatively expensive and generate excessive noise, to the extent that their use is restricted in some locations. Mulching leaves in-situ can add significantly to the level of thatch within a lawn which in some cases can have a debilitating effect. Finally, much of the equipment that has been developed to replace the need for raking is powered by gasoline engines that can be both costly to operate and environmentally damaging.

There have been many other devices described in the prior art that address the same issues. These include, for example, US Patent Nos. 323252, 914087, 979346, 4644740, 4865372, 4970853, 5069026, 5142855, 6463727 and US patent publication 20070157593, which all describe various related devices.

Additionally, Root et al., in US Patent publication No. 2004/0178646 provide a device to assist in collection of this debris, which consists of a dedicated hopper which can be pushed across the lawn to collect the leaves into a larger pile for removal. In one embodiment, the hopper includes a series of "fingers" extending from the hopper which attempt to "rake" through the grass as the hopper is pushed along the lawn surface. However, in the Root device, as well as other prior art devices that use "fingers", the fingers can be prone to catching on larger debris, or even on uneven patches in the lawn. They also rely on maintaining a specific angle in order for the fingers to function properly. Consequently, they are prone to exposing the operator and the device, to impact shock which could lead to breakage of the fingers. This is exacerbated by the fact that, typically, the weight of the entire unit rests on these fingers.

A further disadvantage of the Root device, is it's relatively large size which would be equal to a large shovel. As such, storage of the device when not in use, can be an issue.

As such, an improved device for raking and collection of leaves from a lawn would be desirable. Summary of the Invention

An exemplary implementation of a lawn maintenance device of the present invention is a preferably substantially flat, planar device having a top surface, a lower surface, and a wedge-shaped front section affixed thereto, as hereinafter described, which device is adapted to be attached to a shovel, and preferably a standard push shovel. The top surface of the device is preferably substantially flat, and has a transverse slot therein, preferably between the top surface, and the wedge-shaped front section, into which the blade of a standard push shovel can be placed. The slot is sized so as to accept between 1 to 5 cm. of the lower portion of the blade of the push shovel, and the slot preferably runs the width of the device. The slot has a width just large enough to allow the blade to enter the slot, and can be straight or curved to match the profile of the shovel blade. The device is preferably resiliently held on the blade of the shovel by friction, although screws or other fastening devices can be provided for attaching the device to the shovel.

The wedge-shaped front section of the device of the present invention has a series of vertical tines forming a comb-like structure at the leading edge of the device. The tines of the wedge-shaped front section preferably extend up beyond the top surface of the device, and preferably, the front, or leading edges of the tines at the front edge of the device, have a vertically curved or arcuate front profile rather than a sharp point. The tines comprise a series of extending tine portions, separated by open areas cut between the tines within the leading surface of the device.

With these preferred features, the leading edge of the wedge-shaped front section combs through the grass without catching or tearing of the grass stems, or catching on other debris or uneven patches on the lawn.

The lower surface is also preferably generally flat but includes a series of ridges and grooves extending from the front to the rear of the device, which ridges and grooves are preferably contiguous with the tines and open areas, respectively, of the leading surface of the device on the wedge-shaped front section. These ridges and grooves on the lower surface allow the device to glide over the surface of the lawn, without catching on debris or uneven patches in the lawn. Further, the grooves allow the device to slide through the grass, as opposed to merely sliding on top of the grass in the situation where the bottom surface were smooth.

The grooves of the lower surface, and the open areas of the wedge-shaped front section meet and define an area designated as an inner front edge. While this inner front edge may be a sharp edge, preferably it is also curved or has an arcuate leading edge.

In an exemplary use of the lawn maintenance device of the present invention, the device is fitted to a shovel and preferably a standard push shovel by inserting the leading edge of the push shovel into the transverse slot on the top surface of the device. The standard push shovel, also known as a "snow push shovel" (available from Ames True Temper) or a "snow pusher" (available from Emsco Group), is commonly available.

The device is then placed on the ground, so that the lower surface of the device is in contact with the lawn surface. The device is pushed forward manually, by the user, using the shovel, so that the vertical tines at the wedge-shaped front section pass through the blades of grass. The grooves and ridges on the bottom surface of the device, allow the device to pass easily over any ground obstructions or irregularities such as rocks, roots, or the like, and pass easily over any sort of variation in the lawn surface, such as the edge of the lawn, or uneven patches in the lawn.

