US3483643A - Snow scraper - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1969 E. w. WENZEL SNOW SCRAPER Filed NOV. 22, 1967 Fl(3.l

INVENTOR .EE/Mfdu his) Ids/1125;. Q2 2? ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 3,483,643 SNOW SCRAPER Erickson Wey Wenzel, Silver Lake Road, Rte. S, Traverse City, Mich. 49684 Filed Nov. 22, 1967, Ser. No. 685,138 Int. Cl. Etllh 5/02; A47] 13/02 US. C]. 37-53 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to snow scrapers. In one of its aspects it relates to a snow scraper having a pair of runners attached together at one end and being spaced apart and generally curved upwardly at the other end thereof, a scraper blade rotatably atached between the runners, the blade being so positioned and shaped that when the blade is rotated away from the runners, the bottom of the blade will be positioned below the surface of the runners, and means to restrain the extent of rotation of the blade with respect to the runners.

In another one of its aspects, the invention relates to a snow scraper especially adapted for cleaning snow from rooftops and the like as has been herein before described wherein a motion limiting means for the blade is provided to limit the extent of rotation away from the runners to a scraping position and to limit the rotation of the blade toward the runners when in a sliding position.

A primary reguisite of a rooftop snow scraper is that the implement be permitted to move upwardly or away from the edge of the roof without pushing the snow in that direction. Another requirement is that when the implement is pulled toward the edge of the roof, the snow be pulled along and 01f the roof.

Many implements have been designed for removing snow from rooftops. Most of the implements heretofore devised have attempted a compromise between these two functions. When the implement is made so that it will readily slide over the snow on the roof, it is inefficient in removing the snow from the roof when it is pulled toward the roof edge. Conversely, when a good scraping implement is provided, the implement also pushes the snow up or away from the edge of the roof.

I have now discovered a roof snow scraper which can be pushed up the roof without pushing snow and which scraper will pull the snow down from the roof when it is pulled toward the edge of the roof, by employing a rotatable scraper blade with a rotation limiting means on the structure.

By various aspects of this invention, one or more of the following, or other, objects can be obtained.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved snow scraper.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved implement for removing snow from rooftops.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved scraper adapted to be pushed up a roof without pushing the snow in that direction, and yet adapted to pull the snow from the roof when pulled in the opposite direction.

Patented Dec. 16, 1969 "ice It is yet another object of this invention to provide a roof snow scraper which has an active and inactive position wherein the scraper is inactive when moved in a first direction and active when moved in a second direction, and wherein the pulling of the scraper against the snow activates the scraper to the active position.

Other aspects, objects and the several advantages of this invention are apparent to one skilled in the art from a study of this disclosure, the drawings, and the appended claims.

According to the invention, there is provided a snow scraper, preferably for rooftops, which snow scraper employs a pair of runners attached together at one end and being spaced and curved generally upwardly at the other end. The pair of runners has a scarper blade rotatably attached there between which blade is rotatable away from and toward the runners such that the free end of the blade can be positioned near the runners or below the runners. Means are provided to restrain the rotation of the blade such that in one extreme position the blade is in a scraping position, and in the other position, the blade is in a sliding position. Handle means are attached to the runners to pull and push the scraper over the snow.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG' 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 as it is pushed upwardly on a rooftop containing snow; and

FIG. 3 is a elevational view of a rooftop similar to FIG. 2 showing the operation of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as the snow scraper is pulled downwardly on the rooftop.

Referring now to the drawings, the snow scraper has a handle 2 with a pair of runners 4 attached to the handle with bolts 3. The runners are spaced from each other at the other end and have a generally upwardly turned configuration at 18 and 20. A hinged scraper blade is rotatably attached to each runner by pins 24 and 26. A chain 16 and 12 limit the extent of rotation of the free end of the scraper blade 8 away from the runners. Brackets 14 and 16 are attached to the scraper blade and projecting outwardly thereof limit the extent of totation of the free end of scraper blade toward the runners 4 and 6.

In operation, as shown in FIG. 2, the device is placed on a roof with the upwardly turned ends 18 and 20 facing upwardly. As the handle is pushed upwardly, scraper blade 8 will be rotated such that the free end is positioned near the curved runners. Brackets 14 and 16 will contact the runners to prevent the scraper blade 8 from being positioned within the plane of the runners. In this condition, however, the implement will freely move over the top of the snow without scraping or pushing the same so long as it is moved in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2.

