Auger and blade therefor useable to move materials such as snow and the like

Claim 2

A snow or material blower comprising: a housing having an open bottom and open front; a rotatable shaft mounted on said housing; and an auger flight mounted on said shaft; said auger flight including at least one leading blade and one trailing blade, each blade being stiff and inflexible, each blade being approximatetly triangularly fan shaped and having leading, trailing and inner apex portions, said inner apex portions being directly attached to said shaft, the blade edges between said leading and trailing apex portions which extend to said inner apex portion forming a small obtuse angle, and the outer trailing apex portion of a leading blade being directly attached to an adjacent outer leading apex portion of a trailing blade to form a helical flight, the blades being simiLar in size and form, the inner apex portions being directly attached at predetermined spaced positions along and around the shaft conforming to a predetermined transverse angular disposition of the blades with respect to the shaft, the outer connection of the outer apex portions being therebetween with respect to the shaft and forming therewith an integrated structural unit.

Claim 3

A blade adapted for mounting on a shaft to produce an auger for moving snow and the like, the blade being formed from sheet material and being reversible to a mirror image position to enable production of right and left hand augers, the blade is approximately triangularly fan shaped with an inner apex portion, an outer leading apex portion and an outer trailing apex portion; said inner apex portion being connectible to the shaft at an angle for the production of an auger flight, said outer trailing apex portion being connectible to a similar blade at such blade''s outer apex portion, said inner portion being flat, the blade having an intermediate central portion having substantially radially extending webs which belly alternately in opposite directions to form material flow openings through the central portion, and an outer portion having an arcuate outer edge with outwardly extending teeth groups at said leading and trailing apex portions and a smooth edge section therebetween, said outer portion being laterally offset from said flat inner apex portion.

Claim 4

A blade adapted for mounting on a shaft to produce an auger for moving snow and the like, the blade being formed from sheet material and being reversible to a mirror image position to enable production of right and left hand augers, the blade is approximately triangularly fan shaped with an inner apex portion, an outer leading apex portion and an outer trailing apex portion; said inner apex portion being connectible to the shaft at an angle for the production of an auger flight, said outer trailing apex portion being connectible to a similar blade at such blade''s outer apex portion, said inner portion being flat, the blade having an intermediate central portion having substantially radially extending webs which belly alternately in opposite directions to form material flow openings through the central portion, and an outer portion having an arcuate outer edge with outwardly extending teeth groups at said leading and trailing apex portions and a smooth edge section therebetween, said outer portion being laterally offset from said flat inner apex portion.

Claim 5

A blade as defined in claim 2, and wherein said smooth edge section is slightly laterally bowed and said teeth groups extend slightly laterally in the opposite direction.

Claim 6

An auger adapted for moving material comprising: a rotatable shaft; and an auger flight mounted thereon; said auger flight including at least one leading blade and one trailing blade, each blade being approximately triangularly fan shaped and having an inner apex portion, an outer leading apex portion and an outer trailing apex portion, said inner apex portion being directly attached to said shaft, and the outer trailing apex portion of a leading blade being directly attached to an adjacent outer leading apex portion of a trailing blade to form a helical flight, the blades being similar in size and form, the inner apex portions being directly attached at predetermined spaced positions along and around the shaft conforming to a predetermined transverse angular disposition of the blades with respect to the shaft, the outer attachment of the outer apex portions being therebetween with respect to the shaft and forming therewith an integrated unit; said inner apex portion having an arcuate cutout end with a curvature larger than the circumferential curvature of said shaft, said end being welded to the shaft, and the outer trailing apex portion of said leading blade and the outer leading apex portion of said trailing blade being in overlapped condition and welded together.

Claim 7

An auger adapted for moving material comprising: a rotatable shaft; and an auger flight mounted thereon; said auger flight including at least one leading blade and one trailing blade, each blade being approximately triangularly fan shaped and having an inner apex portion, an outer leading apex portion and an outer trailing apex portion, said inner apex portion being directly attached to said shaft, and the outer trailing apex portion of a leading blade being directly attached to an adjacent outer leading apex portion of a trailing blade to form a helical flight, the blades being similar in size and form, the inner apex portions being directly attached at predetermined spaced positions along and around the shaft conforming to a predetermined transverse angular disposition of the blades with respect to the shaft, the outer attachment of the outer apex portions being therebetween with respect to the shaft and forming therewith an integrated unit; said inner apex portion having an arcuate cutout end with a curvature larger than the circumferential curvature of said shaft, said end being welded to the shaft, and the outer trailing apex portion of said leading blade and the outer leading apex portion of said trailing blade being in overlapped condition and welded together.

