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US 11,828,515 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for making falling snow
OwnerAlfio Bucceriinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus to create falling snow for use at ski resorts, theme parks and test and training facilities for use with drones, motor vehicles, autonomous vehicles and aircraft components.
Claims20
A mobile, multi-functional snow making system, comprising:
- an enclosure having an inlet pipe adapted to be connected to a water supply,
- the enclosure having a water tank supplied by the inlet pipe;
- an ice flake generating machine comprising a refrigerator condensing unit, a drum evaporator freezer and a scraper blade assembly;
- a fan impeller assembly;
- and a frame fitted with wheels,
- the water tank providing water to the drum evaporator freezer,
- the drum evaporator freezer having an inner wall cooled by the refrigerator condensing unit so that water spilling over a top of the inner wall and flowing down the inner wall is frozen and converted to ice;
- and
- the scraper blade assembly being located in the drum evaporator freezer to scrape ice off of the inner wall and convert the ice to ice flakes;
- and
- the fan impeller assembly operatively connected to the ice flake generating machine so that the ice flakes fall by gravity and drop onto a fan impeller of the fan impeller assembly located directly below the drum evaporator freezer, the fan impeller assembly having a fan impeller motor that rotates the fan impeller having fan impeller blades which create airflow and impact the ice flakes thereby reducing the size of the ice flakes, wherein the fan impeller blades discharge the size-reduced ice flakes and air from the fan impeller assembly.
8 more elements
A multi-functional snow making system, comprising:
- an enclosure having an inlet pipe adapted to be connected to a water supply,
- the enclosure having a water tank supplied by the inlet pipe;
- and an ice flake generating machine comprising a refrigerator condensing unit, a drum evaporator freezer and a scraper blade assembly;
- the water tank providing water to the drum evaporator freezer;
- the drum evaporator freezer having an inner wall cooled by the refrigerator condensing unit so that water from the tank applied to the inner wall is frozen and converted to ice;
- the scraper blade assembly being located in the drum evaporator freezer to scrape ice off of the inner wall and convert the ice to ice flakes;
- wherein a conveyor interconnects the ice flake generating machine with a fan impeller assembly located remotely from the enclosure, wherein a portion of the conveyor is located in the enclosure and transfers the ice flakes from the ice flake generating machine to the fan impeller assembly;
- the fan impeller assembly having a fan impeller motor that rotates a fan impeller having fan impeller blades which create airflow and impact the ice flakes thereby reducing the size of the ice flakes, wherein the fan impeller blades discharge the size-reduced ice flakes and air from the fan impeller assembly;
- and
- wherein the conveyor includes a conveyor enclosure that can store the ice flakes before feeding them to the fan impeller.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.