Patent Application
20230358004
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The disclosure relates to snow removal device and more particularly pertains to a new snow removal device for collecting snow from a road and melting the snow into water. The device includes a truck that has a cab and a box and a chute that is attached to a nose of the cab. The device includes an auger that is rotatably disposed in the chute and a snow pipe extending from the chute to the box for delivering snow into the box. The device includes a heating unit that is integrated into the box for melting the snow into water thereby facilitating the water to be drained from the box into a municipal sewer system.
The prior art relates to snow removal devices including a truck with a snow auger, a box for receiving snow from the snow auger and a steam boiler for heating the box to melt the snow into water. The prior art discloses a snow collection vehicle that includes a snow auger and a conveyor belt for transporting snow into a box of the vehicle. The prior art discloses a snow collection vehicle that includes a snow chute, a pair of augers for transporting snow from the snow chute into a collection bay and a plurality of spray nozzles for spraying water into the snow to melt the snow. The prior art discloses a system and method of collecting snow in a vehicle and melting the snow into a liquid. The prior art discloses a snow collection vehicle that includes a snow chute, a series of turbines for producing vacuum pressure to urge the snow into a collection bay and a series of steam jets for melting the snow into water. The prior art discloses a snow collection vehicle that includes a snow plow that a collection chute integrated into the snow plow, a conduit extending between the snow plow and a box on the vehicle and a heating unit integrated into the box for melting the snow.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a truck that has a cab and a box that is positioned behind the cab. A chute is coupled to the cab of the truck to receive snow on a road upon which the truck is driving. An auger is rotatably disposed in the chute to urge the snow outwardly through the chute when the auger is turned on. A snow pipe is coupled to the chute for delivering the snow into the box and a pump is integrated into the snow pipe for urging the snow through the snow pipe. A heating unit is integrated into the box and the heating unit is in thermal communication with the box. Furthermore, the heating unit heats the box when the heating unit is turned on for melting the snow into water thereby facilitating the water to drain outwardly through the drain in the box for disposal.
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
A drain pipe 28 is provided that has a first end 30 and a second end 32, and the drain pipe 28 has a bend 34 integrated into the drain pipe 28 defining a first portion 36 of the drain pipe 28 which forms an angle with a second portion 40 of the drain pipe 28. The first end 30 is associated with the first portion 36 and the second end 32 is associated with the second portion 40. Furthermore, the first portion 36 extends through the drain 17 in the box 16 such that the first end 30 of the drain pipe 28 is positioned inside of the box 16 and the second portion 40 is oriented to extend downwardly along the back side 24 of the outer wall 20 of the box 16.
A chute 38 is coupled to the cab 14 of the truck 12 and the chute 38 has a snow opening 39 that is integrated into the chute 38 to receive snow 42 on a road 44 upon which the truck 12 is driving. The chute 38 has a forward end 46, a rearward end 48 and an outside wall 50 extending between the forward end 46 and the rearward end 48, and the outside wall 50 has a top side 52, a first lateral side 54 and a second lateral side 56. The rearward end 48 is attached to the nose 26 of the cab 14 and the chute 38 is aligned with a bottom surface 57 of the nose 26, and the forward end 46 is open for receiving the snow 42. Additionally, the top side 52 has an exhaust opening 58 extending into an interior of the chute 38.
An auger 60 is rotatably disposed in the chute 38 such that the auger 60 is exposed to the snow 42 passing into the chute 38. The auger 60 is in mechanical communication with a power source 62 comprising a power take off of the truck 12 thereby facilitating the auger 60 to be rotated such that the auger 60 urges the snow 42 outwardly through the chute 38 when the auger 60 is turned on. The auger 60 has a primary end 64 and a secondary end 66, and each of the primary end 64 and the secondary end 66 is rotatably coupled to an inside surface 68 of a receptive one of the first lateral side 54 and the second lateral side 56 of the outside wall 50 of the chute 38 such that the auger 60 is spaced rearwardly from the forward end 46 of the chute 38. Furthermore, the auger 60 has a blade 70 spiraling between the primary end 64 and the secondary end 66. The auger 60 may include a drive box 72 which may include a series of gears or other type of mechanical drive commonly associated with a power take off.
