Snow shovel

Abstract

A snow shovel/pusher for pushing snow forward or to one side or the other, the snow shovel having a blade and a shaft wherein the blade is connected to the shaft with a yoke mechanism for pivotally retaining the shovel blade at various side to side angles relative to the shaft, the shovel blade being pivotable relative to the shaft in a horizontal plane on a vertical central blade axis perpendicular to the working surface. The yoke mechanism is angled upward relative to the working surface to retain the shaft at a constant desirable working angle with respect to the working surface during use and during pivotal movement of the shovel blade relative to the shaft. The snow shovel also includes a releasable locking mechanism operable for releasing and relocking the shovel blade at various side to side angles relative to said shaft between an extreme right and an extreme left position.

1 . A snow shovel for pushing snow on a generally horizontal working surface, the snow shovel comprising: 
 an elongated shaft for gripping by a user during use;    a shovel blade having a front side and a rear side and a horizontal bottom working edge for engaging the working surface during use, the rear side of said shovel blade attached to one end of said shaft with a yoke mechanism for pivotally retaining the shovel blade at various angles relative to the shaft, said shovel blade being pivotable relative to said shaft in a horizontal plane on a vertical central blade axis perpendicular to the working surface; and    a releasable locking mechanism operable for releasing and relocking said shovel blade at said various angles relative to said shaft between an extreme right and an extreme left position.    
   
   
       2 . The snow shovel of  claim 1 , wherein said yoke is angled vertically upward relative to said working surface to thereby retain said shaft at a constant desirable working angle with respect to the working surface during use and during said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft between said extreme right and said extreme left positions.  
   
   
       3 . The snow shovel of  claim 1 , wherein said shovel blade is symmetrically constructed about a central horizontal blade axis parallel to said horizontal bottom working edge and wherein said shovel blade also has a horizontal top working edge oriented opposite said horizontal bottom working edge, and wherein said shovel blade is removably connected to said yoke, thereby permitting said shovel blade to be reversed, resulting in the engagement of said top horizontal working edge with the working surface during use.  
   
   
       4 . The snow shovel of  claim 1 , wherein said locking mechanism includes at least one lock tab for selective engagement with one of a plurality of blade lock slots on said shovel blade, whereby engagement of said at least one lock tab with said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots will lock said shovel blade and prevent said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       5 . The snow shovel of  claim 4 , wherein said locking mechanism is spring biased for positive retention of said at least one lock tab in said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots during use.  
   
   
       6 . The snow shovel of  claim 4 , wherein said locking mechanism includes a release mechanism for temporarily disengaging said at least one lock tab from said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots to thereby permit said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft so as to permit repositioning of said shovel blade relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       7 . The snow shovel of  claim 4 , wherein said locking mechanism comprises a rotation lock rotatably secured to said yoke, said rotation lock including said at least one lock tab, said rotation lock being rotatable between a first locked position wherein said at least one lock tab is engaged with said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots and a second, unlocked position wherein said at least one lock tab is disengaged from said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots, to thereby permit said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft so as to permit repositioning of said shovel blade relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       8 . The snow shovel of  claim 7 , including a remote mechanism for remotely moving said rotation lock between said first, locked position and said second, unlocked position.  
   
   
       9 . The snow shovel of  claim 8 , wherein said remote mechanism comprises a cable connected between said rotation lock and a release lever, said release lever located within easy reach of the user.  
   
   
       10 . The snow shovel of  claim 9 , wherein said cable is located on an interior of said elongated shaft and wherein said release lever is located at an end of said shaft opposite said yoke mechanism.  
   
   
       11 . The snow shovel of  claim 4 , wherein said shovel blade has a right side and a left side relative to said central blade axis, and including a support bar connected between said right side of said rear of said blade and said left side of said rear of said blade, said support bar being slidable in a horizontal support bar channel through said yoke, said plurality of blade lock slots being located on said support bar.  
   
   
       12 . The snow shovel of  claim 4 , wherein said locking mechanism comprises a lock bar slidably secured within said yoke, said lock bar including said at least one lock tab, said lock bar being slidable in said yoke between a first locked position wherein said at least one lock tab is engaged with said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots and a second, unlocked position wherein said at least one lock tab is disengaged from said selected one of said plurality of lock slots, to thereby permit said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft so as to permit repositioning of said shovel blade relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       13 . The snow shovel of  claim 12 , wherein said lock bar includes a release bar connected between said lock bar and said yoke, said release bar adapted for moving said lock bar between said first, locked position and said second unlocked position.  
   
   
       14 . The snow shovel of  claim 13 , including a remote mechanism for remotely moving said release bar and said lock bar between said first, locked position and said second, unlocked position.  
   
   
       15 . The snow shovel of  claim 14 , wherein said remote mechanism comprises a cable connected between said release bar and a trigger mechanism, said trigger mechanism located within easy reach of the user.  
   
   
       16 . The snow shovel of  claim 15 , wherein said cable is located on an interior of said elongated shaft and wherein said trigger mechanism is located at an end of said shaft opposite said yoke mechanism.  
   
