US20210087818A1

US20210087818A1 - Snow Removal Assembly

Info

Publication number: US20210087818A1
Application number: US16/575,603
Authority: US
Inventors: Caleb Hagler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-09-19
Filing date: 2019-09-19
Publication date: 2021-03-25

Abstract

A snow removal assembly includes a plurality of snow sensors that is each coupled to a roof of a building to sense snow that has collected on the roof. A plurality of vibration units is each coupled to the roof of the building having each of the vibration units being positioned in an attic of the building. Each of the vibration units is turned on when the snow sensors sense snow. Moreover, each of the vibration units vibrates when the vibration units are turned on thereby facilitating the snow to slide off of the roof. A control unit is positioned within the building to turn each of the vibration units on and off when the control unit is manipulated by the user. A remote control is carried by the user and the remote control remotely turns on each of the vibration units for removing the snow from the roof.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

SNOW REMOVAL ASSEMBLY

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to removal devices and more particularly pertains to a new removal device for vibrating snow off of a roof of a building.

(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to snow removal devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a plurality of snow sensors that is each coupled to a roof of a building to sense snow that has collected on the roof. A plurality of vibration units is each coupled to the roof of the building having each of the vibration units being positioned in an attic of the building. Each of the vibration units is turned on when the snow sensors sense snow. Moreover, each of the vibration units vibrates when the vibration units are turned on thereby facilitating the snow to slide off of the roof. A control unit is positioned within the building to turn each of the vibration units on and off when the control unit is manipulated by the user. A remote control is carried by the user and the remote control remotely turns on each of the vibration units for removing the snow from the roof.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a snow removal assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front phantom view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a right side phantom view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an interior view of an attic of a building of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a perspective in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 6 thereof, a new removal device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 6, the snow removal assembly 44 10 generally comprises a plurality of snow sensors 12 that are each coupled to a roof 14 of a building 16. In this way each of the snow sensors 12 can sense snow 18 that has collected on the roof 14. The plurality of snow sensors 12 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed over an entirety of the roof 14. The roof 14 may be a pitched roof on a house or other type of building.
Each of the snow sensors 12 comprises a base 20 that has a top surface 22 and a bottom surface 24. The bottom surface 24 of the base 20 is attached to an outer surface of the roof 14. The base 20 has a first end 26 and a second end 28. The first end 26 may be rounded and the second end 28 may be flattened. Each of the snow sensors 12 includes an antenna 30 that is coupled to and extends upwardly from the top surface 22 of the base 20. The antenna 30 is comprised of an electrically capacitive material thereby facilitating the antenna 30 to sense the electrical charge of snow 18. Additionally, the antenna 30 is electrically coupled to a power source 32 comprising an electrical system of the building 16.
A plurality of vibration units 34 is provided and each of the vibration units 34 is coupled to the roof 14 of the building 16. Additionally, each of the vibration units 34 is positioned in an attic of the building 16. Each of the vibration units 34 is in mechanical communication with the roof 14. Each of the vibration units 34 is in electrical communication with the plurality of snow sensors 12 and each of the vibration units 34 is turned on when the snow sensors 12 sense snow 18. Each of the vibration units 34 vibrates when the vibration units 34 are turned on thereby facilitating vibration to be transferred into the roof 14. In this way the vibration units 34 vibrate the snow 18 that has collected on the roof 14 thereby facilitating the snow 18 to slide off of the roof 14.
The vibration units 34 automatically turn off after a pre-determined amount of time.
Each of the vibration units 34 comprises a housing 36 that has a bottom wall 38 and an outer wall 40. The housing 36 is attached to a rafter 42 of the roof 14 having the housing 36 being positioned in the attic of the building 16. The bottom wall 38 abuts the rafter 42 and the outer wall 40 has a vent 44 extending into an interior of the housing 36. A vibration control circuit 46 is positioned within the housing 36 and the vibration control circuit 46 is electrically coupled to the antenna 30 of each of the snow sensors 12. The vibration control circuit 46 receives an on input when the antenna 30 on the snow sensors 12 senses snow 18. The vibration control circuit 46 is electrically coupled to a power source 32 comprising the electrical system of the building 16.
Each of the vibration units 34 includes a motor 48 that is positioned within the housing 36. The motor 48 rotates in a first direction when the motor 48 is turned on. The motor 48 is electrically coupled to the vibration control circuit 46 and the motor 48 is turned on when the vibration control circuit 46 receives the on input. The motor 48 may comprise an electric motor 48 or the like. A cam 50 is rotatably coupled to the motor 48 and the cam 50 orbits about a rotational axis of the motor 48 when the motor 48 is turned on. In this way the cam 50 oscillates for transferring vibration into the housing 36 thereby facilitating the housing 36 to transfer the vibration into the rafter 42.
A control unit 52 is provided and the control unit 52 is positioned within the building 16 to facilitate the control unit 52 to be accessible to a user. The control unit 52 is in electrical communication with each of the vibration units 34. The control unit 52 turns each of the vibration units 34 on and off when the control unit 52 is manipulated by the user. The control unit 52 comprises a control panel 54 that is positioned within the building 16. A remote control circuit 56 is positioned within the control panel 54 and the remote control circuit 56 is electrically coupled to the motor 48 in each of the vibration units 34.
A plurality of control buttons 58 is each coupled to the control panel 54 and each of the control buttons 58 is electrically coupled to the remote control circuit 56. Each of the control buttons 58 controls operational parameters of the vibration units 34, including turning the vibration units 34 on and off. A display 58 is coupled to the control panel 54 such that the display 58 is visible to the user. The display 58 is electrically coupled to the remote control circuit 56 and the display 58 displays indicia indicating the operational parameters of the vibration units 34. The display 58 may comprise an LCD or other electronic display 58. A receiver 60 is positioned within the control panel 54 and the receiver 60 is electrically coupled to the remote control circuit 56. The receiver 60 may be a radio frequency receiver or the like.
A remote control 62 is included and the remote control 62 is carried by the user. The remote control 62 is in wireless communication with the control unit 52. Additionally, the remote control 62 remotely turns on each of the vibration units 34 for removing the snow 18 from the roof 14. The remote control 62 includes a transceiver 64 that is in electrical communication with the receiver 60. The remote control 62 may comprise a smart phone or other personal electronic device.
In use, each of the vibration units 34 is turned on when the snow sensors 12 senses that a pre-determined amount of snow 18 has collected on the roof 14. In this way the roof 14 is vibrated at a frequency sufficient to cause the snow 18 to slide off of the roof 14. Thus, the snow 18 can be cleared from the roof 14 without requiring the user to manually remove the snow 18 from the roof 14. Additionally, the vibration units 34 can be turned on at any time with the control panel 54 or the remote control 62.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.

