Universal implement for cleaning corrugated surfaces
AssigneeThe Murphy Advantage Corporation
InventorMichael R. Murphy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reefer scoop having a plurality of teeth for scraping the icy encrustation from corrugated surfaces such as those commonly found in refrigerated trucks, trailers and containers; the teeth are universally adjustable to accommodate a variety of corrugation spacings, and the scoop is quickly and easily converted by means of rotating the blade for use as a conventional shovel.
Claims16
An improved hand manipulable implement for cleaning a surface of the type having essentially straight, parallel, and regularly spaced apart channels and ridges, said implement being of the type having an elongate handle, a generally planar blade, means for attaching the handle to the blade in general coplanar relationship therewith, the blade including a first working edge perpendicular to the handle and oppositely disposed on the blade from the handle, and a plurality of scraping members attached to the blade, each of said scraping members including a tooth extending outward from the first working edge, each one of said plurality of scraping members being spaced apart from an adjacent one of said plurality of scraping members by an equal distance, the teeth of said plurality of scraping members being arranged to fit into the channels of the surface, the first working edge resting on the ridges, where by shoveling action imparted to said implement foreign matter is scraped from the channels and ridges of the surface, wherein the improvement comprises:
- means intermediate adjacent ones of said plurality of scraping members for resiliently holding said scraping members regularly spaced apart, each one of said plurality of scraping members being slidable laterally with respect to the blade along the first working edge under constraint of said holding means, whereby during the shoveling action and in response to an irregularity of a corresponding one of the channels in which the tooth of said one scraping member fits, said one scraping member is moved laterally to accommodate the irregularity and prevent binding of the teeth of said plurality of scraping members in the channels.
A shovel for cleaning a corrugated surface of the type having essentially straight, parallel, and regularly spaced apart grooves and ridges, said shovel comprising:
- an elongate handle;
- an essentially planar blade attached to said handle and essentially coplanar therewith, said blade having an edge perpendicular to said handle and oppositety disposed on said blade from said handle;
- a plurality of teeth slidably attached to said blade, said teeth arranged along the edge and extending outwardly therefrom in a direction opposite said handle, said teeth being individually slidable laterally with respect to said blade along the edge;
- and
- means intermediate adjacent ones of said plurality of teeth for resiliently holding said teeth regularly spaced apart along the edge, said teeth arranged to fit loosely into the grooves of the corrugated surface when the edge rests on the ridges thereof, whereby foreign matter is removed from the corrugated surface in response to shoveling action.
A hand-manipulable implement, comprising:
- a generally rectangular blade having first and second parallel and oppositely disposed working edges and first and second oppositely disposed sides, each of the sides having therein a journal receiving means;
- a shaft rotatably mounted at either end thereof in the journal receiving means, said shaft being parallel to and spaced apart a first distance from the plane of said blade, said shaft parallel to the first and second working edges;
- a plurality of scraping members each including a flat elongate and generally rectangular surface, and a centrally disposed hub having a pivot hole therethrough for receiving said shaft, the pivot hole being parallel to the flat rectangular surface of said scraping member and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof, the pivot hole being spaced apart from the plane of the flat surface by said first distance, said shaft extending through each of the pivot holes, said shaft holding said plurality of scraping members against said blade, a major portion of said flat surface abutting said blade and a remaining portion of the surface extending outward in cantilevered fashion from the first working edge of said blade, said plurality of scraping members being slidable along said shaft laterally with respect to the first working edge;
- means attachable to said shaft for blocking outboard ones of said plurality of scraping members from sliding further outboard on said shaft from said blocking means;
- a plurality of coil springs each having said shaft extending through a central passage thereof, each of said plurality of scraping members being held spaced apart on said shaft from an adjacent one of said scraping members by one of said coil springs, said scraping members being regularly spaced along said shaft, each of said scraping members being free to slide laterally along the shaft within the constraints of said plurality of coil springs and said blocking means, said blocking means being slidable along said shaft to alter the spacing between said plurality of scraping members;
- a handle assembly having an elongate handle, and a U-shaped clevis having two mutually parallel end members joined by a central member, each of the end members having a hole therethrough for receiving said shaft, the handle being affixed at one end thereof to the central member of the clevis midway between the end members, the handle being parallel to the end members and extending from the central member in a direction opposite the end members, said handle assembly rotatably attached to said shaft through the holes of the end members;
- and
- means engageable with said blade for locking said blade and said handle assembly together with the axis of the handle essentially parallel with the plane of said blade, the first working edge of said blade and the outwardly extending portions of said scraping members being in a working position oppositely disposed from said handle assembly, the second working edge being oriented in a non-working position adjacent said handle assembly, said blade being rotatable about said shaft with respect to said handle assembly when said locking means is disengaged to transpose the first and second working edges, said locking means being further engageable with said blade oriented with the second working edge in the working position and the first working edge in the non-working position.
A shovel for cleaning corrugated surfaces, comprising:
- a handle;
- a blade;
- means for attaching said handle to said blade in general coplanar relationship, said blade including a first working edge oppositely disposed from said handle;
- a plurality of scraping members, each having a first tine projecting outward from the first working edge of said blade;
- means for slidably attaching said plurality of scraping members to said blade, said scraping members being laterally moveable along the first working edge;
- means for blocking the lateral movement in an outboard direction of two outboard ones of said plurality of scraping members;
- and
- means for resiliently holding said plurality of scraping members regularly spaced apart along the first working edge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.