Patent Application
20060096132
The invention relates to a device for melting ice and/or snow from driveways, paths and roads.
In areas susceptible to snowstorms, it can be very difficult to remove ice and/or snow once someone has walked on or driven over newly fallen snow. Often the ice and/or snow will become so compacted that it cannot be removed with a shovel, snowblower or plow. This difficult-to-remove ice and/or snow can also grow so thick that applying an ice or snow melting substance, like salt, is virtually ineffective. These problems are compounded on secondary surface streets that do not receive attention from snowploughs until well after the ice and/or snow has been compacted and on private roads that will only be cleared of snow and ice if the private owner removes it. On private roads that are accessed by several different users, snow and ice can become so thickly compacted that it can only be removed when temperatures well-above freezing return and only then as a result of hard physical labor. It can be particularly difficult to melt compacted ice and/or snow on gravel or dirt roads using existing devices.
Existing devices for melting ice and/or snow that utilize heating elements are ineffective at melting thick layers of ice and/or snow and require the use of motors or heaters, which can contribute to air pollution, especially in areas prone to temperature inversions. When existing devices are used on gravel or dirt roads, they are prone to remove the underlying gravel or dirt in a manner that leaves the roads rutted and difficult to drive or walk on. No previous inventions contemplate providing a hand-propelled apparatus that is capable of breaking up the ice and/or snow while simultaneously distributing an ice and snow melting substance, like salt.
To solve the problems with existing devices, I have designed an improved ice and snow melting apparatus that is compact and easy to use. The invention comprises a container assembly and a handle. The container assembly includes projections that break up ice and/or snow as the container is pushed across virtually any surface covered with ice and/or snow. The container also provides a way for the user to fill it with granular forms of ice and snow melting substances, like salt, as well as apertures that permit the simultaneous dispersal of the ice and snow melting substance among the pieces of ice and/or snow as they are broken up. The invention also includes a handle assembly to enable a user walking behind the ice and snow melting device to propel and maneuver the device. Thus eliminating the need for polluting motors or heaters.
In one aspect of the invention, it provides an improved hand-propelled device for quickly and effectively breaking up ice and/or snow and spreading an ice and snow melting substance on surfaces covered by ice and/or snow.
In another aspect of the invention, it provides an improved device for melting ice and/or snow on non-paved surfaces, such as gravel and dirt roads.
In another aspect of the invention, it provides an improved ice and snow melting device which is portable, easy to use and configured to be comfortable to use with minimal physical exertion by the user.
To the accomplishment of the above and related aspects, the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings, however, are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.
The container assembly 2 consists of a cylindrical drum 6, enclosed on either end by endplates 7. The drum 6 includes a sealable opening 8 to permit the user to fill the drum 6 with an ice and snow melting substance, like salt, 14. Pegs or spikes 9 are spaced throughout the exterior of drum 6 and extend radially outward from drum 6. The purpose of the pegs or spikes 9 is to break up ice and/or snow as the device 1 is pushed by the operator over a surface covered with ice and/or snow. Apertures 10 are inserted throughout drum 6 to allow the ice and snow melting substance 14 inserted through opening 8 to be dispersed or spread among the ice and/or snow that is broken up by pegs or spikes 9. The weight of the ice and/or snow melting substance 14 itself assists the device in inserting the pegs or spikes 9 deep enough into the ice and/or snow to break up the ice and/or snow. Traction strips 11 may be attached to drum 6 to provide traction during operation of the device.
The device is approximately the same size as a rotary lawnmower. It can easily be pushed over any surface that is covered with ice and/or snow, including, but not limited to, paved roads, sidewalks, driveways, gravel roads and dirt roads. It is powered by the user and therefore does not require the use of a motor or heater assembly. In use, an ice and snow melting substance is inserted into the container assembly, and the device is pushed over the area to be cleared of ice and/or snow. The ice and snow melting substance quickly penetrates the ice and/or snow, resulting in a surface free of ice and snow.
In order to enhance the impact of the pegs or spikes striking the snow, a striking mechanism may also be included within the container assembly of the device. Such a striking mechanism may consist of series of tubes inserted within the drum parallel to the direction of travel of the device. A weight is contained within in each tube, and a spike or peg is slideably connected at each end of the tube by a sleeve. As the device is pushed over a surface, the weight in the tube slides down, striking the slideably connected spike or peg causing a greater impact against the ice or snow.
Disengageable wheels may also be attached to the handle portion of the device so that when the handle is in the engaged position, the device may be moved on the wheels instead of the drum assemble. When the handle is in the disengaged position, the wheels do not hit the ground and the pegs or spikes of the device directly impact the suerface over which the device is being pushed.
The description of the invention above should not be interpreted as limiting the invention to the disclosed embodiment because those who are skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to devise other equivalent forms thereof within the scope of the invention. Variations and changes, which are obvious to one skilled in the art, are intended to be within the scope and nature of the present invention.
