Snow Removal Device

Abstract

A shovel device designed for pushing and pulling along a surface to remove accumulated snow. The preferred device includes a substantially vertical blade having a curved surface, a pivoting bracket assembly, and a handle. The bracket assembly includes either a C-shaped bracket attached to a rod or a pivoting collar, both of which secure the handle to the blade. The handle may be releasably attached to the blade through one of the two bracket assemblies to allow either pushing or pulling the blade through, e.g., a snow pile. Optional wheels, which may pivot about a vertical axis, may be mounted to the convex surface of the vertical blade, via a bracket or other suitable connector, to facilitate movement of the device along a surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A manual snow moving device comprising:
 a curved blade having a top edge, a bottom edge, a front concave surface and a rear convex surface;   a pivoting bracket assembly attached to the curved blade; and   a handle connected to the pivoting bracket assembly, wherein the handle is capable of movement, via the pivoting bracket assembly, between a first position and a second position.   
     
     
         2 . The manual snow moving device of  claim 1 , wherein the first position extends the handle rearward, relative to the curved blade, and the second position extends the handle forward, relative to the curved blade. 
     
     
         3 . The manual snow moving device of  claim 1 , further comprising a locking mechanism for retaining the handle in the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         4 . The manual snow moving device of  claim 1 , wherein the pivoting bracket assembly comprises a rod secured horizontally to the convex second surface of the curved blade, the rod having two opposing ends which extend beyond the side edges of the blade, and a C-shaped bracket pivotably attached proximate each end of the rod in a manner which allows the bracket to pivot between the first position proximate the front concave surface of the blade and the second position proximate the rear convex surface of the blade. 
     
     
         5 . The manual snow moving device of  claim 1 , wherein the blade further comprises a notch at the top edge and the handle is connected to the pivoting bracket assembly such that the handle passes through the notch when moved between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         6 . The manual snow moving device of  claim 3 , wherein the locking mechanism is configured to retain the handle in at least one position between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         7 . The manual snow moving device of  claim 1 , wherein the handle telescopes to extend and retract. 
     
     
         8 . A method for operating a snow shovel to remove snow from a ground surface, the method comprising the steps of:
 placing a shovel at a starting position on the ground surface, wherein the shovel comprises:
 a curved blade having a top edge, a bottom edge, a front concave surface and a rear convex surface; 
 a pivoting bracket assembly attached to the curved blade; and 
 a handle connected to the pivoting bracket assembly, wherein the handle is capable of movement, via the pivoting bracket assembly, between a first position and a second position; 
   with the bottom edge proximate the ground surface and the handle in the first position, pushing the shovel along a first path on the ground surface to thereby remove snow from the first path;   upon reaching an end of the first path on the ground surface, rotating the handle to the second position,   pulling the shovel along a second path on the ground surface to thereby remove snow; and   repeating the steps of pushing the shovel, moving the handle, and pulling the shovel along subsequent paths of the ground surface to remove snow.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of locking the handle into the first position before pushing the shovel 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of locking the handle into the second position before pulling the shovel.