Excavating – Snow or ice removing or grooming by portable device – Manually powered
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-01
2001-03-20
Cherry, Johnny D. (Department: 3652)
Excavating
Snow or ice removing or grooming by portable device
Manually powered
C294S054500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06202329
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing snow from an inclined surface, such as a rooftop. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved snow removal apparatus having a snow slide assembly for cutting snow and sliding it off the inclined surface, a snow rake assembly for raking snow off the inclined surface, and improved means for allowing the snow removal apparatus to traverse along the inclined surface without being hindered by uneven terrain or obstacles such as ridges, shakes, or tiles.
II. Description of the Prior Art
The unwanted accumulation of snow on rooftops is a perennial problem in northern climates. Over the course of a winter, such snow accumulation can present a substantial weight loading problem which stresses or damages structural roof members. Damaging the structural roof members may precipitate the need for costly roof repairs. If left unattended, this damage can also lead to roof collapse thereby presenting a significant safety risk.
Snow accumulation on rooftops can also lead to the formation of problematic “ice dams” along the eaves of the structure caused by alternate heating and cooling cycles during winter days and nights. Heat absorbed by the roof surface from inside, and from the sun on the outside of the structure, causes the snow to begin melting, but no heat is present over projecting eaves, and the water from melted snow refreezes when it runs down to the projecting unheated eave surface. The resulting ice formation along the eaves soon causes water to be dammed and thereby prevents the water from running off the roof. This water can seep underneath shingles and leak into the structure, oftentimes precipitating the need for costly repairs.
The foregoing cost and safety concerns have spawned various attempts at removing snow accumulation from rooftops. One approach involves placing heating elements along the eaves of a structure so as to supplement the melting process and allow water to drain completely from the roof. Although generally effective, these heating elements are often unsightly and require service, in addition to requiring a continual cost in supplying electrical energy for heating.
Another approach involves the use of a roof rake for pulling or pushing snow off the rooftop. A roof rake typically includes a generally planar snow moving surface rigidly coupled to an elongated handle assembly. The handle assembly may be gripped by a user who is not located on the roof to pull the snow moving surface from a position on the interior of the roof towards the eaves of the roof to remove a swath of snow. A drawback exists, however, in that the user must elevate the snow moving surface far into the interior of the inclined rooftop before lowering it into the snow. The physical strain associated with repeatedly lifting and lowering of the snow moving surface in this fashion can be problematic if not prohibitive for many users.
A still further approach involves the use of a snow slide device for removing snow from rooftops. A snow slide device typically includes an elongated handle member rigidly coupled to a horizontal snow cutting element having an elongated flexible sheet extending therefrom. Wheels of reduced diameter are typically provided to space the cutting element a close distance from the surface of the rooftop during snow removal. The handle assembly may be gripped by a user who is not located on the roof to push the snow cutting element up the rooftop. As the snow cutting element traverses up the rooftop, a swath of snow is cut out which slides off the roof under the force of gravity along the elongated flexible sheet coupled to the cutting element.
Snow slide devices are generally advantageous in that they allow users to simply push the cutting element under the snow without the need to engage in the repeated lifting and lowering required with roof rakes. However, the snow slide devices of the prior art lack the ability to remove snow from corner areas or angled sections on rooftops, as can be accomplished with roof rakes. Moreover, the wheels employed to space the cutting element off the surface of the rooftop are disadvantageously small and unable to negotiate uneven terrain or obstacles on rooftops such as ridges, shakes, or tiles. This can result in unwanted damage to the rooftop materials, possibly in the form of chipping or marring of the ridges, shakes, or tiles when the small wheels are unable to pass thereover.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved apparatus for removing snow from rooftops which solves the aforementioned drawbacks in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention solves the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art by providing an improved snow removal apparatus having a snow slide assembly for cutting snow and sliding it off the inclined surface, a snow rake assembly for raking snow off the inclined surface, and improved means for allowing the snow removal apparatus to traverse along the inclined surface without being hindered by uneven terrain or obstacles such as ridges, shakes, or tiles.
An elongated handle member is provided having a generally U-shaped frame rigidly attached at one end. The U-shaped frame includes a generally horizontal middle portion coupled generally perpendicularly to the end of the handle member. The U-shaped frame also includes generally vertical leg portions depending downwardly and angularly away from the middle portion. In one embodiment, wheels of increased diameter are provided on each of the leg portions as means for allowing the improved snow removal apparatus to traverse along the inclined surface without being hindered by uneven terrain or obstacles such as ridges, shakes, or tiles. This advantageously reduces the risk of damaging the roof materials, such as ridges, shakes, or tiles.
The snow slide assembly comprises a snow cutting element and an elongated flexible sheet. The snow cutting element is preferably a rod member extending between the opposing leg portions of the U-shaped frame near the ends thereof. The elongated flexible sheet is coupled to the snow cutting element at one end and extends longitudinally away in a generally co-aligned fashion with the handle member. During use, the user need only manipulate the handle member to slide the apparatus upwardly along the surface of the rooftop. The cutting element is spaced a predetermined distance from the rooftop and cuts under the snow to allow the snow to slide under the force of gravity off the rooftop along the elongated flexible sheet. In a preferred embodiment, the wheels of increased dimension are disposed in an offset relation to the cutting element, with the wheels located a predetermined distance above the cutting element, such that the cutting element is maintained in close proximity to the surface to be cleared.
The roof rake assembly includes a snow rake member retractably coupled to the U-shaped frame. When the user is pushing the apparatus upwards along the surface of the rooftop, the snow rake member is in a retracted position so as not to interfere with or impede the upward progress of the apparatus. Once the apparatus has been pushed to the inner portion of the rooftop, the snow rake member can be deployed into a raking position which allows the user to pull the apparatus downward along the rooftop and rake snow therefrom.
In one embodiment, the snow rake member comprises a generally rigid planar member hingedly coupled to the U-shaped frame toward the upper region of the leg portions. The hinged coupling allows the snow rake member to extend rearward toward the user, generally parallel to the surface of the rooftop, while the apparatus is being pushed upwardly along the rooftop. Once the upward progression of the apparatus is ceased, the snow rake member can be lowered into the raking position under the force of gravity and/or by jiggling the apparatus back and forth, after which point the user may pull the apparatus back down the rooftop to rake snow therefrom.
In an important aspect o
Supplee Joseph
Willing Glenn P.
Avalanche Manufacturing, L.L.C.
Cherry Johnny D.
De La Garza Charles H.
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