Patent Application
20170114511
The disclosure relates to melting devices and more particularly pertains to a new melting device for melting snow.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a cart that may contain snow thereby facilitating the snow to be melted. A lid is hingedly coupled to the cart such that the lid is positionable between an open position and a closed position. An agitation unit is coupled to the cart such that the agitation unit may stir the snow within the cart. A heating unit is coupled to the cart such that the heating unit may melt the snow within the cart. A plurality of wheels is coupled to the cart such that the cart may be rolled along a support surface. A handle is movably coupled to the cart such that the handle may be manipulated.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The bottom wall 16 has a bottom surface 24. The peripheral wall 18 has a first lateral side 30, a second lateral side 32, a front side 34 and a back side 36. The bottom wall 16 has an opening 38 extending therethrough. The cart 12 is curved at an intersection between the first 30 and second 32 lateral sides and the bottom wall 16.
The cart 12 has a housing portion 40 that is positioned on the outer surface 22 corresponding to the first lateral side 30. The cart 12 has a shelf 42 that is coupled to and extends away from the back side 36. The shelf 42 is aligned with the bottom wall 16. A lid 44 is hingedly coupled to the cart 12 such that the lid 44 is positionable between an open position and a closed position. The lid 44 is hingedly coupled to the distal edge 26 corresponding to the back side 36. A pair of handles 46 is coupled to the lid 44 such that each of the handles 46 may be gripped. The handles 46 are positioned on opposite sides of the lid 44.
A box 48 is provided and the box 48 has a lower wall 50 and an outer wall extending 52 upwardly from the lower wall 50. The outer wall 52 has a distal edge 54 with respect to the lower wall 50. The distal edge 54 of the box 48 is attached to the bottom surface 24 of the bottom wall 16. The box 48 is aligned with the opening such that the box 48 may receive the melted snow 14. The lower wall 50 is hingedly coupled to the outer wall 52 such that the lower wall 52 is positionable between an open position and a closed position.
A screen 56 is coupled to the cart 12. The screen 56 is positioned on the bottom wall 16 such that the screen 56 completely covers the opening 38. The screen 56 prevents objects from entering the box 48. A drain 58 is coupled to the outer wall 52 of the box 48 such that the drain 58 may selectively release the melted snow 14 from the box 48. The drain 58 may comprise a spigot or the like.
An agitation unit 60 is coupled to the cart 12 such that the agitation unit 60 may stir the snow 14 within the cart 12. The agitation unit 60 comprises a shaft 62 extending through the first lateral side 30 and the second lateral side 32 of the cart 12. The shaft 62 is rotatably coupled to the cart 12. The shaft 62 is centrally positioned on the first lateral side 30 and the second lateral side 32.
A mixer 64 is provided and the mixer 64 is coupled to the shaft 62. The mixer 64 has a plurality of blades 66 radiating away from the shaft 62. The blades 66 are spaced apart from each other and distributed around the shaft 62. Each of the blades 66 has a distal edge 67 with respect to the shaft 62. Each of the blades 66 is curved between the shaft 62 and the respective distal edge 67. The blades 66 agitate the snow 14 within the cart 12 when the shaft 62 is rotated. A motor 68 is positioned within the housing portion 40. The motor 68 has the shaft 62 rotatably coupled thereto such that the motor 68 rotates the shaft 62 when the motor 68 is turned on. The motor 68 may comprise an electric motor or the like.
A heating unit 70 is coupled to the cart 12 and the heating unit 70 may melt the snow 14 within the cart 12. The heating unit 70 comprises a tube 72 that is coupled to the inner surface 20 of the peripheral wall 18 corresponding to the front side 34 and the back side 38. The tube 72 extends onto the bottom wall 16 and the tube 72 forms a plurality of loops 74. Each of the loops 74 extends between the first lateral side 30 and the second lateral side 32.
A fluid reservoir 76 is positioned on the shelf 42 and the fluid reservoir 76 may contain a fluid 78. The fluid 78 may comprise water and the tube 72 is fluidly coupled to the fluid reservoir 76. A pump 80 is positioned within the housing portion 40 and the pump 80 has an inlet 82 and an outlet 84. The inlet 82 is fluidly coupled to the fluid reservoir 76 such that the pump 80 may urge the fluid 78 outwardly from the fluid reservoir 76. The outlet 84 is fluidly coupled to the tube 72 such that the pump 80 may urge the fluid 78 through the tube 72 and into the fluid reservoir 76.
The fluid reservoir 76 has a top wall 75 and an exterior wall 77. A cap 79 is removably coupled to the top wall 75. The cap 75 is removed to facilitate the fluid reservoir 75 to be filled with the fluid. A pressure gauge 73 is coupled to the exterior wall 77. The pressure gauge 73 is in fluid communication with an interior of the fluid reservoir 76. Thus, the pressure gauge 73 indicates a pressure of the fluid within the fluid reservoir 76.
A burner 86 is coupled to the fluid reservoir 76 such that the burner 86 may heat the fluid 78 in the fluid reservoir 76. The tube 72 may be heated by the heated fluid 78 thereby facilitating the tube 72 to melt the snow 14. A fuel tank 88 is positioned on the shelf 42 and the fuel tank 88 may contain a fuel. The fuel tank 88 is fluidly coupled to the burner 86 such that the fuel tank 88 may supply the burner 86 with the fuel. The fuel may comprise liquid propane or the like.
A power supply 90 is coupled to the cart 12 and the power supply 90 is electrically coupled to the motor 68 and the pump 80. The power supply 90 comprises a cord 92 extending outwardly from the cart 12. The cord 92 has a distal end 94 with respect to the cart 12 and the distal end 94 has a plug 96 that is electrically coupled thereto. The plug 96 may be electrically coupled to a power source 98 and the power source 98 may comprise an electrical outlet, an extrinsic generator or other power source 98.
A plurality of wheels 100 is coupled to the cart 12 such that the cart 12 may be rolled along a support surface 102. Each of the wheels 100 is positioned on the bottom surface 24 of the bottom wall 16. Each of the wheels 100 is positioned adjacent to an associated one of four corners of the bottom wall 16. The support surface 102 may be ground.
A handle 106 is movably coupled to the cart 12 such that the handle 106 may be manipulated to urge the cart 12 along the support surface 102. The handle 106 has a rod 108 and a grip 110 and the rod 108 is hingedly coupled to the outer surface 22 corresponding to the second lateral side 32. The rod 108 has a distal end 112 with respect to the second lateral side 32. The grip 110 is attached to the distal end 112 of the rod 108 such that the grip 112 is oriented transversely to the rod 108. Thus, the grip 112 may be gripped.
In use, the cart 12 is filled with snow 14 and the lid 44 is positioned in the closed position. The power supply 90 is electrically coupled to the power source to actuate the pump 80 and the motor 68. The motor 68 rotates the shaft 62 and the mixers 64 agitate the snow 14 within the cart 12. The burner 86 is turned on to heat the fluid 78 in the fluid reservoir 76. The pump 80 urges the fluid 78 through the tube 72. The heat from the heated fluid 14 is transferred into the tube 72 thereby facilitating the tube 72 to melt the snow 14 within the cart 12. The drain 58 is manipulated to drain the cart 12 after all of the snow 14 has been melted.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