When the implement has been pushed upwardly on the rooftop 22 far enough, the handle 2 is pulled downwardly. The snow will catch under scraper blade 8 due to the fact that bracket 16 has provided a space between the free edge of the scraper blade 8 and the runners 6 and 4. As the handle is pulled downwardly on the rooftop, the snow will cause the scraper blade to rotate such that the free end would be substantially perpendicular to the plane or the runners. In this position, the chain 10 and 12 will limit the rotation of the scraper blade 8 so that I'the scraper blade will pull the snow off the roof as shown in FIG. 3.

The free ends of runners 18 and 20 are extended a spaced distance from the blade 8 so that the runners 18 and 20 will catch on the rooftop at the edge when the snow has been pulled off the edge of the roof. The scraper can then be pushed back up the roof adjacent the cleared ,path without having to lift the scraper up to the roof again.

The brackets 14 and 16 preferably extend out beyond the edge of scraper blade 8 and have a curved outer surface so that the edge of the scraper blade will not damage the roof. As the snow is being pulled from the rooftop, curved brackets contact the rooftop.

Whereas the invention has been described with relation to a particular embodiment, it is obvious that other embodiments can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, brackets 14 and 16 could be replaced by small projections on the runners themselves to prevent the scraper blade from falling within the confines of the curved runners. Further, the runners themselves and/or the scraper blade could be so shaped as to maintain a space between the free edge of scraper blade 8 and the runners 4 and 6. Other means could also be devised for limiting the rotation of the scraper blade away from the runners 4 and 6.

I claim:

1. A snow scraper for use in removing snow from roofs and the like, said snow scraper comprising:

a pair of runners being spaced apart and curved generally upwardly at one end, said runners being constructed so as to ride over the surface of snow;

a handle rigidly fixed to said runners at another end thereof so that said runners are supported by said handle;

a scraper blade having a pivoted end and a free end, said pivoted end being fixed between said runners a spaced distance from said one end so that said free end extends and freely swings below the bottom surface of said runner;

means to limit the rotational movement of said scraper blade such that said free end can rotate between a point just below the bottom surface of said scraper blade closest to said handle relative to said pivoted end on said scraper blade, to a point a predetermined distance away from said runners, whereby as said snow scraper is pushed up along a snow covered roof, said runners and said scraper blade ride on top of the snow, and as said snow scraper is pulled downwardly toward the supported end of said handle, said free end of said blade swings downwardly to catch the snow and thereby pull it from the roof.

2. A snow scraper according to claim 1 wherein said runners are formed from tubular members.

3. A snow scraper according to claim 1 wherein said rotation limiting means comprises at least one chain connected at one end to said runners between the point of attachment of said blade to said runners and the other ed of said runners from said curved portion, said chain being connected at the other end to said rotatable blade such that said blade is prevented from rotating more than a predetermined distance away from said runners.

4. A snow scraper according to claim 3 wherein said rotation restraining means further comprises a means to space a free end of said scraper blade a predetermined distance from said runners when said free end of said scraper blade is closest to said runners.

5. A snow scraper according to claim 1 wherein said rotation limiting means includes at least one pin extending outwardly of said scraper blade and being so shaped and positioned as to abut against a bottom surface of one of said runners so that when said scraper blade is pulled toward said supported end of said handle, the snow will catch under said blade and thereby cause said free end of said scraper blade to rotate away from said runners to pull the snow therewith.

6. A snow scraper for removing snow from rooftops comprising a pair of runners spaced apart, a handle fixed to one end of said runners, a scraper blade rotatably attached at one end thereof to each of said runners at a point intermediate the ends thereof so that a free end of said scraper blade freely swings below a bottomI surface of said runners, positioning means between said runners and said scraper blade to maintain the free end of said scraper blade below the general plane defined by said runners and nearest said handle relative to said one end of said scraper blade, and rotation limiting means to re strain the extent of rotation of said scraper blade away from said runners such that when said snow scraper is pulled down a rooftop toward an edge said scraper blade will pull snow on said rooftop over the edge of the roof, said runners having a free end extending away from said blade a sufiicient distance that when said blade falls off a roof edge, said runners will catch on the rooftop and prevent said snow scraper from falling off of said rooftop.

7. A snow scraper according to claim 6 wherein said positioning means comprises a bracket which extends out beyond the edge of said scraper blade and said bracket has a curved outer surface such that said curved surface will contact said rooftop when said scraper blade is pulling snow from said rooftop. 1

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 289,131 11/1883 Patten 37-123 403,661 5/1889 Hall 37-122 534,257 2/1895 Fox 37122 615,036 11/1898 Mulder 37l23 842,704 1/ 1907 Robins 37123 1,100,197 6/1914 Plummer 37-l23 2,710,465 6/ 1955 Timerson 37-53 3,218,738 11/1965 Bowerman 37-53 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner EUGENE H. EICKHOLT, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. l5236; 29454

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