Leaves, and any other loose debris on the surface of the lawn, or even leaves and debris partially or completely hidden between the blades of grass and thus beneath the top lawn surface, are first pushed upwards by the tines on the wedge-shaped front section of the device. The leaves and debris then pass over the top surface of the device where they are deflected up into, and then collected against, the blade of the push shovel in a leaf mass. In this manner, the user is able to effectively manually collect and push the leaves and other debris together into larger piles, which can then be removed, mulched, or incinerated. This is done without the use of any motorized or powered equipment, and can be rapidly done manually by a single user. In use, the device, which is preferably provided as a one piece unit, attaches to any of a number of different shovel designs, but is particularly well adapted for push shovel designs. A unique feature of the present invention is that the vertical tines on the wedge-shaped front section act like a comb to part and separate the blades of grass, and thus remove the leaves and other debris from the lawn. In contrast, the prior art devices typically would roll or slide over the grass, and in the process, flatten the grass and trap leaves and debris within the grass.

Alternatively, the device can be permanently attached to a handle and blade portion so as to provide an integrated device which could be stored in a manner similar to a shovel.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Unless otherwise specifically noted, all of the features described herein may be combined with any of the above aspects, in any combination. Also, when used throughout this disclosure, relative terms such as "front", "back", "upper" and "lower" are generally used to describe the device, or the like, when positioned and/or used in its normal operating position.

A key feature of the present invention is that it transforms a simple shovel, and more particularly, a push shovel into an efficient "push rake". When removing snow, the push shovel is compared to a standard shovel, it is known to function with greater speed and efficiency. The device of the present invention, performs with the same if not with greater efficiency when compared to a standard rake. When compared with snow, leaves are much lighter and larger in particle size. Therefore the pile of leaves and debris collected at the front of the device can be moved with much less effort than even with a standard rake or a leaf blower, which becomes overwhelmed by larger piles or even wet leaves. The design facilitates smooth and guided motion across lawns and other similar surfaces. A preferably elongated lower surface acts like a ski to glide straight through grass surfaces. Combined with the front wedge design, and arcuate leading edge, the present device will separate debris from the lawn and deflect it up the blade of the shovel.

Since this device can be efficiently manually used by a human operator, the device provides an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the use of leaf blowers, or the like.

The device can also act as a grooming tool after a lawn has been cut. Since the increased use of mulching lawnmowers, people have encountered times when the grass is not completely mulched into the lawn and leaves a mound of cut grass on top of the grass surface. The present device will work to remove the larger cut pieces of grass and work to comb in the smaller pieces down to the roots to help return nutrients back to the lawn. The device might also be configured to attach to the rear of a lawn mower, of all sizes, to perform the grooming task simultaneously with cutting.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example only in association with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lawn maintenance device of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of the device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 5 is a front view of the device of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a prior art standard push shovel;

Figure 7 is a side view of the device of Figure 1, fitted to a push shovel, and used to push leaves; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a lawn maintenance device of the present invention which is incorporated into an integrated device Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of example only. In the drawings, like reference numerals depict like elements.

It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, an exemplary lawn maintenance device 10 of the present invention is shown, and has a top surface 12, a lower surface 14 and a wedge- shaped front section 16. Wedge-shaped front section 16 overlaps top surface 12, and forms a transverse slot 18 which extends across the width of device 10. Slot 18 is positioned and sized to as to receive the leading edge of a push shovel, as described hereinbelow with respect to Figure 7.

At the front edge 20 of wedge-shaped front section 16, tines 22 extended outward, and provide open areas 24 between the tines . Tines 22 preferably are in line with a series of ridges 26 formed on the lower surface 14. The top edges 23 of tines 22 can be any suitable cross-sectional shape including square, while the lower surfaces 25 of open areas 24, are preferably curved or rounded in cross section.

Between ridges 26 on lower surface 14, are grooves 28. Each of tines 22, open areas 24, ridges 26, and grooves 28, are all preferably essentially parallel one to the other, and all are in alignment with the direction "A" in which device 10 is pushed during use. The front leading edge 20 of wedge-shaped front section 16, is preferably vertically curved or arcuate in shape so as to avoid having a sharp edge which might catch on various items as device 10 passes through the grass.

Further, when open areas 24 and grooves 28 meet, they form an inner front edge 17, which is also preferably vertically curved or arcuate in shape.

Still further, the lower back edge 29 of device 10, is also preferably curved in order to allow the device to be easily moved through the grass, even in situations where front edge 20, may be partially elevated, or more easily allow device 10 to be pulled back, when necessary, without catching on the grass blades.

Ridges 26 and grooves 28 preferably extend substantially completely across lower surface 14, from the front to the rear of device 10. As such, they are aligned in the direction of the intended movement of the device, namely in direction "A".

Two holes 30 are provided in which screws 32 can be inserted in order to at least semi-permanently attach device 10 to a push shovel.

Device 10 is preferably made from a single piece of material. While this could include wood, or metal, preferably, device 10 is fabricated from a resilient plastic material which is sufficiently rigid enough to maintain its shape during use, but flexible enough to minimize the possibility of breakage. Suitable materials for construction include, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, polymethylmethacrylate, ABS, or the like.

