Suncast Corporation

Stephen P Whitehead

Thomas A Tisbo

Lyle A Rosine

Torrence C Anderson

Michael G Uffner

Michael R Vogler

Brian Moon

Joseph J Sanchez

Mark P Slaven

Jed C Richardson

Michael D Ferguson

A D-shaped grip handle for use with a hand manipulated implement includes a generally U-shaped portion having an integral mounting sleeve for mounting the grip handle on the end of a shaft and having a hand grip bar integrally formed with the U-shaped portion so as to be disposed substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the mounting sleeve. The grip bar has a layer of soft rubber material, such as thermoplastic rubber, formed circumferentially thereon so as to create a pattern of spaced raised pads along approximately one-half of the circumference of the soft rubber layer, with the remaining half of said circumference defining a continuous smooth grip surface having an undulating contour to receive the fingers of the user's hand. The raised pads on the soft grip layer provide improved traction with the palm of the user's hand while the smooth opposite surface of the soft grip layer spreads the lifting force evenly onto the palm of the user's hand to thereby increase the comfort during use and reduce the effort required to manipulate an implement with which the grip handle is used.

Grip handle for shovel type implement

Mini-ice chopper

An enclosed hose reel for use with an associated flexible hose includes a spool carried by and enclosed within an enclosure. The spool has a hub and a pair of flanges at opposing ends of the hub and is configured for storage, take-up and pay-out of the flexible hose. The enclosure has front and rear wall panels, side wall panels extending between the front and rear wall panels, and a cover. The enclosure is configured for receiving the spool so as to rotate within the enclosure and for storing a length of flexible hose on the spool within the enclosure. A pair of hinges mounts the cover to the enclosure for movement between a closed position and an open position and for maintaining the cover in the open position. Each hinge includes a track formed in a respective side wall panel and a pair of pins associated and cooperative with each track. Each track includes a generally straight leg portion contiguous with a return portion that is non-linear with the straight leg portion. When the cover is in the open position, both pins of each pair are positioned in the straight leg portion and when the cover is rotated into the closed position, one of each pair of pins traverses the straight leg portion so as to provide a sliding pivot and the other of each pair of pins traverses from the straight leg portion into the return portion so as enable closing the cover.

Enclosed hose reel

Disclosed is an improved snow shovel having a graphite in-laid polyethylene blade with outwardly propagating reinforced ribs providing a flex resistant blade of minimal thickness. A shaft of the shovel is constructed of a low cost steel pipe covered with a polyethylene sleeve with knurled grip surfaces. The sleeve conforms to the pipe diameter upon application of heat during manufacture. A one-piece handle is attached to the free end the shaft. For storage purposes a cutout is provided on a top edge of each shovel allowing nesting of similarly shaped shovels. A straight blade shovel and a pusher type shovel are two embodiments disclosed herein.

Snow removal tool

Locker

A user-friendly roof rake is provided to readily remove snow from a roof. The lightweight roof rake has a special plastic blade with a rounded contour to pull, curl and rapidly remove snow from a roof. The roof rake-blade can be reinforced with a series of curved ribs and can have an array of downwardly extending ribs that provide rounded teeth to prevent the lower leading edge of the blade from digging into the shingles or otherwise damaging the roof. The convenient roof rake has an expandable multi-piece handle, which preferably comprises a set of snap-fitting interlocking metal tubes that can be readily assembled and expanded for use, and can be easily dissembled for storage. The metal tubes of the handle can be thermally insulated and more easily gripped with a ribbed plastic sleeve. The outer portions of the roof rake-blade can be reinforced by stabilizing struts or braces.

Roof rake

Handle grip

Hose reel enclosure

Snow tool

A user-friendly ice scraper is provided to chop and scrape ice. The sturdy ice scraper has a blade housing which holds an ice scraper blade. The blade housing can comprise a plastic blade holder with flared ribs. Advantageously, the ice scraper has a high strength composite handle with a metal core and plastic sleeve. The handle preferably includes a cap or other handgrip at its upper end.

Ice scraper

Snow pusher shovel blade

A telescoping snow tool can be conveniently retracted for compact storage in vehicles and can be easily extended for use in shoveling and removing snow or ice. The comfortable telescoping snow tool can have an outer composite shaft with a manually grippable, thermally insulating sleeve that encloses a tubular metal core into which slides an inner shaft. The inner shaft can comprise a metal tube with a protective coating. The telescoping snow tool can have a handgrip and a blade, such as a lightweight plastic snow shovel blade.

Expandable snow tools for vehicles

Snow pusher shovel

The instant invention is a hose cart of a shape and design allowing pre-assembly thereby eliminating the need for instructional manuals and associated product packaging necessary of hose carts that are sold in an unassembled state. The hose cart employs a single unitary frame for support of flexible garden hose to be wound in a coil of multiple layers by use of a directional stress relieving hose reel spool. Reel flanges are oblong shaped for holding of the hose within the form spool yet providing nesting ability for assembled carts. A foldable tray and hose feeder is further provided in a industrial type frame designed for commercial type use.

Growing community of inventors

Elgin, IL, United States of America

Stephen P Whitehead