REFERENCES CITED {REFERENCED BY]

U.S. Patent Documents

187466
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1877
Humphreys

2468579
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Vuori

2699601
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1955
Darnell

2864184
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1958
Fohr

2865184
December
1958
Fohr

2916835
December
1959
Boyce

3999315
December
1976
Nye

4704811
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1987
Jefferson

4892155
January
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Wanamaker

5273375
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1993
Plourde

5377766
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Klinger

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McGuire

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McCoy

9216883
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2015
Williams

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention broadly relates to digging equipment and the unique ability to interchange digging tools for adapting the attachment to a front load bucket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Certainly in the last five decades the landscape industry and many home owners have utilized sub-compact tractors with a front load bucket to ease the burden of manual labor. Some of these task executed with the front load bucket would include excavating dirt or other material and lifting all sorts of material to be transported to a different locations. The idea behind this invention is to extend the number of task that a front load bucket could perform by merely pulling a pin and inserting a different tool. Examples of some of these tools would include a landscape shovel for transplanting trees or shrubs, a three point shovel for digging a drainage ditch or digging a hole for various reasons and a plow or a rake for grading soil on a landscape. The versatility of this invention is limitless and offers a lightweight inexpensive addition for a sub-compact tractor with a front load bucket to do many small jobs rather than using heavy expensive equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE PICTURE DRAWINGS

The understanding of the invention will become quite clear when examining the picture drawings along with the detailed description where the numbers coincide with the manufactured parts of the invention. This is not just an idea with some drawings scratched down but an actual piece of equipment that was built and vigorously tested.

These parts and descriptions in correspondence to each FIG. and number are as follows; as

FIG. 1 is a top view of the carriage frame of the invention that attaches to and underneath the front load bucket;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the carriage frame of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the carriage frame of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the carriage frame of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the carriage frame of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a full perspective view of the carriage frame of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a dimensional front view of the carriage frame of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a dimensional rear view of the carriage frame of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a dimensional bottom view of the carriage frame of the invention with a landscape tool engaged;

FIG. 10 is a dimensional top view of the carriage frame of the invention with a landscape tool engaged;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the tool beam and receiver box of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the top frame showing a machined set screw with the tool inserted to tighten or loosen;

FIG. A-P1 is a full picture of the digging attachment assembly with receiver and incerted tool attached to the front load bucket of a sub-compact tractor showing the strapping mechanisms that stabilize the invention to the front load bucket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following picture drawings, the proposed invention will be described by the means of identifying the manufactured parts associated with the numbers and the FIGS. shown.

In FIG. 1 note that the overall appearance of the proposed invention has a rectangular design with a middle beam protruding beyond one of the rectangle beams. Note that all of the manufactured parts of FIG. 1 are fabricated from heavy metal that are all welded with the exception of the two machined set screws. The four manufactured parts 20, 21, 22 and 23 of FIG. 1 are made from square tubing and 24 of FIG. 1 which represents the receiver box is made from a larger size square tubing. 35 and 36 of FIG. 1 are made of heavy welded fabricated angle iron representing the mounting bracket hooks that would be used to mount to the blade of the front load bucket by tightening 33 and 34 of FIG. 1, the machined set screws. The four stabilizing receivers 29, 30, 31, and 32 of FIG. 1 are fabricated from heavy plate metal and are necessary for the two heavy duty ratchet straps 11 and 12 of FIG. A-P1 to fasten in the provided holes. The cover plates 52, 53, 54 and 55 of FIG. 1 are also fabricated from heavy metal plates that are welded to cover exposed holes and add tremendous strength to the welded joints.

The receiver box displayed in FIG. 2 as 24 also previously mentioned as 24 of FIG. 1 has a proximal end welded to the middle of the bottom face on the rear cross-member 22 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 which abuts the bottom face and the top face corner. The receiver box 24 of FIG. 2 then extends from the proximal end to be welded to the middle of the bottom face cross-member 23 of FIG. 2. and FIG. 1 with the distal end protruding beyond the front face of cross-member 23 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 1. Notice in FIG. 2 that stabilizing receivers 29 and 31 are welded to the bottom face of the rear cross-member 22 of FIG. 2 extending outwardly protruded from the rear face on a horizontal plane with the holes of the stabilizing receivers 29 and 31 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 exposed. Where the left face of receiver box 24 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 1 abuts the bottom face of rear cross-member 22 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 also abutting the bottom face of front cross-member 23 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 1 with the right face of receiver box 24 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 1 abuts the bottom face of rear cross-member 22 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 1 also abutting the bottom face of front cross-member 23 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, braces 46, 47, 48, and 49 of FIG. 2 in the shape of an equilateral triangle made of thick plate metal are welded in place each perpendicular abuting each face and parallel to the front face and rear face of the inventions' carriage frame.