Claims

I claim:

1. A snow removal assembly being configured to remove snow from a roof of a building, said assembly comprising:

a plurality of snow sensors, each of said snow sensors being coupled to a roof of a building wherein each of said snow sensors is configured to sense snow that has collected on the roof, said plurality of snow sensors being spaced apart from each other and being distributed over an entirety of the roof;

a plurality of vibration units, each of said vibration units being coupled to the roof of the building having each of said vibration units being positioned in an attic of the building, each of said vibration units being in mechanical communication with the roof, each of said vibration units being in electrical communication with said plurality of snow sensors, each of said vibration units being turned on when said snow sensors sense snow, each of said vibration units vibrating when said vibration units are turned on thereby facilitating vibration to be transferred into the roof wherein said vibration units are configured to vibrate the snow that has collected on the roof thereby facilitating the snow to slide off of the roof;

a control unit being positioned within the building for being accessible to a user, said control unit being in electrical communication with each of said vibration units, said control unit turning each of said vibration units on and off when said control unit is manipulated by the user; and

a remote control being carried by the user, said remote control being in wireless communication with said control unit, said remote control remotely turning on each of said vibration units for removing the snow from the roof.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein each of said snow sensors comprises a base having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said base being attached to an outer surface of the roof.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein each of said snow sensors includes an antenna being coupled to and extending upwardly from said top surface of said base, said antenna being comprised of an electrically capacitive material thereby facilitating said antenna to sense the electrical charge of snow, said antenna being electrically coupled to a power source comprising an electrical system of the building.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein each of said vibration units comprises a housing having a bottom wall and an outer wall, said housing being attached to a rafter of the roof having said housing being positioned in the attic of the building, said bottom wall abutting the rafter, said outer wall having a vent extending into an interior of said housing.

5. The assembly according to claim 4, wherein each of said vibration units includes a vibration control circuit being positioned within said housing, said vibration control circuit being electrically coupled to said antenna of each of said snow sensors, said vibration control circuit receiving an on input when said antenna on said snow sensors senses snow, said vibration control circuit being electrically coupled to a power source comprising the electrical system of the building.

