Litter pick up device
OwnerAlvin J. Manolainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A portable, hand-held device for picking up litter and including a movable handle attached to a control cable which extends to a toggle mechanism which opens and closes a pair of pick-up jaws. A hollow rod extends between the handle and the jaws as a two piece member having a joint which allows the jaws and handle to be rotated with respect to one another to allow the device to pick up in any convenient direction. The control cable includes an adjustment lock which allows the distance between the jaws to be adjusted to thus adapt the pickup member for various types of litter.
Claims5
A portable pick-up device for engaging, grasping, encompassing and disposing of animal litter, in particular, dog litter, the improvement comprising:
- a handle having an operating lever pivotally connected thereto and adapted to pivot upon engagement by a user;
- a shaft comprising hollow tube means extending from the handle;
- jaw means with portions adapted to move between an open and closed position extending from said shaft;
- an operating mechanism comprising a cable attached at one end to the operating lever, and having a second end;
- toggle link means interconnected between the second end of said cable and said jaw means;
- spring means for engaging the cable and biasing the jaw means into said open position by acting directly on said toggle link means and said cable;
- lock means mounted on said lever cooperative with the cable for selective adjustment of the length of the cable thereby enabling the adjustment of the opening of the jaw means;
- said shaft includes first and second hollow tube portions;
- a friction slip connection comprising a reduced diameter portion on said first tube portion insertable within the second hollow tube portion to allow for relative rotation between the two tube portions;
- and
- said friction slip connection being biased together by the force of said spring means acting on said toggle link means and the adjustment of said cable provided by said lock means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.