US3475838A - Snow scoop - Google Patents

Description

NOV. 4, 1969 K15 HAGEN ET AL SNOW SCOOP 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed March 22, 1966 INVENTOR. A 6. 34 BY M 3. M

Nov. 4, 1969 K. e. HAGEN ET SNOW SCOOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1966 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,475,838 SNOW SCOOP Kenneth G. Hagen, 650 Timber Lane, Devon, Pa. 19333, and Richard H. Horton, 580 Gulph Road, Wayne, Pa.

Filed Mar. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 536,418 Int. Cl. E01h /02; E02f 3/76; B62b 1/00 US. Cl. 37-53 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A manually-operated snow-removal implement which has a handle with an upturned hand-grip portion that produces better and more efiicient operation and which has a frame, blade, bucket, and wheels which are so designed and combined that a significantly superior result is accomplished.

This invention relates in general to manual snowremoval implements.

Until the making of this invention, manual snow removal was an arduous task. This was so because the person engaged in such a task had to lift and carry, or push, the snow in the course of removing it from a snow-laden surface and spend a relatively long period of time in a cold, unpleasant environment.

With the advent of this invention, lifting and carrying, or pushing, snow became no longer necessary: An operator of an implement embodying the subject invention neither lifts and carries the snow, as he must with a shovel, nor pushes the snow, as he must with a plow. When using this invention, he scoops the snow with a minimum expenditure of effort into a relatively large holding element and transports it without lifting and carrying it to the place where it is to be deposited.

Moreover, the use of a device embodying this invention decreases the time required to remove snow from a particular area, and therefore decreases the totality of effort by the person performing this work. Prior art manual snow-removal devices, as heretofore stated, require an operator to lift and carry, or push, the snow to be removed from a particular snow-laden area. Therefore the amount of snow which can be removed by any one pass of such a device is limited to the amount of snow that the operator can lift and carry, or push. Since an implement embodying the subject invention eradicates the need to lift and carry, or push, the snow to be removed from a particular area, the amount of snow removed in one pass may be greater than with a prior art device.

Furthermore, this invention vastly alters the concept of manual snow-removal implement design. In respect of devices of this kind heretofore known, the snow-handling element (usually called the blade, on a shovel or plow) is a structural member. By structural member we mean that the reactive force created by the manipulation of the blade against a snow-laden surface is transmitted through the blade to the handle and thence to the operator, the handle being connected to, and only to, the snow-handling element.

In respect of our invention, the snow-handling element (herein called the bucket) is not a structural member. The reactive force created by the manipulation of the implement against a snow-laden surface is not transmitted through the bucket. In addition, since manual snowremoval devices usually break where the handle and blade are connected as a result of the reactive force, our concept separates the functions of snow-handling and reactive force transmission to permit each to be accomplished with a maximum of efficiency and reliability. Obviously, since the absence of reactive force on the 3,475,838 Patented Nov. 4, 1969 bucket permits a less strong construction thereof, as well as of the connections between the bucket and its frame, this concept decreases the cost of manufacture of the bucket and makes the implement lighter and easier to manipulate.

With these factors in mind, we believe the general object of our invention may better be understood.

A general object of our invention is to provide a manual snow-removal implement which in use requires less effort on the part of its operator than is required when using a prior-art manual device.

Another general object of our invention is to permit the snow-handling element of a manual snow-removal implement to be less strong than such an element is on devices heretofore known.

Another general object of this invention is to provide a manual snow-removal implement which is easier to manipulate and has a better feel than devices of this sort heretofore known.

Other objects, both general and specific, and a more complete understanding of this invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an implement embodying the subject invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the manual thrust frame for the snow scoop shown in FIGURE 1 with the blade attached;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the snow scoop shown in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURES 4 through 8 are side views of the snow scoop and illustrate its use.

With reference to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the subject invention is the snow scoop shown in FIGURE 1. That implement comprises a snow-holding element or bucket 10, which is a scoop-like element having bottom portion 11 which is oriented substantially parallel to the surface upon which the implement rests (shown clearly in FIG. 3). This bottom portion being oriented substantially parallel to this surface reduces the effort expended in channeling the snow into the device, since, were it not parallel, the snow being handled would have to be moved up an inclined plane when directing it into the bucket. It also promotes a tobogganing effect, the importance of which will be described later.

