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Under vehicle snow-shovelRelated Patent Categories: Excavating, Snow Or Ice Removing Or Grooming By Portable Device, Scraper Blade, Mounted On Surface Contacting Support Or Guide, Manually PoweredUnder vehicle snow-shovel description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070028487, Under vehicle snow-shovel. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates in general to a snow removal apparatus and method for removal of snow from underneath a vehicle, and in particular to a snow-shovel apparatus and method for removal of compacted snow from underneath a vehicle which is stuck and possibly hungup in the snow. [0002] Often times during the winter in snowy climates the depth of the snow is sufficient to prevent enough traction between a vehicles tires and the ground or road surface. For example, a snowstorm that delivers 18'' of snow is enough to prevent a passenger vehicle from driving on non-plowed roads. Even a storm that delivers only 6'' of snow, if combined with blowing and drifting, can make roads impassable for many passenger vehicles. Driving on such unplowed roads can cause a vehicle to begin to plow snow with the undercarriage of the vehicle if the snow is deeper than the vehicles ground clearance. Plowing snow causes the snow to compact, and when the snow which the vehicle is plowing with its undercarriage becomes compact and dense enough, the vehicle's under carriage will begin to ride up on the compacted snow, unweighting the tires and causing a loss of traction, thereby causing the vehicle to become hung-up and stuck in the compacted snow. This is especially true when there is considerable blowing and drifting of snow taking place, because snow drifts are already partially compacted by the wind. [0003] For this reason, roads and streets are plowed, moving snow from the center of the road to the shoulders of the road resulting in a road surface that allows a passenger vehicle to pass. Plowing roads, thereby moving all of the snow to the sides of the road creating snow banks can create its own set of problems because plowing compacts snow, increasing its density and cohesiveness, thereby creating snowbanks that are much harder and more compacted than freshly fallen snow. On the occasion that roads become icy and slippery during the winter, vehicles may lose control and drive off the road becoming hung-up and stuck in these snowbanks. [0004] There is also the matter that plows naturally throw up a snowbank across every driveway that they pass on the street or roadway, oftentimes plowing them in and plugging them up. Waiting for such driveways to be plowed or blown out is not always an available option and the choice is then to shovel the driveway open or try and drive through the snowbank. Attempting to drive through a snowbank often leads to a vehicle becoming hungup and stuck in the snowbank. [0005] There is also the matter of vehicles parked on the side of the road or street during a snowstorm which will oftentimes get plowed in. As the plow comes along early in the morning passing the parked vehicles, snow pushed by the plow forms a snow bank around the parked vehicles, as well as being thrown underneath the vehicles due to the high initial velocity of the snow coming off of the plows blade. There is again a choice of shoveling first or just trying to drive out. The driving out choice often leads to a vehicle becoming hung-up and stuck in a snowbank. [0006] Once a vehicle has become hung up and stuck in the snow, it must either be towed out, pushed out, or shoveled out. Having a vehicle towed out of a snow bank is the most costly option and a tow truck may not be available. Having a vehicle pushed out of a snowbank requires somebody else to help push, and oftentimes, shoveling will still be required. If there is no tow truck available and if there is no one else to help push, then to get the vehicle unstuck, the snow beneath the vehicle must be removed by shoveling. Removing this snow serves two purposes, it decreases the drag between the vehicle and the ground and, by removing the compacted snow which the vehicle frame has ridden up on, returns the vehicle's weight to the vehicle's tires, greatly improving traction between the drive wheels and ground. When the force provided by the driving wheels exceeds the drag on the vehicle, the vehicle will become unstuck. [0007] Compacted snow beneath a stuck vehicle must ordinarily be removed by pulling it out from underneath the vehicle for several reasons. The first reason is that when a vehicle has become hungup, whether by driving through very deep snow, such as a compacted snow drift or a plowed in driveway, or by sliding off of the road into a compacted snowbank, it is not possible, from one side of the vehicle, to push the compacted snow underneath the vehicle out the other side. The second reason snow must be pulled from underneath a vehicle stuck in the snow is that the undercarriage of the vehicle is close to the ground (often ten inches or less), and snow cannot be lifted out from underneath it. [0008] A conventional snow shovel is the best tool for removal of snow around a stuck vehicle, which can be used to scoop and throw the snow. However, using the same snow shovel to try and remove the compacted snow from beneath the vehicle is very difficult to do because conventional shovels are designed to push, lift and throw snow, and they do not work well for trying to draw compacted snow out from underneath a hung-up vehicle. Many conventional snow shovels are not designed to penetrate compacted snow even when it is not found under a vehicle, and may be difficult if not impossible to use to remove compacted snow from underneath a vehicle hungup and stuck in the snow. [0009] Numerous patents have been developed to aid in personal snow removal. Some prior art allows snow to be pushed across the ground for removal. Some prior art allows snow to be scooped up and thrown for removal. Some prior art allows snow to be pulled with a snow-blade, generally for removal from upper surfaces of a vehicle or the pitched roofs