Soil cultivator apparatus

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR CULTIVATING SOIL INCLUDING A SUPPORTING FRAME, A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ELONGATED SPRING-SUPPORTING MEMBER HAVING ONE END PORTION HINGEDLY MOUNTED TO THE FRAME TO SWING VERTICALLY ON AN AXIS TRANSVERSELY OF THE FRAME, A PRONGED FORK MEMBER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF SAID SPRING SUPPORT MEMBER, A FORK-SPRING YIELDABLY SPRING-BIASING THE FORK TO A POSITION PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF SAID HINGEDLY MOUNTED SPRING-SUPPORT, A COMPRESSION SPRING HAVING ONE END FOOTED FOR COMPRESSION AGAINST THE FRAME AND HAVING ITS OPPOSITE EXPANSIVE END BEARING AGAINST SAID HINGED SUPPORT MEMBER FOR DRIVING THE FORK INTO THE GROUND UPON EXPANSIVE OF SAID COMPRESSION SPRING, A ROTATABLE CRANK SHAFT, MEANS FOR ROTATING THE CRANK SHAFT, A SLIDING SLEEVE WHICH IS REVOLVED BY SAID CRANK SHAFT ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE CRANK SHAFT, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED PITMAN SHAFT HAVING AN UPPER PORTION MOUNTED AXIALLY SLIDABLE THROUGH SAID SLIDING SLEEVE, SAID PITMAN SHAFT BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ITS LOWER END TO THE VERTICALLY-SWINGING END PORTION OF SAID HINGED SUPPORT MEMBER, THE SAID PITMAN SHAFT HAVING A STOP MEMBER AT ITS OPPOSITE UPPER END ADAPTED FOR CONTACT BY SAID SLIDING SLEEVE UPON THE UPWARD EXCURSION OF THE SLEEVE MEANS, A SLIP-AND-GRIP CLUTCH MEANS ROTATIVELY DRIVEN BY SAID CRANK SHAFT ENGAGING AND RAISING SAID SLEEVE FROM LOWER TO AN UPPER POSITION AND THEREBY RAISING THE PITMAN SHAFT WHEREBY THE FORK-MOUNTING END OF SAID HINGED SUPPORT MEMBER IS RAISED AND SAID COIL SPRING THEREBY COMPRESSED AND THE FORK PRONGS SIMULTANEOUSLY PULLED OUT OF THE GROUND, THE SAID CLUTCH HAVING MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY RUNNING ROTATIVELY FREE OF THE CRANK SHAFT WHEREBY THE COIL SPRING MAY PRECIPITATELY EXPAND AGAINST SAID HINGED SUPPORT MEMBER AND DRIVE THE PRONGS OF THE FORK INTO THE GROUND.