The bucket 10 has raised or inclined portions 12 at its sides and 13 at its rear. The raised or inclined side and rear portions of the bucket 10' help to retain snow in the bucket when the scoop is advanced through the snow to collect snow in the bucket, and'when the scoop is moved to unload the snow accumulated therein. The bucket 10 is strengthened by ribs 14, which, as shown in FIG. I, extend from its front portion to its rear portion.

The bucket is made progressively more narrow from its front portion to its rear portion (FIGS. 1 and 2). The purpose for this is so that the path over which the wheels travel will be clear of snow, and also so that a surface abutting a wall or the side of a garage or house may be cleaned right to where the wall or the side of the garage or house abuts the surface being cleaned. The bucket 10 is constructed of a plastic composition, but it must be understood that, since it is not a structural member, it may be constructed of any one of many materials.

In FIG. 2 is illustrated the thrust frame to which the bucket 10 is connected. The thrust frame, shown generally as 18, has side frame members 19 which extend along the sides of the bucket 10 from its leading edge to its rear portion and are bowed to conform to the contour of the bucket (see FIG. 3). The thrust frame is constructed of tubular metal. A blade 20 is attached to the front ends of the thrust frame 18. This structural connection between the thrust frame 18 and the blade 20 is accomplished 3 with nuts and bolts, but it will be understood that any suitable means may be used.

It may be observed in FIG. 1 that the blade 20 is connected to the bucket by rivets 33, or other suitable fasteners and extends throughout the entire leading edge of the bucket 10. In addition, the lips 17 formed along the top of the inclined side portions 12 of the bucket 10 are connected to the side frame members 19 of the thrust frame by rivets 16, or other suitable fasteners.

The blade 20 is a flat piece of spring-tempered metal, bowed downwardly at its center portion. When a thrust is applied to the thrust frame by an operator, this is transmitted to the blade 20 principally at its Outer ends, at the points where it is connected to the thrust frame 18. Inasmuch as the blade is spring tempered, the force applied at its outer ends causes the blade to straighten, while at the same time maintaining an intimate contact throughout its entire length with the surface over which it is advanced. This construction prevents the center of the blade from losing contact with the surface. The blade 20 also is curved along its leading edge to allow the thrust generated by an operator to be concentrated at the center portion of the blade when a chipping operation is performed (FIG. 4). The blade 20, besides being spring tempered, is of suflicient depth, and the material of which it is made of sufficient strength, substantially to prevent deflection of the blade in the plane of the leading edge of the bucket 10, despite application of a reactive force and thrust to the blade occasioned by use of the scoop. This prevents transmission of this reactive force to the bucket. On the contrary, such force is transmitted to the ends or the blade 20, and thereafter through the thrust frame 18 to the operator. It should also be noted here that we have discovered that in order to attain maximum operating effectiveness, the blade 20 should assume an angle of approximately 17 with the surface on which it is resting when it and the wheels are in contact with that surface.

Mounted toward the rear of the bucket 10 and attached to the side members of the thrust frame 17 is a structural member 32. The rear portion of the bucket rests on this member and is supported thereby.

Extending rearwardly of the bucket 10 and integral with the thrust frame 18 is a handle. Of course, it must be realized that the handle need not be integral with the thrust frame and may be connected thereto in any suitable manner. Such a non-integral construction might be quite advantageous, for example, for packaging purposes. The handle is comprised of two side members 21 and 22, joined together by a transverse member 23. There is upturned hand-grip portion 24 toward the rear of the handle and in the vicinity of the transverse member 23, where a person operating the snow scoop may grasp it. This upturned hand-grip portion 24 is formed so that a line drawn from the leading edge of the blade 20 to any point on the up-turned portion (as exhibited in FIG. 3) would be substantially perpendicular to that upturned portion. This permits the operator to load the scoop with a natural pushing action without the need to flex his wrists to maintain firm contact between the blade 20 and the surface being cleaned. The orientation of the hand-grip portion also keeps it out of the operators face when snow is dumped from the bucket, as illustrated in FIG. 7, and permits him to walk in a comfortable, upright position when wheeling the loaded scoop to the dumping area, as in FIG. 6.