6. The assembly according to claim 5, wherein each of said vibration units includes a motor being positioned within said housing, said motor rotating in a first direction when said motor is turned on, said motor being electrically coupled to said vibration control circuit, said motor being turned on when said vibration control circuit receives said on input.

7. The assembly according to claim 6, wherein each of said vibration units includes a cam being rotatably coupled to said motor, said cam orbiting about a rotational axis of said motor when said motor is turned on thereby facilitating said cam to oscillate for transferring vibration into said housing wherein said housing is configured to transfer the vibration into the rafter.

8. The assembly according to claim 6, wherein said control unit comprises:

a control panel being positioned within the building; and

a remote control circuit being positioned within said control panel, said remote control circuit being electrically coupled to said motor in each of said vibration units.

9. The assembly according to claim 8, wherein said control unit includes a plurality of control buttons, each of said control buttons being coupled to said control panel, each of said control buttons being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit, each of said control buttons controlling operational parameters of said vibration units, including turning said vibration units on and off.

10. The assembly according to claim 9, wherein said control unit includes a display being coupled to said control panel such that said display is visible to the user, said display being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit, said display displaying indicia indicating the operational parameters of said vibration units.

11. The assembly according to claim 10, wherein said control unit includes a receiver being positioned within said control panel, said receiver being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit.

12. A snow removal assembly being configured to remove snow from a roof of a building, said assembly comprising:

a plurality of snow sensors, each of said snow sensors being coupled to a roof of a building wherein each of said snow sensors is configured to sense snow that has collected on the roof, said plurality of snow sensors being spaced apart from each other and being distributed over an entirety of the roof, each of said snow sensors comprising:

a base having a top surface and a bottom surface, said bottom surface of said base being attached to an outer surface of the roof; and

an antenna being coupled to and extending upwardly from said top surface of said base, said antenna being comprised of an electrically capacitive material thereby facilitating said antenna to sense the electrical charge of snow, said antenna being electrically coupled to a power source comprising an electrical system of the building;

a plurality of vibration units, each of said vibration units being coupled to the roof of the building having each of said vibration units being positioned in an attic of the building, each of said vibration units being in mechanical communication with the roof, each of said vibration units being in electrical communication with said plurality of snow sensors, each of said vibration units being turned on when said snow sensors sense snow, each of said vibration units vibrating when said vibration units are turned on thereby facilitating vibration to be transferred into the roof wherein said vibration units are configured to vibrate the snow that has collected on the roof thereby facilitating the snow to slide off of the roof, each of said vibration units comprising:

a housing having a bottom wall and an outer wall, said housing being attached to a rafter of the roof having said housing being positioned in the attic of the building, said bottom wall abutting the rafter, said outer wall having a vent extending into an interior of said housing;

a vibration control circuit being positioned within said housing, said vibration control circuit being electrically coupled to said antenna of each of said snow sensors, said vibration control circuit receiving an on input when said antenna on said snow sensors senses snow, said vibration control circuit being electrically coupled to a power source comprising the electrical system of the building;

a motor being positioned within said housing, said motor rotating in a first direction when said motor is turned on, said motor being electrically coupled to said vibration control circuit, said motor being turned on when said vibration control circuit receives said on input; and

a cam being rotatably coupled to said motor, said cam orbiting about a rotational axis of said motor when said motor is turned on thereby facilitating said cam to oscillate for transferring vibration into said housing wherein said housing is configured to transfer the vibration into the rafter; and

a control unit being positioned within the building for being accessible to a user, said control unit being in electrical communication with each of said vibration units, said control unit turning each of said vibration units on and off when said control unit is manipulated by the user, said control unit comprising:

a control panel being positioned within the building;

a remote control circuit being positioned within said control panel, said remote control circuit being electrically coupled to said motor in each of said vibration units;

a plurality of control buttons, each of said control buttons being coupled to said control panel, each of said control buttons being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit, each of said control buttons controlling operational parameters of said vibration units, including turning said vibration units on and off;

a display being coupled to said control panel such that said display is visible to the user, said display being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit, said display displaying indicia indicating the operational parameters of said vibration units; and

a receiver being positioned within said control panel, said receiver being electrically coupled to said remote control circuit; and

a remote control being carried by the user, said remote control being in wireless communication with said control unit, said remote control remotely turning on each of said vibration units for removing the snow from the roof, said remote control including a transceiver being in electrical communication with said receiver.