Lawn and garden tool for the removal of ground plugs

A manual agricultural tool for removal of plugs from the earth, comprising:

• a metal shaft having a central axis and an open hollow passage extending from one end to the other;
• a handle at a top end of the shaft for manipulation of the tool;
• three spaced apart metal blades rigidly secured at a lower end of the shaft by a support member extending between the blades, the blades depending downwardly of the support member and being spaced radially outwardly of the axis so as to be generally centered about the axis;
• and
• a foot support rigidly affixed to the tool at a location axially above the blades, a portion of which extends radially outwardly of the blades such that a person's foot may be located thereon for driving insertion of the blades into the ground;
• and wherein:
• the blades are generally parallel to the axis and each blade has an inner concave surface which surfaces are shaped to be generally congruent with a curved surface of an imaginary circular cylinder and which surfaces together with the support member define a downwardly open receiving channel such that the blades may be axially inserted into the ground;
• and
• each blade has a tooth, a tip of which tooth spirals radially inwardly toward the axis to enhance compactment of soil received in the channel as the tool is rotated in a first direction about the axis, the blade having a first indentation and the tooth including a ledge defined along a lower edge of the indentation and having a face oriented upwardly so as to come into abutting contact with a radially outward portion of the plug of earth as the tool is withdrawn from the ground to facilitate holding of the plug within the channel during the withdrawal of the tool from the ground;
• and further comprising:
• a reciprocating plunger which extends through the passage of the shaft and having a lower end which protrudes into channel, the plunger being of a length at least as great as that which spans the combined length of the shaft and blades and having an upper position in which the lower end is located at an upper end of the channel and a lower position in which the lower end is located at a bottom end of the channel;
• a spring located within the hollow passage and around a portion of the plunger coupled between the shaft and plunger to bias the plunger in the upper position;
• and
• a knob located at an upper end of the plunger whereby the plunger may be pushed from its upper to its lower position such that the lower end thereof moves downwardly to eject a said plug located in the channel therefrom.