COVER PLATE FOR SNOW PLOW

Abstract

A snow plow apparatus is disclosed that includes a cover plate having the first portion, one or more mounting holes and an angled portion. The one or more mounting holes are located in the first portion. The angled portion is located on a side of the cover plate opposite from a first side of the first portion. Methods for forming the cover plate are also disclosed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application for Letters Patent claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/857,170, entitled “COVER PLATE FOR SNOW PLOW” filed Jun. 4, 2019, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various aspects described herein relate to snow plow apparatuses, and more particularly, cover plates to enhance the performance of a snow plow.

BACKGROUND

Snow plows are attached to various types of vehicles to allow for the removal of snow in various conditions. In some of the most demanding applications, snow plows are attached to large trucks and used to clear roadways, highways and the like by government and commercial entities. The snow being removed may be relatively light and easy to remove. However, in some instances, the snow may be a heavy mixture of slush and ice, which can cause problems with the plow performance. Additionally, the snow, slush and ice that are not effectively cleared by the plow may also cause detrimental effects to the vehicle the plow is attached to, such as freezing over of the vehicle lights, obstruction and damage to the vehicle window, etc. Accordingly, improvements to the snow plow to address these and other deficiencies are desired.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to apparatus and methods for snow plow apparatuses, and more particularly, cover plates to enhance the performance of a snow plow.

According to various aspects disclosed herein, a snow plow apparatus includes a cover plate having the first portion, one or more mounting holes and an angled portion. The one or more mounting holes are located in the first portion. The angled portion is located on a side of the cover plate opposite from a first side of the first portion.

According to various aspects disclosed herein, a method includes forming a first portion of a cover plate. One or more mounting holes are formed in the first portion of the cover plate. An angled portion is formed on a side of the cover plate opposite from a first side of the first portion.

Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the various aspects described herein and many attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which are presented solely for illustration and not limitation.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a conventional cover plate.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a cover plate from a side view including an angled portion according to at least one aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a snow plow apparatus assembly according to at least one aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the cover plate from a front view according to at least one aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a flow chart for forming the cover plate view according to at least one aspect of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the disclosure are described in the following description and related drawings directed to specific examples. Alternate examples may be devised without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects” or “embodiments” does not require that all aspects include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the aspects. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” or “including,” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof. Moreover, it is understood that the word “or” has the same meaning as the Boolean operator “OR,” that is, it encompasses the possibilities of “either” and “both” and is not limited to “exclusive or” (“XOR”), unless expressly stated otherwise. It is also understood that the symbol “I” between two adjacent words has the same meaning as “or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Moreover, phrases such as “connected to,” “coupled to” or “in communication with” are not limited to direct connections unless expressly stated otherwise.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components and processes to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. The term “coupled” as used herein means connected directly to or connected through one or more intervening components or circuits. Also, in the following description and for purposes of explanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details may not be required to practice the various aspects of the present disclosure. In other instances, well-known devices may be shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. The various aspects of the present disclosure are not to be construed as limited to specific examples described herein but rather to include within their scopes all implementations defined by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a conventional cover plate 100, shown in a side view, which includes a mounting hole 120. It will be appreciated that the cover plate is generally fabricated from steel and has generally 90 degree edges on the entire perimeter.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a cover plate 200 (also referred to as a clamp bar in the art) shown in a side view, according to one embodiment disclosed herein. The cover plate 200 includes a first portion 210 that have sides which are at 90 degree angles, a mounting hole 220 and an angled portion 230 that may for example be in the range of 45 degrees. The cover plate in some embodiments may be formed from a ½ inch thick by 3 inch wide steel bar of a desired length to substantially cover the length of the plow blade. However, it will be appreciated that other materials may be used, such as other metals, metal alloys, high strength plastic materials, composites, etc. Additionally, it will be appreciated that the angled portion may be less or greater than 45 degrees. For example, in some applications the angle may range from 40 degrees to 50 degrees.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a plow assembly 300 including the cover plate 200 bolted to a conventional plow blade 310 and a backer plate 320 using one or more bolts (not illustrated). The backer plate 320 is bolted to the plow 350 using one or more bolts (not illustrated). In other embodiments, the cover plate 200, the plow blade 310 and the backer plate 320 may be bolted to the plow 350 using a common bolt (or multiple common bolts). The angled portion 230 of the cover plate 200 is facing down (i.e., toward the projection of the plow blade 310).

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of the cover plate 200 having the first portion 210, one or more mounting holes 220, and an angled portion 230. The one or more mounting holes 220 are located in the first portion 210 and may be used to bolt the cover plate to the plow blade and the backer plate. The angled portion 230 of the cover plate is located opposite of a first side of the first portion (e.g., rectangular or square side of the bar that was not angled). As noted above, the cover plate is formed from a steel bar or any other suitable material. In one aspect, the steel bar has a cross section one half (½) inch by three (3) inches and a length of the steel bar is based on the length of the plow blade. Accordingly the length of the cover plate can have a length L, as shown in FIG. 4, that is substantially as long as the length of the plow blade. In some embodiments this will be a length of three feet or four feet to correspond to commercially available plow blades. In other embodiments, the cover plate can have a length that is less than the length of the plow blade. For example, two or more lengths of the cover plate may be used to cover the length of the plow blade. This may aid in the installation of the cover plate, since the weight will be reduced and the shorter length will be easier to handle and position.

