Patent Application
20190226168
Not applicable
The present invention relates to the parking lot sweepers, more particularly to a sweeper truck sweeper head contacting a parking lot surface.
Sweeper trucks utilize a sweeper head with drag shoe skids that rests against the parking lot surface for a vacuuming mechanism to vacuum debris into the truck.
The drag shoe skid 115 contacting and damaging the parking lot occurs frequently. When this happens, the drag shoe skid 115 causes visible scrapes and other damage to asphalt or concrete road or parking lot surfaces. This further can cause wear and/or damage to the drag shoe skid 115, sweeper skirt, and/or the sweeper head 105 itself, increasing labor and parts costs and reducing the usable life of the sweeper skirt.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art a system, which will facilitate keeping a sweeper head vertically positioned while avoiding contact with a road or parking lot surface.
A road or parking lot sweeper head comprising a sweeper wheel carriage having at least four wheels attached. The four wheels comprises a first and second wheel attached to a first side of the sweeper base chassis and a third and fourth wheel attached to a second side of the sweeper base chassis. The four wheels position the sweeper head above a surface at a proper operating height for an associated vacuum and to engage the surface in operation and prevent any portion of the sweeper head from contacting and damaging said surface.
The wheels comprise swivel wheels positioned under a truck body and further comprise longitudinal adjustable arms with a mounting bracket at the ends for receiving said swivel wheels, wherein the longitudinal arms adjustably attach to the wheel carriage.
The wheel carriage attaches to the sweeper base chassis with a fixed attachment.
The wheel carriage attaches to the sweeper base chassis with an adjustable attachment.
The adjustable attachment comprises a vertical slot and a nut and bolt.
The first side of the sweeper head the first wheel attaches to a first end of the wheel carriage and the second wheel attaches to a second end of the wheel carriage, and the first and second wheel longitudinally positioned by the wheel carriage opposite each other and positioned on the first side of the sweeper base chassis respectfully. The second side of the sweeper head with the third wheel attaching to a first end of the wheel carriage and the fourth wheel attaching to a second end of the wheel carriage, and the third and fourth wheel longitudinally positioned by the wheel carriage opposite each other and positioned on the second side of the sweeper base chassis respectfully. The first and second wheel are laterally positioned opposite of the third and fourth wheel.
The sweeper head attaches to a truck using an attachment comprising a spring tension adjustment assembly comprised of a turnbuckle and a spring.
A road or parking lot sweeper head comprising a sweeper base chassis comprised of a first wheel carriage having at least two wheels attached. The first wheel carriage attaches to an outer side of the sweeper base chassis and comprises a first wheel on a first end of the sweeper base chassis and a second wheel on a second end of the sweeper base chassis. The first wheel and the second wheel position the sweeper head above a surface at a proper operating height for an associated vacuum and to engage the surface in operation and prevent any portion of the sweeper base chassis from contacting and damaging said surface.
The first wheel attaches to a first end of the first wheel carriage and the second wheel attaches to a second end of the first wheel carriage, the first and second wheel longitudinally positioned by the wheel carriage opposite each other and positioned on the outer side of the sweeper base chassis respectfully. Further comprises a second wheel carriage on a second side opposite from the outer side, with a third wheel attaches to a first end of the second wheel carriage and a fourth wheel attaches to a second end of the second wheel carriage, the third and fourth wheel longitudinally positioned by the wheel carriage opposite each other and positioned on the second side of the sweeper base chassis respectfully.
The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages may be understood by referring to
Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are numerous modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.
It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular methodology, compounds, materials, manufacturing techniques, uses, and applications, described herein, as these may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an element” is a reference to one or more elements and includes equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art. Similarly, for another example, a reference to “a step” or “a means” is a reference to one or more steps or means and may include sub-steps and subservient means. All conjunctions used are to be understood in the most inclusive sense possible. Thus, the word “or” should be understood as having the definition of a logical “or” rather than that of a logical “exclusive or” unless the context clearly necessitates otherwise. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. Language that may be construed to express approximation should be so understood unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Preferred methods, techniques, devices, and materials are described, although any methods, techniques, devices, or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein may be used in the practice or testing of the present invention. Structures described herein are to be understood also to refer to functional equivalents of such structures. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications may involve equivalent and other features which are already known in the art, and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein.
Although Claims have been formulated in this Application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalization thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any Claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention.
Features which are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination. The Applicants hereby give notice that new Claims may be formulated to such features and/or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present Application or of any further Application derived therefrom.
References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” etc., may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or “in an exemplary embodiment,” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may.
Headings provided herein are for convenience and are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.
The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.
The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expressly specified otherwise.
Devices or system modules that are in at least general communication with each other need not be in continuous communication with each other, unless expressly specified otherwise. In addition, devices or system modules that are in at least general communication with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.
A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present invention.
As is well known to those skilled in the art many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal manufacture of a commercial implementation any system, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.
The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
535. Spring 535 connects to spring hooks 540 connected to wheel carriage 550 of the sweeper head assembly 200. The chain (i.e., turnbuckle 525, chain 530, and spring 535) can be adjusted in length to compensate for different heights of trucks. While sweeper head 200 is down in its operating position, the chain can be adjusted to optimal tension to allow the sweeper assembly 200 to compensate the surface to retain pre-gauged skirt height or distance from the surface.
The T-bar and spring tension adjustment assembly 500 is required to lighten the load on the sweeper head 200 and prolong the life of the wheels 245.
The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments for the purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the invention can be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not be regarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with the following claims.
