Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Implements – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2001-06-12
Spisich, Mark (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Implements
Combined
C015S236020, C015S236060, C015S236080, C030S172000, CD32S049000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243906
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ice scraper assembly, and more particularly, to an ice scraper assembly which is used to remove ice and snow from vehicle windshields and windows and has multiple blades in contact with the working surface to more efficiently remove the ice and snow therefrom.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hand-held plastic scrapers for scraping ice and snow from the windshield of a vehicle are well-known. Typically, such scrapers include a single beveled scraping blade which extends from a handle portion thereof. In use, the user grasps the handle and scrapes the ice and snow from the windshield with the scraping blade. However, in inclement, cold conditions, the less physical exertion expended by the user, the better. In addition, the faster the ice and snow are removed, the faster the user can get out of the inclement conditions. Therefore, various prior ice scrapers have been designed to reduce the amount of energy expended by the user to remove snow and ice from the automobile windshield or to reduce the time necessary to scrape ice and snow from the vehicle.
In an attempt to reduce the amount of energy expended by the user, prior art ice scrapers have employed multiple blades on a single scraper. Representative examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,660 issued Jan. 19, 1988 to Hopkins, U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,222 issued Nov. 23, 1993 to Johnstone, II, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,540 issued Mar. 31, 1992 to Paschetto, and U.S. Design Pat. No. 294,416 issued Feb. 23, 1998 to Carroll. In the ice scraper of U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,660, a scraping blade extends from one end of the scraper which includes dual outwardly flared scraping arms. However, in the ice scraper of the '660 patent only one of the scraping arms (either the scraping edge or the shovel/squeegee edge) can be used at a time. Therefore, the energy expended by the user to utilize the ice scrapers of the '660 patent is the same as that of a single edge scraper.
In the ice scraper of U.S. Design Pat. No. 294,416, a dual removable blade assembly is employed wherein an upper blade assembly can apparently be removably secured to a lower blade assembly. However, a user must expend the same amount of energy utilizing the ice scraper of U.S. Design Pat. No. 294,416 as it appears that the blades of the upper and lower blade assemblies thereof would not simultaneously contact the windshield surface in a single scraping or cleaning action.
The ice scraper of U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,222 employs front and rear scraper blades which are positioned on opposite ends of the handle portion. However, the ice scraper of U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,222 is primarily concerned with providing added comfort to the user as the handle portion is supported by the blades positioned on opposite sides thereof. Notwithstanding that purported advantage, placing the blades on opposite sides of the handle requires more exertion by the user, as in order to benefit from the dual scraping design, the user must swipe a path which is more than the considerable distance between the two blades. Moreover, the two blades of the ice scraper of U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,222 only perform scraping action and thus this ice scraper does not provide an adequate cleaning blade assembly for removing the ice or snow after it has been scraped off the working surface of the vehicle or does not adhere to the vehicle working surface.
Although the ice scraper of U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,540 has multiple scraping surfaces, only a single scraping edge is provided on each side thereof. Therefore, for each scraping motion of the user, only one scraping edge is performing a scraping operation. In addition, the ice scraper of U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,540 does not include a blade assembly which acts as a squeegee. Accordingly, even if snow or ice is removed, partly or totally, from the vehicle windshield, it cannot be further removed as it will not be contacted again by another scraping edge.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly which has multiple blades in contact with the working/windshield surface t o more efficiently remove ice and snow therefrom.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly which reduces the amount of energy expended by the user to scrape and remove ice and snow from the working surface.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly which reduces the time necessary to scrape and remove ice and snow from the working surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly which includes a scraping blade assembly on one end of the handle portion which both face the working surface.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly wherein after the snow or ice has been partly or totally removed from the working surface, that dislodged ice or snow will again come in contact with another scraping blade to assist in further removing the ice or snow from the working/vehicle surface.
A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly which is designed to fracture and pulverize ice more efficiently.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly which is ergonomically designed for ease of use.
Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the ensuing detailed description and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a combination ice scraper and snow removal assembly is provided which reduces the amount of energy expended by the user to scrape and remove ice and snow from the working/windshield surface. This ice scraper and snow removal assembly includes a generally cylindrical main body portion having a brush-like member extending from one end thereof for removing ice and snow from the working surface. A scraping assembly is provided at the other end of the main body portion for scraping the ice and snow from the working surface.
This scraping assembly includes a toothed edge blade assembly and a cleaning blade removal assembly provided on the same end of the main body portion which both face the working surface. As a result, in a single swiping or scraping action of the user, the ice or snow can be dislodged from the working/windshield surface by the toothed edge blade assembly and then cleared and/or removed from that dislodged location by the cleaning blade removal assembly in a limited path of travel.
This scraping assembly includes at least three scraping blades with at least two of the scraping blades simultaneously contacting the working surface when the main body portion is at a predetermined angular orientation with respect to the working surface. Moreover, the cutting configuration of the scraping blades is designed to fracture and pulverize ice more efficiently. As a result, the ice, and snow is more efficiently removed from the working surface, and accordingly, less energy need be expended by the user to scrape and remove ice and snow from the working surface. In addition, less time is required to remove ice and snow from the working surface.
More particularly, a first blade of three scraping blades includes a continuous blade edge to provide a cleaning blade action for removing previously dislodged or non-adhered ice and snow from the working surface upon scraping or swiping action applied by the user to the main body portion. This continuous blade edge is positioned the most inwardly of the three scraping blades toward the main body porti
Holliday Brian
Kagel Pazit Vider
Kapec Jeffrey
Tanaka Kazuna
Frommer Lawrence & Haug
Haug, Esq. Edgar H.
Prestone Products Corporation
Ryan, Esq. Matthew K.
Spisich Mark
LandOfFree
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