The side members 21 and 22 of the handle are drawn closer together toward the rear of the handle than they are at the rear portion of the bucket. This conforms to the natural position of the hands when operating the scoop, especially when dumping snow that has been collected in the bucket, and permits cleaning snow from a surface where it abuts a wall or similar structure without bringing the hands of the operator into contact with the wall or similar structure.

An axle 25 is mounted beneath the bucket on limbs 26 which subtend from the thrust frame 18. This axle has a U-shaped middle portion, as shown clearly in FIG. 2. The low part 27 of this U-shaped portion is placed adjacent to a ledge 28 (see FIG. 3) formed in the bottom of the bucket. The vertical side legs 29 of the axle extend up to the side of the bucket, as is shown in FIG. 3, and are integral with the axle portions 30 to which the wheels are attached. By including the vertical side legs 29, the diameter of the wheels may be larger than were there no such legs, while maintaining the bottom portion of the bucket substantially parallel to the surface to be cleaned. Furthermore, these vertical side legs expose less of the wheels beneath the bucket than were there no such legs. This feature, as well as the low part 27 of the axle being mounted adjacent the ledge 28 decreases the drag produced by the underside of the scoop and thereby contributes to the tobogganing effect produced by the bucket, the importance of which will be described hereinafter.

Furthermore, the axle 25 is mounted in such a way that when the bucket 10 has snow in it, the bottom of the bucket at its center portion rests upon the axle and is supported thereby. And, it should be understood that the position of the axle 25 with respect to the leading edge of the blade 20 is important for several reasons, one of which is that it determines the amount of movement of the handle and the force necessary to rotate the bucket 10 about the axle 25 while using the snow scoop. We have discovered that the relative positions of the blade 20, the axle 25, and the up-turned hand-grip portion 24 of the handle are interrelated, and that for optimum operating results the ratio of the distance from the axle 25 to the hand-grip portion 24 of the handle to the distance from the axle 25 to the leading edge of the blade 20 should be approximately 2 to 1.

Wheels 31 are mounted on the axle portions 30. It contributes to a superior operation of our snow scoop to use wheels large enough so that, when irregularities are encountered on the surface on which the scoop is being used, they are easily negotiated. However, when using our scoop like a toboggan, as will be described later, the wheels 31 extending below the bottom of the bucket produce a drag. Therefore, in addition to providing the vertical legs 28, which allow a larger wheel that would be allowable were the axle straight, the wheels themselves are made quite thin to reduce the drag.

The wheels 31 have no tread. This prevents them from picking up any significant amount of snow, which would interfere with the operation of the implement. Furthermore, the wheels 31 are constructed of polystyrene plastic, or similar plastic, or siliconized aluminum, to which snow Will not stick.

To use the snow scoop described heretofore, the scoop is positioned with its front portion facing a snow-laden surface which is to be cleaned. The distribution of weight, and specifically the position of the center of gravity, in the scoop are such as to cause the scoope to stand upright, only the wheels 31 and the leading edge of the blade 20 being in contact with the ground. An operator grasps the upturned hand-grip portions 24 at a specific location consistent with his height and comfort.

Force is applied by the operator through the upturned hand-grip portion. The design of the scoop causes this force or thrust to be concentrated toward the leading edge of the blade 20. As more force is applied, the spring tempered blade 20, which is forced downwardly, straightens out, forming an intimate contact with the surface, and the scoop commences to advance over the snow-laden surface. As it moves, the leading edge of the blade 20 rustles the snow, and the advance of the scoop channels the snow into the bucket 10, as illustrated in FIG. 5. When the bucket is filled to its capacity, which as stated heretofore is greater than that of priorart manual snow-removal devices, the operator grasps the transverse extension 23, like one would grasp a handle on a wagon. Capitalizing on the low rolling friction of the wheel, the scoop may then be pulled-or if it is desired pushedto a point where the snow is to be deposited, as is shown in FIG. 6. There, the scoop is pivoted about the leading edge of the blade 20, as shown in FIG. 7, whereupon the snow falls out of the bucket.

