The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 02, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 22, 1998
Kenneth J Spear, Vienna, WV (US);
Frank G Czerwinski, Parkersburg, WV (US);
O. Ames Co., Parkersburg, WV (US);
Abstract
The present invention is a one-piece hand-held gardening tool comprising a rigid, high strength tool portion to be used as an implement in gardening activities and a rigid, high strength annular handle portion to be manually grasped when the tool portion is used as an implement in gardening activities. The handle portion and the tool portion are molded integrally together from a molten material which provides the rigid, high strength tool portion and the rigid, high strength annular handle portion with suitable strength and rigidity for use in gardening activities when solidified. The handle portion has a hollow cavity surrounded by an annular, outer wall. The hollow cavity is formed in the handle portion by injecting pressurized gas into the molten material from which the rigid, high strength tool portion and the rigid, high strength annular handle portion are integrally molded before the solidification thereof. The hollow cavity is substantially enclosed within the handle portion to thereby prevent dirt and debris from collecting therein. The annular, outer wall surrounding the hollow cavity has a thickness suitable to provide the rigid, high strength annular handle portion with suitable strength and rigidity for use in gardening activities. The one-piece hand-held gardening tool is molded from less of the molten material than would be used to mold a substantially identical one-piece hand-held gardening tool devoid of hollow cavities and weighs less than the substantially identical one-piece hand-held gardening tool devoid of hollow cavities by virtue of forming the hollow cavity in the rigid, high strength annular handle portion thereof.