Patent Application
20240410124
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The disclosure relates to snow removal devices and more particularly pertains to a new snow removal device for removing snow from a driveway. The device includes a vehicle that has a cab which includes a pair of gull wing doors that pivot vertically when the gull wing doors are opened. The device includes a snow plow that is pivotally mounted to a front of the vehicle and a snow plow motor which moves the snow plow back and forth. The device includes a salt spreader that is mounted to a rear of the vehicle for spreading granular salt along the driveway.
The prior art relates to snow removal devices including a variety of cab devices that is attachable to a snow blower. The prior art discloses a snow blower that is attachable to a front end of an all terrain vehicle. The prior art discloses a snow blower device that includes a self propelled snow blower and a canopy that is attached to the self propelled snow blower for surrounding a driver. The prior art discloses a combination snow blower and snow plow device that includes a snow plow mounted to an intake chute of a snow blower.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vehicle that has a cab and four wheels. The vehicle has a pair of doors each hingedly attached to the cab and each of the doors pivots vertically on the cab when the doors are opened. A snow plow is movably attached to the vehicle thereby facilitating the snow plow to push snow from a driveway when the vehicle is driven on the roadway. Additionally, the snow plow is positionable at a variety of angles on the vehicle thereby facilitating the snow plow to push the snow in a chosen direction on the driveway. A salt spreader is attached to the vehicle and the salt spreader contains granular salt. The salt spreader releases the granular salt onto the driveway when the salt spreader is turned on to inhibit the formation of ice on the driveway.
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 vehicle 12 has a driver's seat 26 that is positioned within the cab 14 and the driver's seat 26 includes a safety harness 28 which comprises a pair of lap belts 30 and a pair of shoulder belts 32. The lap belts 30 and the shoulder belts 32 are matable to each other to form a criss-cross pattern for securing a driver 34 to the driver's seat 26. The vehicle 12 has a console 36 that is located adjacent to the driver's seat 26 and the console 36 has a pair of cup holders 38 each recessed in to the console 36. The vehicle 12 includes a steering wheel 40, a gas pedal 42, a brake pedal 44, a turn signal lever 46, a heater 48 for heating the cab 14 and other accessories commonly associated with motorized vehicles that are driven on public roadways. Furthermore, the vehicle 12 has an internal combustion engine 50 of an appropriate size and design and a drive train 52 that is conventional to utility vehicles for supplying power to drive the vehicle 12.
The cab 14 has a roof 54, a windshield 56, a first entry 58 and a second entry 60. The roof 54 has a pair of cut outs 62 each aligned with a respective one of the first entry 58 and the second entry 60. Each of the doors 20 has a hinge 64 that is located in a respective one of the cut outs 62. The hinge 64 on each of the doors 20 includes a member 66 that is attached to an upper edge 68 of a respective one of the doors 20. The member 66 is perpendicularly oriented with the respective door 20 such that the respective door 20 lies on a horizontal plane when the respective door 20 is opened. Additionally, each of the doors 20 may include a rear view mirror 70.
A plurality of light emitters 72 is each attached to the cab 14 of the vehicle 12 to emit light outwardly from the cab 14. Respective ones of the light emitters 72 are positioned on the roof 54 of the cab 14 at a point located over the windshield 56 to illuminate an area in front of the vehicle 12. Respective ones of the light emitters 72 are positioned on the roof 54 of the cab 14 at a point located at a rear side 74 of the cab 14 to illuminate an area behind the vehicle 12. Each of the light emitters 72 is electrically coupled to a power source 76 comprising an electrical system 78 of the vehicle 12. Additionally, each of the light emitters 72 may comprise a light bar equipped with a plurality of light emitting diodes or other type of high intensity lighting equipment.
A strobe light 80 is attached to the roof 54 of the cab 14 and the strobe light 80 sequentially turns on and off when the strobe light 80 is actuated. In this way the strobe light 80 can visually communicate a caution signal. The strobe light 80 is electrically coupled to the power source 76 comprising the electrical system 78 of the vehicle 12. The strobe light 80 may comprise a light emitting diode or other type of electronic light emitter. In an alternative embodiment, the vehicle may have a bed extending rearwardly from the cab and the vehicle may have a pair of rear axles each with a pair of rear wheels for a total of six wheels. It would be understood that similar vehicle variations can be provided with different numbers of total wheels, or tracks or the like.
A snow plow 82 is movably attached to the vehicle 12 thereby facilitating the snow plow 82 to push snow 84 from a driveway 86 when the vehicle 12 is driven on the driveway 86. The snow plow 82 is positionable at a variety of angles on the vehicle 12 thereby facilitating the snow plow 82 to push the snow 84 in a chosen direction on the driveway 86. The snow plow 82 has a lower edge 88, an upper edge 90 and an outer surface 92 extending between the lower edge 88 and the upper edge 90. The outer surface 92 has a front side 94 and a back side 96 and the front side 94 is concavely arcuate between the lower edge 88 and the upper edge 90 thereby enhancing the snow 84 to travel upwardly along the snow plow 82 when the snow plow 82 pushes the snow 84. The front side 94 has a curve 98 positioned adjacent to the upper edge 90 which has a radius of curvature that is less than a radius of curvature of the front side 94 between the curve 98 and the lower edge 88. In this way the upper edge 90 is directed downwardly toward the lower edge 88 such that the curve 98 inhibits the snow 84 from passing over the snow plow 82 when the snow plow 82 pushes the snow 84.