A snow pipe 74 is coupled to the chute 38 such that the snow pipe 74 receives the snow 42 from the auger 60 and the snow pipe 74 extends over the cab 14 and into the box 16 for delivering the snow 42 into the box 16. The snow pipe 74 has a coupled end 76 and a free end 78, and the coupled end 76 is attached to the top side 52 of the outside wall 50 of the chute 38. The coupled end 76 is aligned with the exhaust opening 58 in the top side 52 thereby facilitating the snow pipe 74 to receive the snow 42 and the free end 78 of the snow pipe 74 is directed toward an interior of the box 16.
A pump 80 is integrated into the snow pipe 74 and the pump 80 has an intake 82 and an exhaust 84. The intake 82 is directed toward the exhaust opening 58 in the top side 52 of the outside wall 50 of the chute 38 and the exhaust 84 is directed into the snow pipe 74. The pump 80 urges the snow 42 into the intake 82 and outwardly through the exhaust 84 thereby facilitating the snow 42 to be blown through the snow pipe 74 and into the box 16. Additionally, the pump 80 is in communication with the power source 62 associated with the auger 60. The pump 80 may comprise a mechanical fluid pump or other type of pump that is capable of urging snow 42 through the snow pipe 74.
A support 86 is coupled to the cab 14 and the support 86 is vertically oriented such that the support 86 engages and supports the snow pipe 74. The support 86 has a top end 88 and the support 86 has a yoke 90 extending upwardly from the top end 88. The snow pipe 74 extends through the yoke 90 and the yoke 90 comprises a curved member 92 such that the yoke 90 has a U-shape to conform to the shape of the snow pipe 74. The yoke 90 is spaced upwardly beyond the outer wall 20 of the box 16 to facilitate the snow pipe 74 to curve downwardly into the box 16.
A heating unit 94 is integrated into the box 16 and the heating unit 94 is in thermal communication with the box 16. The heating unit 94 heats the box 16 when the heating unit 94 is turned on for melting the snow 42 into water thereby facilitating the water to drain 17 outwardly through the drain 17 in the box 16 for disposal. The heating unit 94 comprises a heating coil 96 that is integrated into the bottom wall 18 and the outer wall 20 of the box 16 such that the heating coil 96 heats an entirety of the bottom wall 18 and the outer wall 20. In this way the heating coil 96 is oriented to enhance melting the snow 42 into water in timely and efficient manner by heating the entire surface area of the box 16 rather than a portion of the surface area of the box 16. The heating coil 96 may comprise an electric heating coil or the like and the heating coil 96 may have an operational temperature of at least 150.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
A control 98 is positioned within the cab 14 of the truck 12 such that the control 98 is accessible to a driver of the truck 12. The control 98 is in operational communication with the auger 60 and the pump 80 and the heating unit 94, and the control 98 includes an auger switch 100 and a heating switch 102. Each of the auger 60 and the pump 80 is turned on when the auger switch 100 is positioned in an on position and each of the auger 60 and the pump 80 is turned off when the auger switch 100 is positioned in an off position. The heating coil 96 is turned on when the heating switch 102 is positioned in an on position and the heating coil 96 is turned off when the heating switch 102 is positioned in an off position.
In use, the auger 60 and the pump 80 is turned on the collect snow 42 from the road 44 and the snow 42 is directed into the box 16 for storage. The truck 12 is driven to a storm sewer inlet 104, or other access point to a municipal sewer system and the truck 12 is oriented to direct the drain 17 toward the storm sewer inlet 104. The heating coil 96 is turned on to melt the snow 42 into water 106 such that the water 106 drains outwardly from the drain 17 and into the storm sewer inlet 104. In this way the snow 42 in the box 16 does not have to be emptied at a collection point as is the common practice with municipal snow 42 removal activities. Furthermore, the truck 12 can continue snow 42 collection activities once the box 16 has been drained of the water 106. In this way the truck 12 can make a short trip to the nearest storm sewer inlet 104 rather than making the lengthy trip to the collection point thereby enhancing the speed and efficiency with which the road 44 can be cleared of snow 42.
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.