of buildings. None of the prior art is designed for penetration of compacted snow under a vehicle. None of the prior art is designed for the efficient removal of compacted snow from under a vehicle. [0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,890 issued Jun. 17, 2003 to Gilmore et al. is a modified roof snow rake with a spring loaded and collapsible shovel head to assist in gliding over the snow as the shovel head is pushed up a pitched roof to a desired location to begin pulling snow off of the roof. This snow removal apparatus is designed to remove snow from an elevated surface and is not designed to penetrate compacted snow or for use under a vehicle. [0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,078 issued Sep. 14, 1999 to Whitehead et al. is a standard snow shovel which makes use of a telescoping handle to make for more compact storage for carrying in a vehicle. The telescoping handle does not contribute to additional shoveling functions other than to provide a standard length handle when shoveling and a compact handle length for storage. This shovel is designed for throwing snow. [0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,929 issued Oct. 27, 1998 to Tisbo et al. is a combination snow shovel which makes use of a special curved blade to allow use for pushing or lifting and throwing snow. This shovel is not designed to pull compacted snow out from under a vehicle. [0013] U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,768 issued Feb. 19, 1991 to Ewen is a combination shovel and utility device for use with a vehicle, and can be used as a shovel, a large ice scraper a mat or an emergency sled. The flattened shovel blade is not conducive to carrying any sizeable amount of snow out from under a vehicle and the design itself is bulky and inefficient. A typical combination tool which is marginal for specific uses. This tool is not designed to pull compacted snow out from under a vehicle. [0014] U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,819 issued Jul. 18, 1989 to Moorefield is a vehicle snow rake with a rigid plastic or rubber blade. This tool is designed for pulling snow off of a vehicle. This snow rake is not designed to penetrate compacted snow and it is not designed for use under a vehicle. [0015] U.S. Pat. No. 4,550,943 issued Nov. 5, 1985 to Mirto is a vehicle snow rake with a telescoping and collapsing handle. This tool is designed for pulling snow off of a vehicle. This snow rake is not designed to penetrate compacted snow and it is not designed for use under a vehicle. [0016] Most travelers in snow country will carry a standard snow shovel or even a square point or round point shovel in case they get stuck in the snow. These shovels are not designed to deal with compacted snow underneath a vehicle. A snow-shovel's scoop is generally too big to fit under most vehicles and with lightweight plastic construction, most are not strong enough to penetrate compacted snow. Even when the scoop is strong enough to penetrate compacted snow, most will not fit entirely underneath a vehicle with average ground clearance, and once its scoop has been pushed as far under the edge of a vehicle as it will fit, under an area of compacted snow, the scoop end must be slightly tilted up and pulled backwards with the hope that there is enough drag created on the compacted snow overlaying the shovel scoop that it will stay on the scoop as the scoop is withdrawn from underneath the edge of the vehicle. Snow has an extremely low coefficient of friction, even more so when it is colder outside and icy, and most often will slide off of the snow shovel blade as it is being withdrawn from underneath the vehicle, especially since there is a tendency for the snow to be scraped off of the shovel blade by the lower edge of the car frame if the shovel is lifted at all before it is entirely clear of the underside of the vehicle. Such shovels are useful mainly to shovel out around a vehicle which is stuck in the snow. [0017] Smaller square point and especially round point shovels are very good at penetrating compacted snow under a vehicle but they are poor at pulling very much snow out since they are designed for lifting loads and not dragging them. Snow tends to constantly slide off the blade of such shovels as it is pulled from under the vehicle leaving most of any small shovel full still under the vehicle. [0018] What is needed then, is a snow removal apparatus and method which is simple and easy to use, and which allows someone who's vehicle is stuck in the snow to easily penetrate the compacted snow underneath the vehicle and then be able to capture and draw out and remove a substantial load of snow with each shovel stroke, to consistently control how much snow is removed with each pass of the shovel, to quickly and efficiently remove the compacted snow from underneath the vehicle allowing the vehicle to become unstuck, and to fold down into a compact unit for storing when not in use. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0019] It is an object of the present invention to provide a snow-shovel apparatus and method for removal of snow from underneath a vehicle, which allows a driver to quickly and efficiently remove compacted snow from underneath a vehicle which is hungup and stuck in the snow, in a timely and cost effective manner. [0020] It is another object of the present invention to provide a snow-shovel apparatus and method for removal of snow from underneath a vehicle, which provides for the removal of snow without lifting. [0021] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a snow-shovel apparatus and method for removal of snow from underneath a vehicle, which provides for the removal of snow by the method of pulling, and not pushing. [0022] It is another object of the present invention to provide a snow-shovel apparatus and method for removal of snow from underneath a vehicle, which provides a small, hardened, blade edge surface area for easy penetration of compacted snow under a vehicle. Continue reading about Under vehicle snow-shovel... 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