US4573636A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and apparatus for making artificial snow
Assignee: NUBS NOB Inc 4021 NUBS NOB ROAD HARBOR SPRINGS MI 49740 A MI CORP
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Filing: 1984-04-30
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Granted: 1986-03-04
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Expires: 2004-04-30
Abstract
Abstract An improved method of and apparatus for making artificial snow. The snow making machine disclosed for practicing the invention includes a ducted fan within a housing for generating a substantially unidirectional, high volume air current over the area to be deposited with snow. High velocity water sprays are injected into the air current from above and below the air current via a plurality of nozzles connected to an annular water manifold circumferentially disposed around the discharge end of the housing. Nucleated ice crystals are also injected into the air current by a high velocity vapor spray emitted from a pair of seeder nozzles disposed at the center of the housing. The vapor spray is comprised of a mixture of water and compressed air which is vaporized in a venturi-type expansion chamber prior to emission through the seeder nozzles. In accordance with a second embodiment of this invention, a shroud member surrounds the discharge end of the huosing such that a secondary airflow is guided between the shroud and housing. The secondary airflow guided by the shroud has been found to permit greater quantities of high quality snow to be made at given atmospheric conditions and further allows snow to be manufactured in warmer conditions as compared to prior art devices.
Inventors
- 👤 James L. Dilworth
- 👤 Robert J. Brinks
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 22:47
CPC Classifications
F; F25; F25C; F25C3/00; F25C3/04; F25C2303/00; F25C2303/046; F25C2303/048; F25C2303/0481
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
113 words
An apparatus for making snow comprising: a housing having an inlet end and a discharge end, fan means disposed in said housing for generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream exiting at said discharge end, a shroud surrounding said housing discharge end, thereby forming an annular gap between said shroud and said housing, said shroud controlling the introduction of a secondary airflow stream through said annular gap which surrounds said primary airflow stream, water injection means located around the periphery of said shroud for injecting water across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream; and nucleation means for injecting a high velocity water spray into said primary airflow stream.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
113 words
An apparatus for making snow comprising: a housing having an inlet end and a discharge end, fan means disposed in said housing for generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream exiting at said discharge end, a shroud surrounding said housing discharge end, thereby forming an annular gap between said shroud and said housing, said shroud controlling the introduction of a secondary airflow stream through said annular gap which surrounds said primary airflow stream, water injection means located around the periphery of said shroud for injecting water across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream; and nucleation means for injecting a high velocity water spray into said primary airflow stream.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said shroud is generally cylindrical and has an outwardly radially flared inlet end.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said shroud is connected to said housing by a plurality of radially extending mounting rods.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said shroud is located within the plane of said housing discharge end.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
204 words
An apparatus for making artificial snow comprising: a housing having an inlet end and a discharge end; fan means disposed within said housing for generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream; a shroud surrounding said housing discharge end thereby forming an annular gap between said shroud and said housing, said shroud controlling the introduction of a secondary airflow stream through said annular gap which surrounds said primary airflow stream, first water injection means located around the periphery of said shroud for injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream from a location substantially above said primary airflow stream; second water injection means located around the periphery of said shroud for injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream from a location substantially below said primary airflow stream; and nucleation means for injecting a high-velocity spray comprising a mixture of water and compressed air into said primary airflow stream from a location approximately midway between said first and second water injection means.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
204 words
An apparatus for making artificial snow comprising: a housing having an inlet end and a discharge end; fan means disposed within said housing for generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream; a shroud surrounding said housing discharge end thereby forming an annular gap between said shroud and said housing, said shroud controlling the introduction of a secondary airflow stream through said annular gap which surrounds said primary airflow stream, first water injection means located around the periphery of said shroud for injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream from a location substantially above said primary airflow stream; second water injection means located around the periphery of said shroud for injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream from a location substantially below said primary airflow stream; and nucleation means for injecting a high-velocity spray comprising a mixture of water and compressed air into said primary airflow stream from a location approximately midway between said first and second water injection means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said nucleation means includes a pair of seeder nozzles centered approximately between said first and second water injection means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said pair of seeder nozzles are disposed in a horizontal plane at approximately a 90 degree included angle centered relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said nucleation means includes an expansion chamber for mixing said compressed air and water.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said expansion chamber contains a venturi-type constricted middle section.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
