Excavating – Snow or ice removing or grooming by portable device – Vehicle mount with obstacle responsive trip – or yieldable tool
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-09
2001-08-07
Kim, Harry C. (Department: 3629)
Excavating
Snow or ice removing or grooming by portable device
Vehicle mount with obstacle responsive trip, or yieldable tool
C037S270000, C037S282000, C403S024000, C403S220000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269556
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a holder for connecting a blade to the lower edge of a snow-clearing device, such that the blade is given a cutting (acute) angle to the base and can be folded backwards, thereby avoiding damage when running into an obstacle, and automatically resume its cutting angle after passing the obstacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the first place, the invention is intended for use on a snow-clearing device comprising a plough wing, snow scraper or snow blade which is supported by a vehicle or device carrier of some type and which in its lower part has at least one blade serving to engage the ground with its cutting edge and ensure a snow-cutting and snow-raising action. Use is normally made of a plurality of relatively short blades which are mounted side by side along the lower edge of the snow-clearing device.
It is desirable that the device can remove substantially all loose snow lying on a roadway, i.e. as far as possible also snow lying in cavities in the form of e.g. ruts in the roadway, to provide a safe base. This means that the blades of the snow-clearing device must be able to operate in close engagement with the roadway, which can be achieved if they are flexibly fixed to the lower part of the plough and thus can be individually inclined in the lateral direction relative to the lower part of the plough. It is also desirable that the device can cut or scrape away snow or ice adhering to the roadway. Moreover, it should be possible to carry out the above-mentioned snow-clearing work at high speed. It goes without saying that snow-clearing under these conditions subjects both the snow-clearing device and the device carrier to heavy stress, and they can be damaged if the blade strikes against a stationary obstacle, for instance, protruding gutters, kerbs, and railway tracks.
To protect the device and the device carrier against damage arising in case of running into an obstacle, it is previously known to mount the blade to be pivotable backwards, against the action of a spring, about a hinge located above the blade. In this case, the blade must be essentially vertically oriented to the roadway, thereby making it possible for the lower edge of the blade to move backwards/upwards without causing a lifting motion of the device. It is not possible to position the blade at an evidently positive angle relative to the vertical plane, i.e. with the lower edge of the blade extended forwards in the travelling direction. With this design, the blade therefore operates with a scraping effect against the roadway, thereby making it necessary to press the blade against the roadway relatively firmly to ensure good snow-clearing results. The construction also results in the snow-throwing ability being limited.
A prior-art arrangement for protecting devices and device carriers when the blade is oriented at an acute, cutting angle to the roadway is disclosed in International Patent Application WO 95/23894. The blade is hingedly attached to the front end of a forwardly extended pivot arm. When running into an obstacle, the blade can, against the action of a spring, be folded backwards while at the same time the pivot arm is raised against the action of another spring. In this construction, the blade has a positive angle relative to the vertical plane and also vertical flexibility relative to the roadway. However, a drawback is the fact that the blades cannot be inclined in the lateral direction and, thus, do not achieve the flexibility that is required to obtain a good snow-clearing effect on a rutted roadway. Besides, the mechanical construction requires much repair and maintenance since it is subjected to heavy wear and is easily damaged in this environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved blade holder of the type mentioned by way of introduction, i.e. which is adapted to orient the blade at an acute, cutting angle to the roadway and which has an automatic folding back effect when running into an obstacle. A further object is to provide a blade holder which under all snow-clearing conditions gives the blades good flexibility and close engagement with the roadway, i.e. also on roadways with ruts and ridges. One more object is to provide a simple, robust and light construction which has no mechanical hinges. It should be possible to use the same type of blade holder for all types of snow-clearing devices which are provided with blades, e.g. front mounted ploughs, side wing ploughs, rear mounted ploughs, snow scrapers and blades mounted underneath, which makes it possible for the user of the device to simplify and standardise his stock-keeping of wearing parts and spare parts.
These and other objects and advantages, which will appear from the following specification, are achieved by a holder as defined in the claims.
The inventive holder comprises a trilateral hollow beam, the three sides of the beam forming respectively: a first fixing element (
3
) which is adapted to be fixed to the lower edge (
6
) of the snow-clearing device; a second fixing element (
4
) which is adapted to engage the back of the blade (
7
), and a support element (
5
) connecting the other two elements (
3
,
4
) to a triangular cross-section of the hollow beam (
1
), at least the second fixing element (
4
) and the support element (
5
) being made of an elastic polymer material ensuring that each element, i.e. each side of the hollow beam, is resilient in the transverse direction and bendable about its longitudinal direction; and means for attaching the blade to the hollow beam (
1
). The holder is characterised in that the hollow beam (
1
) has such a shape that, when mounted against the lower edge (
6
) of the device, the second fixing element (
4
) and the support element (
5
) are directed obliquely downwards/forwards and meet in a corner in front of the lower edge (
6
) of the device; that the hollow beam is adapted to fix the blade along a line along the lower part of the second fixing element (
4
) close to said corner of the beam, the second fixing element (
4
) and the support element (
5
), in operation of the device, exerting on the blade a pressure spring action directed obliquely downwards/forwards, and that said elements (
4
,
5
) are adapted, on overloading, to buckle, the support element (
5
) being adapted to buckle towards the cavity (
2
) of the beam, and the second fixing element (
4
) being adapted to buckle forwards/upwards.
Preferably, the trilateral hollow beam has the same length as the blade that has been chosen. Normally, each blade consists of a section of 600-1800 mm, and a plurality of such sections are arranged side by side along the lower edge of the plough.
The invention is based on the idea of forming of a flexible material a blade holder which operates as pressure springs over the length of the blade and presses the blade in its direction of engagement against the roadway, thereby making it possible for the blade to follow the roadway in the vertical direction and to be automatically inclined in the lateral direction for close engagement in ruts and on ridges in the roadway.
The blade holder orients the blade at an acute, cutting angle relative to the roadway, which results in good clearing and snow-throwing ability. The blade is folded backwards when striking against stationary obstacles such as gutters, kerbs etc. and automatically resumes its operating position after passing the obstacle. This is achieved by the second fixing element and the support element being adapted to be folded (buckled) when subjected to an overloading pressure, such that the blade is temporarily folded backwards and then is moved back to its operating position by the elasticity of the elements.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3465456 (1969-09-01), Meyer
patent: 4249357 (1981-02-01), Cornou
patent: 4899472 (1990-02-01), Winter
patent: 5638617 (1997-06-01), Belanger et al.
patent: 25 52 058 (1977-05-01), None
patent: 42 04 109 (1993-08-01), None
patent: 95/23894 (1995-09-01), None
AB Mahler & Soner
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
Kim Harry C.
LandOfFree
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