Gardening Tool Having Diverging Prongs and Straight Prongs

The present invention relates to a gardening tool for digging around weeds, vegetables, bushes, etc., and in particular, a gardening tool having a handle, two laterally mounted straight prongs extending parallel to one another, and a medially mounted pair of diverging prongs which extend in a gradually diverging manner from one another to define a V-shaped member.

The need currently exists for a gardening tool which can straddle weeds, vegetables, bushes, and other such forms of vegetation, the prior art includes conventional shovels and spades. However, neither of these devices includes a gap medially at the digging end of the tool, which gap would allow the tool to straddle vegetation.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, by providing a gardening tool capable of straddling vegetation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a single gardening tool which would allow a gardener to dig contemporaneously on opposite sides of vegetation, to thereby facilitate removal of the vegetation from the ground.

To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a gardening tool having a handle, two laterally mounted straight prongs extending parallel to one another, and a medially mounted pair of diverging prongs which extend in a gradually diverging manner from one another to define a V-shaped member. Preferably, the diverging prongs and the straight prongs include pointed distal tips to facilitate penetration into the ground. In addition, the distal tips of the diverging prongs preferably overlap the distal tips of the straight prongs, with the distal tips of the straight prongs extending slightly beyond that of the diverging prongs.

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the gardening tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the gardening tool of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3.

A preferred embodiment of the gardening tool of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The gardening tool 2 comprises a metal sleeve 4 having an open end 4A and a closed end 4B; a .pi.-shaped member 6 attached to the closed end 4B of the metal sleeve 4; a V-shaped member 8 also attached to the closed end 4B of the metal sleeve 4; a wooden shaft 10 received in the open end 4A of the metal sleeve 4; and a handle 12 connected to an end of the wooden shaft 10, opposite from the metal sleeve 4.

The .pi.-shaped member 6 comprises an arced bracket 6A and two laterally disposed, substantially parallel and downwardly extending straight prongs 6B. Each of the straight prongs 6B terminates at a pointed distal tip 6C.

The V-shaped member 8, on the other hand, comprises an apex 8A, and two medially mounted and gradually diverging prongs 8B. The diverging prongs 8B terminate with pointed distal tips 8C. Preferably, the distal tips 8C of the diverging prongs 8B overlap the distal tips 6C of the straight prongs 6B, with the distal tips 6C of the straight prongs 6B extending slightly beyond that of the diverging prongs 8B.

Both the .pi.-shaped member 6 and the V-shaped member 8 are constructed from a substantially flat material, which curves slightly as the V-shaped member 8 and the .pi.-shaped member 6 connect to the metal sleeve 4.

The metal sleeve 4 is also curved or bent, but oppositely with respect to the curvature of the .pi.-shaped member 6 and the V-shaped member 8. This curvature of the metal sleeve 4 provides the gardening tool 2 with a somewhat S-shaped side profile, when combined with the curvature of the .pi.-shaped and V-shaped members 6 and 8.

The handle 12 is a Y-shaped handle comprising two substantially diverging metal brackets 12A, and a wooden roller 12B connected therebetween, to facilitate gripping of the handle 12.

While the gardening tool 2 has been described thus far with reference to the above embodiment, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary shapes, materials, etc. described above. For example, the gardening tool 2 can be made of any rigid material, and is not limited to the metal and wood materials described herein. Furthermore, the wooden shaft 10 is provided for added leverage, but it is understood that the sleeve 4 can be shaped in the form of a handle and that the shaft need not be present. It is further understood that the diverging prongs need not be formed integrally with one another, and likewise, that the straight prongs need not be formed integrally with one another. Also, the straight prongs can be mounted at the outer extremes of the arced bracket 6A, so that the .pi.-shaped member actually becomes a U-shaped member.

An alternative embodiment of the gardening tool is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, the gardening tool 2' is essentially the same as that of the previous embodiment, except that instead of curving the .pi.-shaped member 6' and the V-shaped member 8', the straight prongs 6B' are bent substantially at the longitudinal middle of the prongs. In addition, the thickness of both the diverging prongs 8B' and the straight prongs 6B', decreases gradually toward the tips to define blade-like and pointed distal tips 8C' and 6C'.

Use of the gardening tool 2 or 2' to exhume vegetation, such as weeds, vegetables, or bushes, will now be described.

Initially, the tool 2 or 2' is positioned above the vegetation, so that the prongs 8B and 6B straddle the vegetation. Next, the prongs of the gardening tool are driven into the ground, and the handle of the gardening tool is rocked back and forth to loosen the dirt surrounding the vegetation. After the dirt is sufficiently loosened, the vegetation can be simply pulled out of the ground with little effort.

If the initial rocking of the handle does not provide sufficient loosening of the dirt, the gardening tool can be pulled out from the ground, rotated ninety degrees about its longitudinal axis, and re-inserted into the ground. Subsequent rocking of the handle should loosen the dirt around the more stubborn, weeds, vegetables, etc., and thus allow the vegetation to be pulled out from the ground.

Inasmuch as the present invention straddles the vegetation of interest, there is little displacement of the ground beyond the immediate vicinity of this vegetation. Neighboring plants therefore remain undisturbed.

As noted above, the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above, but rather is limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.