Pickup Tool for Pet Waste or the Like

Abstract

An extended pickup tool adapted to pick up pet waste or the like from a surface from a standing, upright position. The pickup tool consists of an elongated body having a trigger mechanism disposed in a handle at an upper end thereof. A pair of pickup assemblies, each having a pair of orthogonal surfaces is pivotally attached to the lower end of the elongated handle. A coupling mechanism connected to both the trigger mechanism and the pair of opposing, pivotally connected pickup elements causes the pickup elements to move towards one another. When the pair of pickup assemblies is fully closed, lower surfaces of their respective orthogonal surfaces overlap one another. A plastic bag may be positioned over the pair of pickup assemblies. When in a proper position, the pickup elements are brought together and into an overlapping relationship capturing the waste in a portion of the plastic bag.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A pickup tool for pet waste or the like, comprising:
 a) an elongated, hollow body;   b) a handle disposed at and connected to a distal end of said elongated hollow body;   c) a trigger assembly disposed within said handle;   d) a pair of pickup assemblies disposed proximate a distal end of said elongated hollow body, each of said pair of pickup assemblies being connected to sail elongated hollow body by a pair of flexible supports; and   f) a pair of actuator links, each of said pair of actuator links having a distal end connected to one of said pair of pickup assemblies and a proximal end operatively connected to said trigger assembly, said pair of actuator links being at least partially disposed inside said elongated, hollow body.   
     
     
         2 . The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said pair of pickup assemblies each comprises:
 i) a thin flat bottom blade having a front edge and an opposing rear edge; and   ii) a back plate affixed to said rear edge of a respective thin flat bottom plate orthogonally thereto.   
     
     
         3 . The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in  claim 2 , wherein each of one of said pair of pickup assemblies is disposed with said respective front edges of said flat bottom blades facing one another. 
     
     
         4 . The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said pair of flexible supports comprises thin, rectangular, resilient supports movable in a single plane, each of said pair of flexible supports has a distal end fastened to a respective one of said back plates proximate a mid-point along a major axis thereof and adjacent an upper edge thereof, and a distal end fastened to said elongated hollow body. 
     
     
         5 . The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 g) a hinge disposed in said elongated, hollow body separating said elongated hollow body into an upper body portion and a lower body portion.   
     
     
         6 . The pickup tool for pet waste or the like as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said hinge is disposed at approximately a mid-point along a major axis of said elongated hollow body and said upper body portion and said lower body portion have approximately equal lengths when measured along a respective major axis thereof. 
     
     
         7 . A method for picking up and bagging pet waste or the like from a standing upright position, the steps comprising:
 a) providing a pickup tool for pet waste, comprising: an elongated, hollow body; a handle disposed at and connected to a distal end of said elongated hollow body; a trigger assembly disposed within said handle; a pair of pickup assemblies disposed proximate a distal end of said elongated hollow body, each of said pair of pickup assemblies being connected to said elongated hollow body by a pair of flexible supports; and a pair of actuator links, each of said pair of actuator links having a distal end connected to one of said pair of pickup assemblies and a proximal end operatively connected to said trigger assembly, said pair of actuator links, said pair of actuator links being at least partially disposed inside said elongated, hollow body;   b) with said pair of pickup assemblies in a spaced-apart disposition, sliding a bottom edge of a flexible bag into an open space between to form an indented bag portion;   c) when said bottom edge of a flexible bag is in place in said open space, lifting the top edges of said flexible bag upward over a lower portion of said pickup tool for pet waste;   d) placing said indented bag portion over pet waste to be picked up;   e) actuating said trigger mechanism to move said pickup assemblies toward one another until bottom plates of each of said pickup assemblies overlap one another;   f) with said pickup assemblies maintained with said bottom blades in an overlapping disposition, pulling said upper edges of said flexible bag down from over said lower portion of said pickup tool for pet waste until all of said flexible bag with the exception of said indented bag portion supported by said pickup assemblies lies beneath said pickup tool, securing said pet waste in said indented portion of said flexible bag; and   g) allowing said pickup assembly to separate by releasing said trigger mechanism and thereafter, removing said indented portion of said flexible bag.