The snow plow 82 includes a pivot 100 extending away from the back side 96 of the outer surface 92 and the pivot 100 is centrally positioned along a width of the snow plow 82. A plow motor 102 is disposed on the front end 22 of the vehicle 12 and the plow motor 102 engages the pivot 100 on the back side 96 of the outer surface 92 of the snow plow 82. The plow motor 102 rotates in a first direction or a second direction and the plow motor 102 has an axis of rotation that is perpendicularly oriented with the pivot 100. The snow plow 82 is angled to the left on the vehicle 12 when the plow motor 102 rotates in the first direction and the snow plow 82 is angled to the right on the vehicle 12 when the plow motor 102 rotates in the second direction. The plow motor 102 is electrically coupled to the power source 76 comprising the electrical system 78 of the vehicle 12 and the plow motor 102 may comprise an electric motor or the like.
A salt spreader 104 is attached to the vehicle 12 and the salt spreader 104 contains granular salt 106. The salt spreader 104 releases the granular salt 106 onto the driveway 86 when the salt spreader 104 is turned on to inhibit the formation of ice on the driveway 86. The salt spreader 104 includes a hopper 108, a chute 110 that is in fluid communication with the hopper 108 and a dispensing nozzle 112 that is in fluid communication with the chute 110. The salt spreader 104 includes an auger 114 that is rotatably disposed within the chute 110 and the auger 114 extends between the hopper 108 and the dispensing nozzle 112.
The auger 114 urges granular salt 106 downwardly through the chute 110 and outwardly through the dispensing nozzle 112 when the auger 114 is turned on. The salt spreader 104 includes an auger motor 116 that is positioned within the salt spreader 104 and the auger motor 116 has an output shaft 118 which engages a lower end 120 of the auger 114. The output shaft 118 is perpendicularly oriented with the auger 114 and the output shaft 118 rotates in a first direction when the auger motor 116 is turned on thereby rotating the auger 114. The auger motor 116 is electrically coupled to the power source 76 comprising the electrical system 78 of the vehicle 12. Additionally, the auger motor 116 may comprise an electric motor or the like.
A tool box 122 is attached to the cab 14 of the vehicle 12 and the tool box 122 includes a lid 124 that is hingedly disposed on the tool box 122 for opening and closing the tool box 122. The tool box 122 is positioned on a first lateral side 126 of the cab 14 and the tool box 122 is located behind a respective one of the doors 20. A fire extinguisher 128 is removably attached to the cab 14 of the vehicle 12 and the fire extinguisher 128 is positioned on a second lateral side 130 of the cab 14. The fire extinguisher 128 is located behind a respective one of the doors 20 and the fire extinguisher 128 may comprise an ABC powder fire extinguisher.
A display 132 is positioned within the cab 14 of the vehicle 12 and the display 132 is positioned in a conspicuous location in the vehicle 12 thereby enhancing visibility of the display 132 for the driver 34. The display 132 is electrically coupled to the power source 76 comprising the electrical system 78 of the vehicle 12. Additionally, the display 132 may comprise a liquid crystal display or other type of electronic display. A rear view camera 134 is disposed on the rear end 24 of the vehicle 12 thereby facilitating the rear view camera 134 to capture imagery of the area behind the vehicle 12. The rear view camera 134 is electrically coupled to the display 132 thereby facilitating the display 132 to display imagery captured by the rear view camera 134 to facilitate the driver 34 to see behind the vehicle 12 when the vehicle 12 is backing. The rear view camera 134 may comprise a digital video camera or the like.
A control panel 136 is positioned in the cab 14 and the control panel 136 is electrically coupled to the plow motor 102, the auger motor 116, each of the light emitters 72, the strobe light 80, the display 132 and the rear view camera 134. The control panel 136 may comprise a touch screen display which displays a plurality of control icons. The control panel 136 may include a plurality of control buttons or any other type of electronic control. A tow hitch 138 is coupled to and extends rearwardly from the rear end 24 of the vehicle 12 and the tow hitch 138 includes a ball 140 for engaging a trailer hitch of a trailer for towing the trailer with the vehicle 12. An electric winch 142 is attached to the front end 22 of the vehicle 12.
In use, the vehicle 12 is driven during winter months to remove snow 84 from the driveway 86 or other area where motorized vehicles are driven or parked. The plow motor 102 is actuated to position the snow plow 82 at a desired angle to push snow 84 off of the driveway 86. Furthermore, the snow plow 82 can be adjusted at any time while the vehicle 12 is being driven. The salt spreader 104 can be turned on at any time to spread granular salt 106 onto the driveway 86 thereby inhibiting the formation of ice on the driveway 86. In this way the driveway 86 can be cleared of snow 84 and ice while the driver 34 is kept warm and comfortable in the cab 14. Furthermore, the driver 34 is not required to physically exert themselves while clearing the driveway 86 of snow 84 and ice. In this way physically limited drivers can effectively and efficiently maintain the driveway 86 in winter months.
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.