The snow in the bucket may also be removed by applying a swift force in a rearwardly direction, as shown in FIG. 8, which in effect causes the bucket to move from beneath the snow.

If it is desired to remove ice or packed snow from a particular area, the leading edge of the blade 20 may be used to chip this ice, as is illustrated in FIG. 4. The curve in the leading edge of the blade causes the force imparted by the operator to be concentrated at the center of the blade to improve the results of a chipping operation.

Also, it will be appreciated that the relative rigidity of the blade in the plane of the leading edge of the bucket causes the reactive force created by the contact of the blade with surface to be cleaned to be transmitted, not through the bucket 10, which is a non-structural member, but rather through the thrust frame to either the wheels or the handle and then to the operator. This important result enables the bucket itself to be constructed less strong than it would were it a structural member. Also, the connection of the bucket and the thrust frame can be less strong than were the bucket a structural member. It is important to note here that prior art manual snow-removal devices are prone to fail where the handle is connected to the snow receiving and holding element because that element is a structural member of the device. Since the bucket in the subject invention is not a structural element, this weak point is eliminated, and, therefore, the reliability of the device is enhanced.

When using our snow scoop, usually the Wheels are in contact with the surface which is being cleaned of snow. However, for deep or drifted snow this is not possible or desirable. It is then that the substantially flat contours of the bottom of the bucket allows the scoop to slide over the snow, like a toboggan. This may be accomplished either by pulling the scoop like a wagon or pushing it.

As we have stated heretofore, certain features of our snow scoop contribute to this tobogganing effect. The flat-contoured bottom of the bucket is oriented substantially parallel to the snow-laden surface. This causes a superior angle of attack when an operator attempts to toboggan the scoop over a mound of snow. The axle 25 is tucked in behind a ledge 28 formed in the bottom of the bucket to reduce drag. And the position of the wheels 31 is raised by the vertical legs 29 of the axle and the wheels are made as thin as practicable, both to reduce drag.

Furthermore, it will be understood that, although we prefer to include wheels on a physical embodiment of our invention, the scoop described herein can be made substantially the same without including the axle and wheels. With such a construction, the tobogganing effect produced by the bucket becomes more important.

Although we have described our invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

We claim:

1. A snow scoop for scooping snow from a snowcovered surface comprising a snow receiving and holding bucket having a leading edge formed to cause snow to enter said bucket when it is moved through snow lying on a snow-laden surface, a blade attached to and extending from side to side of the leading edge Wheels for supporting the scoop, said wheels being mounted beneath said snow receiving and holding bucket to the rear of the said leading edge, a manual thrust frame for the scoop having structural side frame members joined to gether to the rear of the bucket and having a handle portion for applying force to advance the scoop through the snow extended downwardly along the sides of the bucket to the end of and connected to the blade element, wherein said blade is bowed downwardly from said snow receiving and holding bucket and is spring tempered so that when force is applied to the scoop through the handle, the blade upon contacting the snow-laden surface is straightened.

2. A snow scoop according to claim 6 wherein said snow receiving and holding bucket has a bottom portion which is substantially parallel to the snow-covered urface when said wheels and said blade are in contact therewith.

3. A snow scoop according to claim 7 wherein said handle portion has an upturned hand-grip portion, said upturned hand-grip portion being an elongated member which is substantially perpendicular to a line extending from the leading edge of the bucket to any point on the upturned portion.

4. A snow scoop for scooping snow from a snowcovered surface comprising a snow receiving and holding bucket having a leading edge, a blade element extending along and throughout the leading edge of the bucket, a manual thrust frame for holding the bucket, said frame having structural side frame members extending along the sides of the bucket and connected to the end of the blade element and having a handle portion for applying force to the scoop, wherein said blade is bowed downwardly from said bucket and is spring tempered so that when force is applied to the handle portion, the blade upon contacting the snow-covered surface is straightened.