The side view FIG. 3 displays plates 52 and 53 welded on the face of the left perpendicular beam 21 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 where 52 of FIG. 3 abuts the proximal end of the beam and 53 of FIG. 3 abuts the distal end of the beam.

The side view FIG. 4 displays plates 54 and 55 welded on the face of the right perpendicular beam 20 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 where 54 of FIG. 4 abuts the proximal end of the beam and 55 of FIG. 4 abuts the distal end of the beam.

In the partial perspective view of FIG. 5 and the full perspective view of FIG. 6, the stabilizer receiver plates 30 and 32 are welded on the front face of the front cross-member 23 of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 near each outside corner with the exposed receiving holes extending and protruding above the face of front cross-member 23 of FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and first introduced in FIG. 1.

The dimensional front view FIG. 7 exhibits five main components which would be 60 at the distal end representing the opening of receiver box 24 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 1 where each tool would be inserted. FIG. 7 also clearly shows the correct position for the mounting hooks 35 and 36 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 1 to mount on the blade of the front load bucket and the front two stabilizing receivers 30 and 31 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 1 in position to receive the hooks of the ratchet straps that encompass the upper portion of the front load bucket displayed in FIG. A-P1 as B and C.

The dimensional rear view of FIG. 8 visualizes the open proximal end 61 of FIG. 8 of the receiver box 24 of FIG. 8 and FIG. 1 that allows moisture to escape. It also shows the open spaces of the mounting hooks 35 and 36 of FIG. 8 and FIG. 1 that fit over and under the blade of the front load bucket.

FIG. 9 exhibits a dimensional bottom view with landscape tool 70 of FIG. 9 engaged while FIG. 10 exhibits a dimensional top view of the landscape tool 70 of FIG. 10 and previously introduced in FIG. 9 engaged in the invention.

The cross-sectional view of FIG. 11 displays two latching holes 80 located on tool beam 84 and 81 located on receiver box 24 of FIG. 11 and FIG. 1 when tool beam 84 is incerted into receiver box 24 of FIG. 11 latch holes 80 and 81 of FIG. 11 match up so that latch pin 82 of FIG. 11 can be incerted and whole mechanism secured with clasp pin 83 of FIG. 11.

The cross-sectional view of FIG. 12 shows a removable tool 90 already incerted in machine screw 36 of FIG. 12 and initially displayed in FIG. 1 which enables the ability to tighten the unit to the blade of the front load bucket not displayed.

The FIG. A-P1 reveals a picture of the entire invention as it was intended to be operated and attached to a front load bucket.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This present invention was devised for the purpose of interchanging multiple tools into a framework attached to a front load bucket by merely incerting the tool beam into the receiver box till the holes line up together and securing the tool with the latching pin.

To achieve attaching the invention to a front load bucket, simply hook the mounting hooks on the blade of the front load bucket with the frame under the front load bucket and then tighten the machine screws. Next, attach the hook of the ratching strap on the hole of a stabilizing receiver on the left side of the frame running the strap over top of the front load bucket adjusting the strap to reach the other left side stabilizing receiver hole. Repeat the procedure to placing a ratchet strap on the right side then tighten both ratchet straps. The invention would be ready to engage a tool for use.

One aspect of the invention concerns the main objective of the tools which attributes to digging and moving earth, plants plus many other materials that also makes this excavating devise extremely versatile.

Another aspect to consider when examining this new invention comprises of many existing ideas and elements prior to its creation such as forklift tines that use an assembly which attaches to a front load bucket for many decades or a receiver box that interchanges various towing apparatus for the purpose of towing something behind a vehicle and a trenching device that attaches to a front load bucket for the strict purpose of cutting a narrow furrow for a silt fence. While there are similar aspects to the proposed new invention just as most inventions use components and concepts that bring about a new invention, this invention is unique from the standpoint that only this proposed invention offers the ability to perform multiple tasks where previously mentioned inventions are limited to one purpose.

Specifically, this invention constitutes a sturdy but lightweight undercarriage frame that the assembly can be engaged or removed with little effort to do small jobs that the normal current equipment requires a burden of work just to move it. The cost of the present new invention compared to previously existing equipment would be less than one tenth making it very affordable to anyone possessing a sub-compact tractor with a front load bucket.

In addition, the advantages and novel features of the tools that can be engaged are unlimited due to the fact that every tool can be mounted to a square piece of tubing with two corresponding holes drilled in each side. Some of these tools could include a landscape shovel, a three point shovel, a square shovel, a landscape rake, a garden hoe, a hitch ball, a truss lifting devise or a small snow plow that also could be used for excavating and leveling material.

In conclusion, the simplicity of this unique invention allows anyone with a front load bucket on a machine such as a sub-compact tractor to perform tasks that would normally be done manually.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

this application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 63/103,748 filed Aug. 21, 2020