   
       17 . The snow shovel of  claim 12 , wherein said shovel blade has a right side and a left side relative to said central blade axis, and including a support bar connected between said right side of said rear of said blade and said left side of said rear of said blade, said support bar being slidable in a horizontal support bar channel through said yoke and said lock bar.  
   
   
       18 . The snow shovel of  claim 17 , wherein said support bar includes a plurality of support bar lock slots for engagement with a second one of said at least one lock tab of said locking mechanism.  
   
   
       19 . The snow shovel of  claim 4 , wherein said locking mechanism is a lever lock, said lever lock including a first end and a second opposite end, said lever lock being pivotally connected to said yoke at a pivot point located between said first end and said second end, and wherein said at least one lock tab is located on said first end of said lever lock and said release mechanism is a release arm, said release arm located on said second end of said lever lock, whereby pressing downward on said release arm will result in said disengagement of said at least one lock tab from said selected one of said plurality of lock slots.  
   
   
       20 . The snow shovel of  claim 1 , including stop means to prevent said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft beyond said extreme right and said extreme left positions when said releasable locking mechanism is not engaged.  
   
   
       21 . The snow shovel of  claim 1 , wherein said shaft is removably connected to said yoke and said yoke is removably connected to said shovel blade to permit selective replacement of said shovel blade, said yoke and said shaft.  
   
   
       22 . The snow shovel of  claim 1 , wherein said shovel blade has a right side and a left side relative to said central blade axis, and including a support bar connected between said right side of said rear of said blade and said left side of said rear of said blade, said support bar being slidable in a horizontal support bar channel through said yoke.  
   
   
       23 . A snow shovel for pushing snow on a generally horizontal working surface, the snow shovel comprising: 
 an elongated shaft for gripping by a user during use, said shaft having a proximal end and a distal end and a central longitudinal axis;    a yoke having a proximal end and a distal end, said proximal end of said yoke connected to said distal end of said shaft;    a shovel blade having a front side and a rear side and an elongated horizontal bottom working edge for engagement with the working surface during use, the rear of said shovel blade pivotally connected to said distal end of said yoke for pivotable movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft in a horizontal plane on a vertical central blade axis perpendicular to said horizontal bottom working edge; and    a locking mechanism for locking said shovel blade at various angles relative to said shaft during use between an extreme right position and an extreme left position,    the proximal end of said yoke being angled vertically upward relative to said working surface to thereby retain said shaft at a constant working angle with respect to the working surface during use and during said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft between said extreme right and said extreme left positions.    
   
   
       24 . The snow shovel of  claim 23 , wherein said locking mechanism is releasable, for releasing and relocking said shovel blade at said various angles relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       25 . The snow shovel of  claim 23 , wherein said shovel blade is symmetrically constructed about a central horizontal blade axis parallel to said horizontal bottom working edge and wherein said shovel blade also has a horizontal top working edge oriented opposite said horizontal bottom working edge, and wherein said shovel blade is removably connected to said yoke, thereby permitting said shovel blade to be reversed, resulting in the engagement of said top horizontal working edge with the working surface during use.  
   
   
       26 . The snow shovel of  claim 23 , wherein said locking mechanism includes at least one lock tab for selective engagement with one of a plurality of blade lock slots on said shovel blade, whereby engagement of said at least one lock tab with said selected one of said plurality of lock slots will lock said shovel blade and prevent said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       27 . The snow shovel of  claim 26 , wherein said locking mechanism is spring biased for positive retention of said lock tab in said selected one of said plurality of lock slots during use.  
   
   
       28 . The snow shovel of  claim 26 , wherein said locking mechanism includes a release mechanism for temporarily disengaging said at least one lock tab from said selected one of said plurality of lock slots to thereby permit said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft so as to permit repositioning of said shovel blade relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       29 . The snow shovel of  claim 26 , wherein said locking mechanism comprises a rotation lock rotatably secured to said yoke, said rotation lock including said at least one lock tab, said rotation lock being rotatable between a first locked position wherein said at least one lock tab is engaged with said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots and a second, unlocked position wherein said at least one lock tab is disengaged from said selected one of said plurality of blade lock slots, to thereby permit said pivotal movement of said shovel blade relative to said shaft so as to permit repositioning of said shovel blade relative to said shaft.  
   
   
       30 . The snow shovel of  claim 29 , including a remote mechanism for remotely moving said rotation lock between said first, locked position and said second, unlocked position.  
   
   
       31 . The snow shovel of  claim 30 , wherein said remote mechanism comprises a cable connected between said rotation lock and a release lever, said release lever located within easy reach of the user.  
   
   
       32 . The snow shovel of  claim 31 , wherein said cable is located on an interior of said elongated shaft and wherein said release lever is located at an end of said shaft opposite said yoke mechanism.  
   
   
       33 . The snow shovel of  claim 26 , wherein said shovel blade has a right side and a left side relative to said central blade axis, and including a support bar connected between said right side of said rear of said blade and said left side of said rear of said blade, said support bar being slidable in a horizontal support bar channel through said yoke, said plurality of blade lock slots being located on said support bar.