Hand tool the "Assist Stick"

Abstract

The invention of the "Assist Stick" an elongated stick with two ends, with a nail or spike with a hook at its lower end, and a grip to hold and control the stick at its upper end; as a "hand tool", used to pick up trash has its most unique feature "the method in which it is constructed," embedding the head of the nail or spike into the wood, then sealing it with acrylic or rubber cement; and the fact that it has "a hook" welded to the spike at the lower end of the elongated stick allowing it to serve a dual function, i.e. pulling debris from small trees of shrubbery. And the method in which it is constructed lends to its strength and durability. In the past, similar trash sticks were normally made by individuals at home, the nail was driven into the stick with a hammer, then the head of the nail would be cut or filed off causing it to be weak in application and the nail would often fall out of the stick when used.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE 60/200,972, Filing Date: May, 01, 2000

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The field of invention is best described as a garden "Hand Tool" specifically for picking up trash from the ground. This invention eliminates the need to stoop down and pick up trash, reducing back strain and reducing the expense of other tools used to pick up trash.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The "Assist Stick" is a "Hand Tool" used to pick up trash from the ground. It is constructed from a wooden handle, such as a shovel handle, containing two ends. The one end contains a nail or spike with a hook attached, imbedded into the handle by cutting a notch into the wood, then imbedding the nail/spike into the notch, securing said nail/spike in place by using acrylic or liquid cement. The other end of stick is held by the user to stab the trash in order to pick it up.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0003] A close-up of the present invention can be seen in a perspective view in FIG. 1, showing the vertical groove or notch at the second end of the stick, and the half-inch horizontal groove or notch atop the vertical notch. The nail is shown as it would be inserted into the groove. After the nail is inserted, the groove would then be filled with acrylic or a liquid cement compound, and covered with a plastic or rubber sleeve to hide the cut or incision. The present invention can be seen as it would appear in use in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE AND USE OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is that of a newly designed "hand tool". The hand tool of the present invention would comprise an elongated stick, and a nail or spike. The elongated stick would have two ends, a first end and a second end, and would have a vertical groove or notch at the second end of the stick. The vertical groove or notch would be approximately three and a half (3 1/2") inches long and would include a half inch horizontal groove located on top of the vertical groove. The combination of the vertical groove and the horizontal groove would appear analogous to that of the letter "T".

[0005] The nail or spike of the present invention would be a standard nail or spike about 8" in length, but would require a head on said nail or spike. The nail or spike would also have an incorporated hook attached near the pointed end of the nail or spike.

[0006] The present invention, when the two parts of the present invention would be combined, would be an elongated stick, approximately three to four feet in length, with a nail or spike attached at its lower end that would accommodate a nail or spike with a hook. The nail or spike of the present invention would be inserted into the vertical groove or notch at the second end of the stick, and the head of the nail would fit into the half-inch horizontal groove or notch atop the vertical notch. After the nail is inserted, the groove would be filled with acrylic or a liquid cement compound, and covered with a plastic or rubber sleeve to hide the cut or incision. The present invention could also include a protective cover, which would be held to the stick by a string, which would be placed over the point end of the nail or spike and hook when not in use to prevent accidental injury. The present invention could also be manufactured to include a rubber or plastic grip at the top end of the stick.

[0007] Use of the present invention would provide the user with a convenient and easy to use tool for picking up trash, aluminum cans, or other debris from the ground, or for plucking trash from small trees or shrubbery with minimum back strain.

[0008] A close-up of the present invention can be seen in a perspective view in FIG. 1 drawing. The present invention can be seen as it would appear in use in FIG. 2 drawing.

[0009] The present invention would be fabricated from wood and metal. The present invention, in various alternative embodiments, could be designed with interchangeable nails or spikes. In another alternative embodiment, the present invention could be designed so that the groove would be covered with a metal sleeve instead of acrylic or liquid cement to hold the nail or spike in place. The present invention, in yet another alternative embodiment, could be designed with a walking cane handle at the top end of the stick.

[0010] In use, a user would simply use the present invention to pick up trash, aluminum cans, or similar debris items from the ground as needed, essentially stabbing the trash with the end-mounted nail or spike or by grabbing the trash with the hook; then placing the trash in a plastic bag and using the bag itself to pull the trash off the nail or spike. The present invention would eliminate the need to bend down when picking up trash, greatly reducing the amount of strain placed on a person's back.

Claims

1. What I claim as my invention is a combination of an elongated stick with two ends, and a nail or spike with a hook at one of its ends, with the other end being used to control the tool, for the purpose of picking up trash from the ground.

2. I claim that this elongated stick with the nail or spike at its lower end can be used to pick up trash from the ground with a minimum amount of strain on the back.

3. I also claim that the hook attached to the nail or spike at the lower end of the stick may be used to pull trash from small trees, or shrubbery, or from underneath a vehicle.