In the manufacture of a number of items for retail sale, economic considerations relating to the storage as well as shipping and assembly of the items have been important factors in the design of such items. The reason for this is that storage space is often at a premium for retail merchants so that any reduction in the storage space required for an item will reduce the cost of the items to the retailer and even the consumer. This is particularly applicable to seasonal tools such as rakes and snow shovels. With the cost of transportation of products from the factory to retailers increasing, it has long been desired to improve the design of the tool structure of products to enable them to be more compactly stored for shipment as well as to allow storage and handling of the tools in a manner that will not adversely affect their function and appearance.
A number of tool structures that have been in use have not been successfully structured to allow compact shipment on the one hand or secure and reliable assembly for use, on the other hand. One structural problem that is particularly troublesome involves tool products that must withstand severe and repeated forces when put to use by a customer. This has been particularly true with tools that undergo repeated or periodic forces in substantially the same direction in operation but which vary in magnitude depending on the user or the material being worked upon. As a consequence, manufacturers have tended to forego compact shipping design considerations when manufacturing such tools or articles in order to provide a reinforced structure that will withstand such forces as may be imposed by a user. This has tended to increase the cost of the tool to the consumer.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds