Patent Grant
9611605
The present disclosure relates to a device for moving debris, such as snow, trash, dirt or other materials, accumulated upon parking surfaces which may impede use of the parking surface as found in a large parking lot or surrounding a warehouse complex, which may impede or interfere with movement of vehicles or trailers for attachment to vehicles.
No federal funds were used to develop or create the invention disclosed and described in the patent application.
Not Applicable.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material that is subject to copyright and trademark protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered limited of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings.
Before the various embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that phraseology and terminology used herein with reference to device or element orientation (such as, for example, terms like “front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, and the like) are only used to simplify description of the present invention, and do not alone indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation. In addition, terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used herein and in the appended claims for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance.
No efficient mechanical process currently exists to remove snow or other debris that may accumulate on the parking surfaces under semi-trailers or other cantilevered structures. Current methods for removing snow from under semi-trailers include extra wide plows that leave windows under the trailers making it even more difficult for semi-tractors to hook up correctly. (Not shown) Offset box blades on skid steers or tractors allow for minimal snow capacity to be moved and significantly increase the amount of machine maneuvering and operator error. (Not shown) For example, operators must continually remove the box blade from underneath the trailers once the box blade is full of snow (approximately every 30-50′ depending on the snow fall amount). Large/fixed angle plows with an offset mount are also currently used and present the same difficulties as a box plow, as previously discussed. (Not shown) The method of clearing snow or debris with large/fixed angle plows offers even less snow carrying capacity and requires the operator to essentially make repeated “swoops” or “passes” under the semi-trailers increasing the possibility of accidents and property damage.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out illustrative embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appending claims. Various inventive features are described below herein that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.
As shown in
The area of the parking surface covered by the cantilevered trailer 6 is defined by the width of the trailer in a first dimension and the distance from the front of the trailer to the trailer dolly 10 of the trailer 6 in a second dimension. Typically, the trailer hitch 9 is positioned between the front of the semi-trailer and the trailer dolly 10. A third dimension is the distance from the parking surface to the bottom of the trailer which is heretofore defined as the trailer clearance (height). One of ordinary skill will further appreciate from the present disclosure and figures that this third dimension also increases the difficulty and cost of solving this problem.
As shown the housing 12 on the first end extends between 1-2 feet past the outer width of the skid steer (prime mover) as illustrated by outer wheel 4b creating an outer end section 13 having an outer end dimension 13a of approximately five (5) feet from the center of the attachment plate 5. The housing 12 on the debris inlet end 11a extends past the inner wheel 4a in the range of 8-10 feet creating an inner end section 14 having an inner end section dimension 14a of 10-11 feet. Further, as shown, the plow 11 is constructed with a housing height dimension of two (2) feet allowing a clearance of almost two (2) feet under the cantilevered portion of the trailer defined as the portion between the front of the trailer and the trailer dolly. As the dimensions of the trailer frame 6b height and the distance the trailer hitch 9 hangs down may vary, this is considered to be a reasonable clearance but is only one of many clearances which may be suitable for a particular application. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the combination of the longer inner section 14 and the low profile of the plow 11 allows it to reach under the front portion of the trailer to remove accumulated debris positioned therein. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that other dimension combinations are possible that are suitable, dependent upon the particular application, for removal of accumulated debris from a parking surface 1a under a cantilevered trailer 6.
As best illustrated by
As shown in
As best shown by
It should be noted that the plow is not limited to the specific embodiments pictured and described herein, but is intended to apply to all similar methods and apparatuses for removing snow or other debris from under a cantilevered structure. Accordingly, modifications and alterations from the described embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art without departure from the spirit and scope of the plow. It is understood that the plow as disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of one or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the plow. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing plow and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the same. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
Having described the preferred embodiment, other features, advantages, and/or efficiencies of the plow will undoubtedly occur to those versed in the art, as will numerous modifications and alterations of the disclosed embodiments and methods, all of which may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the plow.
Applicant claims priority from U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 61/908,538 filed on Nov. 25, 2013, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5127175 | Atkinson | Jul 1992 | A |
| 20130298429 | Niemela | Nov 2013 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61908538 | Nov 2013 | US |