Beveling the cover plate by having an angle on a portion the cover plate avoids the 90 degree corner that is present in the conventional cover plate 100 (see, e.g., FIG. 1). In operation, particularly, when the snow conditions have a lot of slush, the slush will hit the 90 degree edge of the conventional cover plate 100 and shoot out in front of the plow and over the top of the plow instead of following the contour of the plow and being projected out the end of the plow. This can cause problems such as icing of the lights, windows, radiators and other portions of the plow vehicle. It can also cause damage to the plow vehicle as the slush will also have abrasive material in the slush. Additionally, it reduces the operational efficiency of the plow vehicle as the operator will tend to use more washer fluid, wiper blades, tend to stop more frequently to address the icing and other related problems.

The cover plate 200 may have the bottom corner beveled at an angle (e.g., angled portion 230, which may be 35 to 55 degrees, and in some aspects 45 degrees) which prevents the slush (wet snow which may include debris) from being projected out and over the plow. The cover plate 200 improves the plow vehicle operator's ability to operate the plow vehicle because snow and slush is not coming over the plow and freezing on the windshield and lights, which can make it difficult to see. It will also reduce the purchase of washer fluid and wiper blades significantly, because there would be a reduction in the usage of wipers and wiper fluid. Further, more long term maintenance issues could also be reduced, such as replacing the wiper motor transmission, which runs the wipers and/or glass windshield due to scratching damage caused by materials in the slush. It will also help to reduce plow vehicles from overheating because slush would not be directed over the plow and therefor will not be packed into the radiators, which reduces air flow leading to overheating. Properly clearing the slush from the plow allows the plow vehicles to operate at proper speeds, which in return will increase the plowed lane miles per their shift and overall efficiency of the operations, which can lead to safer roads for travel. Other plow vehicle aspects can also be improved, such as the vehicle body condition, since the slush, dirt and other material getting thrown on the vehicle body will be reduced and related problems can be reduced, such as scratching the paint which causes increased rusting of the vehicle.

From the foregoing disclosure, it will be appreciate that various embodiments disclosed herein can include methods for fabricating the cover plate discussed in the foregoing. FIG. 5 is an illustration of a flowchart for forming the cover plate. According to various aspects disclosed herein, a method 500 includes, at block 510, forming a first portion of a cover plate. At block 520, one or more mounting holes are formed in the first portion of the cover plate. At block 530, an angled portion is formed on a side of the cover plate opposite from a first side of the first portion.

For example, a rectangular steel bar may be cut to a desired size to form the first portion and one edge of the steel bar may be ground down to the desired angle to form the angled portion. Mounting holes can be punched (to form generally rectangular holes) into the steel bar at desired locations to facilitate mounting to the plow blade, backer plate, etc. The holes may also, be drilled and/or machined to a desired configuration, which may include generally round, rectangular or square holes. Alternatively, the cover plate could be molded or cast from various materials, such as high strength plastic, various metals or composite materials. It may also be possible to weld the angle portion onto a metal bar. The welded portion could be ground or machined to a final product, if needed. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the various aspects discussed herein regarding materials and or fabrication techniques are not exhaustive and are not intended to limit the scope of the various embodiments disclosed herein.

While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made herein without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The functions, steps or actions of the method claims in accordance with aspects described herein need not be performed in any particular order unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although elements may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Accordingly, the disclosure is not limited to the illustrated examples and any means for performing the functionality described herein are included in aspects of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A snow plow apparatus comprising:

a cover plate having: a first portion; one or more mounting holes located in the first portion; and an angled portion on a side of the cover plate opposite from a first side of the first portion.

2. The snow plow apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angled portion of the cover plate is in a range of 35 to 55 degrees when viewed from a side view of the cover plate.

3. The snow plow apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a plow;

a plow blade; and

a backer plate, wherein the plow blade extends below the backer plate, and

wherein the angled portion of the cover plate is facing toward the projection of the plow blade from the backer plate.

4. The snow plow apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more mounting holes are used to bolt the cover plate to the plow blade and the backer plate and wherein the backer plate is bolted to the plow.

5. The snow plow apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more mounting holes are used to bolt the cover plate to the plow blade, the backer plate and the plow.

6. The snow plow apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more mounting holes are generally rectangular.

7. The snow plow apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first portion has generally rectangular shape.

8. The snow plow apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover plate is formed from a steel bar.

9. The snow plow apparatus of claim 8, wherein the steel bar has a cross section one half inch by three inches and a length of the steel bar is determined based on a length of a plow blade.

10. The snow plow apparatus of claim 9, wherein the angled portion of the cover plate forms an angle on the one half inch side of the cross section.

11. The snow plow apparatus of claim 9, wherein the cover plate has the length that is substantially as long as the length of the plow blade.

12. The snow plow apparatus of claim 9, wherein the cover plate has the length that is less than the length of the plow blade and two or more lengths of the cover plate are substantially equal to the length of the plow blade.

13. The snow plow apparatus of claim 9, wherein the cover plate has a length of four feet.

14. The snow plow apparatus of claim 9, wherein the cover plate has a length of three feet.

15. The snow plow apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cover plate is formed from at least one of metal, metal alloy, high strength plastic or composite material.

16. A method comprising:

forming a first portion of a cover plate;

forming one or more mounting holes in the first portion of the cover plate; and

forming an angled portion on a side of the cover plate opposite from a first side of the first portion.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the angled portion of the cover plate is in a range of 35 to 55 degrees when viewed from a side view of the cover plate.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the cover plate is formed from a steel bar and the first portion is formed by cutting the bar to a desired length.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the steel bar has a cross section one half inch by three inches and a length of the steel bar is determined based on a length of a plow blade.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the cover plate has the length that is less than the length of the plow blade and two or more lengths of the cover plate are substantially equal to the length of the plow blade.