Claim 8

An auger as defined in claim 4, and wherein said inner apex portion is flat, and the blade has an intermediate central portion having substantially radial slits which divide the central portion into substantially radially extending webs which belly alternately in opposite directions to form material flow openings through the central portion, and an outer portion having an arcuate outer edge with outwardly extending teeth groups at said leading and trailing apex portions and a smooth edge section therebetween, said outer portion being laterally offset from said flat inner apex portion, said smooth edge section being slightly laterally bowed and said teeth groups extending slightly laterally in the opposite direction.

Claim 9

An auger as defined in claim 4 and wherein said arcuate cutout end is of sufficient size to enable welding the blade to the shaft at different predetermined angles to provide different predetermined pitches to the helical flight.

Claim 10

An auger as defined in claim 4, and wherein similar blades are mounted in a reverse manner on said shaft with the blaDes being in effect a mirror image of the other set of blades and mounted on the shaft at a converging angle therewith to form an opposed hand auger flight, the flights being left and right hand and capable of moving material to a common intermediate location with respect to the shaft.

Claim 11

An auger as defined in claim 4, and including a second auger flight of the same hand and mounted on the shaft such that the blades thereof are connected to the shaft at transversely opposed positions to their counterparts of the other auger flight.

Claim 12

An auger adapted for moving material comprising: a rotatable shaft; and an auger flight mounted thereon; said auger flight including at least one leading blade and one trailing blade, each blade being stiff and inflexible, each blade being approximately triangularly fan shaped and having leading, trailing and inner apex portions, each said inner apex portion being directly attached to said shaft, the blade edges between said leading and trailing apex portions which extend to said inner apex portion forming a small obtuse angle, and the outer trailing apex portion of a leading blade being directly attached to an adjacent outer leading apex portion of a trailing blade to form a helical flight, the blades being similar in size and form, the inner apex portions being directly attached at predetermined spaced positions along and around the shaft conforming to a predetermined transverse angular disposition of the blades with respect to the shaft, the outer connection of the apex portions being therebetween with respect to the shaft and forming therewith an integrated structural unit.

Claim 13

An auger adapted for moving material comprising: a rotatable shaft; and an auger flight mounted thereon; said auger flight including at least one leading blade and one trailing blade, each blade being stiff and inflexible, each blade being approximately triangularly fan shaped and having leading, trailing and inner apex portions, each said inner apex portion being directly attached to said shaft, the blade edges between said leading and trailing apex portions which extend to said inner apex portion forming a small obtuse angle, and the outer trailing apex portion of a leading blade being directly attached to an adjacent outer leading apex portion of a trailing blade to form a helical flight, the blades being similar in size and form, the inner apex portions being directly attached at predetermined spaced positions along and around the shaft conforming to a predetermined transverse angular disposition of the blades with respect to the shaft, the outer connection of the apex portions being therebetween with respect to the shaft and forming therewith an integrated structural unit.

Claim 14

An auger as defined in claim 9, and wherein said outer trailing apex portion and said outer leading apex portion are in overlapped condition and welded together, and said small obtuse angle is about 105*.

Claim 15

An auger as defined in claim 9, and wherein one of the blades is mounted in a reverse manner on said shaft, the blades being in effect a mirror image of each other.

Claim 16

An auger as defined in claim 9, and wherein each blade has a central portion having substantially radial slits which divide the central portion into substantially radially extending webs which belly alternately in opposite directions to form material flow openings through the central portion.

Claim 17

An auger as defined in claim 9, and wherein similar blades are mounted in a reverse manner on said shaft with the blades being in effect a mirror image of the other set of blades and mounted on the shaft at a converging angle therewith to form an opposed hand auger flight, the flights being left and right hand and capable of moving material to a common intermediate location with respect to the shaft.