Patent Application
20160258123
1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to vaporization devices and more particularly pertains to a new vaporization device for vaporizing snow while the snow is being collected.
2. Summary of the Disclosure
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vehicle that has a cab and a box. The cab has a front side and the box has a top side. A collection unit is attached to the vehicle and the collection unit collects snow while the vehicle is driven. A vaporizing unit is positioned within the box and the vaporizing unit is in fluid communication with the collection unit. The vaporizing unit converts the snow collected by the collection unit into steam. The vaporizing unit expels the steam from the vehicle.
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 collection unit 26 is attached to the vehicle 12 to collect snow 28 while the vehicle 12 is driven. The collection unit 26 comprises a chute 30 that has a collection portion 32 and a duct portion 34. The collection portion 26 has a first lateral side 36, a second lateral side 38, a front end 40 and the front end 40 is open. The collection portion 26 is attached to the front side 18 of the cab 14 and the front end 40 of the collection portion 26 is directed forwardly from the cab 14 to collect the snow 28 while the vehicle 12 is driven. The duct portion 34 extends between the collection portion 26 and the box 16, placing the collection portion 26 is in fluid communication with the box 16.
An auger 42 is provided that is rotatably attached to the chute 30 and the auger 42 is positioned within the collection portion 26. The auger 42 extends between the first lateral side 36 and the second lateral side 38 and the auger 42 urges the snow through the duct portion 34 and into the box 16. The auger 42 is in mechanical communication with the vehicle 12 whereby the vehicle 12 selectively rotates the auger 42.
A vaporizing unit 44 is positioned within the box 16 and the vaporizing unit 44 is in fluid communication with the collection unit 26. The vaporizing unit 44 converts the snow 28 collected by the collection unit 26 into steam 46 and the vaporizing unit 44 expels the steam 46 from the vehicle 12. The vaporizing unit 44 comprises a first tank 45 positioned within the box 16. The first tank 45 is fluidly coupled to the duct portion 34 of the chute 30 such that the first tank 45 receives the snow 28 urged by the auger 42.
A first heating element 48 is coupled to the first tank 45 and the first heating element 48 is electrically coupled to the vehicle 12. The first heating element 48 heats the first tank 45 to a temperature that is above a melting point of the snow 28 thereby facilitating the first heating element 48 to melt the snow 28 contained in the first tank 45 into water 50. The first heating element 48 may comprise an electrical heating element or the like. A first filter 52 is positioned within the box 16 and the first filter 52 is fluidly coupled to the first tank 45. The first filter 52 receives the water 50 from the first tank 45 such that the first filter 52 filters the water 50. The first filter 52 may be a particulate filter or the like.
A second tank 54 is positioned within the box 16 and the second tank 54 is fluidly coupled to the first filter 52 to receive the water 50 filtered by the first filter 52. A second heating element 56 is coupled to the second tank 54 and the second heating element 56 is electrically coupled to the vehicle 12. The second heating element 56 heats the second tank 54 to a temperature above a boiling point of the water 50 to convert the water 50 contained in the second tank 54 into steam 46. The second heating element 56 may comprise an electrical heating element or the like.
A second filter 60 is positioned within the box 16 and the second filter 60 is fluidly coupled to the second tank 54. The second filter 60 receives the steam 46 from the second tank 54 whereby the second filter 60 removes odor from the steam 46. The second filter 60 may be a charcoal filter or the like. A pump 62 is positioned within the box 16 and the pump 62 is electrically coupled to the vehicle 12. The pump 62 is fluidly coupled to the second filter 60 whereby the pump 62 communicates a suction pressure to the first tank 45. The pump 62 urges the water 50 from the first tank 45 into the second tank 54 and the pump 62 urges the steam 46 from second tank 54 into the pump 62. Additionally, the pump 62 urges the snow 28 from the duct portion 34 into the first tank 45. The pump 62 may be an electrically actuated fluid pump or the like.
A plurality of nozzles 64 is provided and each of the nozzles 64 is coupled to the top side 20 of the box 16. The nozzles 64 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed between the front end 22 of the box 16 and the back end 24 of the box 16.
Additionally, the nozzles 64 may be arranged in a pair of rows 66 that are spaced apart from each other. Each of the nozzles 64 has a distal end 68 with respect to the top side 20 of the box 16 and the distal end 68 of each of the nozzles 64 is open. Each of the nozzles 64 is fluidly coupled to the pump 62 whereby the pump 62 urges the steam 46 outwardly through the distal end 68 of the nozzles 64.
In use, the vehicle 12 is driven in order to collect the snow 28. The snow 28 is melted in the first tank 45 and the water 50 is boiled into the steam 46 in the second tank 54. The steam 46 is expelled through the nozzles 64 while the vehicle 12 collects the snow 28. The vaporizing unit 44 allows the snow 28 to be collected without having to deposit the snow 28 in a collection area after the snow 28 has been collected.
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.
