Reconfigurable Snow Removal Handle for Sloped Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snow removal apparatuses for sloped surfaces, such as roofs, suffer from low durability and limited versatility, particularly when dealing with hard packed or icy snow, and lack adjustable configurations for varying snow conditions and surface configurations.
Innovation Solution
A snow removal apparatus with a modular design featuring a frame with a lower and upper section, an elongated handle that can be secured to either section for push or pull configurations, and a slide with a tapered cutting edge, allowing for efficient cutting and removal of snow strips using gravity, along with extension members or skids for surface protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single-configuration snow removal apparatus is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability or versatility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to be selectively reconfigurable between multiple attachment positions on the frame, allowing the apparatus to dynamically adapt between push configuration (handle attached to lower section) and pull configuration (handle attached to upper section), thereby providing versatility for different snow conditions and user needs without requiring multiple separate devices
Solution Approach 2:
The single apparatus is designed to perform multiple functions through handle reconfiguration: it can operate in push mode for general snow removal, pull mode for steep roofs or heavy snow, and the frame itself serves as both the structural support and the cutting edge against which the slide operates
2Adaptability or versatility
If a non-modular snow removal apparatus is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability or versatility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is segmented into distinct modular components: a frame with upper and lower sections, a removable handle, a slide, and optional extension members. This segmentation allows the handle to be detached and reattached at different positions, providing versatility for different operating conditions while keeping each individual component simple in design
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a snow removal apparatus without extension members is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the object-affected harmful factors worsen
Solution Approach 1:
Extension members or skids are introduced as intermediary elements between the frame and the roof surface. These extensions distribute the contact pressure over a larger area and protect the roofing materials from direct contact with the frame, thereby preventing surface damage while adding only minimal structural complexity to the apparatus
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus enhances durability and versatility, enabling effective snow removal across different conditions and surface configurations with reduced user effort, suitable for a range of ages and body types, while minimizing surface damage.
Implementation Method 1
apparatuses having several different configurations are known in the art. Among these, snow removal apparatuses of the cut and slide type, which are designed to allow users to easily remove snow from a sloped surface such as, for example and without being limitative, the roof of a building, using gravity force
Data Source
AI summary
A snow removal apparatus for cutting and removing snow from a sloped surface. The apparatus comprises a frame. The frame has a lower section and an upper section connected by side sections. The apparatus also comprises an elongated handle removably engageable to the frame and a slide connected to the lower section of the frame and extending away therefrom in a slide extending direction. The apparatus is selectively configurable in a push configuration where the handle is engaged to the lower section of the frame and extends in a direction substantially similar to the slide extending direction and a pull configuration where the handle is engaged to the upper section of the frame and extends in a direction substantially opposite to the slide extending direction.