5. A snow scoop according to claim 4 having wheels mounted beneath said snow receiving and holding bucket and to the rear of the said leading edge.

6. A snow scoop according to claim -5 wherein said handle portion has an upturned hand-grip portion, said upturned hand-grip portion being an elongated member which is substantially perpendicular to a line extending from the leading edge of the bucket to any point on the upturned portion.

7. A snow scoop according to claim 6 wherein said snow receiving and holding bucket has bottom, side, and rear portions, said bottom, side, and rear portions being integral, and wherein said bottom portion of said bucket is substantially parallel to the snow-covered surface when said wheels and said blade are in contact therewith.

8. A snow scoop for scooping snow from a snowcovered surface comprising a snow receiving and holding bucket having a leading edge formed to cause snow to enter said bucket when it is moved through snow lying on a snow-laden surface and having bottom, side, and rear portions to retain snow in the bucket, a blade attached to and extending from side to side of the leading edge, wheels for supporting the scoop, said wheels being mounted beneath said snow receiving and holding bucket and to the rear of the said leading edge, a manual thrust frame of the scoop having structural side frame members extending along the sides of the bucket and connected to the blade and having a handle portion for applying force to advance the scoop through the snow, wherein said blade is bowed downwardly from said snow receiving and holding bucket and is spring tempered so that when force is applied to the scoop through the handle, the blade upon contacting the snow-laden surface is straightened, and wherein said bottom, side, and rear portions of said bucket are integral and said bottom portion is substantially parallel to the snow-covered surface when said wheels and said blade are in contact therewith.

9. A snow scoop for scooping snow from a snowcovered surface comprising in combination a snow-receiving bucket having a front portion adapted to channel snow into the bucket when the bucket is moved through snow,

a frame for the bucket, said frame comprising side members extending from the front portion along the sides of the bucket and rearwardly thereof and having a portion for grasping the scoop and applying force thereto, a blade extending from side to side of the front portion of the bucket and secured to the front ends of the side members and to the bucket, a strengthening member connected to the side members of the-frame, an axle member connected to the side members between the blade and the strengthening member, the strengthening member and axle member being so oriented with respect to the bucket that the bucket is supported thereby, and wheels mounted on the ends of said axle member.

10. A snow scoop comprising a snow-receiving bucket having a leading edge adapted to be advanced adjacent to a snow-laden surface as to scoop snow therefrom, said bucket having bottom, side, and rear portions, a blade element extending along and throughout the leading edge of the bucket, a manual thrust frame for the scoop having structural side frame members joined together to the rear of the bucket and extended forwardly along the sides of the bucket to the end of the blade element, structural connections between the front ends of the side frame members and the ends of the blade element for transmission of the scoop operating thrust from the thrust frame to the blade element, the leading edge of the bucket being secured to the blade element and the blade element UNITED STATES PATENTS 861,308 7/1907 McMann 280-4726 1,015,969 1/1912 McCrary 37-130 2,852,872 9/1958 Benz 37-130 2,852,873 9/1958 Benz 37130 3,017,710 1/ 1962 Carlson 280-4726 569,830 10/1896 Hunt 15-25.79 2,666,309 4/1950 Anderson et al. 15-257.7 3,007,263 11/1961 Lair 37-53 3,024,547 3/1962 Harrison 37-130 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner E. H. EICKHOLT, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

mgg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,475 ,838 Dated November 4 1969 Inven fl Kenneth G. Ha en and Richard H. Horton It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

F- In Column 2 line 7, the word "object" should be corrected to read objects--.

In Column 4 line 58, "scoope" should be corrected to read --scoop--.

In Column 6, line 12 "claim 6" should be corrected to read--claim 1-- line 17, "claim 7" should be corrected to read -claim 2- and line 60 "of" should be corrected to read -for-.

In Column 7, line 16, the word --so-- should be inserted between the words "surface" and "as".

SIGNED AND SEALED (SEAL) Attest:

Edward M Fletcher, Ir.

Amma Offi WILLIAM E. 'SUHUYLER, JR.

Commissioner of Patents-

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