Device 10 preferably has a width which is approximately equal to the width of a shovel, and more particularly, the width of a standard push shovel. Thus device 10 is preferably between 25 and 100 cm in width. The total height of device 10 is preferably between 3 and 20 cm, with a preferred height of between 5 and 10 cm. The depth of device 10, is preferably between 10 and 30 cm, and more preferably, between 15 and 20 cm. However, these dimensions can be easily changed as required to fit a corresponding shovel or push shovel, or to minimize the weight of device 10, depending on the construction material.

Tines 22 preferably have a width of between 0.5 cm, and 2 cm, and more preferably, between 0.75 and 1 cm. Open areas 24, preferably have a similar width as tines 22, and in a preferred embodiment, open areas 24 have the same width as tines 24 so as to provide an alternating arrangement of equally sized tines and open areas. The use of metal as a construction material might allow finer tines and open areas to be utilized, while plastic devices likely will require larger tines and the like. In a preferred embodiment, ridges 26 correspond to the size of tines 22, and grooves 28 preferably correspond to the size of open areas 24.

Further, while the angle of the leading edge 20 of wedge-shaped front section 16 is shown at approximately 30 degrees, this angle can be varied, and can range from 5 degrees to 60 degrees. Preferably, however, this angle is between 15 and 45 degrees, and more preferably, between 20 and 40 degrees.

Also, the shape of wedge-shaped section 16 can vary so as to be slightly concave or convex, or to be more rounded than shown. However, the key feature of the wedge-shaped front section 16 is that it acts to deflect leaves and debris upwards, during use.

In use, as shown in Figure 7, a push shovel 50 (as shown in Figure 6), having a generally concave shovel blade 52, and a handle section 54, is inserted into groove 18 where it is either friction fit into groove 18, and/or is screwed in position using screws 32 in holes 30. As the front edge 20 of device 10, is pushed through grass 60, leaves 62 are deflected upwards along wedge-shaped section 16, and then are collected as a leaf mass 64 within the shovel blade. As device 10 slides through grass 60, tines 22 pass through the upstanding grass 60 so as to "comb" the grass. Eventually, the upstanding grass blades 60 are bent over, and slide through grooves 28 on the lower surface 14 of device 10. However, since the bent grass blades 6OA pass through grooves 28, device 10 "combs" the grass, rather than merely sliding along the upper surface of the bent grass 6OA.

In this manner device 10 can be easily and rapidly pushed across the lawn surface and a leaf mass 64 can be quickly collected. The leaf mass 64 can be easily pushed to a desired location, and the design features of device 10 minimize the possibility of missing leaves within the grass, as well as minimizing the possibility of catching on irregularities such as rocks, roots or the like.

In a further embodiment, the device of the present invention can be made part of a dedicated, or integrated push rake assembly 100, as shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8, a lower device section 110 which is similar in construction to device 10, is permanently attached to, or integrally part of, a tool having an inwardly curved, concave blade section 112. Either of the lower device section 110 and/or the blade section 112, can be permanently attached to a handle 114. Using handle 1 14, lower device section 110 can be pushed through a grassed surface Similar to device 10, the leaves and debris diverted upwards by lower device section 110 are collected against blade 112 As such, the use of this device is essentially identical to the use of device 10

For most applications however, it is preferred that the device be used in a fashion where it is adapted to be attached to a shovel, and most preferably, a standard push shovel With this option, device 10 does not require significant storage space, and can, for example, be hung on a wall when not required It can be easily attached or removed from the shovel by releasing the friction fit, or by installing or removing the two screws

The device of the present invention is also much faster and requires less effort than conventional rakes, and is environmentally cleaner and quieter and handles larger wet or dry loads of debris better than leaf blowers

Thus, it is apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the present invention, a lawn maintenance device which fully satisfies the goals, objects, and advantages set forth hereinbefore Therefore, having described specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that alternatives, modifications and variations thereof may be suggested to those skilled in the art, and that it is intended that the present specification embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims

Additionally, for clarity and unless otherwise stated, the word "comprise" and variations of the word such as "comprising" and "comprises", when used in the description and claims of the present specification, is not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps

Moreover, the words "substantially" or "essentially", when used with an adjective or adverb is intended to enhance the scope of the particular characteristic, e g , substantially planar is intended to mean planar, nearly planar and/or exhibiting characteristics associated with a planar element

Further, use of the terms "he", "him", or "his", is not intended to be specifically directed to persons of the masculine gender, and could easily be read as "she", "her", or "hers", respectively

Also, while this discussion has addressed prior art known to the inventor, it is not an admission that all art discussed is citable against the present application