90 words
The apparatus of claim 5 further including an annular-shaped water manifold circumferentially located about said shroud for receiving an external supply of water, and wherein said first water injection means comprises a plurality of water nozzles connected to said water manifold and disposed substantially within the upper quadrant of said manifold centered about the vertical axis thereof and said second water injection means comprises a plurality of water nozzles connected to said water manifold and disposed substantially within the lower quadrant of said manifold centered about the vertical axis thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said shroud is generally cylindrical and has an outwardly flared inlet end.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
257 words
An apparatus for generating artificial snow comprising in combination: an axial fan disposed within a cylindrically-shaped housing having an inlet end and a discharge end, for generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream; a shroud surrounding said housing discharge end thereby forming an annular gap between said shroud and said housing, said shroud controlling the introduction of a secondary airflow stream through said annular gap which surrounds said primary airflow stream, an annular water manifold circumferentially located about said shroud and having connected thereto an external supply of water; a first plurality of water nozzles connected to said water manifold substantially within the upper quadrant of said manifold centered about the vertical axis thereof and disposed so as to inject a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream; a second plurality of water nozzles connected to said water manifold substantially within the lower quadrant of said manifold centered about the vertical axis thereof and disposed so as to inject a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream; at least one seeder nozzle for injecting a high-velocity spray into said primary airflow stream from a location at approximately the center of said housing, said seeder nozzle being supplied by a mixture of water and compressed air supplied through a venturi-type expansion chamber connected to said seeder nozzle.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
257 words
An apparatus for generating artificial snow comprising in combination: an axial fan disposed within a cylindrically-shaped housing having an inlet end and a discharge end, for generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream; a shroud surrounding said housing discharge end thereby forming an annular gap between said shroud and said housing, said shroud controlling the introduction of a secondary airflow stream through said annular gap which surrounds said primary airflow stream, an annular water manifold circumferentially located about said shroud and having connected thereto an external supply of water; a first plurality of water nozzles connected to said water manifold substantially within the upper quadrant of said manifold centered about the vertical axis thereof and disposed so as to inject a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream; a second plurality of water nozzles connected to said water manifold substantially within the lower quadrant of said manifold centered about the vertical axis thereof and disposed so as to inject a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream at an obtuse angle relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream; at least one seeder nozzle for injecting a high-velocity spray into said primary airflow stream from a location at approximately the center of said housing, said seeder nozzle being supplied by a mixture of water and compressed air supplied through a venturi-type expansion chamber connected to said seeder nozzle.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 12 further including a pair of seeder nozzles disposed in a horizontal plane and positioned at a 90 degree included angle centered relative to the direction of said primary airflow stream.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said shroud is generally cylindrical and has an outwardly radially flared inlet end.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said shroud is located within the plane of said housing discharge end.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
111 words
A mwethod of making artificial snow including the steps of: generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream; generating and controlling a secondary airflow stream surrounding said primary airflow stream; injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream from a location substantially above said primary airflow stream; and injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream from a location substantially below said primary airflow stream; and injecting into said primary airflow stream a high-velocity spray comprising a mixture of water and compressed air from a location approximately in the center of said primary airflow stream.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
111 words
A mwethod of making artificial snow including the steps of: generating a substantially unidirectional high-volume primary airflow stream; generating and controlling a secondary airflow stream surrounding said primary airflow stream; injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream from a location substantially above said primary airflow stream; and injecting a high-velocity water spray across said secondary airflow stream and into said primary airflow stream from a location substantially below said primary airflow stream; and injecting into said primary airflow stream a high-velocity spray comprising a mixture of water and compressed air from a location approximately in the center of said primary airflow stream.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-03-03 | 1989-09-02 | 1990-03-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-03-03 | 1993-09-02 | 1994-03-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-03-03 | 1997-09-02 | 1998-03-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |