smith

Claim 1

A SNOW MACHINE FOR REMOVING SNOW FROM ROADWAYS INCLUDING MEANS FOR COLLECTING SNOW AND HEATING MEANS FOR MELTING THE SAME COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A HORIZONTAL ELONGATED RIGID FRAME COMPRISING TWO SPACED VERTICAL SIDE WALLS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY PARALLEL UPPER AND LOWER EDGES AND MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE VERTICAL FRAME MEMBERS WITH THEIR LOWER HORIZONTAL EDGES ADJACENT A ROADWAY; (B) A SHALLOW PAN INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL BOTTOM, TWO SIDE WALL MEMBERS, A FRONT WALL MEMBER AND A REAR WALL MEMBER, SAID PAN EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL WIDTH OF THE FRAME AND BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES FROM A POINT ADJACENT THE FRONT OF THE FRAME TO A POINT ADJACENT THE REAR OF THE FRAME FOR CARRYING A LAYER OF A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF WATER FROM THE MELTED SNOW; (C) A SCOOP ATTACHED TO THE FORWARD END OF THE RIGID FRAME AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM HAVING ITS OUTER EDGE POSITIONED DOWNWARDLY FROM THE FRONT END OF THE FRAME AND IN A PLANE BELOW THE HEIGHT OF THE PAN AND ITS INNER EDGE EXTENDING OVER THE UPPER EDGE OF THE FRONT WALL OF THE PAN; (D) A COVER EXTENDING OVER THE AREA BETWEEN THE SIDE FRAMES AND SUPPORTED UPON THE UPPER EDGES THEREOF; (E) HORIZONTAL WALL TIE MEMBERS EXTENDING AT LEAST BETWEEN THE UPPER EDGES OF THE SIDE FRAME MEMBERS; (F) A ROTATABLE SHAFT POSITIONED AT APPROXIMATELY EACH END AND LATERALLY OF THE FRAME AND PARALLEL WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN, AND IN A PLANE LYING BETWEEN THE UPPER END LOWER EDGES OF THE SIDE FRAMES; (G) CORRESPONDING SPROCKETS CARRIED AT LEAST ADJACENT EACH END OF THE TWO SHAFTS AND ADJACENT THE INNER SIDE SURFACES OF THE PAN AND ADAPTED TO EXTEND DOWNWARDLY INTO THE PAN; (H) AN ENDLESS LINK HORIZONTAL CHAIN CONVEYOR MADE UP OF AT LEAST TWO CHAINS FORMED FROM INDIVIDUAL LINK MEMBERS EXTENDING AROUND AND BETWEEN THE CORRESPONDING SPROCKETS OF THE TWO SHAFTS TO FORM UPPER AND LOWER CONVEYOR PORTIONS; (I) CROSS BAR MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN CORRESPONDING OPPOSITE LINK MEMBERS CARRIED ON EACH OF THE TWO CHAINS, THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE CONVEYOR BEING BELOW THE UPPER EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS OF THE PAN AND PARALLEL WITH THE BOTTOM THEREOF; (J) MEANS FOR ROTATING THE SPROCKETS FOR MOVING THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THE CONVEYOR REARWARDLY THROUGH THE PAN CARRYING THE SNOW; (K) SAID HEATING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE BURNERS HAVING AT LEAST THEIR FRONT ENDS POSITIONED IN THE INTERIOR AREA OF THE MACHINE FORMED BY THE COVER, THE SIDE WALLS AND THE PAN, SAID BURNERS BEING SPACED APART LATERALLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE OF THE MACHINE AND EXTENDING FROM A POINT ADJACENT THE REAR THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO DIRECT THEIR FLAMES INTO THE INTERIOR AREA OF THE MACHINE AND UPON AND AROUND THE CROSS BAR MEMBERS FOR STORING HEAT THEREIN; WHEREBY, THE SNOW IS MELTED BY THE HEAT FROM THE FLAMES EMANATING FROM THE ENDS OF THE BURNERS, THE HEATED CROSS BAR MEMBERS, AND THE WATER AS IT IS CARRIED THROUGH THE PAN TOWARD THE REAR OF THE MACHINE.