Excavating – Snow or ice removing or grooming by portable device – Railway clearer
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-12
2004-06-15
Will, Thomas B. (Department: 3671)
Excavating
Snow or ice removing or grooming by portable device
Railway clearer
C037S219000, C037S237000, C037S389000, C037S391000, C037S464000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06748678
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to apparatuses and methods for moving snow, and more particularly to apparatuses and methods for removing snow from travel surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the snow removal industry, snow is ordinarily removed from travel surfaces such as roads, runways, driveways, bridges, parking lots, and the like for purposes of safety and improved user travel. Generally, snow is removed with a snowplow, a shovel, a blower, a broom, an auger, an air blower, or a combination thereof Despite numerous developments in snow removal technology, several problems still exist with conventional snow removal apparatuses and methods.
There is a need for a snow removal apparatus which can remove snow from obstructions and discontinuities in the travel surface. Travel surfaces often have features such as potholes, cracks, speed bumps, manhole covers, storm drains, rumble-strips, or other similar obstructions and discontinuities. Plows and other conventional snow removal apparatuses are frequently unable to remove snow from such features in the travel surface. The snow left in these areas can cause slippery spots on the travel surface, making the travel surface unsafe even after a snow removal apparatus has removed most of the snow. Additionally, snow which accumulates in these areas can contribute to the deterioration of the travel surface. Specifically, this snow can melt and seep into the travel surface, later expanding and contracting as the resulting water alternately freezes and thaws.
There is also a need for a snow removal apparatus which can remove snow from a travel surface with varying cross-sectional elevations. For example, travel surfaces such as roads and runways are often sloped or provided with a crown having a high central elevation and lower outer edges. Generally, the wider the travel surface, the larger the difference between such elevations. Alternatively, travel surfaces can slope inwardly from high outer edges to a central depressed gutter. This type of travel surface shape can serve a number of different purposes, such as to facilitate drainage down the center of the travel surface or to prevent pooling of melted snow, rainwater, runoff, waste, and the like.
Additionally, it is often necessary to remove all or nearly all of the snow from a travel surface. Some travel surfaces (e.g., airport runways and freeways) cannot be used or are dangerous to use unless snow is entirely or nearly entirely removed from the travel surface prior to use. In these applications it may not be sufficient to remove most of the snow from a travel surface, leaving patches of missed snow. These areas of missed snow can be highly dangerous and/or unacceptable and can cause slippery spots on the travel surface. Therefore, airports, freeways, and other similar facilities can be subject to shut-down until snow is entirely or nearly entirely removed from the travel surface. In these cases, delays in removing snow from the travel surface can cost the owners, operators, users, and customers of the travel surfaces significant amounts of lost time and/or money. It is therefore highly desirable to have a snow removal apparatus capable of removing all or nearly all snow from a travel surface or from a given area of a travel surface.
Conventional snow removal apparatuses generally remove snow relatively well from areas of the travel surface having the highest elevations. However, conventional snow removal apparatuses generally leave snow on areas of the travel surface having the lowest elevations. In applications in which it is particularly necessary to remove snow from crowned or centrally-depressed travel surfaces (e.g., freeways, highways, airport runways, and taxiways), conventional snow removal apparatuses must often make several passes to remove all or nearly all snow from the travel surface. Alternatively, multiple vehicles are needed to clear snow from the travel surface. Often, even after multiple passes have been made with conventional snow removal apparatuses, snow still remains in areas having the lowest elevations. Therefore, a need exists for a snow removal apparatus capable of removing snow from a travel surface having a varying cross-sectional elevation without necessitating numerous passes and without missing significant quantities of snow.
The speed with which a snow removal apparatus removes snow from a travel surface is also an important consideration. Removal of snow is generally a relatively labor intensive operation, and can therefore be fairly expensive and can require skilled operators for satisfactory results.
The durability of snow removal apparatuses is also an important design consideration. Snow removal apparatuses are often used in relatively extreme conditions. Also, because snow and/or darkness often conceals obstructions, discontinuities, and other features on a travel surface, it is desirable that the snow removal system be resilient enough to overcome these surface features without sustaining damage, causing damage to the connected vehicle or damaging the travel surface. To overcome hidden obstructions, discontinuities, and other features on travel surfaces, conventional snow removal apparatuses are often designed to jump or trip over such features. Unfortunately, the snow removal apparatus later returns to the travel surface having missed some snow and having permitted escape of snow beneath the blade. Additionally, the snow removal apparatus often jumps or bounces relatively high and then crashes down onto the travel surface, possibly damaging the snow removal apparatus, the vehicle to which the snow removal apparatus is attached, and/or the travel surface. Therefore, a snow removal apparatus is needed which can overcome these surface features without missing snow and without causing damage to the snow removal apparatus, the attached vehicle, or the travel surface.
Snow removal apparatuses that can be relatively easily mounted on and removed from vehicles V are highly desirable. In the snow removal industry, it is often necessary to remove snow removal apparatuses from vehicles when snowfall is unlikely or when the vehicle is needed for other operations. This need to remove or remount a snow removal apparatus on a vehicle occurs relatively frequently. In some cases, governments, municipalities, contractors, and owner-operators often use the same vehicles for snow removal and for other unrelated operations such as waste hauling and transportation of soil, gravel, and the like. For example, snowplows are often coupled to garbage trucks, dump trucks, and the like. Municipalities and contracting companies often employ these and other types of vehicles for multiple purposes (including snow removal). When these vehicles are not removing snow, it can be desirable to remove the snow removal apparatus from the vehicle to preserve the snow removal apparatus and to reduce the weight of the vehicle. Similarly, when snowfall does occur, it is often necessary to remount the snow removal apparatuses onto vehicles as rapidly as possible. It is therefore desirable to be able to remove the snow removal apparatus from a vehicle and to remount the snow removal apparatus on the vehicle relatively rapidly and relatively easily.
A snow removal apparatus that can throw snow relatively far from a travel surface is also highly desirable. It is highly desirable to throw snow away from the travel surface to prevent the snow from blowing or drifting back onto cleared areas. Additionally, snow piled immediately adjacent travel surfaces can pile up and reduce visibility, making corners and intersections particularly dangerous.
Conventional snow removal apparatuses are often unable to remove snow from unpaved or partially paved surfaces without damaging the travel surface. This is particularly true in applications in which the travel surface is not paved and/or is covered with organic material or with gravel (e.g., gravel driveways, athletic fields, hiking or biking trails, ice skating surfaces, railroad tracks, etc.). Conventional snow re
Beach Thomas A
Michael & Best & Friedrich LLP
Schmidt Engineering and Equipment, Inc.
Will Thomas B.
LandOfFree
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