TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the removal of snow, ice, and other debris from vehicles, and particularly to a flatbed snow removal system for removing snow, ice and other debris from the upper bed surface of a flatbed truck.

BACKGROUND ART

Snow, ice and other debris commonly accumulate on flat vehicle surfaces. Not only does such accumulation increase the overall weight of the vehicle, thus decreasing efficiency, but it must be removed in order to prevent hazards to other drivers. When the vehicle is driven, the ice, snow, and other debris may fly from the vehicle surface and land on the road behind the vehicle, or upon another vehicle, thus creating dangerous conditions. Additionally, in the case of flatbed trucks, which have large exposed surfaces, the surface of the truck bed must be cleared before a load of cargo can be mounted thereon.

Due to decreases in efficiency, the necessity of clearing cargo space, and the potential hazards caused by these weather-related conditions, the clearing of snow, ice, and debris is of considerable interest in the trucking industry. Trucking companies spend considerable amounts of time and money clearing snow and ice from trucks after every snowstorm. Due to the great effort involved, operation of the trucks of a large fleet can be delayed significantly after a snowstorm. Furthermore,, since snow and ice removal is typically performed manually by workers shoveling from atop the truck bed, there is a significant hazard for the workers, who may slip and fall from the raised bed.

Thus, a flatbed snow removal system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The flatbed snow removal system is a drive-through station for clearing snow, ice, or other debris from the upper bed surface of a flatbed truck. The flatbed snow removal system includes an anchor column having opposed upper and lower ends, the lower end being mounted on the ground. The system also includes a pillar having opposed upper and lower ends, the lower end of the pillar being mount on the ground. The anchor column and the pillar are spaced apart so that the flatbed truck may be driven therebetween. The system further has a rotating frame having opposed first and second ends, ihe first end being pivotally attached to the anchor column adjacent the upper end thereof. A motor is mounted on or in the anchor column for selectively driving rotation of the rotating frame. A projecting member is mounted on the pillar, adjacent the upper end thereof, for releasably supporting the second end of the rotating frame.

A plow is mounted on the rotating frame. The flatbed truck may be driven between the pillar and the anchor column when the rotating frame is pivoted in an upright position. The rotating frame and the plow may then be selectively pivoted down so that the plow may clear away snow, ice, or other debris collected on the upper bed surface of the flatbed truck as the flatbed truck drives through a plowing region defined between the anchor column and the pillar.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a flatbed snow removal system according to the present invention, shown with the plow in a raised position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the flatbed snow removal system of Fig. 1, shown with the plow in a lowered position.

Fig. 3 is a partial environmental, perspective view of the flatbed snow removal system according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a partial environmental, side view of the flatbed snow removal system according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the flatbed snow removal system according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The flatbed snow removal system 10 is a drive-through station for clearing snow, ice, or other debris from the upper bed surface B of a flatbed truck. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the flatbed snow removal system 10 includes an anchor column 20 having opposed upper and lower ends. The lower end of the anchor column is mounted on a support surface, such as the ground. The system also includes a pillar 24 having opposed upper and lower ends, the lower end of the pillar 24 being mount on the ground or support surface. The anchor column 20 and the pillar 24 are spaced apart so that the flatbed truck may be driven therebetween, as shown in Fig. 1.

A rotating frame 12 having opposed first and second ends 18, 16, respectively, is mounted on the anchor column 20, with the first end 18 of the frame 12 being pivotally attached to the anchor column 20 adjacent the upper end thereof. A motor 62 is mounted in or on the anchor column 20 for selectively driving rotation of the rotating frame 12. A projecting member 26 is mounted on the pillar 24, adjacent the upper end thereof, for releasably supporting the second end 16 of the rotating frame 12.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the rotating frame 12 preferably forms a substantially rectangular frame having upper and lower bars 28, 30, respectively, extending between the first and second ends 18, 16, respectively. Preferably, a plurality of support ribs 32 extend between the upper and lower bars 28, 30, as shown. Support ribs 32 are preferably aligned vertically or orthogonal to the bars 28, 30 and parallel with respect to one another, as shown in Fig. 3.

Preferably, plow 14 is mounted to a plow frame 38. The plow frame 38 is pivotally attached to the rotating frame 12. As best shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a plurality of upper rotating supports 36 and a plurality of lower rotating supports 34 are provided, with each upper rotating support 36 corresponding to one of the lower rotating supports 34, and also to one of the support ribs 32 (i.e., the upper and lower rotating supports 36, 34 are in one-to-one correspondence with one another, and also mounted vertically adjacent one another, and are also provided in one-to-one correspondence with support ribs 32). As shown, each upper rotating support 36 has one end thereof pivotally attached to the upper bar 28 by a bolt, pivot pin 50 or the like (best shown in Fig. 4) and the other end thereof pivotally attached to an upper portion 40 of the plow frame 38 by a bolt, pivot pin 48 or the like (best shown in Fig. 3). Similarly, each lower rotating support 34 has one end thereof pivotally attached to the lower bar 30 at a pivot 52 and the other end thereof pivotally attached to a lower portion 44 of the plow frame 38 at a pivot 46. As illustrated by directional arrow 54 in Fig. 4, this allows plow frame 38 and plow 14 to be pivoted vertically, thus providing adjustable vertical translation of the plow 14. System 10 may, thus, be utilized with trucks having bed surfaces of varying heights.

Further, as shown in Fig. 3, a plurality of resilient elements 42, such as the exemplary helical springs illustrated, extend between the upper portion 40 of the plow frame 38 and a respective one of the plurality of lower rotating supports 34 (adjacent pivot points 46), so that the plow frame is spring-biased about a rotational longitudinal axis, as indicated by directional arrow 56 in Fig. 4.

In use, the flatbed truck is driven between the pillar 24 and the anchor column 20 when the rotating frame 12 is pivoted in an upright position (as shown in Fig. 1). In Fig. 1, the anchor column 20 is shown as part of a larger control housing 22, which may be an enclosure, as illustrated, for example. Control housing 22 may house the motor 62 and a controller 60. The controller 60 may be any suitable type of controller for selectively operating the motor 62 to rotate the rotating frame 12 from the upright position illustrated in Fig. 1 to the lowered position of Figs. 2 and 3. Alternatively, the rotating frame 12 may be raised and lowered manually. Fig. 5 further illustrates a power source P in electrical communication with controller 60 and motor 62. It should be understood that any suitable type of power supply may be utilized, along with any necessary electrical connections therebetween.

The rotating frame 12 and the plow 14 are selectively pivoted down to contact bed surface B, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the plow 14 may clear away snow, ice, or other debris collected on the upper bed surface B of the flatbed truck as the flatbed truck drives through the plowing region defined between the anchor column 20 and the pillar 24. Once the truck has driven through, and the snow, ice, and/or debris has been removed from bed surface B, the rotating frame 12 may then be raised again, permitting another truck to drive through the station.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.